Subset (3)

corpus · 45.3k rows

Split (1)

train · 45.3k rows

relevant_id large_string	earliest_claim_jusrisdiction string	jurisdiction list	ipcr_codes_str string	earliest_claim_date timestamp[ms]	earliest_claim_year string	classifications_ipcr_list_first_three_chars_list list	title_en string	abstract_en string	claims_text string	description_en string
199-196-612-072-748	US	[ "US" ]	G01V1/38	2013-09-11T00:00:00	2013	[ "G01" ]	source umbilical cable without functioning power cables	techniques are disclosed relating to the operation of a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables from the source umbilical cable. techniques are disclosed relating to a source umbilical cable without a power cable (e.g., a cable configured or operable to supply electrical power), and an apparatus that includes a geophysical signal source (e.g., a seismic signal source) with an electrical power generating component. the apparatus may, in one embodiment, include a geophysical signal source with a local generator configured to supply electrical power to electrical components of the geophysical signal source. in another embodiment where the geophysical signal source is being towed behind a vessel, a generator of the geophysical signal source may generate and supply electrical power based on motion of the generator through a body of water.	1 . a method, comprising: towing behind a first vessel through a body of water, a source umbilical cable coupled to a geophysical signal source that includes one or more electrical components, and supplying electrical power to at least one of the one or more electrical components, wherein the electrical power is not supplied through the source umbilical cable. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the source umbilical cable does not include one or more conductors that are configured to supply electrical power from an energy supplying unit on a second vessel. 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the first vessel and the second vessel is the same. 4 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: supplying electrical power, by the geophysical signal source to the at least one of the one or more electrical components, wherein the geophysical signal source includes an electricity generating component. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein the electricity generating component includes a control unit that is configured to regulate a charge of a battery. 6 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating electrical power by the geophysical signal source that includes an electricity generating component, wherein the electrical power is generated based on motion related to towing the geophysical signal source through the body of water. 7 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, through the source umbilical cable, data transmitted by the at least one electrical component of the geophysical signal source, wherein the at least one electrical component includes a device configured to indicate a location of the geophysical signal source. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electrical components include a device configured to control a movement of the geophysical signal source. 9 . the method of claim 1 further comprising: detecting energy using one or more geophysical sensors disposed in the body of water; and producing a geophysical data product from the detected energy indicative of certain properties of a subsurface formation below the body of water. 10 . a method, comprising: towing a geophysical signal source behind a vessel through a body of water, supplying electrical power to one or more components of the geophysical signal source, wherein the electrical power is supplied by a local generator of the geophysical signal source. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the electrical power is not supplied from an energy supplying unit on the vessel. 12 . the method of claim 10 , further comprising: towing the geophysical signal source behind the vessel by a source umbilical cable, wherein the electrical power is not supplied through the source umbilical cable. 13 . the method of claim 10 , further comprising: receiving, through the source umbilical cable, data indicative of a position of the geophysical signal source. 14 . the method of claim 10 , further comprising: the local generator generating electrical power based on a source of renewable energy. 15 . the method of claim 10 further comprising: detecting energy using one or more geophysical sensors disposed in the body of water; and producing a geophysical data product from the detected energy indicative of certain properties of a subsurface formation below the body of water. 16 . an apparatus, comprising: a first geophysical signal source including a generator, wherein the generator is configured to supply electrical power to one or more components of the first geophysical signal source, wherein the first geophysical signal source is towable through a body of water. 17 . the apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising: a source umbilical cable coupled to the first geophysical signal source, wherein the source umbilical cable does not include a cable configured to supply power through the source umbilical cable. 18 . the apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the generator is configured to generate electrical power based on motion of the generator through a body of water. 19 . the apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising: a connector configured to transmit, through the source umbilical cable, data indicative of a position of the first geophysical signal source. 20 . the apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the one or more components of the first geophysical signal source include a transmitter configured to transmit positioning data of the first geophysical signal source. 21 . the apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the one or more components includes one or more of the following: a gps unit, an acoustic ranging unit, and a pressure sensor. 22 . the apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising: an array of a plurality of geophysical signal sources, wherein none of the plurality of geophysical signal sources in the array is coupled to a source umbilical cable that includes a cable configured to supply electrical power through the source umbilical cable.	cross-reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of provisional patent application no. 61/876,313 filed sep. 11, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. background this application generally relates to the field of marine geophysical surveying. more specifically, the application relates to methods and equipment for marine geophysical surveying. in particular, methods and apparatus related to the operation of a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables are disclosed. in the oil and gas exploration industry, marine geophysical surveying is commonly used in the search for subterranean formations. marine geophysical surveying techniques yield knowledge of the subsurface structure of the earth, which is useful for finding and extracting hydrocarbon deposits such as oil and natural gas. seismic surveying and electromagnetic surveying are two of the well-known techniques of marine geophysical surveying. for example, in a seismic survey conducted in a marine environment (which may include saltwater, freshwater, and/or brackish water environments), one or more seismic signal sources are typically configured to be submerged and towed by a vessel such as a survey vessel. the survey vessel is typically also configured to tow one or more (typically a plurality of) laterally-spaced streamers through the water. in a typical seismic survey, a vessel may tow a seismic signal source (e.g., an air gun or a marine vibrator) and a plurality of streamers along which a number of acoustic sensors (e.g., hydrophones and/or geophones) are located. in some instances, acoustic sensors may be secured at or near the bottom of the body of water. acoustic waves generated by the seismic signal source may be transmitted to the earth's crust and then, after interacting with the subsurface formation, captured at the acoustic sensors. likewise, electromagnetic surveys may tow equipment, including electromagnetic signal sources and streamers, in a similar fashion. for example, an electromagnetic transmitter (also referred to as an electromagnetic signal source or as an antenna) may be used to generate electromagnetic signals that are propagated into the subterranean structure, interact with subterranean elements, and then be received by electromagnetic receivers (also referred to as electromagnetic sensors) on the streamers (and/or at or near the bottom of the body of water). data collected during a marine geophysical survey may be analyzed to locate hydrocarbon-bearing geological structures, and thus determine where deposits of oil and natural gas may be located. some techniques of marine geophysical surveying involve the simultaneous use of seismic and electromagnetic survey equipment. in a typical marine seismic survey, a seismic source such as a marine vibrator or an air gun is commonly used. for example, a plurality of air guns of different sizes may typically be included in an air gun array towable behind a survey vessel or another vessel. the air gun array is generally suspended by chains of selected length from a buoy, float or similar flotation device. in a typical air gun array, an individual air gun includes two electrical leads connected to a solenoid valve for firing the air gun. in addition, the air gun typically includes a high pressure air feed line. continuing with the example, an air gun array typically receives electrical power and air from onboard equipment of a vessel via a source umbilical cable. one end of a source umbilical cable is generally coupled to onboard equipment of the vessel whereas the other end of the source umbilical cable is connected to components and devices of the air gun array. a source umbilical cable generally includes, for example, air conduits, air hoses, and cables such as power cables (may be referred to as “power cores”) to supply air and electricity, respectively, to the air gun array from relevant onboard sources of a vessel. a source umbilical cable is generally considered a complex structure. in addition to a stress member, a source umbilical cable may include electrical, optical and hydraulic pipes or cables which allow for power, data communication, control and fluid injection between devices on the water surface (e.g., onboard devices of a vessel) and the various subsea devices. when used with either seismic or electromagnetic surveying, a source umbilical cable commonly includes one or more electrical conductors which may be operable to provide electrical power to electrical devices and/or components of a geophysical signal source (or simply “signal source”). such electrical conductors may be referred to as one or more power cables of a source umbilical cable, and may be a single wire, a pair of twisted wires, or multiple wires or wire pairs helically wound or otherwise bound together into a source umbilical cable. through the power cable, an electrical power supply unit onboard of a vessel may supply electrical power to the electrical devices and/or components. an electrical power supply unit onboard of a vessel is typically coupled to a source umbilical cable to provide electrical power through the source umbilical cable to electrical devices and/or components of a source array. in a typical geophysical survey, the more individual signal sources (either seismic or electromagnetic) are added to the source array, the larger the diameter and weight of the source umbilical cable generally is. the large diameter and weight of a source umbilical cable typically creates a great amount of frictional, turbulent and/or vibrational “drag” from the water as it is being towed behind a vessel. not only does the drag increase fuel consumption, but the drag also induces stress on the source umbilical cable leading to rupture and leakage. the diameter and weight of a source umbilical cable are generally considered to be factors limiting the quantity of individual signal sources to be towed and the amount of offset between the vessel and the source array. moreover, a high power requirement such as the power requirement for an acoustic ranging unit over long ranges is often another bottleneck in the operation. high power requirement generally shortens battery life for battery-powered devices and puts constraints on those devices powered inductively from the source umbilical cable. when a source umbilical cable is damaged or ruptured, its internal components including the power cables that supply electricity to the source array may fail, resulting in interruption or suspension of the entire survey operation. repairing faulty components of the source umbilical cable, however, is often challenging with such a large bundle of air lines, wires, and other components in one source umbilical cable. splicing into the entire source umbilical cable is often necessary to locate and/or test electrical or pneumatic faults. separating the faulty component from the large bundle of air lines, wires and other components, repairing the faulty component, reassembling the source umbilical cable, and repairing the rupture is a time-consuming and costly process. accordingly, a need exists for an improved techniques and apparatus for conducting marine geophysical survey operations. a need exists for a more robust and more reliable source umbilical cable that may tow a large quantity of signal sources. there is a continuing need for larger arrays and acquiring larger amounts of geophysical data. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a geophysical survey system including a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables. fig. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a geophysical signal source that includes an electricity generating component. fig. 3 illustrates a representation of a control unit for an electricity generating component of a geophysical signal source. fig. 4a illustrates a flow diagram for towing a source umbilical cable behind a vessel through a body of water. fig. 4b illustrates a flow diagram for conducting a geophysical survey at least partially based on the illustration in fig. 4a . fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for determining a position of a geophysical signal source array. fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating an acoustic ranging unit and a gps unit based on power generated using a local generator. fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for operating a steering device based on power generated using a local generator. detailed description this specification includes references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment.” the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure. various devices, units, circuits, or other components may be described or claimed as “configured to”, “usable to”, or “operable to” perform a task or tasks. in such contexts, “configured to”, “usable to” and “operable to” is each used to connote structure by indicating that the devices/units/circuits/components include structure that performs the task or tasks during operation. as such, the device/unit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to, usable to, or usable to perform the task even when the specified device/unit/circuit/component is not currently operational (e.g., is not on or in operation). the devices/units/circuits/components used with the “configured to”, “usable to”, or “operable to” language include hardware—for example, circuits, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation, etc. reciting that a device/unit/circuit/component is “configured to”, “usable to”, or “operable to” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 u.s.c. §112(f), for that device/unit/circuit/component. further, as used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. do not necessarily imply an ordering (e.g., temporal) between elements. for example, a reference to a “first” marine geophysical signal source and a “second” such source may refer to any two different sources. in short, references such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used as labels for ease of reference in the description and the appended claims. while at least a portion of this disclosure refers explicitly to seismic surveying, it is important to recognize that the survey system disclosed is not limited to seismic survey, but rather any geophysical survey system which includes the operation of a source umbilical cable without power cables. other types of geophysical signal sources may include, without limitation, seismic and electromagnetic signal sources. accordingly, the references to seismic signal sources are provided as non-limiting examples. fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a marine geophysical survey system that may include a plurality of individual geophysical signal sources (also referred to as “signal source(s)”) in a signal source array. the signal source array may be coupled to a source umbilical cable that is towed through a body of water by a vessel. as used herein, the words “coupled”, “couple”, “attach,” or “attached” and other derivations thereof mean a connection between components, whether direct or indirect. referring to fig. 1 , an illustration of one embodiment of a geophysical survey system is shown. in the illustrated embodiment, the system includes vessel 10 , source umbilical cables 30 a and 30 b, geophysical signal sources 32 a and 32 b, paravanes 14 , source array steering devices 16 a and 16 b, and streamers 20 . vessel 10 may be configured to move along a surface of body of water 11 such as a lake or the ocean. in the illustrated embodiment, vessel 10 tows streamers 20 , signal sources 32 a and 32 b, and optional paravanes 14 . in other embodiments, streamers 20 may be towed by a second vessel (not shown), rather than or in addition to vessel 10 . vessel 10 may include equipment, shown generally at 12 and for convenience collectively referred to as “recording system”. recording system 12 may include devices such as a data recording unit (not shown separately) for making a record with respect to time of signals generated by various geophysical sensors. recording system 12 may also include navigation equipment (not shown separately), which may be configured to control, determine, and record, at selected times, the geodetic positions of: survey vessel 10 , each of signal sources disposed on signal sources 32 a and 32 b, and/or geophysical sensors 22 (e.g., seismic sensors or electromagnetic sensors) disposed at spaced-apart locations on streamers 20 . in some embodiments, geophysical sensors 22 may be secured at or near the bottom of the body of water 11 , either in addition to or in place of the geophysical sensors 22 on the streamers. as illustrated in fig. 1 , streamers 20 are coupled to vessel 10 via cables 18 . streamers 20 may further include tail buoys 25 at a distal end of each streamer 20 . paravanes 14 , coupled to vessel 10 by cables 8 , generally provide lateral force to maintain the spread of the streamer array. geodetic position (or “position”) of signal sources 32 a and 32 b may be determined using various devices, including navigation equipment such as relative acoustic ranging units and/or global navigation satellite systems (e.g., a global positioning system (gps)). in the illustrated embodiment, signal sources 32 a and 32 b respectively include geodetic positioning devices 33 a and 33 b. signal sources 32 a and 32 b may additionally include acoustic ranging unit 60 (shown in fig. 2 ). in the geophysical survey system illustrated in fig. 1 , vessel 10 may tow two signal sources 32 a and 32 b by way of source umbilical cables 30 a and 30 b, respectively. in various embodiments, survey vessel 10 may tow any operable number of signal sources, including as few as none or as many as 6 or more. the location of signal sources 32 a and 32 b may be centered behind survey vessel 10 or displaced from the center line. signal sources 32 a and 32 b may be towed at various distances and depths behind vessel 10 , including attached to the hull of vessel 10 . signal sources 32 a and 32 b may be any type of signal source known in the art. for example, signal sources 32 a and 32 b may impart seismic, electromagnetic field, and/or other energy directed to various structures in the earth's subsurface formation below the bottom of body of water 11 . seismic energy, in one non-limiting embodiment, may originate from signal sources 32 a and 32 b, or an array of such sources, deployed in body of water 11 and towed by vessel 10 . in another non-limiting embodiment, a wire loop or electrode pair may be used to impart electromagnetic energy. each of signal sources 32 a and 32 b may include sub-arrays of multiple individual signal sources. for example, signal source 32 may include a plurality of air guns, marine vibrators, or electromagnetic signal sources. in some embodiments including the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 , each of signal sources 32 a and signal sources 32 b may be a sub-array of a signal source array towable behind vessel 10 . signal source 32 may be a sub-array that includes a plurality of individual signal sources 17 (individual air guns in a seismic survey, for example) that are connected by way of load bearing members 26 (e.g., chains shown in fig. 2 ). the term “signal source,” as used herein, may refer to a single signal source or to an array of signal sources. in various embodiments, a geophysical survey system may include any appropriate number of towed signal sources 32 . in an embodiment where signal source 32 includes a plurality of individual air guns (e.g., in a seismic survey), signal source 32 may include three to eight gun strings (as non-limiting examples), and each gun string may have several individual air guns. signal sources 32 a and 32 b may include various devices including navigation and other devices. for example, signal sources 32 a and 32 b may include navigation devices such as geodetic positioning devices 33 a and 33 b, acoustic ranging units, water depth sensors, pressure sensors, and/or hydrophones that are configured to provide data including data indicative of respective positions of signal sources 32 a and 32 b. in one non-limiting embodiment, at least one of the sensors, geodetic positioning device 33 a, or acoustic ranging unit may include one or more electrical components that are operable based on electricity or electrical power. for example, signal sources 32 a and 32 b may include electrical leads connected to a solenoid valve for activating signal sources 32 a and 32 b (e.g., firing of an air gun). in another non-limiting embodiment, geodetic positioning devices 33 a and 33 b may each include electrical components such as a receiver (e.g., a radio receiver) that is operable using electrical power. in this embodiment, acoustic ranging unit 60 may include electrical components such as a signal transponder. as used herein, the term “electrical component” includes any and all components, parts, devices, apparatus, or systems that may be powered or operable based on electrical power, electrical energy, and/or electricity. signal sources 32 a and 32 b may each include steering device 16 a and 16 b. steering devices 16 a and 16 b may provide steering capability to signal sources 32 a and 32 b. steering devices 16 a and 16 b may each control a movement, a location, and/or a position of signal source 32 a and 32 b. in one embodiment, steering devices 16 a and 16 b may impart hydrodynamic lift related to the controlling or steering of signal sources 32 a and 32 b. in certain embodiments, the controlling or steering of signal source 32 a may be exercised by imparting force on float device 36 of signal source 32 a. in some embodiments, steering devices 16 a and 16 b may provide control including lateral steering of signal sources 32 a and 32 b. steering device 16 a may include an electrical component such as an actuator which may cause a deflecting motion of a plane of steering device 16 a. in some embodiments, the actuator may be a stepper motor that includes various electrically powered components such as an electromagnet, a microcontroller, and others. in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 1 , signal sources 32 a and 32 b are each coupled to vessel 10 at one end through winch 19 or a similar spooling device that enables changing the deployed length of each source umbilical cable 30 a and 30 b. in certain embodiments where signal sources 32 a and 32 b are air guns, source umbilical cables 30 a and 30 b may each include, within an exterior jacket, a high pressure air supply line to supply air for signal sources 32 a and 32 b. in these embodiments, the high pressure air may be supplied by an onboard high pressure compressor (not shown) of vessel 10 . source umbilical cables 30 a and 30 b may each include, within the exterior jacket, internal components such a plurality of conductors (e.g., electrical conductors) and/or optic cables for signal communication between recording system 12 and devices of signal sources 32 a and 32 b. such devices may include the above mentioned sensors along with geodetic positioning devices 33 a and 33 b. in some embodiments, source umbilical cables 30 a and 30 b may also include at least one stress member configured to bear towing force during operation. in the embodiments illustrated in fig. 1 and fig. 2 (source umbilical cable 30 a is partially shown in fig. 2 ; the broken lines of source umbilical cable 30 a indicates that this partial figure is not necessarily drawn to scale), source umbilical cable 30 a may contain no power cables. in certain embodiments, such as when source umbilical cable 30 a has been reconfigured from an industry standard source umbilical cable, one or more power cables may have been removed from source umbilical cable 30 a. in these and other embodiments, electrical power for operation of the one or more electrical components of signal source 32 a may not be supplied through source umbilical cable 30 a. in alternative embodiments, however, source umbilical cable 30 a including one or more power cables, may be operated such that power is not supplied through source umbilical cable 30 a. in some embodiments, source umbilical cable 30 a may not include a power cable configured or operable to supply electrical power through the source umbilical cable to navigation devices such as geodetic positioning devices 33 a and 33 b, acoustic ranging unit, and/or others. in some of these embodiments, source umbilical cable 30 a may not include one or more electrical conductors or other such components that are configured and/or operable to supply electrical power through source umbilical cable 30 a. as used herein, the words “supply,” “supplying” and other variations may include continuously supply/supplying and/or intermittently supply/supplying. in addition to devices such as sensors, acoustic ranging units, signal source steering devices, and geodetic positioning devices (and the electrical components each may contain), an electrical component of signal source 32 a may include a circuitry configured to control signal source 32 a. in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , such circuitry may include a transducer housing (not shown). one or more of water depth sensor 62 and/or one or more of hydrophone 64 may be included within the transducer housing so that the circuitry may control the operation of signal source 32 a based on data from water depth sensor 62 and/or hydrophone 64 . in this particular embodiment, water depth sensor 62 may include a pressure transducer that is configured to detect a pressure differential between water depth sensor 62 and surface of body of water 11 . data transmitted from water depth sensor 62 may be used to identify a location of origination of signal source 32 a when signal source 32 a is activated. in this particular embodiment, hydrophone 64 may be configured to provide data indicative of magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and/or other properties of a source signal generated by signal source 32 a (e.g., the timing of the firing of the air guns in a seismic survey). in certain embodiments, particularly in seismic survey operations, data provided by hydrophone 64 may help detect air leaks and/or other problems that may occur during a marine seismic survey. data provided by water depth sensor 62 and/or hydrophone 64 may be converted, by the circuitry, to a signal (e.g., a digital signal). such signal may be transmitted to onboard recording system 12 of vessel 10 . in certain embodiments, signal source 32 a may additionally include one or more of pressure sensor 66 configured to measure air and/or water pressures around signal source 32 a. in such embodiments, pressure sensor 66 may be configured to transmit data indicative of air and/or water pressure variations. similar to data from water depth sensor 62 and/or hydrophone 64 , data provided by pressure sensor 66 may help determining properties of signal source 32 a such as position, location, and others. in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , signal source 32 a may include acoustic ranging unit 60 that is coupled to signal source 32 a under a surface of body of water 11 . in certain embodiments, acoustic ranging unit 60 may be configured to determine a relative position of signal source 32 a with respect to signal source 32 b. in this embodiment, signal source 32 a may include geodetic positioning device 33 a that is disposed on or coupled to flotation device 36 . flotation device 36 may be configured provide buoyancy to signal source 32 a. in some embodiments, an acoustic ranging system (may be referred to as “ctx”) 70 may be disposed on floatation device 36 . in one such embodiment, ctx 70 may determine acoustic transit times between acoustic ranging unit 60 and flotation device 36 where geodetic positioning device 33 a may be, and positioning data related to signal source 32 a may be determined. in one particular embodiment, a position of a center of signal source 32 a may be determined based on data of acoustic ranging unit 60 and geodetic positioning device in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , supporting structure 48 may be attached to floatation device 36 and may suspend signal source 32 a (e.g., individual signal sources 17 of signal source 32 a) into body of water 11 . flotation device 36 may be configured to provide buoyancy to supporting structure 48 and/or signal source 32 a. in the particular embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , signal source 32 a may include electricity generating component 40 that is configured to supply electrical power to electrical components of signal source 32 a. in this and other embodiments, electricity generating component 40 may be a local electricity generator that is disposed in an area or a proximity local to signal source 32 a. in one particular embodiment, electricity generating component 40 may be disposed near or be attached to floatation device 36 . electricity generating component 40 may, in other embodiments, be bolted onto floatation device 36 (e.g., bolted directly onto a metal keel of floatation device 36 ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , electricity generating component 40 may be connected, via a cable (e.g., a cable that may be extendable and/or extended), to a control system that may be located on flotation device 36 . the control system in the embodiment may be an “elbox” to be described later in the specification. in the particular embodiment illustrated, electricity generating component 40 may be located within a length of the cable (e.g., a cable that is approximately 2 meters long and may be extended to be approximately 5 meters long) of a location of the elbox on flotation device 36 . as used herein, the term “local” refers to a location and/or an area within a length of a cable to and/or from electricity generating component 40 . in one non-limiting embodiment, instead of flotation device 36 , electricity generating component 40 may be attached to another floatation device (not shown) that may be located near signal source 32 a, wherein electricity generating component 40 may be local to signal source 32 a. in another example, electricity generating component 40 may be attached to a paravane (not shown) that may be located near signal source 32 a, wherein electricity generating component 40 may be local to signal source 32 a. yet in another example, electricity generating component 40 may be attached to a streamer (or a portion of a streamer) (not shown) that may be disposed near signal source 32 a, wherein electricity generating component 40 may be local to signal source 32 a. in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , electricity generating component 40 may be a power generator. such power generator may be configured to convert mechanical energy (e g, kinetic energy) of the movement of body of water 11 , or the movement of electricity generating component 40 as it is being towed by source umbilical cable 30 a through body of water 11 , into electrical power or electricity. in one particular embodiment, electricity generating component 40 may be a 24-volt, 12-volt, or other types of generator. in alternative embodiments, electricity generating component 40 may be a generator of electrical power or electricity based on a form of renewable energy. a form of renewable energy may include solar, wind, ocean currents, and/or other similar continually replenished signal sources. in one such embodiment, electricity generating component 40 may include a solar panel configured to convert solar energy into electrical power or electricity. in yet another such embodiment, electricity generating component 40 may include a wind turbine configured to convert wind energy into electrical power or electricity. in another embodiment, electricity generating component 40 may include a tidal energy generator configured to convert ocean tidal movements into electrical power or electricity. in certain embodiments, electricity generating component 40 may include a combination of any such embodiments. in one non-limiting embodiment, for example, electricity generating component 40 may include a power generator based on towing motion in addition to a solar panel as illustrated in fig. 2 . in some embodiments, such generated electrical power or electricity may directly supply power to one or more electrical components of signal source 32 a. in other embodiments, electrical power or electricity generated by electricity generating component 40 may be provided to one or more batteries (not separately shown) that are configured to store the electrical power generated. the one or more batteries may in turn supply electrical power to one or more electrical components of signal source 32 a. in certain embodiments, such batteries may be rechargeable. and in some of such embodiments, water-resistant or water-safe rechargeable batteries may be included. in these embodiments, one or more back-up batteries may additionally be included. in certain embodiments, electricity generating component 40 may include a control system including an elbox by powex as, norway, commercially available through powex's partner partnerplast as. the control system may include circuitries or modules that are configured to, among others, charge and maintain a charge and/or load parameters of one or more rechargeable batteries. such circuitries or modules may be configured to regulate a correct charge of the rechargeable batteries. in one non-limiting embodiment, for example, circuitries and modules included in the control system may also be configured to interface and/or manage data transmission between geodetic sensor 33 a and source umbilical cable 30 a. as discussed above, electricity generating component 40 may be connected to the control system including an elbox by a cable, e.g., wired into the elbox (not separately shown). the cable may be extendable and/or extended. in this particular embodiment, the control system including the elbox may be located on flotation device 36 , and electricity generating component 40 may be disposed within a length of the cable (e.g., a cable having a length of approximately 2 meters and may be extended to a length of approximately 5 meters) to a location of the elbox, wherein electricity generating component 40 may be local to signal source 32 a. a representation of the control system is shown in fig. 3 as control system 200 . control system 200 may be connected to a connector such as a multi-pin connector 80 illustrated in fig. 3 . in these embodiments, multi-pin connector 80 may be configured to connect control system 200 with various other devices and sensors (e.g., geodetic sensor 33 a) by way of individual pins (e.g., paths). multi-pin connector 80 may be connected, via source umbilical cable 30 a, to recording system 12 of vessel 10 . in a non-limiting embodiment, control system 200 may be connected via multi-pin connector 80 to: geodetic positioning device 33 a, ctx 70 , electricity generating component 40 which may include solar panel 44 and power generator 46 (e.g., based on kinetic energy of towing motion) in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , and batteries such as back-up batteries and other batteries. in some of these embodiments, control system 200 may be configured to receive and transmit signals from geodetic positioning device 33 a acoustic ranging unit 60 , and/or other components or devices, whereas a separate control system (not shown) may be configured to receive and transmit signals from water depth sensors 62 , hydrophone 64 , pressure sensor 66 and/or other components or devices. in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , control system 200 and one or more electrical conductors or optic cables of source umbilical cable 30 a may be connected via multi-pin connector 80 . in particular, such one or more electrical conductors or optic cables of source umbilical cable 30 a may be operable to transmit signals and/or data to and from recording system 12 of vessel 10 . in a non-limiting example, these electrical conductors and/or optic cables may be referred to as one or more sensor lines. in these embodiments, signal source 32 a may be towed by vessel (shown as 10 in fig. 1 ) from an aft end of source umbilical cable 30 a. control system 200 and recording system 12 of vessel 10 may be in signal communication, by way of multi-pin connector 80 connected to source umbilical cable 30 a. fig. 4a is a flow diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a method 400 for towing a source umbilical cable behind a vessel through a body of water. the method shown in fig. 4a may be used in conjunction with any of the devices, elements, or components disclosed herein, among other devices. in various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. additional method elements may also be performed as desired. flow begins at block 410 . at block 410 , a vessel towing, through a body of water, a signal source by way of a source umbilical cable. the signal source being towed includes one or more electrical components such a gps unit. electrical power to operate the gps is not being supplied through the source umbilical cable. flow proceeds to block 420 . at block 420 , a local 24-volt generator of the signal source generating electrical power based on towing motion of the signal source through the body of water. flow proceeds to block 430 . at block 430 , a control unit coupled to the local generator maintaining a charge of a battery of the generator, and the battery supplying electrical power to the gps unit attached to the signal source. flow proceeds to block 440 . at block 440 , the gps unit of the signal source operating based on electrical power supplied from the battery. the gps unit transmitting positioning data to an onboard survey system of the vessel. a location of the signal source may be determined based on the positioning data. such location may be a factor in analyzing the geophysical responses from the subterranean formation. flow may end at block 440 . method 400 for towing a source umbilical cable behind a vessel through a body of water may be extended by method 450 illustrated in fig. 4b for conducting a geophysical survey. the method shown in fig. 4b may be used in conjunction with any of the devices, elements, or components disclosed herein, among other devices. in various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. additional method elements may also be performed as desired. flow may continue from block 440 and may begin at block 455 . at block 455 , one or more geophysical sensors are disposed in the body of water (e.g., at block 410 ), either along streamers or secured on or near the ground at the bottom of the body of water. flow proceeds to block 465 . at block 465 , the one or more signal sources are actuated. flow proceeds to block 475 . at block 475 , energy from the signal source interacting with subsurface formations below the body of water. flow proceeds to block 485 . at block 485 , resultant energy from the interaction at block 475 is detected by the one or more geophysical sensors. flow may end at block 475 or flow may proceed to optional block 495 . at optional block 495 , the one or more geophysical sensors may transmit information about the detected energy to the recording system onboard of a vessel. flow ends at block 495 . in accordance with an embodiment, a geophysical data product indicative of certain properties of the subsurface formation may be produced from the detected energy. the geophysical data product may include processed seismic or electromagnetic geophysical data and may be stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium. the geophysical data product may be produced offshore (i.e. by equipment on a vessel) or onshore (i.e. at a facility on land) either within the united states or in another country. if the geophysical data product is produced offshore or in another country, it may be imported onshore to a facility in the united states. once onshore in the united states, geophysical analysis may be performed on the data product. fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method 500 for determining a position of a center of a geophysical signal source sub-array. the method shown in fig. 5 may be used in conjunction with any of the devices, elements, or components disclosed herein, among other devices. in various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. additional method elements may also be performed as desired. flow begins at block 510 . at block 510 , a sub-array of a geophysical signal source array being towed through a body of water by a vessel. the geophysical signal source sub-array includes a local direct current (dc) power generator moving through the body of water along with the geophysical signal source sub-array. flow proceeds to block 520 . at block 520 , the local dc power generator operating and generating electrical power based on the motion of the local dc generator. a rechargeable battery included in the local dc generator storing the electrical power generated. flow proceeds to block 530 . at block 530 , an acoustic ranging unit operating based on the electrical power energy stored in the rechargeable battery. the acoustic ranging unit is disposed at a center of the geophysical signal source sub-array. flow proceeds to block 540 . at block 540 , the acoustic ranging unit that includes a transceiver transmitting acoustic pulses or signals, through a sensor line, to an onboard survey system of a survey vessel. in this non-limiting embodiment, one end of the sensor line is coupled to the geophysical signal source sub-array, and the other end of the sensor line is coupled to the onboard survey system of the vessel towing the geophysical signal source sub-array or another vessel. flow proceeds to block 550 . at block 550 , a gps unit attached to the geophysical signal source sub-array transmitting signals, through another, separate, sensor line, to the onboard survey system. the signals transmitted by the gps unit are indicative of a position of the geophysical signal source sub-array. flow proceeds to block 560 . at block 560 , the survey system calculating a location of the center of the geophysical signal source sub-array based on the signals received at blocks 540 and 550 . flow ends at block 560 . fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method 600 for operating an acoustic ranging unit and a gps unit based on power generated using a local generator. the method shown in fig. 6 may be used in conjunction with any of the devices, elements, or components disclosed herein, among other devices. in various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. additional method elements may also be performed as desired. flow begins at block 610 . at block 610 , an array of seismic signal sources that includes a plurality of individual air guns of various sizes being towed through a body of water by a vessel. the seismic signal source array includes a local direct current (dc) power generator generating electricity based on the towing motion of the dc generator through the body of water. flow proceeds to block 620 . at block 620 , the local dc power generator operating and generating electrical power based on the towing motion of the local dc generator. a water-resistant or water-safe rechargeable battery included in the local dc generator storing the electrical power generated. flow proceeds to block 630 . at block 630 , an acoustic ranging unit operating based on electrical power or energy stored in the rechargeable battery. the acoustic ranging unit is disposed on the seismic signal source array. flow proceeds to block 640 . at block 640 , the acoustic ranging unit that includes a transceiver transmitting acoustic pulses or signals at a set time interval (e.g., every 2 seconds), through a sensor line that is included in the umbilical cable, to an onboard survey system of the vessel which may be a survey vessel or another type of vessel. flow proceeds to block 650 . at block 650 , a gps unit attached to the seismic signal source array transmitting signals, via radio communication, to the onboard survey system. the radio signals transmitted by the gps unit are indicative of an absolute position of the seismic signal source array. flow proceeds to block 660 . at block 660 , the survey system calculating a location of the seismic signal source array based on the signals received at blocks 640 and 650 . flow ends at block 660 . fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method 700 of a method for operating a steering device based on power generated using a local generator. the method shown in fig. 7 may be used in conjunction with any of the devices, elements, or components disclosed herein, among other devices. in various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. additional method elements may also be performed as desired. flow begins at block 710 . at block 710 , being towed through a body of water behind a vessel is an array of geophysical signal sources. the array of geophysical signal sources is being towed behind the vessel at a first location in the body of water. the geophysical signal source array includes a local direct current (dc) power generator generating electricity based on the towing motion of the dc generator through the body of water. flow proceeds to block 720 . at block 720 , the local dc power generator of the geophysical signal source array operating and generating electrical power based on the towing motion of the local dc generator. flow proceeds to block 730 . at block 730 , a device that is included on the geophysical signal source array operating based on energy generated by the local dc power generator. the device is configured to control, steer, and/or guide a movement, a location, or a position of the geophysical signal source array. the device may be referred to as a steering device or geophysical signal source steering device. flow proceeds to block 740 . at block 740 , the geophysical signal source steering device generating force causing the geophysical signal source array to be laterally moved (e.g., relocated) to a second location in the body of water, and the second location is different from the first location. the geophysical signal source array is being towed by behind the vessel at the second (e.g., new) location. flow ends at block 740 . operating a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables may provide various benefits including reducing the diameter, cost, and drag force of the source umbilical cable. a reduction in source umbilical cable diameter may result in advantages such as additional load on a reel, longer lay backs, longer source offsets, and reduced seismic offsets. operating a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables may increase productivity during operation. inefficiencies may be reduced including those inefficiencies caused by loss of productivity and downtime related to the power cables such as failing or leaking lines in the source umbilical cable and feedback or interference to sensors. moreover, a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables may have additional capacity to transmit data from the signal sources to an onboard survey system of a vessel. data transmitted through a telemetry line, for example, included in the source umbilical cable, may be more reliable than those transmitted over a radio communication link. operating a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables may further increase operation efficiency by simplifying the configuration of a source umbilical cable. as a result, the source umbilical cable may be less time and labor intensive to test and repair. for example, an operator with skills to reterminate a source umbilical cable may be able to reterminate a source umbilical cable without functioning power cables. the same skill sets and knowledge relevant to source umbilical cables may thus be leverageable rendering efficient the transition to the source umbilical cable without functioning power cables. the inclusion of a local electrical power generator to a signal source may be advantageous in various aspects. in one aspect, a voltage drop from the electricity generating component and the device receiving the electricity may be reduced by having a local generator close to the device receiving the electricity. in another aspect, the quantity of signal sources may no longer be limited by the capacity to supply electrical power from a vessel through power cables. in yet another aspect, the capacity of the power supply system may no longer limit the capacity of certain equipment. for example, an acoustic ranging unit may demand a constant supply of a substantial amount of electrical power to transmit acoustic pulses of sufficient energy to achieve quality long ranges. although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. examples of features provided in the disclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive unless stated otherwise. the above description is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. the scope of the present disclosure includes any feature or combination of features disclosed herein (either explicitly or implicitly), or any generalization thereof, whether or not it mitigates any or all of the problems addressed herein. accordingly, new claims may be formulated during prosecution of this application (or an application claiming priority thereto) to any such combination of features. in particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in the specific combinations enumerated in the appended claims.
199-340-964-134-846	US	[ "US" ]	D05C15/18,D05C15/04,D05C15/32	2000-03-27T00:00:00	2000	[ "D05" ]	tufting machine yarn feed pattern control	a tufting machine has a yarn feed pattern assembly including a housing having a mounting plate for mounting a multiplicity of yarn feed rollers from the exterior of said mounting plate and a multiplicity of servo motors connected to said mounting plate on the interior of said housing. each servo motor is connected to a respective feed roller. a multiplicity of tubes extend within said housing, half the tubes directing yarn from a source to respective rollers and half of the tubes directing yarn from the rollers to respective needles. the guide tubes direct yarn from the interior of said housing through said mounting plate where the yarn is trained about a respective roller and directed back into the yarn guide leading toward the needles of said tufting machine.	1. a yarn feed roller assembly for a tufting machine comprising a hollow housing having a mounting plate, a multiplicity of drive rollers rotatably mounted on said mounting plate, a multiplicity of variable speed motors mounted on said mounting plate, each motor having an output shaft connected to one of said rollers, and a multiplicity of yarn guide tubes mounted within said housing, there being two a first guide tubes associated with each roller, one for directing yarn from a source to the roller and the other for directing yarn from the roller to the tufting machine , and a guide having an aperture through which said yarn is directed from the roller to the tufting machine. 2. a yarn feed roller assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said mounting plate comprises an exterior wall of said housing and includes an exterior surface and an interior surface, said rollers extending from the exterior surface and said motors extending from said interior surface. 3. a yarn feed roller assembly as recited in claim 1 , including a member for frictionally engaging each roller to apply a frictional force to yarn trained about said roller. 4. a yam feed roller assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said tufting machine includes a head and brackets for attaching said housing to said head. 5. a yarn feed roller assembly as recited in claim 1 6 , wherein said housing is open at an upper end and a lower end, said first guide tubes associated with said roller for directing yam from a source to the roller extend from said upper end and the second guide tubes associated with each roller for directing yarn from the rollers to the tufting machine extend to said lower end of said housing. 6. the yarn feed roller assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the guide roller comprises a second guide tube associated with each roller for directing yarn from the roller to the tufting machine. 7. a yam feed roller assembly for a tufting machine comprising a hollow housing having a mounting plate, a multiplicity of drive rollers rotatably mounted on said mounting plate, a multiplicity of variable speed motors mounted on said mounting plate, each motor having an output shaft connected to one of said rollers, and a multiplicity of yarn guide tubes mounted within said housing, there being a first guide tube associated with each roller, for directing yarn from a source to the roller, said yarn then directed from the roller to the tufting machine.	this invention relates to tufting machines and more particularly to a yarn feed pattern control for a tufting machine having a separate feed motor for each individual yarn end fed to the tufting machine for varying the pile height of each tuft selectively, thereby permitting a full repeat across the full width of the tufting machine. it is well known in the carpet tufting art to utilize a yarn feed roller attachment for producing variations in pile height of loop pile products, and for producing cut and loop products wherein any particular needle may produce either a loop pile tuft or a cut pile tuft. the yarn feed rollers act either to feed the full amount of yarn to adequately accommodate the yarn requirements of the particular needle or to feed less than that adequate amount of yarn so as to backdraw or backrob yarn from the previous stitch. the backrobbing features are adequately described in the prior art, for example, u.s. pat. no. 2,862,465 in regard to loop pile and u.s. pat. no. 3,084,645 in regard to cut and loop products. as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,182,997, each needle in the tufting machine may be controlled individually to either produce a high loop or a low loop by feeding yarn to each of the respective needles at a first or a second speed, the first and second speeds being different. the greater quantity of yarn fed at the highest speed provides an adequate amount of yarn for the needle while the slower speed supplies a lesser amount so as to backrob from the prior loop. the assembly there shown is known as a single end control yarn feed roller assembly or a full repeat scroll and is a two pile height feed roller assembly. there are other feed roller assemblies of this type that may permit a third level to be formed by including an additional drive roll pair for driving the feed roll at a third speed intermediate the first and second speeds. recently, with the improvements made in the art of servo motors wherein such motors have been made smaller and quick acting, it is now possible to drive a single yarn end by a respective servo motor to each individual needle. this provides the ability to feed each yam at a multitude of speeds to each needle so that a substantial number of pile heights may be produced by each individual needle. this gives the carpet designer a substantially greater arsenal of design capabilities than heretofore possible. for example, certain needles may be threaded with different color yarns and a particular color yam may be hidden it the carpet at a first location and yet show slightly at a different location in the direction the carpet is being fed, and show up even more at still other locations so that various shading effects may be created. additionally, different effects may be created in cut and loop carpets of the type manufactured using the method disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 3,084,645 and in level cut and loop carpet such as the type produced using the method illustrated in u.s. pat. no. 4,185,569. when one considers that a full sized tufting machine such as a 4 meter or a 15 foot machine having a ⅛ gauge, i.e., ⅛ inch between rows of needles, may have as many as approximately 1298 needles such that multi-level single end control of the yam being fed would require approximately 1298 servo motors, it can be seen that there is a massive number of yarn ends being fed to the needles and that some means must be found to mount the motors and direct the yarns for threading the proper needle or the massive number of yarns would be intermingled or interwinded and concatenated and make it extremely difficult for threading the needles. if a particular yarn does not go to the proper needle, the pattern would be defective which may result in wasted fabric. summary of the invention consequently, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a yarn feed pattern assembly for a tufting machine that permits full control of the pattern repeat across the width of the tufting machine permitting each needle to receive a respective yarn fed at a multiplicity of speeds selectively. it is another object of the present invention to provide a yarn feed pattern assembly for a tufting machine having an individual motor drive assembly for each needle to permit feeding of the yarn at different selective rates to each respective tive needle of the tufting machine. it is a future object of the present invention to provide a yarn feed roller pattern assembly for attachment to a tufting machine, the assembly having an individual motor drive assembly for each needle and having a yarn guide system for guiding a yarn to and from each respective motor drive assembly. accordingly, the present invention provides a tufting machine having a yarn feed pattern assembly including a housing having a mounting plate for mounting a multiplicity of servo motors, each servo motor preferably corresponding to one needle in the tufting machine so that a full repeat pattern across the width of the tufting machine may be provided. each servo motor carries a roller about which yarn is trained so as to be fed from a yarn source to the respective needle, the motor being mounted on one surface of the mounting plate and the roller being mounted on the other. within the housing leading to and from each roller is a respective input and output tube, and the input tubes supplying yarn from the yarn source to the receptive roller and the output tubes feeding yarn from the rollers to the respective needles. by maintaining the yarn in the housing within the guide tubes, the yarn is precluded from being entangled with other yarns and provides the machine operator with the ability to thread each particular needle with the correct yarn. for example, any particular servo motor may carry a particular number and the tubes extending thereto and therefrom may also be numbered to correspond with a particular needle. in this manner, the needles may be threaded correctly to provide the desired pattern. the housing which carries the servo motors and rollers and in which the multitude of yarn guide tubes are mounted may be readily mounted as an attachment, so to speak, on the head of the tufting machine and the yarns fed to the machine may be directed to the needles from the housing conventionally. brief description of the drawings the particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a tufting machine incorporating a yarn feed pattern attachment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the machine illustrated in fig. 1 with the end of the yarn feed pattern attachment housing removed; fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the mounting plate of the yarn feed pattern attachment broken away and rotated relative to fig. 2 to illustrate the servo motor and yarn drive associated therewith; and fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially through line 4 - 4 of fig. 1 at a greatly enlarged scale. description of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings, figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a tufting machine 10 having a head 12 in which a plurality of transversely spaced push rods 14 is reciprocally mounted, the push rods carrying a needle bar 16 at the lower ends thereof. the needle bar 16 carries a multiplicity of needles 18 , which may be mounted in a single roll as illustrated or in two rows which may or may not be staggered relative to each other as well known in the art. moreover, rather than being a laterally fix needle bar, the needle bar 16 may be of the laterally shiftable types as is well known in the art. in any event, the needles cooperate with corresponding respective loopers and hooks (not illustrated) conventionally mounted beneath the head as is notoriously well known in the art. mounted as an attachment on the head of the tufting machine is a yarn feed roller pattern assembly 20 constructed in accordance with the present invention. yarn, such as yarn strands y, y 1 , y 2 , y 3 , y 4 , are supplied from a source such as a yarn creel (not illustrated) and are directed to the pattern attachment 20 and from the pattern attachment each yarn is directed to a respective separate needle 18 . the yarn feed roll pattern attachment 20 comprises a housing having a front face plate 22 spaced from a rear plate 24 , the plates 22 , 24 being connected together by end plates (not illustrated) so as to form a hollow housing having open upper and bottom portions. the rear plate 24 may be connected to the tufting machine by means of brackets 26 so that the yarn is readily available for threading to the multiplicity of needles. secured to and carried by the front face plate 22 are a multiplicity of yarn feed roll assemblies each including a respective servo motor 28 , there preferably being one servo motor for each needle 18 . as well known each servo motor may be controlled to rotate at variable selected speeds, and to this end electrical connectors 29 , 31 extend from the motors to a program controller (not illustrated). each servo motor has an outer casing 30 which is connected by screws 32 or the like to the rear surface of the front face plate 22 while a yarn feed roller support plate 34 is connected by screws 35 to the front surface of the plate 22 in superposed relationship relatively to the servo motor. the output shaft 36 of the each servo motor extends through the front plate 22 and the support plate 34 and is connected to a roll 38 , which, as illustrated, may have a pulley configuration. thus the roller 38 may have a central circumferential recess within which a yarn may be trained. a lever yarm 42 has one end pivotally mounted on the plate 34 and carries a disk or small roller 44 which is disposed to fit within the recess 40 , a coil spring 46 connected at one end to the lever 42 and at it other end to a post 48 on the plate 34 acting to bias the level toward the roller 38 so that the disk 44 may place friction on the yam that is within the recess 40 . adjacent each plate 34 is a pair of apertures within which a receptive bushing 50 , 52 is fastened. a first yam guide tube 54 preferably constructed from aluminum or plastic tubing is secured within each bushing 50 and is bent to extend upwardly toward and preferably beyond the top of the yarn fed roller assembly housing 20 while a similar tube 56 is secured within each busing 52 and is bent to extend downwardly to adjacent the lower end of the housing 20 . a yarn end may thus be threaded into each tube 54 at the top, fed out the bushing 50 , about the pulley 38 , through the bushing 52 , through the corresponding tube 56 and thereafter directed to the receptive needle 18 . each servo motor is rotatably driven at a selected variable speed to feed the respective yarn to the needle, the faster the motor is driven, the faster the roller 38 is rotated and the greater the amount of yarn fed to that needle. if the amount of yarn fed is less than the amount required by the needle system during its reciprocating path, then yarn is backrobvbed from the prior stitch to form a shorter loop in that prior stitch. the various speeds that the servo motor may be driven results in variations in the pile heights in the various stitches so that numerous patterns may be formed. of course, as khown in the art, the control to the servo motors may be by means of a conventional programmer or computer which is programmed with the desired pattern so that on each stitch the required amount of yarn is fed to each particular needle. accordingly, a full repeat or single end control may be readily provided by the present invention in a simple manner. thus, the present invention provides a yarn feed roller assembly having a housing wherein the servo motors may be mounted on a plate of the housing and yarn guide tubes may be carried within the housing for guiding yarn to and from a yarn feed member driven by the servo motor. the yarn feed rolled assembly thus insures that the correct yarn is fed to and from each particular servo motor controlled yarn feed member. numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. however, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. all such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
001-558-686-267-104	AU	[ "DE", "AU", "US", "EP", "WO", "CA" ]	E05B67/00,E05B67/06,E05B67/36,E05B71/00,E05B73/00	1994-05-17T00:00:00	1994	[ "E05" ]	an improved portable locking device	in one embodiment, a portable looped cable locking device for use with a cable for securing items, the device including a lock housing in which one end of the cable is arranged to be anchored, a cable receiving passageway extending through the housing and through which the other end of the cable is passed so as to form a closed retaining loop, a lock supported for rotation by the housing, an eccentric positioning cam on the lock and rotatable therewith, a cable clamping member having a cable gripping portion on an outer surface thereof, and an inner peripheral surface which defines a cam following opening, the clamping member being mounted for bodily and rotational movement within the housing between at least one locked position, wherein the cable gripping portion frictionally engages with and locks the cable against withdrawal from the passageway, wherein loosening of the closed retaining loop is prevented, and, optionally, wherein tightening of the closed retaining loop is prevented, and an unlocked position wherein the cable gripping portion is disengaged from the cable and the cable is free to move through the passageway, the clamping member being rotationally unrestrained by the cam.	1. a portable looped cable locking device for use with a cable for securing items, e.g. skis, stocks, cycles etc., to a rack, bar or post or like fixture, comprising: a lock housing in which one end of the cable is arranged to be anchored, a cable receiving passageway extending through the housing and through which the other end of the cable is passed so as to form a closed retaining loop, a lock supported for rotation by said housing, an eccentric positioning cam on said lock and rotatable therewith, a cable clamping member having a cable gripping portion on an outer surface thereof, and an inner peripheral surface which defines a cam following opening, said clamping member being mounted for bodily and rotational movement within the housing between at least one locked position, wherein the cable gripping portion frictionally engages with and locks the cable against withdrawal from said passageway, wherein loosening of the closed retaining loop is prevented, and, optionally, wherein tightening of the closed retaining loop is prevented, and an unlocked position wherein the cable gripping portion is disengaged from the cable and the cable is free to move through said passageway, the clamping member being rotationally unrestrained by the cam, said cam being disposed in said cam following opening so that, upon rotation of the lock, the eccentric cam also rotates to in turn effect said bodily movement of the clamping member, relative to the cable receiving passageway, and spring means for biasing said clamping member in a rotational direction around the cam to urge said cable gripping portion into engagement with the cable. 2. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 1, wherein said clamping member is movably mounted for bodily and rotational movement between said unlocked position and a ratchet locking position wherein the cable gripping portion is tilted relative to said passageway with a portion thereof grippingly engaging a portion of the cable passing through said passageway in a manner so as to allow movement of the cable in a tightening direction only. 3. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 1, wherein said clamping member is movably mounted for bodily and rotational movement from said unlocked position, to a second ratchet locking position wherein the cable gripping portion is tilted relative to said passageway with a portion thereof grippingly engaging a portion of the cable passing through said passageway in a manner so as to allow movement of the cable in a tightening direction only, and in turn to a third fully locked position where said cable gripping portion clampingly engages against the cable and locks the cable against movement in either direction along said passageway. 4. the portable looped cable locking device according to either claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said cam is a circular cam wheel or disc, and said cam following opening is a circular hole formed in said clamping member. 5. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said lock can be rotated only by a key insertable into the lock. 6. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 5, wherein said key of the lock is removable when the clamping member is either in the unlocked or fully locked positions. 7. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 3, wherein said cable gripping portion of the clamping member is u-shaped and extends longitudinally of said passageway and is provided with a pair of lengthwise spaced apart ridgelike projections, each of which, when the clamping member is in the fully locked third position, grippingly engages against a respective portion of the cable so as to frictionally lock the cable against any movement, whilst when the clamping member is in the ratchet locking position, only one of said ridge-like projections is in gripping engagement with the cable. 8. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said lock is a tumbler cylinder lock having a rotor to which is keyed said eccentric cam. 9. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said clamping member is provided with an engagement surface on the outer wall, remote from said gripping portion, and which is arranged to engage an internal abutment surface within said housing prior to the clamping member reaching the unlocked position, whereby further rotation of the lock towards the unlocked position causes the clamping end of the clamping member to be displaced against the resistance of the bias spring and assume an approximately upright position within the housing. 10. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the anchored end of the cable is retained within a rotary plug or swivel member rotatably housed within said housing, said plug or swivel member having a bore extending therethrough, said bore being alignable with a first opening in the housing and through which the cable is fed in order to thread the cable through the plug, said housing having a further slot-like opening spaced from said first opening, said further slot-like opening communicating with the bore of the plug member. 11. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 10, wherein said first opening also communicates with an end of said passageway. 12. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 10, wherein said further slot-like opening merges with a grooved peripheral portion which extends along a side of the housing. 13. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said housing is formed of two mating halves which are secured together. 14. a portable looped cable locking device for use with a cable having a leading end and a trailing end comprising: a housing provided with: a first, long cable receiving passageway extending through the housing lengthwise thereof and having an entry end and an exit end, a second relatively short cable receiving passageway extending through the housing and having an entry end and an exit end, the central longitudinal axis of said second passageway intersecting the central axis of said first passageway, a first slot-like opening formed in said housing and defined by walls which merge with said exit end of the first passageway and also with said entry end of the second passageway, and a second slot-like opening formed in the periphery of the housing and communicating with said second passageway; a rotary plug rotatably housed within said housing and having a stepped through-bore, said through-bore forming part of said second passageway and being arranged to anchor the trailing end of the cable when fed therethrough, whereby, in use, the cable can be fed through said first opening into the second passageway, through the bore of the plug and out through said second opening, in turn passed along the first passageway and finally out through said first opening, wherein a portion of the cable extending out of said first passageway and said first opening at least partially covers the trailing end of the cable: movable clamping means housed within the housing for releasably clamping a portion of the cable located within said first passageway; and a lock rotatably supported by the housing and operable to effect movement of said clamping means wherein the cable can be withdrawn from said first passageway, and subsequently from said second passageway, when said movable clamping means releases the cable, whereby the cable is capable of being detached from said device while said device remains intact. 15. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 14, wherein said lock is rotated by a key insertable into the lock. 16. the portable looped cable locking device according to either claim 14 or 15, wherein said second slot-like opening merges with a grooved peripheral portion which extends along a side of the housing. 17. the portable looped cable locking device according to claim 14, wherein said first passageway is at right angles to said second passageway.	this invention relates to an improved portable locking device, in particular to a portable looped cable locking device of the type described and illustrated in australian patent no 587718 issued to one of the present applicants. in practice, we have discovered that the portable looped cable locking device described and illustrated in our australian patent 587718 is not generally satisfactory in that it operates only as a two position lock, namely a locked position where the cable is locked against movement in either direction through its cable receiving bore which extends through the housing of the locking device, and an unlocked position where the cable can slide freely in either direction through the bore to vary the size of the loop. thus, in some instances, it is awkward to adjust the size of the loop and to tighten the looped cable around an object since one must release his or her grip on the free end of the cable in order to actuate the lock key to lock the locking device, which may result in a loss of tension. a still further disadvantage is that it was difficult to effectively lock articles where a small sized loop is required. it is the main object of the present invention to provide an improved portable looped cable locking device which obviates one or both of the aforementioned disadvantages, which is of simple construction, of low cost, and which may be operable only with a key. according to one form of this invention therefore, a portable looped cable locking device for securing items, eg skis, stocks, cycles etc, to a rack, bar or post or like fixture, comprises a housing in which one end of the cable is arranged to be anchored, a cable receiving passageway extending through the housing and through which the other end of the cable is passed so as to form a loop, a lock supported for rotation by said housing, a ring-shaped clamping member movably mounted within the housing and having a cable gripping portion on an outer surface thereof, the inner periphery of said clamping member defining a cam mounting opening, an eccentric positioning cam on said lock and rotatable therewith, said cam being disposed in said opening so that, upon rotation of the lock, the eccentric cam and clamping member co-operate to alter the angular disposition of said cable gripping portion between a first unlocked position where the cable gripping portion is positioned clear of said passageway and the cable is free to move in either direction through said passageway, and a second ratchet locking position where the cable gripping portion is tilted relative to said passageway with a portion thereof grippingly engaging a portion of the cable passing through said passageway in a manner so as to allow movement of the cable in the tightening direction only, and spring means for biassing said clamping member in the direction of its ratchet locking position. most preferably, the clamping member is a portable looped cable locking device wherein said clamping member is movably mounted for movement from said first unlocked position, to said second ratchet locking position, and in turn to a third fully locked position where said cable gripping portion is disposed approximately parallel to said passageway and clampingly engages against the cable and locks same against movement in either direction along said passageway. preferably, the clamp member comprises a circular cam wheel or disc eccentrically mounted for rotation about the axis of the lock cylinder of a key operated lock means, the rotation of the cam wheel effecting bodily rocking movement of the clamp member between its various positions. preferably, the clamp member is provided with a u-shaped cable locating bed in which the cable locates when threaded through said passageway, the base of said u-shaped bed being provided with a pair of lengthwise spaced apart ridge-like projections, both of which, when the clamp member is in its fully locked third position, clampingly engage against respective portions of the cable in order to frictionally lock same against any movement, whilst when the clamp member is in its ratchet locking position, only one of the ridge like projections clampingly engages against the cable. preferably, the ratchet action of the clamp member is controlled by means of a coil spring acting between one side of the clamp member near said u-shaped bed and an internal wall of a chamber formed in the housing. preferably, the anchored end of the cable is retained within a rotary plug or swivel member rotatably housed within said housing at a location spaced lengthwise from said lock, said plug having a relatively short passageway extending therethrough, said short passageway being arranged to register with a first opening in the peripheral wall of the housing and through which the cable is fed in order to thread the cable through the plug, and also with a slot-like opening formed in the peripheral wall of the housing and spaced circumferentially from said first opening. preferably said first opening also communicates with the exit end of said main passageway. with this arrangement, the anchored end of the flexible cable is able to bodily rotate about an axis transverse of the housing and permits a very small sized loop to be formed for tightening around an object to be secured. preferably, the lock is designed so that the key can be inserted or withdrawn only when the clamp member is in its fully unlocked or locked positions. with such an arrangement the cable cannot be inserted without first unlocking the unit. this renders the unit totally inert without the key and of course facilitates the operation of the device during the locking step. in order to more fully explain the present invention, several embodiments are described hereunder in some further detail with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein: figs. 1(a) to 1(c) schematically illustrate a cable locking device according to a first embodiment in unlocked, partly locked and fully locked positions respectively; fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 shown in fig. 1(a); fig. 3 is an elevational view, partly sectioned, of a cable locking device according to a second embodiment of the invention; fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line a--a shown in fig. 1; whilst fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line b--b shown in fig. 1. referring to figs. 1(a) to (c) and fig. 2 of the drawings, a portable looped cable locking device 10 comprises a housing 11 preferably formed of two mating halves of either metal or plastics material, which is provided with a closed bore 12 extending inwardly from one side of the housing 11 and a cable receiving through-bore 13 which extends between opposite ends of the housing 11. in this embodiment, one end of a cable 14 is anchored in bore 12, whilst the other end of the cable 14 is passed through bore 13 so as to form a loop around an article to be secured, the size of the loop being adjusted by simply pulling the free end of the cable 14 through the bore 13. the housing 11 is formed with a chamber 15 which houses a cable clamp mechanism 16 which comprises an outer tiltable ring-shaped clamp member 17 having a circular opening formed therein, an inner cam wheel or disc 18 rotatably mounted within the circular opening of clamp member 17, the cam wheel 18 being eccentrically mounted on a rotor 19 and keyed thereto for rotation therewith. the rotor 19 is fast with the rotatable tumbler of a conventional pin tumbler cylinder lock 20 which is operated by a key 21 which, in this embodiment, can only be removed from the lock 20 when in the fully locked position (shown in fig. 1(c)). as shown in fig. 2, the tumbler is journalled for rotation in a bearing sleeve 22 which projects into the interior of the chamber 15 and is integrally formed with the housing 11. as shown in fig.s 1(a) to (c) of the drawings, the device 10 has three different operational states, namely an unlocked position (fig. 1(a)), a semi-locked or ratchet position (fig. 1(b)) and a fully locked position (fig. 1(c)). these positions are achieved by the positioning of the members 17, 18 relative to one another and relative to the cable 14 which passes through bore 13. the upper or clamping end of clamp member 17 is formed with a u-shaped cable locating groove or recess 23 extending across the width thereof and aligned with passageway 13. adjacent the ends of the recess 23 are tooth-like projections or ridges 24, 25 which grippingly engage against the cable 14, depending on the angular position of the clamping mechanism 16. in the unlocked position, the clamp 17 and its cable engaging projections 24, 25 lie clear of the bore 13 and hence allow the cable 14 to be freely passed in either direction through the bore 13 (for example, to either enlarge or reduce the size of the loop). when the key 21, and thereby the rotor (or cylinder) 19, is rotated, the eccentric wheel or cam 18 also rotates to in turn bodily tilt the clamp member 17 relative to the passageway 13. in the ratchet position shown in fig. 1(b), the cable 14 is gripped between the projection 25 and the upper wall of passageway 13 whilst the projection 24 remains clear of the cable. the ratchet action is achieved by means of a bias spring 27 which makes pressure contact against one side of the clamp 17 near its upper end and serves to hold the clamp in its tilted condition. in the ratchet position, cable 14 can be pulled outwardly in the direction of the arrow shown in fig. 1(b) but cannot be moved in the opposite direction by virtue of the engagement between the projection 25 and cable 14. the spring 27 operates to return the clamp 17 to its gripping engagement with the cable 14, once the cable loop has been adjusted in size. in the fully locked position shown in fig. 1(c), both projections 24, 25 exert a vice like grip on the cable 14 and clamp same within the passageway 13 against movement in either direction. to avoid the clamp member 17 being over tilted by the force of the spring 27, when the device is in the unlocked position (fig. 1(a)), the peripheral wall 29 of clamp member 17 is provided with an axial shoulder 30 which cooperates with an abutment surface 31 on the bottom wall of the chamber 15, and when engaged therewith counteracts the force of the spring 27; thus, when the lock 20 is rotated towards its unlocked position, the shoulder 30 abuts against the surface 31 just before the unlocked position is reached, further anticlockwise rotation of the lock causing the upper end of the member 17 to be displaced against the resistance of the spring 27 and assume an approximately upright position. when rotating the lock from its unlocked to the semi-locked (ratchet) and finally to its fully locked position, so as to avoid over tilt of the member 17 (which might cause the projection 25 to "dig" into the cable 14 to an extent that the eccentric wheel or cam 18 cannot then be fully rotated to the locked position as shown in fig. 1(c)), the member 17 is arranged so that its surface 33 (refer fig. 1(b)) is designed to engage a wall surface of the chamber 15 during the final stage of rotation from the ratchet to the fully locked position. again, the engagement between surface 33 and the inner wall surface assist to "straighten" the member 17 without interfering with its locking action. in this embodiment, the engagement occurs during approximately the last 20.degree. of rotation of the rotor 19. referring now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in figs. 3 to 5 of the drawings, the locking device 40 comprises a casing 41 formed of two mating halves 41', 41" secured together by rivets. a cable 42 has one of its ends anchored in a rotary plug 43 which is journalled for free rotary movement within transverse opening formed in the housing 41, the other or free end of the cable 42 being fed through a cable receiving passageway 44 extending through the housing 41 so as to form a loop around the object or item to be secured and a securement anchorage. the free end of the cable 42 is provided with a cap 45, whilst the other anchored end of the cable 42 is provided with an enlarged ferrule 46 which locates in a circular passageway 47 which extends through the plug 43. when the ferrule 46 is seated within the plug 43, the anchored end of the cable 42 is able to bodily rotate about the axis of the rotary plug 43, such rotational movement being assisted by an enlarged opening 48 in the housing 41 which leads to the passageway 47 as well as recessed portion 49 which extends along the lower side of the housing 41 and merges with opening 48. with this arrangement, the size of the loop formed by the cable 42 can be quite small. of course it will be appreciated that in some instances, a small size loop will be required in order to effectively secure an item to a securement support. the clamp mechanism housed within the housing 41 is essentially the same as that described in the previous embodiment illustrated in figs. 1(a)-(c) and 2 and hence an explanation of its operation need not be repeated. the same reference numerals are used to denote corresponding parts. the three different operational states of the key operated clamp mechanism are exactly the same. as shown in fig. 3, opening 50 in the wall of the housing 41 communicates with the exit end of the passageway 44 and also with inlet passage 51 which leads to the through-bore 47 of the rotary plug 43. thus in this embodiment, the opening 50 serves both as an entry hole for the leading end of the cable 42 as well as an exit opening therefor, after having formed the loop. again, the key operated lock includes a pin tumbler cylinder lock 20 which carries at its inner end a rotor 19 which is keyed to the eccentric wheel or cam 18 which in turn is rotatably housed within the circular opening formed in the clamp member 17. preferably the cable 42 is formed of a bundle of steel wires protected by a pvc coating. a hemp or nylon core may be incorporated into the cable to ensure that it can bend around tight radii. by virtue of the rotary plug or swivel 43 and the slot-like opening 48 in the housing, the anchored end of the cable can rotate through an arc of approximately 80.degree. relative to the housing and can fully rotate about its own axis. this makes it easier for the device to be positioned against the object to be locked. as shown in fig. 4, a spring-loaded ball bearing 53 is housed in a blind bore formed in the cam 18 and releasably locates in a recess formed in the inner surface of the housing half 41", there being 3 such spaced apart recesses which correspond to the three different angular positions of the lock 20. it should be appreciated that the present invention also encompasses a locking device produced so as to operate as a two position lock--ie having unlocked and ratchet locking positions only. there will be instances where the fully locked operational state of the clamping mechanism is not required. a brief consideration of the above-described embodiments will indicate that the invention affords for an improved portable looped cable locking device which is effective in its operation, of simple construction, and aesthetically pleasing.
002-456-837-732-069	KR	[ "US", "CN" ]	D06F33/00,B08B3/12,D06F39/08,B08B3/00,B08B3/04,B08B3/06,D06B1/00,D06B1/02,D06F35/00,D06F37/00,B05B17/00,D06F39/04	2003-04-14T00:00:00	2003	[ "D06", "B08", "B05" ]	spray type drum washing machine	a spray type drum washing machine including a tub mounted in a cabinet, and adapted to contain wash water therein, a circulation line connected between a portion of the tub and another portion of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub, a pump installed at the circulation line, and adapted to forcibly feed wash water through the circulation line for the circulation of the wash water through the tub, and an atomizing device provided at the circulation line, and adapted to atomize the wash water fed through the circulation line, whereby the wash water to circulate through the tub is supplied in an atomized state into the tub. the wash water can rapidly permeate clothes contained in the drum, so that it can more effectively come into contact with contaminants attached to the clothes. as a result, it is possible to achieve an enhancement in washing and rinsing performances while reducing the consumption of wash water.	1 . a washing machine comprising a steam generating device for generating steam by heating water, wherein the steam generating device comprising: a container comprising an inlet for receiving water extracted from a tub and an outlet for discharging steam, the outlet in flow communication with the tub; and a heater for heating water in the container. 2 . the washing machine of the claim 1 , wherein the steam generating device further comprising: a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature inside the container in order for the heater to be controlled according to the temperature. 3 . the washing machine of the claim 1 , wherein the outlet arranged opposite to the inlet. 4 . the washing machine of the claim 1 , wherein the container has a part having a bigger cross-section than a cross-section of the inlet or the outlet. 5 . the washing machine of the claim 1 , wherein the heater arranged on an outer surface of the container. 6 . a washing machine comprising a steam generating device for generating steam by heating water, wherein the steam generating device comprising: a container comprising an inlet for receiving water and an outlet for discharging steam; and a heater for heating water in the container, wherein the heater arranged outside the container so as to heat the water by heating the container.	this application is a divisional of co-pending application no. 10/822,748, filed on apr. 13, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference and for which priority is claimed under 35 u.s.c. § 120. this application also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119 (a) on patent application no. 2003-24911 filed in the republic of korea on apr. 19, 2003 and patent application no. 2003-23320 filed in the republic of korea on apr. 14, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a drum washing machine adapted to wash clothes, and more particularly to a spray type drum washing machine capable of atomizing wash water contained in a tub, and spraying the atomized wash water into a drum, thereby achieving an enhancement in washing performance. 2. description of the related art drum washing machines are generally adapted to wash laundry contained in a drum, such as clothes or bedding, through wash, rinse, and spin-dry cycles, in order to remove contaminants attached to the laundry in accordance with the action of wash water contained in a tub. fig. 1 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a conventional drum washing machine. fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the conventional drum washing machine. as shown in figs. 1 and 2 , the conventional drum washing machine includes a base 1 , and a cabinet 2 installed on the base 1 while defining the appearance of the washing machine. the cabinet 2 is provided with an access opening 2 a for loading and unloading of clothes m. the conventional drum washing machine also includes a door 4 hingably mounted to a front wall of the cabinet 2 , and adapted to open and close the access opening 2 a , a tub 6 mounted in the cabinet 2 while being supported by a damper, a water supply unit 10 adapted to supply wash water w into the tub 6 , a drainage unit 12 adapted to drain the wash water w from the tub 2 to the outside of the cabinet 2 , a drum 20 rotatably mounted in the tub 6 , and adapted to contain clothes therein, and a drum motor 30 adapted to rotate the drum 20 . the tub 6 is provided with an access opening 7 arranged in rear of the access opening 2 a of the cabinet 2 to allow the user to put clothes m into the drum 20 and to take the clothes out of the drum 20 . the drum 20 is also provided with an access opening 21 arranged in rear of the access opening 2 a of the cabinet 2 to allow the user to put clothes m into the drum 20 and to take the clothes out of the drum 20 . the drum 20 is arranged such that a bottom portion thereof is dipped in wash water contained in the tub 6 . the drum 20 is also formed with a plurality of water holes 22 at peripheral and rear walls thereof to allow wash water to flow between the tub 6 and the drum 20 . lifters 26 are mounted to an inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 . the lifters 26 serve to raise clothes contained in the drum 20 to the top of the drum 20 , and then to release the clothes, thereby allowing the clothes to be dropped due to gravity. the drum motor 30 is mounted to a rear wall of the tub 6 at the outside of the tub 6 . the drum motor 30 has a rotating shaft 32 extending horizontally or approximately horizontally through a central portion of the rear wall of the tub 6 into the drum 20 . the rotating shaft 32 is connected to a central portion of a rear wall of the drum 20 . in fig. 1 , reference numeral 48 designates a gasket mounted to the tub 6 , and adapted to prevent leakage of wash water between the access openings of the door 4 and tub 6 in a closed state of the door 4 . operation of the conventional drum washing machine having the above described configuration will now be described. when the drum washing machine is operated under the condition in which the door 4 has been closed after clothes m have been put into the drum 20 , wash water is supplied into the tub 6 in accordance with operation of the water supply unit 10 , so that it is contained in a bottom portion of the tub 6 . in this state, the bottom portion of the drum 20 is also dipped in the wash water as the wash water is introduced into the drum 20 through the water holes 22 . as a result, the clothes in the drum 20 are wetted by the wash water. thereafter, the motor 30 is driven to rotate the drum 20 . thus, the clothes m contained in the drum 20 are repeatedly raised and dropped in the drum 20 . as a result, stains are removed from the clothes m in accordance with the frictional action of the wash water and the inner surface of the drum 20 . after completion of this wash cycle, the wash water existing in the water tub 10 in a contaminated state is externally drained from the drum washing machine through the drainage unit 12 . subsequently, the drum washing machine performs, several times, a rinse cycle for rinsing the washed clothes m to remove bubbles remaining on the clothes m. in this rinse cycle, wash water is supplied into the tub 6 by the water supply unit 10 . thereafter, the drum motor 30 is driven to rotate the drum 20 , thereby causing the clothes m contained in the drum 20 to be repeatedly raised and dropped in the drum 20 . as a result, bubbles are removed from the clothes m. the contaminated wash water containing the removed bubbles is externally drained from the washing machine through the drainage unit 12 . after performing the rinse cycle several times, the washing machine performs a spin-dry cycle to remove moisture form the clothes m. that is, when the drum motor 30 rotates the drum 20 at high speed, moisture permeated into the clothes m is centrifugally removed from the clothes m, and then collected in the tub 6 after being discharged from the drum 20 through the water holes 22 . finally, the collected moisture is externally drained through the drainage unit 12 . in the above mentioned conventional drum washing machine, however, there is a problem in that the clothes put into the drum 20 are simply naturally wetted by wash water supplied into the drum 20 or contained in the tub 6 . that is, detergent supplied into the drum 20 is insufficiently dissolved in the wash water. also, the speed, at which wash water permeates the clothes, is low. furthermore, although washing of clothes is carried out in the conventional drum washing machine, using wash water contained in the tub 6 , a part of the wash water contained in the tub 6 may be insufficiently used in the clothes washing process. in order to obtain sufficient washing performance, it is necessary to use a large amount of wash water. summary of the invention therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above mentioned problems involved with the related art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a spray type drum washing machine in which wash water contained in a tub is atomized to be sprayed into a drum, thereby being capable of achieving an enhancement in washing and rinsing efficiencies while using a reduced amount of wash water in accordance with circulation of the sprayed wash water. another object of the invention is to provide a spray type drum washing machine in which wash water circulating in the drum washing machine is heated to generate steam, and the generated steam is sprayed into the drum, thereby being capable of achieving an enhancement in washing and sterilization performances. in accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a spray type drum washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a tub mounted in the cabinet, and adapted to contain wash water therein; a circulation line connected between a portion of the tub and another portion of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub; a pump installed at the circulation line, and adapted to forcibly feed wash water through the circulation line for the circulation of the wash water through the tub; and atomizing means provided at the circulation line, and adapted to atomize the wash water fed through the circulation line, whereby the wash water to circulate through the tub is supplied in an atomized state into the tub. the atomizing means may comprise a case arranged at the circulation line, and adapted to allow wash water to pass therethrough, diffusion means provided at an inlet portion of the case, and adapted to diffuse wash water to be introduced into the case, thereby atomizing the wash water, and a blowing fan adapted to forcibly feed, into the tub, the atomized wash water emerging from the diffusion means. the diffusion means may comprise at least one centrifugal plate adapted to be rotated about an axis passing through a center thereof by a driving force, and a diffusion net arranged around the centrifugal plate, and adapted to diffuse wash water radially projected from the centrifugal plate in an atomized state. the at least one centrifugal plate may comprise a plurality of centrifugal plates axially spaced apart from one another. the centrifugal plate and the blowing fan may be rotated by a dual-shaft motor adapted to generate the driving force. the circulation line may be provided, at an outlet end thereof, with a diffusion nozzle. the spray type drum washing machine may further comprise a steam generating device installed at the circulation line, and adapted to heat the atomized wash water emerging from the atomizing means, thereby changing the atomized wash water into steam, and to supply the steam into the tub. the steam generating device may comprise a container arranged at the circulation line, and adapted to allow the atomized wash water emerging from the atomizing means to pass therethrough, and a heater adapted to heat the atomized wash water passing through the container. the steam generating device may further comprise temperature sensing means adapted to measure an internal temperature of the container. in accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a spray type drum washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a tub mounted in the cabinet, and adapted to contain wash water therein; a circulation line connected between a portion of the tub and another portion of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub; a pump installed at the circulation line, and adapted to forcibly feed wash water through the circulation line for the circulation of the wash water through the tub; atomizing means provided at the circulation line, and adapted to atomize the wash water to circulate through the tub; and steam generating means installed at the circulation line, and adapted to heat the atomized wash water emerging from the atomizing means, thereby changing the atomized wash water into steam, and to supply the steam into the tub. in accordance with still another aspect, the present invention provides a spray type drum washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a tub mounted in the cabinet while carrying a drum therein, and adapted to contain wash water therein; a circulation line connected between bottom and top portions of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub; a pump installed at the circulation line, and adapted to forcibly feed wash water through the circulation line for the circulation of the wash water through the tub; atomizing means provided at the circulation line downstream from of the pump, and adapted to atomize the wash water to circulate through the tub; and a diffusion nozzle provided at an outlet end of the circulation line, and adapted to spray, into the tub, the wash water atomized while passing through the atomizing means. the atomizing means may comprise a case arranged at the circulation line, and adapted to allow wash water to pass therethrough, at least one centrifugal plate arranged in the case, and adapted to centrifugally radially project the wash water introduced into the case, a diffusion net arranged around the centrifugal plate, and adapted to atomize the wash water centrifugally radially projected from the centrifugal plate when the wash water passes therethrough, a blowing fan adapted to forcibly feed, into the tub, the atomized wash water emerging from the diffusion net, and drive means adapted to rotate the centrifugal plate and the blowing fan. the spray type drum washing machine may further comprise steam generating means installed at the circulation line, and adapted to heat the atomized wash water emerging from the atomizing means, thereby changing the atomized wash water into steam, and to supply the steam into the tub. the steam generating device may comprise a container arranged at the circulation line, and adapted to allow the atomized wash water emerging from the atomizing means to pass therethrough, a heater adapted to heat the atomized wash water passing through the container, temperature sensing means adapted to measure an internal temperature of the container, and control means adapted to control the heater in accordance with a signal outputted from the temperature sensing means. in the spray type drum washing machine according to one aspect of the present invention, wash water discharged from the tub is centrifugally radially projected by the centrifugal plates, and is then atomized while passing through the diffusion net. the atomized wash water is forcibly fed by the blowing fan so that it is sprayed into the drum. accordingly, the wash water can rapidly permeate clothes contained in the drum, so that it can more effectively come into contact with contaminants attached to the clothes. as a result, it is possible to achieve an enhancement in washing and rinsing performances while reducing the consumption of wash water. in the spray type drum washing machine according to another aspect of the present invention, wash water is atomized in the circulation line connected between the bottom and top of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub, and is then heated while passing through the container heated by the heater, so that steam is generated. thus, hot steam is sprayed into the tub at the top of the tub. accordingly, it is possible to rapidly wet clothes with wash water while obtaining enhanced sterilization and washing effects. since wash water particle formed in accordance with the atomization of wash water is changed into steam as it is heated, it is possible to effectively perform washing of clothes at high temperature, using a reduced amount of wash water. accordingly, it is possible to reduce waste of wash water and electrical energy. brief description of the drawings the above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after reading the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a conventional drum washing machine; fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the conventional drum washing machine; fig. 3 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a spray type drum washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating an atomizing device and a circulation line included in the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the atomizing device and circulation line included in the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a spray type drum washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig. 7 ; fig. 9 is a sectional view illustrating an atomizing device included in the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig. 7 ; and fig. 10 is a sectional view illustrating a steam generating device included in the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig. 7 . description of the preferred embodiments now, embodiments of a spray type drum washing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings. fig. 3 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a spray type drum washing machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the spray type drum washing machine according to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention. as shown in figs. 3 and 4 , the spray type drum washing machine according to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention includes a base 51 , and a cabinet 52 installed on the base 51 while defining the appearance of the drum washing machine. the cabinet 2 is provided at a front wall thereof with an access opening 54 for loading and unloading of clothes m. a door 56 is hingably mounted to the front wall of the cabinet 52 to open and close the access opening 54 . a tub 60 is mounted in the cabinet 52 to contain wash water w therein. the tub 60 is provided with an access opening 62 arranged in rear of the access opening 54 of the cabinet 52 to allow the user to perform loading and unloading of clothes m therethrough. a gasket 64 is fitted around the access opening 62 of the tub 60 to prevent wash water from being leaked between the door 56 and the access opening 54 . the tub 60 is connected, at the bottom thereof, to a damper 66 mounted to the base 51 so that it is supported by the base 51 in a dampable state. the tub 60 is also connected, at the top thereof, to the top of the cabinet 52 via a spring 68 such that it is supported by the cabinet 52 in a suspended state while being dampable. a drum 70 is arranged in the tub 60 to contain clothes. the drum 70 is provided with an access opening 72 arranged in rear of the access openings 54 and 62 of the cabinet 52 and tub 60 to allow the user to put clothes m into the drum 70 and to take the clothes out of the drum 70 . the drum 70 is also formed with a plurality of water holes 74 at peripheral and rear walls thereof to allow wash water to flow between the tub 60 and the drum 70 . lifters 76 are mounted to an inner peripheral surface of the drum 70 . the lifters 76 serve to raise clothes contained in the drum 70 to the top of the drum 70 , and then to release the clothes, thereby allowing the clothes to be dropped due to gravity. the spray type drum washing machine also includes a drum motor 80 adapted to generate a drive force for rotating the drum 70 . the drum motor 80 is mounted to a rear wall of the tub 60 at the outside of the tub 60 . the drum motor 80 has a rotating shaft 82 extending horizontally or approximately horizontally through a central portion of the rear wall of the tub 60 into the drum 70 . the rotating shaft 82 is connected to a central portion of a rear wall of the drum 70 . alternatively, the drum motor 80 may be mounted to the bottom of the tub 60 , as compared to the above case in which the drum motor 80 is mounted to the rear wall of the tub 60 . in this case, a separate shaft (not shown) is rotatably mounted to the rear wall of the tub 60 to extend horizontally or approximately horizontally through the central portion of the rear wall of the tub 60 into the drum 70 . the shaft is connected to the rotating shaft of the drum motor 80 via a belt. the spray type drum washing machine further includes a water supply unit 90 adapted to supply wash water into the tub 60 , a heater 100 installed at the bottom of the tub 60 inside the tub 60 , and adapted to heat wash water contained in the tub 60 , a drainage unit 110 adapted to drain wash water from the tub 60 to the outside of the cabinet 52 , an atomizing device 120 adapted to atomize wash water drained from the tub 60 , a circulation line adapted to supply wash water from the tub 60 to the atomizing device 120 , and to supply the atomized wash water into the drum 70 , thereby circulating the wash water, and a pump 122 installed at the circulation line 133 , and adapted to cause wash water to flow forcibly along the circulation line 133 . the water supply unit 90 includes a water supply hose 94 adapted to guide wash water, a detergent box 96 provided with a water supply passage for receiving wash water supplied through the water supply hose 94 , and a detergent storing space communicating with an outlet of the water supply passage while being adapted to store detergent therein, and a water supply bellows 98 communicating with the tub 60 to guide wash water emerging from the detergent box 96 into the tub 60 . the drainage unit 110 includes a drainage bellows 112 communicating with a bottom portion of the tub 60 to drain wash water from the tub 60 , a drainage pump 114 adapted to pump wash water drained from the tub 60 through the drainage bellows 112 , and a drainage hose 116 adapted to guide the wash water emerging from the drainage pump 114 to the outside of the drum washing machine. in place of the drainage pump 114 , a drainage valve may be used. in this case, the drainage valve opens or closes the drainage bellows 112 to allow or prevent drainage of wash water from the tub 60 through the drainage bellows 112 . the atomizing device 120 and circulation line 133 will be described in detail with reference to figs. 5 and 6 . fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the atomizing device and circulation line. fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the atomizing device. as shown in figs. 3 to 6 , the atomizing device 120 includes a diffusion means including a case, through which wash water pumped by the pump 122 passes, centrifugal plates 124 adapted to centrifugally radially project wash water introduced into the case, and a diffusion net 126 arranged around the centrifugal plates 124 , and adapted to atomize the wash water centrifugally radially projected from the centrifugal plates 124 when the projected wash water passes therethrough, a blowing fan 128 adapted to forcibly feed, into the tub 60 , the wash water atomized while passing through the diffusion net 126 , and a drive means adapted to rotate both the centrifugal plates 124 and the blowing fan 128 , for example, a dual-shaft motor 130 . the case includes a net case 136 arranged around the diffusion net 126 to define a flow passage for guiding the atomized wash water, and a fan case 138 coupled to the net case 136 , and arranged around the blowing fan 128 to define a flow passage for guiding the atomized wash water forcibly fed by the blowing fan 128 . as shown in fig. 5 , the centrifugal plates 124 are spaced apart from each other. although two centrifugal plates 124 are shown in fig. 5 , an increased number of centrifugal plates may be used. of course, a single centrifugal plate may be used. however, the former case is preferable because wash water flowing from one centrifugal plate 124 to another centrifugal plate 124 arranged downstream from the one centrifugal plate 124 along a peripheral edge of the upstream centrifugal plate 124 without being centrifugally radially projected can be centrifugally radially re-projected from the upstream plate 124 , along with wash water returned to the upstream plate 124 after striking the diffusion net 126 . as shown in figs. 5 and 6 , the diffusion net 126 may have a circular strip structure having a height greater than the total height of the centrifugal plates 124 such that it completely surround the centrifugal plates 124 . alternatively, the diffusion net 126 may have a top portion upwardly spaced apart from an uppermost one of the centrifugal plates 124 , a bottom portion downwardly spaced apart from a lowermost one of the centrifugal plates 124 , and a peripheral portion arranged around the centrifugal plates 124 , so that the diffusion net 126 completely surrounds the centrifugal plates 124 . as shown in figs. 5 and 6 , the dual-shaft motor 130 includes a rotating shaft 131 a extending axially through respective rotating centers of the centrifugal plates 124 to firmly support the centrifugal plates 124 , and a rotating shaft 131 b extending axially through a rotating center of the blowing fan 126 to firmly support the blowing fan 126 , as shown in figs. 5 and 6 . the dual-shaft motor 130 is arranged between the centrifugal plates 124 and the blowing fan 128 . as shown in figs. 3 to 6 , the circulation line 133 includes a pump hose 132 connected, at one end thereof, to a drainage port formed at the tub 60 while being connected, at the other end thereof, to an inlet of the pump 122 , in order to guide wash water from the tub 60 into the pump 122 . the circulation line 133 also includes a first circulation pipe 134 connected, at one end thereof, to an outlet of the pump 122 while being connected, at the other end thereof, to the net case 136 such that the other end thereof is spaced apart from the centrifugal plates 124 . the first circulation pipe 134 guides wash water pumped by the pump 122 into the net case 136 . the circulation line 133 further includes a second circulation pipe 140 adapted to guide, into the drum 70 , wash water forcibly fed by the blowing fan 128 in an atomized state. the pump hose 132 may have, at a middle portion thereof, a bellows portion to prevent the ends thereof connected to the tub 60 and pump 122 from being separated from the tub 60 and pump 122 . the first circulation pipe 134 extends through the net case 136 such that the end thereof arranged in the interior of the net case 136 is spaced apart from a lower surface of the lowermost centrifugal plate 124 . the net case 136 is provided, at a wall thereof, with a through hole 136 a adapted to allow the first circulation pipe 134 to extend therethrough. in the illustrated case, the through hole 136 a is formed at the bottom wall 136 c of the net case 136 . the net case 136 is also provided, at a wall thereof facing the fan case 138 , that is, the top wall thereof, with an opening 136 b adapted to allow the forcibly fed atomized wash water to be introduced into the fan case 138 . the net case 136 is also provided with a suction hole 136 e , at the wall thereof having the through hole 136 a , that is, the bottom wall 136 c thereof, to suck air into the interior of the net case 136 . although the suction hole 136 e is formed at the bottom wall 136 c of the net case 136 in the illustrated case, it may be formed at a peripheral wall 136 d of the net case 136 . the fan case 138 is provided, at a wall thereof facing the net case 136 , that is, the bottom wall thereof, with an opening 138 a to receive the atomized wash water from the net case 136 . a discharge hole 138 b is provided at the top wall of the fan case 138 to discharge the atomized wash water from the fan case 138 . the second circulation pipe 140 is connected, at one end thereof, to the discharge hole 138 b of the fan case 138 . the second circulation pipe 140 extends upwardly from the discharge hole 138 b such that the other end thereof is upwardly protruded through a top portion of the gasket 64 . as shown in figs. 3 and 4 , it is preferred that the other end of the second circulation pipe 140 be inclinedly arranged toward the center of the interior of the drum 70 . a trumpet-shaped diffusion nozzle 146 is mounted to the other end of the second circulation pipe 140 to allow the atomized wash water injected into the interior of the drum 70 to be spread in a diffused state. in figs. 5 and 6 , reference numeral 152 designates support rods adapted to firmly hold the diffusion net 126 in the net case 136 in a state of being spaced apart from the bottom of the net case 136 . reference numeral 154 designates a motor mounting member adapted to fixedly mount the dual-shaft motor 130 to the fan case 138 . now, operation of the drum washing machine having the above described configuration according to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention will be described. when the drum washing machine is operated under the condition in which the door 56 has been closed after clothes m have been put into the drum 70 , as shown in figs. 3 and 4 , wash water is supplied from the water supply unit 90 into the tub 6 , so that it is contained in a bottom portion of the tub 6 while being contained in the pump hose 132 . in this state, the bottom portion of the drum 70 is also dipped in the wash water as the wash water is introduced into the drum 70 through the water holes 74 . as a result, the clothes in the drum 70 are wetted by the wash water. thereafter, the drum motor 80 is driven to rotate the drum 70 . thus, the clothes m contained in the drum 70 are repeatedly raised and dropped in the drum 70 . as a result, stains are removed from the clothes m in accordance with action of the wash water. meanwhile, both the pump 122 and the dual-shaft motor 130 are driven during the above described water supply cycle or wash cycle executed in the spray type drum washing machine. accordingly, the wash water in the tub 60 is pumped by the pump 122 . also, the centrifugal plates 124 and blowing fan 128 are rotated in accordance with the operation of the dual-shaft motor 130 . the wash water pumped by the pump 122 is guided into the net case 136 via the first circulation pipe 134 , and then strikes one surface of each centrifugal plate 124 . thereafter, the wash water is centrifugally radially projected toward the diffusion net 126 while being guided by the centrifugal plates 124 , so that it is atomized while passing through the diffusion net 126 . the wash water atomized while passing through the diffusion net 126 is forcibly fed by the blowing fan 128 so that it is introduced into the second circulation pipe 140 . the atomized wash water is then sprayed in the form of rain or mist into the drum 70 through the gasket 64 as it is discharged from the second circulation pipe 140 . the atomized wash water sprayed into the drum 70 through the gasket 64 directly wets the clothes m contained in the drum 70 , so that it rapidly reacts upon contaminants attached to the clothes m, thereby enhancing the washability thereof. after completion of the above described wash cycle, the wash water existing in the tub 60 in a contaminated state is externally drained from the tub 60 through the drainage unit 110 . subsequently, the spray type drum washing machine performs, several times, a rinse cycle for rinsing the washed clothes m to remove bubbles remaining on the clothes m. in this rinse cycle, wash water is supplied into the tub 60 through the water supply unit 90 . thereafter, the drum motor 80 is driven to rotate the drum 70 , thereby causing the clothes m contained in the drum 70 to be repeatedly raised and dropped in the drum 70 . as a result, bubbles are removed from the clothes m. meanwhile, both the pump 122 and the dual-shaft motor 130 are driven during the above described water supply cycle or rinse cycle executed in the spray type drum washing machine. similarly to the wash cycle, accordingly, the wash water in the tub 60 is pumped by the pump 122 , and then atomized by the centrifugal plates 124 and diffusion net 126 . subsequently, the atomized wash water directly wets the clothes m contained in the drum 70 , so that it rapidly rinses the clothes m to remove bubbles from the clothes m in accordance with an enhanced rinse ability thereof. after completion of the above described rinse cycle, the wash water existing in the tub 60 in a contaminated state is externally drained from the tub 60 through the drainage unit 110 . after performing the rinse cycle several times, the drum washing machine performs a spin-dry cycle to remove moisture form the clothes m. that is, when the drum motor 80 rotates the drum 70 at high speed, moisture permeated into the clothes m is centrifugally removed from the clothes m, and then collected in the bottom portion of the tub 60 after being discharged from the drum 70 through the water holes 74 . finally, the collected moisture is externally drained through the drainage unit 110 . fig. 7 is a partially-broken perspective view illustrating a spray type drum washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the spray type drum washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig. 7 . as shown in figs. 7 and 8 , the spray type drum washing machine according to this embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 152 defining the appearance of the drum washing machine, and a tub 156 mounted in the cabinet 152 such that it is connected, at the top thereof, to the top of the cabinet 152 via a spring 154 in a suspended state while being supported by a damper 155 . the drum washing machine also includes a drum 158 rotatably mounted in the tub 156 , and adapted to contain wash water and clothes m to be washed, and lifters 159 mounted to an inner peripheral surface of the drum 158 such that they are radially protruded from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 158 while being circumferentially uniformly spaced apart from one another. the lifters 159 serve to raise clothes contained in the drum 158 to the top of the drum 158 , and then to release the clothes, thereby allowing the clothes to be dropped. the drum washing machine further includes a drum motor 160 connected with the drum 158 , and adapted to rotate the drum 158 , a water supply unit 162 , and a detergent box 164 . the water supply unit 162 and detergent box 164 are arranged above the tub 156 to simultaneously supply wash water and detergent into the tub 156 and drum 158 . the spray type drum washing machine further includes a circulation pump 170 installed at a circulation line 172 adapted to connect the bottom and top of the tub 156 , and adapted to pump wash water from the bottom of the tub 156 to the top of the tub 156 via the circulation line 172 or to drain wash water from the tub 156 via a drainage line 174 , an atomizing device 180 installed at the circulation line 172 such that it is connected to the circulation pump 170 , and adapted to atomize wash water discharged from the circulation pump 170 , and a steam generating device 190 installed at the circulation line 172 such that it is connected to the atomizing device 180 , and adapted to heat wash water particulates emerging from the atomizing device 180 , thereby changing the wash water particulates into steam. the circulation line 172 extends vertically to connect the bottom and top of the tub 156 . the circulation pump 170 is installed at a lower portion of the circulation line 172 connected to the bottom of the tub 156 . the atomizing device 180 is installed at the circulation line 172 downstream from the circulation pump 170 . the steam generating device 190 is installed at an upper portion of the circulation line 172 connected to the top of the tub 156 . the atomizing device 180 and steam generating device 190 will be described in detail with reference to figs. 9 and 10 . fig. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the atomizing device. fig. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the steam generating device. the atomizing device 180 includes a case 182 installed at the circulation line 172 while being provided at a peripheral wall thereof with a suction port 181 for receiving wash water, and at a top wall thereof with a discharge port 183 for discharging wash water particulates, a blowing fan 184 rotatably mounted in the case 182 , and adapted to blow the wash water particulates, and a dual-shaft motor 185 mounted in the case 182 beneath the blowing fan 184 such that it is connected with the blowing fan 184 , and adapted to rotate the blowing fan 184 . the atomizing device 180 also includes a plurality of centrifugal plates 186 arranged in the case 182 beneath the dual-shaft motor 185 such that it is connected to the dual-shaft motor 185 , and adapted to rotate simultaneously with the blowing fan 184 , thereby radially projecting the wash water introduced into the case 182 in accordance with a centrifugal force caused by the rotation thereof, and a diffusion net 188 arranged around the centrifugal plates 186 in a state of being spaced apart from the centrifugal plates 186 , and adapted to atomize the wash water radially projected from the centrifugal plates 186 . the dual-shaft motor 185 is arranged in the case 182 in a state of being radially supported by the case 182 . the dual-shaft motor 185 has upper and lower rotating shafts respectively connected to the blowing fan 184 and the centrifugal plates 186 . in fig. 9 , reference numeral 189 designates a motor mounting member adapted to mount the dual-shaft motor 185 to the case 182 . the steam generating device 190 includes a container 192 having an inlet 191 adapted to receive wash water particulates discharged from the atomizing device 180 , and an outlet 193 arranged opposite to the inlet 191 , and adapted to discharge steam, a heater 194 arranged on an outer surface of the container 192 , and adapted to heat the container 192 , and a temperature sensor 196 adapted to sense an internal temperature of the container 192 , thereby allowing a control unit included in the drum washing machine to control operation of the heater 194 , based on the temperature of steam existing in the container 192 . of course, the container 192 is made of a material exhibiting a relatively high heat transfer coefficient. the heater 194 may be mounted to the bottom of the container 192 . also, the temperature sensor 196 may be mounted to the top of the container 192 while being electrically connected to the heater 194 . meanwhile, the circulation line 172 extends, at an upper end thereof, through a gasket 175 arranged between the tub 156 and the cabinet 152 to prevent leakage of wash water. a diffusion nozzle 173 adapted to spray wash water or steam is mounted to the upper end of the circulation line 172 such that it is directed from the top and front end of the tub 156 toward the bottom and rear end of the tub 156 . now, operation of the drum washing machine having the above described configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in figs. 7 to 10 will be described. when a wash cycle is begun under the condition in which clothes m have been put into the drum 158 , a water supply valve (not shown) is opened, so that wash water is introduced into the water supply unit 162 and detergent box 164 . as a result, the wash water is supplied into the tub 156 and drum 158 , along with detergent. the amount of wash water supplied into the tub 156 is appropriately determined, based on the amount of clothes contained in the tub 156 . under the condition in which an appropriate amount wash water has been supplied into the tub 156 , the drum motor 160 is operated to rotate the drum 158 . in accordance with the rotation of the drum 158 , the lifters 159 raise the clothes m contained in the drum 158 , and then release the clothes m at a certain level in the drum 158 , thereby allowing the clothes m to be dropped. thus, the wash cycle is executed. when the circulation pump 170 is operated during the execution of the wash cycle in accordance with an associated operating condition set by the user, the wash water contained in the tub 156 is pumped from the bottom of the tub 156 to the top of the tub 156 , and sprayed into the tub 156 , so that effective flows of wash water are formed. in addition to such effective flows of wash water, an effect of beating the clothes m with the wash water is generated. thus, an enhancement in washing performance is obtained. in accordance with the operating condition set by the user, the dual-shaft motor 185 and heater 194 are operated, simultaneously with the operation of the circulation pump 170 to pump wash water into the circulation line 172 . accordingly, the wash water introduced from the bottom of the tub 156 into the circulation line 172 is sprayed into the tub 156 at the top of the tub 156 after being atomized and then changed into steam while sequentially passing through the atomizing device 180 and steam generating device 190 . this will be described in more detail. the wash water pumped by the circulation pump 170 is introduced into the case 182 via the circulation line 172 . as the dual-shaft motor 185 operates, the blowing fan 184 and centrifugal plates 186 are rotated. as a result, the wash water introduced into the case 182 is radially projected after striking the centrifugal plates 186 , and is than atomized in the form of particulates while passing through the diffusion net 188 . the wash water particulates emerging from the diffusion net 188 are then discharged from the case 182 by the blowing fan 184 . thus, the wash water particulates are discharged from the atomizing device 180 . the wash water particulates discharged from the atomizing device 180 are introduced into the container 192 via the circulation line 172 . as the heater 194 operates, the wash water particulates are heated while passing through the container 192 , so that they are changed into hot steam. the hot steam is then sprayed into the tub 156 at the top of the tub 156 after passing through the circulation line 172 . of course, the heater 194 is controlled by the temperature sensor 196 , based on the temperature of steam in the container 192 . thus, wash water is pumped from the bottom of the tub 156 during the wash cycle to pass through the atomizing device 180 and steam generating device 190 , so that it is changed into hot steam, and then sprayed into the tub 156 at the top of the tub 156 . accordingly, it is possible to achieve an enhancement in washing and sterilization performances. where the above procedure is carried out prior to the supply of wash water into the tub 156 , it is possible to rapidly wet the clothes by the hot steam, and thus, to achieve an enhancement in washing performance. after completion of the wash cycle, the circulation pump 170 is operated in a state of being connected to the drainage line 174 , so that it drains the wash water contained in the tub 156 . after the drainage of wash water, the drum motor 160 is driven at high speed, so that the drum 158 is rotated at high speed to perform an intermittent spin-dry cycle for extracting wash water from the clothes in accordance with a centrifugal force generated during the rotation of the drum 158 . after the spin-dry cycle, the water supply valve is re-opened to supply wash water into the drum 158 . simultaneously, the drum 158 is rotated. thus, a rinse cycle is executed. after repeated execution of the rinse cycle and intermittent spin-dry cycle, a spin-dry cycle is finally executed. thus, washing of the clothes is completed. as apparent from the above description, in the spray type drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wash water discharged from the tub is centrifugally radially projected by the centrifugal plates, and is then atomized while passing through the diffusion net. the atomized wash water is forcibly fed by the blowing fan so that it is sprayed into the drum. accordingly, the wash water can rapidly permeate clothes contained in the drum, so that it can more effectively come into contact with contaminants attached to the clothes. as a result, it is possible to achieve an enhancement in washing and rinsing performances while reducing the consumption of wash water. in the spray type drum washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention, wash water is atomized in the circulation line connected between the bottom and top of the tub to circulate wash water through the tub, and is then heated while passing through the container heated by the heater, so that steam is generated. thus, hot steam is sprayed into the tub at the top of the tub. accordingly, it is possible to rapidly wet clothes with wash water while obtaining enhanced sterilization and washing effects. since wash water particle formed in accordance with the atomization of wash water is changed into steam as it is heated, it is possible to effectively perform washing of clothes at high temperature, using a reduced amount of wash water. accordingly, it is possible to reduce waste of wash water and electrical energy. although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
003-108-950-534-705	US	[ "US" ]	A22C7/00	1981-03-05T00:00:00	1981	[ "A22" ]	mold assembly for food patty molding machine	a mold assembly for molding ribbed food patties in a food patty molding machine of the kind having a mold plate, including at least one mold cavity, sliding reciprocally in surface-to-surface engagement between two closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position. in the mold assembly, a series of rib-forming channels, each of uniform cross-sectional shape, are formed in the mold plate engaging surface of one closure plate, each channel receiving a close-fitting complementary rib-forming projection on the engaged mold plate surface. the rib-forming channels and projections extend parallel to the path of movement of the mold plate. supplemental edge rib pockets or projections may be provided in the mold cavity.	1. in a food patty molding machine of the kind comprising: a mold plate including at least one mold cavity extending through the plate; a pair of mold closure plates, engaging opposed surfaces of the mold plate in close-fitting surface-to-surface engagement; mold plate drive means for cyclically driving the mold plate along a given path, between the closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position; a fill passage having one end extending through one closure plate, communicating with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position; and a food pump for pumping a moldable food product through the fill passage into the mold cavity; an improved mold assembly, enabling the machine to form patties having non-planar main surfaces, comprising: at least one rib-forming channel of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout its length formed in the surface of each closure plate engaging a surface of the mold plate, the rib-forming channel extending longitudinally of the closure plate surface parallel to the path of movement of the mold plate and traversing the mold cavity; and at least one rib-forming projection extending longitudinally of each closure-plate-engaging surface of the mold plate, complementary in cross-sectional shape to the rib-forming channel in the adjacent closure plate, in close-fitting sliding engagement in the rib-forming channel in the adjacent closure plate. 2. in a food patty molding machine of the kind comprising: a mold plate including at least one mold cavity extending through the plate; a pair of mold closure plates, engaging opposed surfaces of the mold plate in close-fitting surface-to-surface engagement; mold plate drive means for cyclically driving the mold plate along a given path, between the closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position; a fill passage having one end extending through one closure plate, communicating with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position; and a food pump for pumping a moldable food product through the fill passage into the mold cavity; an improved mold assembly, enabling the machine to form patties having non-planar main surfaces, comprising: a plurality of rib-forming channels of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout their lengths formed in the surface of a closure plate engaging a given surface of the mold plate, each rib-forming channel extending longitudinally of the closure plate surface parallel to the path of movement of the mold plate and traversing the mold cavity; and a plurality of rib-forming projections, complementary in cross-sectional shape to the rib-forming channels, each extending longitudinally of the given surface of the mold plate into close-fitting sliding engagement in one of the rib-forming channels; some of the rib-forming channels being of different cross-sectional shape from others. 3. a mold assembly for a food patty molding machine, according to claim 1, or claim 2, in which each mold cavity includes at least one edge pocket aligned with one of the rib-forming projections on the mold plate. 4. a mold assembly for a food patty molding machine, according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which each mold cavity includes at least one edge projection aligned with one of the rib-forming projections on the mold plate. 5. in a food patty molding machine of the kind comprising: a mold plate including at least one mold cavity extending through the plate; a pair of mold closure plates, engaging opposed surfaces of the mold plate in close-fitting surface-to-surface engagement; mold plate drive means for cyclically driving the mold plate along a given path, between the closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position; a fill passage having one end extending through one closure plate, communicating with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position; and a food pump for pumping a moldable food product through the fill passage into the mold cavity; an improved mold assembly comprising: a plurality of rib-forming channels of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout their lengths formed in the surface of one closure plate engaging a surface of the mold plate, each rib-forming channel extending longitudinally of the closure plate surface parallel to the path of movement of the mold plate and traversing the mold cavity; a corresponding plurality of rib-forming projections extending longitudinally of each closure-plate-engaging surface of the mold plate, complementary in cross-sectional shape to the rib-forming channels in the adjacent closure plate, in close-fitting sliding engagement in the rib-forming channel in the adjacent closure plate; and a corresponding plurality of edge pockets formed in the mold cavity, aligned with the rib-forming projections in the mold plate.	background of the invention hamburger patties are frequently manufactured at a central location, using high-speed high-volume patty molding machines, and subsequently distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail outlets. patties of flaked or shredded meat, fish, and vegetable foods may also be handled in this manner. the term "food product", as used in this specification and in the appended claims, refers to any of the various foods identified above and to others having similar properties. in many high-volume patty molding machines, the food product is fed from a supply hopper into a food pump that pumps the food product, under pressure, into a mold cavity in a mold plate. the mold cavity is actually an aperture extending completely through the mold plate. the mold plate is moved cyclically, between two surface closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position. these high-volume patty molding machines can produce food patties of widely varying peripheral shapes. the most frequently used shape is of circular outline, but square, rectangular, oval, parallelogram, and irregular configurations are easily obtained. the main surfaces of the patties, however, are always flat. relatively low-volume machines capable of producing food patties with non-planar main surfaces have been proposed; as an example, see peterson u.s. pat. no. 3,913,175. but there has been no mold assembly for a high-volume sliding mold plate patty molding machine capable of providing anything other than flat main surfaces on the patties. summary of the invention the principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved mold assembly for a food patty molding machine, of the kind employing a reciprocating mold plate, enabling the production of food patties having non-planar main surfaces. a specific object of the invention is to provide a new and improved mold assembly permitting high-volume production of ribbed food patties in a patty molding machine of the sliding mold plate type. accordingly, the invention relates to an improved mold assembly for use in a food patty molding machine of the kind comprising a mold plate including at least one mold cavity extending through the plate, a pair of mold closure plates engaging opposed surfaces of the mold plate in close-fitting surface-to-surface engagement, mold plate drive means for cyclically driving the mold plate along a given path, between the closure plates, from a fill position to a discharge position and back to the fill position, a fill passage having one end extending through one closure plate, communicating with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position, and a food pump for pumping a moldable food product through the fill passage into the mold cavity. the mold assembly, enabling the machine to form patties having non-planar main surfaces, comprises at least one rib-forming channel of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout its length formed in the surface of a closure plate engaging a given surface of the mold plate, the rib-forming channel extending longitudinally of the closure plate surface parallel to the path of movement of the mold plate and traversing the mold cavity, and a rib-forming projection, complementary in cross-sectional shape to the rib-forming channel, extending longitudinally of the given surface of the mold plate into close-fitting sliding engagement in the rib-forming channel. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a food patty molding machine that includes a mold assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 is a partly schematic plan view of the food pump and mold assembly for the patty molding machine of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a sectional elevation view of the molding mechanism of the patty molding machine of fig. 1, showing the improved mold assembly; fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mold assembly; fig. 5 is a perspective view of a food patty produced by the apparatus of figs. 1-4; and figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of other food patties that can be produced using the present invention. description of the preferred embodiment fig. 1 affords a general illustration of a food patty molding machine 10 incorporating a mold assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. machine 10 corresponds, structurally and operationally, to the patty molding machine of lamartino et al u.s. pat. no. 4,182,003. however, the mold assembly of the invention can equally well be incorporated in other patty molding machines, such as the machines of richards et al u.s. pat. no. 3,887,964 and sandberg et al u.s. pat. no. 4,054,967, and numerous others, as will be apparent from the following description. near the righ-hand end of the enclosed base 12 of molding machine 10 there is a mold plate assembly 14 supported on a series of vertical posts 16. a mold plate 18, slidably mounted in assembly 14, includes a plurality of mold apertures or cavities 20 that extend completely through the plate. in fig. 1, mold plate 18 is shown in its fully extended discharge position. the top 22 of the mold plate assembly 14 is a part of a casting constituting the base 24 (see fig. 3) of the housing for a food pump 26. the cover 28 of the food pump housing also constitutes the base of a feed screw end housing 30, equipped with a removable front cover 32 (figs. 1 and 3). the feed screw end housing 30 projects outwardly of the front wall 35 of a food product supply hopper 34 mounted on base 12. two counter-rotating feed screws 38 and 40 (fig. 1) extend across the bottom of hopper 34. the feed screw shafts each have one end journalled in a bearing in the front wall 32 of housing 30. the opposite ends of the feed screw shafts project through the rear wall 42 of hopper 34 and into a gear box 44. gear box 44 incorporates a right-angle gear drive connecting the feed screws to a hydraulic motor 46. a knock-out mechanism 48 comprising a plurality of knock-out members 50 is located just beyond food pump 26 at the right-hand end of machine 10, fig. 1. the knock-out mechanism 48 is aligned with a paper applicator 52 mounted upon a pair of support rails 54 that project outwardly to the right of base 12. the knock-out mechanism 48 and paper applicator 52 are located above a takeaway conveyor 56. paper applicator 52 may be a vacuum sheet applicator of the kind disclosed in richards et al u.s. pat. no. 3,952,478. as shown in figs. 2 and 3, food pump 26 includes a plunger 62 which projects into a pump chamber 66 defined by the pump housing cover 28 and base 24. plunger 62 is connected by a yoke 68 to a piston rod 70 that extends into a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 72 and is connected to a piston 74 within the cylinder (fig. 2). the pump box housing cover 28 has an intake opening 76 that extends for approximately the full width of plunger 62, as shown in fig. 2. opening 76 is made relatively large to provide free access for movement of food product from the interior of feed screw housing 30 into pump chamber 66 (see fig. 3). the opposite end of pump chamber 66 is in communication with a long, narrow fill passage 78 (figs. 2 and 3); passage 78 extends downwardly through pump base 24 and constitutes the outlet for pump 26. as best shown in fig. 3, the mold assembly 14 includes an upper closure plate 80 and a lower closure plate 82, with mold plate 18 disposed in close-fitting sliding relation between the two closure plates. the upper closure plate 80 is sometimes referred to as a fill slot plate; the lower closure plate 82 is sometimes called a breather plate. the fill passage 78 continues downwardly through the fill slot closure plate 80 into communication with mold plate 18. preferably, the fill slot plate 80 incorporates the pressure-relief construction described and illustrated in richards u.s. pat. no. 4,097,961, as indicated by the relief channel 84. the breather plate 82 includes a multiplicity of breather apertures 88 connected by relief channels 90 to two relief passages 92 that lead back to the housing 30; relief channels 84 are also connected to passages 92. a heavy, rigid base member 86 completes the mold assembly 14. in the operation of the patty molding machine 10, a quantity of ground meat or other food product 58 is deposited in supply hopper 34; in one commercial embodiment of machine 10 hopper 34 has a capacity of five hundred pounds of ground meat. the two feed screws 38 and 40 advance the food product into the feed screw end housing 30, which leads directly to the intake opening 76 of food pump 26. mold plate 18 is driven cyclically between the discharge position shown in fig. 1 and a fill position (fig. 3) in which the mold cavities 20 are aligned with fill passage 78. in each cycle of operation of mold plate 18, mold cavities 20 are pumped full of food product by pump 26, following which the mold plate is moved outwardly to the discharge position (fig. 1) where the patties formed in the mold cavities are discharged by knock-out members 50 onto conveyor 56. in machine 10, as illustrated, a sheet of paper is applied to each patty by paper applicator 52. the operation of conveyor 56 may be arranged to advance the conveyor only after a given number of cycles of mold plate 18 so that the food patties 60 emerge on the conveyor in stacks as shown in fig. 1. mold assembly 14, in the construction illustrated in figs. 1-4, comprises a preferred embodiment of the present invention. in mold assembly 14, a plurality of rib-forming channels 100 are formed in the lower surface 102 of the fill slot plate 80, surface 102 being the surface of plate 80 that engages the upper surface 106 of mold plate 18. the rib-forming channels 100 are each of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout their lengths. as applied to channels 100, the designation "shape" refers to both configuration and dimensions. each channel 100 extends longitudinally of closure plate surface 102 parallel to the path of movement of mold plate 18. furthermore, each rib-forming channel 100 traverses one of the mold cavities 20 in mold plate 18. in the particular construction illustrated, there are four rib-forming channels 100 for each mold cavity 20. mold assembly 14 further comprises a plurality of elongated rib-forming projections on the upper surface 106 of mold plate 18. each rib-forming projection 104 is complementary in cross-sectional shape, throughout its length, to one of the rib-forming channels 100. the rib-forming projections 104 each extend longitudinally of the mold plate and each projects into close-fitting sliding engagement in one of the rib-forming channels 100. mold cavities 20 and mold plate 18, as illustrated, are of parallelogram configuration, though other peripheral configurations can be utilized as noted above. as best shown in fig. 4, each mold cavity 20 includes a plurality of pockets 108 along one edge. the pockets 108 correspond in number to and are aligned with the rib-forming projections 104 of mold plate 18. fig. 5 illustrates the configuration of one of the food patties 60 molded in the mold assembly 14 of figs. 1-4. each patty 60 includes a plurality of ribs 114 projecting above and extending completely across the main surface 118 of the patty. ribs 114 are formed by the combination of the rib-forming channels 100 in closure plate 80 and the mating rib-forming projections 104 of mold plate 18. each patty 60 also includes a series of edge ribs 116 constituting extensions of ribs 114 beyond one edge 120 of the patty. these edge ribs 116 are formed in pockets 108 (see fig. 4) during operation of mold assembly 14. from the foregoing description, it can be seen that mold assembly 14 provides an effective and economical construction for the manufacture of molded food patties having non-planar main surfaces in a high volume food patty molding machine of the type utilizing a mold plate sliding between two mold cavity closure plates. the patty molding machine itself requires no modification. the only changes are in the main elements of the mold assembly, specifically mold plate 18 and the fill slot closure plate 80. the only other modification required in the machine, for cooperation with mold assembly 14, is the provision of knock-out members 50 shaped to cooperate with the outline configuration of each of the mold cavities 20, but this requirement is present also in conventional machines. fig. 6 illustrates another patty shape 160 that can be readily produced using a mold assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. food patty 160 has ribs 162 formed in the same manner as described above for the ribs 114 on patty 60 (fig. 5). instead of the simple rectangular configuration for ribs 114, however, the patty ribs 162 are of stepped configuration. patty 160 also includes edge indentations 164 aligned with ribs 162. the edge indentations 164 are achieved by utilizing projections into the mold cavities 20 at the positions indicated for edge pockets 108 in fig. 4. fig. 7 affords another illustration of the variety of shapes that can be readily obtained utilizing the present invention. the food patty 260 of fig. 7 includes two top ribs 262 and 264 that are different in cross-sectional shape from each other. patty 260 has three ribs 266 on its lower surface. ribs 262 and 264 are formed by the same basic mold assembly construction as described above in connection with figs. 1-4. the lower ribs 266 on patty 260 are formed by providing mating rib-forming channels and projections in the upper surface of the lower closure plate 82 and the bottom surface of mold plate 18, respectively. in the patty molding machine 10, as described in connection with figs. 2 and 3, the fill passage 78 is quite narrow as compared with the widths of the mold cavities 20. this construction requires that much of the food product move around a "corner" in filling the mold cavities. however, it is equally possible to employ a fill passage that is wider than the mold cavities or fill passages matched in size and configuration to the mold cavities, with an attendant improvement in patty texture, as described in the co-pending application of glenn a. sandberg et al, ser. no. 204,840 filed nov. 7, 1980, now u.s. pat. no. 4,356,595. accordingly, with the present invention, a wide variety of different patties having either one or both main surface of non-planar configuration can be readily formed in a conventional reciprocating mold plate food patty molding machine simply by modifying the mold assembly. the only major limitation is that any ribs or like elements formed on a main surface of a patty must extend for the full width of the patty.
003-846-191-708-069	US	[ "US", "CA" ]	G01N21/77,G01N21/78,G01N21/80,G01N33/68,G01N33/72,G01N33/52,G01N33/00	2008-02-28T00:00:00	2008	[ "G01" ]	mammalian disease detection system	a mammalian disease detecting system used to provide a visual indication of a possible disease state includes particles made of a material that is substantially clear or transparent to permit the easy visual detection of blood in urine of a mammal. the system also includes additives to permit visually detection of possible disease states or infections in mammals, such additives being of the type that are not reactive with the particular material.	1. a mammalian disease detecting system for use in providing a visual indication of a possible disease state or illness in mammals comprising: silica gel particles comprising additives, the additives including 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo (h) quinolin-3-ol to detect bilirubin and at least one of the following additives: (1) bromothymol blue to detect ph; (2) diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide to detect blood; (3) tetrabromphenol blue to detect protein; and (4) glucose oxidase to detect glucose. 2. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 1 wherein the silica gel particles have a substantially clear or transparent color and have a size or about 0.5-2 millimeters. 3. the mammalian disease detecting, system of claim 1 wherein the at least one additive is diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide at a concentration of 6.8% by weight. 4. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one additive is tetrabromphenol blue at a concentration of 0.3% by weight. 5. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 1 wherein the additive 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo (h) quino 1 in-3-ol is at a concentration of 1.3% by weight. 6. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one additive is glucose oxidase at a concentration of 2.2% by weight. 7. a mammalian disease detecting system for use in providing a visual indication of a possible disease state or illness in mammals comprising: silica gel particles comprising additives, the additives including 1 2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo (h) quinolin-3-ol to detect bilirubin and at least two of the following additives: (1) bromothymol blue to detect ph; (2) diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide to detect blood; (3) tetrabromphenol blue to detect protein; and (4) glucose oxidase to detect glucose. 8. the mammalian disease detecting, system of claim 7 wherein the silica gel particles have a substantially clear or transparent color and have a size of about 0.5-2 millimeters. 9. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 7 wherein the at least two additives are diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide at a concentration of 6.8% by weight, and tetrabromphenol blue at a concentration of 0.3% by weight. 10. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 7 wherein the at least two additives are tetrabromphenol blue at a concentration of 0.3% by weight, and glucose oxidase at a concentration 2.2% by weight. 11. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 7 wherein the at least two additives are tetrabromphenol blue at a concentration of 0.3% by weight, and bromothymol blue to detect ph. 12. the mammalian disease detecting system of claim 7 wherein the at least two additives are diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide at a concentration of 6.8% by weight, and bromothymol blue to detect ph.	cross-reference to related applications the present application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 61/032316 filed feb. 28, 2008, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. field of the invention the present invention relates generally to a mammalian disease detection system, and more particularly to a system that when exposed to urine detects possible diseases or illness in mammals, and in particular, pets such as felines. description of related art pet litters made from a variety of different materials have been disclosed in the prior art. these litters have including such materials as uncalcined clay (u.s. pat. no. 5,371,054), as well as a variety of other materials, such as minerals, fly ash, perlite, silicas, other absorbent materials and mixtures thereof (u.s. publication no. 2006/02700051). the '051 publication discloses the use of phloxine b buffered between a ph of 2-2.5 to detect the presence of protein. this additive is too acidic for use in detecting proteins in the present invention. the high acidity can interfere with the proper action of other dyes included in the system of this invention. a number of patents also disclose that ph indicators can be added to the basic substrate material for the purposes of detecting a change in ph of a mammal's urine. such changes can be indicative of urinary tract or bladder infections. pluta et al., u.s. pat. no. 5,371,054 discloses the use of uncalcined clay as the substrate in a pet litter product. the pet litter also includes a ph indicator. in addition, the '054 patent discloses the inclusion of additives to detect both liver disease and kidney disease by detecting undesired levels of bilirubin and protein. this patent also discloses the use of other dyes to predict undesired levels of glucose, ketones and urobilinogen. additives introduced into the particular material, particular for the purpose of determining high levels of bilirubin and protein, do not work satisfactory with clays of the type disclosed in the '054 patent based on the state of the art, a need exists for a mammalian disease detection system for use in detecting a variety of potential diseases based on the make up of the urine of the mammal. although the present application for the system of this invention is in connection with pet litter, and in particular, feline litter, the compositions of this invention are believed to have much wider applicability, and, in particular as a detection system for detecting possible infections or diseases in humans. it is such an improved system that the present invention relates. all references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. summary of the invention the above and other objects of this invention are achieved in a mammalian disease detection system for use in providing a visual indication of a possible disease state or infection in mammals, said system including particles that are comprised of a material that is substantially clear or transparent to permit the easy visual detection of blood in urine of a mammal, said system further including additives to permit visual detection of possible disease states or infections in mammals other than those associated with blood in the urine, such additives being of the type that are not reactive with the particular material. preferably the additives included in the system at least detect undesired levels of bilirubin and protein. in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the particles are formed of an amorphous silica gel. preferably, the silica gel is present in a particle size range of 0.5 to about 6.0 mm; more preferably in the range of 0.5 to about 5.0 mm and most preferably in the range of 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in another embodiment of this invention, the particles are formed of white paper particles that can be in the same size ranges as stated above with respect to the silica gel but most preferably are in the range of about 3 to about 6 millimeters. most preferably the mammalian disease detection system is in the form of a pet litter for detecting possible diseases and illness in animals, such as felines. description of the preferred embodiments of the invention this invention relates to a mammalian disease detection system for use in providing a visual indication of possible disease states or illness in mammals. in particular, the system of this invention is capable of detecting blood in urine, which may be indicative of a urinary tract or bladder infection, and also detecting a high bilirubin content or protein content, which may be indicative of a liver or kidney disease, respectively. the systems of this invention are effective for detecting possible disease states or illness in mammals, e.g., humans, felines, canines, and rodents, by providing a visual indication of a possible disease state or illness when the system comes in contact with the mammal's urine. although the present invention broadly can be used with mammals in general, the detailed description which follows will be in connection with an animal litter to be used by common pets, and most preferably by felines. a very important aspect of this invention is that the particular substrate be sufficiently clear or transparent to permit a clear visible presentation of any blood present in the urine. in addition, additives are included in the substrate to cause a change in color of the system to indicate a possible disease state or illness of the animal. these additives and possible disease states or illnesses will be described in detail hereinafter. it is also important that the particulate material of the substrate be substantially neutral in ph, and therefore, particles formed of clay or other acid or alkaline substances are not within the scope of the present invention. it is extremely important that the particulate material be selected so that it is non-reactive with the additives that are introduced for the purpose of indicating a possible disease state or illness, as will be describing in greater detail hereinafter. if the particulate material were reactive with such additives such a reaction could provide false negative or false positive results. within the broadest aspect of this invention the particulate material can be in the size range generally employed in current litter products. preferably, the particles are in a size range of 0.5 to 6 mm, more preferably in the range of 0.5 to 5 mm, and most preferably in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm. applicant has found that the smallest size range, which is not included in prior art litter products, provides the best visual indication of blood in the urine, and also a very clear visual indication of changes in color provided by other additives to indicate other possible disease states or illness, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. in accordance with the invention, the most preferred particulate material employed in this invention is amorphous silica; however, reasonably good results have been obtained by using particulate white paper as the substrate. although the most preferred particulate material is amorphous silica with over 90% of the particles being approximately 0.5 mm it is within the broad scope of this invention to utilize regular silica cat litter either in pearls or lumpy. as stated earlier, various additives are included in the detection system of this invention, and will now be described in greater detail. specifically, the particulate material employed in this invention is mixed or blended with a chemical ph indicator that provides a visible indication of ph change. a preferred ph indicator gives a color scale in the range of a ph between 1 and 13, said scale going from a color of orange to blue green by using bromothymol blue (dibromothymolsulfonphthalein). other ph indicators usable in this invention preferably change colors over a ph range from about 3 to about 10 and more preferably in the range of from about 5 to about 9. the choice of the particular indicator will depend on the desired end use. for example, an indicator that changes color in the ph range of 7 and 8 can be used for a clumping cat litter by the typical pet owner. this gives the owner an early warning of the onset of a bladder infection, bladder stones/crystals, sterile cystitis (inflammation of the bladder not due to bacteria or virus) and other urinary tract problems including feline urological syndrome (fus), also known as feline lower urinary tract disease (flutd). other dyes can be used on products for veterinarians as a more precise indicator of urine ph. such dyes include bromocresol purple, which yields progressive color variation over the ph range of 5 to 9. this enables veterinarians to more accurately determine the ph level of an animal's urinary discharge. it should be understood that other dyes can be added in addition to ph indicators to predict levels of other elements, such as glucose, nitrates, ketones, bilirubin, urobilinogen and protein. dyes that provide an indication of abnormal protein and bilirubin levels are a predictor of kidney and liver diseases, respectively, such as such as nephropathy and renal arnyloidosis. dyes that provide an indication of abnormal glucose and ketone levels are a predictor of diabetes. dyes that provide an indication of abnormal levels of nitrates are a predictor of some bladder infections. detection of blood in the urine can be a predictor of bladder infection, bladder stones/crystals, sterile cystitis (inflammation of the bladder not due to bacteria or virus). in the most preferred embodiments, the following additives are included to detect the indicated substance: glucose: 2.2% w/w glucose oxidase (microbial, 1.3 iu) ( aspergillus niger, 1,3 iu); 0.6% p/p de peroxydase (raifort, 3300 ui); 7.0% p/p potassium iodide; 76.1% p/p w/w nonreactive ingredients. nitrate: 1.4% w/w p-arsanilic acid 97.3% w/w buffer, 2.4% w/w nonreactive ingredients. urobilinogen: 0.2% w/w p-diethylaminobenzaldehyde 97.0% w/w nonreactive ingredients. protein: 0.3% w/w tetrabromphenol blue 92.9% w/w buffer. specific gravity: 2.8% w/w bromothymol blue 86.5% w/w nonreactive ingredients. leukocytes: 0.4% w/w derivatized pyrrole amino acid ester 8.1% w/w potassium iodide 28.4% w/w sodium hydroxide. blood: 6.8% w/w diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide 18.9% w/w nonreactive ingredients. bilirubin: 0.4% w/w 2, 4-dichloroaniline diazorium salt 1.0% w/w peroxidase (horseradish 3300 iu) 1.3% w/w 1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydrobenzo (h) quinolin-3-ol 10.8% w/w buffer. a variety of other chemical indicators can be employed in the system of this invention. these indicators include, but are not limited to, phenol red (phenolsulfonphthalein), cresol red (o-cresolsulfonphthalein), bromcresol purple (dibromo-o-cresolsulfonphthalein), p-bromobenzenesulfonyl chloride, congo red (diphenyldiazo-bis-1-naphthylarnine-4-sodium sulfonate), methyl orange (sodium salt of dimethylaminoazobenzenesulfonic acid), bromchlorphenol blue (dibromodichlorophenolsulfonphthalein), p-ethoxychrysoidine (4′-ethoxy-2,4-diaminoazobenzene), naphthyl red (naphthylaminoazobenzene), bromcresol green (tetrabromo-m-cresolsulfonphthalein), methyl red (dimethylaminoazobenzene-p-carboxylic acid), lacmoid, litmus, chlorphenol red (dichlorophenolsulfonphthalein), benzoyl suramine g, azolitmin, bromphenol red (dibromophenolsulfonphthalein), ibromophenoltetrabromophenosulfonphthalein, neutral red (amino-dimethylamino-toluphenalin-hydrochloride), rosolic acid aurin (corallin), quinoline blue (cyanine), a-naphthlophthalein, metacresol purple (m-cresolsulfonphthalein), ethyl bis-[2,4-dinitrophenyl] acetate, tropeolin 000 (a-naphtol orange, a-naphthlolazobenzenepsulfonic acid), thymol blue (thymolsulfonphthalein), o-cresolphthalein, thymolphthalein, nile blue (aminodiethylaminonaphthophenazoxoniumchloride). curcumin (brilliant yellow, sulfanilic acid-azodiphenylarninosulfonic acid), dimethylaminoazobenzene (dimethyl yellow, methyl yellow, butter yellow), metanil yellow (victoria yellow, metanil extra, tropeolin g, sodium salt of diphenylaminoazo-m-benzenesulfonic acid), methyl violet 6b (pentamethylbenzylpararosaniline-hydrochloride), p-naphtholbenzene, resazurin, tropeolin 00 (orange iv, aniline yellow, diphenyl orange, sodium salt of diphenylaminoazo-p-benzenesulfonic acid), xylenol blue (p-xylenonlsulfonephthalein) and mixtures thereof. the various chemical ph indicators, also referred to herein as “dyes,” can be used in their acid, neutral (anhydride) or salt forms. bromothymol blue, phenol red and bromocresol purple are preferred dyes. mixtures of two or more dyes may be used but non-mixtures (single dyes) are preferred. the dye is typically applied to the particulate substrate of this invention as a solution (including dispersions, suspensions, etc.). solvents useful for this purpose include water and organic solvents such as alcohols and ketones; preferred organic solvents are those which are water miscible. in the case of acid or neutral indicators, it is preferable to form a concentrate of said indicator in a non-aqueous, water miscible solvent, such as ethanol, methanol and acetone, which is then mixed with water for application to said clay substrate. with salt forms of the dyes, the solvent is water, the preferred salt form of the dyes is the sodium salt. with sodium salt forms of the dyes, solution in water is possible. the acid forms may be solubilized by first making a 0.05-0.10 wt. % solution of sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate and then adding the acid form to this solution. dye solutions can be applied to the silica or paper particulate material by coating methods, such as spraying, known to those of ordinary skill in the art. a suitable method involves spraying atomized droplets of a dye solution directly onto a cascade of silica or paper particles as those particles fall through the spraying chamber. the dyes are typically applied in 0.2-0.5 wt % solutions to the particulate substrates. the amount of dye contained in the particulate substrate composition of this invention is preferably from about 0.005% up about to 0.05% by weight of the composition, more preferably from about 0.01% up to about 0.03%. dye concentrations in the solution and the amount of solution sprayed onto the particulate material can be varied in order to control the free-moisture content of the compositions of this invention. the desired free-moisture content of the compositions of this invention ranges from about 15% up to about 30% by weight most preferably about 20%. as previously mentioned, these compositions are particularly useful as litters for the accumulation of animal urine. in addition to providing stronger and sharper color distinctions between phs over the desired ph range, improved color stability and effective agglomeration, the compositions do not require the addition of (i) binders for agglomeration, (ii) ph pre-adjustment of substrate surface, (iii) heating of dye solutions to achieve solubility of water soluble dyes, or (iv) other additives. the initial colors generated by wetted areas of the compositions of the instant invention may fade and lose color over a period of time (usually hours). however, the initial indicated colors can be reconstituted by wetting the previously wetted area with a few drops of distilled water; an advantageous property of the claimed compositions. most preferably the additives are in the form of a buffer solution to increase the stability and lasting effect of the product. while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
003-887-476-592-400	KR	[ "US", "EP", "KR" ]	G06T15/00,G06T7/00,H04N13/00	2011-09-08T00:00:00	2011	[ "G06", "H04" ]	apparatus and method for generating depth information	a method for generating depth information includes: receiving an input image including a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; selecting a second frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a second object from the second frame based on the first object; and generating second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame.	1 . a method for generating depth information comprising: receiving an input image comprising a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; selecting a second frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a second object on the second frame based on the first object; and generating second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 3 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the generating the second depth information comprises generating the second depth information from the first depth information based on a position shift size from the position of the first object on the first frame to the position of the second object on the second frame. 4 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the tracing the second object comprises tracing the second object from the first object based on a block or a pixel. 5 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the first frame comprises a key frame. 6 . the method according to claim 1 , further comprising: selecting a third frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a third object on the third frame based on at least one of the first and second objects; and generating third depth information of the third object from at least one of the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between at least one of the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the second object on the second frame, and a position of the third object on the third frame. 7 . the method according to claim 6 , wherein the first, second and third objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 8 . a method for generating depth information comprising: receiving an input image comprising a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; identifying a second frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining second depth information of a second object that is selected from the second frame; selecting a third frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a third object on the third frame based on the first object; and generating third depth information of the third object from the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the third object on the third frame and a comparison result between a position of the second object on the second frame and the position of the third object on the third frame. 9 . the method according to claim 8 , wherein the first, second and third objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 10 . the method according to claim 8 , wherein the third frame comprises a frame which is interposed between the first and second frames. 11 . the method according to claim 8 , wherein the generating the third depth information further comprises calculating a first position shift size of the third object from the position of the first object; calculating a second position shift size of the third object from the position of the second object; and generating the third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the first and second position shift sizes. 12 . the method according to claim 11 , wherein the third depth information comprises a value that is in a range between a value of the first depth information and a value of the second depth information. 13 . the method according to claim 8 , wherein the tracing the third object comprises tracing the third object from the first object based on a block or a pixel. 14 . the method according to claim 8 , wherein the first frame comprises a key frame. 15 . an apparatus for generating depth information comprising: a receiver which receives an input image comprising a plurality of frames; and a depth information generator which identifies a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame, selects a second frame from the plurality of frames, traces a second object on the second frame based on the first object, and generates second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. 16 . the apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first and second objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 17 . the apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the depth information generator generates the second depth information from the first depth information based on a position shift size of the second object on the second frame, from the position of the first object on the first frame. 18 . the apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the depth information generator traces the second object from the first object based on a block or a pixel. 19 . the apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first frame comprises a key frame. 20 . the apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the depth information generator selects a third frame from the plurality of frames, traces a third object from the third frame based on at least one of the first and second objects, and generates third depth information of the third object from at least one of the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between at least one of the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the second object on the second frame, and a position of the third object on the third frame. 21 . the apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the first, second and third objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 22 . an apparatus for generating depth information comprising: a receiver which receives an input image comprising a plurality of frames; and a depth information generator which identifies a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame, identifies a second frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains second depth information of a second object that is selected from the second frame, selects a third frame from the plurality of frames, traces a third object on the third frame based on the first object, and generates third depth information of the third object from the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the third object on the third frame and a comparison result between a position of the second object on the second frame and the position of the third object on the third frame. 23 . the apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the first, second and third objects are recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. 24 . the apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the third frame comprises a frame which is interposed between the first and second frames. 25 . the apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the depth information generator calculates a first position shift size of the third object from the position of the first object and calculates a second position shift size of the third object from the position of the second object, and generates the third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the first and second position shift sizes. 26 . the apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein the third depth information comprises a value that is in a range between a value of the first depth information and a value of the second depth information. 27 . the apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the depth information generator traces the third object from the first object or traces the third object from the second object, based on a block or a pixel. 28 . the apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein at least one of the first frame and the second frame comprises a key frame. 29 . a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the method of claim 1 . 30 . a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the method of claim 8 . 31 . a method for generating depth information comprising: receiving an input image comprising a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; selecting a second frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a second object, which is substantially similar to the first object, on the second frame; and generating second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a position difference between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. 32 . the method according to claim 31 , wherein the first frame comprises a key frame which is identified, from the plurality of frames, based on at least one of a scene change, an appearance of an object, and a motion change of an object.	cross-reference to related application this application claims priority from korean patent application no. 10-2011-0091122, filed sep. 8, 2011 in the korean intellectual property office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. background 1. field apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to generating depth information, and more particularly, to generating depth information for converting a two-dimensional (2d) input image to a three-dimensional (3d) image. 2. description of the related art to convert a 2d image including a plurality of frames to a 3d image, depth information is generated to provide the 3d effect. however, generating the depth information for all of the frames consisting of the 2d image takes a great deal of time and is not cost-efficient. summary exemplary embodiments may address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. also, exemplary embodiments are not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an exemplary embodiment may not overcome any of the problems described above. exemplary embodiments provide an apparatus and a method for generating depth information which generates depth information with less time and in a cost-efficient manner and a computer-readable storage medium which is encoded by an instruction executed by a computer by the method thereof. according to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method for generating depth information including: receiving an input image including a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; selecting a second frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a second object from the second frame based on the first object; and generating second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. the first and second objects may be recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. the generating the second depth information may include generating the second depth information from the first depth information based on a position shift size from the position of the first object to a position of the second object. the tracing the second object may include tracing the second object from the first object based on block or pixel. the first frame may include a key frame. the method may further include selecting a third frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a third object from the third frame based on at least one of the first and second objects; and generating third depth information of the third object from at least one of the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between at least one of a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame and a position of the third object on the third frame. the first, second and third objects may be recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. according to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method for generating depth information including: receiving an input image including a plurality of frames; identifying a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame; identifying a second frame that is selected from the plurality of frames; obtaining second depth information of a second object that is selected from the second frame; selecting a third frame from the plurality of frames; tracing a third object from the third frame based on the first object; and generating third depth information of the third object from the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the third object on the third frame and a comparison result between a position of the second object on the second frame and a position of the third object on the third frame. the third frame may include a frame which is interposed between the first and second frames. the generating the third depth information may further include calculating a first position shift size of the third object from the position of the first object; calculating a second position shift size of the third object from the position of the second object; and generating third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the first and second position shift sizes. the third depth information may include a value that is between the first and second depth information. the tracing the third object may include tracing the third object from the first object based on a block or pixel. according to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus for generating depth information including: a receiver which receives an input image including a plurality of frames; and a depth information generator which identifies a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame, selects a second frame from the plurality of frames, traces a second object from the second frame based on the first object, and generates second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. the first and second objects may be recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. the depth information generator may generate second depth information from the first depth information based on a position shift size of the second object compared to the position of the first object. the depth information generator may trace the second object from the first object based on a block or pixel. the first frame may include a key frame. the depth information generator may select a third frame from the plurality of frames, trace a third object from the third frame based on at least one of the first and second objects, and generate third depth information of the third object from at least one of the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between at least one of the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the second object on the second frame, and a position of the third object on the third frame. the first, second and third objects may be recognized as a same object by a user within the plurality of frames. according to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus for generating depth information including: a receiver which receives an input image including a plurality of frames; and a depth information generator which identifies a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains first depth information of a first object that is selected from the first frame, identifies a second frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains second depth information of a second object that is selected from the second frame, selects a third frame from the plurality of frames, traces a third object from the third frame based on the first object, and generates third depth information of the third object from the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the third object on the third frame and a comparison result between a position of the second object on the second frame and a position of the third object on the third frame. the depth information generator may calculate a first position shift size of the third object from the position of the first object and calculate a second position shift size of the third object from the position of the second object, and generate the third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the first and second position shift sizes. the depth information generator may trace the third object from the first object or trace the third object from the second object, based on a block or pixel. according to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program that is executed by a computer by the method according to one of the foregoing methods. brief description of the drawings the above and/or other aspects will become apparent by describing certain exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a control block diagram of an apparatus for generating depth information according to an exemplary embodiment; figs. 2a and 2b illustrate a method for generating depth information by the apparatus for generating depth information of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a control block diagram of an apparatus for generating depth information according to another exemplary embodiment; figs. 4a and 4b illustrate a method for generating depth information by the apparatus for generating depth information of fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is a control flowchart of a method for generating depth information by the apparatus for generating depth information of fig. 1 ; and fig. 6 is a control flowchart of a method for generating depth information by the apparatus for generating depth information of fig. 3 . detailed description of exemplary embodiments certain, exemplary embodiments are described in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. in the following description, like drawing reference numerals are used for the like elements, even in different drawings. the matters defined in the description, such as detailed construction and elements, are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments. however, exemplary embodiments can be carried out without those specifically defined matters. also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since that would obscure the invention with unnecessary detail. fig. 1 is a control block diagram of an apparatus for generating depth information according to an exemplary embodiment. an apparatus for generating depth information 100 includes a first receiver 110 and a first depth information generator 120 . the apparatus for generating depth information 100 may include any type of electronic apparatus which generates depth information required for converting a 2d image that is transmitted by a source supply device (not shown), into a 3d image. for example, the apparatus for generating depth information 100 may include a display apparatus such as a personal computer (pc). the first receiver 110 receives a plurality of frames which consists of a 2d image from a source supply source (not shown). the first receiver 110 may receive a plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image from the source supply device through a predetermined network (not shown), and include a predetermined communication module to communicate with the network. the source supply device may include a network server, and store a 2d image and transmit the 2d image to the apparatus for generating depth information 100 at the request of the apparatus for generating depth information 100 . for example, the source supply device may include an external storage medium which includes a storage means such as a hard disk or a flash memory to store a 2d image. the apparatus for generating depth information 100 is connected to the source supply device as a local device through the first receiver 110 , and the source supply device may transmit a 2d image to the apparatus for generating depth information 100 at the request of the apparatus for generating depth information 100 . for example, the first receiver 110 may include a module for realizing a local connection method for the apparatus for generating depth information 100 and the source supply device. the first receiver 110 may include a universal serial bus (usb) module or the like device. the first receiver 110 may receive basic information for generating depth information in the form of meta data with respect to the 2d image transmitted by the source supply device. the basic information for generating depth information may include at least one of information for identifying a key frame from a plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image transmitted by the source supply device, information for identifying an object selected from the key frame, and depth value information of the object. the basic information for generating depth information may be transmitted together with the 2d image by the source supply device, or transmitted by an external device (not shown). the information for identifying the key frame is the information for recognizing a key frame among the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image. the key frame may be selected on the basis of at least one of scene change, appearance of an important object, and motion change quantity of the object. the object identification information includes information on at least one object selected from objects of the key frame. for example, as position information for at least one object extracted from the key frame, the object identification information may include position information for each block or pixel. the depth value information includes information on a depth value that is allotted to an object extracted from the key frame. the first depth information generator 120 identifies a first frame that is selected from a plurality of frames received through the first receiver 110 , obtains first depth information of a first object selected from the first frame, selects a second frame among the plurality of frames, traces a second object from the second frame based on the first object, and generates second depth information of the second object from the first depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the second object on the second frame. the plurality of frames consisting of a 2d image and basic information for generating depth information for the 2d which are received through the first receiver 110 are transmitted to the first depth information generator 120 . the first depth information generator 120 may identify a first frame selected from the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image, based on key frame identification information included in the basic information for generating depth information. the first frame includes a key frame. first depth information of the first object that is selected from the first frame may be obtained on the basis of the object identification information and depth value information included in the basic information for generating depth information. the first depth information generator 120 may select a non-key frame among the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image received through the first receiver 110 , extract the object from the non-key frame based on the first depth information of the first object and assign a depth value to the object to promptly and cost-efficiently generate depth information for the non-key frame. the first depth information generator 120 includes a first object tracer 121 , a first object position shift size calculator 123 and a first depth value calculator 125 . the first object tracer 121 selects a second frame from non-key frames among a plurality of frames consisting of a 2d image. the first object tracer 121 traces a second object from the second frame selected on the basis of the first object. the first and second objects are recognized as the same object by a user within the plurality of frames. the first object tracer 121 traces the second object selected from the second frame based on identification information or position information of the first object by using various known object tracing algorithms. tracing the second object is performed by block or pixel by using various known object tracing algorithms. the first object position shift size calculator 123 receives information on the second object selected from the second frame for which tracing has been completed, from the first object tracer 121 . the first object position shift size calculator 123 calculates a position shift size by comparing the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the second object on the second frame. for example, if the second object is traced by block, the first object position shift size calculator 123 compares a position of one of a plurality of blocks consisting of the first object on the frame and a position of a corresponding block on the second frame to calculate the shift size based on the positions of the blocks. that is, as the first and second objects are recognized as the same object by a user within the plurality of frames, the position of the block consisting of the first object on the first frame may have been shifted to a certain position of the second frame, and the first object position shift size calculator 123 calculates the shifted size. as the shifting direction is known when the second object is traced by the first object tracer 121 , the first object position shift size calculator 123 calculates the shift size. this also applies mutatis mutandis to the case where the second object is traced by pixel. the calculation result is transmitted to the first depth value calculator 125 . the first depth value calculator 125 generates second depth information of the second object from the first depth information of the first object based on the comparison result transmitted by the first object position shift size calculator 123 . the first depth information is a depth value allotted to the first object, and the depth value may be allotted to the first object by block or pixel. for example, if the first object position shift size calculator 123 transmits information on the shift size of one of a plurality of blocks consisting of the first object, the first depth value calculator 125 allots the depth value with the same size as that allotted to the block of the first object, to a corresponding block that is shifted as much as the shift size among the second object to generate second depth information of the second object. this also applies mutatis mutandis to the case where the second object is traced by pixel. the first depth information generator 120 may select a third frame among a plurality of frames consisting of a 2d image received through the first receiver 110 , trace a third object of the third frame and generate depth information. this may be performed by the same method as the method for tracing the second object of the second frame and generating depth information. that is, the third object of the third frame may be traced on the basis of at least one of the first object of the first frame and the second object of the second frame by using the method that is the same as or similar to the method for tracing the second object as described above. the first depth information generator 120 may generate third depth information of the third object from at least one of the first and second depth information based on the comparison result between at least one of the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the second object on the second frame, and the position of the third object on the third frame by using the method that is the same as or similar to the method for generating the second depth information of the second object. the third frame is selected from non-key frames among the plurality of frames and includes one of the non-key frames which appears following the second frame temporally. the first, second and third objects are recognized as the same object by a user among the plurality of frames. the first depth information generator 120 traces a third object by block or pixel from at least one of the first and second objects. this is performed by the same method as the method for tracing the second object from the first object. the first depth information generator 120 may generate third depth information of the third object based on at least one of the first depth information generated for the first object and the second depth information generated for the second object. this is performed by the same method as the method for generating the second depth information based on the first depth information of the first object. the apparatus for generating depth information 100 according to the current exemplary embodiment may also obtain basic information for generating depth information by a user's input which is described in greater detail below, instead of receiving the basic information for generating depth information in the form of meta data through the first receiver 110 . the apparatus for generating depth information 100 may further include a display unit (not shown), a ui generator (not shown) and a user input unit (not shown). the operation of the first depth information generator 120 according to an exemplary embodiment is described in more detail below based on figs. 2a and 2b . as shown in fig. 2a , if a plurality of frames consisting of a 2d image and information for generating depth information are received through the first receiver 110 , the first depth information generator 120 identifies a first frame 310 corresponding to a key frame among the plurality of frames based on key frame identification information included in the information for generating depth information. further, the first depth information generator 120 identifies a position of the first object 311 from the first frame 310 based on object identification or position information included in the information for generating depth information, and obtains a depth value allotted to the first object 311 based on the depth value information included in the information for generating depth information. the first depth information generator 120 selects a second frame 320 corresponding to a non-key frame from the plurality of frames. the first object tracer 121 of the first depth information generator 120 traces a second object 321 from the second frame 320 based on the first object 311 by using a known object tracing algorithm. tracing the second object 321 may indicate a position of the second object 321 on the second frame 320 . the first object position shift size calculator 123 compares a position of the first object 311 on the first frame 310 and a position of the second object 321 on the second frame 320 , and calculates the position shift size dl of the second object 321 as compared to the position of the first object 311 . as shown in fig. 2a , the second object 321 has been shifted by dl from a position of the first object 311 . as shown in fig. 2b , the first depth value calculator 125 may receive a depth value allotted to the first object 311 and generate a depth map for the first frame. a particular depth value 311 a is allotted to the first object from the first frame 310 a. based on the position shift size d 1 between the first and second objects transmitted by the first object position shift size calculator 123 , the first depth value calculator 125 shifts the depth map 311 a of the first object 311 by the position shift size d 1 to generate second depth information 321 a of the second object 321 on a second frame 320 a. the first depth information generator 120 selects a third frame 330 from non-key frames of the plurality of frames, and traces a third object 331 from the second object 321 of the second frame 320 . the first depth information generator 120 may otherwise trace the third object 331 from the first object 311 of the first frame 310 . the method for tracing the third object 331 is the same as the method for tracing the second object 321 from the first object 311 . if the third object 331 is traced, the position shift size d 2 from the position of the second object to the position of the third object 331 is calculated, and third depth information 331 a is generated from the second depth information 321 a based on the position shift size d 2 on a third frame 330 a. otherwise, the position shift size d 3 from the position of the first object to the position of the third object 331 may be calculated, and the third depth information 331 a may be generated from the first depth information 311 a based on the position shift size d 3 . the method for generating the third depth information is the same as the method for generating the second depth information 321 a as described above. as a result, the method for generating depth information according to the current exemplary embodiment may easily generate depth information on the non-key frame within short time period and in a cost-efficient manner. fig. 3 is a control block diagram of an apparatus for generating depth information 200 according to another exemplary embodiment. like the apparatus for generating depth information 100 illustrated in fig. 1 , the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may include any type of electronic device which generates depth information for converting a 2d image transmitted by a source supply device, into a 3d image. for example, the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may include a display apparatus such as a personal computer (pc). the apparatus for generating depth information 200 further includes a display unit 230 , a user interface (ui) generator 240 and a user input unit 250 . the apparatus for generating depth information 200 provides a ui that is generated by the ui generator 240 and displayed on the display unit 230 among a plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image, and basic information for generating the depth information is generated by a user's input that is received through the user input unit 250 . the ui generator 240 may generate and display on the display unit 230 a first ui to identify a frame among the plurality of frames, and receive a first user input through the user input unit 250 by the first ui. according to the first user input, the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may identify the frame. to identify an object on the identified frame, the ui generator 240 may generate and display on the display unit 230 a second ui, and receive a second user input through the user input unit 250 by the second ui. according to the second user input, the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may identify the object. to obtain depth information of the identified object, the ui generator 240 may generate and display on the display unit 230 a third ui, and receive a third user input through the user input unit 250 by the third ui. according to the third user input, the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may obtain the depth information. accordingly, the apparatus for generating depth information 200 may identify the first and second frames according to the first user input through the first ui, identify the first and second objects according to the second user input through the second ui, and obtain the first and second depth information according to the third user input through the third ui. according to the current exemplary embodiment, the basic information for generating depth information is the information according to the user's input. the second receiver 210 receives a plurality of frames consisting of a 2d image from the source supply device, and performs the operation similar to that of the first receiver 110 described above. the second depth information generator 220 identifies a first frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains first depth information of the first object that is selected from the first frame, identifies the second frame that is selected from the plurality of frames, obtains second depth information of the second object that is selected from the second frame, selects a third frame from the plurality of frames, traces the third object from the third frame based on the first object, and generates third depth information of the third object from the first and second depth information based on a comparison result between a position of the first object on the first frame and a position of the third object on the third frame and a comparison result between a position of the second object on the second frame and a position of the third object on the third frame. the second depth information generator 220 receives the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image received through the second receiver 210 and basic information for generating depth information with respect to the 2d image received through the user input unit 250 . the second depth information generator 220 may identify the first and second frames based on the basic information for generating depth information. at least one of the first and second frames corresponds to a key frame among the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image, and may be selected by a user's input based on at least one of scene change, appearance of a major object and a quantity of motion change of the object. the first and second frames may include key frames, and the second frame includes a key frame which comes after the first frame temporally. the second depth information generator 220 may obtain first depth information of the first object selected from the first frame and second depth information of the second object selected from the second frame based on the basic information for generating depth information. the second depth information generator 220 may select a third frame from the plurality of frames, and the third frame may include a frame that is interposed between the first and second frames. the second depth information generator 220 includes a second object tracer 221 , a second object position shift size calculator 223 and a second depth value calculator 225 . the second object tracer 221 selects the third frame from non-key frames among the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image. for example, the second object tracer 221 selects the third frame which is the non-key frame interposed between the first and second frames. the second object tracer 221 traces the third object from the third frame selected on the basis of the first object. the first object of the first frame, second object of the second frame, and third object of the third frame are recognized as the same object by a user within the plurality of frames. the second object tracer 221 may obtain position information of the first object on the first frame and position information of the second object on the second frame that are identified by a user's input. accordingly, the second object tracer 221 traces the third object selected from the third frame based on the first object position information by using various known object tracing algorithms. tracing the third object is performed by using various known object tracing algorithms by block or pixel based on the first object. by the same method as above, the second object tracer 221 may trace the third object of the third frame based on the second object of the second frame. the second object position shift size calculator 223 receives from the second object tracer 221 information of the third object selected from the third frame that has been traced completely. also, the second object position shift size calculator 223 receives position information of the first and second objects from the second object tracer 221 . the second object position shift size calculator 223 calculates the position shift size by the same method as the first object position shift size calculator 221 as described above. the second object position shift size calculator 223 calculates a first position shift size between the first and third objects by comparing the position of the first object on the first frame and the position of the third object on the third frame, and calculates a second position shift size between the second and third objects by comparing the position of the second object on the second frame and the position of the third object on the third frame. the current exemplary embodiment may apply to the case where the first to third objects, which are recognized as the same object by a user within the plurality of fames, change in size by zoom-in or zoom-out. accordingly, the first position shift size includes a ratio of increase/decrease in size of the first and third objects, and the second position shift size includes a ratio of increase/decrease in size of the second and third objects. the first and second position shift sizes are calculated as described above are transmitted to the second depth value calculator 225 . the second depth value calculator 225 generates third depth information of the third object from the first depth information of the first object and the second depth information of the second object based on the first and second position shift sizes transmitted by the second object position shift size calculator 223 . the second depth value calculator 225 receives first depth information of the first object and second depth information of the second object which are obtained by a user's input, and obtains a difference value by comparing the first and second depth information. accordingly, the second depth value calculator 225 may generate third depth information by calculating a depth value which is allotted to the third object with respect to the first and second depth information by using a proportional expression since the first and second position size information and the first to third depth information are known. the generated third depth information may include a value that is between the first and second depth information values. the display unit 230 displays a ui that is generated by the ui generator 240 . the display unit 230 may display the ui together with the plurality of frames consisting of the 2d image. the display unit 230 may include, but not limited to, a liquid crystal, plasma, light-emitting diode, organic light-emitting diode, surface-conduction electron-emitter, carbon nano-tube, and a nano-crystal. the ui generator 240 may generate and display a first ui for identifying a first frame, a second ui for identifying a first object and a third ui for obtaining the first depth information. the generated uis may be a graphic user interface (gui). as a ui for receiving a user's input, the user input unit 250 receives a user's selection relating to a function or operation of the apparatus for generating depth information 200 . the user input unit 250 may include at least one key button, and may be a manipulation panel or touch panel which is provided in the apparatus for generating depth information 200 . the user input unit 250 may be a remote controller, a keyboard, a mouse or a pointer which is connected to the apparatus for generating depth information 200 in a wired or wireless manner. the apparatus for generating depth information 200 according to the current exemplary embodiment may also receive the basic information for generating depth information in the form of meta data from the second receiver 210 by the same method as the apparatus for generating depth information 100 , instead of obtaining the basic information by a user's input. figs. 4a and 4b illustrate a method for generating depth information by the apparatus for generating depth information illustrated in fig. 3 . as shown in fig. 4a , the depth information generator 220 may identify the first and second frames 340 and 360 and the first and second objects 341 and 361 based on the basic information for generating depth information which are obtained by a user's input, and obtain the first depth information as a depth value allotted to the first object 341 and second depth information as a depth value allotted to the second object 361 . the second depth information generator 220 selects the third frame 350 which is interposed between the first and second frames 340 and 360 among the plurality of frames. the second object tracer 221 traces the third object 351 from the third frame 350 based on the first object 341 by using a known object tracing algorithm. tracing the third object 351 as above may indicate the position of the third object 351 on the third frame 350 . the second object tracer 221 may also trace the third object 351 from the third frame 350 based on the second object 361 . the second object position shift size calculator 223 calculates the position shift size of the third object 351 with respect to the first object 341 by comparing the position of the first object 341 on the first frame 340 and the position of the third object 351 on the third frame 350 . as shown in fig. 4a , the third object 351 has an increased size at a predetermined ratio as compared to the first object 341 . accordingly, the second object tracer 221 calculates a first position shift size including the size increase ratio between the first and third objects 341 and 351 . the second object tracer 221 calculates a second position shift size including the size increase ratio between the second and third objects 361 and 351 by the same method as above. as shown in fig. 4b , the second depth value calculator 225 may generate a depth map for the first frame 340 by receiving the depth value allotted to the first object 341 . a particular depth value 341 a is allotted to the first object from the first frame 340 a. the second depth value calculator 225 may generate a depth map for the second frame 360 by the same method. a particular depth value 361 a is allotted to the second object from the second frame 360 a. the second depth value calculator 225 compares the depth value 341 a of the first object and the depth value 361 a of the second object to obtain a difference value. accordingly, the second depth value calculator 225 may calculate a depth value 351 a of the third object on the third frame 350 a by using a proportional expression as the first and second depth information 341 a and 361 a and the difference value therebetween are known. as a result, the second depth value calculator 225 may generate third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the first and second position shift sizes and the difference value obtained as described above. the method for generating depth information according to the current exemplary embodiment may generate depth information for the non-key frame without difficulty by using the result of tracing the object, within short time period and in a cost-efficient manner. fig. 5 is a control flowchart of the method for generating depth information according to an exemplary embodiment. the method for generating depth information includes an operation (s 410 ) of receiving an input image (2d image) including a plurality of frames through the first receiver 110 , and an operation (s 411 ) of identifying the first frame selected from the plurality of frames through the first depth information generator 120 . identifying the first frame may be based on the basic information for generating depth information which is provided in the form of meta data received through the first receiver 110 . the first frame corresponds to the key frame among the plurality of frames. the foregoing method includes an operation (s 412 ) of obtaining the first depth information of the first object selected from the first frame that is identified through the first depth information generator 120 . identifying the first object and obtaining the first depth information is based on the basic information for generating depth information provided in the form of meta data received through the first receiver 110 . the method includes an operation (s 413 ) of selecting the second frame from the plurality of frames by the first depth information generator 120 . the second frame is selected from the non-key frame among the plurality of frames. the method includes an operation (s 414 ) of tracing the second object from the second frame based on the first object by the first depth information generator 120 . the method includes an operation (s 415 ) of generating the second depth information from the first depth information based on a comparison result between the position of the first object and the position of the second object. fig. 6 is a control flowchart of a method for generating depth information according to another exemplary embodiment. the method for generating depth information includes an operation (s 420 ) of receiving an input image (2d image) including a plurality of frames through the second receiver 210 , and an operation (s 421 ) of identifying the first frame selected from the plurality of frames through the second depth information generator 220 . the method includes an operation (s 422 ) of obtaining the first depth information of the first object selected from the first frame that is identified through the second depth information generator 220 . the method includes an operation (s 423 ) of identifying the second frame selected from the plurality of frames through the second depth information generator 220 , and an operation (s 424 ) of obtaining the second depth information of the second object selected from the identified second frame. identifying the first and second frames, identifying the first and second objects and obtaining the first and second depth information may be based on the basic information for generating depth information by a user's input that is received through the user input unit 250 , by using the ui generated by the ui generator 240 and displayed on the display unit 230 . the method includes an operation (s 425 ) of selecting the third frame from the plurality of frames by the second depth information generator 220 . the third frame includes a frame that is interposed between the first and second frames among the plurality of frames. the method includes an operation (s 426 ) of tracing the third object from the third frame based on the first object by the second depth information generator 220 . the method includes an operation (s 427 ) of generating the third depth information from the first and second depth information based on the comparison result between the position of the first object and the position of the third object and the comparison result between the position of the second object and the position of the third object. the operation (s 427 ) further includes an operation of calculating the first position shift size between the first and third objects, and the second position shift size between the second and third objects, an operation of calculating a difference value between the first and second depth information and an operation of generating the third depth information by using the proportional expression based on the first and second position shift sizes and the difference value of the depth information. the method for generating depth information according to an exemplary embodiment may be realized as a program instruction which is executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable storage medium. the computer-readable storage medium may include a program instruction, a data file and a data configuration solely or collectively. the program instruction which is recorded in the storage medium may be specifically designed and configured for an exemplary embodiment or known to the skilled in computer software and available. for example, the computer-readable storage medium includes magnetic media such as hard disk, floppy disk and magnetic tape, optical media such as cd-rom or dvd, magneto-optical medium such as a floptical disk and hardware devices which are specifically configured to store and execute a program instruction such as rom, ram and flash memory. the program instruction may include, e.g., an advanced language code which is executed by a computer by using an interpreter as well as a machine code generated by a compiler. the hardware device may be configured to operate as at least one software module to perform the operations according to the present invention, and vice versa. as described above, an apparatus and method for generating depth information which generates depth information with less time and in a cost-efficient manner, and a computer-readable storage medium thereof which is encoded by an instruction that is executed by a computer according to the method thereof. the foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting. the present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. also, the description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
004-483-397-622-603	NZ	[ "NZ", "WO" ]	E04B1/21,E04B1/36,F16C29/00,F16C29/02,F16C31/00,F16C31/02,E04H9/02	2010-02-02T00:00:00	2010	[ "E04", "F16" ]	bearing members for load bearing comprising two bearing elements that are slidabe to each other	583042 disclosed is a bearing member for incorporation in a first structural member. the first structural member is slidably connected in use to a load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members. the bearing member includes first and second bearing layers which each have a sliding surface and an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face the respective first or second structural member. when connected the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces directly abut each other sharing a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other about the abutting sliding surfaces.	claims: 1 a bearing member for incorporation in a first structural member, said first structural member in use being in slideable, load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, said bearing member including: - a first bearing layer having: • a sliding surface, and • an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said first structural member, and characterised in that the first bearing layer is connectable to a second bearing layer having: • a sliding surface, and • an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said second structural member, such that when connected said first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other. a bearing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said bearing member includes said first and second bearing layers. a bearing member as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and second bearing layers are connected together via a resilient and/or deformable connection(s). a bearing member as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together. a bearing member as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and second bearing layers are configured to at least partially disconnect on said relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members. a bearing member as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together via a resilient 'snap-fit' connection. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 4-6, wherein the first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together via at least one of: a frangible joint, breakable adhesive, interlocking slots, rails, connectors, clasps, retainers, deformable fittings. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein in use the bearing member is fixed to the first structural member. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bearing layer contact surface is a 'high-friction' surface such that the coefficient of friction at the interface (hereinafter "first interface") with the first structural member has a higher coefficient of friction than said sliding interface. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second bearing layer contact surface is a 'high-friction' surface such that the coefficient of friction at the interface (hereinafter "second interface") with the second structural member is higher than the sliding interface. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bearing layer includes a deformable portion to provide a cushion and/or recess when deformed. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first bearing layer sliding surface includes a recess. a bearing member as claimed in claim 12, wherein said recess is formed as an elongate slot or channel with a concave transverse cross-section. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second bearing layer sliding surface includes a recess. a bearing member as claimed in claim 14, wherein said recess is formed as an elongate slot or channel with a concave transverse cross-section. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 12-15, wherein said recess is substantially curved and/or arcuate. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 12-16, wherein the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said recess. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 12-17, wherein the bearing layers are resiliently connected together adjacent a said recess. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second bearing layer sliding surface includes a convex portion. a bearing member as claimed in claim 19, wherein said convex portion is formed in the second bearing layer sliding surface at a location such that in use, said convex portion will cover or replace a second structural member apex at the structural member interface. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first bearing layer sliding surface includes a convex portion. a bearing member as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said convex portion is formed in the first bearing layer sliding surface at a location such that in use, said convex portion will cover or replace a first structural member apex at the structural member interface. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 19-22, wherein said convex portion is substantially curved and/or arcuate. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 19-23, wherein the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said convex portion. a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 19-23, wherein the bearing layers are resiliently connected together adjacent a said convex portion. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bearing layer includes one or more protrusions extending from the contact surface for attachment, insertion or embedding in said first structural member. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second bearing layer is constructed as a single unitary extrusion. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second bearing layer sliding surfaces are formed from one or more materials selected from the group comprising: polyamides, polyethylenes, polytertafluroethylene, polymers, polypropylene and combinations thereof. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second bearing layers are constructed from steel with one said bearing layer sliding surface formed as a hardened steel surface and the other bearing layer sliding surface with a steel plate with protrusions. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bearing layer is provided as an elongate strip for extending along a peripheral portion of the first structural member. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second bearing layers are extrusions. a bearing member as claimed in claim 4 or claim 17, wherein the bearing member is constructed from two extruded bearing layers which can be releasably connected together and the first bearing layer fixed to the first structural member. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first structural member is a precast concrete panel. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first structural member is a concrete support. a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein one of more intermediate layers are located between said first and second bearing layers. a structural member incorporating a first bearing layer of a bearing member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. a structural member as claimed in claim 36, wherein the first bearing layer is fixed to said structural member by the embedding of protrusions of the first bearing layer contact surface in said structural member. a structural member as claimed in claim 37, wherein the first bearing layer protrusions are embedded during manufacture of said structural member. . . . .. . a first and a second structural member, said first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with said second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, wherein said second structural member incorporates a second bearing layer of a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 1 -35. a structure including a structural member as claimed in any one of claims 36-38, said first structural member including said bearing member. a structure as claimed in claim 40, incorporating multiple said structural members, at least one said structural member incorporating a bearing member as claimed in any one of claims 1 -35. a method of making a structural member as claimed in any one of claims 36-38, said structural member being constructed from a liquid or flowable solid material capable of setting as a solid, the method including: - placing of said bearing member in a formwork; - insertion of said flowable material in said formwork to immerse a first bearing layer of said bearing member, thereby embedding said first bearing layer in said flowable material. a method of forming a structural member interface between first and second structural members, said first structural member in use being in slideable load-bearing contact with said second structural member, said first structural member being a structural member as claimed in any one of claims 36-38, said method including: - connecting a said second bearing layer to the first bearing layer, and - positioning said first structural member in said slideable load bearing contact with said second structural member with said bearing member therebetween, and wherein said second bearing layer is not fixed to said second structural member.	improvements in and relating to bearing members technical field the present invention relates to improvements in and relating to bearing members and more particularly to an improved bearing member for placement at an interface between two structural members. background art many structures contain load-bearing supports that support a load. in building construction for example, vertical struts, beams or 'uprights' are load-bearing supports for 'loads' provided in the form of horizontal beams, slabs, girders, panels or floor units. reference hereinafter will be made to the 'load' being a 'floor unit' supported by a support. however, such reference is purely exemplary and should not be seen to be limiting as the principles are also applicable to any combination of structural members where a load is applied therebetween. the use of pre-fabricated components such as pre-cast concrete floor units (also known as concrete 'slabs' or 'panels') has become increasingly prevalent as the use of pre-fabricated components can reduce the construction time and complexity of construction on-site. such floor units are used in a diverse variety of structures, e.g. many buildings and bridges. such floor units are typically supported by resting on a ledge or other supporting surface of a support such as a wall or beam. the supporting surface is also often constructed from concrete. an exemplary pre-cast concrete floor unit will typically span 8 - 18 metres between supports with a 1.2 - 2.4 metre width. typically only a small interface portion (herein referred to as a structural member interface) of the floor unit's ends (typically 75 - 125 millimetres in depth) is supported. thus, given the size and weight of the floor units and this relatively small structural member interface, the portions of the support and floor unit at this structural member interface are subjected to high gravity loads and large bearing stresses. "bearing stress" is defined as the load (weight force) divided by the supported area. when such floor units are subjected to thermal variations they may expand and contract and thus change length, width and/or thickness. in order to avoid damage to the structure from these thermal fluctuations, the floor units are designed to incorporate movement relative to the supporting surface at the structural member interface. during relative movement a friction force is generated at the structural member interface and opposes this movement. if these friction forces exceed the tensile strength of the concrete (either in the floor unit or the support surface) then damage can occur to either. any damage to the supporting surface or floor unit may reduce the integrity of the connection between the support and floor units and increase the likelihood of structural collapse. relative movement between support and floor unit may also occur when structures are subjected to earthquakes or other seismic events. the structure may deform laterally, causing relative rotations between the floor unit and the corresponding supporting surface. an exaggerated example of this rotation is shown in figure 1b. furthermore, in a seismic event, inelastic deformation of lateral load-resisting components (e.g. beams running parallel with edges of the floor units) can cause an increase in the component's length and therefore the structure's length parallel to the span of the floor units. this effect is known as "beam elongation". such beam elongation will tend to 'stretch' the structure and may move the support away from the floor unit. in addition, other environmental static and dynamic forces on the structure itself may cause deformation or relative movement of structural elements. for example, bridges are subject to substantial dynamic forces from traffic, wind etc. thus, multiple forces (e.g. friction, tension and bearing forces) may occur and relative movements acting at the structural member interface between two structural members such as a floor unit and a corresponding support. attempts have been made to ameliorate the damaging effects of these relative movements, with varying success. for example, one method of reducing the friction force at the structural member interface is to insert a plastic or low-friction 'bearing strip' or 'pad' between the floor unit and supporting surface. these bearing strips are a piece of plastic that provide a horizontal sliding surface with a reduced coefficient of friction relative to direct contact between the floor unit and support, i.e. concrete on plastic normally has a lower coefficient of friction than concrete on concrete. to a limited extent these bearing strips accommodate the effects of seismic activity, thermal fluctuations and vertical deflections, both under applied weight of dead and live loads. the bearing strips reduce the high static and dynamic friction usually generated between the floor unit and the support, in turn reducing the likelihood of damage such as cracking and spalling. the typical coefficient of friction for concrete/plastic interface is approximately 0.6 or greater. this friction co-efficient is not fixed however as it is directly related to the friction generated between the plastic surface and the supporting surface or floor unit and therefore by the materials used. thus, for example, if the surfaces of the floor unit or supporting surface are relatively 'rough', the coefficient of friction will be higher. during construction these existing bearing strips are manually placed on top of the support before the floor units are installed. as the strips are installed manually, there is a significant risk of the bearing strips being installed incorrectly or even not installed at all. furthermore, these existing bearing strips do not sufficiently reduce the damage described previously resulting from relative rotation at the structural member interface. there are many known bearings and bearing mechanisms between supports and loads and examples are described in united states patent nos. 3,105,252; 3,243,236; 3,301 ,609; 3,329,472; 3,349,418; 3,484,882; 3,924,907; 3,971 ,598; 4,070,836; 4,187,573; 4,553,792; 5,303,524; 5,597,240 and 7,547,142. us patent publication no. 2004-0131287 also describes a bearing mechanism that uses a roller at the structural member interface, thus allowing relative rotation and sliding movement. many of these documents describe seismic isolation devices, dampeners or bearing pads designed to address the aforementioned problems. however, the devices described in these documents are often large, cumbersome, expensive, complicated or may not fully address all of the potential relative movements at the structural member interface, i.e. relative rotation and sliding movement. all of the devices described in the prior art also require manual installation on-site and therefore may be installed incorrectly. it would therefore be advantageous to provide a bearing friction strip that: • is economical; and/or · is simple to construct; and/or • does not require onsite manual installation; and/or • addresses relative sliding movement at the structural member interface; and/or • addresses relative rotation at the structural member interface; or • any and/or all of the above. it is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. it is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. for the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. this rationale will also be used when the term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process. further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only. disclosure of invention according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a bearing member for incorporation in a first structural member, said first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, said bearing member including: - a first bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said first structural member, and characterised in that the first bearing layer is connectable to a second bearing layer having: - a sliding surface, and - an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said second structural member, such that when connected said first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other. as used herein the term "slideable load-bearing contact" refers to any load-bearing interaction between two structural members which allows relative sliding movement of the two structural members. it should be appreciated that "slideable load-bearing contact" does not refer solely to direct physical contact between two structural members but also includes indirect contact, i.e. with intermediate objects such as the aforementioned bearing member between the structural members. preferably, said first and second bearing layers are connectable together via a releasable connection. preferably, said bearing member may include both said bearing layers. preferably, said first and second bearing layers are configured to at least partially disconnect on said relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members. in one preferred embodiment the first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together via a resilient 'snap-fit' connection. however, it will be appreciated that there are numerous other methods and mechanisms for releasably connecting the two bearing layers together and by way of example, the releasable connection may be via one or more of: a frangible joint, breakable adhesive, interlocking slots, rails, connectors, clasps, retainers, deformable fittings or the like. in use the bearing member is preferably fixed to the first structural member such that when the first structural member is transported or installed, the bearing member is also automatically installed correctly in the correct position without risk of misplacement or omission by workers onsite. axiomatically, the second bearing layer will also be installed correctly as it is connected to the first bearing layer. however, as the first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together they are still able to slide relative to each other and therefore still function as a bearing allowing relative movement between the structural members. in one alternative embodiment, the first bearing layer contact surface is a 'high-friction' surface such that the coefficient of friction at the interface (hereinafter "first interface") with the first structural member has a higher coefficient of friction than said sliding interface. the first bearing layer contact surface may by way of example have a pattern of protrusions, ridges or the like to increase the coefficient of friction with the first structural member. alternatively, a high-friction surface coating may be applied to the bearing layer contact surface. .. according to another aspect, there is provided a bearing member for incorporation in a first structural member, said first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and.second structural members, said bearing member including: - a first bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said first structural member, and - a second bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said second structural member, characterised in that the first and second bearing layers are connected together via a resilient and/or deformable connection(s) and said first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other. the bearing layers may thus be joined together while still being slideable relative to each other with deformation of the connection(s) therebetween. preferably, the second bearing layer contact surface is a 'high-friction' surface such that the coefficient of friction at the interface (hereinafter "second interface") with the second structural member is higher than the sliding interface. for example, in one embodiment, a bearing layer contact surface may be formed with surface protrusions or may be constructed from a relatively high-friction material. alternatively, a high-friction surface coating may be applied to the bearing layer contact surface. preferably, said first bearing layer sliding surface includes a recess. this recess is preferably formed as an elongate slot or channel with a concave transverse cross-section, though it will be appreciated that the recess could also be may be formed as any indentation, void, concave portion, slot, channel or the like. as previously described, in existing construction where there is relative rotation of the two structural members, e.g. a vertical support and a supported floor unit, the contact between a second structural member corner and first structural member can cause damage to the structural members, as the area of contact, and therefore load, between structural members is concentrated at the corner. often this damage will include spalling of the corner which will reduce the overall area of support surface available. the aforementioned embodiment reduces the likelihood of such damage as, when rotation occurs, movement of the corner apex may pass through, or be accommodated in, the recess and thereby reduce the likelihood of damage to that corner. in an alternative embodiment, the first bearing layer includes a deformable portion. preferably, said deformable portion is compressible to provide a cushion and/or recess when compressed. when the corner apex is pressed against the deformable portion (e.g. during said rotation) the deformable portion will deform to act as a cushion or may compress to provide a recess through which the corner apex may pass or be accommodated in; in another embodiment, said second bearing layer sliding surface includes a convex portion. preferably, the convex portion is formed in the second bearing layer sliding surface at a location such that in use, said convex portion will cover or replace a second structural member apex, e.g. a corner, edge or other protrusion of the second structural member at the structural member interface. thus, the corner, edge or protrusion may be convex, e.g. a bevelled, radiused or rounded corner, and be covered or replaced with the convex sliding surface such that on relative rotation, a 'sharp' edge is not presented in contact with the other structural member and thus the likelihood of damage is reduced. as used herein the term "convex" should be understood to mean a shape having all interior angles less than 180 degrees and need not be arcuate or curved. the convex portion may, for example, be a bevelled corner or multi-faceted. similarly, reference herein to the term "concave" should be understood to mean a shape having at least one interior angle greater than 180 degrees and also need not be arcuate or curved. it will be appreciated that the two aforementioned embodiments may be used in conjunction with each other, i.e. the first bearing layer sliding surface may include the recess and the second bearing layer sliding surface may include the convex portion. it will also be appreciated that the converse configuration is also possible, i.e. the first structural member may also have an apex such as a corner, edge or protrusion that will receive a point load upon relative rotation of the structural members. thus, preferably, said second bearing layer sliding surface includes a recess. this recess is preferably formed as an elongate slot or channel with a concave transverse cross-section, though it will be appreciated that the recess could also be formed as any indentation, void, concave portion, slot, channel or the like. in another embodiment, said first bearing layer sliding surface includes a convex portion. preferably, the convex portion is formed in the first bearing layer sliding surface at a location such that in use, said convex portion will cover or replace a first structural member apex, e.g. a corner, edge or other protrusion of the first structural member at the structural member interface. it will be appreciated that the bearing member may be provided with any combination of recesses and convex portions on the first and second bearing layers. preferably, said convex portion is substantially curved and/or arcuate. preferably, said recess is substantially curved and/or arcuate. having curved and/or arcuate concave and/or convex portions may reduce the likelihood of damage to 'sharp' or pointed edges. preferably, the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said recess. preferably, the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said convex portion. preferably, the bearing layers are releasably and/or resiliently connected together. preferably, the first bearing layer includes one or more protrusions extending from the contact surface for attachment, insertion or embedding in said first structural member. the present invention may also be embodied in a structural member incorporating the aforementioned bearing member, thus, according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, and wherein said first structural member incorporates a bearing member including: - a first bearing layer fixed to said first structural member and having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said first structural member, and characterised in that the first bearing layer is connectable to a second bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and 6 an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said second structural member, such that when connected said first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other. preferably, said first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together and configured such that under the relative movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers will slide relative to each other to at least partially disconnect. in one preferred embodiment the first and second bearing layers are releasably connected together via a snap-fit connection. however, it will be appreciated that there are numerous other methods and mechanisms for releasably connecting the two bearing layers together and by way of example, the releasable connection may be via one or more of: a frangible joint, breakable adhesive, interlocking slots, rails, connectors, clasps, retainers, deformable fittings or the like. in an alternative embodiment, the first and second bearing layers are connected together via a resilient and/or deformable connection(s). the bearing layers may thus be joined together while still being slideable relative to each other with deformation of the connection(s) therebetween. according to another aspect, there is provided a first and a second structural member, said first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, wherein said first structural member incorporates a first bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said first structural member, and wherein said second structural member incorporates a second bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said second structural member, wherein use " the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that said first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other under relative sliding movement of said first and second structural members. thus, the bearing member may be formed by incorporating each bearing layer in a corresponding structural member. when the structural members are positioned in use together, the bearing layer sliding surfaces will come into contact to form the sliding interface of the bearing member. according to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a first structural member in use being in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, and wherein said first structural member incorporates a bearing member including: - a first bearing layer fixed to said first structural member and having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said first structural member, and - a second bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said second structural member, characterised in that the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that said first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other under relative sliding movement of said first and second structural members and said first and/or second bearing layer sliding surface includes a recess. preferably, said recess is formed as an elongate slot or channel with a concave transverse cross-section, though it will be appreciated that the recess could also be may be formed as any indentation, void, concave portion, slot, channel or the like. according to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a first structural member configured for use in a slideable load-bearing contact with a second structural member along a structural member interface between the first and second structural members, and wherein said first structural member incorporates a bearing member including: - a first bearing layer fixed to said first structural member and having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said first structural member, and - a second bearing layer having: o a sliding surface, and o an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said second structural member, characterised in that the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that said first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other under relative movement of said first and second structural members and said first and/or second bearing layer sliding surface includes a convex portion. preferably, the convex portion is formed in the second bearing layer sliding surface at a location such that in use, said convex portion will cover or replace a second bearing member apex, e.g. a corner, edge or other protrusion of the second structural member at the structural member interface. it will be appreciated that the aforementioned embodiments may be used in conjunction with each other, i.e. the bearing member may include any combination of the aforementioned recesses and/or convex portions, e.g.: • first bearing layer sliding surface with: o recess and/or o convex portion, and/or · second bearing layer sliding surface with: o recess and/or o convex portion. preferably, a said convex portion is substantially curved and/or arcuate. preferably, a said recess is substantially curved and/or arcuate. preferably, the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said recess. preferably, the bearing layers are releasably connected together adjacent a said convex portion. in an alternative embodiment, the first bearing layer may include a deformable portion instead of the recess. preferably, said deformable portion is compressible to provide a . cushion and/or recess when compressed. when the corner apex is pressed against the deformable portion (e.g. during said rotation) the deformable portion will deform to act as a cushion or may compress to provide a recess through which the corner apex may pass or be accommodated in. preferably, the first bearing layer is fixed to the first structural member by the embedding of protrusions of the first bearing layer contact surface in said first structural member. however, it will be appreciated that alternative methods of fixing the first bearing layer to the first structural member are also possible and in an alternative embodiment the first bearing layer may be fixed to the first structural member by an attachment selected from the group comprising: adhesion, interlocking portions, slots, catches, mating portions. preferably, the first bearing layer protrusions are embedded during manufacture of the first structural member. where the first structural member is a precast concrete panel or support for example, the first bearing layer is preferably placed in the 'mould' or 'formwork' and the concrete placed therein to set, the protrusions of the first bearing layer thus being embedded in the concrete at manufacture. fixing of the first bearing layer to the first structural member ensures that the first structural member is constructed with an integral bearing member and thus eliminates the possibility of the bearing member being omitted altogether or incorrectly installed onsite when the first structural member is installed. the fixing of the first bearing layer to the first structural member also ensures the first bearing layer will not move relative to the first structural member. while reference herein has been made to the bearing member including two bearing layers it should be appreciated that further intermediate bearing layers may be included if required for a particular application. the further bearing layers may be interleaved between the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces or alternatively may be located facing the first or second bearing layer contact surfaces. such an additional layer(s) may provide a convenient way to alter the friction characteristics of the sliding interface to suit a particular application. it will be appreciated that the additional bearing layer(s) may be formed as an independent bearing layer(s) or may be adhered or otherwise connected to the first or second bearing layers. it should be appreciated that even with intermediate layers provided, there still remains a sliding interface between the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces and thus reference herein to the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces forming a sliding interface should not be interpreted to exclude the inclusion of intermediate layers between those sliding surfaces. the interface between the first bearing layer contact surface and first structural member will hereinafter be referred to as the first interface. the interface between the second bearing layer contact surface and second structural member will hereinafter be referred to as the second interface. preferably, the first and second bearing layers are constructed such that the sliding interface has a lower coefficient of friction than the second interface. the second bearing layer may be constructed as a single unitary extrusion or similar and thus the contact surface may be constructed from the same material as the second bearing layer sliding surface. preferably, the second bearing layer contact surface is a 'high-friction' surface such that the coefficient of friction at the second interface is higher than the sliding interface. for example, in one embodiment, the second bearing layer contact surface is formed with surface protrusions or may be constructed from a relatively high-friction material. alternatively, a high-friction surface coating may be applied to the second bearing layer contact surface. as the coefficient of friction at the sliding interface is preferably lower than at the second interface, and where the first bearing layer is fixed to the first structural member, the first and second bearing layers will slide relative to each other without (or with minimal) sliding of the bearing layers relative to the structural members. thus, the structural member interface will effectively have a coefficient of friction equal to that at the sliding interface. it will be appreciated that the coefficient of friction at a structural member interface may be controlled by using a bearing member with a sliding interface of a particular coefficient of friction. such a bearing member can be manufactured relatively inexpensively (compared to concrete panels) to have a particular coefficient of friction to suit the particular application. it will also be appreciated that in a building there may be multiple bearing members provided that need not necessarily have sliding interfaces with the same coefficient of friction, i.e. some joints between structural members may suffer more movement than others and require sliding interfaces with lower coefficients of friction than others. preferably, the first and/or second bearing layer sliding surfaces are formed from one or more materials selected from the group comprising: polyamides, polyethylenes, polytertafiuroethylene, polymers, polypropylene or combinations thereof. the first and second bearing layers may also be constructed from steel by providing one bearing layer sliding surface as a hardened steel surface and the other bearing layer sliding surface with a steel plate with dimples, domes or the like, the steel surface thus slideable over the steel dimples/domes. it will be appreciated that the first and/or second bearing layers may be constructed from such materials or alternatively a surface coating applied to the first and/or second bearing layers to form respective sliding surfaces. preferably, the bearing layers are provided as elongate strips for extending along a peripheral portion of the first structural member. it will be appreciated that multiple bearing members may be provided to extend along the peripheral portion and the bearing layers may be shaped or configured to suit any particular structural member. preferably, the first and/or second bearing layers are extrusions. the bearing member is preferably constructed from two extruded bearing layers which can then be releasably connected together and the first bearing layer fixed to the first structural member. preferably, the bearing layers are resiliently connected together. preferably, the bearing layers are resiliently connected together adjacent a said concave portion. preferably, the bearing layers are resiliently connected together adjacent a said convex portion. preferably, said first structural member may be a precast concrete panel, floor unit or the like. in an alternative embodiment, said first structural member may be a concrete support, pillar or the like. according to another aspect, the present invention may be embodied in a structure including said first and second structural members, said first structural member including said bearing member. according to another aspect, there is provided a method of forming a structural member interface between first and second structural members, said first structural member in use being in siideabie load-bearing contact with said second structural member, said first structural member being including: · a first bearing layer fixed to said first structural member and having: • a sliding surface, and • an opposing contact surface orientated in use to face said first structural member, and wherein the first bearing layer is connectable to a second bearing layer having: • a sliding surface, and • an opposing contact surface, orientated in use to face said second structural member, such that when connected said first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces share a mutual sliding interface such that under relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members the first and second bearing layers are capable of sliding relative to each other, said method including: - connecting a said second bearing layer to the first bearing layer, and - positioning said first structural member in said slideable load bearing contact with said second structural member with said bearing member therebetween, and wherein said second bearing layer is not fixed to said second structural member. according to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a first structural member as aforementioned, said first structural member incorporating a bearing member as aforementioned and being constructed from a liquid or flowable solid material capable of setting as a solid, the method including: • placing of said bearing member in a formwork; • insertion of said flowable material in said formwork to immerse a first bearing layer of said bearing member, thereby embedding said bearing member in said flowable material. in a further embodiment, steel rods, or other reinforcing may also be placed in the formwork. it will be appreciated that the concrete may be manufactured according to known techniques with reinforcing, pre-stressing or any other manufacturing techniques. according to yet another aspect, there is provided a structure incorporating multiple structural members, at least one said structural member incorporating a bearing member substantially as aforementioned. according to yet another aspect, there is provided a structure incorporating multiple structural members, at least one said structural member incorporating a bearing layer substantially as aforementioned. the present invention may thus provide a bearing member and/or structural member that may reduce at least one of: • risk of incorrect instalment of the bearing member; • friction generated between structural members on relative sliding movement; · damage or spalling occurring on relative rotation of the structural members. brief description of drawings further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1a shows a partial end elevation of a support and floor unit; figure 1 b shows a partial end elevation of relative rotation of the support and floor unit shown in figure 1a; figure 2a shows a partial isometric view of an elongate bearing member according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention; figure 2b shows a transverse cross-section through the elongate bearing member of figure 2a; figure 2c shows a partial isometric view of the first bearing layer of the bearing member shown in figures 2a and 2b; figure 2b shows a partial isometric view of the second bearing layer of the bearing member shown in figures 2a - 2c; figure 3 shows a transverse cross-section through a structural member interface between a first structural member incorporating the elongate bearing member of figure 2 and a second structural member; figure 4 shows the structural member interface of figure 3 with topping concrete; figure 5 shows the structural member interface of figure 3 during relative sliding movement of the first and second structural members; figure 6 shows a transverse cross-section through a structural member interface between a first structural member and a second structural member, the first structural member incorporating the bearing member of figures 2-5; shows the structural member interface of figure 6 during relative rotation of the first and second structural members in the opposite direction to that shown in figure 6; shows a graph of coefficient of friction vs. displacement for a concrete-on- concrete interface and the structural member interface shown in figures 3-7; shows a transverse cross-section through a bearing member according to another embodiment of the present invention; shows a transverse cross-section through a bearing member according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; shows a transverse cross-section through a bearing member according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; figure 12 shows a transverse cross-section through a structural member interface between a first structural member and a second structural member, the first structural member incorporating a bearing member according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; best modes for carrying out the invention figure 1a shows a typical supporting arrangement between two structural members provided in the form of a horizontal precast concrete floor unit (1 ) and concrete support (2) respectively. the horizontal precast concrete floor unit (1 ) is supported at one end (4) on a ledge (3) of a concrete support (2) such as a wall or beam. the other end is similarly supported, though not shown in the figures. the support (2) and floor unit (1 ) are used as part of a building or other structure. such a pre-cast concrete floor unit (1 ) will normally span between 8 - 18 metres between supports and have a 1.2 - 2.4 metre width. typically only a small portion (4) of the floor unit (typically 75 - 125 millimetres in depth) is supported. thus, given the size and weight of the floor unit (1 ) and the small portion (4) supported, the portions of the support (2) and floor unit (1 ) at this structural member interface (5) are subjected to high loads and large bearing stresses. when the floor unit (1 ) is subjected to thermal variations it may expand and contract and thus change length, width and/or thickness. in order to avoid damage to the structure from these thermal fluctuations, the floor unit (1) is designed to move relative to the support (2) at the structural member interface (5). an example of horizontal movement is indicated by arrows (6) from an original position indicated by the floor unit (1 ) shown in broken lines, to new position with the floor unit (1 ') shown in solid lines. during this relative movement a friction force is generated at the structural member interface (5) and opposes this movement. if these friction forces exceed the tensile strength of the concrete (either in the floor unit (1 ) or the support ledge (3)) then damage can occur to either. any damage to the support (2) or floor unit (1 ) may reduce the integrity of the connection and increase the likelihood of structural collapse. relative rotation (11 ) between the support (2) and floor unit (1) may also occur when structures are subjected to earthquakes or other seismic events. an exaggerated example of this rotation is shown in figure 1 b. this rotation (11 ) can also cause damage, including spalling of the support and/or floor unit corners (8, 7). with reference to figures 2-7, there is provided a bearing member (100) according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. as shown most clearly in figure 3-7, the bearing member (100) is employed in a first structural member provided in the form of a precast concrete floor unit (1 ). the floor unit (1 ) is slideably connected to a second structural member provided in the form of a concrete support (2). only one end of the floor unit (1) and a corresponding support (2) is shown for clarity and it will be appreciated that the other end of the floor unit (1 ) is normally supported in a complimentary manner. it should be appreciated that a reverse configuration is possible with the bearing member ( 00) incorporated in the support (2) rather than the floor unit (1 ). however, for clarity and to avoid prolixity, reference herein will be made to the first structural member being the floor unit (1) with the bearing member (100) incorporated in same. the floor unit (1 ) and support (2) are connected along a structural member interface (5) and in use the floor unit (1 ) applies a load to the support (2). it should also be appreciated that other applications are possible where the load is applied non-vertically. in most applications the connection between the support (2) and floor unit (1 ) is covered with concrete (9) or similar, as is shown in figure 4. this concrete cover (9) also acts to limit the movement of the floor unit (1 ) and initial sliding movement is limited to movement away from the concrete cover (9) as indicated by arrow (6). as shown most clearly in figures 2-5, the bearing member (100) has: - a first bearing layer (101) fixed to the floor unit (1 ), the first bearing layer (101 ) having: o a sliding surface (102), and o an opposing contact surface (103) orientated in use to face the floor unit (1 ), and - a second bearing layer (104) having: o a sliding surface (105), and o an opposing contact surface (106) orientated in use to face the support (2). the first bearing layer (101 ) is connectable to the second bearing layer (104) by a releasable connection and the first and second bearing layer sliding surfaces (102, 105) are in sliding contact and share a mutual sliding interface (107). thus, under relative sliding movement of the floor unit (1 ) and support (2) the first and second bearing layers (101 , 104) will also slide relative to each other. the bearing layers (101 , 104) are provided as extrusions forming elongate strips which are connected together at their respective lateral edges (108a, 108b and 109a, 109b) via snap fit connections (110a, 110b).the first (101 ) and second (104) bearing layers are formed from high density polyethylene (hdpe) or other low-friction material such as nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) or other plastics. as shown in figures 3-5, the first bearing layer (101 ) is fixed to the floor unit (1) by the embedding of protrusions (111 ) of the first bearing layer contact surface (103) into the floor unit (1) during casting of the floor unit (1 ). the interface (116) between the first bearing layer contact surface (103) and floor unit (1) is referred to as the "first interface". during casting, the first bearing layer (101 ) is placed in a formwork and the concrete poured therein to set, the protrusions (111 ) of the first bearing layer (101 ) are- thus embedded in the concrete floor unit (1) once set. the second bearing layer (104) is also preferably connected to the first bearing layer (101 ) when placed in the formwork, with the second bearing layer ( 04) lying against the base of the formwork. this positioning ensures the contact surface (106) of the second bearing layer (104) is coplanar with the lower surface of the floor unit (1 )- the floor unit (1 ) is thereby constructed with an integral bearing member (100) and thus , eliminates the possibility of the bearing member (100) being incorrectly installed onsite when the floor unit (1) is installed, i.e. as long as the floor unit (1 ) is installed correctly, so will the bearing member (100). it follows therefore that the second bearing layer (104) will also be installed correctly as it is connected to the first bearing layer (101 ). however, as the first ( 01 ) and second (104) bearing layers are releasably connected together they are still able to slide relative to each other and therefore still function as a slidable bearing surface allowing relative movement between the structural members (1 , 2). the fixing of the first bearing layer (101 ) to the floor unit (1 ) also ensures the first bearing layer (101 ) will not move relative to the floor unit (1 ) along the first interface (1 16). the second bearing layer contact surface (106) is a 'high-friction' surface provided with a series of parallel ridges (112) running the length of the second bearing layer (104). . the coefficient of friction at the interface (referred to as the "second interface" (1 17)) with the support (2) is thus higher than at the sliding interface (107) and prevents the second bearing layer (104) sliding in concert with the first bearing layer (101) on relative sliding movement of the structural members (1 , 2). other types of surface protrusions could be provided instead of ridges (112) to increase the friction at the second interface. the snap fit connections (110a, 110b) at either edge of the bearing member (100) are configured to require a lower force to disconnect than the friction force at the second interface (117). the first (101 ) and second (104) bearing layers are able to slide relative to each other along the sliding interface (107) without causing sliding of the bearing layers (101 , 104) relative to the structural members (1 , 2) as the coefficient of friction at the sliding interface (107) is lower than at the second interface (117) and the first bearing layer (101 ) is fixed to the floor unit (1 ). the structural member interface (5) will also thereby effectively have a coefficient of friction equal to that of the sliding interface (107). the coefficient of friction at the sliding interface (107) is typically between 0.1 and 0.4 (depending on the load profile) for hdpe bearing layers (101 , 104). in comparison, a concrete-on-concrete interface can exceed 2.0 and a concrete on plastic interface has a coefficient of friction of approximately 0.6 or greater. the bearing member (100) thus provides for a structural member interface (5) with a much lower coefficient of friction by utilising an hdpe-on-hdpe sliding interface (107). figure 8 shows an approximate graph showing general friction characteristics of a concrete- on-concrete interface in comparison to general friction characteristics of the hdpe sliding interface (107) shown in figures 2-5 during relative sliding movement. as shown in figures 2-5, the first (101 ) and second (104) bearing layers are releasably connected together via resilient 'snap-fit' connections (1 10a, 1 10b) at their respective edges (108a, 109a and 108b, 109b). as shown in figure 5, on relative sliding movement of the structural members (1 , 2), the first bearing layer (101 ) will also slide relative to the second bearing layer (104) at the sliding interface (107) and then when movement is sufficient, the snap-fit connections (110a, 110b) may disconnect. figure 5 shows the connection (110b) disconnected as the floor unit (1 ) moves away from the support (2). the snap-fit connection (1 10a) adjacent the floor unit corner (7) is formed between a resilient edge portion (113) of the first bearing layer (101 ) and the corresponding second bearing layer edge (109a). this resilient portion (113) effectively acts as a biased hinge, applying a bias against the relative sliding movement between the bearing layers (101 , 104). the resilient 'hinge' portion (1 13) also acts as a support for when the floor unit is cast, i.e. the resilient hinge (113) is placed against a wall of a formwork to hold the bearing member (100) in position while the concrete is poured. the first bearing layer sliding surface (102) also includes a recess provided in the form of elongate slot (114) which has a curved concave transverse cross-section. as shown in figures 3-4, the slot (114) is capable of receiving a corner apex (8) of the support (2). thus on relative rotation of the floor unit (1 ) and support (2), as is shown in figure 6, the corner apex (8) may pass through, or be accommodated in, the slot (114). the adjacent edge (109b) of the second bearing layer (104) is also pushed into the slot (114) by the support corner (8). the support corner (8) is thus not pressed against the floor unit (1 ) which may otherwise cause spalling of the corner (8) or otherwise damage the integrity of the support (2)· as the slot (114) is part of the first bearing layer (101 ), when the floor unit (1) is manufactured, the slot (114) will inherently form a corresponding slot (10) in the floor unit (1 ). however, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the floor unit (1 ) need not include such a corresponding slot, e.g. in an alternative embodiment (shown in figure 12) the bearing member (500 has a first bearing layer (501) that is much thicker than that of the first embodiment (101 ) and has an essentially planar contact surface (503) adjacent slot (514), the slot (514) thereby formed only in the bearing layer (501 ) and not first structural member (1 ). it will also be appreciated that in another alternative embodiment (not shown), a. slot or recess may be formed only in the floor unit (1 ) and the first bearing layer may include a deformable compressible material adjacent the floor unit recess. thus, on relative rotation of the structural members (1 , 2) the corner apex (8) may compress the deformable portion in the floor unit recess and be accommodated therein. such a compressible material may also act as a cushion. referring again to figures 2-5 the at the edge (108a) of the first bearing layer (101 ), the first bearing layer sliding surface (102) includes a convex portion (115) corresponding to an apex (i.e. corner (7)) of the floor unit (1 ) so that the corner (7) is formed with a curved plastic-on- plastic interface rather than a sharp concrete-on-concrete corner. this convex portion (115) reduces the likelihood of damage to the floor unit corner (7) as a result of the relative rotation as shown in figure 7. thus, both the floor unit corner (7) and support comer (8) are protected by the first bearing layer convex portion (115) and slot (114) respectively. it will be appreciated that a reverse configuration is also possible where the support (2) incorporates the bearing member (100). in this embodiment (not shown), the bearing member (100) would effectively be turned upside down so that the concave portion (114) would be in the support (2) opposing the floor unit corner (7) and the support corner (8) would be covered by the convex portion (115). furthermore, it should be appreciated that in another embodiment both the support (2) and floor unit (1 ) may be constructed with corresponding recesses (1 14) and convex portions (115). forming the recess (114) and convex portion (1 5) in the bearing member (100) may also ensure that the floor unit (1 ) is formed during casting with a corresponding recess and curved corner (7) without requiring additional moulding or modification of the floor unit (1 ). figures 9 to 11 show alternative bearing members (200, 300, 400) with different snap-fit connections (210a, 310a, 410a) to that of the bearing member (100) shown in figure 2-7. it will be appreciated that in all other respects the bearing members (200, 300, 400) are the same as bearing member (100) and like parts have been referenced correspondingly. thus, the preceding description may also be applied to the bearing members (200, 300, 400) in respect of all aspects bar the snap-fit connection (1 10a) and resilient hinge (1 13). the bearing members (200, 300, 400) shown in figures 9 and 10 do not have the resilient hinge (113) of the first mentioned bearing member (100) and instead are formed with walls (213, 313, 413) respectively. the snap-fit connections (210a, 310a, 410a) and wall profiles (213, 313, 413) offer alternative manufacturing options to the resilient hinge (113) while still functioning similarly in most respects. throughout the aforementioned description reference has been made to the first structural member being a concrete "floor unit" (1) and the second structural member being a concrete "support (2). however, such reference is purely exemplary only and should not be seen to be limiting. embodiments of the present invention may be utilised in any application where two structural members are connected, a load is applied therebetween and relative movement is required. it should thus be appreciated that this description is not limited to supporting vertical loads and should be interpreted to include horizontal loads. it should also be appreciated that the bearing members (100, 200, 300, 400) may also be used with structural members constructed from other building materials, e.g. mud, brick, stone, hempcrete, steel, wood or any other material where the friction at the structural interface needs to be controlled. aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.
004-866-684-734-788	US	[ "US", "CA", "WO", "MX" ]	D21H27/38,D21F5/18,D21H11/18,D21H27/00,D21H11/00,C08L1/00,D21H27/30	2019-09-16T00:00:00	2019	[ "D21", "C08" ]	tissue with nanofibrillar cellulose surface layer	a method of making a tissue basesheet includes: (a) forming a nascent web from an aqueous furnish of papermaking fiber; (b) applying an aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose to a surface of the nascent web; and (c) drying the nascent web to provide the tissue basesheet. typically the basesheet is constructed with a tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber having applied to a surface thereof a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose, the tissue substrate having a basis weight of from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 and the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose having a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . the product may be incorporated into 2-ply or 3-ply bath tissue.	1 . a method of making a tissue basesheet comprising: (a) forming a nascent web from an aqueous furnish of papermaking fiber; (b) applying an aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose to a surface of the nascent web; and (c) drying the nascent web to provide the tissue basesheet. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is at a consistency of from 0.3% to 3%. 3 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is sprayed onto the nascent web. 4 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the nascent web is dried on a yankee dryer. 5 . the method according to claim 4 , wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the yankee side of the nascent web. 6 . the method according to claim 4 , wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the air side of the nascent web. 7 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the nascent web has from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 papermaking fiber. 8 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the nascent web at a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . 9 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is composed of cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 4 nanometers to 25 nanometers and a length of from 1000 nanometers to 3500 nanometers. 10 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 1% consistency of 60% or more as shear is increased from 5 sec −1 to 500 sec −1 . 11 . a tissue basesheet comprising a tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber having applied to a surface thereof a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose, the tissue substrate having a basis weight of from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 and the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose having a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . 12 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose has a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 2 g/m 2 . 13 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose has a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 0.75 g/m 2 . 14 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber has a basis weight of from 20 g/m 2 to 25 g/m 2 . 15 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the tissue substrate of papermaking fiber is predominantly hardwood papermaking fiber. 16 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the tissue substrate of papermaking fiber is of stratified composition, having a first stratum of predominantly hardwood papermaking fibers and a second stratum of predominantly softwood papermaking fibers. 17 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , wherein the tissue basesheet exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 20% to 75% as compared to a like tissue basesheet without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. 18 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 11 , incorporated into a multi-ply product. 19 . the tissue basesheet according to claim 18 , wherein the multi-ply product is a 2-ply or a 3-ply product. 20 . the multi-ply product according to claim 18 , wherein the multi-ply product is provided with a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose on an outer surface thereof.	claim for priority this application is based on u.s. provisional application ser. no. 62/900,691 filed sep. 16, 2019, the priority of which is hereby claimed and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. technical field the present invention relates to absorbent paper tissue, particularly bath tissue with a nanofibrillar cellulose surface layer. the product has increased strength without sacrificing softness or dispersibility. background the softness of tissue products is a key property for consumers/users of bath tissue paper. different approaches have been explored and are available in the patent literature to impart softness to tissue webs. increasing softness is a challenging task because of the inverse relationship of softness with strength. this inverse relationship makes it difficult to deliver a soft, yet strong tissue product. one way conventionally employed to overcome this issue is by applying appropriate surface chemistries, for example, surfactants as debonders and softeners to the tissue web so that hand feel is improved; however, with the use of such chemistries, other issues such as linting and/or pilling might be exacerbated. moreover, debonder tends to decrease tensiles of the sheet, making processing difficult. one way of compensating for reduced strength is to refine the furnish; however, this increases stiffness of the product and has an adverse effect on softness. another approach seen in a recent patent application is to apply starch and hydroxyl polymer (such as polyvinyl alcohol) filaments to the surface of layered fibrous substrates (us2018/0209100a1). the disclosed approach involves the deposition of the starch and polyvinyl alcohol filaments on the surface of the fibrous web substrate and bonding of said filaments to the substrate by thermal fusion. the product is reported to exhibit reduced linting and enhanced softness. this approach appears to break the paradigm between softness and strength of tissue products as the layer of bonded fibers can provide softness without affecting the strength of the product. however, the method would be difficult to implement on existing papermachines and the filaments are likely to adversely impact dispersibility and flushability of the product. nanofibrillar and fibrillated cellulose has been used in connection with the manufacture of paper products, including absorbent sheet as a component in the papermaking furnish or in connection with ply-bonding adhesives for multilayer products. u.s. pat. no. 10,005,932 discloses a ply-bonding adhesive of polyvinyl alcohol and nanofibrillated cellulose useful for tissue and towel. see, also, u.s. pat. no. 9,822,285 and united states patent application publication no. us2018/0230344. united states patent application publication no. us2017/0204304 discloses a tail-sealing adhesive with nanofibrillated cellulose. united states patent application publication no. us2011/0011550 discloses a method of improving the hand-feel of tissue by fibrillating the furnish by cavitation. see ¶¶ [0073]-[0076]. united states patent application publication no. us2018/0187377 discloses high aspect ratio nanofibrillated cellulose mixed with the papermaking furnish. see example 1, ¶¶ [0147]-[0157]. see, also united states patent application publication nos. us2018/0195239; us2018/0078099; us2018/0002864; and us2018/0002502. united states patent application publication no. us2019/0062570 discloses a composition for imparting a hydrophobic surface to a sheet including fluorinated or perfluorinated polymers. the composition may include microfibrillated or nanofibrillated cellulose. see abstract, ¶¶ [0080]-[0099]. united states patent application publication no. us2018/0313038 discloses absorbent sheet manufacture wherein microfibrillated cellulose is added to the stock system with a strength agent or applied to a web together with a strength agent using a spray shower. see ¶¶ [0081]-[0082]. u.s. pat. no. 9,175,441 discloses a method of making paper or paperboard by adding microfibrillated cellulose between the plies. see col. 2, line 65 to col. 3, line 3, wherein it is noted the microfibrillated cellulose may be applied by spraying. u.s. pat. no. 10,138,599 discloses a coated paper packaging material. the coating is made with microfibrillated cellulose and is reported to have superior oxygen transmission and grease barrier properties. see col. 12, tables 2 and 3. u.s. pat. no. 9,777,143 relates to polyvinyl alcohol fibers and films with fillers such as cellulose nanofibrils or cellulose fines. see col. 8, lines 1-28. u.s. pat. no. 9,051,684 discloses high aspect ratio cellulose nanofilaments. the nanofilaments are reported as a reinforcement additive for paper, cols. 9-10. see, also, col. 12, lines 18-29. u.s. pat. no. 10,190,263 discloses through air dried tissue. this reference teaches multi-ply products wherein plies are treated with a corona discharge and optionally nano-cellulose fibers, microfibrillated cellulose and other shaped material or synthetic fibers which may be blown onto the sheet immediately after corona discharge, which enables the nano-fibers to absorb onto the sheet by electro-static attraction. see col. 11, lines 36-50. see, also, u.s. pat. nos. 8,968,517; 9,382,666; 9,506,203; 9,580,872; 9,702,089; 9,702,090; 9,725,853; and 9,995,005, as well as united states patent application publication nos. us2016/0145810; us2017/0314207; and us2017/0314206. summary of invention in the present invention micro/nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the surface of tissue webs, preferably by spraying it on the surface of a wet web at the paper machine. nanofibrillar cellulose offers several advantages such as high surface area, suitable as rheology modifier, availability of hydroxyl (oh) groups that allow further chemical modification and further advantages as noted herein. nanofibrillar cellulose has been evaluated in a myriad of applications, from composite materials, colloids, food, adhesives, biomedical applications, building materials, additive in oil drilling fluids and in papermaking as strength additive and in coating formulations and adhesives. in the literature, nanofibrillar cellulose is sometimes referred to as microfibrillar cellulose and different acronyms are used to describe it such as mfc, nfc and cnf. for present purposes, the material is referred to as nanofibrillar cellulose or simply nfc. nfc is a material composed of nanosized cellulose fibrils with a high aspect ratio (length to width ratio). typical fibril widths are 5-20 nanometers with a wide range of lengths, typically several micrometers. it is pseudo-plastic and exhibits thixotropy, the property of certain gels or fluids that are thick (viscous) under normal conditions, but become less viscous under shear. when the shearing forces are removed the gel regains much of its original viscosity. the fibrils may be isolated from any cellulose containing source including wood-based fibers (pulp fibers) through high-pressure, high temperature and high velocity impact homogenization, grinding or microfluidization. the spray of nfc may be applied after the wet web is formed on the formation wire and immediately before transfer to a felt, however the application can also be done at the formation wire or at the felt, either on the yankee or the air side of the sheet, depending on papermachine configuration. the present invention may be practiced on any papermachine with or without a papermaking felt. suitable papermachines include a conventional wet-press papermachine with a yankee dryer such as shown in fig. 4 , a wet-crepe papermachine, a through-air dried papermachine (tad) with or without creping (uctad). preferred embodiments include applicant's fabric crepe methodology to make structured basesheet as is described in u.s. pat. no. 7,399,378 and related patents noted herein. the application of nfc does not require extra equipment on the paper machine, other than a spray boom. in addition, because of the high surface area of microfibrillar cellulose, these fibrils can serve as a vehicle for the delivery of other active components to the surface of the web, such as dispersants, softeners and debonders in relatively low dosages without affecting the papermaking process or reducing tensiles of the product. instead of spray nozzles, a curtain coating apparatus may be adapted to the process if appropriate to the papermachine layout. in one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a tissue basesheet by way of (a) forming a nascent web from an aqueous furnish of papermaking fiber; (b) applying an aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose to a surface of the nascent web; and (c) drying the nascent web to provide the tissue basesheet. in another aspect of the invention there is provided a basesheet constructed with a tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber having applied to a surface thereof a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose, the tissue substrate having a basis weight of from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 and the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose having a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . the product may be incorporated into 2-ply or 3-ply bath tissue. the invention provides tissue with unexpectedly high increases in tensiles without a substantial impact on the softness of the products, as is seen in fig. 1 , which is a plot of softness versus geometric mean (gm) tensile. it is seen the product without an nfc layer exhibits a softness value of 18.6 and a gm tensile value of about 940 g/3″ (123 g/cm); while the invention 2-ply products exhibit tensiles of over 1275 g/3″ (167 g/cm) and softness values of 18 or more. still further features and advantages of the invention are described in the discussion which follows and seen in the appended figures. brief description of drawings the invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings wherein: fig. 1 is a plot of trained panel softness (arbitrary scale) versus gm tensile for 2-ply products of the invention and for a like product without an nfc layer; fig. 2 is a collection of photomicrographs of basesheet of the invention with an nfc surface layer and a like basesheet without an nfc layer; fig. 3 is a collection of photomicrographs of basesheet of the invention with an nfc surface layer and a like basesheet without an nfc layer; fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional wet-press (cwp) papermachine modified with a spray boom to apply nfc; fig. 5 is a plot of viscosity versus shear rate for exilva® nfc at 0.5% solids posted on the exilva blog, 13 nov. 2018, mats hjornevik, “important rheological properties of exilva microfibrillated cellulose”; fig. 6 is a plot of characteristic nanofiber viscosity versus shear rate for 4 grades of nfc at 1% solids; and fig. 7 is a histogram detailing characteristic breaking length for 4 grades of nfc formed into handsheets or films. detailed description the invention is described in detail below in connection with the figures for purposes of illustration only. the invention is defined in the appended claims. terminology used herein is given its ordinary meaning consistent with the exemplary definitions set forth herein; g refers to grams, m 2 refers to square meters, percents, ppm and like terminology relates to weight percent, parts per million by weight unless otherwise indicated and so forth. “basesheet” refers to a unitary cellulosic sheet as manufactured by a papermachine. base sheets may be layered; however, they have a unitary structure which is not readily delaminated. a “ply” of a finished product refers to base sheet incorporated into the product. basis weight, coatweight, add-on and the like are calculated on a dry basis. “characteristic breaking length” of nanofibrillar cellulose is measured on a handsheet prepared from 100% of nanofibrillar cellulose in accordance with tappi test method t 205 sp-06 or equivalent using a porous membrane to dewater the handsheet as described hereinafter. handsheet tensiles are measured in accordance with tappi test method t 220 or equivalent. characteristic nanofiber viscosity or like designation refers to viscosity measured on a 0.5% or 1 wt % suspension of the nfc in water as further described herein. “consisting essentially of” and like terminology refers to the recited components and excludes other ingredients which would substantially change the basic and novel characteristics of the composition, article or process. unless otherwise indicated or readily apparent, a composition or article consists essentially of the recited or listed components when the composition or article includes 90% or more by weight of the recited or listed components. that is, the terminology excludes more than 10% unrecited components. any of the products disclosed and claimed herein may consist essentially of the recited components. in some embodiments, consisting essentially of may also exclude additional components altogether such as strength agents. preferred products may be prepared without dry strength agents such as starch or resins and/or without wet strength resins such as polyamide-epichlorohydrin wet strength resins and the like. consistency refers to percent solids of a nascent web, suspension or slurry, for example, calculated on an air dry basis. a slurry having 80 percent water and percent dry wastepaper has a consistency of 20 percent. “air dry” or simply “dry” means including residual moisture, by convention up to about 10 percent moisture for pulp and up to about 6 percent for dried paper; while oven dry refers to pulp or paper which is dried in an oven for several hours and is significantly drier. “freeness” or csf is determined in accordance with tappi standard t 227 om-94 (canadian standard method). a “like” basesheet or multi-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose refers to a product identical to the product of the invention which is being compared in terms of structure, composition, basis weight and method of preparation except that the like product does not have a layer of nfc. a “nascent web” refers to a tissue web which is formed from aqueous papermaking furnish on a forming wire or fabric or felt prior to drying. a nascent web may have a consistency of up to 75%, 80% or so, but typically has much lower consistency during the process and application of the nanofibrillar cellulose to the web. “nanofibrillar cellulose”, nfc and like terminology refers to cellulosic fiber that has been mechanically and/or chemically and/or enzymatically treated so that it is composed of nanofibrils. the material consists of long and thin fibers which form a three-dimensional network, and these fibers have crystalline and amorphous regions. nfc has high viscosity and yield stress, it is shear thinning. the size distribution of the fibers may be wide, and while many fibers have diameters in nanoscale, there may be a large number of larger fibers as well. moreover, the fibers are in a network structure and interconnected to each other. it is also possible to produce similar material as individual fibrils, with nanoscale diameter and narrow size distribution, if special separation methods or chemical treatments are used. in general, the nanofibrillar cellulose may be composed of, that is, contains cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 3.5 nanometers to 35 nanometers and a length of from 500 nanometers to 4000 nanometers, more preferably, with a width of from 4 nanometers to 25 nanometers and a length of from 1000 nanometers to 3500 nanometers. nanofibrillar cellulose as that terminology is used herein may be alternatively characterized by the breaking length of a film of the material or by way of characteristic viscosity reduction under shear at a specified percentage in water as described herein. “predominantly” means more than 50 percent by weight of the named species unless mole percent is specified. papermaking fiber from which a product is made is “predominantly” softwood fiber if over 50 percent by weight of fiber in the product is softwood fiber (dry). softness is determined by trained panelists using an arbitrary scale and a reference specimen assigned a reference value. for testing, test specimens are conditioned for 2 hours at 50 percent relative humidity and 23° c.±1° c. (73.4° f.±1.8° f.) unless otherwise indicated. dry tensile strengths (machine direction or md and cross machine direction or cd), stretch, ratios thereof, break modulus, stress and strain are measured with a standard instron test device or other suitable elongation tensile tester which may be configured in various ways, typically using 3 or 1 inch (7.62 or 2.54 cm) wide strips of tissue, conditioned for 2 hours at 50 percent relative humidity and 23° c.±1° c. (73.4° f.±1.8° f.), with the tensile test run at a crosshead speed of 2 in/min (5.08 cm/min). tensile strength is typically reported in breaking length (km) or g/3″ (g/7.62 cm). geometric mean (gm) tensile is the square root of the product of cd and md tensile. wet tensile may be measured using a three-inch (7.62 cm) wide strip of sheet that is folded into a loop, clamped in a special fixture termed a finch cup, then immersed in water. the finch cup, which is available from the thwing-albert instrument company of philadelphia, pa., is mounted onto a tensile tester equipped with a 2.0 pound (0.9 kg) load cell with the flange of the finch cup clamped by the tester's lower jaw and the ends of the specimen loop clamped into the upper jaw of the tensile tester. the sample is immersed in water that has been adjusted to a ph of 7.0+ or −0.1 and the tensile is tested after a 5 second immersion time. the results are expressed in breaking length (km) or g/3″ (g/7.62 cm), dividing by two to account for the loop as appropriate. a tissue product is typically characterized by having predominantly (more than 50% by weight based on fiber content) hardwood fiber. examples nanofibrillar cellulose was sprayed on the yankee surface of tissue basesheets to an approximate coat weight of 1.5 g/m 2 using a manual spray bottle. the concentration (consistency) of the aqueous nfc suspensions was 2 wt % and 1 wt %. scanning electron microscopy (sem) images of the basesheet surface after applying the microfibrillar cellulose from 1 wt % suspension to an approximate coat weight of 1.5 g/m 2 are shown in fig. 2 . in fig. 2 , the left column has sem images of the surface of control sample (without microfibrillar cellulose) and the right column has sem images of surface of basesheet samples after spraying microfibrillar cellulose. it can be seen from the images that the microfibrillar cellulose binds well to the surface of the basesheet fibers and the microfibrillar cellulose forms a uniform film on the surface of the tissue basesheet. paper machine trials utilizing a papermachine of the general class described below in connection with fig. 4 , an nfc suspension sprayed on the surface of tissue basesheets to an approximate coat weight of 0.65 g/m 2 using a spray boom with four nozzles each able to deliver a flowrate of 36.3 l/h. the concentration (consistency) of the aqueous nfc suspensions was 1 wt %; however, other concentrations can be used as available. the machine was operating at a speed of 100 ft/min (0.508 m/s) and the nfc was sprayed on the “yankee side” of the sheet prior to transfer to the felt. the papermachine trials, summarized in table 1 below, consisted of control (tissue web without any spray), a web that was sprayed with nfc to a coat weight of 0.65 g/m 2 , and a web that was sprayed with nfc to a coat weight of 0.65 g/m 2 plus glycerin in the same amount. the furnish consisted of southern hardwood (hw) and southern softwood (sw) baled pulp in a 65/35 hw/sw ratio. the yankee layer was 100% hw and the air layer was of a 70/30 sw/hw split. sw was refined to 500 csf. table 1experimental cells for spray application ofmicrofibrillar cellulose on tissue webssoftwoodconcentrationrefined tonfc add onof nfcglycerincell500 csfg/m 2suspensionadd-on1 (control)yes0n/a02yes0.651 wt %03yes0.651 wt %same asnfc the physical properties of the tissue webs (basesheets) were evaluated and rolls were converted into two-ply finished products for further evaluation of physical and sensory properties. the basesheet properties are presented in table 2 below, the results indicate that the application of nanofibrillar cellulose produced an increase in dry strength of the paper of about 50% (tensile gm) for the sample with nfc application alone and about 28.7% for the sample with nfc+glycerin. there is also an increase in break modulus and wet tensile. table 2physical properties of bath tissue basesheets.nvcnfc spray +controlsprayglycerincaliper 8 sheet (mils/8 sht)50.9348.8951.33basis weight (lb/3000 ft{circumflex over ( )}2)14.0314.6014.67tensile md (g/3 in)655.46898.98776.02tensile cd (g/3 in)467.71769.34654.17tensile gm (g/3 in)553.68831.61712.50tensile total dry (g/3 in)1123.181668.321430.19wet tens finch cured-cd (g/3 in)43.7162.3945.92break modulus md (g/3 in/%)23.1231.7630.62break modulus cd (g/3 in/%)111.37171.31137.12break modulus gm (g/3 in/%)50.7373.7664.80stretch md (%)28.5728.5926.63stretch cd (%)4.284.724.74t.e.a. md (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)1.041.621.35t.e.a. cd (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)0.140.240.21 values are given si units in table 2a table 2aphysical properties of bath tissue basesheets.nvcnfc spray +controlsprayglycerincaliper 8 sheet (mm/8 sht)1.2941.2421.304basis weight (g/m{circumflex over ( )}2)22.8323.7623.87tensile md (g/cm)86.018117.98101.84tensile cd (g/cm)61.379100.9685.849tensile gm (g/cm)72.661109.1493.504tensile total dry (g/cm)147.40218.94187.69wet tens finch cured-cd (g/cm)5.73628.18776.0262break modulus md (g/cm/%)3.03414.16804.0184break modulus cd (g/cm/%)14.61522.48217.995break modulus gm (g/cm/%)6.65759.67988.5039stretch md (%)28.5728.5926.63stretch cd (%)4.284.724.74t.e.a. md (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)1.041.621.35t.e.a. cd (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)0.140.240.21 sem images of the basesheet surfaces are shown in fig. 3 . basesheet was converted to 2-ply product by conventional means, reference u.s. pat. no. 10,005,932 for converting machine configurations. the results for the finished products are shown on table 3. the values indicate that similar to the basesheets, the finished products exhibit higher dry strength (about 46% more dry tensile gm for the sample with nfc application alone and about 37% for the sample with nfc+glycerin). the samples exhibit higher wet tensile strength and the sensory softness does not decrease substantially. table 3physical properties of two-ply finished products.nfcnfc + glycerincontrolsprayspraybasis weight (lb/3000 ft{circumflex over ( )}2)26.7428.4029.487caliper 8 sheet (mils/8 sht)98.76102.97111.608tensile md (g/3 in)1251.811647.741580.111tensile cd (g/3 in)702.771141.941045.006tensile gm (g/3 in)937.791371.301284.816wet tens finch cd (g/3 in)68.48100.9195.093break modulus md (g/3 in)61.8277.9581.100break modulus cd (g/3 in)134.83224.53220.442break modulus gm (g/3 in)91.20132.26133.661stretch md (%)20.0021.0719.354stretch cd (%)5.225.094.761perf tensile (g/3 in)400.75581.86499.262t.e.a. md (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)1.412.161.931t.e.a. cd (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)0.240.370.310roll diameter (in)4.714.955.210roll comp (in)4.054.054.067roll compress value (%)14.1418.2421.938sensory softness18.6018.218.0 values are given si units in table 3a table 3aphysical properties of two-ply finished products.nfcnfc + glycerincontrolsprayspraybasis weight (g/m{circumflex over ( )}2)43.5246.2247.99caliper 8 sheet (mm/8 sht)2.5092.6152.835tensile md (g/cm)164.28216.24207.3636tensile cd (g/cm)92.227149.86137.1399tensile gm (g/cm)123.07179.96168.611wet tens finch cd (g/cm)8.986913.242812.479break modulus md (g/cm)8.112910.229710.643break modulus cd (g/cm)17.69429.465928.9294break modulus gm (g/cm)11.96917.357017.5408stretch md (%)20.0021.0719.354stretch cd (%)5.225.094.761perf tensile (g/cm)52.59276.36065.5200t.e.a. md (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)1.412.161.931t.e.a. cd (mm-g/mm{circumflex over ( )}2)0.240.370.310roll diameter (cm)12.012.613.2roll comp (cm)10.310.310.33roll compress value (%)14.1418.2421.938sensory softness18.6018.218.0 the trend in sensory softness vs tensile gm (referred as technology curve) is illustrated in the technology curve of fig. 1 . the sample with nfc application alone exhibits a drop of 0.4 points in sensory softness and the one with nfc+glycerin exhibit a drop of 0.6 points in sensory softness, i.e. applying nfc on the yankee side surface of tissue webs reduces softness slightly, but not a substantial decrease. for comparison, using typical data from technology curves of conventional tissue making processes, the slope of a curve of softness vs tensile gm changes is about −0.003. using the data in table 3 and fig. 1 , one can predict the expected softness loss of a paper tissue if it follows the expected slope of −0.003. the calculations indicate that using the slope, the predicted softness of a sample which strength would be the same as the one obtained by spraying nfc only will be about 17.3 and that of a sample of the same strength as the nfc+glycerin sample would be about 17.6. this means that even though the spray of nfc slightly decreases softness, the obtained drop in softness is unexpectedly low, that is, not as high as would be the case if the increased strength was obtained by either refining or by using starch in the wet end as dry strength additive. thus, the strength increases are unexpectedly high, while the softness loss is unexpectedly low, in fact insubstantial. it may be possible to eliminate softness loss altogether when the nfc application is done in the air layer instead of the yankee layer. in summary, the invention discloses a method to increase the strength of bath tissue basesheets without significant negative effect on softness. the spray application can be done on the yankee layer, or air layer of the tissue basesheets and from suspensions of different aqueous nfc concentrations (preferably 1% or 2%), product preparation the products of the invention may be made by any process suitable for making absorbent sheet, such as a “cwp” process which refers to absorbent products made by a conventional wet-press process; that is, wet-pressing a furnish to a drying cylinder with a papermaking felt followed by creping the web from the cylinder. see u.s. pat. no. 7,951,266, fig. 7 thereof. preferred embodiments include “structured” basesheet which refers to product that is wet creped (fabric creped) from a cylinder prior to final drying. this product and methodology for its production is described in u.s. pat. no. 7,399,378. see also u.s. pat. nos. 7,850,823; 7,585,388; 7,585,389; and 7,662,257. alternatively, a “tad” process may be used which refers to through air dried processes for making absorbent products. through air dried, creped products are disclosed in the following patents: u.s. pat. no. 3,994,771 to morgan, jr. et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,102,737 to morton; and u.s. pat. no. 4,529,480 to trokhan. the processes described in these patents comprise, very generally, forming a web on a foraminous support, thermally pre-drying the web, applying the web to a yankee dryer with a nip defined, in part, by an impression fabric, and creping the product from the yankee dryer. uncreped or “uctad” processes may also be used for basesheet manufacture; these processes utilize through air drying and do not use a yankee dryer. there is shown in fig. 4 a schematic diagram of a conventional wet-press (cwp) papermachine 15 modified with a spray boom and with multiple headboxes or a divided headbox thereby making it possible to produce a stratified product. that is, the product according to the present invention can be made with single or multiple headboxes, 20 , 20 ′ and regardless of the number of headboxes may be stratified or unstratified. the papermaking furnish is transported through different conduits 40 and 41 , where it is delivered to the headbox of papermachine as is well known, although any convenient configuration can be used. fig. 4 shows a web-forming end or wet end with a liquid permeable foraminous support member 11 which may be of any convenient configuration. foraminous support member 11 may be constructed of any of several known materials including a conventional papermaking felt, fabric or a synthetic filament woven mesh base with a very fine synthetic fiber batt attached to the mesh base. the foraminous support member 11 is supported in a conventional manner on rolls, including breast roll 13 and pressing roll 17 . a forming wire 24 is supported on rolls 19 and 21 which are positioned relative to the breast roll 13 for guiding the forming wire 24 to converge on the foraminous support member 11 at the cylindrical breast roll 13 at an acute angle relative to the foraminous support member 11 . the foraminous support member 11 and the wire 24 move at the same speed and in the same direction which is the direction of rotation of the breast roll 13 . the forming wire 24 and the foraminous support member 11 converge at an upper surface of the breast roll 13 to form a wedge-shaped space or nip into which one or more jets of water or foamed liquid fiber dispersion may be injected and trapped between the forming wire 24 and the foraminous support member 11 to force fluid through the wire 24 into a save-all 22 where it is collected for re-use in the process, recycled via line 25 to machine chest 50 . the nascent web w formed in the process is carried along the machine direction 30 by the foraminous support member 11 to the pressing roll 17 . in order to produce the products of the invention, a spray boom 23 is provided proximate to roll 21 shortly after transfer of web w to foraminous support member 11 and provides a dilute aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose on the yankee side of nascent web w as shown (i.e. the side of web w applied to the yankee cylinder). alternatively, by appropriate configuration of the processing loops, with or without an additional forming fabric, the dilute aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose may be applied to the air side of nascent web w (i.e. the side of web w distal to the yankee cylinder during drying). at pressing roll 17 , the wet nascent web w is transferred to the yankee dryer 26 . fluid is pressed from the wet web w by pressing roll 17 as the web is transferred to the yankee dryer 26 where it is dried and creped by means of a creping blade 27 . the finished web is collected on a take-up reel 28 . a pit 44 is provided for collecting water squeezed from the furnish by the press roll 17 , as well as collecting the water removed from the fabric by a uhle box 29 . the water collected in pit 44 may be collected into a flow line 45 for separate processing to remove surfactant and fibers from the water and to permit recycling of the water back to the papermaking machine 15 . nanofibrillar cellulose nanofibrillar cellulose is commonly produced by mechanically disintegrating wood pulp, such as hardwood or softwood kraft pulp which can include chemical pre- or post-treatments. the pulp used may be pre-processed enzymatically or chemically, for example, to reduce the quantity of hemicellulose. furthermore, the cellulose fibers may be chemically modified, wherein the cellulose molecules contain functional groups other than in the original cellulose. such groups include, among others, carboxymethyl (cmc), aldehyde and/or carboxyl groups (cellulose obtained by n-oxyl mediated oxidation, for example “tempo”), or quaternary ammonium (cationic cellulose). generally, a high shear zone is formed during disintegration to delaminate multilayer cell walls of wood fibers and separate fibrils while minimizing cutting and entangling. this process is used to isolate high aspect ratio, semi-crystalline cellulose fibrils with robust mechanical properties from the wood furnish. nanofibrils are typically on the order of 4-20 nm wide and 500-2000 nm long. they possess good axial tensile strength due to inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonding among highly oriented cellulose molecules. various processes suitable for making nfc are described in the following references: united states patent application publication no. us 2011/0277947, entitled “cellulose nanofilaments and method to produce same”, of hua et al.; united states patent application publication no. us 2014/0083634, entitled “method and an apparatus for producing nanocellulose”, of bjoerkqvist et al.; and united states patent application publication no. us 2014/0284407, entitled “a method for producing nanofibrillar cellulose”, of tamper et al. the fiber morphology influences the amount of energy required to disintegrate it into nfc. delamination can be facilitated by weakening fiber cell walls or decreasing the strength of fiber-to-fiber bonds through enzymatic or oxidative pretreatments as noted above. pretreatments can be targeted to certain regions of the fiber or cause a general weakening effect. for example, cellulase enzymes degrade the amorphous portion of the fiber, whereas the tempo oxidation weakens the entire surface of the fiber by decreasing the degree of polymerization of cellulose. the tempo pretreatment weakens the fiber indiscriminately by converting primary hydroxyl groups of polysaccharides to carboxyl groups. the same techniques can also be used after mechanical fibrillation to achieve a desired quality of nfc. the choice and extent of pretreatment, as well as the morphology of the starting material, will influence the morphology of the nanofibrillated cellulose produced. for example, pulps that undergo extensive enzymatic hydrolysis before disintegration tend to be more uniform in size with a higher degree of crystallinity. with a lower fraction of amorphous cellulose, these fibers look more like cellulose nanocrystals and have a lower specific surface area. mechanical disintegration with a microgrinder will increase the surface area of the fibrils and cause more branching. further details concerning making nfc or mfc with peroxide or ozone are seen in u.s. pat. no. 7,700,764 to heijnesson-hultén, entitled method of preparing microfibrillar polysaccharide (akzo nobel n.v.); united states patent application publication no. us 2015/0167243 of bilodeau et al., entitled energy efficient process for preparing nanocellulose fibers (university of maine system board of trustees); and u.s. pat. no. 8,747,612 to heiskanen et al., entitled process for the production of microfibrillated cellulose in an extruder and microfibrillated cellulose produced according to the process (stora enso oyj). discussion relating to making nfc or mfc with n-oxyl compounds is seen in u.s. pat. no. 8,992,728 to isogai et al., entitled cellulose nanofiber, production method of same and cellulose nanofiber dispersion (university of tokyo); u.s. pat. no. 8,377,563 to miyawaki et al., entitled papermaking additive and paper containing the same (nippon paper industries co., ltd.); and u.s. pat. no. 8,287,692 to miyawaki et al., entitled processes for producing cellulose nanofibers (nippon paper industries co., ltd.) which discloses a process for making nanofibers using n-oxyl compounds (tempo). references for making nfc or mfc with enzymes include u.s. pat. no. 8,778,134 to vehvilainen et al., entitled process for producing microfibrillated cellulose (stora enso oyj); u.s. pat. no. 8,728,273 to heiskanen et al., entitled process for the production of a composition comprising fibrillated cellulose and a composition (stora enso oyj); u.s. pat. no. 8,647,468 to heiskanen et al., entitled process for producing microfibrillated cellulose (stora enso oyj) which proposes two enzymatic treatments of the pulp used to make microfibers; and u.s. pat. no. 8,546,558 to ankerfors et al., entitled method for the manufacture of microfibrillated cellulose (stfi-packforsk ab) which also relates to the use of an enzyme treatment. further details may be seen in wo 2016/122956. in the foregoing examples, exilva® nfc, available from borregaard was utilized. while either the p-series or f-series products may be used, the particular nfc product used was exilva p 01-l which is provided at a concentration of 2 wt. %. nfc may also be obtained through the university of maine; see “the university of maine—the process development center—nanofiber r & d,” [online]. available: http://umaine.edu/pdc/nanofiber-r-d/. [accessed 24 nov. 2014]. this source is referred to as nfc i in the characterizations which follow. nfc may also be obtained from centre technique du papier in grenoble, france. this source will be referred to herein as nfc ii. samples prepared by georgia pacific are referred to as nfc iii. nfc may also be obtained from paperlogic, operator of the first us commercial nanocellulose plant at the former southworth paper and now paperlogic mill in turners falls, mass. this source is referred to as nfc pl. nfc may be characterized by viscosity profiles and breaking length as is discussed below. characteristic nanofiber viscosity characteristic nanofiber viscosity may be measured on a suspension of nfc at 1% or 0.5% consistency. viscosity of the nfc suspensions is measured at room temperature, using a ta instruments discovery hybrid rheometer (dhr) 2. a cone and plate geometry was used for analysis. a few drops of sample are placed on a flat metal peltier plate and the cone spindle, which has a 60 mm diameter and 2° angle, was brought down to make contact with the sample to initiate the spreading action. the sample that flowed out of the circumference of the cone spindle was trimmed. the experimental conditions were as follows: flow logarithmic sweep, shear rate 0.5-2000 hz at room temperature. trim and geometric gap was 54 microns. room temperature means ambient temperature between 23° c. and 29° c., typically. if a specific value is required, 25° c. is used. fig. 5 presents a plot of characteristic nanofiber viscosity versus shear rate for exilva® nfc as is measured on a suspension of the material at 0.5% consistency using test methods as generally described above. viscosity drops from 10 pa-s to 0.01 pa-s when shear rate is increased from 0.025 to 250 s −1 , a viscosity reduction of over 99%. for the other nfc materials noted above, nfc suspensions were prepared to obtain 1% consistency. the suspensions were then characterized for their viscosity profiles using the test method and apparatus described above. results appear in table 4. table 4nfc viscosity profiles 1% consistencynfc infc iinfc iiinfc plshear rate, 1/sviscosity, cpviscosity, cpviscosity, cpviscosity, cp0.5523000989919047567.10.83660006505940302571.3237000387436020858.72.0144000229291018659.43.2108000144200020986.75.080400107132033391.97.99330080.984350741.612.65410061.254851552.919.97200050.357953049.531.55320053.8140046991.550.02190042130017077.779.2141002311609200.18126.0567015.19839716.41199.0264011.46835740.54315.011909.084733052.84500.05537.613031381.11792.02346.65198673.6711260.01006.15132307.6631990.045.86.1375.4123.97200030.86.0379.5111.168 values are given si units in table 4a table 4anfc viscosity profilesnfc infc iinfc iiinfc plviscosity,viscosity,viscosity,viscosity,shear rate, 1/spa-spa-spa-spa-s0.5523.00.9899.19047.5670.8366.00.6505.94030.2571.3237.00.3874.36020.8582.0144.00.2292.91018.6593.2108.00.1442.00020.9875.080.400.1071.32033.3927.993.300.0810.84350.74212.654.100.0610.54851.55319.972.000.0500.57953.05031.553.200.0541.40046.99250.021.900.0421.30017.07879.214.100.0231.1609.200126.05.6700.0150.9839.716199.02.6400.0110.6835.741315.01.1900.0090.4733.053500.00.5530.0080.3031.381792.00.2340.0070.1980.6741260.00.1000.0060.1320.3081990.00.0460.0060.0750.12420000.0310.0060.0800.111 the data from table 4 is shown graphically in fig. 6 . it is appreciated from fig. 6 that nfc properties vary depending upon the degree of fibrillation, especially at low shear. at higher shear rates, viscosity values converge. nfc characteristic breaking length 100% nfc films or handsheets were formed by vacuum filtration using nylon membrane with 0.45 μm pore size utilizing the nfc i, nfc ii, nfc iii and nfc pi materials. fully restrained drying of nfc films was conducted by attachment of one side of the film to a metal plate and the other side was pressed by a ring with a metal weight on top. the diameter of dried nfc films was 1.5 in (3.81 cm). each film was cut into a 15 mm×1 in (2.54 cm) strip for tensile testing which provided the information to calculate the breaking length. results appear in table 5, as well as in fig. 7 for four grades of nfc; nfc i, ii, iii and pl. table 5nfc properties and sheet basis weightsamplebreaking length, kmbasis weight, g/m 2nfc i6.956nfc ii5.959nfc iii5.069nfc pl6.362 cellulosic sheet and related terminology the term “cellulosic”, “cellulosic sheet” and the like are meant to include any product incorporating papermaking fiber having cellulose as a major constituent. “papermaking fibers” include virgin pulps or recycle (secondary) cellulosic fibers or fiber mixes comprising cellulosic fibers. suitable papermaking fibers suitable for making the webs of this invention include: nonwood fibers, such as cotton fibers or cotton derivatives, abaca, kenaf, sabai grass, flax, esparto grass, straw, jute hemp, bagasse, milkweed floss fibers, and pineapple leaf fibers; and wood fibers such as those obtained from deciduous and coniferous trees, including softwood fibers, such as northern and southern softwood kraft fibers; hardwood fibers, such as eucalyptus , maple, birch, aspen, or the like. papermaking fibers used in connection with the invention are typically naturally occurring pulp-derived fibers (as opposed to reconstituted fibers such as lyocell or rayon) which are liberated from their source material by any one of a number of pulping processes familiar to one experienced in the art including sulfate, sulfite, polysulfide, soda pulping, etc. the pulp can be bleached if desired by chemical means including the use of chlorine dioxide, oxygen, alkaline peroxide and so forth. the products of the present invention may comprise a blend of conventional fibers (whether derived from virgin pulp or recycle sources) and high coarseness lignin-rich tubular fibers, such as bleached chemical thermomechanical pulp (bctmp). pulp-derived fibers thus also include high yield fibers such as bctmp as well as thermomechanical pulp (tmp), chemithermomechanical pulp (ctmp) and alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (apmp). “furnishes” and like terminology refers to aqueous compositions including papermaking fibers, optionally wet strength resins, debonders and the like for making paper products. kraft softwood fiber is low yield fiber made by the well-known kraft (sulfate) pulping process from coniferous material and includes northern and southern softwood kraft fiber, douglas fir kraft fiber and so forth. kraft softwood fibers generally have a lignin content of less than 5 percent by weight, a length weighted average fiber length of greater than 2 mm, as well as an arithmetic average fiber length of greater than 0.6 mm. kraft hardwood fiber is made by the kraft process from hardwood sources, e.g. eucalyptus , and also has generally a lignin content of less than 5 percent by weight. kraft hardwood fibers are shorter than softwood fibers, typically having a length weighted average fiber length of less than 1 mm and an arithmetic average length of less than 0.5 mm or less than 0.4 mm. recycle fiber may be added to the papermaking furnish in any amount. while any suitable recycle fiber may be used, recycle fiber with relatively low levels of ground wood is preferred in many cases, for example recycle fiber with less than 15% by weight lignin content, or less than 10% by weight lignin content may be preferred depending on the furnish mixture employed and the application. recycle fiber is in many cases 80% hardwood fiber. products of the invention are made with a cellulosic fiber basesheet and have an absorbency or sat value as well as tensiles and densities suitable for tissue products. typical sat values are greater than about 3 g/g in most cases. see u.s. pat. no. 8,778,138. additives a wide variety of additives may be included with the nfc coating applied to the tissue substrate including: dispersants; opacifiers such as talc; optical brighteners; softeners such as glycerin, stearates, siloxanes, nonionic surfactants and the like; chemical softeners/debonders such as quaternary ammonium compounds and imidazolinium debonder compositions; as well as lotions and so forth. combined glycerin/quaternary ammonium softener compositions are discussed in u.s. pat. no. 5,558,573 to funk et al. united states patent application publication no. 2018/0202109 of chen et al. discusses suitable debonder compositions including ricinoleate-type surfactants and zwitterionic surfactants which may be used with more conventional debonder and/or softener components, such as imidazolinium compounds. there is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 7,736,464 to kokko a debonder composition including a combination of: (a) a quaternary ammonium surfactant component; and (b) a nonionic surfactant component. typically the nonionic surfactant includes the reaction product of a fatty acid or fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide such as a polyethylene glycol diester of a fatty acid (peg mono or diols or peg mono or diesters). other debonder/softener components such as alkylated quaternary ammonium compounds which may be used are disclosed in the following references: u.s. pat. no. 5,622,597 to callen et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,441,962 to osborn, iii and u.s. pat. no. 4,351,699 also to osborn, iii; u.s. pat. no. 5,698,076 to phan et al.; u.s. pat. no. 5,730,839 to wendt et al.; u.s. pat. no. 5,753,079 to jenny et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,447,294 to osborn, iii; u.s. pat. no. 5,279,767 to phan et al. and u.s. pat. no. 5,240,562 of phan et al. any of the debonder surfactants discussed in the above references can be used alone or in combination in the nfc suspension applied to the substrate. achieving a sufficiently dispersed suspension of nfc can be an issue because the cellulose nanofibrils have a high length to thickness ratio and tend to become entangled, forming fiber flocs. see rojas et al., the dispersion science of papermaking, journal of dispersion science and technology, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 713-732 (2004). anionic surfactants may be used as dispersing aids as is seen in u.s. pat. no. 5,281,348 to letscher. anionic surfactants contain anionic functional groups at their head, such as sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate, and carboxylates, i.e. acrylates. gum-like polymers (i.e. carboxymethylcellulose) can also be used as dispersing aids, these materials improve dispersion by (presumably) reducing inter-fiber friction; however, such polymers can reduce drainage and are sometimes avoided as a dispersing aid in papermaking operations; however this aspect of their usage is less likely to be problematical in the surface layer applied to the nascent web. cationic polyetheramine dispersants are disclosed in united states patent publication no. 2019/0003123. any of the dispersing aids described above or listed in the various references noted may be used in the aqueous nfc composition to avoid or minimize aggregates if so desired. summary of exemplary embodiments there is provided in accordance with the present invention in a first embodiment, embodiment no. 1, a method of making a tissue basesheet comprising: (a) forming a nascent web from an aqueous furnish of papermaking fiber;(b) applying an aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose to a surface of the nascent web; and(c) drying the nascent web to provide the tissue basesheet. embodiment no. 2 is the method according to embodiment no. 1, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is at a consistency of from 0.3% to 3%. embodiment no. 3 is the method according to embodiment no. 2, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is at a consistency of from 0.5% to 2.5%. embodiment no. 4 is the method according to embodiment no. 3, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is at a consistency of from 1% to 2%. embodiment no. 5 is the method according to embodiment no. 3, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is at a consistency of from 0.75% to 1.5%. embodiment no. 6 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 5, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is sprayed onto the nascent web. embodiment no. 7 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 6, wherein the nascent web is dried on a yankee dryer. embodiment no. 8 is the method according to embodiment no. 7, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the yankee side of the nascent web. embodiment no. 9 is the method according to embodiment no. 7, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the air side of the nascent web. embodiment no. 10 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos 1 to 10, wherein the nascent web has from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 papermaking fiber. embodiment no. 11 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 11, wherein the nascent web has from 20 g/m 2 to 25 g/m 2 of papermaking fiber. embodiment no. 12 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 11, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the nascent web at a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 13 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 12, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the nascent web at a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 2 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 14 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 13, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is applied to the nascent web at a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 0.75 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 15 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 14, wherein the papermaking fiber in the nascent web is predominantly hardwood papermaking fiber. embodiment no. 16 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 15, wherein the papermaking fiber in the nascent web is from about 60 wt. % to about 70 wt. % hardwood fiber based on the weight of papermaking fiber in the nascent web. embodiment no. 17 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 16, wherein the nascent web is of stratified composition, having a first stratum of predominantly hardwood papermaking fibers and a second stratum of predominantly softwood papermaking fibers. embodiment no. 18 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 17, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is composed of cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 3.5 nanometers to 35 nanometers and a length of from 500 nanometers to 4000 nanometers. embodiment no. 19 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 18, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is composed of cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 4 nanometers to 25 nanometers and a length of from 1000 nanometers to 3500 nanometers. embodiment no. 20 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 19, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 1% consistency of 60% or more as shear is increased from 5 sec −1 to 500 sec −1 . embodiment no. 21 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 20, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 1% consistency of 80% or more as shear is increased from 5 sec −1 to 500 sec −1 . embodiment no. 22 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 22, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 0.5% consistency of 80% or more as shear is increased from 0.025 sec −1 to 250 sec 1 . embodiment no. 23 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 22, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 0.5% consistency of 90% or more as shear is increased from 0.025 sec −1 to 250 sec −1 . embodiment no. 24 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 23, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic breaking length of from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers. embodiment no. 25 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 24, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic breaking length of from 6.5 kilometers to 10 kilometers. embodiment no. 26 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 25, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose includes an additional component selected from softeners, debonders and dispersing aids. embodiment no. 27 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 26, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a softener selected from glycerin, stearates, siloxanes and nonionic surfactants. embodiment no. 28 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 27, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a debonder selected from imidazolinium surfactants and quaternary ammonium surfactants other than imidazolinium surfactants. embodiment no. 29 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 28, wherein the aqueous composition of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a dispersing aid selected from polymeric dispersants and anionic surfactants. embodiment no. 30 is the method according to any of embodiment nos. 1 to 29, further comprising incorporating the basesheet into a 2-ply product. embodiment no. 31 is the method according to embodiment no. 30, wherein the 2-ply product has a basis weight of from 30 g/m 2 to 60 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 32 is the method according to embodiment no. 31, wherein the 2-ply product has a basis weight of from 40 g/m 2 to 50 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 33 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 1 to 29, further comprising incorporating the basesheet into a 3-ply product. embodiment no. 34 is the method according to embodiment no. 33, wherein the 3-ply product has a basis weight of from 45 g/m 2 to 90 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 35 is the method basesheet according to embodiment no. 34, wherein the 3-ply product has a basis weight of from 60 g/m 2 to 75 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 36 is the method according to any one of embodiment nos. 30 to 35, wherein the multi-ply product is provided with a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose on an outer surface thereof. embodiment no. 37 is a tissue basesheet comprising a tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber having applied to a surface thereof a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose, the tissue substrate having a basis weight of from 15 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 and the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose having a coatweight of from 0.25 g/m 2 to 3 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 38 is the tissue basesheet according to embodiment no. 37, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose has a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 2 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 39 is the tissue basesheet according to embodiment no. 37, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose has a coatweight of from 0.4 g/m 2 to 0.75 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 40 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 29, wherein the tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber has a basis weight of from 17.5 g/m 2 to 27.5 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 41 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 40, wherein the tissue substrate of cellulosic papermaking fiber has a basis weight of from 20 g/m 2 to 25 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 42 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 41, wherein the tissue substrate of papermaking fiber is predominantly hardwood papermaking fiber. embodiment no. 43 is the tissue basesheet according to embodiment no. 42, wherein the tissue substrate of papermaking fiber is from about 60 wt. % to about 70 wt. % hardwood fiber based on the weight of papermaking fiber in the tissue substrate. embodiment 44 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 43, wherein the tissue substrate of papermaking fiber is of stratified composition, having a first stratum of predominantly hardwood papermaking fibers and a second stratum of predominantly softwood papermaking fibers. embodiment no. 45 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 44, wherein the tissue basesheet exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 20% to 75% as compared to a like tissue basesheet without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 46 is the tissue basesheet according to embodiment no. 45, wherein the tissue basesheet exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 25% to 65% as compared to a like tissue basesheet without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 47 is the tissue basesheet according to embodiment no. 45, wherein the tissue basesheet exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 40% to 55% as compared to a like tissue basesheet without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 48 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 47, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is composed of cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 3.5 nanometers to 35 nanometers and a length of from 500 nanometers to 4000 nanometers. embodiment no. 49 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 48, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose is composed of cellulose nanofibers having a width of from 4 nanometers to 25 nanometers and a length of from 1000 nanometers to 3500 nanometers. embodiment no. 50 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 49, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 1% consistency of 60% or more as shear is increased from 5 sec −1 to 500 sec −1 . embodiment no. 51 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 50, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 1% consistency of 80% or more as shear is increased from 5 sec −1 to 500 sec −1 . embodiment no. 52 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 51, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 0.5% consistency of 80% or more as shear is increased from 0.025 sec −1 to 250 sec −1 . embodiment no. 53 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 52, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic nanofiber viscosity reduction at 0.5% consistency of 90% or more as shear is increased from 0.025 sec −1 to 250 sec −1 . embodiment no. 54 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 53, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic breaking length of from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers. embodiment no. 55 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 54, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose exhibits a characteristic breaking length of from 6.5 kilometers to 10 kilometers. embodiment no. 56 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 55, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose includes an additional component selected from softeners, debonders and dispersing aids. embodiment no. 57 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 56, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a softener selected from glycerin, stearates, siloxanes and nonionic surfactants. embodiment no. 58 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 57, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a debonder selected from imidazolinium surfactants and quaternary ammonium surfactants other than imidazolinium surfactants. embodiment no. 59 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 58, wherein the layer of nanofibrillar cellulose includes a dispersing aid selected from polymeric dispersants and anionic surfactants. embodiment no. 60 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 59, incorporated into a 2-ply product. embodiment no. 61 is the 2-ply product according to embodiment no. 60, wherein the 2-ply product has a basis weight of from 30 g/m 2 to 60 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 62 is the 2-ply product according to embodiment no. 60, wherein the 2-ply product has a basis weight of from 40 g/m 2 to 50 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 63 is the 2-ply product according to any one of embodiment nos. 60 to 62, wherein the 2-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 20% to 75% as compared to a like 2-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 64 is the 2-ply product according to embodiment no. 63, wherein the 2-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 25% to 65% as compared to a like 2-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 65 is the 2-ply product according to any one of embodiment nos. 60 to 64, wherein the 2-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 40% to 55% as compared to a like 2-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 66 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 59, incorporated into a 3-ply product. embodiment no. 67 is the 3-ply product according to embodiment no. 66, wherein the 3-ply product has a basis weight of from 45 g/m 2 to 90 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 68 is the 3-ply product according to embodiment no. 66, wherein the 3-ply product has a basis weight of from 60 g/m 2 to 75 g/m 2 . embodiment no. 69 is the 3-ply product according to any one of embodiment nos. 66 to 68, wherein the 3-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 20% to 75% as compared to a like 3-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 70 is the 3-ply product according to embodiment no. 69, wherein the 3-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 25% to 65% as compared to a like 3-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 71 is the 3-ply product according to embodiment 69, wherein the 3-ply product exhibits an increase in gm tensile of from 40% to 55% as compared to a like 3-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 72 is the multi-ply product according to any one of embodiment nos. 60 to 71, wherein the multi-ply product is provided with a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose on an outer surface thereof. embodiment no. 73 is the multi-ply product according to any one of embodiment nos. 60 to 72, wherein the multi-ply product exhibits a panel softness decrease of less than 5% as compared to a like multi-ply product without a layer of nanofibrillar cellulose. embodiment no. 74 is the tissue basesheet according to any one of embodiment nos. 37 to 59 and the multi-ply product according to any one of claims 60 to 73 , wherein the tissue basesheet is prepared by the method of any one of claims 1 to 29 . while the invention has been described in detail, modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. such modifications are also to be considered as part of the present invention. in view of the foregoing discussion, relevant knowledge in the art and references discussed above in connection with the foregoing description including the detailed description and background of the invention, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference, further description is deemed unnecessary. in addition, it should be understood from the foregoing discussion that aspects of the invention and portions of various embodiments may be combined or interchanged either in whole or in part. furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention.
005-679-265-714-048	US	[ "WO", "EP", "US" ]	C12N15/10,C07K14/47,C12N5/0789,C12N9/16,C12N15/11,C12N9/22	2016-02-18T00:00:00	2016	[ "C12", "C07" ]	methods and compositions for gene editing in stem cells	the present disclosure provides methods for gene editing in stem cells. the methods generally involve modifying the stem cells by increasing the level of an apoptosis regulator in the stem cells; and introducing into the modified stem cells a genome editing composition.	claims what is claimed is: 1. a method of editing a target genomic dna in a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell, generating a modified mammalian stem cell that overexpresses the apoptosis regulator; and b) contacting the modified mammalian stem cell with a genome targeting composition comprising a genome editing endonuclease, or a nucleic acid encoding the genome editing endonuclease, wherein the genome editing endonuclease cleaves within a desired target sequence of the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the genome-editing endonuclease enters the modified stem cell and edits the target genomic dna. 2. the method of claim 1, wherein the modification of the genomic dna is an insertion of a sequence into the genomic dna and/or a deletion of sequence from the genomic dna, or where the modification of the genomic dna is a substitution of one or more nucleotides of the target genomic dna. 3. the method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a zinc finger nuclease. 4. the method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a tal-effector dna binding domain-nuclease fusion protein (talen). 5. the method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex comprising a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease complexed with a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna that hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell. 6. the method of claim 5, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises: (i) a nucleic acid encoding a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease, and (ii) a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna, or a nucleic acid encoding the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna, wherein the crispr/cas guide rna hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell. 7. the method of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease. 8. the method of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a cas9 polypeptide and the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna is a cas9 guide rna. 9. the method of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease. 10. the method of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas polypeptide is a cpfl polypeptide, a c2cl polypeptide, a c2c3 polypeptide, or a c2c2 polypeptide. 11. the method of any one of claims 5-10, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a donor template nucleic acid. 12. the method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the apoptosis regulator is bcl-2, a caspase-9-dn mutant, baculovirus p35, caspase-9s, crma, z-vad-fmk, z- devd-fmk, b-d-fmk, z-yvad-fmk, bcl-xl, mcl-l, xiap, tiap, kiap, naip, ciapl, ciap2, apil, api2, api3, api4, hiapl, hiap2, miha, mihb, mihc, ilp, ilp-2, tlap, survivin, livin, apollon, bruce, mliap, sodd, or flip. 13. the method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-2 polypeptide. 14. the method of claim 13, wherein the bcl-2 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in fig. 1 a or fig. ib. 15. the method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem a pluripotent stem cell or an adult stem cell. 16. the method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a neural stem cell, a hematopoietic stem cell, a mesenchymal stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. 17. the method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell. 18. the method of any one of claims 17, wherein the apoptosis regulator is transiently overexpressed. 19. the method of claim 18, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours. 20. the method of claim 18, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 48 hours to about 72 hours. 21. the method of any one of claims 1-20, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed by at least 50% over background. 22. a method of editing a target genomic dna of a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell, generating a modified mammalian stem cell that overexpresses the apoptosis regulator; and b) contacting the modified mammalian stem cell with a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex comprising a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease complexed with a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna that hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease cleaves the genomic dna, resulting in editing of the target genomic dna. 23. the method of claim 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease. 24. the method of claim 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a cas9 polypeptide and the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna is a cas9 guide rna. 25. the method of claim 24, wherein the cas9 guide rna is a single guide rna (sgrna). 26. the method of claim 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease. 27. the method of claim 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas polypeptide is a cpfl polypeptide, a c2cl polypeptide, a c2c3 polypeptide, or a c2c2 polypeptide. 28. the method of any one of claims 22-27, wherein the rnp complex is present in a composition that comprises a donor template nucleic acid. 29. the method of any one of 22-28, wherein the apoptosis regulator is be 1-2, a caspase-9-dn mutant, baculovims p35, caspase-9s, crma, z-vad-fmk, z-devd- fmk, b-d-fmk, z-yvad-fmk, bcl-xl, mcl-l, xiap, tiap, kiap, naip, ciapl, ciap2, apil, api2, api3, api4, hiap1, hiap2, miha, mihb, mihc, ilp, ilp-2, tlap, survivin, livin, apollon, bruce, mliap, sodd, or flip. 30. the method of any one of claims 22-28, wherein the apoptosis regulator is a bel -2 polypeptide. 31. the method of claim 30, wherein the bcl-2 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in fig. 1 a or fig. ib. 32. the method of any one of claims 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a pluripotent stem cell or an adult stem cell. 33. the method of any one of claims 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a neural stem cell, a hematopoietic stem cell, a mesenchymal stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. 34. the method of any one of claims 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell. 35. the method of any one of claims 34, wherein the apoptosis regulator is transiently overexpressed. 36. the method of claim 35, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours. 37. the method of claim 35, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 48 hours to about 72 hours. 38. the method of any one of claims 22-37, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed by at least 50% over background.	methods and compositions for gene editing in stem cells cross-reference to related applications [0001] this application claims priority to and benefit of ussn 62/297,039, filed on february 18, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. incorporation by reference of sequence listing provided as a text file [0002] a sequence listing is provided herewith as a text file, "ucla- 149prv_seqlist_st25.txt" created on february 18, 2016 and having a size of 7,893 kb. the contents of the text file are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. background [0003] rna-mediated adaptive immune systems in bacteria and archaea rely on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (crispr) genomic loci and crispr-associated (cas) proteins that function together to provide protection from invading viruses and plasmids. in type ii crispr-cas systems, the cas9 protein functions as an rna-guided endonuclease that uses a dual -guide rna consisting of crrna and trans- activating crrna (tracrrna) for target recognition and cleavage by a mechanism involving two nuclease active sites that together generate double-stranded dna breaks (dsbs). [0004] rna-programmed cas9 has proven to be a versatile tool for genome engineering in multiple cell types and organisms. guided by a dual-rna complex or a chimeric single-guide rna, cas9 (or variants of cas9 such as nickase variants) can generate site-specific dsbs or single-stranded breaks (ssbs) within target nucleic acids. target nucleic acids can include double-stranded dna (dsdna) and single-stranded dna (ssdna) as well as rna. when cleavage of a target nucleic acid occurs within a cell {e.g., a eukaryotic cell), the break in the target nucleic acid can be repaired by non-homologous end j oining (nhej) or hdr. [0005] disruption of mammalian genes holds great promise for fundamental discovery, treatment of genetic diseases, and prophylactic treatment. gene knockouts can be generated using a genome editing endonuclease {e.g., a zinc finger nuclease (zfn), a transcription activator-like effector nuclease (talen), a crispr/cas proteimguide rna, and the like) to introduce a site specific double strand break (dsb) within a locus {e.g., gene) of interest. clones can be screened for those in which one or more alleles have been repaired in an error-prone fashion that disrupts the open reading frame. [0006] gene correction can be achieved in stem cells (e.g., cd34 + stem cells) and progenitor cells; nevertheless, levels of homology-directed repair (hdr)-mediated gene modification in long-term reconstituting stem cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (hscs), remain low. summary [0007] the present disclosure provides, inter alia, compositions and methods for gene editing in stem cells. the methods generally involve modifying the stem cells by increasing the level of an apoptosis regulator in the stem cells; and introducing into the modified stem cells a genome editing composition. [0008] various embodiments contemplated herein may include, but need not be limited to, one or more of the following: [0009] embodiment 1 : a method of editing a target genomic dna in a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: [0010] a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell, generating a modified mammalian stem cell that overexpresses the apoptosis regulator; and [0011] b) contacting the modified mammalian stem cell with a genome targeting composition comprising a genome editing endonuclease, or a nucleic acid encoding the genome editing endonuclease, wherein the genome editing endonuclease cleaves within a desired target sequence of the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the genome-editing endonuclease enters the modified stem cell and edits the target genomic dna. [0012] embodiment 2: the method of embodiment 1, wherein the modification of the genomic dna is an insertion of a sequence into the genomic dna and/or a deletion of sequence from the genomic dna, or where the modification of the genomic dna is a substitution of one or more nucleotides of the target genomic dna. [0013] embodiment 3 : the method of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a zinc finger nuclease. [0014] embodiment 4: the method of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a tal-effector dna binding domain-nuclease fusion protein (talen). [0015] embodiment 5: the method of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex comprising a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease complexed with a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna that hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell. [0016] embodiment 6: the method of embodiment 5, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises: (i) a nucleic acid encoding a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease, and (ii) a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna, or a nucleic acid encoding the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna, wherein the crispr/cas guide rna hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell. [0017] embodiment 7: the method of embodiment 5 or embodiment 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease. [0018] embodiment 8: the method of embodiment 5 or embodiment 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a cas9 polypeptide and the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna is a cas9 guide rna. [0019] embodiment 9: the method of embodiment 5 or embodiment 6, wherein the class 2 crispr /cas endonuclease is a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease. [0020] embodiment 10: the method of embodiment 5 or embodiment 6, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas polypeptide is a cpfl polypeptide, a c2cl polypeptide, a c2c3 polypeptide, or a c2c2 polypeptide. [0021] embodiment 11 : the method of any one of embodiments 5-10, wherein the genome targeting composition comprises a donor template nucleic acid. [0022] embodiment 12: the method of any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein the apoptosis regulator is be 1-2, a caspase-9-dn mutant, baculovirus p35, caspase-9s, crma, z- vad-fmk, z-devd-fmk, b-d-fmk, z-yvad-fmk, bcl-xl, mcl-1, xiap, tiap, kiap, naip, ciapl, ciap2, apil, api2, api3, api4, hiapl, hiap2, miha, mihb, mihc, ilp, ilp-2, tlap, survivin, livin, apollon, bruce, mliap, sodd, or flip. [0023] embodiment 13 : the method of any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-2 polypeptide. [0024] embodiment 14: the method of embodiment 13, wherein the bcl-2 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in fig. 1 a or fig. ib. [0025] embodiment 15: the method of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a pluripotent stem cell or an adult stem cell. [0026] embodiment 16: the method of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a neural stem cell, a hematopoietic stem cell, a mesenchymal stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. [0027] embodiment 17: the method of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell. [0028] embodiment 18: the method of any one of embodiments 17, wherein the apoptosis regulator is transiently overexpressed. [0029] embodiment 19: the method of embodiment 18, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours. [0030] embodiment 20: the method of embodiment 18, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 48 hours to about 72 hours. [0031] embodiment 21 : the method of any one of embodiments 1-20, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed by at least 50% over background. [0032] embodiment 22: a method of editing a target genomic dna of a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell, generating a modified mammalian stem cell that overexpresses the apoptosis regulator; and b) contacting the modified mammalian stem cell with a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex comprising a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease complexed with a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna that hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease cleaves the genomic dna, resulting in editing of the target genomic dna. [0033] embodiment 23 : the method of embodiment 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease. [0034] embodiment 24: the method of embodiment 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a cas9 polypeptide and the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna is a cas9 guide rna. [0035] embodiment 25: the method of embodiment 24, wherein the cas9 guide rna is a single guide rna (sgrna). [0036] embodiment 26: the method of embodiment 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease. [0037] embodiment 27: the method of embodiment 22, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas polypeptide is a cpfl polypeptide, a c2cl polypeptide, a c2c3 polypeptide, or a c2c2 polypeptide. [0038] embodiment 28: the method of any one of embodiments 22-27, wherein the r p complex is present in a composition that comprises a donor template nucleic acid. [0039] embodiment 29: the method of any one of 22-28, wherein the apoptosis regulator is bcl-2, a caspase-9-dn mutant, baculovirus p35, caspase-9s, crma, z-vad-fmk, z-devd-fmk, b-d-fmk, z-yvad-fmk, bcl-xl, mcl-1, xiap, tiap, kiap, naip, ciapl, ciap2, apil, api2, api3, api4, hiap1, hiap2, miha, mthb, mihc, ilp, ilp-2, tlap, survivin, livin, apollon, bruce, mliap, sodd, or flip. [0040] embodiment 30: the method of any one of embodiments 22-28, wherein the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-2 polypeptide. [0041] embodiment 31 : the method of embodiment 30, wherein the bcl-2 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in fig. 1 a or fig. ib. [0042] embodiment 32: the method of any one of embodiments 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a pluripotent stem cell or an adult stem cell. [0043] embodiment 33 : the method of any one of embodiments 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a neural stem cell, a hematopoietic stem cell, a mesenchymal stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. [0044] embodiment 34: the method of any one of embodiments 22-31, wherein the mammalian stem cell is a hematopoietic stem cell. [0045] embodiment 35: the method of any one of embodiments 34, wherein the apoptosis regulator is transiently overexpressed. [0046] embodiment 36: the method of embodiment 35, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours. [0047] embodiment 37: the method of embodiment 35, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 48 hours to about 72 hours. [0048] embodiment 38: the method of any one of embodiments 22-37, wherein the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed by at least 50% over background. brief description of the drawings [0049] figures 1a and ib provide amino acid sequences of bcl-2 alpha (fig. 1a) (seq id no: 1142) and bcl-2 beta (fig. ib) (seq id no: 1143). [0050] figure 2 provides an amino acid sequence of mcl-1 (seq id no: 1144). [0051] figure 3 provides an amino acid sequence of survivin (seq id no: 1145). [0052] figure 4 provides an amino acid sequence of xiap (seq id no: 1146). [0053] figure 5 provides an amino acid sequence of ciapl (seq id no: 1147). [0054] figure 6 provides an amino acid sequence of bcl-xl (seq id no: 1148). [0055] figure 7 provides a schematic depiction of the experimental design, and immunophenotype-defined populations. [0056] figure 8 provides a hdr vs. nuej comparison in various cell populations. [0057] figure 9 depicts cell death and apoptosis analysis of various cell populations post-electroporation. [0058] figures 1 oa- ioc depict the effect of transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna on cell toxicity as measured by flow cytometry and on the number of cells overall. [0059] figure 11 depicts the effect of transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna on gene modification levels in hsc, mpp, and progenitor cells treated with zfn mrna and an oligonucleotide donor. [0060] figures 12a-12b depict apoptosis pathway gene expression analysis by qpcr in human hscs, mpps and progenitor cells. [0061] figures 13a-13d depict xenograft transplantations of female immune- deficient nsg mice. definitions [0062] by "site-directed modifying polypeptide" or "site-directed dna modifying polypeptide" or "site-directed target nucleic acid modifying polypeptide" or "rna-binding site-directed polypeptide" or "rna-binding site-directed modifying polypeptide" or "site- directed polypeptide" it is meant a polypeptide that binds a guide rna and is targeted to a specific dna sequence by the guide rna. a site-directed modifying polypeptide can be class 2 crispr/cas protein (e.g., a type ii crispr/cas protein, a type v crispr/cas protein, a type vi crispr/cas protein). an example of a type ii crispr/cas protein is a cas9 protein ("cas9 polypeptide"). examples of type v crispr/cas proteins are cpfl, c2cl, and c2c3. an example of a type ii crispr/cas protein is a c2c2 protein. class 2 crispr/cas proteins (e.g., cas9, cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, and c2c3) as described herein are targeted to a specific dna sequence by the rna (a guide rna) to which it is bound. the guide rna comprises a sequence that is complementary to a target sequence within the target dna, thus targeting the bound crispr/cas protein to a specific location within the target dna (the target sequence). for example, a cpfl polypeptide as described herein is targeted to a specific dna sequence by the rna (a guide rna) to which it is bound. the guide rna comprises a sequence that is complementary to a target sequence within the target dna, thus targeting the bound cpfl protein to a specific location within the target dna (the target sequence). [0063] "heterologous," as used herein, means a nucleotide or polypeptide sequence that is not found in the native nucleic acid or protein, respectively. [0064] the terms "polynucleotide" and "nucleic acid," used interchangeably herein, refer to a polymeric form of nucleotides of any length, either ribonucleotides or deoxynucleotides. thus, this term includes, but is not limited to, single-, double-, or multi- stranded dna or rna, genomic dna, cdna, dna-rna hybrids, or a polymer comprising purine and pyrimidine bases or other natural, chemically or biochemically modified, non- natural, or derivatized nucleotide bases. the terms "polynucleotide" and "nucleic acid" should be understood to include, as applicable to the embodiment being described, single- stranded (such as sense or antisense) and double-stranded polynucleotides. [0065] the term "naturally-occurring" as used herein as applied to a nucleic acid, a cell, or an organism, refers to a nucleic acid, cell, or organism that is found in nature. for example, a polypeptide or polynucleotide sequence that is present in an organism (including viruses) that can be isolated from a source in nature and which has not been intentionally modified by a human in the laboratory is naturally occurring. [0066] as used herein the term "isolated" is meant to describe a polynucleotide, a polypeptide, or a cell that is in an environment different from that in which the polynucleotide, the polypeptide, or the cell naturally occurs. an isolated genetically modified host cell may be present in a mixed population of genetically modified host cells. [0067] as used herein, the term "exogenous nucleic acid" refers to a nucleic acid that is not normally or naturally found in and/or produced by a given cell in nature. as used herein, the term "endogenous nucleic acid" refers to a nucleic acid that is normally found in and/or produced by a given cell in nature. an "endogenous nucleic acid" is also referred to as a "native nucleic acid" or a nucleic acid that is "native" to a given cell. [0068] "recombinant," as used herein, means that a particular nucleic acid (dna or rna) is the product of various combinations of cloning, restriction, and/or ligation steps resulting in a construct having a structural coding or non-coding sequence distinguishable from endogenous nucleic acids found in natural systems. generally, dna sequences encoding the structural coding sequence can be assembled from cdna fragments and short oligonucleotide linkers, or from a series of synthetic oligonucleotides, to provide a synthetic nucleic acid which is capable of being expressed from a recombinant transcriptional unit contained in a cell or in a cell-free transcription and translation system. such sequences can be provided in the form of an open reading frame uninterrupted by internal non-translated sequences, or introns, which are typically present in eukaryotic genes. genomic dna comprising the relevant sequences can also be used in the formation of a recombinant gene or transcriptional unit. sequences of non-translated dna may be present 5' or 3' from the open reading frame, where such sequences do not interfere with manipulation or expression of the coding regions, and may indeed act to modulate production of a desired product by various mechanisms (see "dna regulatory sequences", below). [0069] thus, e.g., the term "recombinant" polynucleotide or "recombinant" nucleic acid refers to one which is not naturally occurring, e.g., is made by the artificial combination of two otherwise separated segments of sequence through human intervention. this artificial combination is often accomplished by either chemical synthesis means, or by the artificial manipulation of isolated segments of nucleic acids, e.g., by genetic engineering techniques. such can be done to replace a codon with a redundant codon encoding the same or a conservative amino acid, while typically introducing or removing a sequence recognition site. it can also be performed to join together nucleic acid segments of desired functions to generate a desired combination of functions. this artificial combination is often accomplished by either chemical synthesis means, or by the artificial manipulation of isolated segments of nucleic acids, e.g., by genetic engineering techniques. [0070] similarly, the term "recombinant" polypeptide refers to a polypeptide which is not naturally occurring, e.g., is made by the artificial combination of two otherwise separated segments of amino sequence through human intervention. thus, e.g., a polypeptide that comprises a heterologous amino acid sequence is recombinant. [0071] by "recombination" it is meant a process of exchange of genetic information between two polynucleotides. as used herein, "homology-directed repair (hdr)" refers to the specialized form dna repair that takes place, for example, during repair of double-strand breaks in cells. this process requires nucleotide sequence homology, uses a "donor" molecule to template repair of a "target" molecule (i.e., the one that experienced the double- strand break), and leads to the transfer of genetic information from the donor to the target. homology-directed repair may result in an alteration of the sequence of the target molecule (e.g., insertion, deletion, mutation), if the donor polynucleotide differs from the target molecule and part or all of the sequence of the donor polynucleotide is incorporated into the target dna. in some embodiments, the donor polynucleotide, a portion of the donor polynucleotide, a copy of the donor polynucleotide, or a portion of a copy of the donor polynucleotide integrates into the target dna. [0072] by "non-homologous end joining (nhej)" it is meant the repair of double- strand breaks in dna by direct ligation of the break ends to one another without the need for a homologous template (in contrast to homology-directed repair, which requires a homologous sequence to guide repair). nhej often results in the loss (deletion) of nucleotide sequence near the site of the double-strand break. [0073] by "construct" or "vector" is meant a recombinant nucleic acid, generally recombinant dna, which has been generated for the purpose of the expression and/or propagation of a specific nucleotide sequence(s), or is to be used in the construction of other recombinant nucleotide sequences. [0074] the terms "dna regulatory sequences," "control elements," and "regulatory elements," used interchangeably herein, refer to transcriptional and translational control sequences, such as promoters, enhancers, polyadenylation signals, terminators, protein degradation signals, and the like, that provide for and/or regulate expression of a coding sequence and/or production of an encoded polypeptide in a host cell. [0075] the term "transformation" is used interchangeably herein with "genetic modification" and refers to a permanent or transient genetic change induced in a cell following introduction of new nucleic acid (i.e., dna exogenous to the cell). genetic change ("modification") can be accomplished either by incorporation of the new dna into the genome of the host cell, or by transient or stable maintenance of the new dna as an episomal element. where the cell is a eukaryotic cell, a permanent genetic change is generally achieved by introduction of the dna into the genome of the cell. [0076] "operably linked" refers to a juxtaposition wherein the components so described are in a relationship permitting them to function in their intended manner. for instance, a promoter is operably linked to a coding sequence if the promoter affects its transcription or expression. as used herein, the terms "heterologous promoter" and "heterologous control regions" refer to promoters and other control regions that are not normally associated with a particular nucleic acid in nature. for example, a "transcriptional control region heterologous to a coding region" is a transcriptional control region that is not normally associated with the coding region in nature. [0077] a "host cell," as used herein, denotes an in vivo or in vitro eukaryotic cell, or a cell from a multicellular organism {e.g., a cell line) cultured as a unicellular entity, which eukaryotic cells can be, or have been, used as recipients for a nucleic acid {e.g., a donor template nucleic acid), and include the progeny of the original cell which has been genetically modified by the nucleic acid. it is understood that the progeny of a single cell may not necessarily be completely identical in morphology or in genomic or total dna complement as the original parent, due to natural, accidental, or deliberate mutation. a "recombinant host cell" (also referred to as a "genetically modified host cell") is a host cell into which has been introduced a heterologous nucleic acid, e.g., an expression vector. for example, a eukaryotic host cell is a genetically modified eukaryotic host cell, by virtue of introduction into a suitable eukaryotic host cell of a heterologous nucleic acid, e.g., an exogenous nucleic acid that is foreign to the eukaryotic host cell, or a recombinant nucleic acid that is not normally found in the eukaryotic host cell. [0078] the term "stem cell" is used herein to refer to a cell {e.g., plant stem cell, vertebrate stem cell) that has the ability both to self-renew and to generate a differentiated cell type (see morrison et al. (1997) cell 88:287-298). in the context of cell ontogeny, the adjective "differentiated", or "differentiating" is a relative term. a "differentiated cell" is a cell that has progressed further down the developmental pathway than the cell it is being compared with. thus, pluripotent stem cells (described below) can differentiate into lineage- restricted progenitor cells {e.g., mesodermal stem cells), which in turn can differentiate into cells that are further restricted (e.g., neuron progenitors), which can differentiate into end- stage cells (i.e., terminally differentiated cells, e.g., neurons, cardiomyocytes, etc.), which play a characteristic role in a certain tissue type, and may or may not retain the capacity to proliferate further. stem cells may be characterized by both the presence of specific markers (e.g., proteins, rnas, etc.) and the absence of specific markers. stem cells may also be identified by functional assays both in vitro and in vivo, particularly assays relating to the ability of stem cells to give rise to multiple differentiated progeny. [0079] stem cells of interest include pluripotent stem cells (pscs). the term "pluripotent stem cell" or "psc" is used herein to mean a stem cell capable of producing all cell types of the organism. therefore, a psc can give rise to cells of all germ layers of the organism (e.g., the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm of a vertebrate). pluripotent cells are capable of forming teratomas and of contributing to ectoderm, mesoderm, or endoderm tissues in a living organism. pluripotent stem cells of plants are capable of giving rise to all cell types of the plant (e.g., cells of the root, stem, leaves, etc.). [0080] pscs of animals can be derived in a number of different ways. for example, embryonic stem cells (escs) are derived from the inner cell mass of an embryo (thomson et. al, science. 1998 nov 6;282(5391): 1145-7) whereas induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) are derived from somatic cells (takahashi et. al, cell. 2007 nov 30; 131(5):861-72; takahashi et. al, nat protoc. 2007;2(12):3081-9; yu et. al, science. 2007 dec 21;318(5858): 1917-20. epub 2007 nov 20). because the term psc refers to pluripotent stem cells regardless of their derivation, the term psc encompasses the terms esc and ipsc, as well as the term embryonic germ stem cells (egsc), which are another example of a psc. pscs may be in the form of an established cell line, they may be obtained directly from primary embryonic tissue, or they may be derived from a somatic cell. pscs can be target cells of the methods described herein. [0081] by "embryonic stem cell" (esc) is meant a psc that was isolated from an embryo, typically from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. esc lines are listed in the nih human embryonic stem cell registry, e.g., hesbgn-01, hesbgn-02, hesbgn-03, hesbgn-04 (bresagen, inc.); hes-1, hes-2, hes-3, hes-4, hes-5, hes-6 (es cell international); miz-hesl (mizmedi hospital-seoul national university); hsf-1, hsf-6 (university of california at san francisco); and hi, h7, h9, h13, h14 (wisconsin alumni research foundation (wicell research institute)). stem cells of interest also include embryonic stem cells from other primates, such as rhesus stem cells and marmoset stem cells. the stem cells may be obtained from any mammalian species, e.g., human, equine, bovine, porcine, canine, feline, rodent, e.g., mice, rats, hamster, primate, etc. (thomson et al. (1998) science 282: 1145; thomson et al. (1995) proc. natl. acad. sci usa 92:7844; thomson et al. (1996) biol. reprod. 55:254; shamblott et al, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 95: 13726, 1998). in culture, escs typically grow as flat colonies with large nucleo- cytoplasmic ratios, defined borders and prominent nucleoli. in addition, escs express ssea-3, ssea-4, tra-1-60, tra-1-81, and alkaline phosphatase, but not ssea-1. examples of methods of generating and characterizing escs may be found in, for example, us patent no. 7,029,913, us patent no. 5,843,780, and us patent no. 6,200,806, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. methods for proliferating hescs in the undifferentiated form are described in wo 99/20741, wo 01/51616, and wo 03/020920. [0082] by "embryonic germ stem cell" (egsc) or "embryonic germ cell" or "eg cell" is meant a psc that is derived from germ cells and/or germ cell progenitors, e.g., primordial germ cells, i.e. those that would become sperm and eggs. embryonic germ cells (eg cells) are thought to have properties similar to embryonic stem cells as described above. examples of methods of generating and characterizing eg cells may be found in, for example, us patent no. 7, 153,684; matsui, y., et al, (1992) cell 70:841; shamblott, m., et al. (2001) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 98: 113; shamblott, m., et al. (1998) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa, 95: 13726; and koshimizu, u., et al. (1996) development, 122: 1235, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0083] by "induced pluripotent stem cell" or "ipsc" it is meant a psc that is derived from a cell that is not a psc {i.e., from a cell this is differentiated relative to a psc). ipscs can be derived from multiple different cell types, including terminally differentiated cells. ipscs have an es cell-like morphology, growing as flat colonies with large nucleo- cytoplasmic ratios, defined borders and prominent nuclei. in addition, ipscs express one or more key pluripotency markers known by one of ordinary skill in the art, including but not limited to alkaline phosphatase, ssea3, ssea4, sox2, oct3/4, nanog, tra160, tra181, tdgf 1, dnmt3b, foxd3, gdf3, cyp26al, tert, and zfp42. examples of methods of generating and characterizing ipscs may be found in, for example, u.s. patent publication nos. us20090047263, us20090068742, us20090191159, us20090227032, us20090246875, and us20090304646, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. generally, to generate ipscs, somatic cells are provided with reprogramming factors (e.g., oct4, sox2, klf4, myc, nanog, lin28, etc.) known in the art to reprogram the somatic cells to become pluripotent stem cells. [0084] by "somatic cell" it is meant any cell in an organism that, in the absence of experimental manipulation, does not ordinarily give rise to all types of cells in an organism. in other words, somatic cells are cells that have differentiated sufficiently that they will not naturally generate cells of all three germ layers of the body, i.e. ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. for example, somatic cells would include both neurons and neural progenitors, the latter of which may be able to naturally give rise to all or some cell types of the central nervous system but cannot give rise to cells of the mesoderm or endoderm lineages. [0085] the term "conservative amino acid substitution" refers to the interchangeability in proteins of amino acid residues having similar side chains. for example, a group of amino acids having aliphatic side chains consists of glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine; a group of amino acids having aliphatic-hydroxyl side chains consists of serine and threonine; a group of amino acids having amide-containing side chains consists of asparagine and glutamine; a group of amino acids having aromatic side chains consists of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; a group of amino acids having basic side chains consists of lysine, arginine, and histidine; and a group of amino acids having sulfur- containing side chains consists of cysteine and methionine. exemplary conservative amino acid substitution groups are: valine-leucine-isoleucine, phenylalanine-tyrosine, lysine- arginine, alanine-valine, and asparagine-glutamine. [0086] a polynucleotide or polypeptide has a certain percent "sequence identity" to another polynucleotide or polypeptide, meaning that, when aligned, that percentage of bases or amino acids are the same, and in the same relative position, when comparing the two sequences. sequence similarity can be determined in a number of different manners. to determine sequence identity, sequences can be aligned using the methods and computer programs, including blast, available over the world wide web at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast. see, e.g., altschul et al. (1990), j. mol. biol. 215:403-10. another alignment algorithm is fasta, available in the genetics computing group (gcg) package, from madison, wisconsin, usa, a wholly owned subsidiary of oxford molecular group, inc. other techniques for alignment are described in methods in enzymology, vol. 266: computer methods for macromolecular sequence analysis (1996), ed. doolittle, academic press, inc., a division of harcourt brace & co., san diego, california, usa. of particular interest are alignment programs that permit gaps in the sequence. the smith-waterman is one type of algorithm that permits gaps in sequence alignments. see meth. mol. biol. 70: 173-187 (1997). also, the gap program using the needleman and wunsch alignment method can be utilized to align sequences. see j. mol. biol. 48: 443-453 (1970). [0087] before the present invention is further described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims. [0088] where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the invention. the upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges, and are also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention. [0089] unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. [0090] it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. thus, for example, reference to "a stem cell" includes a plurality of such stem cells and reference to "the genome editing endonuclease" includes reference to one or more genome editing endonucleases and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. it is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. as such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as "solely," "only" and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a "negative" limitation. [0091] it is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. all combinations of the embodiments pertaining to the invention are specifically embraced by the present invention and are disclosed herein just as if each and every combination was individually and explicitly disclosed. in addition, all subcombinations of the various embodiments and elements thereof are also specifically embraced by the present invention and are disclosed herein just as if each and every such subcombination was individually and explicitly disclosed herein. [0092] the publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed. detailed description [0093] the present disclosure provides methods for gene editing in stem cells. the methods generally involve modifying the stem cells by increasing the level of an apoptosis regulator in the stem cells; and introducing into the modified stem cells a genome editing composition. genome editing includes nhej and hdr. a genome-editing endonuclease generates a single- or double-strand break in a target genomic dna, and the single- or double-strand break is repaired. repair that occurs via nhej is sometimes referred to an "indel" (insertion or deletion); dna repair via hdr is sometimes referred to as "gene correction" or "gene modification." in some cases, editing a target genomic dna involves generating a substitution of one or more nucleotides in the target genomic dna, generating an edited target genomic dna. in some cases, editing a target genomic dna involves deletion of one or more nucleotides from the target genomic dna, generating an edited target genomic dna. in some cases, editing a target genomic dna involves insertion of one or more nucleotides from the target genomic dna, generating an edited target genomic dna. [0094] the present disclosure provides a method of editing a target genomic dna in a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell; and b) contacting the cell with a genome targeting composition comprising a genome editing endonuclease, or a nucleic acid encoding the genome editing endonuclease, wherein the genome editing endonuclease cleaves within a desired target sequence of the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the genome-editing endonuclease enters the cell and edits the target genomic dna. [0095] the present disclosure provides a method of editing a target genomic dna of a mammalian stem cell, the method comprising: a) overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in the cell; and b) contacting the cell with a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex comprising a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease complexed with a corresponding crispr/cas guide rna that hybridizes to a target sequence within the genomic dna of the cell, wherein the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease cleaves the genomic dna, resulting in editing of the target genomic dna. [0096] as noted above, a method of the present disclosure comprises overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in a mammalian stem cell. in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is transiently overexpressed. for example, in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours. for example, in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 4 hours, from about 4 hours to about 8 hours, from about 8 hours to about 12 hours, from about 12 hours to about 16 hours, from about 16 hours to about 20 hours, from about 20 hours to about 24 hours, from about 24 hours to about 30 hours, from about 30 hours to about 36 hours, from about 36 hours to about 42 hours, or from about 42 hours to about 48 hours. in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 1 hour to about 72 hours. in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed for a period of time of from about 48 hours to about 72 hours, e.g., from about 48 hours to about 54 hours, from about 54 hours to about 60 hours, from about 60 hours to about 66 hours, or from about 66 hours to about 72 hours. [0097] the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed such that the level of the apoptosis regulator in the modified stem cell is at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 75%, at least 2-fold, at least 2.5-fold, at least 5-fold, at least 10-fold, at least 25-fold, or more than 25-fold, higher than the background level of the apoptosis regulator in a control (unmodified) stem cell. for example, in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed such that the level of the apoptosis regulator in the modified stem cell is from 25% to 50%, from 50% to 75%, from 75% to 2-fold, from 2-fold to 2.5-fold, from 2.5-fold to 5-fold, from 5-fold to 10-fold, from 10-fold to 25-fold, or from 25-fold to 50-fold, higher than the background level of the apoptosis regulator in a control (unmodified) stem cell. [0098] overexpressing an apoptosis regulator in a mammalian stem cell generates a modified mammalian stem cell. thus, the step of contacting the mammalian stem cell with a genome targeting composition, or with an rnp, occurs during a period of time in which the apoptosis regulator is overexpressed. [0099] overexpression of an apoptosis regulator in a mammalian stem cell can be achieved by any known method. in some cases, an apoptosis regulator is introduced in a stem cell as a polypeptide. in such cases, the apoptosis regulator can be modified with a heterologous polypeptide that facilitates entry into the cell. for example, a fusion protein comprising an apoptosis regulator and a fusion partner that facilitates entry into a stem cell can be used. suitable fusion partners include, e.g., a protein transduction domain (ptd; also referred to as a cell-penetrating peptide or cpp). examples of ptds include but are not limited to a minimal undecapeptide protein transduction domain (corresponding to residues 47-57 of hiv-1 tat comprising ygrkkrrqrrr; seq id no: 1076); a polyarginine sequence comprising a number of arginines sufficient to direct entry into a cell (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 10-50 arginines); a vp22 domain (zender et al. (2002) cancer gene ther. 9(6):489-96); an drosophila antennapedia protein transduction domain (noguchi et al. (2003) diabetes 52(7): 1732-1737); a truncated human calcitonin peptide (trehin et al. (2004) pharm. research 21 : 1248-1256); polylysine (wender et al. (2000) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 97: 13003-13008); rrqrrtsklmkr (seq id no: 1077); transportan gwtlnsagyllgkinlkalaalakkil (seq id no: 1078); kalaweaklakalakalakhlakalakalkcea (seq id no: 1079); and rqikiwfqnrrmkwkk (seq id no: 1080). exemplary ptds include but are not limited to, ygrkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1081), rkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1082); an arginine homopolymer of from 3 arginine residues to 50 arginine residues; exemplary ptd domain amino acid sequences include, but are not limited to, any of the following: ygrkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1083); rkkrrqrr (seq id no: 1084); yaraaarqara (seq id no: 1085); thrlprrrrrr (seq id no: 1086); and ggrrarrrrrr (seq id no: 1087). in some embodiments, the ptd is an activatable cpp (acpp) (aguilera et al. (2009) integr biol (camb) june; 1(5-6): 371-381). acpps comprise a polycationic cpp (e.g., arg9 or "r9") connected via a cleavable linker to a matching polyanion (e.g., glu9 or "e9"), which reduces the net charge to nearly zero and thereby inhibits adhesion and uptake into cells. upon cleavage of the linker, the polyanion is released, locally unmasking the polyarginine and its inherent adhesiveness, thus "activating" the acpp to traverse the membrane. [0100] in some cases, an mrna comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the apoptosis regulator is introduced into a mammalian stem cell, where the mrna enters the stem cell and the apoptosis regulator-encoding mrna is translated. [0101] as another example, in some cases, a recombinant expression vector comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an apoptosis regulator is introduced into a mammalian stem cell, where the apoptosis regulator-encoding nucleotide sequence is expressed in the stem cell. suitable expression vectors that can be used to generate a recombinant expression vector comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an apoptosis regulator are known in the art; suitable examples include adeno-associated virus vectors, lentivirus vectors, retroviral vectors, herpes simplex virus vectors, and the like. a nucleotide sequence encoding an apoptosis regulator can be operably linked to a transcriptional control element(s), e.g., a promoter, where the promoter is active in a stem cell. in some cases, the promoter is a constitutive promoter. in some cases, the promoter is an inducible promoter. [0102] overexpression (e.g., transient overexpression) of an apoptosis regulator in a stem cell increases the survival of the stem cell when the stem cell is contacted with a genome targeting composition (e.g., a composition comprising a genome editing nuclease; a composition comprising a genome editing nuclease and a donor polynucleotide; a composition comprising an rna-guided genome editing nuclease and a guide rna; a composition comprising an rna-guided genome editing nuclease, a guide rna, and a donor polynucleotide; etc., as described below). for example, overexpression (e.g., transient overexpression) of an apoptosis regulator in a stem cell increases the survival of the stem cell when the stem cell is contacted with a genome targeting composition by at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 2-fold, at least 5-fold, at least 10-fold, at least 20-fold, at least 50-fold, or more than 50-fold, compared with the survival of a control stem cell that does not overexpress the apoptosis regulator, and is contacted with the genome targeting composition. in some cases, overexpression (e.g., transient overexpression) of an apoptosis regulator in a population of stem cells increases the percent of the stem cells that survive genome editing (e.g., that survive contact with a genome editing composition). for example, in some cases, overexpression (e.g., transient overexpression) of an apoptosis regulator in a population of stem cells increases the percent of the stem cells that survive genome editing (e.g., that survive contact with a genome editing composition) by at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 2-fold, at least 3-fold, at least 4-fold, or at least 5-fold, compared with the percent of control stem cells that survive genome editing (e.g., that survive contact with a genome editing composition), where the control stem cells do not overexpress the apoptosis regulator. as another example, in some cases, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%), at least 90%, or at least 95%, of a stem cell population that overexpresses (e.g., transiently overexpresses) an apoptosis regulator survives genome editing (e.g., survives contact with a genome editing composition). thus, the efficiency of genome editing of a stem cell is increased when the stem cell overexpresses an apoptosis regulator. apoptosis regulators [0103] suitable apoptosis regulators inhibit apoptosis in a stem cell. suitable apoptosis regulators include, but are not limited to, bcl-2, a caspase-9-dn mutant, baculovirus p35, caspase-9s, crma, z-vad-fmk, z-devd-fmk, b-d-fmk, z-yvad-fmk, bcl-xl, mcl-l, xiap, tiap, kiap, naip, ciapl, ciap2, apil, api2, api3, api4, hiapl, hiap2, miha, mihb, mihc, ilp, ilp-2, tlap, survivin, livin, apollon, bruce, mliap, sodd and flip and variants thereof. [0104] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-2 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 1 a. [0105] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-2 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. ib. [0106] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is an mcl l polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%), or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 2. [0107] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is a survivin polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%), or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 3. [0108] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is an xiap polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%), or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 4. [0109] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is a ciapl polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%>, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%>, at least 99%), or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 5. [0110] in some cases, the apoptosis regulator is a bcl-xl polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85%>, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%), or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence depicted in fig. 6. stem cells [0111] the present disclosure provides methods of editing a target genomic dna of a mammalian stem cell. stem cells include, e.g., hematopoietic stem cells, embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, epidermal stem cells, endothelial stem cells, gastrointestinal stem cells, liver stem cells, cord blood stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells, skeletal muscle stem cells, smooth muscle stem cells (e.g., cardiac smooth muscle stem cells), pancreatic stem cells, olfactory stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. thus, the target genomic dna can be present in a hematopoietic stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a mesenchymal stem cell, a neural stem cell, an epidermal stem cell, an endothelial stem cell, a gastrointestinal stem cell, a liver stem cell, a cord blood stem cell, an amniotic fluid stem cell, a skeletal muscle stem cell, a smooth muscle stem cell (e.g., a cardiac smooth muscle stem cell), a pancreatic stem cell, an olfactory stem cell, a hematopoietic stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. [0112] suitable human embryonic stem (es) cells include, but are not limited to, any of a variety of available human es lines, e.g., bgol(hesbgn-ol), bg02 (hesbgn-02), bg03 (hesbgn-03) (bresagen, inc.; athens, ga); sa01 (sahlgrenska 1), sa02 (sahlgrenska 2) (cellartis ab; goeteborg, sweden); es01 (hes-1), es01 (hes-2), es03 (hes-3), es04 (hes-4), es05 (hes-5), es06 (hes-6) (es cell international; singapore); ucol (hsf-1), uc06 (hsf-6) (university of california, san francisco; san francisco, ca); wa01 (hi), wa07 (h7), wa09 (h9), wa09/oct4d10 (h9-hoct4-pgz), wa13 (h13), wa14 (h14) (wisconsin alumni research foundation; warf; madison, wi). cell line designations are given as the national institutes of health (nih) code, followed in parentheses by the provider code. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,875,607. [0113] suitable human es cell lines can be positive for one, two, three, four, five, six, or all seven of the following markers: stage-specific embryonic antigen-3 (ssea-3); ssea- 4; tra 1-60; tra 1-81; oct-4; gctm-2; and alkaline phosphatase. [0114] hematopoietic stem cells (hscs) are mesoderm-derived cells that can be isolated from bone marrow, blood, cord blood, fetal liver and yolk sac. hscs are characterized as cd34 + and cd3 " . hscs can repopulate the erythroid, neutrophil- macrophage, megakaryocyte and lymphoid hematopoietic cell lineages in vivo. in vitro, hscs can be induced to undergo at least some self-renewing cell divisions and can be induced to differentiate to the same lineages as is seen in vivo. as such, hscs can be induced to differentiate into one or more of erythroid cells, megakaryocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphoid cells. [0115] neural stem cells (nscs) are capable of differentiating into neurons, and glia (including oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes). a neural stem cell is a multipotent stem cell which is capable of multiple divisions, and under specific conditions can produce daughter cells which are neural stem cells, or neural progenitor cells that can be neuroblasts or glioblasts, e.g., cells committed to become one or more types of neurons and glial cells respectively. methods of obtaining nscs are known in the art. [0116] mesenchymal stem cells (msc), originally derived from the embryonal mesoderm and isolated from adult bone marrow, can differentiate to form muscle, bone, cartilage, fat, marrow stroma, and tendon. methods of isolating msc are known in the art; and any known method can be used to obtain msc. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 5,736,396, which describes isolation of human msc. [0117] an induced pluripotent stem (ips) cells is a pluripotent stem cell induced from a somatic cell, e.g., a differentiated somatic cell. ips cells are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into cell fate-committed stem cells, including neural stem cells, as well as various types of mature cells. [0118] ips cells can be generated from somatic cells, including skin fibroblasts, using, e.g., known methods. ips cells produce and express on their cell surface one or more of the following cell surface antigens: ssea-3, ssea-4, tra-1-60, tra-1-81, tra-2- 49/6e, and nanog. in some cases, ips cells produce and express on their cell surface ssea- 3, ssea-4, tra-1-60, tra-1-81, tra-2-49/6e, and nanog. ips cells express one or more of the following genes: oct-3/4, sox2, nanog, gdf3, rexl, fgf4, esg1, dppa2, dppa4, and htert. in some embodiments, an ips cell expresses oct-3/4, sox2, nanog, gdf3, rexl, fgf4, esgl, dppa2, dppa4, and htert. methods of generating ips are known in the art, and any such method can be used to generate ips. see, e.g., takahashi and yamanaka (2006) cell 126:663-676; yamanaka et. al. (2007) nature 448:313-7; wernig et. al. (2007) nature 448:318-24; maherali (2007) cell stem cell 1 : 55-70; nakagawa et al. (2008) nat. biotechnol. 26: 101; takahashi et al. (2007) cell 131 :861; takahashi et al. (2007) nat. protoc. 2:3081; and okita et al. (2007 nature 448:313. [0119] ips cells can be generated from somatic cells {e.g., skin fibroblasts) by genetically modifying the somatic cells with one or more expression constructs encoding oct- 3/4 and sox2. in some cases, somatic cells are genetically modified with one or more expression constructs comprising nucleotide sequences encoding oct-3/4, sox2, c-myc, and klf4. in some embodiments, somatic cells are genetically modified with one or more expression constructs comprising nucleotide sequences encoding oct-4, sox2, nanog, and lin28. [0120] in some cases, a target genomic dna is the genomic dna of a mammalian hematopoietic stem cell (hsc) {e.g., mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cells, bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cells, and the like). in some cases, the hsc is a long-term (lt)- hsc. the hsc can be from any mammal, e.g., a horse, dog, cat, goat, cow, pig, sheep, primate, non-human primate, or human. suitable hscs include, but are not limited to: mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cells and bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cells. [0121] in some cases, the mammalian hsc {e.g., human hsc) is a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell or a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell. in some cases, the mammalian hsc {e.g., human hsc) is a long-term (lt)-hsc. in some cases, the mammalian hsc {e.g., human hsc) is from an individual with a sickle cell disease or with x-linked hyper igm syndrome. in some cases, the mammalian hsc {e.g., human hsc) is from an individual with x-linked gammaglobulinemia. [0122] in some cases, the hsc {e.g., a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell, a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell, etc.) into which the subject compositions are introduced is in vivo. in some cases, the hsc into which the subject compositions are introduced is in vitro or ex vivo. for example, in some cases, the hsc into which the subject compositions are introduced is isolated {e.g., in culture), and in some cases the hsc is a primary cell {e.g., a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell, a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell, etc.) that was isolated/harvested from an individual {e.g., an individual with a disease such as sickle cell disease or x-linked hyper igm syndrome). in some cases, the individual from whom the hsc {e.g., a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell, a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell, etc.) is isolated has x-linked hyper-igm syndrome {e.g., caused by a mutation in the gene cd40 ligand (cd40l)). in some cases, the individual from whom the hsc {e.g., a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell, a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell, etc.) is isolated has sickle cell disease {e.g., caused by a mutation in the beta-globin gene (hbb)). in some cases, the individual from whom the hsc {e.g., a mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cell, a bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cell, etc.) is isolated has x-linked agammaglobulinemia (xla) {e.g., caused by a mutation in the bruton tyrosine kinase (btk) gene). [0123] hscs can be obtained from several different sources including bone marrow, mobilized peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. methods of harvesting hscs {e.g., mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cells, bone marrow (bm) cd34(+) cells, and the like) from an individual will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art and any convenient method can be used. for example, g-csf can be used to mobilize hscs, which can be harvested as mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) cd34(+) cells. for example, harvesting hscs from bone marrow (bm) can be a one-time, single-day procedure whereas harvesting hscs from mobilized peripheral blood (mpb) can extend over the stem cell mobilization period {e.g., 4 to 5 days) and the harvesting period {e.g., 1 to 3 days). [0124] in some cases, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (g-csf) is used as an hsc mobilizing agent {e.g., i.e., an agent to increase the level of circulating hscs). for example, the administration of g-csf daily for 4 to 6 days can results in a 10- to 30-fold increase in the number of circulating hscs and g-csf-mobilized hscs collected by apheresis can be used for various purposes {e.g., transplantation, immune therapy, treatment of cardiac ischemia, cancer treatment, etc.). any convenient hsc mobilizing agent can be used and several such agents will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. suitable hsc mobilization agents include, e.g., granulocyte colony stimulating factor (g-csf), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (gm-csf), gro-β (cxcl2), an n- terminal 4-amino acid truncated form of gro-β, pegfilgrastim, amd-3100 (1, 1 '-[1,4- phenylenebis(methylene)]bis [1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane]), and the like. genome targeting composition [0125] a genome targeting composition is a composition that includes a genome editing nuclease that is (or can be) targeted to a desired sequence within a target genome. a genome editing nuclease is an endonuclease capable of cleaving the phosphodiester bond within a polynucleotide chain at a designated specific site within a selected genomic target dna (e.g., causing a double-stranded break (dsb)) without damaging the bases. in some embodiments, the genome editing nuclease binds a native or endogenous recognition sequence. in some embodiments, the genome editing nuclease is a modified endonuclease that binds a non-native or exogenous recognition sequence and does not bind a native or endogenous recognition sequence. [0126] examples of suitable genome editing nucleases include but are not limited to zinc finger nucleases, tal-effector dna binding domain-nuclease fusion proteins (transcription activator-like effector nucleases (talens)), and crispr/cas endonucleases (e.g., class 2 crispr/cas endonucleases such as a type ii, type v, or type vi crispr/cas endonucleases). thus, in some embodiments, a genome targeting composition can include one or more genome editing nucleases selected from: a zinc finger nuclease, a tal-effector dna binding domain-nuclease fusion protein (talen), and a crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease such as a type ii, type v, or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease). in some cases, a genome targeting composition includes a zinc finger nuclease or a talen. in some cases, a genome targeting composition includes a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease. in some cases, a genome targeting composition includes a class 2 type ii crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a cas9 protein). in some cases, a genome targeting composition includes a class 2 type v crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a cpfl protein, a c2cl protein, or a c2c3 protein). in some cases, a genome targeting composition includes a class 2 type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a c2c2 protein). [0127] as described in more detail below, a crispr/cas endonuclease interacts with (binds to) a corresponding guide rna to form a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex that is targeted to a particular site in a target genome via base pairing between the guide rna and a target sequence within the target genome. a guide rna includes a nucleotide sequence (a guide sequence) that is complementary to a sequence (the target site) of a target nucleic acid. thus, when a subject genome targeting composition includes a crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease), it must also include a corresponding guide rna when being used in a method to cleave a target dna. however, because the guide rna can be readily modified in order to target any desired sequence within a target genome, in some cases, a composition includes only the crispr/cas endonuclease (or a nucleic acid encoding the crispr/cas endonuclease) until a user adds the desired corresponding guide rna (or a nucleic acid encoding the corresponding guide rna). [0128] the components of a subject genome targeting composition can be delivered (introduced into a stem cell) as dna, rna, or protein. for example, when the composition includes a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., cas9, cpfl, etc.) and a corresponding guide rna (e.g., a cas9 guide rna, a cpfl guide rna, etc.), the endonuclease and guide rna can be delivered (introduced into the cell) as an rnp complex (i.e., a pre-assembled complex of the crispr/cas endonuclease and the corresponding crispr/cas guide rna). thus, a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease can be introduced into a cell as a protein. alternatively, a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease can be introduced into a cell as a nucleic acid (dna and/or rna) encoding the endonuclease. a crispr/cas guide rna can be introduced into a cell as rna, or as dna encoding the guide rna. likewise, a zinc finger nuclease and/or a talen can be introduced into a cell as a protein or alternatively as a nucleic acid (dna and/or rna) encoding the protein. [0129] in some cases, a genome editing nuclease is a fusion protein that is fused to a heterologous polypeptide (also referred to as a "fusion partner"). in some cases, a genome editing nuclease is fused to an amino acid sequence (a fusion partner) that provides for subcellular localization, i.e., the fusion partner is a subcellular localization sequence (e.g., one or more nuclear localization signals (nlss) for targeting to the nucleus, two or more nlss, three or more nlss, etc.). in some embodiments, a genome editing nuclease is fused to an amino acid sequence (a fusion partner) that provides a tag (i.e., the fusion partner is a detectable label) for ease of tracking and/or purification (e.g., a fluorescent protein, e.g., green fluorescent protein (gfp), yfp, rfp, cfp, mcherry, tdtomato, and the like; a histidine tag, e.g., a 6xhis tag; a hemagglutinin (ha) tag; a flag tag; a myc tag; and the like). in some embodiments, the fusion partner can provide for increased or decreased stability (i.e., the fusion partner can be a stability control peptide, e.g., a degron, which in some cases is controllable (e.g., a temperature sensitive or drug controllable degron sequence). [0130] in some cases, a genome editing nuclease is conjugated (e.g., fused) to a polypeptide permeant domain to promote uptake by the cell (i.e., the fusion partner promotes uptake by a cell). a number of permeant domains are known in the art and may be used, including peptides, peptidomimetics, and non-peptide carriers. for example, a permeant peptide may be derived from the third alpha helix of drosophila melanogaster transcription factor antennapaedia, referred to as penetratin, which comprises the amino acid sequence rqikiwf q rrmkwkk (seq id no: 1080). as another example, the permeant peptide can comprise the hiv-1 tat basic region amino acid sequence, which may include, for example, amino acids 49-57 of naturally-occurring tat protein. other permeant domains include poly-arginine motifs, for example, the region of amino acids 34-56 of hiv-1 rev protein, nona-arginine, octa-arginine, and the like. (see, for example, futaki et al. (2003) curr protein pept sci. 2003 apr; 4(2): 87-9 and 446; and wender et al. (2000) proc. natl. acad. sci. u.s.a 2000 nov. 21; 97(24): 13003-8; published u.s. patent applications 20030220334; 20030083256; 20030032593; and 20030022831, herein specifically incorporated by reference for the teachings of translocation peptides and peptoids). the nona-arginine (r9) sequence is one of the more efficient ptds that have been characterized (wender et al. 2000; uemura et al. 2002). the site at which the fusion is made may be selected in order to optimize the biological activity, secretion or binding characteristics of the polypeptide. the optimal site can be determined by routine experimentation. [0131] in some cases, a genome editing nuclease includes a "protein transduction domain" or ptd (also known as a cpp - cell penetrating peptide), which refers to a polypeptide, polynucleotide, carbohydrate, or organic or inorganic compound that facilitates traversing a lipid bilayer, micelle, cell membrane, organelle membrane, or vesicle membrane. a ptd attached to another molecule, which can range from a small polar molecule to a large macromolecule and/or a nanoparticle, facilitates the molecule traversing a membrane, for example going from extracellular space to intracellular space, or cytosol to within an organelle. in some embodiments, a ptd is covalently linked to the amino terminus a polypeptide {e.g., a genome editing nuclease, e.g., a cas9 protein). in some embodiments, a ptd is covalently linked to the carboxyl terminus of a polypeptide {e.g., a genome editing nuclease, e.g., a cas9 protein). in some cases, the ptd is inserted internally in the genome editing nuclease {e.g., cas9 protein) {i.e., is not at the n- or c-terminus of the genome editing nuclease). in some cases, a subject genome editing nuclease {e.g., cas9 protein) includes (is conjugated to, is fused to) one or more ptds {e.g., two or more, three or more, four or more ptds). in some cases a ptd includes a nuclear localization signal (nls) {e.g., in some cases 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, or 5 or more nlss). [0132] in some cases, a genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein) includes one or more nlss (e.g., 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, or 5 or more nlss). in some embodiments, a ptd is covalently linked to a nucleic acid (e.g., a crispr/cas guide rna, a polynucleotide encoding a crispr/cas guide rna, a polynucleotide encoding a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease such as a cas9 protein or a type v or type vi crispr/cas protein, etc.). examples of ptds include but are not limited to a minimal undecapeptide protein transduction domain (corresponding to residues 47-57 of hiv- 1 tat comprising ygrkkrrqrrr; seq id no: 1076); a polyarginine sequence comprising a number of arginines sufficient to direct entry into a cell (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 10-50 arginines); a vp22 domain (zender et al. (2002) cancer gene ther. 9(6):489-96); an drosophila antennapedia protein transduction domain (noguchi et al. (2003) diabetes 52(7): 1732- 1737); a truncated human calcitonin peptide (trehin et al. (2004) pharm. research 21 : 1248- 1256); polylysine (wender et al. (2000) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 97: 13003-13008); rrqrrt sklmkr (seq id no: 1077); transportan gwtlnsagyllgkinlkalaalakkil (seq id no: 1078); kalaweaklakalakalakhlakalakalkcea (seq id no: 1079); and rqikiwfqnrrmkwkk (seq id no: 1080). exemplary ptds include but are not limited to, ygrkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1081), rkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1082); an arginine homopolymer of from 3 arginine residues to 50 arginine residues; exemplary ptd domain amino acid sequences include, but are not limited to, any of the following: ygrkkrrqrrr (seq id no: 1083); rkkrrqrr (seq id no: 1084); yaraaarqara (seq id no: 1085); thrlprrrrrr (seq id no: 1086); and ggrrarrrrrr (seq id no: 1087). in some embodiments, the ptd is an activatable cpp (acpp) (aguilera et al. (2009) integr biol (camb) june; 1(5-6): 371-381). acpps comprise a polycationic cpp (e.g., arg9 or "r9") connected via a cleavable linker to a matching polyanion (e.g., glu9 or "e9"), which reduces the net charge to nearly zero and thereby inhibits adhesion and uptake into cells. upon cleavage of the linker, the polyanion is released, locally unmasking the polyarginine and its inherent adhesiveness, thus "activating" the acpp to traverse the membrane. [0133] a genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein) can have multiple (1 or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, etc.) fusion partners in any combination of the above. as an illustrative example, a genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein) can have a fusion partner that provides for tagging (e.g., gfp), and can also have a subcellular localization sequence (e.g., one or more lss). in some cases, such a fusion protein might also have a tag for ease of tracking and/or purification (e.g., a histidine tag, e.g., a 6xhis (his-his-his-his-his-his, seq id no: 1149) tag; a hemagglutinin (ha) tag; a flag tag; a myc tag; and the like). as another illustrative example, genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein) can have one or more nlss (e.g., two or more, three or more, four or more, five or more, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 nlss). in some cases a fusion partner (or multiple fusion partners, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 nlss) (e.g., an nls, a tag, a fusion partner providing an activity, etc.) is located at or near the c- terminus of the genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein). in some cases a fusion partner (or multiple fusion partners, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 nlss) (e.g., an nls, a tag, a fusion partner providing an activity, etc.) is located at the n-terminus of the genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein). in some cases the genome editing nuclease (e.g., cas9 protein) has a fusion partner (or multiple fusion partners, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 nlss)(e.g., an nls, a tag, a fusion partner providing an activity, etc.) at both the n-terminus and c-terminus. zinc finger nucleases (zfns) [0134] in some cases, a genome editing nuclease used in a method of the present disclosure, or included in a genome targeting composition, is a zinc-finger nuclease (zfn). zfns are engineered double-strand break inducing proteins comprised of a zinc finger dna binding domain and a double strand break inducing agent domain. engineered zfns consist of two zinc finger arrays (zfas), each of which is fused to a single subunit of a non-specific endonuclease, such as the nuclease domain from the fokl enzyme, which becomes active upon dimerization. typically, a single zfa consists of 3 or 4 zinc finger domains, each of which is designed to recognize a specific nucleotide triplet (ggc, gat, etc.). thus, zfns composed of two "3-finger" zfas are capable of recognizing an 18 base pair target site; an 18 base pair recognition sequence is generally unique, even within large genomes such as those of humans and plants. by directing the co-localization and dimerization of two fokl nuclease monomers, zfns generate a functional site-specific endonuclease that creates a double-stranded break (dsb) in dna at the targeted locus. zinc-finger endonucleases suitable for genome editing are known in the art. see, e.g., hoban et al. (2015) blood 125:2597. [0135] useful zinc-finger nucleases include those that are known and those that are engineered to have specificity for one or more desired target sites (ts). zinc finger domains are amenable for designing polypeptides which specifically bind a selected polynucleotide recognition sequence, for example, within the target site of the host cell genome. zfns consist of an engineered dna-binding zinc finger domain linked to a non-specific endonuclease domain, for example nuclease domain from a type lis endonuclease such as ho or fokl. alternatively, engineered zinc finger dna binding domains can be fused to other double-strand break inducing agents or derivatives thereof that retain dna nicking/cleaving activity. for example, this type of fusion can be used to direct the double- strand break inducing agent to a different target site, to alter the location of the nick or cleavage site, to direct the inducing agent to a shorter target site, or to direct the inducing agent to a longer target site. in some examples a zinc finger dna binding domain is fused to a site-specific recombinase, transposase, or a derivative thereof that retains dna nicking and/or cleaving activity. additional functionalities can be fused to the zinc-finger binding domain, including transcriptional activator domains, transcription repressor domains, and methylases. in some embodiments, dimerization of nuclease domain is required for cleavage activity. [0136] each zinc finger recognizes three consecutive base pairs in the target dna. for example, a 3 finger domain recognized a sequence of 9 contiguous nucleotides, with a dimerization requirement of the nuclease, two sets of zinc finger triplets are used to bind a 18 nucleotide recognition sequence. useful designer zinc finger modules include those that recognize various gnn and ann triplets (dreier, et al, (2001) j biol chem 276:29466-78; dreier, et al., (2000) j mol biol 303 :489-502; liu, et al., (2002) j biol chem 277:3850-6), as well as those that recognize various cnn or tnn triplets (dreier, et al, (2005) j biol chem 280:35588-97; jamieson, et al, (2003) nature rev drug discov 2:361-8). see also, durai, et al, (2005) nucleic acids res 33 :5978-90; segal, (2002) methods 26:76-83; porteus and carroll, (2005) nat biotechnol 23 :967-73; pabo, et al, (2001) ann rev biochem 70:313-40; wolfe, et al, (2000) ann rev biophys biomol struct 29: 183-212; segal and barbas, (2001) curr opin biotechnol 12:632-7; segal, et al, (2003) biochemistry 42:2137-48; beerli and barbas, (2002) nat biotechnol 20: 135-41; carroll, et al, (2006) nature protocols 1 : 1329; ordiz, et al, (2002) proc natl acad sci usa 99: 13290-5; guan, et al, (2002) proc natl acad sci usa 99: 13296-301; wo2002099084; wo00/42219; wo02/42459; wo2003062455; us20030059767; us patent publication number 2003/0108880; us patent publication number 2014/0093913; u.s. pat. nos. 6,140,466, 6,511,808 and 6,453,242. useful zinc-finger nucleases also include those described in wo03/080809; wo05/014791; wo05/084190; wo08/021207; wo09/042186; wo09/054985; and wo10/065123. [0137] if the genome editing endonuclease to be utilized is a zinc finger nuclease, optimal target sites may be selected using a number of publicly available online resources. see, e.g., reyon et al, bmc genomics 12:83 (2011), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. for example, oligomerized pool engineering (open) is a highly robust and publicly available protocol for engineering zinc finger arrays with high specificity and in vivo functionality, and has been successfully used to generate zfns that function efficiently in plants, zebrafish, and human somatic and pluripotent stem cells. open is a selection-based method in which a pre-constructed randomized pool of candidate zfas is screened to identify those with high affinity and specificity for a desired target sequence. zfngenome is a gbrowse-based tool for identifying and visualizing potential target sites for open-generated zfns. zfngenome provides a compendium of potential zfn target sites in sequenced and annotated genomes of model organisms. zfngenome currently includes a total of more than 11.6 million potential zfn target sites, mapped within the fully sequenced genomes of seven model organisms; saccharomyces cerevisiae, chlamydomonas reinhardtii, arabidopsis thaliana, drosophila melanogaster, danio rerio, caenorhabditis elegans, and homo sapiens. additional model organisms, including three plant species; glycine max (soybean), oryza sativa (rice), zea mays (maize), and three animal species tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), mus musculus (mouse), rattus norvegicus (brown rat) can also be used. zfngenome provides information about each potential zfn target site, including its chromosomal location and position relative to transcription initiation site(s). users can query zfngenome using several different criteria {e.g., gene id, transcript id, target site sequence). [0138] for more information on zfns, refer to u.s. patent no. 8,685,737, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. talens [0139] in some embodiments, a subject genome editing nuclease is a tal-effector dna binding domain-nuclease fusion protein (talen). a tal effector comprises a dna binding domain that interacts with dna in a sequence-specific manner through one or more tandem repeat domains. the repeated sequence typically comprises 34 amino acids, and the repeats are typically 91-100% homologous with each other. polymorphism of the repeats is usually located at positions 12 and 13, and there appears to be a one-to-one correspondence between the identity of repeat variable-diresidues at positions 12 and 13 with the identity of the contiguous nucleotides in the tal-effector' s target sequence. [0140] the tal-effector dna binding domain can be engineered to bind to a desired target sequence, and fused to a nuclease domain, e.g., from a type ii restriction endonuclease, typically a nonspecific cleavage domain from a type ii restriction endonuclease such as fokl (see e.g., kim et al. (1996) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 93 : 1156-1160). other useful endonucleases may include, for example, hhal, hindlll, nod, bbvci, ecori, bgll, and alwl. thus, in some embodiments, a talen comprises a tal effector domain comprising a plurality of tal effector repeat sequences that, in combination, bind to a specific nucleotide sequence in the target dna sequence, such that the talen cleaves the target dna within or adjacent to the specific nucleotide sequence. suitable talens include those described in wo10/079430 and u.s. patent application publication no. 2011/0145940. [0141] in some embodiments, the tal effector domain that binds to a specific nucleotide sequence within the target dna can comprise 10 or more dna binding repeats, and in some cases 15 or more dna binding repeats. in some embodiments, each dna binding repeat comprises a repeat variable-diresidue (rvd) that determines recognition of a base pair in the target dna sequence, wherein each dna binding repeat is responsible for recognizing one base pair in the target dna sequence, and wherein the rvd comprises one or more of: hd for recognizing c; ng for recognizing t; ni for recognizing a; nn for recognizing g or a; ns for recognizing a or c or g or t; n* for recognizing c or t, where * represents a gap in the second position of the rvd; hg for recognizing t; h* for recognizing t, where * represents a gap in the second position of the rvd; ig for recognizing t; nk for recognizing g; ha for recognizing c; nd for recognizing c; hi for recognizing c; hn for recognizing g; na for recognizing g; sn for recognizing g or a; and yg for recognizing t. [0142] if the genome editing endonuclease to be utilized is a talen, in some embodiments, optimal target sites may be selected in accordance with the methods described by sanjana et al, nature protocols, 7: 171-192 (2012), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. in brief, talens function as dimers, and a pair of talens, referred to as the left and right talens, target sequences on opposite strands of dna. talens can be engineered as a fusion of the tale dna-binding domain and a monomeric fokl catalytic domain. to facilitate fokl dimerization, the left and right talen target sites can be chosen with a spacing of approximately 14-20 bases. therefore, for a pair of talens, each targeting 20-bp sequences, an optimal target site can have the form 5'- tn iy n i4"2u n iy a-3', where the left talen targets 5'-tw -3' and the right talen targets the antisense strand of 5'-n 19 a-3' (n=a, g, t or c). [0143] for more information on talens, refer to u.s. patent no. 8,685,737, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. class 2 crispr/cas endonucleases [0144] rna-mediated adaptive immune systems in bacteria and archaea rely on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (crispr) genomic loci and crispr-associated (cas) proteins that function together to provide protection from invading viruses and plasmids. in some embodiments, a genome editing nuclease of a genome targeting composition of the present disclosure is a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease. thus in some cases, a subject genome targeting composition includes a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease (or a nucleic encoding the endonuclease). in class 2 crispr systems, the functions of the effector complex (e.g., the cleavage of target dna) are carried out by a single endonuclease (e.g., see zetsche et al, cell. 2015 oct 22; 163(3):759-71; makarova et al, nat rev microbiol. 2015 nov; 13(l l):722-36; and shmakov et al, mol cell. 2015 nov 5;60(3):385-97). as such, the term "class 2 crispr/cas protein" is used herein to encompass the endonuclease (the target nucleic acid cleaving protein) from class 2 crispr systems. thus, the term "class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease" as used herein encompasses type ii crispr/cas proteins (e.g., cas9), type v crispr/cas proteins (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c3), and type vi crispr/cas proteins (e.g., c2c2). to date, class 2 crispr/cas proteins encompass type ii, type v, and type vi crispr/cas proteins, but the term is also meant to encompass any class 2 crispr/cas protein suitable for binding to a corresponding guide rna and forming an rnp complex. type ii crispr/cas endonucleases (e.g. , cas 9) [0145] in natural type ii crispr/cas systems, cas9 functions as an rna-guided endonuclease that uses a dual-guide rna having a crrna and trans-activating crrna (tracrrna) for target recognition and cleavage by a mechanism involving two nuclease active sites in cas9 that together generate double-stranded dna breaks (dsbs), or can individually generate single-stranded dna breaks (ssbs). the type ii crispr endonuclease cas9 and engineered dual- (dgrna) or single guide rna (sgrna) form a ribonucleoprotein (rnp) complex that can be targeted to a desired dna sequence. guided by a dual-rna complex or a chimeric single-guide rna, cas9 generates site-specific dsbs or ssbs within double-stranded dna (dsdna) target nucleic acids, which are repaired either by non-homologous end joining (nhej) or homology-directed recombination (hdr). [0146] as noted above, in some cases, a genome targeting composition of the present disclosure includes a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease. a type ii crispr/cas endonuclease is a type of class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease. in some cases, the type ii crispr/cas endonuclease is a cas9 protein. a cas9 protein forms a complex with a cas9 guide rna. the guide rna provides target specificity to a cas9-guide rna complex by having a nucleotide sequence (a guide sequence) that is complementary to a sequence (the target site) of a target nucleic acid (as described elsewhere herein). the cas9 protein of the complex provides the site-specific activity. in other words, the cas9 protein is guided to a target site (e.g., stabilized at a target site) within a target nucleic acid sequence (e.g., a chromosomal sequence or an extrachromosomal sequence, e.g., an episomal sequence, a minicircle sequence, a mitochondrial sequence, a chloroplast sequence, etc.) by virtue of its association with the protein-binding segment of the cas9 guide rna [0147] a cas9 protein can bind and/or modify (e.g., cleave, nick, methylate, demethylate, etc.) a target nucleic acid and/or a polypeptide associated with target nucleic acid (e.g., methylation or acetylation of a histone tai\)(e.g, when the cas9 protein includes a fusion partner with an activity). in some cases, the cas9 protein is a naturally-occurring protein (e.g., naturally occurs in bacterial and/or archaeal cells). in other cases, the cas9 protein is not a naturally-occurring polypeptide (e.g., the cas9 protein is a variant cas9 protein, a chimeric protein, and the like) [0148] examples of suitable cas9 proteins include, but are not limited to, those set forth in seq id nos: 5-816. naturally occurring cas9 proteins bind a cas9 guide rna, are thereby directed to a specific sequence within a target nucleic acid (a target site), and cleave the target nucleic acid (e.g., cleave dsdna to generate a double strand break, cleave ssdna, cleave ssrna, etc.). a chimeric cas9 protein is a fusion protein comprising a cas9 polypeptide that is fused to a heterologous protein (referred to as a fusion partner), where the heterologous protein provides an activity (e.g., one that is not provided by the cas9 protein). the fusion partner can provide an activity, e.g., enzymatic activity (e.g., nuclease activity, activity for dna and/or rna methylation, activity for dna and/or rna cleavage, activity for histone acetylation, activity for histone methylation, activity for rna modification, activity for rna-binding, activity for rna splicing etc.). in some cases a portion of the cas9 protein (e.g., the ruvc domain and/or the hnh domain) exhibits reduced nuclease activity relative to the corresponding portion of a wild type cas9 protein (e.g., in some cases the cas9 protein is a nickase). in some cases, the cas9 protein is enzymatically inactive, or has reduced enzymatic activity relative to a wild-type cas9 protein (e.g., relative to streptococcus pyogenes cas9). [0149] assays to determine whether given protein interacts with a cas9 guide rna can be any convenient binding assay that tests for binding between a protein and a nucleic acid. suitable binding assays (e.g., gel shift assays) will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., assays that include adding a cas9 guide rna and a protein to a target nucleic acid). [0150] assays to determine whether a protein has an activity (e.g., to determine if the protein has nuclease activity that cleaves a target nucleic acid and/or some heterologous activity) can be any convenient assay (e.g., any convenient nucleic acid cleavage assay that tests for nucleic acid cleavage). suitable assays (e.g., cleavage assays) will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art and can include adding a cas9 guide rna and a protein to a target nucleic acid. [0151] in some cases, a chimeric cas9 protein includes a heterologous polypeptide that has enzymatic activity that modifies target nucleic acid (e.g., nuclease activity, methyltransferase activity, demethylase activity, dna repair activity, dna damage activity, deamination activity, dismutase activity, alkylation activity, depurination activity, oxidation activity, pyrimidine dimer forming activity, integrase activity, transposase activity, recombinase activity, polymerase activity, ligase activity, helicase activity, photolyase activity or glycosylase activity). [0152] in other cases, a chimeric cas9 protein includes a heterologous polypeptide that has enzymatic activity that modifies a polypeptide (e.g., a histone) associated with target nucleic acid (e.g., methyltransferase activity, demethylase activity, acetyltransferase activity, deacetylase activity, kinase activity, phosphatase activity, ubiquitin ligase activity, deubiquitinating activity, adenylation activity, deadenylation activity, sumoylating activity, desumoylating activity, ribosylation activity, deribosylation activity, myristoylation activity or demyristoylation activity). [0153] many cas9 orthologs from a wide variety of species have been identified and in some cases the proteins share only a few identical amino acids. identified cas9 orthologs have similar domain architecture with a central hnh endonuclease domain and a split ruvc/rnaseh domain (e.g., ruvci, ruvcii, and ruvciii) (e.g., see table 1). for example, a cas9 protein can have 3 different regions (sometimes referred to as ruvc-i, ruvc-ii, and rucc-iii), that are not contiguous with respect to the primary amino acid sequence of the cas9 protein, but fold together to form a ruvc domain once the protein is produced and folds. thus, cas9 proteins can be said to share at least 4 key motifs with a conserved architecture. motifs 1, 2, and 4 are ruvc like motifs while motif 3 is an hnh-motif. the motifs set forth in table 1 may not represent the entire ruvc-like and/or hnh domains as accepted in the art, but table 1 does present motifs that can be used to help determine whether a given protein is a cas9 protein. [0154] table 1. four motifs that are present in cas9 sequences from various species. the amino acids listed in this table are from the cas9 from s. pyogenes (seq id no:5). [0155] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 as set forth in seq id nos: 1-4, respectively (e.g., see table 1), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 5- 816. [0156] in other words, in some cases, a suitable cas9 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5 (e.g., the sequences set forth in seq id nos: 1-4, e.g., see table 1), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. [0157] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 70%) or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 75%> or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 80%> or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 85%> or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 90%> or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 95%> or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 100% amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. any cas9 protein as defined above can be used as a cas9 polypeptide, as part of a chimeric cas9 polypeptide (e.g., a cas9 fusion protein), any of which can be used in an rnp of the present disclosure. [0158] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95%) or more, 99%> or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. [0159] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 70% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 75% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 80% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 85% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 95% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 100% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. any cas9 protein as defined above can be used as a cas9 polypeptide, as part of a chimeric cas9 polypeptide (e.g., a cas9 fusion protein), any of which can be used in an rnp of the present disclosure [0160] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95%) or more, 99% or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. [0161] in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 70% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 75% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 80% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 85% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6- 816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 95% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 100% amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. any cas9 protein as defined above can be used as a cas9 polypeptide, as part of a chimeric cas9 polypeptide (e.g., a cas9 fusion protein), any of which can be used in an rnp of the present disclosure. [0162] in some cases, a cas9 protein comprises 4 motifs (as listed in table 1), at least one with (or each with) amino acid sequences having 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to each of the 4 motifs listed in table 1 (seq id nos: 1-4), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. [0163] as used herein, the term "cas9 protein" encompasses a "chimeric cas9 protein." as used herein, the term "cas9 protein" encompasses a variant cas9 that is a nickase. as used herein, the term "cas9 protein" encompasses a variant cas9 that exhibits reduced enzymatic activity (e.g., a "dead cas9" or "dcas9"). variant cas9 proteins - nickases and dcas9 [0164] in some cases, a cas9 protein is a variant cas9 protein. a variant cas9 protein has an amino acid sequence that is different by at least one amino acid (e.g., has a deletion, insertion, substitution, fusion) when compared to the amino acid sequence of a corresponding wild type cas9 protein. in some instances, the variant cas9 protein has an amino acid change (e.g., deletion, insertion, or substitution) that reduces the nuclease activity of the cas9 protein. for example, in some instances, the variant cas9 protein has 50% or less, 40% or less, 30% or less, 20% or less, 10% or less, 5% or less, or 1% or less of the nuclease activity of the corresponding wild-type cas9 protein. in some cases, the variant cas9 protein has no substantial nuclease activity. when a cas9 protein is a variant cas9 protein that has no substantial nuclease activity, it can be referred to as "dcas9." a protein (e.g., a class 2 crispr/cas protein, e.g., a cas9 protein) that cleaves one strand but not the other of a double stranded target nucleic acid is referred to herein as a "nickase" (e.g., a "nickase cas9"). [0165] in some cases, a variant cas9 protein can cleave the complementary strand (sometimes referred to in the art as the target strand) of a target nucleic acid but has reduced ability to cleave the non-complementary strand (sometimes referred to in the art as the non- target strand) of a target nucleic acid. for example, the variant cas9 protein can have a mutation (amino acid substitution) that reduces the function of the ruvc domain. thus, the cas9 protein can be a nickase that cleaves the complementary strand, but does not cleave the non-complementary strand. as a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, a variant cas9 protein has a mutation at an amino acid position corresponding to residue d10 (e.g., d10a, aspartate to alanine) of seq id no: 5 (or the corresponding position of any of the proteins set forth in seq id nos: 6-261 and 265-816) and can therefore cleave the complementary strand of a double stranded target nucleic acid but has reduced ability to cleave the non-complementary strand of a double stranded target nucleic acid (thus resulting in a single strand break (ssb) instead of a double strand break (dsb) when the variant cas9 protein cleaves a double stranded target nucleic acid) (see, for example, jinek et al, science. 2012 aug 17;337(6096):816-21). see, e.g., seq id no:262 [0166] in some cases, a variant cas9 protein can cleave the non-complementary strand of a target nucleic acid but has reduced ability to cleave the complementary strand of the target nucleic acid. for example, the variant cas9 protein can have a mutation (amino acid substitution) that reduces the function of the unh domain. thus, the cas9 protein can be a nickase that cleaves the non-complementary strand, but does not cleave the complementary strand. as a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, the variant cas9 protein has a mutation at an amino acid position corresponding to residue h840 (e.g., an h840a mutation, histidine to alanine) of seq id no:5 (or the corresponding position of any of the proteins set forth as seq id nos: 6-26 land 265-816) and can therefore cleave the non-complementary strand of the target nucleic acid but has reduced ability to cleave (e.g., does not cleave) the complementary strand of the target nucleic acid. such a cas9 protein has a reduced ability to cleave a target nucleic acid (e.g., a single stranded target nucleic acid) but retains the ability to bind a target nucleic acid (e.g., a single stranded target nucleic acid). see, e.g., seq id no:263 [0167] in some cases, a variant cas9 protein has a reduced ability to cleave both the complementary and the non-complementary strands of a double stranded target nucleic acid. as a non-limiting example, in some cases, the variant cas9 protein harbors mutations at amino acid positions corresponding to residues d10 and h840 (e.g., d10a and h840a) of seq id no:5 (or the corresponding residues of any of the proteins set forth as seq id nos: 6-261 and 265-816) such that the polypeptide has a reduced ability to cleave (e.g., does not cleave) both the complementary and the non-complementary strands of a target nucleic acid. such a cas9 protein has a reduced ability to cleave a target nucleic acid (e.g., a single stranded or double stranded target nucleic acid) but retains the ability to bind a target nucleic acid. a cas9 protein that cannot cleave target nucleic acid (e.g., due to one or more mutations, e.g., in the catalytic domains of the ruvc and hnh domains) is referred to as a "dead" cas9 or simply "dcas9." see, e.g., seq id no:264 [0168] other residues can be mutated to achieve the above effects (i.e. inactivate one or the other nuclease portions). as non-limiting examples, residues d10, g12, g17, e762, h840, n854, n863, h982, h983, a984, d986, and/or a987 of seq id no:5 (or the corresponding mutations of any of the proteins set forth as seq id nos: 6-816) can be altered (i.e., substituted). also, mutations other than alanine substitutions are suitable. [0169] in some embodiments, a variant cas9 protein that has reduced catalytic activity (e.g., when a cas9 protein has a d10, g12, g17, e762, h840, n854, n863, h982, h983, a984, d986, and/or a a987 mutation of seq id no: 5 or the corresponding mutations of any of the proteins set forth as seq id nos: 6-816, e.g., d10a, g12a, g17a, e762a, h840a, n854a, n863a, h982a, h983a, a984a, and/or d986a), the variant cas9 protein can still bind to target nucleic acid in a site-specific manner (because it is still guided to a target nucleic acid sequence by a cas9 guide rna) as long as it retains the ability to interact with the cas9 guide rna [0170] in addition to the above, a variant cas9 protein can have the same parameters for sequence identity as described above for cas9 proteins. thus, in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more or 100% amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. [0171] in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 70% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 75% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 80% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 85% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 90% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 95% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 4 motifs, each of motifs 1-4 having 100% amino acid sequence identity to motifs 1-4 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth as seq id no: 5 (the motifs are in table 1, below, and are set forth as seq id nos: 1-4, respectively), or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth in seq id nos: 6-816 [0172] in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more, or 100% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7- 166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816 [0173] in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731- 1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 70% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 75% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 80% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 85% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731- 1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 95% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 100%) amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 7-166 or 731-1003 of the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to the corresponding portions in any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. [0174] in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more, or 100% amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 60% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 70% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6- 816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 75% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 80%> or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 85%> or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no: 5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 95% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 99% or more amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. in some cases, a suitable variant cas9 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having 100% amino acid sequence identity to the cas9 amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:5, or to any of the amino acid sequences set forth as seq id nos: 6-816. type v and type vi crispr/cas endonucleases [0175] in some cases, a genome targeting composition of the present disclosure includes a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (i.e., the genome editing endonuclease is a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease) (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, c2c3). type v and type vi crispr/cas endonucleases are a type of class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease. examples of type v crispr/cas endonucleases include but are not limited to: cpfl, c2cl, and c2c3. an example of a type vi crispr/cas endonuclease is c2c2. in some cases, a subject genome targeting composition includes a type v crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c3). in some cases, a type v crispr/cas endonuclease is a cpfl protein. in some cases, a subject genome targeting composition includes a type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., c2c2) [0176] like type ii crispr/cas endonucleases, type v and vi crispr/cas endonucleases form a complex with a corresponding guide rna. the guide rna provides target specificity to an endonuclease-guide rna rnp complex by having a nucleotide sequence (a guide sequence) that is complementary to a sequence (the target site) of a target nucleic acid (as described elsewhere herein). the endonuclease of the complex provides the site-specific activity. in other words, the endonuclease is guided to a target site (e.g., stabilized at a target site) within a target nucleic acid sequence (e.g., a chromosomal sequence or an extrachromosomal sequence, e.g., an episomal sequence, a minicircle sequence, a mitochondrial sequence, a chloroplast sequence, etc.) by virtue of its association with the protein-binding segment of the guide rna. [0177] examples and guidance related to type v and type vi crispr/cas proteins (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, and c2c3 guide rnas) can be found in the art, for example, see zetsche et al, cell. 2015 oct 22; 163(3):759-71; makarova et al, nat rev microbiol. 2015 nov; 13(11):722-36; and shmakov et al, mol cell. 2015 nov 5;60(3):385-97. [0178] in some cases, the type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, c2c3) is enzymatically active, e.g., the type v or type vi crispr/cas polypeptide, when bound to a guide rna, cleaves a target nucleic acid. in some cases, the type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, c2c3) exhibits reduced enzymatic activity relative to a corresponding wild-type a type v or type vi crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, c2c3), and retains dna binding activity. [0179] in some cases a type v crispr/cas endonuclease is a cpfl protein. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to a contiguous stretch of from 100 amino acids to 200 amino acids (aa), from 200 aa to 400 aa, from 400 aa to 600 aa, from 600 aa to 800 aa, from 800 aa to 1000 aa, from 1000 aa to 1100 aa, from 1100 aa to 1200 aa, or from 1200 aa to 1300 aa, of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088- 1092 [0180] in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%>, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci domain of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%>, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvcii domain of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvciii domain of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci, ruvcii, and ruvciii domains of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092 [0181] in some cases, the cpfl protein exhibits reduced enzymatic activity relative to a wild-type cpfl protein (e.g., relative to a cpfl protein comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092), and retains dna binding activity. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092; and comprises an amino acid substitution (e.g., a d→a substitution) at an amino acid residue corresponding to amino acid 917 of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no: 1088. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%>, amino acid sequence identity to the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092; and comprises an amino acid substitution (e.g., an e→a substitution) at an amino acid residue corresponding to amino acid 1006 of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no: 1088. in some cases, a cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%>, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088- 1092; and comprises an amino acid substitution (e.g., a d→a substitution) at an amino acid residue corresponding to amino acid 1255 of the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no: 1088 [0182] in some cases, a suitable cpfl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the cpfl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1088-1092 [0183] in some cases a type v crispr/cas endonuclease is a c2cl protein (examples include those set forth as seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19). in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12- 1 1 19. in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to a contiguous stretch of from 100 amino acids to 200 amino acids (aa), from 200 aa to 400 aa, from 400 aa to 600 aa, from 600 aa to 800 aa, from 800 aa to 1000 aa, from 1000 aa to 1 100 aa, from 1 100 aa to 1200 aa, or from 1200 aa to 1300 aa, of the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19 [0184] in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci domain of the c2cl amino acid sequences set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19). in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvcii domain of the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19. in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvciii domain of the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19. in some cases, a c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci, ruvcii, and ruvciii domains of the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19 [0185] in some cases, the c2cl protein exhibits reduced enzymatic activity relative to a wild-type c2cl protein (e.g., relative to a c2cl protein comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19), and retains dna binding activity. in some cases, a suitable c2cl protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the c2cl amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 1 12-1 1 19. [0186] in some cases a type v crispr/cas endonuclease is a c2c3 protein (examples include those set forth as seq id nos: 1 120-1 123). in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120- 1 123. in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to a contiguous stretch of from 100 amino acids to 200 amino acids (aa), from 200 aa to 400 aa, from 400 aa to 600 aa, from 600 aa to 800 aa, from 800 aa to 1000 aa, from 1000 aa to 1 100 aa, from 1 100 aa to 1200 aa, or from 1200 aa to 1300 aa, of the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123 [0187] in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%>, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci domain of the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123. in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%>, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%>, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvcii domain of the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123. in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvciii domain of the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123. in some cases, a c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci, ruvcii, and ruvciii domains of the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123. [0188] in some cases, the c2c3 protein exhibits reduced enzymatic activity relative to a wild-type c2c3 protein (e.g., relative to a c2c3 protein comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123), and retains dna binding activity. in some cases, a suitable c2c3 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the c2c3 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 120-1 123 [0189] in some cases a type vi crispr/cas endonuclease is a c2c2 protein (examples include those set forth as seq id nos: 1 124-1 135). in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%>, at least 65%>, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124- 1 135. in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to a contiguous stretch of from 100 amino acids to 200 amino acids (aa), from 200 aa to 400 aa, from 400 aa to 600 aa, from 600 aa to 800 aa, from 800 aa to 1000 aa, from 1000 aa to 1 100 aa, from 1 100 aa to 1200 aa, or from 1200 aa to 1300 aa, of the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135. [0190] in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci domain of the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135. in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvcii domain of the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135. in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%), or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvciii domain of the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135. in some cases, a c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%o, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%), at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%, amino acid sequence identity to the ruvci, ruvcii, and ruvciii domains of the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135. [0191] in some cases, the c2c2 protein exhibits reduced enzymatic activity relative to a wild-type c2c2 protein (e.g., relative to a c2c2 protein comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1 124-1 135), and retains dna binding activity. in some cases, a suitable c2c2 protein comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 90%, or 100%), amino acid sequence identity to the c2c2 amino acid sequence set forth in any of seq id nos: 1124-1135. guide rna (for crispr/cas endonucleases) [0192] a nucleic acid molecule that binds to a class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease (e.g., a cas9 protein; a type v or type vi crispr/cas protein; a cpfl protein; etc.) and targets the complex to a specific location within a target nucleic acid is referred to herein as a "guide rna" or "crispr/cas guide nucleic acid" or "crispr/cas guide rna." [0193] a guide rna provides target specificity to the complex (the rnp complex) by including a targeting segment, which includes a guide sequence (also referred to herein as a targeting sequence), which is a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a sequence of a target nucleic acid [0194] a guide rna can be referred to by the protein to which it corresponds. for example, when the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a cas9 protein, the corresponding guide rna can be referred to as a "cas9 guide rna." likewise, as another example, when the class 2 crispr/cas endonuclease is a cpfl protein, the corresponding guide rna can be referred to as a "cpfl guide rna." [0195] in some embodiments, a guide rna includes two separate nucleic acid molecules: an "activator" and a "targeter" and is referred to herein as a "dual guide rna", a "double-molecule guide rna", a "two-molecule guide rna", or a "dgrna." in some embodiments, the guide rna is one molecule (e.g., for some class 2 crispr/cas proteins, the corresponding guide rna is a single molecule; and in some cases, an activator and targeter are covalently linked to one another, e.g., via intervening nucleotides), and the guide rna is referred to as a "single guide rna", a "single-molecule guide rna," a "one- molecule guide rna", or simply "sgrna." cas9 guide rna [0196] a nucleic acid molecule that binds to a cas9 protein and targets the complex to a specific location within a target nucleic acid is referred to herein as a "cas9 guide rna." [0197] a cas9 guide rna (can be said to include two segments, a first segment (referred to herein as a "targeting segment"); and a second segment (referred to herein as a "protein-binding segment"). by "segment" it is meant a segment/secti on/region of a molecule, e.g., a contiguous stretch of nucleotides in a nucleic acid molecule. a segment can also mean a region/section of a complex such that a segment may comprise regions of more than one molecule. [0198] the first segment (targeting segment) of a cas9 guide rna includes a nucleotide sequence (a guide sequence) that is complementary to (and therefore hybridizes with) a specific sequence (a target site) within a target nucleic acid (e.g., a target ssrna, a target ssdna, the complementary strand of a double stranded target dna, etc.). the protein-binding segment (or "protein-binding sequence") interacts with (binds to) a cas9 polypeptide. the protein-binding segment of a subject cas9 guide rna includes two complementary stretches of nucleotides that hybridize to one another to form a double stranded rna duplex (dsrna duplex). site-specific binding and/or cleavage of a target nucleic acid (e.g., genomic dna) can occur at locations (e.g., target sequence of a target locus) determined by base-pairing complementarity between the cas9 guide rna (the guide sequence of the cas9 guide rna) and the target nucleic acid [0199] a cas9 guide rna and a cas9 protein form a complex (e.g., bind via non- covalent interactions). the cas9 guide rna provides target specificity to the complex by including a targeting segment, which includes a guide sequence (a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a sequence of a target nucleic acid). the cas9 protein of the complex provides the site-specific activity (e.g., cleavage activity or an activity provided by the cas9 protein when the cas9 protein is a cas9 fusion polypeptide, i.e., has a fusion partner). in other words, the cas9 protein is guided to a target nucleic acid sequence (e.g., a target sequence in a chromosomal nucleic acid, e.g., a chromosome; a target sequence in an extrachromosomal nucleic acid, e.g., an episomal nucleic acid, a mini circle, an ssrna, an ssdna, etc. ; a target sequence in a mitochondrial nucleic acid; a target sequence in a chloroplast nucleic acid; a target sequence in a plasmid; a target sequence in a viral nucleic acid; etc.) by virtue of its association with the cas9 guide rna. [0200] the "guide sequence" also referred to as the "targeting sequence" of a cas9 guide rna can be modified so that the cas9 guide rna can target a cas9 protein to any desired sequence of any desired target nucleic acid, with the exception that the protospacer adjacent motif (pam) sequence can be taken into account. thus, for example, a cas9 guide rna can have a targeting segment with a sequence (a guide sequence) that has complementarity with (e.g., can hybridize to) a sequence in a nucleic acid in a eukaryotic cell, e.g., a viral nucleic acid, a eukaryotic nucleic acid (e.g., a eukaryotic chromosome, chromosomal sequence, a eukaryotic rna, etc.), and the like. [0201] in some embodiments, a cas9 guide rna includes two separate nucleic acid molecules: an "activator" and a "targeter" and is referred to herein as a "dual cas9 guide rna", a "double-molecule cas9 guide rna", or a "two-molecule cas9 guide rna" a "dual guide rna", or a "dgrna." in some embodiments, the activator and targeter are covalently linked to one another (e.g., via intervening nucleotides) and the guide rna is referred to as a "single guide rna", a "cas9 single guide rna", a "single-molecule cas9 guide rna," or a "one-molecule cas9 guide rna", or simply "sgrna ." [0202] a cas9 guide rna comprises a crrna-like ("crispr rna" / "targeter" / "crrna" / "crrna repeat") molecule and a corresponding tracrrna-like ("trans-acting crispr rna" / "activator" / "tracrrna") molecule. a crrna-like molecule (targeter) comprises both the targeting segment (single stranded) of the cas9 guide rna and a stretch ("duplex-forming segment") of nucleotides that forms one half of the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment of the cas9 guide rna. a corresponding tracrrna-like molecule (activator / tracrrna) comprises a stretch of nucleotides (duplex-forming segment) that forms the other half of the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment of the guide nucleic acid. in other words, a stretch of nucleotides of a crrna-like molecule are complementary to and hybridize with a stretch of nucleotides of a tracrrna-like molecule to form the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding domain of the cas9 guide rna. as such, each targeter molecule can be said to have a corresponding activator molecule (which has a region that hybridizes with the targeter). the targeter molecule additionally provides the targeting segment. thus, a targeter and an activator molecule (as a corresponding pair) hybridize to form a cas9 guide rna. the exact sequence of a given crrna or tracrrna molecule is characteristic of the species in which the rna molecules are found. a subject dual cas9 guide rna can include any corresponding activator and targeter pair. [0203] the term "activator" or "activator rna" is used herein to mean a tracrrna- like molecule (tracrrna : "trans-acting crispr rna") of a cas9 dual guide rna (and therefore of a cas9 single guide rna when the "activator" and the "targeter" are linked together by, e.g., intervening nucleotides). thus, for example, a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) comprises an activator sequence (e.g., a tracrrna sequence). a tracr molecule (a tracrrna) is a naturally existing molecule that hybridizes with a crispr rna molecule (a crrna) to form a cas9 dual guide rna. the term "activator" is used herein to encompass naturally existing tracrrnas, but also to encompass tracrrnas with modifications (e.g., truncations, sequence variations, base modifications, backbone modifications, linkage modifications, etc.) where the activator retains at least one function of a tracrrna (e.g., contributes to the dsrna duplex to which cas9 protein binds). in some cases the activator provides one or more stem loops that can interact with cas9 protein. an activator can be referred to as having a tracr sequence (tracrrna sequence) and in some cases is a tracrrna, but the term "activator" is not limited to naturally existing tracrrnas. [0204] the term "targeter" or "targeter rna" is used herein to refer to a crrna-like molecule (crrna: "crispr rna") of a cas9 dual guide rna (and therefore of a cas9 single guide rna when the "activator" and the "targeter" are linked together, e.g., by intervening nucleotides). thus, for example, a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) comprises a targeting segment (which includes nucleotides that hybridize with (are complementary to) a target nucleic acid, and a duplex-forming segment (e.g., a duplex forming segment of a crrna, which can also be referred to as a crrna repeat). because the sequence of a targeting segment (the segment that hybridizes with a target sequence of a target nucleic acid) of a targeter is modified by a user to hybridize with a desired target nucleic acid, the sequence of a targeter will often be a non-naturally occurring sequence. however, the duplex-forming segment of a targeter (described in more detail below), which hybridizes with the duplex-forming segment of an activator, can include a naturally existing sequence (e.g., can include the sequence of a duplex-forming segment of a naturally existing crrna, which can also be referred to as a crrna repeat). thus, the term targeter is used herein to distinguish from naturally occurring crrnas, despite the fact that part of a targeter (e.g., the duplex-forming segment) often includes a naturally occurring sequence from a crrna. however, the term "targeter" encompasses naturally occurring crrnas. [0205] a cas9 guide rna can also be said to include 3 parts: (i) a targeting sequence (a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes with a sequence of the target nucleic acid); (ii) an activator sequence (as described above)(in some cases, referred to as a tracr sequence); and (iii) a sequence that hybridizes to at least a portion of the activator sequence to form a double stranded duplex. a targeter has (i) and (iii); while an activator has (ii). [0206] a cas9 guide rna (e.g. , a dual guide rna or a single guide rna) can be comprised of any corresponding activator and targeter pair. in some cases, the duplex forming segments can be swapped between the activator and the targeter. in other words, in some cases, the targeter includes a sequence of nucleotides from a duplex forming segment of a tracrrna (which sequence would normally be part of an activator) while the activator includes a sequence of nucleotides from a duplex forming segment of a crrna (which sequence would normally be part of a targeter). [0207] as noted above, a targeter comprises both the targeting segment (single stranded) of the cas9 guide rna and a stretch ("duplex-forming segment") of nucleotides that forms one half of the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment of the cas9 guide rna. a corresponding tracrrna-like molecule (activator) comprises a stretch of nucleotides (a duplex-forming segment) that forms the other half of the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment of the cas9 guide rna. in other words, a stretch of nucleotides of the targeter is complementary to and hybridizes with a stretch of nucleotides of the activator to form the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment of a cas9 guide rna. as such, each targeter can be said to have a corresponding activator (which has a region that hybridizes with the targeter). the targeter molecule additionally provides the targeting segment. thus, a targeter and an activator (as a corresponding pair) hybridize to form a cas9 guide rna. the particular sequence of a given naturally existing crrna or tracrrna molecule is characteristic of the species in which the rna molecules are found. examples of suitable activator and targeter are well known in the art. [0208] a cas9 guide rna (e.g. , a dual guide rna or a single guide rna) can be comprised of any corresponding activator and targeter pair. non-limiting examples of nucleotide sequences that can be included in a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) include sequences set forth in seq id nos: 827-1075, or complements thereof. for example, in some cases, sequences from seq id nos: 827-957 (which are from tracrrnas) or complements thereof, can pair with sequences from seq id nos: 964-1075 (which are from crrnas), or complements thereof, to form a dsrna duplex of a protein binding segment. targeting segment of a cas9 guide rna [0209] the first segment of a subject guide nucleic acid includes a guide sequence (i.e., a targeting sequence)(a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a sequence (a target site) in a target nucleic acid). in other words, the targeting segment of a subject guide nucleic acid can interact with a target nucleic acid (e.g., double stranded dna (dsdna)) in a sequence-specific manner via hybridization (i.e., base pairing). as such, the nucleotide sequence of the targeting segment may vary (depending on the target) and can determine the location within the target nucleic acid that the cas9 guide rna and the target nucleic acid will interact. the targeting segment of a cas9 guide rna can be modified (e.g., by genetic engineering)/designed to hybridize to any desired sequence (target site) within a target nucleic acid (e.g., a eukaryotic target nucleic acid such as genomic dna). [0210] the targeting segment can have a length of 7 or more nucleotides (nt) (e.g., 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 25 or more, 30 or more, or 40 or more nucleotides). in some cases, the targeting segment can have a length of from 7 to 100 nucleotides (nt) (e.g., from 7 to 80 nt, from 7 to 60 nt, from 7 to 40 nt, from 7 to 30 nt, from 7 to 25 nt, from 7 to 22 nt, from 7 to 20 nt, from 7 to 18 nt, from 8 to 80 nt, from 8 to 60 nt, from 8 to 40 nt, from 8 to 30 nt, from 8 to 25 nt, from 8 to 22 nt, from 8 to 20 nt, from 8 to 18 nt, from 10 to 100 nt, from 10 to 80 nt, from 10 to 60 nt, from 10 to 40 nt, from 10 to 30 nt, from 10 to 25 nt, from 10 to 22 nt, from 10 to 20 nt, from 10 to 18 nt, from 12 to 100 nt, from 12 to 80 nt, from 12 to 60 nt, from 12 to 40 nt, from 12 to 30 nt, from 12 to 25 nt, from 12 to 22 nt, from 12 to 20 nt, from 12 to 18 nt, from 14 to 100 nt, from 14 to 80 nt, from 14 to 60 nt, from 14 to 40 nt, from 14 to 30 nt, from 14 to 25 nt, from 14 to 22 nt, from 14 to 20 nt, from 14 to 18 nt, from 16 to 100 nt, from 16 to 80 nt, from 16 to 60 nt, from 16 to 40 nt, from 16 to 30 nt, from 16 to 25 nt, from 16 to 22 nt, from 16 to 20 nt, from 16 to 18 nt, from 18 to 100 nt, from 18 to 80 nt, from 18 to 60 nt, from 18 to 40 nt, from 18 to 30 nt, from 18 to 25 nt, from 18 to 22 nt, or from 18 to 20 nt) [0211] the nucleotide sequence (the targeting sequence) of the targeting segment that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence (target site) of the target nucleic acid can have a length of 10 nt or more. for example, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target site of the target nucleic acid can have a length of 12 nt or more, 15 nt or more, 18 nt or more, 19 nt or more, or 20 nt or more. in some cases, the nucleotide sequence (the targeting sequence) of the targeting segment that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence (target site) of the target nucleic acid has a length of 12 nt or more. in some cases, the nucleotide sequence (the targeting sequence) of the targeting segment that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence (target site) of the target nucleic acid has a length of 18 nt or more. [0212] for example, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid can have a length of from 10 to 100 nucleotides (nt) (e.g., from 10 to 90 nt, from 10 to 75 nt, from 10 to 60 nt, from 10 to 50 nt, from 10 to 35 nt, from 10 to 30 nt, from 10 to 25 nt, from 10 to 22 nt, from 10 to 20 nt, from 12 to 100 nt, from 12 to 90 nt, from 12 to 75 nt, from 12 to 60 nt, from 12 to 50 nt, from 12 to 35 nt, from 12 to 30 nt, from 12 to 25 nt, from 12 to 22 nt, from 12 to 20 nt, from 15 to 100 nt, from 15 to 90 nt, from 15 to 75 nt, from 15 to 60 nt, from 15 to 50 nt, from 15 to 35 nt, from 15 to 30 nt, from 15 to 25 nt, from 15 to 22 nt, from 15 to 20 nt, from 17 to 100 nt, from 17 to 90 nt, from 17 to 75 nt, from 17 to 60 nt, from 17 to 50 nt, from 17 to 35 nt, from 17 to 30 nt, from 17 to 25 nt, from 17 to 22 nt, from 17 to 20 nt, from 18 to 100 nt, from 18 to 90 nt, from 18 to 75 nt, from 18 to 60 nt, from 18 to 50 nt, from 18 to 35 nt, from 18 to 30 nt, from 18 to 25 nt, from 18 to 22 nt, or from 18 to 20 nt). in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid has a length of from 15 nt to 30 nt. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid has a length of from 15 nt to 25 nt. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid has a length of from 18 nt to 30 nt. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid has a length of from 18 nt to 25 nt. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target sequence of the target nucleic acid has a length of from 18 nt to 22 nt. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target site of the target nucleic acid is 20 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the targeting sequence of the targeting segment that is complementary to a target site of the target nucleic acid is 19 nucleotides in length. [0213] the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence (guide sequence) of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid can be 60% or more (e.g., 65% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, 99% or more, or 100%). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the seven contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 60% or more over about 20 contiguous nucleotides. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the fourteen contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 14 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the seven contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 20 nucleotides in length. [0214] in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 7 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 8 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 9 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 10 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 17 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100%) over the 18 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid (which can be complementary to the 3 '-most nucleotides of the targeting sequence of the cas9 guide rna). in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 60%> or more (e-g-, e-g-, 65% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, 99% or more, or 100%) over about 20 contiguous nucleotides. [0215] in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 7 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 7 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 8 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0%> or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 8 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 9 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0%> or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 9 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 10 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0%> or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 10 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100%) over the 11 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 11 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100%> over the 12 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 12 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100%> over the 13 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 13 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100%> over the 14 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 14 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 17 contiguous 5'-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 17 nucleotides in length. in some cases, the percent complementarity between the targeting sequence of the targeting segment and the target site of the target nucleic acid is 100% over the 18 contiguous 5 '-most nucleotides of the target site of the target nucleic acid and as low as 0% or more over the remainder. in such a case, the targeting sequence can be considered to be 18 nucleotides in length. protein-binding segment of a cas9 guide rna [0216] the protein-binding segment of a subject cas9 guide rna interacts with a cas9 protein. the cas9 guide rna guides the bound cas9 protein to a specific nucleotide sequence within target nucleic acid via the above mentioned targeting segment. the protein- binding segment of a cas9 guide rna comprises two stretches of nucleotides that are complementary to one another and hybridize to form a double stranded rna duplex (dsrna duplex). thus, the protein-binding segment includes a dsrna duplex. in some cases, the protein-binding segment also includes stem loop 1 (the "nexus") of a cas9 guide rna. for example, in some cases, the activator of a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) includes (i) a duplex forming segment that contributes to the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment; and (ii) nucleotides 3' of the duplex forming segment, e.g., that form stem loop 1 (the "nexus"). for example, in some cases, the protein-binding segment includes stem loop 1 (the "nexus") of a cas9 guide rna. in some cases, the protein-binding segment includes 5 or more nucleotides (nt) (e.g., 6 or more, 7 or more, 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, 11 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 30 or more, 40 or more, 50 or more, 60 or more, 70 or more, 75 or more, or 80 or more nt) 3' of the dsrna duplex (where 3' is relative to the duplex-forming segment of the activator sequence). [0217] the dsrna duplex of the guide rna (sgrna or dgrna) that forms between the activator and targeter is sometimes referred to herein as the "stem loop". in addition, the activator (activator rna, tracrrna) of many naturally existing cas9 guide rnas (e.g., s. pygogenes guide rnas) has 3 stem loops (3 hairpins) that are 3' of the duplex-forming segment of the activator. the closest stem loop to the duplex-forming segment of the activator (3' of the duplex forming segment) is called "stem loop 1" (and is also referred to herein as the "nexus"); the next stem loop is called "stem loop 2" (and is also referred to herein as the "hairpin 1"); and the next stem loop is called "stem loop 3" (and is also referred to herein as the "hairpin 2"). [0218] in some cases, a cas9 guide rna (sgrna or dgrna) (e.g., a full length cas9 guide rna) has stem loops 1, 2, and 3. in some cases, an activator (of a cas9 guide rna) has stem loop 1, but does not have stem loop 2 and does not have stem loop 3. in some cases, an activator (of a cas9 guide rna) has stem loop 1 and stem loop 2, but does not have stem loop 3. in some cases, an activator (of a cas9 guide rna) has stem loops 1, 2, and 3. [0219] in some cases, the activator (e.g., tracr sequence) of a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) includes (i) a duplex forming segment that contributes to the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment; and (ii) a stretch of nucleotides (e.g., referred to herein as a 3 ' tail) 3 ' of the duplex forming segment. in some cases, the additional nucleotides 3 ' of the duplex forming segment form stem loop 1. in some cases, the activator (e.g., tracr sequence) of a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) includes (i) a duplex forming segment that contributes to the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment; and (ii) 5 or more nucleotides (e.g., 6 or more, 7 or more, 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, 1 1 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 25 or more, 30 or more, 35 or more, 40 or more, 45 or more, 50 or more, 60 or more, 70 or more, or 75 or more nucleotides) 3 ' of the duplex forming segment. in some cases, the activator (activator rna) of a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) includes (i) a duplex forming segment that contributes to the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment; and (ii) 5 or more nucleotides (e.g., 6 or more, 7 or more, 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, 1 1 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 25 or more, 30 or more, 35 or more, 40 or more, 45 or more, 50 or more, 60 or more, 70 or more, or 75 or more nucleotides) 3 ' of the duplex forming segment. [0220] in some cases, the activator (e.g., tracr sequence) of a cas9 guide rna (dgrna or sgrna) includes (i) a duplex forming segment that contributes to the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment; and (ii) a stretch of nucleotides (e.g., referred to herein as a 3 ' tail) 3 ' of the duplex forming segment. in some cases, the stretch of nucleotides 3 ' of the duplex forming segment has a length in a range of from 5 to 200 nucleotides (nt) (e.g., from 5 to 150 nt, from 5 to 130 nt, from 5 to 120 nt, from 5 to 100 nt, from 5 to 80 nt, from 10 to 200 nt, from 10 to 150 nt, from 10 to 130 nt, from 10 to 120 nt, from 10 to 100 nt, from 10 to 80 nt, from 12 to 200 nt, from 12 to 150 nt, from 12 to 130 nt, from 12 to 120 nt, from 12 to 100 nt, from 12 to 80 nt, from 15 to 200 nt, from 15 to 150 nt, from 15 to 130 nt, from 15 to 120 nt, from 15 to 100 nt, from 15 to 80 nt, from 20 to 200 nt, from 20 to 150 nt, from 20 to 130 nt, from 20 to 120 nt, from 20 to 100 nt, from 20 to 80 nt, from 30 to 200 nt, from 30 to 150 nt, from 30 to 130 nt, from 30 to 120 nt, from 30 to 100 nt, or from 30 to 80 nt). in some cases, the nucleotides of the 3' tail of an activator rna are wild type sequences. although a number of different alternative sequences can be used, an example cas9 single guide rna (based on crrna and tracrrna from s. pyogenes, where the dsrna duplex of the protein-binding segment is truncated relative to the dsrna duplex present in the wild type dual guide rna) can include the sequence set forth in seq id no:958 (this example sequence does not include the guide sequence. the guide sequence, which varies depending on the target, would be 5' of this example sequence. the activator in this example is 66 nucleotides long). [0221] examples of various cas9 proteins and cas9 guide rnas (as well as information regarding requirements related to protospacer adjacent motif (pam) sequences present in targeted nucleic acids) can be found in the art, for example, see jinek et al, science. 2012 aug 17;337(6096):816-21; chylinski et al, rna biol. 2013 may; 10(5): 726- 37; ma et al, biomed res int. 2013 ;2013 :270805; hou et al, proc natl acad sci u s a. 2013 sep 24; 110(39): 15644-9; jinek et al, elife. 2013;2:e00471; pattanayak et al, nat biotechnol. 2013 sep;31(9):839-43; qi et al, cell. 2013 feb 28; 152(5): 1173-83; wang et al, cell. 2013 may 9; 153(4):910-8; auer et. al., genome res. 2013 oct 31; chen et. al., nucleic acids res. 2013 nov l;41(20):el9; cheng et. al., cell res. 2013 oct;23(10): 1163-71; cho et. al., genetics. 2013 nov; 195(3): 1177-80; dicarlo et al, nucleic acids res. 2013 apr;41(7):4336-43; dickinson et. al., nat methods. 2013 oct; 10(10): 1028-34; ebina et. al., sci rep. 2013;3 :2510; fujii et. al, nucleic acids res. 2013 nov l;41(20):el87; hu et. al., cell res. 2013 nov;23(l l): 1322-5; jiang et. al., nucleic acids res. 2013 nov l;41(20):el88; larson et. al., nat protoc. 2013 nov;8(l l):2180-96; mali et. at, nat methods. 2013 oct; 10(10):957-63; nakayama et. al., genesis. 2013 dec;51(12):835-43; ran et. al., nat protoc. 2013 nov;8(l l):2281-308; ran et. al., cell. 2013 sep 12; 154(6): 1380-9; upadhyay et. al., g3 (bethesda). 2013 dec 9;3(12):2233-8; walsh et. al., proc natl acad sci u s a. 2013 sep 24; 110(39): 15514-5; xie et. al., mol plant. 2013 oct 9; yang et. al., cell. 2013 sep 12; 154(6): 1370-9; briner et a/., mol cell. 2014 oct 23;56(2):333-9; and u.s. patents and patent applications: 8,906,616; 8,895,308; 8,889,418; 8,889,356; 8,871,445; 8,865,406; 8,795,965; 8,771,945; 8,697,359; 20140068797; 20140170753; 20140179006; 20140179770; 20140186843; 20140186919; 20140186958; 20140189896; 20140227787; 20140234972; 20140242664; 20140242699; 20140242700; 20140242702; 20140248702; 20140256046; 20140273037; 20140273226; 20140273230; 20140273231; 20140273232; 20140273233; 20140273234; 20140273235; 20140287938; 20140295556; 20140295557; 20140298547; 20140304853; 20140309487; 20140310828; 20140310830; 20140315985; 20140335063; 20140335620; 20140342456; 20140342457; 20140342458; 20140349400; 20140349405; 20140356867; 20140356956; 20140356958; 20140356959; 20140357523; 20140357530; 20140364333; and 20140377868; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. guide rnas corresponding to type v and type vi crispr/cas endonucleases fe.g., cpfl guide rna) [0222] a guide rna that binds to a type v or type vi crispr/cas protein (e.g. , cpfl, c2cl, c2c2, c2c3), and targets the complex to a specific location within a target nucleic acid is referred to herein generally as a "type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna" . an example of a more specific term is a "cpfl guide rna." [0223] a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g. , cpfl guide rna) can have a total length of from 30 nucleotides (nt) to 200 nt, e.g., from 30 nt to 180 nt, from 30 nt to 160 nt, from 30 nt to 150 nt, from 30 nt to 125 nt, from 30 nt to 100 nt, from 30 nt to 90 nt, from 30 nt to 80 nt, from 30 nt to 70 nt, from 30 nt to 60 nt, from 30 nt to 50 nt, from 50 nt to 200 nt, from 50 nt to 180 nt, from 50 nt to 160 nt, from 50 nt to 150 nt, from 50 nt to 125 nt, from 50 nt to 100 nt, from 50 nt to 90 nt, from 50 nt to 80 nt, from 50 nt to 70 nt, from 50 nt to 60 nt, from 70 nt to 200 nt, from 70 nt to 180 nt, from 70 nt to 160 nt, from 70 nt to 150 nt, from 70 nt to 125 nt, from 70 nt to 100 nt, from 70 nt to 90 nt, or from 70 nt to 80 nt). in some cases, a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g., cpfl guide rna) has a total length of at least 30 nt (e.g., at least 40 nt, at least 50 nt, at least 60 nt, at least 70 nt, at least 80 nt, at least 90 nt, at least 100 nt, or at least 120 nt). [0224] in some cases, a cpfl guide rna has a total length of 35 nt, 36 nt, 37 nt, 38 nt, 39 nt, 40 nt, 41 nt, 42 nt, 43 nt, 44 nt, 45 nt, 46 nt, 47 nt, 48 nt, 49 nt, or 50 nt. [0225] like a cas9 guide rna, a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g. , cpfl guide rna) can include a target nucleic acid-binding segment and a duplex-forming region (e.g., in some cases formed from two duplex-forming segments, i.e., two stretches of nucleotides that hybridize to one another to form a duplex) [0226] the target nucleic acid-binding segment of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g., cpfl guide rna) can have a length of from 15 nt to 30 nt, e.g., 15 nt, 16 nt, 17 nt, 18 nt, 19 nt, 20 nt, 21 nt, 22 nt, 23 nt, 24 nt, 25 nt, 26 nt, 27 nt, 28 nt, 29 nt, or 30 nt. in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has a length of 23 nt. in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has a length of 24 nt. in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has a length of 25 nt. [0227] the guide sequence of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g. , cpfl guide rna) can have a length of from 15 nt to 30 nt (e.g., 15 to 25 nt, 15 to 24 nt, 15 to 23 nt, 15 to 22 nt, 15 to 21 nt, 15 to 20 nt, 15 to 19 nt, 15 to 18 nt, 17 to 30 nt, 17 to 25 nt, 17 to 24 nt, 17 to 23 nt, 17 to 22 nt, 17 to 21 nt, 17 to 20 nt, 17 to 19 nt, 17 to 18 nt, 18 to 30 nt, 18 to 25 nt, 18 to 24 nt, 18 to 23 nt, 18 to 22 nt, 18 to 21 nt, 18 to 20 nt, 18 to 19 nt, 19 to 30 nt, 19 to 25 nt, 19 to 24 nt, 19 to 23 nt, 19 to 22 nt, 19 to 21 nt, 19 to 20 nt, 20 to 30 nt, 20 to 25 nt, 20 to 24 nt, 20 to 23 nt, 20 to 22 nt, 20 to 21 nt, 15 nt, 16 nt, 17 nt, 18 nt, 19 nt, 20 nt, 21 nt, 22 nt, 23 nt, 24 nt, 25 nt, 26 nt, 27 nt, 28 nt, 29 nt, or 30 nt). in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 17 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 18 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 19 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 20 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 21 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 22 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 23 nt. in some cases, the guide sequence has a length of 24 nt. [0228] the guide sequence of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g. , cpfl guide rna) can have 100% complementarity with a corresponding length of target nucleic acid sequence. the guide sequence can have less than 100% complementarity with a corresponding length of target nucleic acid sequence. for example, the guide sequence of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g., cpfl guide rna) can have 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 nucleotides that are not complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence. for example, in some cases, where a guide sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, and the target nucleic acid sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has 100% complementarity to the target nucleic acid sequence. as another example, in some cases, where a guide sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, and the target nucleic acid sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has 1 non-complementary nucleotide and 24 complementary nucleotides with the target nucleic acid sequence. as another example, in some cases, where a guide sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, and the target nucleic acid sequence has a length of 25 nucleotides, in some cases, the target nucleic acid-binding segment has 2 non-complementary nucleotides and 23 complementary nucleotides with the target nucleic acid sequence. [0229] the duplex-forming segment of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g., cpfl guide rna) (e.g., of a targeter rna or an activator rna) can have a length of from 15 nt to 25 nt (e.g., 15 nt, 16 nt, 17 nt, 18 nt, 19 nt, 20 nt, 21 nt, 22 nt, 23 nt, 24 nt, or 25 nt). [0230] the rna duplex of a type v or type vi crispr/cas guide rna (e.g. , cpfl guide rna) can have a length of from 5 base pairs (bp) to 40 bp (e.g., from 5 to 35 bp, 5 to 30 bp, 5 to 25 bp, 5 to 20 bp, 5 to 15 bp, 5-12 bp, 5-10 bp, 5-8 bp, 6 to 40 bp, 6 to 35 bp, 6 to 30 bp, 6 to 25 bp, 6 to 20 bp, 6 to 15 bp, 6 to 12 bp, 6 to 10 bp, 6 to 8 bp, 7 to 40 bp, 7 to 35 bp, 7 to 30 bp, 7 to 25 bp, 7 to 20 bp, 7 to 15 bp, 7 to 12 bp, 7 to 10 bp, 8 to 40 bp, 8 to 35 bp, 8 to 30 bp, 8 to 25 bp, 8 to 20 bp, 8 to 15 bp, 8 to 12 bp, 8 to 10 bp, 9 to 40 bp, 9 to 35 bp, 9 to 30 bp, 9 to 25 bp, 9 to 20 bp, 9 to 15 bp, 9 to 12 bp, 9 to 10 bp, 10 to 40 bp, 10 to 35 bp, 10 to 30 bp, 10 to 25 bp, 10 to 20 bp, 10 to 15 bp, or 10 to 12bp). [0231] as an example, a duplex-forming segment of a cpfl guide rna can comprise a nucleotide sequence selected from (5' to 3 '): aauuucuacuguuguagau (seq id no: 1093), aauuucugcuguugcagau (seq id no: 1094), aauuuccacuguuguggau (seq id no: 1095), aauuccuacuguuguaggu (seq id no: 1096), aauuucuacuauuguagau (seq id no: 1097), aauuucuacugcuguagau (seq id no : 1098), aauuucuacuuuguagau (seq id no: 1099), and aauuucuacuuguagau (seq id no: 1 100). the guide sequence can then follow (5' to 3 ') the duplex forming segment. [0232] a non-limiting example of an activator rna (e.g., tracrrna) of a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna that includes the nucleotide sequence gaauuuuucaacgggugugccaauggccacuuuccagguggcaaagcccguug agcuucucaaaaag (seq id no: 1 101). in some cases, a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna that includes the nucleotide sequence in some cases, a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna that includes the nucleotide sequence gucuagaggacagaauuuuucaacgggugugccaauggcca cuuuccagguggcaaagcccguugagcuucucaaaaag (seq id no: 1 102). in some cases, a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna that includes the nucleotide sequence ucu agagg ac aga auuuuuc a ac gggugugc c a auggccacu uuc c agguggc a a agcc c guugagcuucuc a a a a ag (seq id no: 1103). a non-limiting example of an activator rna (e.g., tracrrna) of a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna that includes the nucleotide sequence acuuuccaggcaaagcccguugagcuucucaaaaag (seq id no: 1104). in some cases, a duplex forming segment of a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) of an activator rna (e.g., tracrrna) includes the nucleotide sequence agcuucuca (seq id no: 1105) or the nucleotide sequence gcuucuca (seq id no: 1106) (the duplex forming segment from a naturally existing tracrrna. [0233] a non-limiting example of a targeter rna (e.g., crrna) of a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) is an rna with the nucleotide sequence cugagaaguggcacnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn (seq id no: 1107), where the ns represent the guide sequence, which will vary depending on the target sequence, and although 20 ns are depicted a range of different lengths are acceptable. in some cases, a duplex forming segment of a c2cl guide rna (dual guide or single guide) of a targeter rna (e.g., crrna) includes the nucleotide sequence cugagaaguggcac (seq id no: 1108) or includes the nucleotide sequence cugagaagu (seq id no: 1109) or includes the nucleotide sequence ugagaaguggcac (seq id no: 1110) or includes the nucleotide sequence ugagaagu (seq id no: 1111). [0234] examples and guidance related to type v or type vi crispr/cas endonucleases and guide rnas (as well as information regarding requirements related to protospacer adjacent motif (pam) sequences present in targeted nucleic acids) can be found in the art, for example, see zetsche et al, cell. 2015 oct 22; 163(3):759-71; makarova et al, nat rev microbiol. 2015 nov; 13(l l):722-36; and shmakov et al, mol cell. 2015 nov 5;60(3):385-97. target genomic dna [0235] a target nucleic acid (e.g., target genomic dna) is located within a stem cell, where suitable stem cells are described above. a target genomic dna can be any genomic dna in which the sequence is to be modified, e.g., by substitution and/or insertion and/or deletion of one or more nucleotides present in the target genomic dna. [0236] target genes (target genomic dna) include those genes involved in various diseases or conditions. in some cases, the target genomic dna is mutated, such that it encodes a non-functional polypeptide, or such that a polypeptide encoded by the target genomic dna is not synthesized in any detectable amount, or such that a polypeptide encoded by the target genomic dna is synthesized in a lower than normal amount, such that an individual having the mutation has a disease. such diseases include, but are not limited to, achondroplasia, achromatopsia, acid maltase deficiency, adenosine deaminase deficiency, adrenoleukodystrophy, aicardi syndrome, alpha- 1 antitrypsin deficiency, alpha-thalassemia, androgen insensitivity syndrome, apert syndrome, arrhythmogenic right ventricular, dysplasia, ataxia telangictasia, barth syndrome, beta-thalassemia, blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome, canavan disease, chronic granulomatous diseases (cgd), cri du chat syndrome, crigler-najjer syndrome, cystic fibrosis, dercum's disease, ectodermal dysplasia, fanconi anemia, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive, fragile x syndrome, galactosemis, gaucher's disease, generalized gangliosidoses (e.g., gm1), glycogen storage disease type iv, hemochromatosis, the hemoglobin c mutation in the 6th codon of beta-globin (hbc), hemophilia, huntington's disease, hurler syndrome, hypophosphatasia, klinefelter syndrome, krabbes disease, langer-giedion syndrome, leukocyte adhesion deficiency (lad, omim no. 1 16920), leukodystrophy, long qt syndrome, marfan syndrome, moebius syndrome, mucopolysaccharidosis (mps), nail patella syndrome, nephrogenic diabetes insipdius, neurofibromatosis, neimann-pick disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, porphyria, prader-willi syndrome, progeria, proteus syndrome, retinoblastoma, rett syndrome, rubinstein-taybi syndrome, sanfilippo syndrome, severe combined immunodeficiency (scid), shwachman syndrome, sickle cell disease (sickle cell anemia), smith-magenis syndrome, stickler syndrome, tay-sachs disease, thrombocytopenia absent radius (tar) syndrome, treacher collins syndrome, trisomy, tuberous sclerosis, turner's syndrome, urea cycle disorder, von hippel-landau disease, waardenburg syndrome, williams syndrome, wilson's disease, wiskott-aldrich syndrome, and x-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome. other such diseases include, e.g., acquired immunodeficiencies, lysosomal storage diseases (e.g., gaucher's disease, gm1, fabry disease and tay-sachs disease), mucopolysaccahidosis (e.g., hunter's disease, hurler's disease), hemoglobinopathies (e.g., sickle cell diseases, hbc, a-thalassemia, β-thalassemia) and hemophilias. [0237] for example, in some cases, the target genomic dna comprises a mutation that gives rise to a trinucleotide repeat disease. exemplary trinucleotide repeat diseases and target genes involved in trinucleotide repeat diseases trinucleotide repeat diseases gene drpla (dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy) atn1 or drpla hd (huntington's disease) htt (huntingtin) sbma (spinobulbar muscular atrophy or androgen receptor on the kennedy disease) x chromosome. sca1 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 1) atxn1 sca2 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 2) atxn2 sca3 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 or atxn3 machado- joseph disease) sca6 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 6) cacna1a sca7 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 7) atxn7 sca17 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 17) tbp fraxa (fragile x syndrome) fmrl, on the x- chromosome fxtas (fragile x-associated tremor/ fmrl, on the x- ataxia syndrome) chromosome fraxe (fragile xe mental retardation) aff2 or fmr2, on the x-chromosome frda (friedreich's ataxia) fxn or x25, (frataxin- reduced expression) dm (myotonic dystrophy) dmpk sca8 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 8) osca or sca8 sca12 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 12) ppp2r2b or sca12. [0238] for example, in some cases, a suitable target genomic dna is a β-globin gene, e.g., a β-globin gene with a sickle cell mutation. as another example, a suitable target genomic dna is a huntington's locus, e.g., an htt gene, where the htt gene comprises a mutation (e.g., a cag repeat expansion comprising more than 35 cag repeats) that gives rise to huntington's disease. as another example, a suitable target genomic dna is an adenosine deaminase gene that comprises a mutation that gives rise to severe combined immunodeficiency. as another example, a suitable target genomic dna is a bcl11 a gene comprising a mutation associated with control of the gamma-globin genes. as another example, a suitable target genomic dna is a bcl1 la enhancer. donor polynucleotide [0239] in some cases, a genome targeting composition comprises a donor template nucleic acid ("donor polynucleotide"). in some cases, a method of the present disclosure comprises contacting the target dna with a donor polynucleotide, wherein the donor polynucleotide, a portion of the donor polynucleotide, a copy of the donor polynucleotide, or a portion of a copy of the donor polynucleotide integrates into the target dna (e.g., via homology-directed repair). in some cases, the method does not comprise contacting the cell with a donor polynucleotide (e.g., resulting in non-homologous end-joining). a donor poly nucleotide can be introduced into a target cell using any convenient technique for introducing nucleic acids into cells. [0240] when it is desirable to insert a polynucleotide sequence into a target dna sequence, a polynucleotide comprising a donor sequence to be inserted is provided to the cell (e.g., the target dna is contacted with a donor polynucleotide in addition to a genome targeting composition (e.g., a genome editing endonuclease; or a genome-editing endonuclease and a guide rna). by a "donor sequence" or "donor polynucleotide" it is meant a nucleic acid sequence to be inserted at the cleavage site induced by a genome-editing endonuclease. a suitable donor polynucleotide can be single stranded or double stranded. for example, in some cases, a donor polynucleotide is single stranded (e.g., in some cases can be referred to as an oligonucleotide), and in some cases a donor polynucleotide is double stranded (e.g., in some cases can be include two separate oligonucleotides that are hybridized). the donor polynucleotide will contain sufficient homology to a genomic sequence at the cleavage site, e.g., 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% homology with the nucleotide sequences flanking the cleavage site, e.g., within 100 bases or less (e.g., 50 bases or less of the cleavage site, e.g., within 30 bases, within 15 bases, within 10 bases, within 5 bases, or immediately flanking the cleavage site), to support homology-directed repair between it and the genomic sequence to which it bears homology. approximately 25 nucleotides (nt) or more (e.g., 30 nt or more, 40 nt or more, 50 nt or more, 60 nt or more, 70 nt or more, 80 nt or more, 90 nt or more, 100 nt or more, 150 nt or more, 200 nt or more, etc.) of sequence homology between a donor and a genomic sequence (or any integral value between 10 and 200 nucleotides, or more) can support homology-directed repair. for example, in some cases, the 5' and/or the 3' flanking homology arm (e.g., in some cases both of the flanking homology arms) of a donor polynucleotide can be 30 nucleotides (nt) or more in length (e.g., 40 nt or more, 50 nt or more, 60 nt or more, 70 nt or more, 80 nt or more, 90 nt or more, 100 nt or more, etc.). for example, in some cases, the 5' and/or the 3' flanking homology arm (e.g., in some cases both of the flanking homology arms) of a donor polynucleotide can have a length in a range of from 30 nt to 500 nt (e.g., 30 nt to 400 nt, 30 nt to 350 nt, 30 nt to 300 nt, 30 nt to 250 nt, 30 nt to 200 nt, 30 nt to 150 nt, 30 nt to 100 nt, 30 nt to 90 nt, 30 nt to 80 nt, 50 nt to 400 nt, 50 nt to 350 nt, 50 nt to 300 nt, 50 nt to 250 nt, 50 nt to 200 nt, 50 nt to 150 nt, 50 nt to 100 nt, 50 nt to 90 nt, 50 nt to 80 nt, 60 nt to 400 nt, 60 nt to 350 nt, 60 nt to 300 nt, 60 nt to 250 nt, 60 nt to 200 nt, 60 nt to 150 nt, 60 nt to 100 nt, 60 nt to 90 nt, 60 nt to 80 nt). [0241] donor sequences can be of any length, e.g., 10 nucleotides or more, 50 nucleotides or more, 100 nucleotides or more, 250 nucleotides or more, 500 nucleotides or more, 1000 nucleotides or more, 5000 nucleotides or more, etc. [0242] the donor sequence is typically not identical to the genomic sequence that it replaces. rather, the donor sequence may contain at least one or more single base changes, insertions, deletions, inversions or rearrangements with respect to the genomic sequence, so long as sufficient homology is present to support homology-directed repair. in some embodiments, the donor sequence comprises a non-homologous sequence flanked by two regions of homology, such that homology-directed repair between the target dna region and the two flanking sequences results in insertion of the non-homologous sequence at the target region. donor sequences may also comprise a vector backbone containing sequences that are not homologous to the dna region of interest and that are not intended for insertion into the dna region of interest. generally, the homologous region(s) of a donor sequence will have at least 50% sequence identity to a genomic sequence with which recombination is desired. in certain embodiments, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98%, 99%, or 99.9% sequence identity is present. any value between 1% and 100% sequence identity can be present, depending upon the length of the donor polynucleotide." [0243] in some cases, a donor polynucleotide is delivered to the cell (introduced into a cell) as part of viral vector (e.g., an adeno-associated virus (aav) vector; a lentiviral vector; etc.). for example a viral dna (e.g., aav dna) can include a donor polynucleotide sequence (donor sequence) (e.g., a virus, e.g., aav, can include a dna molecule that includes a donor polynucleotide sequence). in some cases, a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell as a virus (e.g., an aav, e.g., the donor polynucleotide sequence is present as part of the viral dna, e.g., aav dna) and the genome-editing endonuclease (e.g., zfn; cas9 protein; etc.) and, where applicable, a guide rna are delivered by a different route. for example, in some cases, a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell as a virus (e.g., an aav, e.g., the donor polynucleotide sequence is present as part of the viral dna, e.g., aav dna) and a cas9 protein and cas9 guide rna are delivered as part of a separate expression vector. in some cases, a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell as a virus (e.g., an aav, e.g., the donor polynucleotide sequence is present as part of the viral dna, e.g., aav dna) and a cas9 protein and cas9 guide rna are delivered as part of a ribonucleoprotein complex (rnp). in some cases: (i) a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell as a virus (e.g., an aav, e.g., the donor polynucleotide sequence is present as part of the viral dna, e.g., aav dna), (ii) a cas9 guide rna is delivered as either an rna or dna encoding the rna, and (iii) a cas9 protein is delivered as a protein or as a nucleic acid encoding the protein (e.g., rna or dna). [0244] in some cases, a recombinant viral vector (e.g., a recombinant aav vector) comprising a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell before a cas9-guide rna rnp is introduced into the cell. for example, in some cases, a recombinant viral vector (e.g., a recombinant aav vector) comprising a donor polynucleotide is introduced into a cell from 2 hours to 72 hours (e.g., from 2 hours to 4 hours, from 4 hours to 8 hours, from 8 hours to 12 hours, from 12 hours to 24 hours, from 24 hours to 48 hours, or from 48 hours to 72 hours) before the cas9-guide rna rnp is introduced into the cell. examples [0245] the following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to make and use the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of what the inventors regard as their invention nor are they intended to represent that the experiments below are all or the only experiments performed. efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers used (e.g., amounts, temperature, etc.) but some experimental errors and deviations should be accounted for. unless indicated otherwise, parts are parts by weight, molecular weight is weight average molecular weight, temperature is in degrees celsius, and pressure is at or near atmospheric. standard abbreviations may be used, e.g., bp, base pair(s); kb, kilobase(s); pi, picoliter(s); s or sec, second(s); min, minute(s); h or hr, hour(s); aa, amino acid(s); kb, kilobase(s); bp, base pair(s); nt, nucleotide(s); i.m., intramuscular(ly); i.p., intraperitoneal(ly); s.c, subcutaneous(ly); and the like. example 1 [0246] site-specific gene correction of the point mutation that underlies sickle cell disease (scd) constitutes a precise strategy to generate a life-long source of gene-corrected erythrocytes. previous work has shown that efficient gene correction can be achieved in cd34 + stem and progenitor cells; nevertheless, levels of hdr-mediated gene modification in long-term reconstituting hematopoietic stem cells (hscs) remain low. the main objective of this study was to identify and characterize the mechanisms which underlie decreased hdr efficacy in primitive hscs, by comprehensive evaluation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern site-specific gene modification in mature vs. primitive human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations. zinc finger nucleases (zfns) designed to target the sickle mutation in the human β-globin gene that causes scd were used. the zfns create double-strand breaks that induce cellular dna damage repair pathways which results in dna repair either through non-homologous-end-joining (nhej) or homology - directed repair (hdr) when co-delivered with a donor template. in immunophenotypically defined human cell populations: hscs (cd347cd387cd90 + cd45ra " ); multipotent progenitors (mpps) (cd347cd387cd45ra7cd90 " ); and progenitor cells (cd347cd38 + ), efficiency of delivery and time-course of expression mrna encoding gfp or zfn, efficacy of two homologous donors, cell cycle status, gene expression of key hdr genes and cytotoxic responses to the treatment, were assessed. in concordance with previous findings, lower levels of hdr-mediated gene modification were observed in hscs and mpps compared to progenitor cells. zfn mrna delivery and expression did not differ between hsc populations. hdr pathway genes were not differentially expressed in hscs and progenitors at the time of electroporation (48 hrs post-stimulation). however, analysis of cytotoxic effects, as measured by flow cytometry and gene expression analysis of apoptotic pathways, revealed a higher sensitivity of hscs to the electroporated zfns and oligonucleotide donor, resulting in -80% cell death compared to -30% observed in progenitors. over-expression of the apoptosis regulator bcl-2 ameliorated the treatment- associated cytotoxicity in hscs and resulted in a two- to three-fold more hsc post- treatment. the data indicate an elevated sensitivity to toxicity from the zfn mrna and oligonucleotide donor for hscs compared to the more mature progenitor cells. transient expression of bcl-2 appears to preserve hsc survival after hdr-based gene editing, which increases the frequency of gene-corrected hscs. these findings have implications for clinical development of hsc targeted gene therapy using genetically modified stem cells. material & methods cells, culture and fluorescence activated cell sorting (facs) [0247] adult human mobilized peripheral blood apheresis was purchased from the division of experimental hematology and cancer biology, cincinatti children ' s hospital medical center. cd34 + cells were isolated using the magnetic activated cell sorting (macs) cd34 + enrichment kit (miltenyi biotec) and the clinimacs system (miltenyi biotec), resulting in a purity of 96-98%). the cells were cultured for 2 days prior to electroporation in media containing x-vivo 15 (lonza) supplemented with penicillin/streptomycin/l-glutamine and the cytokines recombinant human stem cell factor (scf) (song/μι), recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhtpo) (song/μι) and recombinant human flt3-ligand (rhflt3-ligand) (song/μι) (peprotech). for facs analysis, cells were immunostained with cd34-pacific blue (or apc-cy7), cd38-pecy7, cd45ra-percp-cy5.5 (or fitc), cd90-pe, dapi (or 7aad), annexin v-fitc and ki67-apc (biolegend). zinc finger nucleases [0248] developed by sangamo biosciences to target the region over the sickle mutation in exon 1 of beta-globin. a 101-bp single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide was used as a homologous donor template, containing the corrective base (eurofins mwg operon). in vitro transcription of messenger rna [0249] plasmids of zfn and bcl-2 were linearized with spel to serve as dna templates and mrna was synthesized using the mmessage mmachine t7 ultra kit (ambion) and purified with rneasy minelute cleanup kit (qiagen). electroporation and gene modification [0250] electroporation of cd34 + cells was performed using the ecm 830 electroporation system (harvard apparatus). 1 x 10 6 cells were centrifuged and resuspended in ιοομι of btx solution together with the zfn mrna, donor and with or without (w/wo) bcl-2 mrna. genomic dna was isolated using the purelink genomic dna mini kit (life technologies). the beta globin locus was pcr-amplified with 3 sets of primers for targeted re-sequencing library preparation. the first set of primers (hbb f: 5'- atgcttagaaccgaggtagagttt- 3' (seq id no: 1140) and hbb r: 5'- cctgagacttccacactgatg- 3' (seq id no: 1141)) were designed to amplify beta globin outside of the donor region. the next set of primers were designed to have homology to the beta globin region, as well as p5 and p7 adapters for high throughput illumina sequencing, read 1 and read 2 sequence used for analysis, and a unique index to identify each sample. illumina libraries were sequenced on an illumina hiseq 2500. apoptosis gene expression [0251] cells were isolated for cellular rna (rneasy mini kit, qiagen), converted to cdna using preamp cdna synthesis kit and primer mix (qiagen) and analyzed for gene expression using rt 2 profiler™ pcr array human apoptosis 384ht (qiagen, pahs- 3012ze-2). nsg mice [0252] nod/scid il2r gamma " " (nsg) mice obtained from the jackson laboratory (bar harbor, me, usa) were maintained by the ucla department of laboratory animal medicine (dlam) under protocols reviewed and approved by the ucla chancellor's animal research committee (arc# 2008-167). lxlo 6 cd34 + ceil s were electroporated with zfns mrna (5μ§), oligo (3μμ), and with or without bel -2 mrna (5^ig). results [0253] the data are depicted in figures 7-13. figure 7 provides a schematic depiction of the experimental design, and immunophenotype-defined populations. [0254] figure 8 provides a fidr vs. nifej comparison in various cell populations. peripheral blood (pb) cd34 + cells were pre-stimulated for two days and electroporated with zfn mrna and 3μμ of an oligodeoxynucleotide homologous donor template. hdr and nifej analysis was determined by high throughput sequencing of the β-globin locus, n=6. [0255] figure 9 depicts cell death and apoptosis analysis of the different cell populations post-electroporation. to determine the cytotoxic effects of electroporation, zfn mrna and oligo donor in the three immunophenotypically identified populations, facs analysis was performed to identify cells labeled with 7-aad and annexinv, 20 hrs post- electroporation, n=5. [0256] figures 1 oa- ioc depict the effect of transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna on cell toxicity as measured by flow cytometry and on the number of cells overall. as shown in fig. 1 oa- ioc, transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna decreases cell toxicity as measured by flow cytometry and increases the number of cells overall. the induced cytotoxicity was analyzed for hematopoietic stem cells (hscs), multi-potent progenitors (mpps) and progenitor cells 20hrs following electroporation of zfn mrna and oligonucleotide donor, with or without including bcl-2 mrna. (a) flow cytometry, identifying cells labeled with 7-aminoactinomycin d (7-aad) and annexinv, n=4. (b) cell count measured by facs 20hrs post-electroporation, n=4. starting cell cone: 4e6 cd34 + cells (c) cord blood cd34 + cells were tirated with 1, 2, 5 and 10ug of bcl-2 mrna and the cell toxicity was analyzed 20hrs post-electroporation by flow cytometry identifying cells labeled with 7-aad and annexinv, n=3. [0257] figure 11 depicts the effect of transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna on gene modification levels in hsc, mpp, and progenitor cells treated with zfn mrna and an oligonucleotide donor. the data in fig. 11 show that transient overexpression of bcl-2 mrna leads to higher gene modification levels in hsc, mpp and progenitor cells treated with zfn mrna and oligonucleotide donor. site-specific hdr-mediated gene modification by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qrt-pcr) analysis of the hhal restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) (n=2) in the different cell populations, treated with or without bcl-2 mrna, n=2. [0258] figures 12a-12b depict apoptosis pathway gene expression analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qpcr) in human hscs, mpps and progenitor cells. to determine whether apoptosis pathway gene expression differences exist between the respective cell populations, 384 key genes involved in several apoptotic pathways were analyzed. cd34 + cells were pre-stimulated for two days, electroporated with zfn mrna (5μg) and oligonucleotide (oligo) donor (3μμ) and thereafter sorted into hscs, mpps and progenitors cells by facs, 6hrs post-electroporation, n=3. (a) cell toxicity analyzed by facs to identify cells labeled with 7-aad, 6hrs post-electroporation. (b) hscs, mpps and progenitor cells were isolated to cellular rna (6hrs post-electroporation), converted to cdna and thereafter analyzed on the qrt-pcr, n=3. this initial study indicates a deficiency of the bcl-2 gene in hscs and mpps compared to progenitor cells, observed at this time point. [0259] figures 13a-d depict xenograft transplantations of female immune-deficient nsg mice. two experimental arms with 10 million cd34 + cells respectively were pre- stimulated for two days and electroporated with zfn mrna (5μg) and oligo donor (3μμ), w/wo bcl-2 mrna (5μg). the following day, the cell count of the two treatment groups was measured by trypan blue (a) and cell death in the respective groups was measured (b).gene modification was determined by qpcr, after 3 days of in vitro culture (c). next, gene-modified cd34 + cells from each respective group were transplanted in vivo intravenously into nsg mice, where four mice received the remaining cells; z+o group (1e6 viable gene modified cells/mouse) and the z+o+bcl-2 group (2.25e6 viable gene modified cells/mouse). two months after transplantation, the engraftment (%hcd45) and lineage analysis of human cells in peripheral blood was analyzed (d). [0260] while the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. in addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process step or steps, to the objective, spirit and scope of the present invention. all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
007-951-584-588-627	FR	[ "EP", "CA", "ES", "US", "IN", "DE" ]	G02B6/36,G02B6/38	1983-08-08T00:00:00	1983	[ "G02" ]	process for joining optical fibres, and optical splice obtained	18 a method of connecting optical fibers, and an optical fiber splice obtained thereby. a support of soft material (4) has a fiber-receiving groove (5) in one of its surfaces (40). the groove is filled with a transparent setable liquid medium. a rigid link part (8) is pressed against the groove. suitably prepared ends (11, 21) of two optical fibers (1, 2) are inserted into the liquid-filled groove from opposite ends thereof. the medium is caused to set, and then the link part (8) is removed from the support. the optical fibers come away with the link part and the support mold is reusable. in a variant, the link part is stretched prior to gluing, and is allowed to return to its original length after the glue has set. this prestresses in the connection.	1. a method of connecting optical fibers, the method comprising a preliminary step of preparing at least two optical fibers for connection and a subsequent step of connecting the two optical fibers by means of a grooved block, the method being characterized by the following steps: a) inserting the ends (11, 12) of at least two fibers (1, 2) to be connected end-to-end into a groove (5) filled with a transparent settable liquid medium and provided in a surface (40) of a support block (4) which, at least at said surface, is made of a material which is softer than the fibers and which is elastically deformable, the liquid medium not adhering to the soft material once the liquid medium has set, and simultaneously maintaining a rigid part (8) having a polished surface pressed against said surface (40) of the support, thereby exerting pressure on said fibers giving rise to a radial reaction of the wall of the groove against the fibers and thus aligning the fibers; b) causing said liquid medium to set; and c) separating the part (8) from the support block, the part (8) coming away from the support block together with the two fibers operatively interconnected by gluing. 2. a method according to claim 1, characterized in that the transparent medium sets when irradiated by irradiation to which the support block or the part is transparent, and in particular ultraviolet radiation. 3. a method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the support block (4) is generally prismatic in shape having a generator line which is substantially parallel to the groove direction. 4. a method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the groove (5) includes a middle portion having a right cross-section suitable for receiving a prepared optical fiber, and having two end portions (61, 62) at either end thereof and in alignment the end thereof and in alignment therewith, said end portions having a larger right cross-section adapted to the dimensions of the fiber together with its protective covering. 5. a method according to claim 4, characterized in that the free ends (71, 72) of the end portions of the groove are shaped as flared openings. 6. a method acccording to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the groove has a v-shaped cross-section. 7. a method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the support block includes a multiplicity of grooves. 8. a method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the part (208) is subjected, during gluing, to forces suitable for stretching the part along the fibers (201, 202), said force being removed after the liquid medium has set, thereby prestressing the connections. 9. a method according to claim 8, characterized in that the forces stretching the part (208) consist in bending said part. 10. a method according to claim 9, characterized in that the part (208) is bent by maintaining a surface (280) of the part (208) which is to receive the optical fibers (201, 202) pressed against a concave surface of the support block (204). 11. a method according to claim 10, characterized in that the concave surface (240) is obtained by deforming the support (204) while maintaining the link part (208) pressed thereagainst. 12. a method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the part (208) is pressed in a middle portion thereof. 13. a method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the support block (204) is illuminated by a light source. 14. a method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that, during gluing, a gap (203) filled with the liquid medium is provided between the ends (211, 212) of the fibers (201, 202). 15. a method according to clain 14, characterized in that the length of the gap is chosen to be between one tenth and one half of the diameter of the optical fibers (201, 202). 16. a method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the ends (211, 212) of the optical fibers (201, 202) to be connected are initially put into contact and are then separated in order to obtain the gap (203) of chosen length. 17. a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the transparent settable liquid medium constitutes an index-matching medium.	background of the invention optical fiber connectors are already known for connecting optical fibers. the present invention relates to a device of a different type which is intended, not to provide a connection between optical fibers which is releasable at will, but rather to provide a permanent interconnection between optical fibers. by analogy with electricity, the present invention may be considered as providing a kind of splice for optical fibers, whereas connectors are like plugs and receptacles. in this respect, a first aim of the present invention is to provide connection means which are cheap and easy to use, and which are particularly applicable to the installation of a complete optical fiber teledistribution network, for example. in such a network, multi-fiber cables need to be connected together and also to be split up at junction or distribution cabinets for setting up the network and for modifying connections to various subscribers. the invention also aims to solve the difficult problems of connecting fibers end-to-end in a simple manner, which problems are mainly due to the fragility and to the very small size of the fibers. further, the present trend is towards a continuing reduction of the diameter of the central portion or "core" of optical fibers. another difficulty which the present invention aims to solve is the fact that the fibers to be connected may have very slightly different diameters due to the spread of manufacturing tolerances between fibers of different batches or origins. the quality of the connections made must remain substantially constant in spite of such variations. to solve the above problems, the invention provides a method of connecting optical fibers after a preliminary step of preparing at least two optical fibers for connection. summary of the invention in accordance with the invention, the method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a support block having a surface which includes a fiber-receiving groove, with at least said grooved surface of the support block being made of a resiliently deformable material which is softer than the optical fibers; (b) filling the fiber-receiving groove with a transparent setable liquid medium; (c) providing a rigid link part having a polished surface, and applying the polished surface of the link part against the said grooved surface of the support block; (d) inserting the ends of two optical fibers to be interconnected end-to-end into the said liquid-filled fiber-receiving groove; (e) pressing the link part against the fibers, thereby inducing a radial reaction force from the groove walls on the fibers, thus aligning the fibers; (f) causing the said liquid medium to set; and (g) separating the link part from the support block in such a manner that the link part comes away from the support block together with the two fibers in operative interconnection. it has been observed that there exist glues which are capable of selectively adhering to optical fibers and to the rigid plate without adhering to the softer material of the support. such a glue ensures that the fibers come away with the rigid link part when it is separated from the support block, and that they come away in operative interconnection. the support block has served as a mold or template for these operations. it may be reused for the same purpose. to improve the temperature stability of the connection, it is preferable, during gluing, for the link part to be urged in a manner suitable for stretching the link part in the long direction of the fibers, which stretching is removed after the liquid medium has set, thereby prestressing the fibers. in a preferred implementation of the invention, the link part is stretched by bending. the bending is advantageously performed by giving the support block a concave fiber-receiving surface and by pressing the link part against said surface. it is particularly advantageous for a glue-filled gap to remain between the facing ends of the fibers being interconnected. once the medium has set, this provides a cushion of glue which is capable of absorbing small compression and/or traction forces to which the fibers may be subjected by changes in temperature. the invention also provides an optical fiber splice obtained by the above-defined method and which comprises at least one rigid link part together with two optical fibers which are operatively interconnected thereon by gluing by means of a transparent setable liquid medium. brief description of the drawings implementations of the invention are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is an exploded perspective diagram of a support block showing its groove and a transparent rigid link part; fig. 2 is an exploded perspective diagram of the link part assembled against the support with the groove filled with transparent glue and with the two ends of two fibers to be connected end-to-end ready to be inserted into the grooves; fig. 3 is a perspective diagram showing the fibers inserted in the groove; fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the fibers assembled end-to-end in the groove; fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section showing two fibers joined end-to-end in accordance with the invention; fig. 6 is a cross section showing the link part pressing a fiber into the resilient walls of the groove; fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the soft support block or mold used for performing the invention; fig. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a jig fitted with the various items needed to perform the invention; fig. 9 is a perspective diagram showing a splice on an upturned link part after removal from the support block; fig. 10 shows a completed splice under the protection of a fillet of glue; fig. 11 is a perspective diagram of a glued stack of a plurality of splices in accordance with the invention; fig. 12 is a perspective diagram showing a modification of the fig. 9 splice in which a plurality of optical splices are formed on a single plate; fig. 13 is a diagrammatic side view of two optical fibers being glued end-to-end on a link part which is stretched in the long direction of the fibers; fig. 14 shows the fig. 13 fiber assembly after the link part stretching force has been removed; fig. 15 is a perspective diagram showing a support block and a link part for performing the method in accordance with the invention; fig. 16 is a side view showing how the fig. 15 link part is bent against the fig. 15 support block; fig. 17 is a perspective diagram showing a jig fitted with the various items needed to perform the invention together with a microscope for observing the connection operation; fig. 18 is a perspective diagram on a larger scale of a portion of the jig shown in fig. 17; and fig. 19 shows an optical fiber splice in accordance with the invention disposed on a support strip. more detailed description optical fiber technology often makes use of specific shapes. the accompanying drawings are thus to be considered as an integral part of the present description capable of adding wherever necessary to the definition of the invention and to the sufficiency of its description. figs. 1 to 12 make use of a common system of notation to define the two fibers being interconnected and the groove which guides them. the two fibers are generally referenced 1 and 2 and their prepared ends for interconnection are referenced 11 and 21. the point of contact between the two fiber ends is not shown, and it is not visible in practice. as mentioned above, the method in accordance with the invention begins with a preliminary step in which the ends of the fibers are prepared for connection. to do this the plastic protective covering of the fibers is stripped from their ends, and the stripped end lengths of fiber are fractured in such a manner as to obtain end faces for interconnection which are plane, perpendicular to the fiber axis, and having a shiny mirror surface. techniques for stripping the protective covering are well known to the person skilled in the art, and plane, perpendicular, mirror finish end faces can be obtained by applying the teaching of the applicants' published french patent specification no. 2 422 604. the method in accordance with the invention makes use of a support generally referenced 4 which is made of material which is softer than the material of the fibers and which is resiliently deformable. the support 4 has an upper surface designated 40 in which at least one fiber-receiving groove 5 is formed (fig. 1). spring clamping means such as the spring clips 80 shown in fig. 8 are used for pressing a rigid link part 8 against the grooved surface 40 of the support 4. the surface of the link part which is thus pressed against the support is a plane polished surface, and the link part 8 is in the form of a plate. the fiber-receiving groove 5 in the support 4 is of a complex shape which is best seen in figs. 1, 5 and 7. the middle portion of the groove has a v-shaped cross section and serves to receive the prepared end portions of the two optical fibers. the reference 5 is used below to designate this v-shaped middle portion of the groove as a whole. this middle portion 5 of the groove is partially visible in figs. 1 and 7. when closed by the plane plate 8, the middle portion 5 of the groove may be considered to form a prismatic bore having a cross section approximately in the form of an equilateral triangle. other shapes could be devised for this middle portion, in particular its cross section could be in the shape of some other polygon and it may be symmetrical or asymmetrical about a longitudinal plane perpendicular to the face 40, all or part of the cross section may be curvilinear, and convex and/or concave portions may be included. the cross section could be entirely curvilinear. the important feature of the middle portion 5 of the groove is that its shape applies balanced radial forces to the fiber to counteract the radial force due to the link part 8 being pressed thereagainst. both ends of the middle portion 5 of the groove run into intermediate portions of larger cross section which are in alignment with the middle portion and which are sized to fit the un-stripped fibers where they are still covered by their protective coverings. thus, in figs. 1 and 4, these intermediate portions are referenced 61 and 62, while fig. 7 shows the intermediate portion 61 in greater detail together with a flared transition portion 51 leading to the middle portion 5. finally, the end portions of the fiber-receiving groove in the support block 4 are in the form of larger flared or pyramid-shaped end portions 71 and 72 (see figs. 1 and 3) which are of v-shaped cross section having sloping sides 74 and 75 (see fig. 7). these end portions are shaped to guide fiber ends being inserted into the groove, and they may have cross sections other than v-shaped, eg. they may be conical. before placing the plate 8 against the support 4, a suitable quantity of transparent setable liquid material is disposed in its groove(s). the setable material is advantageously chosen to act as a refractive index matcher. the prepared ends 11 and 12 of the optical fibers 1 and 2 are then inserted into the groove from its opposite ends and they are advanced until their front faces 12 and 22 come into end-to-end contact. the ends of the optical fibers are immersed in the setable liquid contained in the groove, so having a refractive index close to that of the silica of the glass fibers improves the transmission of light between the two fibers by attenuating index jumps in the separation diopters. it has further been observed that the index-matching liquid medium also provides automatic cleaning of the zone between the facing ends (12 and 22) of the fibers (see fig. 4) by virtue of the piston effect produced by inserting the two fibers into the groove 5 while it is closed by the plate 8. the effect of pressing the rigid plate 8 against the support 4 of softer material is to apply pressure on the fibers in a direction perpendicular to the surface 40 of the support, thereby inducing a reaction which is applied to the fibers by the walls of the groove 5 pressing radially against them and thus aligning them. the following step of the method consists in causing the liquid material to set. the plate 8 is preferably made of glass and the index adapting setable liquid is preferably a glue which sets when irradiated by radiation to which the plate 8 is transparent, eg. ultraviolet radiation. as can be seen in fig. 8, the step of setting the liquid material can then be simply performed by placing the groove 5 together with its intermediate and end portions under an ultraviolet lamp 90 so that ultraviolet radiation passes through the glass plate 8. a lamp-shade 91 is provided to protect the user. the glass plate 8 can then be separated from the support 4 and the plate comes away together with the operatively interconnected fibers. it has been observed that a suitable choice of materials can prevent any adherence between the liquid material after setting and the soft material of the support 4. fig. 5 shows the final state of the plate 8 supporting the ends 11 and 21 of the fibers which are glued thereto by the index matching medium 59 once it has set. the optical axes 19 and 29 of the two fibers are accurately aligned. the reference 53 designates a "spine" of glue adhering to the fibers and molded by the bottom of the v-shaped groove. although other shapes can be devised for the support or mold 4, it is presently considered that the best shape for the support is generally prismatic with a generator line that is substantially parallel to the direction of the groove. the most advantageous implementation of the support is thus has the general shape of a rectangular parallelipiped, (which may be slightly curved in a manner described below). a particular example of the invention is described in detail. example 1 two optical fibers of 125 .mu.m diameter were prepared as described in the above-mentioned published french patent specification no. 2 422 604. a parallelipiped block 4 of soft material was constructed from a silicone elastomer. the block was made by molding. the groove provided in the block was of the shape shown in fig. 7, including a v-shaped middle portion 5 with an angle of 60.degree. between its flanks and a depth of 0.17 mm. a few drops of a liquid glue that is polymerizes under the effect of ultraviolet radiation were placed in the middle portion 5 of the groove, in the intermediate portions 61 and 62 and in the end portions 71 and 72. a suitable glue is sold by the loctite company under the name glass bond. a 1 mm thick glass plate was then applied against the top surface 40 of the support 4. the fibers were then inserted into respective ends of the groove until they came into close contact with each other. the quality of the contact may be observed by visual observation in situ using a binocular magnifier looking through the glass plate. after a visual inspection, ultraviolet radiation from the lamp 90 (fig. 8) was applied to the index matching liquid medium through the glass plate 8. after the medium had set, the glass plate was removed from the mold support 4. it could be seen that the two optical fibers and the set index matching medium came away with the plate. the groove 5 in the mold 4, and in particular the side walls of the groove, were thus perfectly clean and ready to be used again for connecting two more optical fibers to each another and to another glass plate. the general shape of the optical splice obtained by implementing the method is shown in fig. 9. there is the glass plate 8 on which the two optical fibers 1 and 2 are fixed by being buried in a prismatic shape 28 of triangular cross section which reproduces the shape of the groove. such an optical splice may be used in several different ways. the prismatic shape 28 may, for example, be buried in turn in resin 80 (see fig. 10) thus protecting the splice as a whole. the splice can then be covered with various forms of plastic or metal protective cap or sleeve. many other variations may be envisaged, for example, several plates 8-1 to 8-n may be stacked in a "sandwich" and glued together with resin such as the resin 80, thereby constituting a multiple fiber splice with fibers 1-1 to 1-n being connected to respective fibers 2-1 to 2-n. a structure of this kind is shown diagrammatically in fig. 11. another variant consists in making a plurality of splices on a single plate by means of a mold having a plurality of grooves. such an arrangement is shown in fig. 12. in order to verify that the fibers are properly placed relative to each other and prior to setting the index matching medium, light radiation may be applied to the two fibers, either by injection from their ends or else by lateral injection through their envelopes. such injection serves to produce a bright spot on the front faces 12 and 22 of the respective fibers. when the fibers are in good contact, the bright spot is considerably attenuated and may disappear entirely. a variant consists in applying color to the side walls of the prepared end portions of the fibers as described in french certificate of addition application no. 83 06499. it is then easy to follow the path of a fiber colored in this manner along the groove 5. in the above, the glue is described as being set by applying ultraviolet radiation thereto through a glass plate 8. another simple variant would to be to provide a soft support or mold 4 which is itself transparent to ultraviolet radiation. this could be done by taking advantage of the fact that some silicone resins are transparent to ultraviolet. in such a case, the ultraviolet radiation could be applied through the support 4 and there would be no need for the plate 8 to be transparent as well. it could then be made of a material other than glass, eg. metal. other variants of the invention include selecting an index matching medium that is capable of setting under the influence of agents other than ultraviolet radiation. reference is made to figs. 13 to 19 which show a variant implementation of the method in accordance with the invention. in figs. 13 to 19, the two optical fibers to be connected are referenced 201 and 202 and their ends prepared for connection are referenced 211 and 221. this variant of the method begins with the same preliminary step of preparing the ends of the two fibers as indicated above. the fundamental features of this variant of the method are described first with reference to figs. 13 and 14. the ends 211 and 221 of the fibers as prepared for connection are glued end-to-end on a rigid member 208 which constitutes a link part. the glue is a transparent setable liquid medium which advantageously also constitutes an index matching medium. the link part is preferably in the form of a glass plate and the setable liquid medium is a glue that sets under the effect of radiation to which the plate is transparent, eg. ultraviolet radiation. as shown in fig. 13, during gluing, the link part 208 is subjected to forces tending to stretch it in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers. this is shown diagrammatically by arrow f. once the liquid medium has set and the ends of the fibers are glued to the link part 208, the forces are removed from the link part 208 which therefore tends to shorten, thus setting up a prestress as represented by arrows g in fig. 14. it is particularly advantageous to leave a gap 203 between the ends of the fibers during gluing. this gap should preferably be chosen to be shorter in the longitudinal direction than the diameter of the fibers. for example, the length of the gap may be chosen to be in the range one tenth of the diameter to one half of the diameter. thus, after the glue has set and the prestress has been established, there is a cushion of glue in the previously empty gap which is compressed by the prestress and which capable of absorbing small compressions or tractions applied to the optical fibers, eg. under the effects temperature variations. the force that stretches the link part 208 is preferably obtained by bending the link part as is shown in figs. 15 and 16. the link part 208 is constituted by a glass plate having a bottom surface 281 intended for receiving the ends 211 and 221 of the optical fibers 201 and 202 which are glued thereto. the link part 208 is bent by pressing its bottom face 281 against the concave surface 240 of a support block 204. the support is made of a material which is softer than the optical fibers and which is resiliently deformable, eg. it may be made of elastomer. the surface 240 has at least one fiber-receiving groove 205 (see fig. 15). the support block 204 is made in the same general manner as described above, but its grooved surface 240 is made concave by deforming the support block. likewise, the groove 205 has the same general shape as the groove 5. in particular, a middle portion has a v-shaped cross section for receiving the prepared ends of the fibers. when the link part 308 is pressed against the support block 208 it closes the groove 205 (see fig. 16) and the cross section of the closed groove is approximately an equilateral triangle. naturally other shapes may be suitable for the middle portion of the groove 205 in the same manner as is described above in relation to the groove 5. each end of the middle portion 205 runs into a corresponding intermediate portion 261 or 262 of larger cross section suitable for receiving the optical fibers inside their respective protective coverings. finally the ends of the groove 205 are flared at 271 and 272 which are genrally in the shape of a pyramid of v-shaped cross section. before pressing the link part 208 against the support 204, a sufficient quantity of transparent setable liquid medium is placed in the groove(s) thereof. the surface 280 of the link part 208 is then placed against the top surface 240 of the support block 204. this is done by applying pressure on a middle portion of the link part as shown diagrammatically by arrow p in fig. 16. the prepared ends 211 and 221 of the optical fibers 201 and 202 are then inserted in the groove from its two ends in such a manner that the end faces of the fibers come into end-to-end contact. even if it desired to provide a gap of suitable length between the end faces of the fibers, it is preferably to begin by putting the end faces into contact with each other and then to separate them by the chosen length. the next step of the method consists in causing the liquid medium to set, and in preferred implementations of the invention this is done by means of ultraviolet radiation from a suitable ultraviolet lamp. once the liquid has set, the force applied to the link part 208 is removed, ie. the bending force p is taken off the link part. as a result, the bottom surface 280 of the link part 208 which was previously bent to a convex shape tend to return to its initial plane shape. this prestresses the fibers glued thereto and tends to improve the contact between their end faces via the cushion of set glue. to perform this method, it is advantageous to use a jig 209 with the support block 204 fixed thereto, as shown in fig. 17. the jig 209 is disposed on the stand 301 of a microscope 300 for observing the connection operation. to this end, the support block is made of a transparent material which illuminated by the microscope's light source. the light is controlled by a switch 302 provided on the microscope stand. the microscope 300 is fitted with a graduated cross-hair eyepiece 303 which for use in selecting the length of the gap between the facing ends of the fibers to be connected. the jig 209 is additionally fitted with two spring clips 290 for applying the bending force to the middle portion of the link part 208 as it presses against the top surface 240 of the support block 204. the surface 240 is made concave by deforming the support block against a bearing surface 291 on the jig while the link part 208 is pressed thereagainst (fig. 16). once the fibers to be connected have been inserted into the groove(s) of the support block, and the length of the, or each, gap between facing ends has been adjusted under microscopic examination, the transparent liquid medium is set by means of an ultraviolet lamp. to do this the microscope body is either removed completely from its stand or else it is turned round away from the jig, and an ultraviolet lamp is placed above the jig to set the setable medium. once the medium has set, the spring clips 290 are released and the link part 208 together with the connected optical fibers is removed from the support 204. the link part 208 and the optical fibers 201 and 202 may be placed on a strip 310 as shown in fig. 19. the strip is in the form of an elongate metal body of channel section with a clamp 312 at each end for clamping to a respective optical fiber 201 or 202 via a rubber sleeve 313. the link part 208 has its face 280 glued to the bottom of the strip 310 while the optical fibers 201 and 202 are inserted in the sleeves 313 and then clamped in the clamps 312. the jig 209 has means suitable for enabling the link part and the two optical fibers to be inserted in the strip 310. these means are constituted by a horizontal groove 292 having an inside cross section that matches the outside cross section of the strip 310 and by two clamps 294 which are intended for holding the optical fibers while the link part 208 is being glued to the bottom of the strip 310. there follows another example of a particular application of the invention. example 2 two 125 micron diameter optical fibers were prepared in the manner described in the above-mentioned published french patent specification no. 2 422 604. a support block made of soft material such as a transparent silicone elastomer was used. the groove provided in the block 204 has a middle portion 205 with the following dimensions: v shaped cross section with walls at 60.degree., depth 0.17 mm. a few drops of liquid glue that polymerizes under ultraviolet radiation were inserted along the entire groove. a suitable glue is sold by the loctite company under the name glass bond. a 25 mm.times.5 mm.times.1 mm glass plate or slide was then applied thereto. the middle portion of the glass plate was pressed against the concave top surface of the support block by clamping means suitable for applying a force of 300 to 400 grams. the two fibers to be connected were then inserted via the two ends of the groove until their end faces came into end-to-end contact. the end faces were then separated by a distance of 12 to 40 microns under microscope observation. after the glue had set, the link part was removed from the support taking with it the two optical fibers together with the set liquid material. the resulting assembly was then glued and fixed to a metal strip as shown in fig. 19. other variants of the prestressed method can be devised in the same manner as is described with respect to possible variants of the arrangement shown in figs. 1 to 12.
008-118-841-789-38X	US	[ "US" ]	G06F3/00	2007-12-14T00:00:00	2007	[ "G06" ]	method, system, and computer program product for automatic rearrangement of modules based on user interaction	a method, system, and computer program product for rearranging a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage is presented. in an exemplary manner, the method includes monitoring one or more of a plurality of user interactions associated with one or more of a plurality of modules. a rank value is assigned to a particular one of the plurality of modules, whereby rank value assignment is based on the one or more of the plurality of user interactions. based on the rank value that is assigned to the particular one of the plurality of modules, the particular module is automatically displayed at a particular position on the content aggregated webpage.	1 . a method for rearranging a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage, the method comprising: monitoring at least one of a plurality of user interactions associated with at least one of a plurality of modules; assigning a rank value to a particular one of said plurality of modules, wherein said assigning step is based on said at least one of said plurality of user interactions; and automatically displaying said particular one of said plurality of modules at a particular position on a content aggregated webpage, wherein said particular position is based on said assigned rank value. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said assigning step is based on a usage count of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said assigning step is based on a usage pattern of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one of said plurality of user interactions associated with said module includes: expanding a drop-down box, or closing said drop-down box, or selecting text, or highlighting text, or clicking on a hyperlink, or changing preferences, or inputting text, or focusing an icon over said module, or dragging said module. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein each one of said plurality of user interactions is associated with a weighted value. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of modules comprises syndicated modules. 7 . a computer program product for rearranging a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage, the computer program product comprising: a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising: computer usable code configured for monitoring at least one of a plurality of user interactions associated with at least one of a plurality of modules; computer usable program code configured for assigning a rank value to a particular one of said plurality of modules, wherein said assigning step is based on said at least one of said plurality of user interactions; and computer usable program code configured for automatically displaying said particular one of said plurality of modules at a particular position on a content aggregated webpage, wherein said particular position is based on said assigned rank value. 8 . the computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the assigned rank value is based on a usage count of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 9 . the computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the assigned rank value is based on a usage pattern of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 10 . the computer program product of claim 7 , wherein said at least one of said plurality of user interactions associated with said module includes: expanding a drop-down box, or closing said drop-down box, or selecting text, or highlighting text, or clicking on a hyperlink, or changing preferences, or inputting text, or focusing an icon over said module, or dragging said module. 11 . the computer program product of claim 7 , wherein each one of said plurality of user interactions is associated with a weighted value. 12 . the computer program product of claim 7 , wherein said plurality of modules comprises syndicated modules. 13 . a computer system comprising: a processor unit; a memory coupled to the processor unit; and a dynamic module placement (dmp) utility executing on the processor unit and having executable code for: monitoring at least one of a plurality of user interactions associated with at least one of a plurality of modules; assigning a rank value to a particular one of said plurality of modules, wherein said assigning step is based on said at least one of said plurality of user interactions; and automatically displaying said particular one of said plurality of modules at a particular position on a content aggregated webpage, wherein said particular position is based on said assigned rank value. 14 . the computer system of claim 13 , wherein said assigning step is based on a usage count of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 15 . the computer system of claim 13 , wherein said assigning step is based on a usage pattern of said at least one of said plurality of user interactions. 16 . the computer system of claim 13 , wherein said at least one of said plurality of user interactions associated with said module includes: expanding a drop-down box, or closing said drop-down box, or selecting text, or highlighting text, or clicking on a hyperlink, or changing preferences, or inputting text, or focusing an icon over said module, or dragging said module. 17 . the computer system of claim 13 , wherein each one of said plurality of user interactions is associated with a weighted value. 18 . the computer system of claim 13 , wherein said plurality of modules comprises syndicated modules.	background of the invention the present disclosure relates to the field of computers, and specifically to display tools relating to a content aggregated webpage. computer users are increasingly turning to content aggregated webpages to receive data. these content aggregated webpages can be provided by a monolithic source, or increasingly, from a multiple syndicated sources which are collected using a content aggregation application to form a single, integrated webpage. syndication benefits both the websites providing the information and the websites displaying it. for the receiving site, content syndication is an effective way of adding greater depth and immediacy of information to the receiving site's webpage, making it more attractive to users. for the transmitting site, syndication drives exposure across numerous online platforms, which drives new traffic for the transmitting site and makes syndication a free and easy form of advertisement. brief summary of the invention a method, system, and computer program product for rearranging a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage is disclosed. the method includes monitoring one or more of a plurality of user interactions associated with one or more of a plurality of modules. a rank value is assigned to a particular one of the plurality of modules, whereby rank value assignment is based on the one or more of the plurality of user interactions. based on the rank value that is assigned to the particular one of the plurality of modules, the particular module is automatically displayed at a particular position on the content aggregated webpage. brief description of the several views of the drawings aspects of the invention itself will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where: fig. 1 depicts an exemplary computer in which the present invention may be implemented; figs. 2a and 2b are graphical representations of an exemplary content aggregated webpage at different time instances, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 3 is a high-level flow-chart of exemplary steps taken by the present invention to rearrange a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage. detailed description of the invention as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product. accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium. any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may be utilized. the computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. more specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (cd-rom), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. in the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. the computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to the internet, wireline, optical fiber cable, rf, etc. computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in an object oriented programming language such as java® (java is a trademark or registered trademark of sun microsystems, inc. in the united states and other countries), smalltalk® (smalltalk is a trademark or registered trademark of cincom systems, inc.), c++ or the like. however, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “c” programming language or similar programming languages. the program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. in the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a local area network (lan) or a wide area network (wan), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the internet using an internet service provider). the present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. with reference now to the figures, and in particular to fig. 1 , there is depicted a block diagram of an exemplary computer 100 , with which the present invention may be utilized. computer 100 includes a processor unit 104 that is coupled to a system bus 106 . a video adapter 108 , which drives/supports a display 110 , is also coupled to system bus 106 . system bus 106 is coupled via a bus bridge 112 to an input/output (i/o) bus 114 . an i/o interface 116 is coupled to i/o bus 114 . i/o interface 116 affords communication with various i/o devices, including a keyboard 118 , a mouse 120 , a compact disk-read only memory (cd-rom) drive 122 , and a flash memory drive 126 . the format of the ports connected to i/o interface 116 may be any known to those skilled in the art of computer architecture, including but not limited to universal serial bus (usb) ports. computer 100 is able to communicate with a container server 150 via a network 128 using a network interface 130 , which is coupled to system bus 106 . network 128 may be an external network such as the internet, or an internal network such as an ethernet or a virtual private network (vpn). container server 150 may be architecturally configured in the manner depicted for computer 100 . various embodiments provide a protocol for communication between a hosting site (e.g., container server 150 ) and a module server 160 (e.g., a server operated by an entity other than a user of computer 100 or the hosting site (e.g., container server 150 ). container server 150 serves a container document (e.g., content aggregated webpage comprised of a plurality of modules or personalized webpage) to computer 100 over network 128 . the container document “contains” one or more modules, including one or more remote modules. as used herein, the term “container document” or “container” should be understood to include a content aggregated webpage or a personalized homepage of a website, a sidebar, toolbar element that incorporates one or more such modules, a page hosted by a site, a document capable of rendering modules (e.g., any document capable of rendering hypertext markup language (html) code or extensible markup language (xml) code) in the format of the module (e.g., xml). also, the container may be a website of another entity that incorporates the modules when the modules are supplied through a syndication system. as used herein, the term “module” may be understood to refer to a piece of software and/or hardware that renders data for use in a container document. modules may be personalized to user preferences, preferences of the container, or preferences of the environment or other inputs. a module specification may be understood to include a set of instructions used to render data for the container document using elements that have been predefined. as used herein, the term “syndication” or “syndicating” may be understood to refer to a remote module being incorporated into a container operated from container server 150 , whereby container server 150 is not affiliated with module server 160 . syndication makes web feeds available from a site (module server 160 ) in order to provide a user of computer 100 with a summary of module server's 160 content. a plurality of these syndicated modules is displayed on a content aggregated webpage hosted by container server 150 . content aggregation web applications, such as mashup applications can be used by container server 150 to combine data from more than one module server 160 . typically, the content used in mashup applications is sourced from a third party (i.e., module server(s) 160 ) via a public interface or an application program interface (api). other methods of sourcing content for mashup applications include web feeds (e.g., using syndications protocols rss or atom), web services and screen scraping. container server 150 comprises a web server or related server system that takes data and/or instructions and formulates the container for transmission over network 128 . however, it should be appreciated that container server 150 may reside on a user's computer 100 , such that a network connection may not be used. module server 160 provides data from modules to container server 150 for incorporation into a container document. it should also be appreciated that in another embodiment, container server 150 and module server 160 can comprise a single unit performing functions from both container server 150 and module server 160 . module server 160 may provide data for the container document by interpreting and/or parsing instructions in a module specification associated with the module. a hard drive interface 132 is also coupled to system bus 106 . hard drive interface 132 interfaces with a hard drive 134 . in one embodiment, hard drive 134 populates a system memory 136 , which is also coupled to system bus 106 . system memory 136 is defined as a lowest level of volatile memory in computer 100 . this volatile memory may include additional higher levels of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to, cache memory, registers, and buffers. code that populates system memory 136 includes an operating system (os) 138 and application programs 144 . os 138 includes a shell 140 , for providing transparent user access to resources such as application programs 144 . generally, shell 140 (as it is called in unix® (unix is a registered trademark of the open group in the united states and other countries)) is a program that provides an interpreter and an interface between the user and the operating system. shell 140 provides a system prompt, interprets commands entered by keyboard 118 , mouse 120 , or other user input media, and sends the interpreted command(s) to the appropriate lower levels of the operating system (e.g., kernel 142 ) for processing. as depicted, os 138 also includes kernel 142 , which includes lower levels of functionality for os 138 . kernel 142 provides essential services required by other parts of os 138 and application programs 144 . the services provided by kernel 142 include memory management, process and task management, disk management, and i/o device management. application programs 144 include a browser 146 . browser 146 includes program modules and instructions enabling a world wide web (www) client (i.e., computer 100 ) to send and receive network messages to the internet. computer 100 may utilize hypertext transfer protocol (http) messaging to enable communication with container server 150 . application programs 144 in system memory 136 also include a dynamic module placement (dmp) utility 148 . dmp utility 148 performs the functions illustrated below in fig. 3 , and may include all logic, helper functions, databases and other resources depicted below in figs. 1-2b . in this regard, http cookies, sometimes known as web cookies or just cookies, can be used to communicate user interaction information associated with one or more modules back to container server 150 . the user interaction information that is monitored by dmp utility 148 is communicated via cookies to container server 150 . it should be appreciated, however, that dmp utility 148 can reside in memory that is on the server-side, such as container server 150 , on the client-side, or a combination thereof. the hardware elements depicted in computer 100 are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather represent and/or highlight certain components that may be utilized to practice the present invention. for instance, computer 100 may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes, digital versatile disks (dvds), bernoulli cartridges, and the like. these and other variations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. referring now to fig. 2a , a graphical representation of an exemplary content aggregated webpage 200 (or container document) is shown. content aggregated webpage 200 includes a plurality of modules 201 - 208 , which are currently displayed to a user. for exemplary purposes, modules currently displayed to the user in fig. 2a include a traffic module 201 , a weather module 202 , a date/time module 203 , a work agenda module 204 , a sports module 205 , a news module 206 , a theater listings module 207 , and a stocks module 208 . however, it should be appreciated that there can be additional modules (e.g., tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 shown below in fig. 2b ) that have been selected for inclusion in content aggregated webpage 200 , but are not currently shown due to the limited display real estate. modules 201 - 210 are initially selected by the user and arranged in grid-fashion on content aggregated webpage 200 . in this regard, there are various ways in which modules 201 - 210 can be arranged on content aggregated webpage 200 . one way is to arrange the modules in a first-in, first-out (fifo), whereby the first module that is selected for placement on container document is initially positioned at the top, left side of container document. moreover, the display real estate can be subdivided and assigned different position values that are characterized by a column value and a row value. for example, the top, left side of container document is assigned position value (1, 1), which indicates column 1, row 1. the initial position value associated with a particular module serves as a default initial rank value for the particular module. as additional modules are added to the container document, the previously added module is shifted from its current position (i.e., position value (1, 1)), to the next, less-prominent position value (i.e., position value (1, 2)), which is located at the top, right corner of the container document. as a result, the rank value of the shifted module drops relative to the subsequently added modules. however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and modules 201 - 210 can be initially positioned in various other ways, which include, but are limited to: a last-in, last-out (lilo) arrangement, manual manipulation by the user, user-selected preferences, and/or syndication-site preferences. in another embodiment, the provider of the content aggregated webpage may initially pre-select and/or pre-arrange a set of modules for display, whereby a user can later modify this pre-selection and/or pre-arrangement. once modules 201 - 210 have been initially selected by a user and positioned on aggregated webpage 200 , dmp utility 148 ( fig. 1 ) monitors one or more user interactions associated with modules 201 - 210 . as used herein, a user interaction is any interaction/gesture produced by a user-input device (i.e., keyboard, mouse, stylus, a light pen, trackball, joystick, or finger) associated with a module. examples of user interactions include, but are not limited to: expanding/closing a drop-down box (see theater listings module 207 ), inputting text (see box 211 in weather module 202 ), clicking on a hyperlink (see sports module 205 ), changing settings/preferences of a module (see settings box 212 in stocks module 208 ), selecting/highlighting text, focusing a cursor 213 over content in a module (see work agenda module 204 ), or repositioning a module. the user interactions associated with modules 201 - 210 determine the assignment of rank values associated with modules 201 - 210 . in this regard, the assignment of rank values can be based on (i) a usage count and/or (ii) a usage pattern of user interactions associated with the various modules. usage count refers to the number of times one or more user interactions is/are associated with a particular module. for example, if traffic module 201 is associated with ten user interactions and stocks module 208 is associated with only one user interaction, traffic module 201 will thus be assigned a higher rank value, and thus will be displayed at a more prominent position within content aggregated webpage 200 , as compared to stocks module 208 . by extension, modules which are not currently visible in content aggregated webpage 200 are assigned a lower rank value. another way to assign rank values is by basing the assignment of rank values on a usage pattern of user interactions. the term “usage pattern” refers to a time or seasonal pattern to which certain modules are accessed by a user. to illustrate how usage patterns are employed, figs. 2a and 2b depict content aggregated webpage 200 at different time periods within a day. for example, fig. 2a shows a snapshot of an arrangement of modules 201 - 210 at a particular time instance (e.g. 7 a.m. on friday, dec. 12, 2007). at this particular time instance, an assumption is made that one or more user interactions have been previously monitored over a period of time until a usage pattern can be detected. thus, a usage pattern will identify modules that would be more likely placed in a more prominent position on a container document than other modules. for instance, at the particular time instance shown in fig. 2a , work agenda module 204 is positioned at position value (2, 2). at the same time, other modules that are not heavily accessed at the time instance shown in fig. 2a (e.g., tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 ) would be assigned a lower ranking relative to other modules. as a result, tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 are hidden from the viewable region of container document 200 . to access tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 , a user would have to scroll down content aggregated webpage 200 to view these modules. with reference now to fig. 2b , content aggregated webpage 200 is depicted having a different usage pattern at an associated time instance (e.g., 6:05 p.m. on friday, dec. 12, 2007). the associated time instance in fig. 2b occurs at later time instance than what is depicted in fig. 2a . for example, work agenda module 204 has been reassigned a lower rank value as compared to tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 . as result, work agenda module 204 is no longer as prominently positioned as earlier depicted in fig. 2a . at the same time, tv guide module 209 and sudoku module 210 are more prominently placed (i.e., at lower column and row position values) on the display real estate. in addition to assigning rank values based on the frequency (i.e. usage count) and/or pattern (i.e., usage pattern) of one or more user interactions associated with a module(s), user interactions are themselves assigned weighted values based on the significance of one user interaction as compared to another user interaction. for instance, dmp utility 148 ( fig. 1 ) can assign a higher weight value (i.e., importance) to a user interaction such as clicking on a hyperlink within a module, versus the user interaction of merely hovering a mouse cursor over content in a module. as described in exemplary manner below, the present invention provides a method for rearranging a plurality of modules displayed on a content aggregated webpage. with reference now to fig. 3 , a high-level flow-chart of method 300 is shown. after initiator block 301 , dmp utility 148 ( fig. 1 ) monitors for at least one of a plurality of user interactions that are associated with at least one of a plurality of modules 201 - 210 ( fig. 2 ). a determination is made whether at least one user interaction is detected, as depicted in decision block 302 . if at least one user interaction is not detected, method 300 returns to block 302 . however, if at least one user interaction is detected, method 300 continues to block 306 , where each one of the plurality of modules are assigned a rank value based on one or more of the detected user interactions. from block 306 , method 300 proceeds to block 310 , in which the plurality of modules are automatically displayed at a particular position on content aggregated webpage 200 . in this regard, it is important to note that the automatic display of modules implies that the modules are either: (i) visibly displayed due to the module's higher rank value or (ii) visibly displayable (though initially hidden from view) by scrolling through content aggregated webpage 200 . method 300 ends at terminator block 310 . note that the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. in this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). it should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. for example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. it will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. the corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. having thus described the invention of the present application in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.
008-533-082-771-186	US	[ "WO", "US" ]	H04N5/225	2001-04-30T00:00:00	2001	[ "H04" ]	foveating imaging system and method	an imaging system is disclosed for receiving images. the system includes an image receiving unit for receiving an input image, and a spatial light modulator. the spatial light modulator is inter posed between the image receiving unit and an input image. the spatial light modulator is for selectively modulating the input im age such that at least one portion of the input image may be blurred as it passes through the spatial light modulator toward the image receiving unit.	claims 1. an imaging system for receiving images, said system comprising: an image receiving unit for receiving an input image; and a spatial light modulator interposed between said image receiving unit and an input image, said spatial light modulator for selectively modulating the input image such that at least one portion of the input image may be blurred as it passes through said spatial light modulator toward said image receiving unit. 2. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image receiving unit comprises an array of photodetector cells. 3. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said spatial light modulator comprises an array of " fiquid crystal opto-electronic elements. 4. an imaging, system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said spatial light modulator comprises an array of birefringent elements for selectively effecting a blurring of the input image. 5. an imaging system as claimed in claim 4, wherein birefringent characteristics of each birefringent element are selectively controlled independent of other birefringent elements. 6. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spatial light modulator includes liquid crystal cell. 7. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal cell is surrounded along its periphery by a plurality of electrodes. 8. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system includes a plurality of spatial light modulators interposed between the input image and said image receiving unit. 9. an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image receiving unit includes a holographic material. 10. an imaging system as claimed in clam 1, wherein said image receiving unit includes a robotic vision system. 11. an imaging system as claimed in clam 1 , wherein said image receiving unit includes a visual monitoring system. 12. an imaging system for selectively blurring portions of an image field, said system comprising: an array of birefringent elements through which the image field may pass, said birefringent elements being individually selectable to permit selective birefringence of the input image. 13. an imaging system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said system permits selective blurring in areas specified by an image compression algorithm. 14. an imaging system for selectively blurring portions of an image field, said system comprising: a liquid crystal cell through which the image field may pass; and a plurality of electrodes positioned adjacent said liquid crystal cell such that portions of said liquid crystal cell may be selected to provide birefringence of the image field as the image field is refracted through said liquid crystal cell. 15. an imaging system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said portions of said liquid crystal cell may be selected to provide a desired amount of birefringence of the image field as the image field is refracted through said liquid crystal cell. 16. an imaging system for receiving images, said system comprising: an image receiving unit for receiving an input image; and a spatial light modulator inteφosed between said image receiving unit and an input image, said spatial light modulator including a first area for refracting the input image along a principle axis of refraction toward said image receiving unit, and a second area for refracting the input image along the principle axis of refraction and along a second axis of refraction, said second axis of refraction being angularly disposed to said first axis of refraction. 17. an imaging system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said imaging system further includes a control unit for varying the angular direction of said second axis of direction with respect to said principle axis of refraction. 18. an imaging system for receiving images, said system comprising: an image receiving unit for receiving an input image; and a spatial light modulator inteφosed between said image receiving unit and an input image, said spatial light modulator including a first area for refracting the input image along a principle axis of refraction toward said image receiving unit and along a second axis of refraction, said second axis of refraction being angularly disposed to said first axis of refraction, and a second area for refracting the input image along the principle axis of refraction and along a third axis of refraction, said third axis of refraction being angularly disposed to said first axis of refraction at an angle greater than the angle of said second axis of refraction. 19. an imaging system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said system further comprises a third area for refracting the input image along the principle axis of refraction and along a forth axis of refraction, said forth axis of refraction being angularly disposed to said first axis of refraction at an angle greater than the angle of said third axis of refraction. 20. an imaging system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said spatial light modulator comprises an array of birefringent elements.	foveating imaging system and method priority information this application claims priority from u.s. patent application serial no. 09/845,809 filed april 30, 2001. background of the invention the invention relates to imaging systems, and in particular relates to systems in which images are recorded for electronic processing. conventional imaging systems in which images are recorded for electronic processing typically involve the use an array of discrete elements for recording portions of the image, such as a charge coupled device (ccd) array, or a cmos phototransistor array. for example, as shown in figure 1, a conventional imaging system 10 may include an array 12 of image recording elements 14, each of which receives a portion 16 of an image. devices incorporating such arrays are used for a variety of purposes, including cameras, scanners, monitoring equipment, and robotic vision systems etc. the resolution of the recorded image depends on the number and size of elements in the array. although high resolution imaging systems are preferred for certain applications requiring detailed images, high resolution imaging systems generally require more time and memory to capture, process, and transfer the images, than required by lower resolution imaging systems. many images contain a significant amount of detail in some areas, but much less detail in other areas. for example, an image may include a human face in the foreground and a statue and sky in the background. the human face may include a relatively large amount of detail, the statue less, and the sky may include the least amount of detail. certain processing systems, such as file transfer systems, identify the areas of less detail, and compress the data required to represent the image by identifying large contiguous groups of picture elements that are the same as one another. for example, if a portion of an image includes a large number of picture elements that are repetitious, e.g., blue sky, then a single value is identified as applying to the appropriate number of picture elements, instead of representing each of the identical picture elements with separate but equal values. while such compression algorithms may facilitate certain processing steps such as file transfers, there remains a need to originally capture an image in a more efficient fashion. in particular, there is a need for an imaging system that may selectively obtain high and low resolution data from the same image. summary of the invention the invention provides an imaging system for receiving images. the system includes an image receiving unit for receiving an input image, and a spatial light modulator. the spatial light modulator is interposed between the image receiving unit and an input image. the spatial light modulator is for selectively modulating the input image such that at least one portion of the input image may be blurred as it passes through the spatial light modulator toward the image receiving unit. in an embodiment, the spatial light modulator includes an array of birefrmgent elements, and in another embodiment of the invention, the spatial light modulator includes a liquid crystal cell. brief description of the drawings the following description may be further understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: fig.- 1 shows an illustrative view of a prior art imaging system; fig. 2 shows an illustrative view of an imaging system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; fig. 3 shows an illustrative view of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; fig. 4 shows an illustrative view of an imaging system in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention; fig. 5 shows an illustrative diagrammatic view of the operation of a system of the invention; figs. 6 - 8 show illustrative views of imaging systems in accordance with further embodiments of the invention; fig. 9 shows an illustrative view of an interferrometric imaging system incorporating an imaging system of the invention; and fig. 10 shows an illustrative view of a holographic imaging system incorporating an imaging system of the invention. the drawings are shown for illustrative purposes and are not to scale. detailed description of the invention a system 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes an array of birefringent elements 22 fabricated on top of a standard optical detector array 24 (e.g., a cmos camera or ccd array). by selectively applying voltage to the birefringent elements, the user may effect space-variant filtering functions. applications include non- mechanical foveation, multi-resolution visual processing, monocular depth perception, and modular volume holography, etc. foveation relates to an attention-like function that permits a vision system to capture the more interesting aspects of the environment while maintaining low information bandwidth. these functions contribute to the solution of significant problems in robotics and other artificial intelligence applications. systems of the invention generally simulate the retinal function of the human eye that not only captures images, but also acts as a filter so that more detail is captured in some areas than in other areas. for example, retinal cells with lateral connections edge-enhance, and intensity-equalize the retinal images. most of these operations contribute to a reduction of visual information from the approximately 250 x 10 6 retinal detectors (rods and cones) to the approximately 1 x 10 6 neuronal fibers that comprise the optic nerve. the detectors themselves are distributed in an information-efficient way. densely distributed cones are found at the fov ' ea, which is a small circular path surrounding the intersection of the retina with the optic axis of the eyeball; this is the area where the optical quality of the retinal images is best, and it also matches the direction of the subject's gaze. peripheral retinal areas are more sparsely populated by rods, which are sensitive only to the intensity of the light and not the color. the retinal detector distribution together with eye motion serve as the hardware implementation' of the cognitive function of attention. in the top-down form of attention, the gaze is fixed toward the direction where the subject intends to direct his or her attention, and high-resolution imaging is obtained in that area. low-resolution peripheral vision serves bottom-up attention, which allows subjects to redirect their cognitive resources to new objects of interest. attention is nature's solution to a computational dilemma - it reduces the degrees of freedom of sensory signals so as to maintain at any given instant in time the most important information. the mechanism of visual attention in humans is not completely understood, but the physiology of the retina strongly supports the hypothesis that the sensory architecture of the human visual system is well tuned to attentional processing. this observation strongly suggests that attention-like . mechanisms might enhance the computational capabilities of computers in contexts such as robotics and combinatorial algorithms. in short, attention algorithms make more efficient use of the hardware capabilities of a given computational structure. attention has been implemented in artificial systems in the past, predominantly in silicon retinas, which mimic the human retina in a number of functions, including tremendous dynamic range, the ability to foveate and to perform simple image processing functions such as edge extraction and tracking. silicon detectors with variable resolution have also been implemented. fabrication constraints, however, dictate that the resolution varies in steps, whereas in the human retina the resolution degradation is continuous from the fovea outward. the present invention provides a system that permits the implementation of arbitrarily variable resolution across the aperture of an imaging system, and allows the shift of the attentional focus to be implemented non-mechanically, which reduces the failure probability and maintenance costs and may also be beneficial for certain applications, such as security monitoring. in addition to the general-purpose attentional mechanisms discussed above, systems of the invention may be used for other related applications such as monocular depth perception, nonlinear image processing, and real-time image filter-banks. also, systems of the invention may be used to permit selective blurring in-areas specified by an image compression algorithm with reference agamtto the embodiment shown in figure 2, a system of the invention includes an array 22 of tunable birefringent cells superimposed over an array 24 of optical detectors. liquid crystal cells may be used for the tunable birefringent cell array (tbca). examples of optical detector arrays are ccd arrays and cmos photo-transistor arrays. assuming that the illumination is incoherent, the function of the device in a relatively simplified form is described as follows: each ray, e.g., 26a - 26g, that enters the device splits into two parts by virtue of the phenomenon of double refraction at the interface between air and the first-layer birefringent cell that finds itself in the path of that ray. the first split part, e.g., 28, known as ordinary beam, propagates undeviated through the cell to the associated detector cell. the second part, e.g., 30, referred to as extraordinary beam, splits apart from the ordinary beam, and is deflected by an amount that depends on the birefringent characteristics of the material. in particular, the angle of deflection of the extra-ordinary beam is set by the indices of refraction along the principal axes of the material, and the orientation of the system of principal axes. in electro-optic materials, such as liquid crystals, the principal axes change their orientation in response to externally-applied electric fields. in the disclosed device, the amount of deflection of the extra-ordinary ray is set individually in each cell by voltages applied to transparent electrodes attached to the cells. therefore, the invention allows the user to specify variable amounts of deviation across the field of view of the device such that a certain area, e.g., the area indicated at 32, may record image data with a higher resolution than that of the remaining portions of the device. moreover, certain of the birefringent cells may be turned off, so that only one beam (the ordinary beam) is passed through the cells. as shown, for example, at 34 in figure 2. as shown in figure 3, in another embodiment of a system 40 of the invention, multiple arrays of birefringent elements 42, 44 may be employed. upon exiting the array 42, the ordinary beams, e.g, 46, and extra-ordinary beams, e.g., 48, encounter one or more further arrays such as array 44 of similar tunable birefringent cell arrangements, each effecting further splitting of the original ray into another ordinary beam, e.g., 50, and extraordinary beam, e.g., 52. by selecting the cell axes to be in the appropriate orientations, multiple splitting may occur in-plane, as shown in figure 3, as well as in the perpendicular direction. upon exiting the m tb layer of an /?z-layer stack, the optical power contained in each entering ray is split into n parts where 2 < n < 2"' . if the angular deviations are sufficiently large, then each of the extraordinary beams is incident on a different cell of the detector array. this diffusion of optical power among neighboring cells is equivalent to a low-pass filtering (blurring) operation effected by the tunable birefringent elements. the operation of the tunable birefringent cell array (tbca) filter is described as follows. ifβx,y) denote the image that would have formed on the detector array by a regular imaging system, i.e., in the absence of the tbca, then x, andy are the coordinates of the detector array plane, and are recorded at the coordinates x j , y j of the center of they* pixel (j=\ ... p, where p is the total number of pixels on the detector array). for example, in many commercial ccd cameras p = 640 x 480 = 307,200. each tbca layer introduces a spill-over of some pixel energy from pixel (x j , yj) to one or more neighboring pixels (x j+p , y j+q ) in the next layer, where ?, and q are integers that depend on the state of the (x j , yj) cell at the original layer. the overall operation of the multi-layer tbca's is then described as a linear filtering operation as follows: where g(x,y) is the actual filtered image forming on the detector plane, and h(x,y;x',y ) is a shift variant kernal defined by the tbca. note that if all of the cells within each layer are set to the same birefringent state, then the filter becomes shift-invariant, and the above equation becomes a convolution. a significant benefit of the present invention is that it enables the implementation of arbitrary, not necessarily shift-invariant filters that may be adapted in real time to perform real-time image processing operations. for incoherent illumination, however, the class of implementable filters is limited to positive definite operators, i.e., h&y.x.y') is constrained to be a positive-definite operator. coherent illumination, on the other hand, permits the implementation of additional further general complex-valued filters. the above filter essentially provides a method for adaptively interconnecting pixels of the same image, and is believed to provide benefits (such as cost benefits) over electronic interconnects that may implement shift-varjant filters. optical interconnects using holograms have also been used extensively in research and offer extremely high interconnect capacity and adaptability. such adaptive operation, however, generally comes at the expense of optical power because the diffraction efficiency of holograms is typically well below 100%. real-time holography hardware is also relatively bulky, sensitive to vibration, and expensive to realize in industrial or outdoors environments. the implementations discussed above have been discrete, where splitting is controlled by individual birefringent cells. a continuous implementation may offer advantages by eliminating sampling artifacts and allowing smoother filtering operations. as showrύn figure 4, a single large liquid-crystal cell 50 is surrounded by an array of electrodes 52. by applying individual voltages to the electrodes 52, an electric field distribution is created in the interior of the cell 50. the distribution is found by solving poisson's equation for the potential in the cell interior, with the electrode voltages as boundary conditions; the inverse problem of determining the electrode voltages that give a particular field distribution inside the cell is more difficult. once the electric field is established, the liquid crystal molecules reorient themselves in response, leading, for example, to the distribution shown in figure 4 in which the region 54 provides high resolution, the region 56 less, and the remaining portions of the cell 50 the least amount of resolution. this is a continuous (in the space domain) implementation of the shift- variant filter. note that interesting time dynamics may observed in the scheme as well, due to the typically slower time response of liquid crystals in these configurations. the disclosed invention may be used to implement top-down and bottom-up attention with non-mechanical foveation by implementing the feedback loop shown in figure 5. suppose that at a given time instance t, the multi-layer tcba is implementing a shift variant filter 60 that may be represented as h t (x,y;x',y f ). in this embodiment, the high- resolution information from the attentional focus is interesting to higher-level cognitive processing functions. the top-down attentional algorithm 62 will typically attempt to maintain the focus at its current location or move it according to its own primitives. on the other hand, peripheral information (which is typically at low resolution) often signifies abrupt changes that can be critical for the performance of the robot or its own survival. for example, abrupt motion may signify a sudden threat. low-level (bottom-up) attentional processing routines 64 evaluate the significance of peripheral information and compete with the top-down routines for the filter function h t+ ι(x,y;x',y r ) at the next time step. a controller algorithm 66 synthesizes both processing algorithms 62 and 64. interesting dynamics are obtained if the two attentional mechanisms are not returning their results concurrently. note that the non-mechanical foveating mechanism described herein enables attentional modes that are not available in the visual systems of known species. for example, foveating without motion has the obvious advantage of higher speed as well as stealthiness. another example is the reallocation of computational resources by varying the shape of the attentional focus, or allowing for multiple foci. for example, as shown in figure 6, a system 70 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention may provide a relatively small area of high resolution 72, another area of less resolution 74, a further area of even less resolution 76, and the remaining area of the least resolution 78. as shown in figure 7, .another embodiment 80 of the invention provides a relatively large area of resolution 82, another area of less resolution 84, a further area of even less resolution 86, with the remaining area providing the least amount of resolution 88. finally, as shown in figure 8, a further still embodiment 90 ' provides multiple foci 92 of high resolution, multiple areas of less resolution 94, multiple areas of even less resolution 96, with remaining areas providing the least amount of resolution 98. the disclosed device may be combined with a depth-sensitive optical system to provide monocular depth perception over an extended field of view. depth-sensitive optical methods such as chirp-shear interferometry and volume holographic imaging may be developed. in such systems, depth perception is complicated by the lateral content of the images, particularly if the depth variation within the field of view is relatively large. the disclosed invention permits arbitrary allocation and width of the field of view where the depth is measured; the remainder of the system's natural field of view is blurred, eliminating spurious information. this narrow depth-sensitive focus is then scanned to obtain depth information over the entire natural field of view of the system. an example of a system 100 of the invention employed to provide monocular depth perception in this mode is shown in figure 9 in which the image of a three dimensional object 102 is received through an imaging lens 104 and spatial light modulator 106 prior to being received by a depth-sensitive imaging system such as a chirp shear interferometer 108. the modulator 106 may provide areas of varying resolution 110, 112 and 114 as shown with area 110 proving the highest resolution and the area 114 providing the least resolution respectively. a further application of the invention is the use of the non-mechanical fovea to create an adaptive volume hologram as shown in figure 10 in which volume holographic elements 120 are interspersed with spatial light modulators 122 of the invention. in this case, the preferred method of illumination is with a coherent source. volume holography has been used for data storage, artificial neural networks, and, recently, for imaging. the information stored in a volume hologram is typically addressed by changing some property of the readout beam, e.g. the angle or location of incidence or the wavelength. stratified (multi-layered) volume holograms have also been implemented. the non-mechanical fovea may be used to enable a new mode of reading out stratified volume holograms by changing the path of the optical fields as they propagate a multi-layer structure, as shown in figure 10. in this structure, each volume holographic layer may be considered one stage of processing the information. the intermediate non-mechanical foveas generate coherent supeφositions of multiple states of the interaction between the input field and the information stored in the hologram. the resulting structure may lead to powerful new optical processing paradigms, since it is essentially an adaptive volume hologram without the stability and power-consumption requirements of conventional structures. those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations may be made to the above disclosed embodiments without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. what is claimed is:
008-780-742-392-228	US	[ "US", "CN", "WO" ]	G09G5/00,G06F3/048,G06F3/01,G06T7/20,A63F13/10,A63F13/02,H04N5/00	2010-01-15T00:00:00	2010	[ "G09", "G06", "A63", "H04" ]	directed performance in motion capture system	techniques for enhancing the use of a motion capture system are provided. a motion capture system tracks movement and audio inputs from a person in a physical space, and provides the inputs to an application, which displays a virtual space on a display. bodily movements can be used to define traits of an avatar in the virtual space. the person can be directed to perform the movements by a coaching avatar, or visual or audio cues in the virtual space. the application can respond to the detected movements and voice commands or voice volume of the person to define avatar traits and initiate pre-scripted audio-visual events in the virtual space to provide an entertaining experience. a performance in the virtual space can be captured and played back with automatic modifications, such as alterations to the avatar's voice or appearance, or modifications made by another person.	1. a motion capture system, comprising: a depth camera system, the depth camera system obtains images of a field of view; a display; and a processor in communication with the depth camera system and the display, the processor executes instructions to: display a virtual space comprising an avatar on the display, provide directions to a person, the person performs movements in the field of view in a first time period in response to the directions, process the images to detect the movements of the person, update the virtual space so that the avatar provides a performance, the avatar exhibits a trait and moves correspondingly to the movements of the person in real time as the person performs the movements in the performance, and provide a play back of the performance in a second time period, the avatar exhibits a modification to the trait and moves correspondingly to the movements of the person in the play back of the performance. 2. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises a costume of the avatar. 3. the motion capture system of claim 2 , wherein: the costume of the avatar is exchanged with another avatar in the virtual space. 4. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises at least one of a hair color or a hair style of the avatar. 5. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the modification to the trait comprises a modulation of a voice. 6. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises a facial expression. 7. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises a manner of walking. 8. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises a vocal trait. 9. the motion capture system of claim 8 , wherein: the vocal trait comprises at least one of tone, accent, cadence, rhythm, intonation, degree of articulation or loudness. 10. the motion capture system of claim 1 , wherein: the trait comprises a language, such that the avatar speaks in a different language in the play back of the performance in the second time period than in the performance in the first time period. 11. a processor-implemented method in a motion capture system, comprising the processor-implemented steps of: receiving images of a person in a field of view of the motion capture system, the person performs movements in the field of view; displaying a virtual space on a display, the virtual space comprises an avatar which represents the person; based on the images, detecting the movements of the person; in a first time period, creating a scene in a performance in the virtual space by translating the movements of the person to movements of an avatar in the virtual space as the person explores different features of the virtual space; and in a second time period, playing back the performance by depicting the movements of the avatar with a modification of the scene. 12. the processor-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein: the modification of the scene comprise a different viewpoint of the virtual space in the second time period than in the first time period. 13. the processor-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein: the modification of the scene comprise a different lighting in the second time period than in the first time period. 14. the processor-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein: the modification of the scene comprise an enhanced soundtrack of the scene. 15. a computer readable storage device comprising computer readable software embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method in a motion capture system, the method comprising: receiving images of a person in a field of view of the motion capture system; displaying a virtual space on a display, the virtual space comprises an avatar which represents the person; based on the images, detecting the person; displaying the avatar in the virtual space; providing a plurality of directed moments in a performance of the avatar, each directed moment of the plurality of directed moments requires the person to complete a directed movement and each directed movement must be successfully completed before a next directed moment of the plurality of directed moments, until a final directed moment of the plurality of directed moments is reached, the avatar moves correspondingly to the directed movements of the person to interact with objects in the virtual space; providing a record of the performance of the avatar; and once the person has successfully completed the final directed moment, automatically modifying the record of the performance to provide a modified record, and playing back the modified record. 16. the computer readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein: the directed movements are indicated by a plurality of visual cues in the virtual space. 17. the computer readable storage device of claim 16 , wherein: one visual cue of the plurality of visual cues is on a ground in the virtual space; and the person performs one of the directed movements by causing the avatar to stand on the one of the visual cues. 18. the computer readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein: providing an optional moment in the performance of the avatar, the optional moment provides a visual cue in the virtual space for an action to perform; and providing a visual reward in response to completion of the action by the person. 19. the computer readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein: providing a discoverable moment in the performance of the avatar, the discoverable moment comprises an action that is discoverable by the person but is not identified by a visual cue in the virtual space; and providing a result in the virtual space in response to discovery of the action by the person. 20. the computer readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein: the modified record provides a surprise final moment of the performance.	cross-reference to related applications this is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/688,804, entitled “directed performance in motion capture system,” by markovic et al., filed jan. 15, 2010, published as us 2011/0175801 on jul. 21, 2011 and issued as u.s. pat. no. 8,284,157 on oct. 9, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. background motion capture systems obtain data regarding the location and movement of a human or other subject in a physical space, and can use the data as an input to an application in a computing system. many applications are possible, such as for military, entertainment, sports and medical purposes. for instance, the motion of humans can be mapped to a 3d human skeletal model and used to create an animated character or avatar in a virtual space or world. optical systems, including those using visible and invisible, e.g., infrared, light, use cameras to detect the presence of a human in a field of view. markers can be placed on the human to assist in detection, although markerless systems have also been developed. some systems use inertial sensors which are carried by, or attached to, the human to detect movement. for example, in some video game applications, the user holds a wireless controller which can detect movement while playing a game. however, further refinements are needed which assist a person in creating and controlling a performance in a virtual space. summary a processor-implemented method, motion capture system and tangible computer readable storage are provided for assisting a user in creating and controlling a performance. a motion capture system can be used to create a performance in a virtual space which is displayed on a display device. a person's movement is tracked in a field of view of a depth camera and used an input to an application which provides the virtual space. for example, the person's movement may be translated into movement of an avatar in the virtual space, such as to allow the person to explore different visual and audible features of the virtual space. the application can direct the person in a performance in the virtual space. the person can initiate predetermined audio-visual events in the virtual space or modify traits of the avatar. various audible and visual cues can be used, such as highlighting a location in the virtual space which an avatar can move to. the person can also be asked to perform certain bodily movements to direct the performance. voice commands or volume of the person can also be used to direct the performance. once the performance is completed, it can be played back with various modifications, such as changes in camera angle or the appearance of the avatar, to provide an entertaining experience. moreover, multiple people can control a performance at the same time or at different times. a performance can be repeatedly played back and modified, such as to modify different traits of the avatar at different times. in one embodiment, a processor-implemented method for directing a performance in a motion capture system is provided. the method includes tracking a person in a field of view of the motion capture system. the tracking distinguishes the person in the field of view, such as by using a skeletal model to identify movements of the person. a virtual space is provided on a display such as a computer monitor, television screen or projected on a wall. the virtual space can represent any real or imaginary, indoor or outdoor location. the virtual space includes an avatar which represents the person, and which moves based on the tracked movements of the person. the avatar can depict the user in a photorealistic manner, or may be an animal, vehicle or other character or object. the method includes directing movement of the person to assist in creating a performance in the virtual space. this can include requesting the person to perform a specific bodily movement, such a raising the hands over the head, or swaying from side to side. or, cues in the virtual space may direct the person to cause the avatar to move to an identified location, or in an identified direction, in the virtual space. the person can move his body, such as by providing a specified gesture, assuming a specified posture, moving to a different location in the field of view and/or by using voice control to control the avatar. based on the tracking of the person, the movement of the person is detected, and the virtual space is updated to show a corresponding movement of the avatar on the display. for example, a pre-scripted audio-visual event can be initiated in the virtual space based on the detection of the movement of the person. the virtual space can also be updated to exhibit a trait of the avatar. this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. brief description of the drawings figs. 1 a and 1 b depict an example embodiment of a motion capture system in which a user interacts with an application which simulates a boxing match. fig. 2 depicts an example block diagram of the motion capture system 10 of fig. 1 a. fig. 3 depicts an example block diagram of a computing environment that may be used in the motion capture system of fig. 1 a. fig. 4 depicts another example block diagram of a computing environment that may be used in the motion capture system of fig. 1 a. fig. 5 depicts a method for directing a performance in a motion capture system. fig. 6 a depicts an example method for tracking movement of a person as set forth in step 504 of fig. 5 . fig. 6 b depicts an example model of a person as set forth in step 608 of fig. 6 a. fig. 6 c depicts another example model of a person as set forth in step 608 of fig. 6 a. fig. 7 a depicts an example method for directing a person as set forth in step 502 of fig. 5 , where the person is directed to perform a bodily movement. fig. 7 b depicts an example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , and in connection with fig. 7 a , where the virtual space is updated based on a person performing a bodily movement. figs. 7 c and 7 d depict example displays which demonstrate a coaching avatar, and initiating a pre-scripted audio-visual event in response to execution of a specific bodily movement. fig. 8 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where the virtual space is updated based on an avatar moving in the virtual space. fig. 8 b depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 8 a , where visual cues are provided in a virtual space for directing movement of an avatar. fig. 8 c depicts an example display which follows the display of fig. 8 c , where a pre-scripted audio-visual event is provided when the avatar moves to a specified location in the virtual space. fig. 9 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where traits of an avatar are defined in different time periods. fig. 9 b depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 9 a , where traits of an avatar are defined in different time periods by different people. fig. 9 c depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a first trait of an avatar is defined in a first time period. fig. 9 d depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a second trait of an avatar is defined in a second time period. figs. 9 e and 9 f depict example displays in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a facial trait of an avatar is defined. fig. 10 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where performances are recorded, modified and played back. fig. 10 b depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 10 a , in which a performance in a virtual space is played back with a different camera angle. fig. 11 a depicts an example avatar and its costume in a monster luau scenario. fig. 11 b depicts an example scene in a monster luau scenario. detailed description various techniques for enhancing the use of a motion capture system are provided. a motion capture system allows a person, or group of people, to interact with an application for entertainment or other purposes. a depth camera system can track a person's movements in a physical space and translate them into inputs to the application. for example, the movements can be translated to corresponding movements of an avatar which represents the person. however, the person may not be aware of the different movements which are recognized by the application, and how specific movements are used by the application. moreover, the response of an application may be predictable and uneventful when in fact a more dynamic and surprise-filled experience is desirable. a solution provided herein assists a person in exploring a virtual space while providing unexpected and entertaining experiences. the person can provide specific bodily movements which result in certain events occurring in the virtual space. for example, the bodily movements can cause movement of an avatar in the virtual space. in one scenario, an audio-visual event such as an animation is initiated in the virtual space when the avatar moves to a specified location. in another scenario, the person can configure traits of the avatar through bodily movements. the person can become part of a performance which is carried out in the virtual space as a compelling entertainment experience. the performance can be captured and played back with automatic modifications, such as alterations to the avatar's voice or appearance, e.g., distortion of limbs and costume modifications, for further amusement. the person can further modify a performance which is played back so that the performance can be developed over multiple iterations or tracks. the recording and play back can include data such as audio, video, anthropometric data, skeletal position and orientation, and prop tracking data, e.g., relating to a prop which such as a plastic sword which is held by the person in the physical space. moreover, multiple people can be involved in the performance so that different events occur in the virtual space based on the actions of different people, or different traits of an avatar are created by different people, for instance. the different people can be in the same physical space, e.g., together in the same room, or in different physical spaces, e.g., at different locations which are connected by a network. the participation of the people can be in parallel or serial. an example of parallel participation is when people view a common virtual space at the same time and control the movement of respective avatars in the common virtual space. multiple people can also control the movement of a single avatar in the common virtual space, such as when one person controls one part of an avatar, e.g., the head and hands, and another person controls another part of the avatar, e.g., the legs. an example of serial participation is when a first person creates a performance in a virtual space in a first time period, and a second person modifies the performance in a subsequent, second time period figs. 1 a and 1 b depict an example embodiment of a motion capture system 10 in which a person 18 interacts with an application which simulates a boxing match. the motion capture system 10 is used to recognize, analyze, and/or track a human target such as the person 18 , also referred to as user or player. as shown in fig. 1 a , the motion capture system 10 may include a computing environment 12 such as a computer, a gaming system or console, or the like. the computing environment 12 may include hardware components and/or software components to execute applications such as educational and/or entertainment purposes. the motion capture system 10 may further include a depth camera system 20 . the depth camera system 20 may be, for example, a camera that may be used to visually monitor one or more people, such as the person 18 , such that gestures and/or movements performed by the people may be captured, analyzed, and tracked to perform one or more controls or actions within an application, such as animating an avatar or on-screen character, as will be described in more detail below. the motion capture system 10 may be connected to a audiovisual device 16 such as a television, a monitor, a high-definition television (hdtv), or the like that provides a visual and audio output to the user. an audio output can also be provided via a separate device. to drive the audiovisual device 16 , the computing environment 12 may include a video adapter such as a graphics card and/or an audio adapter such as a sound card that provides audiovisual signals associated with an application. the audiovisual device 16 may be connected to the computing environment 12 via, for example, an s-video cable, a coaxial cable, an hdmi cable, a dvi cable, a vga cable, or the like. the person 18 may be tracked using the depth camera system 20 such that the gestures and/or movements of the person are captured and used to animate an avatar or on-screen character and/or interpreted as input controls to the application being executed by computer environment 12 . thus, according to one embodiment, the user 18 may move his or her body to control the application and/or animate an avatar or other on-screen character. as an example, the application can be a boxing game in which the person 18 participates and in which the audiovisual device 16 provides a visual representation of a boxing opponent 38 to the person 18 . the computing environment 12 may also use the audiovisual device 16 to provide a visual representation of a player avatar 40 which represents the person, and which the person can control with his or her bodily movements. for example, as shown in fig. 1 b , the person 18 may throw a punch in physical space, e.g., a room in which the person is standing, to cause the player avatar 40 to throw a punch in a virtual space which includes a boxing ring. thus, according to an example embodiment, the computer environment 12 and the depth camera system 20 of the motion capture system 10 may be used to recognize and analyze the punch of the person 18 in physical space such that the punch may be interpreted as an input to an application which simulates a boxing match, to control the player avatar 40 in the virtual space. other movements by the person 18 may also be interpreted as other controls or actions and/or used to animate the player avatar, such as controls to bob, weave, shuffle, block, jab, or throw a variety of different punches. furthermore, some movements may be interpreted as controls that may correspond to actions other than controlling the player avatar 40 . for example, in one embodiment, the player may use movements to end, pause, or save a game, select a level, view high scores, communicate with a friend, and so forth. the player may use movements to select the game or other application from a main user interface. thus, a full range of motion of the user 18 may be available, used, and analyzed in any suitable manner to interact with an application. the person can hold an object such as a prop when interacting with an application. in such embodiments, the movement of the person and the object may be used to control an application. for example, the motion of a player holding a racket may be tracked and used for controlling an on-screen racket in an application which simulates a tennis game. in another example embodiment, the motion of a player holding a toy weapon such as a plastic sword may be tracked and used for controlling a corresponding weapon in the virtual space of an application which provides a pirate ship. the motion capture system 10 may further be used to interpret target movements as operating system and/or application controls that are outside the realm of games and other applications which are meant for entertainment and leisure. for example, virtually any controllable aspect of an operating system and/or application may be controlled by movements of the person 18 . fig. 2 depicts an example block diagram of the motion capture system 10 of fig. 1 a . the depth camera system 20 may be configured to capture video with depth information including a depth image that may include depth values, via any suitable technique including, for example, time-of-flight, structured light, stereo image, or the like. the depth camera system 20 may organize the depth information into “z layers,” or layers that may be perpendicular to a z axis extending from the depth camera along its line of sight. the depth camera system 20 may include an image camera component 22 , such as a depth camera that captures the depth image of a scene in a physical space. the depth image may include a two-dimensional (2-d) pixel area of the captured scene, where each pixel in the 2-d pixel area has an associated depth value which represents a linear distance from the image camera component 22 . the image camera component 22 may include an infrared (ir) light component 24 , a three-dimensional (3-d) camera 26 , and a red-green-blue (rgb) camera 28 that may be used to capture the depth image of a scene. for example, in time-of-flight analysis, the ir light component 24 of the depth camera system 20 may emit an infrared light onto the physical space and use sensors (not shown) to detect the backscattered light from the surface of one or more targets and objects in the physical space using, for example, the 3-d camera 26 and/or the rgb camera 28 . in some embodiments, pulsed infrared light may be used such that the time between an outgoing light pulse and a corresponding incoming light pulse is measured and used to determine a physical distance from the depth camera system 20 to a particular location on the targets or objects in the physical space. the phase of the outgoing light wave may be compared to the phase of the incoming light wave to determine a phase shift. the phase shift may then be used to determine a physical distance from the depth camera system to a particular location on the targets or objects. a time-of-flight analysis may also be used to indirectly determine a physical distance from the depth camera system 20 to a particular location on the targets or objects by analyzing the intensity of the reflected beam of light over time via various techniques including, for example, shuttered light pulse imaging. in another example embodiment, the depth camera system 20 may use a structured light to capture depth information. in such an analysis, patterned light (i.e., light displayed as a known pattern such as grid pattern or a stripe pattern) may be projected onto the scene via, for example, the ir light component 24 . upon striking the surface of one or more targets or objects in the scene, the pattern may become deformed in response. such a deformation of the pattern may be captured by, for example, the 3-d camera 26 and/or the rgb camera 28 and may then be analyzed to determine a physical distance from the depth camera system to a particular location on the targets or objects. according to another embodiment, the depth camera system 20 may include two or more physically separated cameras that may view a scene from different angles to obtain visual stereo data that may be resolved to generate depth information. the depth camera system 20 may further include a microphone 30 which includes, e.g., a transducer or sensor that receives and converts sound waves into an electrical signal. additionally, the microphone 30 may be used to receive audio signals such as sounds that are provided by a person to control an application that is run by the computing environment 12 . the audio signals can include vocal sounds of the person such as spoken words, whistling, shouts and other utterances as well as non-vocal sounds such as clapping hands or stomping feet. the depth camera system 20 may include a processor 32 that is in communication with the image camera component 22 . the processor 32 may include a standardized processor, a specialized processor, a microprocessor, or the like that may execute instructions including, for example, instructions for receiving a depth image; generating a grid of voxels based on the depth image; removing a background included in the grid of voxels to isolate one or more voxels associated with a human target; determining a location or position of one or more extremities of the isolated human target; adjusting a model based on the location or position of the one or more extremities, or any other suitable instruction, which will be described in more detail below. the depth camera system 20 may further include a memory component 34 that may store instructions that are executed by the processor 32 , as well as storing images or frames of images captured by the 3-d camera or rgb camera, or any other suitable information, images, or the like. according to an example embodiment, the memory component 34 may include random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), cache, flash memory, a hard disk, or any other suitable tangible computer readable storage component. the memory component 34 may be a separate component in communication with the image capture component 22 and the processor 32 via a bus 21 . according to another embodiment, the memory component 34 may be integrated into the processor 32 and/or the image capture component 22 . the depth camera system 20 may be in communication with the computing environment 12 via a communication link 36 . the communication link 36 may be a wired and/or a wireless connection. according to one embodiment, the computing environment 12 may provide a clock signal to the depth camera system 20 via the communication link 36 that indicates when to capture image data from the physical space which is in the field of view of the depth camera system 20 . additionally, the depth camera system 20 may provide the depth information and images captured by, for example, the 3-d camera 26 and/or the rgb camera 28 , and/or a skeletal model that may be generated by the depth camera system 20 to the computing environment 12 via the communication link 36 . the computing environment 12 may then use the model, depth information, and captured images to control an application. for example, as shown in fig. 2 , the computing environment 12 may include a gestures library 190 , such as a collection of gesture filters, each having information concerning a gesture that may be performed by the skeletal model (as the user moves). for example, a gesture filter can be provided for each of: raising one or both arms up or to the side, rotating the arms in circles. flapping one's arms like a bird, leaning forward, backward, or to one side, jumping up, standing on one's toes by raising ones heel's, walking in place, walking to a different location in the field of view/physical space, and so forth. by comparing a detected motion to each filter, a specified gesture or movement which is performed by a person can be identified. an extent to which the movement is performed can also be determined. the data captured by the depth camera system 20 in the form of the skeletal model and movements associated with it may be compared to the gesture filters in the gesture library 190 to identify when a user (as represented by the skeletal model) has performed one or more specific movements. those movements may be associated with various controls of an application. the computing environment may also include a processor 192 for executing instructions which are stored in a memory 194 to provide audio-video output signals to the display device 196 and to achieve other functionality as described herein. fig. 3 depicts an example block diagram of a computing environment that may be used in the motion capture system of fig. 1 a . the computing environment can be used to interpret one or more gestures or other movements and, in response, update a visual space on a display. the computing environment such as the computing environment 12 described above with respect to figs. 1 a , 1 b and 2 may include a multimedia console 100 , such as a gaming console. the multimedia console 100 has a central processing unit (cpu) 101 having a level 1 cache 102 , a level 2 cache 104 , and a flash rom (read only memory) 106 . the level 1 cache 102 and a level 2 cache 104 temporarily store data and hence reduce the number of memory access cycles, thereby improving processing speed and throughput. the cpu 101 may be provided having more than one core, and thus, additional level 1 and level 2 caches 102 and 104 . the flash rom 106 may store executable code that is loaded during an initial phase of a boot process when the multimedia console 100 is powered on. a graphics processing unit (gpu) 108 and a video encoder/video codec (coder/decoder) 114 form a video processing pipeline for high speed and high resolution graphics processing. data is carried from the graphics processing unit 108 to the video encoder/video codec 114 via a bus. the video processing pipeline outputs data to an a/v (audio/video) port 140 for transmission to a television or other display. a memory controller 110 is connected to the gpu 108 to facilitate processor access to various types of memory 112 , such as ram (random access memory). the multimedia console 100 includes an i/o controller 120 , a system management controller 122 , an audio processing unit 123 , a network interface controller 124 , a first usb host controller 126 , a second usb controller 128 and a front panel i/o subassembly 130 that are preferably implemented on a module 118 . the usb controllers 126 and 128 serve as hosts for peripheral controllers 142 ( 1 )- 142 ( 2 ), a wireless adapter 148 , and an external memory device 146 (e.g., flash memory, external cd/dvd rom drive, removable media, etc.). the network interface 124 and/or wireless adapter 148 provide access to a network (e.g., the internet, home network, etc.) and may be any of a wide variety of various wired or wireless adapter components including an ethernet card, a modem, a bluetooth module, a cable modem, and the like. system memory 143 is provided to store application data that is loaded during the boot process. a media drive 144 is provided and may comprise a dvd/cd drive, hard drive, or other removable media drive. the media drive 144 may be internal or external to the multimedia console 100 . application data may be accessed via the media drive 144 for execution, playback, etc. by the multimedia console 100 . the media drive 144 is connected to the i/o controller 120 via a bus, such as a serial ata bus or other high speed connection. the system management controller 122 provides a variety of service functions related to assuring availability of the multimedia console 100 . the audio processing unit 123 and an audio codec 132 form a corresponding audio processing pipeline with high fidelity and stereo processing. audio data is carried between the audio processing unit 123 and the audio codec 132 via a communication link. the audio processing pipeline outputs data to the a/v port 140 for reproduction by an external audio player or device having audio capabilities. the front panel i/o subassembly 130 supports the functionality of the power button 150 and the eject button 152 , as well as any leds (light emitting diodes) or other indicators exposed on the outer surface of the multimedia console 100 . a system power supply module 136 provides power to the components of the multimedia console 100 . a fan 138 cools the circuitry within the multimedia console 100 . the cpu 101 , gpu 108 , memory controller 110 , and various other components within the multimedia console 100 are interconnected via one or more buses, including serial and parallel buses, a memory bus, a peripheral bus, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. when the multimedia console 100 is powered on, application data may be loaded from the system memory 143 into memory 112 and/or caches 102 , 104 and executed on the cpu 101 . the application may present a graphical user interface that provides a consistent user experience when navigating to different media types available on the multimedia console 100 . in operation, applications and/or other media contained within the media drive 144 may be launched or played from the media drive 144 to provide additional functionalities to the multimedia console 100 . the multimedia console 100 may be operated as a standalone system by simply connecting the system to a television or other display. in this standalone mode, the multimedia console 100 allows one or more users to interact with the system, watch movies, or listen to music. however, with the integration of broadband connectivity made available through the network interface 124 or the wireless adapter 148 , the multimedia console 100 may further be operated as a participant in a larger network community. when the multimedia console 100 is powered on, a specified amount of hardware resources are reserved for system use by the multimedia console operating system. these resources may include a reservation of memory (e.g., 16 mb), cpu and gpu cycles (e.g., 5%), networking bandwidth (e.g., 8 kbs), etc. because these resources are reserved at system boot time, the reserved resources do not exist from the application's view. in particular, the memory reservation preferably is large enough to contain the launch kernel, concurrent system applications and drivers. the cpu reservation is preferably constant such that if the reserved cpu usage is not used by the system applications, an idle thread will consume any unused cycles. with regard to the gpu reservation, lightweight messages generated by the system applications (e.g., popups) are displayed by using a gpu interrupt to schedule code to render popup into an overlay. the amount of memory required for an overlay depends on the overlay area size and the overlay preferably scales with screen resolution. where a full user interface is used by the concurrent system application, it is preferable to use a resolution independent of application resolution. a scaler may be used to set this resolution such that the need to change frequency and cause a tv resynch is eliminated. after the multimedia console 100 boots and system resources are reserved, concurrent system applications execute to provide system functionalities. the system functionalities are encapsulated in a set of system applications that execute within the reserved system resources described above. the operating system kernel identifies threads that are system application threads versus gaming application threads. the system applications are preferably scheduled to run on the cpu 101 at predetermined times and intervals in order to provide a consistent system resource view to the application. the scheduling is to minimize cache disruption for the gaming application running on the console. when a concurrent system application requires audio, audio processing is scheduled asynchronously to the gaming application due to time sensitivity. a multimedia console application manager (described below) controls the gaming application audio level (e.g., mute, attenuate) when system applications are active. input devices (e.g., controllers 142 ( 1 ) and 142 ( 2 )) are shared by gaming applications and system applications. the input devices are not reserved resources, but are to be switched between system applications and the gaming application such that each will have a focus of the device. the application manager preferably controls the switching of input stream, without knowledge the gaming application's knowledge and a driver maintains state information regarding focus switches. the console 100 may receive additional inputs from the depth camera system 20 of fig. 2 , including the cameras 26 and 28 . fig. 4 depicts another example block diagram of a computing environment that may be used in the motion capture system of fig. 1 a . the computing environment can be used to interpret one or more gestures or other movements and, in response, update a visual space on a display. the computing environment 220 comprises a computer 241 , which typically includes a variety of tangible computer readable storage media. this can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 241 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. the system memory 222 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (rom) 223 and random access memory (ram) 260 . a basic input/output system 224 (bios), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 241 , such as during start-up, is typically stored in rom 223 . ram 260 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 259 . by way of example, and not limitation, fig. 4 depicts operating system 225 , application programs 226 , other program modules 227 , and program data 228 . the computer 241 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media, e.g., a hard disk drive 238 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 239 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 254 , and an optical disk drive 240 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 253 such as a cd rom or other optical media. other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile tangible computer readable storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state ram, solid state rom, and the like. the hard disk drive 238 is typically connected to the system bus 221 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 234 , and magnetic disk drive 239 and optical disk drive 240 are typically connected to the system bus 221 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 235 . the drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and depicted in fig. 4 , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 241 . for example, hard disk drive 238 is depicted as storing operating system 258 , application programs 257 , other program modules 256 , and program data 255 . note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 225 , application programs 226 , other program modules 227 , and program data 228 . operating system 258 , application programs 257 , other program modules 256 , and program data 255 are given different numbers here to depict that, at a minimum, they are different copies. a user may enter commands and information into the computer 241 through input devices such as a keyboard 251 and pointing device 252 , commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. these and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 259 through a user input interface 236 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (usb). the depth camera system 20 of fig. 2 , including cameras 26 and 28 , may define additional input devices for the console 100 . a monitor 242 or other type of display is also connected to the system bus 221 via an interface, such as a video interface 232 . in addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 244 and printer 243 , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 233 . the computer 241 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 246 . the remote computer 246 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network pc, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 241 , although only a memory storage device 247 has been depicted in fig. 4 . the logical connections include a local area network (lan) 245 and a wide area network (wan) 249 , but may also include other networks. such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the internet. when used in a lan networking environment, the computer 241 is connected to the lan 245 through a network interface or adapter 237 . when used in a wan networking environment, the computer 241 typically includes a modem 250 or other means for establishing communications over the wan 249 , such as the internet. the modem 250 , which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 221 via the user input interface 236 , or other appropriate mechanism. in a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 241 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. by way of example, and not limitation, fig. 4 depicts remote application programs 248 as residing on memory device 247 . it will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. fig. 5 depicts a method for directing a performance in a motion capture system. as mentioned at the outset, it is desirable to assist a user of a motion capture system in creating a performance that is entertaining, dynamic and surprise-filled. a performance generally refers to audio-visual events which occur in the virtual space over a period of time, which are based at least in part on motion tracking of one or more persons in one or more physical spaces. a method for directing a performance includes beginning a performance at step 500 . a user may interact with an application to begin a performance in different ways. in one approach, a performance begins when an application begins running. in another approach, a running application prompts a user to begin a performance such as via a visual or audio message. in another approach, the user prompts the application to begin a performance such as by voice command or by providing a defined gesture. at step 502 , the application directs the person. in some cases, the performance can be carried out without a specific direction from the application. an example method for directing a person is discussed further below in connection with fig. 7 a . a person can be directed by an audio and/or visual output of an application. a direction can include a specific instruction, or something less specific, such as a hint. for example, a person can be directed to execute a specific bodily movement, such as raising one or both arms up or to the side, rotating the arms in circles, flapping one's arms like a bird, leaning forward, backward, or to one side, jumping up, standing on one's toes by raising ones heel's, walking in place, walking to a different location in the field of view/physical space, and so forth. a specific bodily movement can include a repetitive movement or a one-time movement. an example of an audio output of an application is a spoken instruction by an application, e.g., “to get started, raise both arms.” the instruction can be provided by an avatar or other animated character in the virtual space, or in a region of a display which is separate from the virtual space. or, the instruction can be spoken without reference to any displayed entity. an example of a visual output of an application is a textual on-screen message which is not part of the virtual space, but is in a separate region of a display, such as at the bottom of the display, or on a separate display than the virtual space. another example of a visual output of an application is a textual on-screen message which is part of the virtual space, e.g., on the side of a building or on a banner pulled by an airplane. an application can also direct movement of a person by directing movement of an avatar in a virtual space. for example, an arrow or other sign can be provided in the virtual space, or a location in the virtual space can be highlighted such as by color coding, a spotlight or the like. the person moves his body to cause the avatar to move in a specified direction and/or to a specified location. for instance, the person can lean in one direction or raise an arm on one side to cause the avatar to move in a corresponding direction in the virtual space. or, the person can walk in place or perform some other movement which is recognized by the motion capture system as an input to the application for moving the avatar. step 504 includes tracking movement of the person in the field of view, e.g., as discussed further in connection with fig. 6 a . step 506 includes updating the virtual space, e.g., as discussed further in connection with figs. 7 b , 8 a - 8 c , 9 a - 9 f , 10 a , 10 b , 11 a and 11 b . the virtual space is updated in essentially real-time so that movements of the person appear to cause immediate and continuous changes in the virtual space. the performance ends at step 508 . fig. 6 a depicts an example method for tracking movement of a person as set forth in step 504 of fig. 5 . the example method may be implemented using, for example, the depth camera system 20 and/or the computing environment 12 , 100 or 220 as discussed in connection with figs. 2-4 . one or more people can be scanned to generate a model such as a skeletal model, a mesh human model, or any other suitable representation of a person. the model may then be used to interact with an application that is executed by the computing environment. the scanned to generate the model can occur when an application is started or launched, or at other times as controlled by the application of the scanned person. the person may be scanned to generate a skeletal model that may be tracked such that physical movements or motions of the user 58 may act as a real-time user interface that adjusts and/or controls parameters of an application. for example, the tracked movements of a person may be used to move an avatar or other on-screen character in an electronic role-playing game; to control an on-screen vehicle in an electronic racing game; to control the building or organization of objects in a virtual environment; or to perform any other suitable control of an application. according to one embodiment, at step 600 , depth information is received, e.g., from the depth camera system. the depth camera system may capture or observe a field of view that may include one or more targets. in an example embodiment, the depth camera system may obtain depth information associated with the one or more targets in the capture area using any suitable technique such as time-of-flight analysis, structured light analysis, stereo vision analysis, or the like, as discussed. the depth information may include a depth image having a plurality of observed pixels, where each observed pixel has an observed depth value, as discussed. the depth image may be downsampled to a lower processing resolution so that it can be more easily used and processed with less computing overhead. additionally, one or more high-variance and/or noisy depth values may be removed and/or smoothed from the depth image; portions of missing and/or removed depth information may be filled in and/or reconstructed; and/or any other suitable processing may be performed on the received depth information may such that the depth information may used to generate a model such as a skeletal model, discussed in connection with figs. 6 b and 6 c. at decision step 604 , a determination is made as to whether the depth image includes a human target. this can include flood filling each target or object in the depth image comparing each target or object to a pattern to determine whether the depth image includes a human target. for example, various depth values of pixels in a selected area or point of the depth image may be compared to determine edges that may define targets or objects as described above. the likely z values of the z layers may be flood filled based on the determined edges. for example, the pixels associated with the determined edges and the pixels of the area within the edges may be associated with each other to define a target or an object in the capture area that may be compared with a pattern, which will be described in more detail below. if decision step 604 is true, step 506 is performed. if decision step 604 is false, additional depth information is received at step 600 . the pattern to which each target or object is compared may include one or more data structures having a set of variables that collectively define a typical body of a human. information associated with the pixels of, for example, a human target and a non-human target in the field of view, may be compared with the variables to identify a human target. in one embodiment, each of the variables in the set may be weighted based on a body part. for example, various body parts such as a head and/or shoulders in the pattern may have weight value associated therewith that may be greater than other body parts such as a leg. according to one embodiment, the weight values may be used when comparing a target with the variables to determine whether and which of the targets may be human. for example, matches between the variables and the target that have larger weight values may yield a greater likelihood of the target being human than matches with smaller weight values. step 606 includes scanning the human target for body parts. the human target may be scanned to provide measurements such as length, width, or the like associated with one or more body parts of a person to provide an accurate model of the person. in an example embodiment, the human target may be isolated and a bitmask of the human target may be created to scan for one or more body parts. the bitmask may be created by, for example, flood filling the human target such that the human target may be separated from other targets or objects in the capture area elements. the bitmask may then be analyzed for one or more body parts to generate a model such as a skeletal model, a mesh human model, or the like of the human target. for example, according to one embodiment, measurement values determined by the scanned bitmask may be used to define one or more joints in a skeletal model, discussed in connection with figs. 6 b and 6 c . the one or more joints may be used to define one or more bones that may correspond to a body part of a human. for example, the top of the bitmask of the human target may be associated with a location of the top of the head. after determining the top of the head, the bitmask may be scanned downward to then determine a location of a neck, a location of the shoulders and so forth. a width of the bitmask, for example, at a position being scanned, may be compared to a threshold value of a typical width associated with, for example, a neck, shoulders, or the like. in an alternative embodiment, the distance from a previous position scanned and associated with a body part in a bitmask may be used to determine the location of the neck, shoulders or the like. some body parts such as legs, feet, or the like may be calculated based on, for example, the location of other body parts. upon determining the values of a body part, a data structure is created that includes measurement values of the body part. the data structure may include scan results averaged from multiple depth images which are provide at different points in time by the depth camera system. step 608 includes generating a model of the human target. in one embodiment, measurement values determined by the scanned bitmask may be used to define one or more joints in a skeletal model. the one or more joints are used to define one or more bones that correspond to a body part of a human. for example, fig. 6 b depicts an example model 620 of a person as set forth in step 608 of fig. 6 a , and fig. 6 c depicts another example model 630 of a person as set forth in step 608 of fig. 6 a. generally, each body part may be characterized as a mathematical vector defining joints and bones of the skeletal model. body parts can move relative to one another at the joints. for example, a forearm segment 628 is connected to joints 626 and 629 and an upper arm segment 624 is connected to joints 622 and 626 . the forearm segment 628 can move relative to the upper arm segment 624 . one or more joints may be adjusted until the joints are within a range of typical distances between a joint and a body part of a human to generate a more accurate skeletal model. the model may further be adjusted based on, for example, a height associated with the human target. at step 610 , the model is tracked by updating the person's location several times per second. as the user moves in the physical space, information from the depth camera system is used to adjust the skeletal model such that the skeletal model represents a person. in particular, one or more forces may be applied to one or more force-receiving aspects of the skeletal model to adjust the skeletal model into a pose that more closely corresponds to the pose of the human target in physical space. generally, any known technique for tracking movements of a person can be used. fig. 7 a depicts an example method for directing a person as set forth in step 502 of fig. 5 , where the person is directed to perform a bodily movement. step 702 includes directing a person to execute a specific bodily movement. as discussed in connection with fig. 5 , this could include providing an audio or visual output of the application which directs a person to perform a movement such as raising ones arms, leaning over, jumping up and so forth. step 700 indicates that a coaching avatar can be provided on the display which demonstrates the specific bodily movement. an example of a coaching avatar is provided in connection with figs. 7 c , 7 d , 9 c and 9 d . a coaching avatar can be an animated character which is displayed in the virtual space or other portion of a display, such as a corner region of a display screen. the avatar can appear to be a realistic or cartoon like human or other human, a robot, or other figure. the avatar generally should have a body, and the ability to move, which are sufficiently similar to those of a human so that the avatar can execute bodily movement which can be recognized by the person in the physical space. the coaching avatar can be provided at desired times to inform a user that a specific bodily movement can result in some action in the virtual space. the resulting action can be an animation or other audio-visual presentation in the virtual space which is surprising and entertaining. the coaching avatar can be provided, e.g., when the person's avatar reaches a certain location in the virtual space, has accomplished some other specified goal, or when input from the person is needed to continue the application. or, the coaching avatar can be provided to assist the person in creating a performance in the virtual space, such as by defining traits of an avatar. for instance, if the person is to be coached in raising one arm to the side, the coaching avatar can raise its arm to its side. the application can also provide audio instructions regarding the requested bodily movement, e.g.: “raise your left arm to your side.” the audio instructions can appear to come from the coaching avatar by moving coaching avatar's lips or otherwise animating the coaching avatar so that it appears to be speaking. step 704 includes providing audio and/or visual instructions, apart from a coaching avatar. as discussed in connection with fig. 5 , this could include a visual output of the application in the virtual space, or in a region of a display which is separate from the virtual space. an example of a visual output of an application is a textual on-screen message which is not part of the virtual space, but is in a separate region of a display. the textual on-screen message could say, e.g.: “raise your left arm to your side.” another example of a visual output of an application is a textual on-screen message which is part of the virtual space, e.g., on the side of a building, or on a banner pulled by an airplane, or in a sign that is held up by an animated character in the virtual space. audio instructions can include instructions that are spoken, with or without reference to any displayed entity. generally, any known technique for recognizing specified movements of a person can be used. one example uses the gesture library 190 , discussed in connection with fig. 2 . fig. 7 b depicts an example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , and in connection with fig. 7 a , where the virtual space is updated based on a person performing a bodily movement. a virtual space of an application is responsive to a person's movements in a physical space so that the person can interact with the application in a natural way. for instance, in the example of a boxing match simulation in figs. 1 a and 1 b , a specific bodily movement such as a punch thrown by the person in a physical space is translated by the application into a punch thrown by a boxing avatar in the virtual space of a boxing ring. an additional possible feature determines an extent to which a specific bodily movement is executed by a person, based on the tracking of the person's movements (step 710 ). for example, a bodily movement such as leaning to one's side can be performed to different extents. a slight lean of e.g., 10-20 degrees from vertical might represent a smaller extent while a lean of, e.g., 20-30 degrees represents a larger extent. similarly, a bodily movement of raising one's arm can be achieved by an arm raise of, e.g., −20 degrees below horizontal to horizontal (0 degrees), which represents a smaller extent, and an arm raise of, e.g., horizontal (0 degrees) or anywhere above horizontal, represents a larger extent. different extents can be similarly defined for jumping, waving and other bodily movements. another option, which can be used separately or with step 710 , is to determine a number of times a specific bodily movement is executed by a person, based on the tracking of the person's movements (step 712 ). for example, a bodily movement of raising one's arm can be achieved by repeatedly recognizing an arm raise, where the arm is returned to a relaxed position at the person's side between arm raises. a count can be made of the number of arm raises in a specified amount of time. a frequency of arm raises could also be determined. based on steps 710 and/or 712 , the application can take one or more actions. step 714 includes defining a trait of an avatar. a trait is a distinguishing quality or personal characteristics of an avatar and can include its appearance, including its facial appearance and expression, poses and posture, manner of walking and moving, voice, including tone and manner of speaking, including accent, and so forth. thus, a person's bodily movements can be translated into definitions of one or more traits, including an initial definition and a modified definition which is used in place of the initial definition. this provides many interesting and entertaining ways in which a person can define traits of an avatar, as discussed further below in connection with figs. 9 a - 9 f. step 716 includes providing a pre-scripted audio-visual event in the virtual space. a pre-scripted audio-visual event can be a predetermined event which is stored by the application, and subsequently accessed and executed over a period of time, such as several seconds, when one or more specified conditions are met, based on movement of the person interacting with the application and/or audio input from the person. a pre-scripted audio-visual event can be a dynamic event which is designed to surprise the user, for instance. for example, the person may execute a specific bodily movement such as raising one's arm outward to the side to define the height of an avatar, where the avatar becomes taller when the specific bodily movement is executed to a greater extent, and/or in proportion to the number of times the specific bodily movement is executed. in this case, the pre-scripted audio-visual event can involve an animation of the avatar suddenly jumping up and dancing around and shouting “i'm tall!” when it reaches a certain height. the visual of the avatar moving can be accompanied by a voice of the avatar or other audio such as music. other examples of pre-scripted audio-visual events include one or more characters other than the person's avatar performing some action, singing or speaking in the virtual space, an effect such as fireworks or an explosion, a door opening while creaking, a tree swaying and rustling in the wind, and so forth. there are many interesting and entertaining ways in which a person can initiate a pre-scripted audio-visual event in the virtual space, as discussed further below in connection with figs. 8 b , 8 c , 11 a and 11 b. in fig. 7 b , steps 714 and 716 could also be responsive to an audio input from the person in the physical space. for example, the volume with which the person speaks can be detected and use to define a trait of an avatar. for instance, the person could repeatedly speak the word “taller!” with or without the related raising of the arm, so that the avatar becomes taller when the voice is louder, and/or when the word “taller” is repeated multiple times. figs. 7 c and 7 d depict example displays which demonstrate a coaching avatar, and initiating a pre-scripted audio-visual event in response to execution of a specific bodily movement. in fig. 7 c , a display 720 and depth camera system 730 are depicted. the depth camera system 730 has an example sensor 732 with a field of view 734 (between dotted lines) in a physical space 738 for detecting movement of a person 736 . an example application includes a virtual space having a road 718 on which an avatar 728 of the person 736 walks. however, the road is blocked by a wall 726 . the wall may appear in the display after the avatar 728 has been walking on the road 718 for a while, for instance. at this time, a coaching avatar 722 may appear to assist the person 736 in getting past the wall. the coaching avatar may demonstrate a specific bodily movement, such as raising its arm and pointing to the left, as viewed by the person. this coaches or directs the person to perform the same movement. the coaching avatar may also speak, e.g.: “point this way to move the wall.” the person 736 has not yet followed the direction by pointing to the left. the avatar 728 has a corresponding bodily posture as the person, with its arms down by its side. in fig. 7 d , the person 736 follows the directions by pointing to the left, and the avatar moves correspondingly in the display 750 . as a result of this specific bodily movement being executed, a pre-scripted audio-visual event occurs in which the wall 726 moves to the left, thereby unblocking the road 718 so the avatar 728 can continue to walk down the road. the movement of the wall could be accompanied by audio such as the sound of a large object moving or music, for instance. the direction of movement of the wall corresponds to the direction of movement of the person in this example, but this is not necessary. as an alternative, the wall could disappear into the road when the movement is performed. also as a result of the specific bodily movement being executed, a pre-scripted audio-visual event can occur in which the coaching avatar 722 dances and shouts before disappearing. fig. 8 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where the virtual space is updated based on movements of the avatar. in this case, visual cues are provided on the display to direct movement of the avatar and the person. a location and/or direction in the virtual space can be identified. examples of visual cues are provided in figs. 8 b and 8 c . step 800 includes moving an avatar in a virtual space based on tracking of a person who responds to the visual cues. at decision step 802 , if the avatar has moved to the specified location, a trait of the avatar can be defined at step 806 and/or a pre-scripted audio-visual event, discussed previously, can be provided in the virtual space at step 808 . an example of defining a trait of the avatar is making the avatar taller, or giving the avatar special capabilities or powers, when it moves to a specified location. at decision step 804 , if the avatar has moved in the specified direction, steps 806 and/or 808 can follows. at decision steps 802 and 804 , if the avatar has not yet moved to the specified location, the avatar can be moved further at step 800 . fig. 8 b depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 8 a , where visual cues are provided in a virtual space for directing movement of an avatar. in a display 820 , an avatar 822 walks on a road 818 . visual cues include an arrow 824 on the road and a highlighted region 826 on the road. the region 826 may be highlighted by color coding or a lighting effect such as a spot light, for instance. the visual cues direct the user to move so that the avatar 822 is controlled to move in the specified direction of the arrow 824 and to the specified location, e.g., the region 826 . fig. 8 c depicts an example display which follows the display of fig. 8 c , where a pre-scripted audio-visual presentation is provided when the avatar moves to a specified location in the virtual space. when the avatar 822 reaches the region 826 , an example of a pre-scripted audio-visual presentation involves torches 830 , 832 and 834 appearing alongside the road 818 , such as by rising up from the ground. au audio presentation can include a sound of machinery as the torches rise and the sound of a flame burning. the torches may provide light that assists the avatar in walking down the road, for instance, or otherwise provides a surprising and entertaining experience for the person. fig. 9 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where traits of an avatar are defined in different time periods. as mentioned, a trait is a distinguishing quality or personal characteristics of an avatar and can include its appearance, including its facial appearance and expression, poses and posture, manner of walking and moving, voice, including tone and manner of speaking, including accent, and so forth. typically, in a virtual space such as a game environment, traits of an avatar are predefined by the game, or the user has the ability to enter commands via on-screen user interface using a keyboard or mouse, for instance. in an entertaining alternative, one or more traits can be defined by the user via his or her movements and/or voice. for example, step 900 includes defining and exhibiting a trait of an avatar in a time period based on tracking of the person. for instance, the avatar can be provided initially on the display with one or more initial traits, which could include having a body shape similar to a detected shape of the person in the physical space. in one possible approach, the person is directed in defining the trait at a specified time, although this is not required. the trait is exhibited as it is defined as a form of feedback to the person. for example, exhibiting an appearance trait can include displaying the appearance trait, and exhibiting a vocal trait can include the avatar speaking using the vocal trait. the trait is recorded at step 902 , such as by storing information which identifies the trait, so that it can be exhibited in the future. for example, the stored information can identify the relative height, width, and body shape of the avatar, or a tone of voice. at decision step 904 , if there is a next trait to define, steps 900 and 902 are repeated. for example, a person can define a first trait in a first time period and a second trait in a second time period. if decision step 904 is false, the process ends at step 906 . fig. 9 b depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 9 a , where traits of an avatar are defined in different time periods, serially, by different people. generally, multiple people can provide inputs to the same application, at the same or different physical locations, to update an avatar of a virtual space. for example, network technologies allow different players to interact in a common virtual environment using respective avatars. in one approach, first and second people may be friends who have motion capture systems in their respective homes. in one approach, each person can define a different trait of the avatar. for example, step 910 indicates that a first person's movements can be tracked to define and exhibit a first trait of an aviator in a first time period. for instance, in the example of fig. 9 c , discussed further below, the first person may define a trait regarding the avatar's arm length. step 912 indicates that the first trait is recorded. step 914 indicates that a second person's movements can be tracked to define and exhibit a second trait of an aviator in a second time period, after the first time period. for instance, in the example of fig. 9 d , discussed further below, the second person may define a trait regarding the avatar's head size. step 916 indicates that the first trait is recorded. the process can be continued with additional traits and people. in one approach, the second person views the avatar in the virtual space as its first trait is being defined by the first person. or, the first person can define the first trait and subsequently inform the second person that it is his or her turn to define a trait. the second person then defines the trait at a later time, and the people can communicate back and forth to create a performance in the virtual space with additional traits. in another approach, the first and second persons define the first and second traits, respectively, in parallel, at the same time. generally, people can capture, share, and re-record on top of previous performances in the virtual space. a second person could replace the vocal track of a first person in a performance and then resend that modified performance back to the first person. or, the second person could put their face close to the motion capture camera to capture their facial appearance, and have that placed on a captured body shape of the first person to provide a new experience. or, the second person could re-record dialogue over the first person's dialogue. many variations are possible. fig. 9 c depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a first trait of an avatar is defined in a first time period. a display 920 and depth camera system 930 are depicted. the depth camera system 930 has an example sensor 932 with a field of view 934 (between dotted lines) in a physical space 938 for detecting movement of a person 936 . an example application includes a virtual space having a road 918 on which an avatar 924 of the person 936 walks. in a first time period, an optional coaching avatar 922 informs the person that the trait which is currently being defined is the appearance of the arms of the avatar 924 . the coaching avatar may say: “let's define our arms now.” the coaching avatar may demonstrate a specific bodily movement, such as raising both arms outward and rotating the arms in circles. the person 936 performs the requested bodily movement, in response to which the application cause the arms of the avatar to become longer, for instance, transitioning from a normal length arm 926 to a long, distorted length arm 928 (dashed lines). the arms of the avatar may become gradually longer as the person performs the movement. a time period for defining the arm length can be enforced. in one approach, the session for defining the arm length is ended after a specified amount of time. or, the session for defining the arm length can continue as long as the person performs the movement, perhaps until some arm length limit is reached. note that if a specific task is being carried out to define traits of the arms, the display 920 can provide the avatar 924 so that only its arms are changing. other movements of the avatar which would normally reflect movements of the tracked person can be inhibited. this allows the person to clearly see the specific trait. generally, individual parts of an avatar can be defined asynchronously and subsequently fitted together. or, multiple avatars in a scene can be isolated have their traits define synchronously or asynchronously. moreover, the definitions can be provided by people locally, in one physical space, or via a network, from different physical spaces. a multi-track recording can be made which includes both human and non-human avatars. many variations and permutations can be provided beyond one person-to-one avatar. the variations include multiplexing across multiple users, asynchronous recording, human and non-human avatars, augmentations, voice and sound, voice and motion cross-augmentations. fig. 9 d depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a second trait of an avatar is defined in a second time period. in the display 950 , a coaching avatar 952 informs the person 936 that the trait which is currently being defined is the size of the head of the avatar 954 . the coaching avatar may say: “let's define our head now.” the coaching avatar may demonstrate a specific bodily movement, such as jumping up or squatting down. the person 936 performs the requested bodily movement relative to a ground level 940 , in response to which the application causes the head of the avatar to become bigger, for instance, transitioning from a normal sized head 956 to a larger, distorted size head 958 (dashed lines). the head of the avatar may become gradually larger as the person performs the movement. a time period for defining the head size can be enforced. in one approach, the session for defining the head size is ended after a specified amount of time. or, the session for defining the head size can continue as long as the person performs the movement, perhaps until some head size limit is reached. note that the long arms which were defined in the first time period ( fig. 9 c ) are exhibited again in the second time period, so that the avatar's traits are built up serially. the arms and head are examples of body parts whose size or shape can be modified. an avatar's traits can also be defined based on a person's voice, such as tone or volume. as an example, the avatar's head can get bigger as a person speaks louder. note that it is possible for the application to allow the avatar's traits to be defined at any time, and not just at a directed time. for example, an application may provide a game in which an avatar needs to reach and touch an object that is out of reach. the person can perform the movement which causes the arm to grow longer at the time the person realizes that the avatar needs to reach the object. figs. 9 e and 9 f depict example displays in connection with the method of fig. 9 a , where a facial trait of an avatar is defined. the display 960 provides a close up view of an avatar 962 and its face. initially, in fig. 9 e , the avatar has one facial expression, such as a neutral emotion, as indicated by the absence of a smile (the mouth is a horizontal line). in fig. 9 f , in the display 970 , the avatar has another facial expression, such as a happy emotion, as indicated by the smile (the mouth is an upwardly curved line). the facial expression of fig. 9 f can be created by the application in response to the person performing some bodily movement such as raising both arms outward and rotating the arms in circles. the facial expression could exhibit a more pronounced smile in proportion to the extent to which the person performs the movement, e.g., with larger circles or a faster rotation. it is also possible for the person to provide a voice command which is recognized by the application using voice recognition. for example, the person may speak the words: “define face.” the application responds by providing the close up view of the avatar's face. the person then speaks the word: “happy” and performs the specific bodily movement to define a degree of happiness. alternatively, the person speaks the word: “scared” and performs the specific bodily movement to define a degree to which the avatar is scared. an avatar that is scared may de depicted by the trait of its hair standing on end, for instance. the application can be configured to enable the person to define a variety of facial expressions and emotions. the person can use his or her voice and body position and movements to define facial expressions, eye motions and body poses of the avatar. generally, voice data from one or more persons can be used as an input to the application. the application can perform speech recognition to understand the words that are spoken. a volume level of the speech can also be used as an input, e.g., as the person talks louder, the avatar exhibits a facial expression of greater anger. for example, the avatar may squint when angry, and perhaps alter its posture. a curious avatar may arch his eyebrows. or, as the person talks louder, the avatar's voice can change to be like a monster's voice. speech can also be associated with a particular person, in a player association. for instance, multiple persons in a physical space may control respective avatars or other aspects of an application with their speech. the speech of one person can be recognized and used to control an avatar for that person. or, the speech of one person can be recognized and used to control one trait for multiple avatars. this is a form of emotional amplification in which the person's emotions are amplified an exhibited in the application such as by the avatar. it is also possible to recognize a person by his or her body shape and/or size so that the person's movements are translated into changes to a respective avatar or to a trait of multiple avatars. a camera angle or viewpoint of the virtual space can be modified based on the person's movements and/or voice. for instance, if the person speaks more softly, a more close up view of the virtual space could be displayed than if the person speaks more loudly. various types of real time augmentation can be applied to the virtual space, including characters' expressions, poses, stances and so forth, based on the combination of movement and audio inputs. this provides a unique performance capture of one or more persons in real time. regarding the avatar, it can be human-like or non-human. for example, an avatar could be a multi-headed, multi-legged octopus, where the person defines the number of heads and legs, as well as traits of each head and leg, e.g., color, shape, length and so forth. in another aspect, a trait of one avatar can be affected by the trait of another avatar. for example, if a first avatar has a happy facial expression and posture, and a second avatar enters the virtual space who has an angry expression and posture, the first avatar can adopt a scared facial expression and posture. in another aspect, multiple people can control one avatar at the same time. for example, in fig. 9 b it was mentioned that a first person can define one trait of an avatar after which a second person defines another trait of the same avatar. in an example of blending, multiple people control the same avatar concurrently with their movements and/or voice. for example, a first person can control the legs of the avatar and the second person can control the arms. or, the avatar can be a four-legged animal such as a horse, where the first person's movements and/or voice are used by the application to control the back end of the horse and the second person's movements and/or voice are used by the application to control the front end of the horse. such blended control of an avatar can provide an entertaining experience. note that the bodily movements of the person which can be detected by a motion capture system can include movements in the face, such as changes in facial expressions. eye movements could also be tracked to provide an input to an application. another possibility is to track a prop which is held by a person in the physical space. for example, a prop may be a plastic sword which is swung by the person. this can cause the person's avatar to adopt an aggressive appearance and tone of voice, for instance. another example is causing actions in the virtual space other than modifying traits of an avatar. for example, if the virtual space is a nightclub, the person can sway back and forth and rock their arms in a dancing motion to cause the application to start playing music and change the lighting in the virtual space, such as by providing a disco ball. or, if the virtual space is a beach, the person may start waving their arms around to cause the application to display beach balls which can be batted around by the person's avatar. fig. 10 a depicts another example method for updating a virtual space as set forth in step 506 of fig. 5 , where performances are recorded, modified and played back. in this approach, a performance can refer to an audio-visual record of the virtual space which is responsive to movement of at least one person and/or the at least one person's voice. the performance can include, e.g. one or more persons defining one or more traits of an avatar, such as discussed in connection with figs. 9 a - f , and one or more pre-scripted audio-visual events, such as discussed in connection with figs. 7 b - d , 8 a - c , 11 a and 11 b . the performance can be directed in some cases. the performance can also include other interactions of a person with an application which do not involve defining avatar traits or pre-scripted audio-visual events based on bodily movements or audio inputs by a person. step 1000 includes conducting a performance based on tracking of a person. at decision step 1002 , the performance is recorded. this can include recording the entire performance so that it can be played back and reviewed by the person. at decision step 1004 , if a next performance is to be performed, steps 1000 and 1002 are repeated. a series of different performances in a virtual space can be recorded, one after the other, where each respective performance is initiated based on a respective detected movement in a respective time period. at step 1006 , the one or more performances are played back. modifications can be automatically made during the playback, such as by processing the recorded performances to add the modifications when the performances are recorded, or processing the recorded performances to add the modifications when the performances are played back. various types of modifications can be applied. step 1008 indicates that the virtual space is played back from a different camera angle. see fig. 10 b for an example. step 1010 indicates that the avatar has a modified vocal trait, such as tone, accent (including regional and national), cadence, rhythm, intonation, degree of articulation, loudness level, speaking in a different language, or the like. for example, an avatar may speak with a proper british accent and diction in one performance which is automatically modified to a southern drawl in the play back. generally, an avatar may speak at certain times as it explores a virtual space according to instructions of the application. these instructions can be processed to generate the modified speech in the play back. step 1012 indicates that the avatar has a modified appearance trait. for instance, a costume, including clothes, of the avatar can be modified, in addition to hair style and color, posture and manner of walking and so forth could be modified. fig. 10 b depicts an example display in connection with the method of fig. 10 a , in which a performance in a virtual space is played back with a different camera angle. the camera angle can refer to the point of view which is seen by a viewer of a display which displays a virtual space. in the display 1020 , a different camera angle of the same scene as in fig. 8 c is provided. the scene includes the torches 830 , 832 , 834 , road 818 and avatar 822 , which is seen here in a profile view instead of the perspective view of fig. 8 c. example scenario an example scenario in which a player is directed in exploring a virtual space can include four distinct phases: warm up, scene, pay off and post game. during the warm up, the player's avatar is placed in a costume for the scene and environmental objects, both interactive and static, slowly appear in a scene at a pace that allows the player to experiment with various aspects of the scene. when the scene is fully built, a spot light appears and the player is instructed to have its avatar step into the spot light and say “go!” to start the scene. an alternative visual cue is to provide footprints showing where the player's avatar should stand. in the scene phase of the example scenario, lighting and camera angles may change when the scene starts. over the course of a scene, specific directions are issued to the player that should to be followed to have the scene continue. each successfully completed direction generates a fun “moment” (some kind of animated or dynamic event) before moving on to the next direction. directed moments are actions that are required to continue the scene. these can be represented on the display by a visual cue such as green dots on the ground. once the player's avatar stands on them, directions are provided to the player. optional moments are actions that are not required for the scene to continue. however, the player is rewarded for executing these actions. these can be represented on the display with a visual cue such as yellow dots on the ground. discoverable moments are actions that discoverable by the player, and are not identified by a visual cue on the display. a scene can include a number of directed and optional moments, for instance. in the pay off phase of the example scenario, once the player has performed the final directed movement, the scenes which were just created are compiled and played back for the player. on playback, however, various aspects of the scene are automatically modified, e.g., with new camera angles, enhanced soundtrack, modulated player voice, and revealing a surprise final moment. in another option, during playback, the player can select a “change costume” command which causes all characters in the scene to exchange their costumes, e.g., clothes. in the post game phase of the example scenario, once the payoff is complete, the player can be prompted with a few options. one option is to replay by playing the pay off again. another option is to share, by sharing the performance with another person, e.g., via a network. another option allows the player to play the scene again. another option is to select another scene. an example of the scene phase of the example scenario is a monster luau. fig. 11 a depicts an example avatar 1100 and its costume 1110 in a monster luau scenario, and fig. 11 b depicts an example scene 1120 in the monster luau scenario. the avatar has a costume of a funny monster. the scene 1120 can be a hawaiian luau built on a wooden platform. the player tries to use the monster's abilities to start a party. interactive environmental objects can include beach balls to hit, steel drums to hit, and small totem poles to ignite. movements of the player are translated to movements of the avatar to interact with the objects. moments include: directed moment 1: stand at a microphone and say “let's party.” result: music starts and the crowd cheers. directed moment 2: light up the tiki torches. result: when the player bends over, flames come out of the avatar's mouth and light the torches. directed moment 3: limbo under the stick. result: player has to lean back and limbo his or her avatar under a stick. crowd cheers. optional moment: player raises hands over head and waves arms side to side. result: crowd mimics the player's actions. optional moment: player says “limbo!” result: player says line and crowd repeats it. optional moment: player does the hula dance. result: coconut bikini and skirt appear on the player's avatar ( fig. 11 a ). discoverable moment: player jumps. result: scene shakes and coconuts fall from the trees. discoverable moment: bang the drums. result: steel drum sounds emit. discoverable moment: hit the small totem poles with hands. result: small fireworks shoot out. discoverable moment: hit the large totem poles with hands. result: large fireworks shoot out. discoverable moment: stand in front of the large totem poles. result: totem poles act like pipes in an organ. each totem pole has a different pitch. pay off moment: player is asked to jump. the back tiki torches shoot out a burst of fire, causing the player's avatar to catch on fire. player's avatar runs around the stage. friend uses fire extinguisher to put fire out. crowd cheers. the results of the above-mention moments are examples of pre-scripted audio-visual events in the virtual space. the following are different types of mechanisms to help direct the player through the experience. moment indicators on stage—directed and optional moments are indicated on the floor of the stage with visual cues. examples include: a) colored circle with an arrow pointing down, b) colored feet showing the player's avatar where to stand, and c) spotlight shining down on the stage. direction indicators—these show the player how to perform. they might request the player to move his or her body in a particular way or to bang on a drum. examples include: a) an avatar friend holding up a sign showing the player what to do or say, b) a coach avatar demonstrating the requested movement, c) a narrator telling the player what to do, and d) a combination of multiple indicators. the foregoing detailed description of the technology herein has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed. many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. the described embodiments were chosen to best explain the principles of the technology and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the technology in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. it is intended that the scope of the technology be defined by the claims appended hereto.
009-170-869-111-057	US	[ "US", "CN", "DE" ]	H04W76/02,H04L29/08,H04W4/00,G01M17/00,G06F7/00,G06F11/30,G06F19/00,G07C5/00,H04W28/04	2011-03-07T00:00:00	2011	[ "H04", "G01", "G06", "G07" ]	methods and apparatus for lost connection handling	a computer-implemented method, executable by a vehicle computing system (vcs), includes determining that a connection between a wireless device and a vcs has been lost. the method further includes determining if a driver is present in the vehicle, upon a lost link detection. the method additionally includes waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the wireless device and the vcs. this last step may be conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present.	1 . a computer-implemented method comprising: determining if a connectable device, not currently connected to a vehicle computing system (vcs), is available for connection, once a transmission is in park; detecting an occupant exit-event; detecting a connection loss between a first connected device and the vcs; and conditional on the connectable device being available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected, re-establishing the lost connection with the connectable device to resume the lost connection. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the re-establishing the connection further comprises transferring control of any previously ongoing data transfer to the connectable device. 3 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: conditional on the determination that the connectable device is not available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected, pausing an ongoing data transfer; detecting an enter-event; re-connecting to the first connected device following the enter-event; and resuming the paused data transfer following the enter-event. 4 . the method of claim 3 , further comprising preparing the ongoing data transfer to be gracefully paused upon detecting that the transmission is in park. 5 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting an enter-event; and following the detection of an enter-event, transferring the connection from the connectable device back to the first connected device. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the enter-event is a driver-related event. 7 . a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a vehicle-based processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising: determining if a connectable device, not currently connected to a vehicle computing system (vcs), is available for connection, once a transmission is in park; detecting an occupant exit-event; detecting a connection loss between a first connected device and the vcs; and conditional on the connectable device being available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected, re-establishing the lost connection with the connectable device to resume the lost connection. 8 . the storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the re-establishing the connection further comprises transferring control of any previously ongoing data transfer to the connectable device. 9 . the storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the method further includes: conditional on the determination that the connectable device is not available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected, pausing an ongoing data transfer; detecting an enter-event; re-connecting to the first connected device following the enter-event; and resuming the paused data transfer following the enter-event. 10 . the storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the method further includes preparing the ongoing data transfer to be gracefully paused upon detecting that the transmission is in park. 11 . the storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the method further includes: detecting an enter-event; and following the detection of an enter-event, transferring the connection from the connectable device back to the first connected device. 12 . the storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the enter-event is a driver-related event. 13 . a system comprising: a processor configured to: determine if a connectable device, not currently connected to a vehicle computing system (vcs), is available for connection, once a transmission is in park; detect an occupant exit-event; detect a connection loss between a first connected device and the vcs; and re-establishing the lost connection with the connectable device to resume the lost connection, conditional on the connectable device being available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected. 14 . the system of claim 13 , wherein the re-establishing the connection further includes the processor being configured to transfer control of any previously ongoing data transfer to the connectable device. 15 . the system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to: pause an ongoing data transfer, conditional on the determination that the connectable device is not available, once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected; detect an enter-event; re-connect to the first connected device following the enter-event; and resume the paused data transfer following the enter-event. 16 . the system of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to prepare the ongoing data transfer to be gracefully paused upon detecting that the transmission is in park. 17 . the system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to: detect an enter-event; and transfer the connection from the connectable device back to the first connected device, following the detection of an enter-event. 18 . the system of claim 13 , wherein the enter-event is a driver-related event.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a division of u.s. application ser. no. 13/041,780 filed mar. 7, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. technical field the illustrative embodiments generally relate to methods and apparatuses for handling a lost connection between a wireless device and a vehicle computing system. background bluetooth communication systems provide the ability to wirelessly connect a plurality of devices to each other, but a limitation on such a network is generally that it has a smaller range than more conventional wireless networks. as a result, if two devices in communication over a bluetooth network, for example, a vehicle computing system and a wireless mobile device, are separated by more than a certain distance, the signal between those devices may be lost. in the preceding example, a driver stopping to get gasoline, for example, and leaving the proximity of the vehicle, may break a bluetooth connection to the vehicle. additionally, vehicle computing systems may have no current method for handling an upcoming disconnect, since the system may not be aware that a disconnect is about to ensue until the connection is actually broken. data transfer can thus be abruptly interrupted, or applications running in conjunction with the vehicle computing system can have their functionality interrupted. summary in a first illustrative embodiment, a computer-implemented method, executable by a vehicle computing system (vcs), includes determining that a connection between a wireless device and a vcs has been lost. the illustrative method further includes, upon a lost link detection, determining if a driver is present in the vehicle. the illustrative method additionally includes waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the wireless device and the vcs. this last step may be conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present. in a second illustrative embodiment, a computer readable storage medium stores instructions that when executed by a vehicle computing system (vcs) cause the vehicle computing system to perform the method including determining that a connection between a wireless device and a vcs has been lost. the illustrative process also includes, upon a lost link detection, determining if a driver is present in the vehicle. the illustrative process further includes waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the wireless device and the vcs, conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present. in a third illustrative embodiment, a computer-implemented method, executable by a vehicle computing system (vcs), includes detecting that a vehicle transmission is in a park state. the illustrative method also includes determining if a connectable device, not currently connected to the vcs, is present within a detection range. the illustrative method includes detecting an exit-event and detecting a connection loss between a first connected device and the vcs. the illustrative method also include transferring a connection to the connectable device once the exit-event and the connection loss have been detected and conditional on the determination that the connectable device is present within the detection range. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows an illustrative example of a vehicle associated computing system; fig. 2 shows an illustrative example of a process for link loss management triggered by a lost link; fig. 3 shows an illustrative example of a process for link loss management triggered by a driver-exit event; fig. 4 shows an illustrative example of a process for determining a driver-exit event; and fig. 5 shows an illustrative example of a data transfer (or usage) management process. detailed description as required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. the figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. fig. 1 illustrates an example block topology for a vehicle based computing system 1 (vcs) for a vehicle 31 . an example of such a vehicle-based computing system 1 is the sync system manufactured by the ford motor company. a vehicle enabled with a vehicle-based computing system may contain a visual front end interface 4 located in the vehicle. the user may also be able to interact with the interface if it is provided, for example, with a touch sensitive screen. in another illustrative embodiment, the interaction occurs through, button presses, audible speech and speech synthesis. in the illustrative embodiment 1 shown in fig. 1 , a processor 3 controls at least some portion of the operation of the vehicle-based computing system. provided within the vehicle, the processor allows onboard processing of commands and routines. further, the processor is connected to both non-persistent 5 and persistent storage 7 . in this illustrative embodiment, the non-persistent storage is random access memory (ram) and the persistent storage is a hard disk drive (hdd) or flash memory. the processor is also provided with a number of different inputs allowing the user to interface with the processor. in this illustrative embodiment, a microphone 29 , an auxiliary input 25 (for input 33 ), a usb input 23 , a gps input 24 and a bluetooth input 15 are all provided. an input selector 51 is also provided, to allow a user to swap between various inputs. input to both the microphone and the auxiliary connector is converted from analog to digital by a converter 27 before being passed to the processor. although not shown, numerous of the vehicle components and auxiliary components in communication with the vcs may use a vehicle network (such as, but not limited to, a can bus) to pass data to and from the vcs (or components thereof). outputs to the system can include, but are not limited to, a visual display 4 and a speaker 13 or stereo system output. the speaker is connected to an amplifier 11 and receives its signal from the processor 3 through a digital-to-analog converter 9 . output can also be made to a remote bluetooth device such as pnd 54 or a usb device such as vehicle navigation device 60 along the bi-directional data streams shown at 19 and 21 respectively. in one illustrative embodiment, the system 1 uses the bluetooth transceiver 15 to communicate 17 with a user's nomadic device 53 (e.g., cell phone, smart phone, pda, or any other device having wireless remote network connectivity). the nomadic device can then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 outside the vehicle 31 through, for example, communication 55 with a cellular tower 57 . in some embodiments, tower 57 may be a wifi access point. exemplary communication between the nomadic device and the bluetooth transceiver is represented by signal 14 . pairing a nomadic device 53 and the bluetooth transceiver 15 can be instructed through a button 52 or similar input. accordingly, the cpu is instructed that the onboard bluetooth transceiver will be paired with a bluetooth transceiver in a nomadic device. data may be communicated between cpu 3 and network 61 utilizing, for example, a data-plan, data over voice, or dtmf tones associated with nomadic device 53 . alternatively, it may be desirable to include an onboard modem 63 having antenna 18 in order to communicate 16 data between cpu 3 and network 61 over the voice band. the nomadic device 53 can then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 outside the vehicle 31 through, for example, communication 55 with a cellular tower 57 . in some embodiments, the modem 63 may establish communication 20 with the tower 57 for communicating with network 61 . as a non-limiting example, modem 63 may be a usb cellular modem and communication 20 may be cellular communication. in one illustrative embodiment, the processor is provided with an operating system including an api to communicate with modem application software. the modem application software may access an embedded module or firmware on the bluetooth transceiver to complete wireless communication with a remote bluetooth transceiver (such as that found in a nomadic device). in another embodiment, nomadic device 53 includes a modem for voice band or broadband data communication. in the data-over-voice embodiment, a technique known as frequency division multiplexing may be implemented when the owner of the nomadic device can talk over the device while data is being transferred. at other times, when the owner is not using the device, the data transfer can use the whole bandwidth (300 hz to 3.4 khz in one example). if the user has a data-plan associated with the nomadic device, it is possible that the data-plan allows for broad-band transmission and the system could use a much wider bandwidth (speeding up data transfer). in still another embodiment, nomadic device 53 is replaced with a cellular communication device (not shown) that is installed to vehicle 31 . in yet another embodiment, the nd 53 may be a wireless local area network (lan) device capable of communication over, for example (and without limitation), an 802.11g network (i.e., wifi) or a wimax network. in one embodiment, incoming data can be passed through the nomadic device via a data-over-voice or data-plan, through the onboard bluetooth transceiver and into the vehicle's internal processor 3 . in the case of certain temporary data, for example, the data can be stored on the hdd or other storage media 7 until such time as the data is no longer needed. additional sources that may interface with the vehicle include a personal navigation device 54 , having, for example, a usb connection 56 and/or an antenna 58 ; or a vehicle navigation device 60 , having a usb 62 or other connection, an onboard gps device 24 , or remote navigation system (not shown) having connectivity to network 61 . further, the cpu could be in communication with a variety of other auxiliary devices 65 . these devices can be connected through a wireless 67 or wired 69 connection. also, or alternatively, the cpu could be connected to a vehicle based wireless router 73 , using for example a wifi 71 transceiver. this could allow the cpu to connect to remote networks in range of the local router 73 . auxiliary device 65 may include, but are not limited to, personal media players, wireless health devices, portable computers, and the like. although the following describes the invention in terms of illustrative embodiments, these examples are provided for non-limiting illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto. in at least one illustrative embodiment, through the use of sensors built into vehicles, it is possible for a vehicle computing system to anticipate when a connection to a wireless device may be lost, and to take steps necessary to address any issues this may cause. further, if a link is lost, the vehicle is capable of recognizing that the device to which the connection was lost is likely not within connectable range, and thus attempts to reconnect can be suspended until the device is back within range. additionally, if a signal is repeatedly lost due to a poorly working wireless connection, a user may instruct the vehicle to continue efforts to connect, or to alternatively try another device that may be present. a variety of vehicle sensors may be used to “guess” that a driver or passenger is no longer present in the vehicle. seat pressure sensors, vehicle cockpit cameras, door opening detection mechanisms, key-out detection mechanisms and other sensors all feed information into one or more vehicle networks, such as, but not limited to, the can bus. from these networks, a vehicle computing system can pull sensor data and determine, for example, the likelihood a driver has left the vehicle. in certain circumstances it may be useful to be able to anticipate an upcoming link loss between a vehicle computing system and a connected wireless device. for example, if data is being transferred from a remote source, through the wireless device, to the vehicle computing system, the vehicle computing system may want to take steps to continue (using an alternative connection) or resiliently pause the data transfer, so that the entire process doesn't have to be repeated when the connection to the wireless device is re-established. more generally, there is no reason to waste vehicle resources searching for a lost link, if the vehicle has reason to “believe” that a driver is out of range of the vehicle. in systems where a vehicle records a number of failed connect attempts (in order, for example, to establish the existence of a poorly working link), connection attempts that fail because a device is out of range should not be counted. by pausing a reconnection attempt until one or more sensors indicates a likelihood that a wireless device possessor is back within a vehicle, the system is capable of distinguishing between the two situations. fig. 2 shows an illustrative example of a process for link loss management triggered by a lost link. in this illustrative embodiment, a vehicle computing system first detects a link loss and then checks one or more vehicle sensors to determine if a driver (or passenger) is likely present. first, the system loses a connection to a connected wireless device 201 . as previously noted, this is often a bluetooth connection, but any suitable wireless connection may be established and lost. once the connection is lost, the system attempts to distinguish between a faulty connection (or a powered-down device) and an unavailable connection (due, for example, to driver proximity). in this illustrative example, the system checks one or more vehicle sensors that may tend to indicate the presence or absence of a driver. for example, a weight sensor in a driver seat may generally tend to indicate that a driver is present if weight over a certain level is sensed. alternatively, a key-on or key-in sensor may typically indicate the presence of a driver. also, if the vehicle is in gear or in motion, then it is hoped that a driver is present. a cockpit camera that can see the driver is another sensor that may be considered to detect the presence of a driver. additionally, if a driver's side door is currently open, then it may be an indication that the driver is not in the vehicle. if the driver is not determined to be present (through the use of one or more sensors, alone or in combination), then the vehicle computing system goes into a waiting state 207 , until a driver-in event is sensed. the driver-in event can be sensed through use of the same sensors previously described, or through any other reasonable sensor usable for driver-exit and driver-in detection, such as, but not limited to, a door open sensor. if the door having been left in an open state was already used to detect the absence of a driver, then the system may need to use the fact that the door has been changed to a closed state as evidence of the presence of a driver. since this could occur in other circumstances (a stranger or another passenger closes the door), the system may want to check at least one other indicator as well. once a suitable driver-in event has been established, or if the driver was determined never to have left the vehicle in the first place, the vehicle computing system attempts to re-connect 209 to the wireless device. if the system reaches a point where connection is still not established after a certain number of attempts 211 , the system notifies the driver that a bad connection may be present 217 . since the device to which the system is attempting to connect may be the only wireless device present, and since the driver may want or need the data connection, even if spotty, the driver, in this example, is given the option to continue to attempt to connect 219 . if another device is present, or if the driver otherwise instructs the cessation of the connection attempt, the process exits. if the driver wishes the attempts to continue, a flag is set 221 so that the process doesn't harass the driver each time the attempt to connect continues to fail and the count is over a certain point. fig. 3 shows an illustrative example of a process for link loss management triggered by a driver-exit event. in this illustrative embodiment, before detecting a link loss, the vehicle detects a driver-exit event 301 . once the event is detected, the vehicle registers the occurrence of the event for later use (if, for example, a link is lost). as previously noted, driver exit events can be detected through a variety of vehicle sensors. the events can include the detection of a door opening, a key off/out, a lack of weight detected by a seat sensor, etc. at some point after a driver-exit event has been detected and registered, a link loss is detected 303 . in this illustrative embodiment, the system checks to see if the driver is present or not 305 , which may simply be a reference to the registered state of the driver-exit event (e.g., has one occurred). if the driver is present (i.e., if the driver never left the vehicle or if a driver has reentered the vehicle 307 , a reconnection attempt is made 309 . in this embodiment, if the reconnection is unsuccessful, the system notifies the driver 313 and then exits. the system does not spool repeatedly, attempting to reconnect. further, since this exemplary process is triggered by the detection and registration of a driver-exit event, step 305 may be omitted, since it can be assumed that the event which triggered the process indicated that the driver is not present. in an alternative embodiment, step 307 can simply supplant step 305 . fig. 4 shows an illustrative example of a process for determining a driver-exit event. in this illustrative embodiment, as a safety precaution, the vehicle computing system first checks to see if an emergency event has occurred 401 . if so, a special emergency condition flag will be set, and the vehicle computing system will be prevented from pausing reconnection attempts 403 . the vehicle computing system goes into a state where it attempts to connect with any available device, in order to place an emergency call. since at least one sensor, such as the seat weight sensor, relies on the presence of a person, then in the event a driver has been thrown from a vehicle far enough to lose a connection, and has crawled back to within connection range, it would not be beneficial to have the system pause reconnection attempts. thus, although not necessary, it is recommended that this or a similar safety consideration be included. if no emergency condition is present, the system then checks if the prndl is in park 405 . as previously noted, if the vehicle is not in park, it is hoped that the driver is in the vehicle, and thus the process exits 407 , since it assumes that an exit event has not occurred (at least, not under normal conditions where reconnection suspension would be a desirable course of action). next, in this illustrative example, the vehicle computing system checks to see if a door has been opened 409 . if the check is being made for a driver, this would correspond to a check on a driver's side door. if the check was being made for a passenger, this would correspond to a check on a passenger door. if no door has opened, the system checks to see if a seat sensor (such as, but not limited to, a weight sensor) has been triggered or is off 411 . again, various seats can be checked based on who the check is being made for. if the seat sensor still shows weight (or doesn't exist) the system may check a cockpit camera 413 , a key on/off in/out status 415 , or any other suitable sensor not shown, for determining driver/passenger presence/absence. if any sensor (or combination of sensors, if that is determined to be more definitive) indicates that a passenger is not present, the system registers an exit-vehicle event 417 . if all sensors indicate the presence of the party for whom the detection was attempted, the system simply exits. fig. 5 shows an illustrative example of a data transfer (or usage) management process. in this illustrative embodiment, a vehicle associated computing system detects that a vehicle has been placed in park 501 . while not definitive, this is an indication that the vehicle's power may soon be disabled. other suitable detections may also be used. in this illustrative embodiment, the vehicle connects to a second device if a data transfer is currently in progress and connection to the first device is lost. this allows the transfer to complete even in the absence of the first connection. if a second device is not present, the transfer will be paused until the initial connection is resumed. once the vehicle is in park, the system checks to see if any additional available devices are available for pairing (other than the device with which the vehicle is presently paired) 503 . for example, the vehicle may currently be paired with a driver's device, but a passenger may also be carrying a wireless device with which the vehicle can pair. if a secondary device is present, the vehicle associated computing system may check information that it has stored related to the second device 505 to determine if the second device is capable of completing the transfer 507 . for example, the transfer may require a data plan to complete (due to an imposed constraint, for example) and the second device may or may not have a data plan associated therewith. if the second device is capable, the system may prepare to either pause 509 or swap 511 the data transfer. the swap may, of course, also require a pause while the new connection is established. at this point, the system waits to see if an exit event (further signaling a likely loss of connection) occurs 513 . exit events can include, but are not limited to, opening of a door, a vehicle camera detecting an occupant is no longer present, a seat sensor detecting an occupant is no longer present, etc. if an exit event is not detected, and the vehicle resumes travel, the process may exit and the transfer/pause setup may be abated. when an exit event is detected, if a second device is present, the system checks for a second exit event 515 . a second exit event may indicate that a secondary device has also left the vehicle. in this illustrative embodiment, the process assumes that a second exit event corresponds to both wireless devices leaving the vehicle, although further logic could be employed to determine whether or not the secondary device has actually left the vehicle. if there is no second exit event, then the system will check to see if the primary signal is lost 517 . if the primary signal is not lost, the system continues to check for a secondary exit event (or exits the process, for example, if the vehicle resumes travel without loss of primary signal). if the signal is lost, the system connects to the secondary device and any data transfer in progress can be resumed by the secondary device 519 . if there was no additional device present, the transfer is prepared for pause 521 . the process then waits until a signal is lost 523 . if the signal is not lost, and the vehicle resumes travel, the process may terminate without pausing any data transfer that may be present. if the signal is lost 523 , the process may pause any transfers that are currently in progress, in a manner that allows the transfer to be resumed as is appropriate for a given transfer. the pause 525 may continue until an enter event is detected 527 . enter events are similar in nature to exit events, and may include, but are not limited to, a door opening, a camera detecting a passenger, a seat sensor detecting a passenger, a seat belt buckling, etc. once the enter event has been detected, the system begins looking for a connection availability to the originally connected device 529 . once a signal has been found, allowing reconnection to the primary device, the connection is established and any transfers (or other paused processes) may be resumed 531 . in this particular illustrative embodiment, connection is not re-established with the primary device until an enter event has been detected. this may be useful in scenarios such as a gas station scenario, where a driver may move in and out of proximity to a system, and a connection might be established and dropped repeatedly. since, in this embodiment, the enter event triggers the reconnection, this increases the likelihood that a connection that should endure will be established as the driver has likely re-entered the vehicle. while exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
009-812-854-270-612	ES	[ "WO", "ES", "US" ]	B63B22/00,G01S5/00,G08B25/10,B63B35/44,B63B22/24,G01S19/14	2011-06-13T00:00:00	2011	[ "B63", "G01", "G08" ]	device for remotely tracking bodies of water and method for remotely and simultaneously managing and operating a set of said devices	device for remotely tracking bodies of water by means of a gps positioning device provided with a telecommunication modem and an electronic control board, which is henceforth called a "gps locator", and enclosed inside a floating watertight container, which is henceforth called a float, as well as the method for simultaneously managing and operating a set of one or more of said devices.	1 . a device for the remote tracking of water masses comprising: at least one gps modem, a gps antenna, a telecommunications modem, a telecommunications antenna, one or more modules for energy storage, and a module for the buoy management, the at least one gps modem, the gps antenna, the telecommunications modem, the telecommunications antenna, the one or more modules for energy storage and the module for buoy management enclosed in a seal float, the seal float comprising: a lower cylinder open at an upper end to house the one or more modules for energy storage; a first truncated cone body with a lower diameter end attached to the upper end of the lower cylinder, which comprises at least three concavities on a outer surface; a second truncated cone body with a larger diameter end attached to a larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body; a disk for attaching the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body with a free end of a cylindrical portion; and, a second cylindrical element with a domed upper end and attached at a lower end to the smaller diameter end of the second truncated cone body, and the gps receiving antenna and the telecommunications antenna are housed in the second cylindrical element; the gps modem, the telecommunications modem and the module for the buoy management being housed in a headspace located between the telecommunications antenna, the gps antenna and the one or more modules for energy storage. 2 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , wherein the larger diameter ends of the first and second truncated cone bodies are attached by the interposition of a third cylindrical body. 3 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , wherein the larger diameter end of the second truncated cone body is larger than the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body, with both ends being attached by an annular body. 4 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , wherein the second cylindrical element comprises at least one plug and at least one gasket to ensure tightness of the seal float. 5 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , comprising a hole in an upper surface of the second truncated cone body in correspondence with each one of the at least three concavities of the first truncated cone body, for the attachment of accessories. 6 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , comprising a perforated appendix on a lower surface of the lower cylinder portion, for the attachment of accessories. 7 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , wherein the walls of the second cylindrical element are at least 50% longer than the larger diameter of the domed upper end to keep the telecommunications antenna and the gps antenna separate from the waterline of the seal float. 8 . the tracking device, according to claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the second truncated cone body comprises integrating elements for environmental energy collection connected to the one or more modules for energy storage. 9 .- 33 . (canceled) 34 . a device for the remote tracking of water masses comprising: at least one gps modem, a gps antenna, a telecommunications modem, a telecommunications antenna, one or more modules for energy storage, and a module for the buoy management, the at least one gps modem, the gps antenna, the telecommunications modem, the telecommunications antenna, the one or more modules for energy storage and the module for buoy management enclosed in a float, the float comprising: a lower cylinder open at an upper end to house the one or more modules for energy storage; a first truncated cone body with a lower diameter end attached to the upper end of the lower cylinder, which comprises at least three concavities on a outer surface; a second truncated cone body with a larger diameter end attached to a larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body; a disk for attaching the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body with a free end of a cylindrical portion; a second cylindrical element with a domed upper end and attached at a lower end to the smaller diameter end of the second truncated cone body, and the gps receiving antenna and the telecommunications antenna are housed in the second cylindrical element; and the gps modem, the telecommunications modem and the module for the buoy management being housed in a headspace located between the telecommunications antenna, the gps antenna and the one or more modules for energy storage, wherein the second cylindrical element comprises at least one plug and at least one gasket to ensure tightness of the float. 35 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , wherein the larger diameter ends of the first and second truncated cone bodies are attached by the interposition of a third cylindrical body. 36 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , wherein the larger diameter end of the second truncated cone body is larger than the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body, with both ends being attached by an annular body. 37 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , comprising a hole in an upper surface of the second truncated cone body in correspondence with each one of the at least three concavities of the first truncated cone body, for the attachment of accessories. 38 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , comprising a perforated appendix on a lower surface of the lower cylinder portion, for the attachment of accessories. 39 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , wherein the walls of the second cylindrical element are at least 50% longer than the larger diameter of the domed upper end to keep the telecommunications antenna and the gps antenna separate from the waterline of the float. 40 . the tracking device, according to claim 34 , wherein an outer surface of the second truncated cone body comprises integrating elements for environmental energy collection connected to the one or more modules for energy storage.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a u.s. national-stage entry under 35 u.s.c. §371 based on international application no. pct/es2012/070432, filed jun. 8, 2012, which was published under pct article 21( 2 ) and which claims priority to spanish patent application no. p201130980, filed jun. 13, 2011, which are all incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. technical field the technical field relates to a device for the remote tracking of water masses through a global positioning system (gps) receiver equipped with a telecommunications modem and an electronic control board, “gps tracker” hereafter, enclosed within a floating and seal container, “float” hereafter, along with the method for the simultaneous management and operation of a set of one or more of such devices. thus, the technical field relates to the fields of monitoring of discharges, such as hydrocarbons or pollutants, fast tracking of water masses for the tracking of wrecks during the maritime rescue work, tracking of swarms of harmful marine organisms, lagrangian characterization of oceanic currents and location of moorings. background among the products currently available on the market for the tracking of surface water masses through gps trackers, the following devices can be mentioned: buoy md02 of the company albatros marine technologies, buoy svp and microstar models of the company pacific gyre, buoys of the series svp of the metocean company, buoy trbuoy of the marexi company, buoy mli of the marine instruments company, buoy clearsat-1 of the clearwater company and buoy argodrifter of the technocean company. in addition, noncommercial models are (or were) available (austin et al., 2004, gutiérrez et al. 2009), which were built for own use, with no commercial purposes. these devices are mainly used to characterize the langragian dynamics of a water mass. among other applications, this is especially useful to generate databanks to feed and/or validate computational fluid dynamics models (salman et al. 2006), to perform calibration/validation of radar hf stations for the surface currents measurements (ohlmann et al. 2006) and to track discharges on the sea (goodman et al. 1995). there are also other floating devices used for different purposes, but whose geometry can be considered the closest state of the art to the present disclosure. this is the case of the floats of the rescue lights. regarding the design, the major requirements are the device to be able to track effectively the movement of the water parcel in which it is immersed and send regularly its position to a remote server. in this sense, there is a large number of references that allow to understand how the design and construction of these devices must be accomplished to guarantee the fulfillment of this requirements (chereskin et al. 1989, kirwan et al. 1975 and 1978, niiler et al. 1987 and 1995, ohlman et al. 2005, sybrandy et al. 2009) and how the devices must be validated and/or calibrated in the field (gasser et al. 2001, geyer et al. 1989). regarding the remote management and operation of these devices, the only known document on the state of the art to manage and operate this kind of device is the english version of the md02 buoy user manual, which contains much more information than its spanish counterpart. in addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background. summary according to various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a device for the remote tracking of water masses, whose float has a number of new features and technical advantages over the current state of the art, as well as a method of remote and simultaneous management and operation of a set of at least one of such devices. with regard to the geometry for the float of the devices for tracking water masses, the following headspaces or cavities can be found therein, described from bottom to top: a lower cylinder aimed at accommodating at its lower end the heaviest elements, mainly energy accumulators, in order to allow the center of mass of the float to remain below and as far apart as possible from the waterline; optionally, it may include at its lower end a perforated appendix to attach accessories. the buoyancy excess induced by the headspace of this cylinder is compensated by the concavities described in the second headspace; a second cavity, substantially inverted truncated cone-shaped, aimed at providing a higher stability to the buoy against off the vertical displacements in relation to other geometries (spherical, cylindrical and ellipsoidal). the possible buoyancy excess caused by the existing headspace in the upper part of the first space and of this second one is compensated by concavities placed around the outer surface of this cavity, which reduce the volume of water displaced by the float when it is immersed into the fluid. most of the electronic elements of the buoy can be stored in this headspace although the heaviest ones may also be located above the energy accumulators; the third space, located above the waterline, consists essentially of another truncated cone shaped platform whose larger diameter is greater than or equal to the larger diameter of the second space. optionally, there may be a cylindrical space between the second and third spaces with a diameter equal to the larger diameter of the truncated cone of the second headspace. this part of the geometry hampers the buoy to sink in case of strong waves, acting also as a brake against oscillations and/or vertical forces. it can also serve as a support to accommodate elements for environmental energy collection, in case this type of autonomous power is preferred. for each one of the concavities sited in the second headspace, there is at least one watertight perforation on the float that crosses both the second and third headspaces to facilitate the attachment of accessories; the fourth headspace is mainly dedicate to house the receiving antennas of the gps signal and of the communications signal. its size should be as small as possible, compatible with the size of the antennas, to prevent that the friction with wind degrades the tracking of the water parcel by the tracking device. finally, water-tightness inside the float is achieved by a plug and a gasket. in relation to the device, the proposal of the present disclosure provides the following fundamental technical improvements with respect to these devices. first, the elements for energy storage and energy supply to the gps tracker, generally the heaviest ones, are located far away from the waterline and from the cavities that give buoyancy to the set, elongating the room that encloses such elements. in this way, the centre of gravity of the entire device is kept the farthest away from the waterline than in any other existing model, thereby improving stability design against off the vertical deviations, which can be induced by wind and/or waves and; in compensation the headspace that is introduced provides additional buoyancy to the device, but it is compensated by the second technical improvement described in the next paragraph. increasing the size of this cavity, also rises the number of energy accumulators that can be added to the device, hence enhancing its autonomy. thus, by enlarging the headspace to house batteries, the buoy autonomy in the absence of another electric power generator is enhanced. second, the headspace that gives buoyancy to the device and that has an inverted substantially truncate-coned geometry, contains concavities aimed at reducing the volume of water displaced by this headspace and whose dimensions allow to compensate the buoyancy excess caused by the empty space mentioned in the previous paragraph; in this way, it is introduced the second technical improvement, which is a higher versatility to choose the dimensions of the truncate-cone (height, major and minor diameters ratio) to reach a compromise between the buoyancy of the device and its stability for off the vertical displacements. the concavities introduced in the lower truncate-coned headspace permit to compensate a possible buoyancy excess and extend the versatility to determine the geometry of said headspace third: the upper cavity is conceived to store the communications antennas and gps, thereby keeping them as far as possible from the waterline and introducing all the electronic elements within the float. this larger distance from the waterline and the fact that the antennas are contained into a watertight chamber minimizes their deterioration, increases the capturing capacity of both the gps signal and communications signal, and lastly, as the rest of the float design maximizes the recovery capacity of the verticality, the synchronization losses between the gps tracker and the network of global positioning satellites are reduced, as well as occasional shortcuts with the telecommunications channel. in conclusion, keeping the antennas as far as possible from the waterline than in other designs, leads to a reduction in the number of data of erroneous position that are due to the lack of synchronization with the network of gps satellites; likewise, communications shortcuts caused by changes in the orientation of the antenna also diminish along with antenna damages, as they are not exposed to the weather. fourth, new mechanical elements are added to the design in order to facilitate attachment of accessories and allow the operator to adapt its use to the different applications with a higher versatility. the description of the method for a remote management and operation that is performed in this specification includes: providing the elements involved in the typical application for the tracking of a water mass using a set of at least one of the devices described above; a hierarchy of priorities for the exchange of information units between such elements is established; the basic information units that are exchanged by the different elements involved is established;, assigning priority levels to said basic information units; and the flow of basic information units between the different elements in order to achieve a framework for an efficient management and operation of the applications that use the type of devices presented herein. in relation to the method for the simultaneous and remote management and operation of the device for the tracking of water masses that was described in the preceding paragraphs, the elements involved in such method are: one or several of these devices, the hierarchy of priorities (p1 to p3) of the information units, units of basic information (u1 to u8) with the allocation of their priorities (p1 to p3). likewise, the method indicates the flow of such information units between the different elements involved. among the elements involved in a generic application that uses the kind of device described herein, are: devices for the tracking of water masses that contain a gps tracker as described herein; center for remote management and operation, formed by at least one general purpose computer equipment that is connected to such devices and implements a system for reallocation of priorities; local operator of the center for remote management and operation;—additional set of operators and/or remote supervisors that have an electronic device able to receive information from the center for remote management and operation. the hierarchy of priorities of the information exchanged between such elements includes the three following levels of priority. p1: information that has to be exchanged between two of the some elements previously described and whose reception must be guaranteed in real time. p2: information transmitted between two of the some elements previously described, whose reception must be guaranteed although a lapse of time between the emission and reception of the information is allowed. p3: information transmitted by one of the elements previously described in which the reception by another of these elements cannot be guaranteed, but the sender must be aware of its reception or not, in order to decide about its re-transmission. the basic information units that are exchanged in this method are the following: u1.—if a device is accessible or not by the operation center; u2.—request for the set of parameters recorded by any of the tracking devices; u3.—response to a type u2 request, containing the set of parameters recorded by such device; u4.—set of parameters recorded by the tracking devices that are periodically delivered to the center for remote management and operation, according to a cadence previously established by the local operator of the center; u5.—requests for changes in the configuration of the tracking devices; and u6.—confirmation or not of a change in the configuration by the devices. the method identifies some special basic information units generated in the tracking devices, the so-called events, which respond to the detection of a change in the functioning status and that can affect their operation and/or represent a major shift in their operation and/or in the generated information. they are the only information units that may be optionally forwarded to the additional set of operators and/or supervisors. according to their priority, they can be divided into two groups: u7.—critical events generated by the tracking devices that report of changes in both their status or functioning which are of great relevance for the management and operation of the devices in which they were generated; and u8.—other events generated by the tracking devices that report changes in both their status or functioning which are important to be known by the local operator to perform an efficient operation and management method. the allocation of priorities takes place according to the following table: basic information unitbrief descriptionpriority levelu1access to the device byp1the management centeru2“ad hoc” request ofp1 o p2parameters to thedeviceu3response to u2p2u4regular delivery ofp2 o p3parametersu5requests for changes inp2 o p3configurationu6confirmation ofsame as u5changes inconfigurationu7critical eventsp1 o p2u8other eventsp2 o p3 as mentioned above, the description of the flow of the basic information units is also part of the description of the method that is presented according to various embodiments. the u1-type information units are generated in the center for the remote management and operation by request (u1p) of the local operator and are directed to one of the tracking devices. the response (u1r) or lack of response by the device is interpreted by the center for the remote management and operation as an accessible or inaccessible device respectively, which is reflected in the user interface for local operator notification. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p1-type priority. the u2-type information units are generated in the center for the remote management and operation by request from the local operator and are directed towards some of the tracking devices. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p1-type or p2-type priorities the u3-type information units are generated in the tracking devices and sent to the center for the remote management and operation for their storage and knowledge of the local operator. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p2-type priority the u4-type information units are generated in the tracking devices at regular intervals and sent, also at regular intervals but not necessarily at the same cadence, to the center for the remote management and operation for their storage and knowledge of the local operator. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p2-type or p3-type priorities. the u5-type information units are generated in the center for the remote management and operation by request of the local user. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p2-type or p3-type priorities. the u6-type information units are generated in the tracking devices and sent to the center for the remote management and operation for their storage and knowledge of the local operator. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the same conditions as those established by the channel for the u5-type information units. the u7-type information units, of critical event type, are generated in the tracking devices and sent to the center for the remote management and operation for their storage and knowledge of the local operator. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p1-type or p2-type priorities. optionally, the center for the remote management and operation may be set up to redistribute these information units to the additional set of to operators and/or supervisors. this redistribution may imply a change in the priority level of the information in the center for the remote management and operation (which has been described in the method as “system for priorities re-allocation”), converting such units to other units similar with respect to the carried information but with a lower priority to the original. the u8-type information units, also of event type but not critical, are generated in the tracking devices and sent to the center for the remote management and operation for their storage and knowledge of the local user. these information units require a communications channel able to implement the conditions established by the p2-type or p3-type priorities. optionally, the center for the remote management and operation may be set up to redistribute these information units to the additional set of operators and/or supervisors. hence, the device for the remote tracking of water masses comprises, at least one gps modem, a gps antenna, a telecommunications modem, a telecommunications antenna, modules for energy storage and a module for the buoy management, which are enclosed in a seal float. it also includes: a lower cylinder opened at its upper end to house the modules for energy storage. its purpose is to contain at its lower end the heaviest elements, mainly energy accumulators, allowing the center of mass of the float to remain below the waterline and as far apart as possible from it; optionally, it incorporates at its lower end a perforated appendix for attachment of accessories. the buoyancy excess created by the headspace inside this cylinder is compensated by the concavities described in the first truncated cone body. the device also includes a first truncated cone body with the smaller diameter end attached to the upper end of the lower cylinder, which comprises at least three concavities on its outer surface. this body is aimed at providing the buoy with a higher stability against off the vertical displacements as compared to that in other geometries (spherical, cylindrical and ellipsoidal). the possible buoyancy excess introduced by the headspace located on top of both the first and second cavities is compensated by incorporating concavities around the outer surface of this cavity that reduce the volume of water displaced by the float when immersed into the fluid. this headspace can house most of the electronic units of the buoy, although the heaviest ones may also be located right above the energy accumulators. the device also includes a second truncated cone body with the larger diameter end attached to the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body. this part of the geometry hampers the buoy to sink in case of strong waves, acting as a brake against oscillations and/or vertical forces. it can also serve as a support to accommodate elements for environmental energy collection, if this type of autonomous power is preferred. for each of the concavities sited in this second headspace, there is at least one water-tight perforation on the float that crosses both the first and second truncated cone bodies, to facilitate attachment of accessories. the device includes a disk for attaching the larger diameter end of the first truncated conical shape to the free end of the cylindrical portion. the device also includes a cylindrical element with an upper end domed and attached at its lower end to the smaller diameter end of the second truncated cone shape, where the gps receiving antenna and the telecommunications antenna are housed. this element is mainly aimed at housing both the gps receiving antenna and the telecommunications antenna. its size should be as small as possible and compatible with the size of the antennas, in order to prevent the friction with wind to degrade the tracking of the water parcel by the tracking device. finally, water-tightness inside the float is achieved by a plug and a gasket. moreover, the gps modem, the telecommunications modem and the module for the management of the buoy are housed in a headspace located between the antennas and the module for energy storage. in one exemplary embodiment, the larger diameter ends of the first and second truncated cone bodies are attached by the interposition of a cylindrical body. in one embodiment, the larger diameter end of the second truncated cone body is larger than the larger diameter end of the first truncated cone body, with both ends being attached by an annular body. in one embodiment, the cylindrical element comprises at least one plug and at least one rubber gasket to ensure tightness of the buoy float. in one exemplary embodiment, the device has a hole on the upper surface of the second truncated cone body in correspondence with each one of the at least three concavities of the first truncated cone body, for the attachment of accessories. in one embodiment, has a perforated appendix on the lower surface of the lower cylinder for the attachment of accessories. in one embodiment, the walls of the cylindrical element are at least 50% longer than the larger diameter of the domed part in order to keep the antennas separate from the waterline of the buoy. in one exemplary embodiment, the outer surface of the second truncated cone body comprises integrating solar cells connected to modules for energy storage. on the other hand, the method for the remote and simultaneous management and operation of a set of devices for tracking water masses comprises, at least, making use of a tracking device, a remote center for operation and management, which in turn comprises at least one computer with internet access, wireless communication means, means for information storage, a user interface for at least one local operator and, at least, one electronic device to send and receive notifications from at least one remote operator, a hierarchy of priorities and a set of basic information units with a priority level given by the hierarchy of priorities. in one exemplary embodiment, the hierarchy of priorities comprises a maximum of three levels, which are as follows: priority level p1 concerning information that must be exchanged in real time; priority level p2 concerning exchanged information whose reception must be guaranteed, a predefined time lapse between the emission and reception being permitted; and, priority level p3 concerning exchanged information whose reception is selected among a reception known by the sender and an reception unknown by the sender. in one embodiment, the method comprises the following phases: sending from the center for the remote management and operation a request for access, with priority level p1, to at least one tracking device to determine if it is accessible; and, sending a response with a priority level p1 from the tracking device confirming its accessibility. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises the following phases: sending from the center for the remote management and operation a request for parameters, with a priority level p1, to at least one tracking device; and, sending a response to the request for parameters, with a priority level p2, from the at least, one device that has received the previous request, to the center for the remote management and operation, containing the values of the parameters requested. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises the following phases: sending from the center for the remote management and operation a request for parameters, with a priority level p2, to at least one tracking device; and, sending a response to said request, for parameters with a priority level p2, from the at least one device that has received the previous request, to the center for the remote management and operation, containing the values of the parameters requested. in one exemplary embodiment, the parameters requested by the center for the remote management and operation being selected among variables generated by the gps modem, an internal temperature of the tracking device, a power level of the device and a combination thereof. in one embodiment, the method comprises sending periodically from at least one tracking device some parameters recorded by the device, with a priority level selected between priority levels p2 and p3, to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the parameters periodically sent from the at least one tracking device are selected among variables generated by the gps modem, an internal temperature of the tracking device, a power level of the device and a combination of thereof. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises the following phases: sending from the center for the remote management and operation a request for a change in the configuration of the device, with a priority level p2, to at least one tracking device; and sending a confirmation of the change in the configuration of the device, with a priority level p2, from the at least one device that has received the previous request to the center for the remote management and operation. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the request for a change in the configuration of the device comprises being a request selected among: a request for a change in the configuration of a recording interval of variables generated by the gps modem; a request for a change in the configuration of a recording interval of the internal temperature of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a sending interval of the parameters that are sent periodically from the at least one device to the center for the remote management and operation; a request for a change in the configuration of a minimum threshold of the power level of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a medium threshold of the power level of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a maximum threshold of the internal temperature of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a medium threshold of the internal temperature of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a maximum threshold of the device speed; a request for a change in the configuration of a closed boundary to limit a geographical area of interest when the device leaves the geographical area; a request for a change of configuration in the a closed boundary to limit a geographical area of interest when the device enters into the geographical area; and, a combination of the former requests. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises the following phases: sending from the center for the remote management and operation a request for a change in the device configuration, with a priority level p3, to at least one tracking device; and sending a confirmation of change in the device configuration, with a priority level p3, from at the least one device that has received the previous request to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the request for a change in the configuration of the device comprises being a request selected among: a request for a change in the configuration of a recording interval of variables generated by the gps modem; a request for a change in the configuration of a recording interval of the internal temperature of the float; a request for a change in the configuration of a sending interval of the parameters that are sent periodically from the at least one device to the center for the remote management and operation; a request for a change in the configuration of a minimum threshold of the power level of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a medium threshold of the power level of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a maximum threshold of the internal temperature of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a medium threshold of the internal temperature of the device; a request for a change in the configuration of a maximum threshold of the device speed; a request for a change in the configuration of a closed boundary to limit a geographical area of interest when the device leaves the geographical area; a request for a change in the configuration of a closed boundary to limit a geographical area of interest when the device enters into the geographical area; and, a combination of the former requests. in one embodiment, the method comprises generating critical events in the at least one tracking device and sending them, with a priority level p1, to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises generating a critical event when one of the following circumstances occurs: the power level of the device is below a minimum power threshold; the internal temperature of the device is above a maximum temperature threshold; the device speed is above a maximum speed threshold; the device leaves a geographical region that has been previously defined by the local user; the device enters into a geographical region that has been previously defined by the local user; a combination of the former circumstances. in one embodiment, the method comprises generating critical events in the at least one tracking device and sending them, with a priority level p2, to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises generating a critical event when one of the following circumstances occurs: the power level of the device is below a minimum power threshold; the internal temperature of the device is above a maximum temperature threshold; the device speed is above a maximum speed threshold; the device leaves a geographical region that has been previously defined by the local user; the device enters into a geographical region that has been previously defined by the local user; and, a combination of the former circumstances. in one embodiment, non-critical events are generated by the at least one tracking device and sending, with a priority level p2, to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-critical event is generated when one of the following circumstances occurs: the internal temperature of the device is between the medium and maximum temperature thresholds; and, the voltage power of the device is between the medium and minimum voltage thresholds. in one embodiment, non-critical events are generated by the at least one tracking device and sending them, with a priority level p3, to the center for the remote management and operation. in one exemplary embodiment, a non-critical event is generated when one of the following circumstances occurs: the internal temperature of the float is between the medium and maximum temperature thresholds; and, the voltage power of the device is between the medium and minimum voltage thresholds. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises reassigning the priority level from p1 to p2 to the critical events and forwarding the critical events from the center for the remote management and operation to the electronic devices of the remote operators. in one embodiment, the method comprises reassigning the priority level from p2 to p3 to the critical events and forwarding the critical events from the center for the remote management and operation to the electronic devices of the remote operators. in one exemplary embodiment, the method comprises reassigning the priority level from p2 to p3 to the non critical events and forwarding the non-critical events from the center for the remote management and operation to the electronic devices of the remote operators. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises forwarding the critical events from the center for the remote management and operation to the electronic devices of the remote operators. in one embodiment, the method comprises forwarding the non-critical events from the center for the remote management and operation to the electronic devices of the remote operators. a person skilled in the art can gather other characteristics and advantages of the disclosure from the following description of exemplary embodiments that refers to the attached drawings, wherein the described exemplary embodiments should not be interpreted in a restrictive sense. brief description of the drawings the various embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: fig. 1 . is a float of a device for tracking water masses with four concavities: top (a), front (b) and lateral (c) view. fig. 2 . is an exemplary embodiment of a device for the remote tracking of water masses, with a three concavities float and self powered by batteries. fig. 3 . is an exemplary embodiment of the method for the remote management and operation where the involved elements and the communications channels chosen to implement the priority levels of the present disclosure are shown. fig. 4 . is a flow of the basic information units of the method for the remote management and operation shown in fig. 3 . detailed description the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure or the application and uses of the present disclosure. furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description. fig. 1 shows a schematic plot of the geometry proposed for the float of a buoy with four concavities. the following spaces can be distinguished there: a lower cylinder ( 1 ), empty, aimed at accommodating the heaviest elements, mainly power batteries ( 11 ), in order to keep the center of mass of the float far away from the waterline ( 5 ). this example includes at its lower end a perforated appendix for accessories ( 10 ) attachment. a second space, essentially truncated cone-shaped ( 2 ) and empty, in this case with four cylindrical concavities ( 6 ), which are arranged equidistant from each other around the vertical axis of the float and aimed to compensate the buoyancy excess induced by the headspace of the lower cylinder and the rest of the truncated cone cavity; where part of the electronic elements of the gps tracker ( 12 ) can be placed. the third headspace ( 3 ), located above the waterline ( 5 ), is one truncated-cone shaped platform whose diameter is larger than or equal to the larger diameter of the second space ( 2 ). a small cylindrical headspace ( 14 ) can be distinguished between the second ( 2 ) and third ( 3 ) spaces. for each one of the concavities ( 6 ) there is one watertight perforation ( 7 ) that crosses the spaces 14 and 3 to facilitate accessories attachment (parachute, surface anchor, etc.). the fourth headspace ( 4 ), that contains the gps signal reception and the communications ( 13 ) antennas is open in order to allow the introduction of the elements ( 11 ), ( 12 ) and ( 13 ) inside the float. watertightness inside the float is achieved by a plug ( 8 ) and a gasket ( 9 ). fig. 2 presents a specific example of an embodiment of a device for the remote tracking of water masses, in this case with a three concavities float that is self powered by batteries. the arrangement of the elements that form the tracking device is shown in the left (a and b): lower cylindrical headspace of 380 mm in length, 66 mm of outer diameter and 4 mm in thickness, finished at its lower end by a disc of 66 m of diameter and 4 mm thickness with a perforated appendix to attach accessories. this headspace houses a battery bank ( 22 ), which in this particular example, consists of 6 elements connected in parallel, each of which is formed by 3×3 1.5 volt type aa alkaline batteries connected in series (13.5 volts total). an intermediate empty and inverted truncated cone headspace ( 23 ) with a lower diameter of 66 mm, upper diameter of 200 mm, 120 mm height, 4 mm thickness, with three cylindrical concavities ( 24 ) equally spaced around the vertical axis of the float of 47 mm radius (c), with a watertight perforation ( 25 ) for each of them of 6 mm of diameter. these concavities allow for this embodiment of the present disclosure, the waterline to remain 10 mm below the intermediate cylindrical headspace if the material used has a specific weight of 0.9 g/cm3. this headspace accommodates a conversion stage ( 26 ) from the power voltage of 13.5 volts provided by the battery bank to the power level that the gps tracker requires. intermediate empty and cylindrical truncated cone headspaces of 200 mm of larger diameter, 90 mm lower diameter, 12 mm height and 4 mm thickness. the detail of fig. 2 . d shows the upper cylindrical headspace ( 27 ) of 90 mm diameter, 30 mm height with an opening in its upper end of 75 mm equipped with a thread ( 28 ) and a site for a rubber gasket ( 29 ) or annular ring of 4 mm thickness and 4 mm width the float finishes at its upper end with an empty screw plug ( 30 ), with cylindrical geometry finished at its upper end by a spherical shell of 150 mm height and 90 mm of diameter. in this particular example, the cavity of the plug houses the commercial gps tracker ( 21 ) with the antennas integrated. figs. 3 and 4 show an exemplary embodiment of the method for the remote management and operation. regarding fig. 3 , firstly, devices for the tracking of water masses ( 40 ) as the one described above are found, with a gps tracker containing a mobile gsm/gprs communications modem; the center for remote management and operation ( 50 ), and the local user ( 52 ) with access through terminal ( 56 ) to the computer ( 51 ) of the operation center. this computer ( 51 ), has a telephone modem ( 55 ) (gsm) to implement information exchanges of priorities p1 and p2, and with internet access to implement information exchanges of priority levels p3 and p2 simultaneously to the p2 that was implemented with the phone modem. through this modem, the computer is also responsible for resubmitting the notifications of events to the additional set of remote operators/supervisors via sms (p2). another way to resubmit the events to the additional set of remote users/supervisors is through e-mail (p2). gsm communications (priorities p1 and p2) between devices and the operation center are performed through the base station ( 41 ) and the telephone service provider ( 42 ). the following table completes the description of this example of embodiment, specifying the basic information units and the allocation of priority levels: basicpriorityinformation unitdescriptionlevelu1access to the devices by the managementp1centeru2“ad hoc” request for a set of parametersp2to a device: battery level, internaltemperature inside the case, position,speed, course, date, time.u3response from the device to u2p2u4regular delivery of the parametersp3numbered in the request 2u5requests for changes in configuration:p2sampling interval, interval ofcommunicationsestablishment, upper and lowerthresholds for the event generation (u7and u8)u6confirmation of configuration change u5p2u7critical events: battery levelp2below a minimum threshold,internal temperature inside the caseabove a maximum threshold, speeddevicehigher than a maximum threshold, thedevice enters a predeterminedgeographical area, the device leaves apredetermined geographical areau8other events: battery levelp2below a medium threshold andabove the minimum threshold,internal temperature insidethe case below the maximum thresholdand above a mediumthreshold the way to implement the three priority levels is by selecting the following communication channels: p1—by using gsm mobile phone network, through a voice call, wherein the real time in both communication directions is guaranteed. p2—by using gsm mobile phone network, through the short message service (sms) and also through the internet e—mail service, containing the corresponding basic information unit p3—by using gsm mobile phone network, through gprs data service and also using internet establishing tcp/ip sockets between the operations center and the devices fig. 4 shows a detail of the flow of the basic information units to perform the method for the remote management and operation described in fig. 3 . information units u3, u4, u6, u7 and u8 have their origin in the devices for tracking ( 40 ) the water masses. this is also the origin of the response to the request associated with the information unit u1 (u1r) or its absence to the request (u1p). all these information units are received in the center for the remote management and operation ( 50 ), which is managed by an operator ( 52 ). likewise, the operation center ( 50 ) is the origin of the information units u1, u2 and u5, among others, whose destination is any of the devices for tracking the water masses ( 40 ). additionally, the operation center is also the origin of the information units (events) u7 and u8 that arrived from the tracking devices ( 40 ), which can be re-submitted to a new destination, in this case, the additional set of operators and supervisors ( 54 ). the information unit u7 submitted by center for the remote management and operation ( 50 ) contains the same information as the original unit u7 with priority p1, but the priority of such unit is reassigned to a lower priority level p2 by the operation center, which implements a system for re-allocation of priorities ( 53 ). all information exchanged between ( 40 ), ( 50 ) and ( 54 ) is recorded by the computer ( 51 ) at the operation center ( 50 ). thus, through channel p1 the devices ( 40 ) and the operation center ( 50 ) can exchange information units types u1, u2 and u7, through channel p2 the units u2, u3, u4, u5, u6, u7 and u8 can be exchanged, and through channel p3 the units u4, u5, u5, u7 and u8 can be exchanged. channel p2 can be also used to perform the re-submissions of events u7 (p2) and u8 from the operation center ( 50 ) to the set of additional operators ( 54 ). fig. 4 shows a physical embodiment of the method that has been schematically described in fig. 3 . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
011-272-645-883-68X	JP	[ "EP", "JP", "CN", "US" ]	G05B19/042,G05B23/02,G05B19/418,G05B9/03	2017-12-28T00:00:00	2017	[ "G05" ]	control system and control device	a first control unit (100) includes a data transfer relay unit (20; 120) that executes a process of transferring input data corresponding to a signal input to an input and output unit (10, 250) to a second control unit (200) according to a request from the second control unit (200), and/or a process of transferring output data that defines a signal to be output from the input and output unit (10, 250) from the second control unit (200) to the input and output unit, a storage unit (124) that holds the data transferred by the data transfer relay unit (20; 120), and a monitoring processing unit (160) that determines whether or not a predetermined trigger condition (1622) has been satisfied on the basis of the data held in the storage unit (124), and outputs a value of any data held in the storage unit (124) according to a predetermined output configuration (1624) when it is determined that the trigger condition (1622) has been satisfied.	a control system, comprising: a first control unit (100) adapted to execute a first control program (1062); a second control unit (200) adapted to execute a second control program (2062); and an input and output unit (10, 250) adapted to serve to input a signal from a field and/or output a signal to the field, wherein the control system is characterized in that the first control unit includes: a data transfer relay unit (20, 120) adapted to execute a process of transferring input data corresponding to a signal input to the input and output unit to the second control unit according to a request from the second control unit, and/or a process of transferring output data that defines a signal to be output from an input and output unit from the second control unit to the input and output unit, a storage unit (124) adapted to store the data transferred by the data transfer relay unit, and a monitoring processing unit (160) adapted to determine whether or not a predetermined trigger condition (1622) has been satisfied on the basis of the data held in the storage unit, and outputs a value of any data held in the storage unit according to a predetermined output configuration when it is determined that the trigger condition (1624) has been satisfied, wherein the first control unit is a standard control unit adapted to control a control target according to the first control program and the first control program is a standard control program, the second control unit is a safety control unit and the second control program is a safety program, and the input and output unit includes a safety input and output unit adapted to serve to input a signal from a safety component and/or output a signal to the safety component. the control system according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit further includes an interface (116) adapted to receive a detachable recording medium (118), and the monitoring processing unit is adapted to write the value of the data to the detachable recording medium. the control system according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring processing unit is adapted to read the trigger condition and the output configuration from the detachable recording medium. the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the monitoring processing unit is adapted to validate a determination as to whether or not the trigger condition has been satisfied in response to a user operation. the control system according to claim 4, wherein the second control unit is adapted to transmit a command for validating the determination as to whether or not the trigger condition has been satisfied to the first control unit in response to a user operation with respect to the second control unit. the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the monitoring processing unit is adapted to output a time-series value over a predetermined period including a timing at which it is determined that the trigger condition has been satisfied. the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a configuration reception unit (300) adapted to provide a user interface screen (700) for generating the trigger condition and the output configuration. the control system according to claim 7, wherein the configuration reception unit is adapted to output a message when data not held in the storage unit of the first control unit is designated as the trigger condition or the output configuration. the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the trigger condition and the output configuration are defined using variables available in the second control unit, the first control unit has memory mapping information (164) indicating a correspondence relationship between the variables used for definition of the trigger condition and the output configuration and the data held in the storage unit, and the memory mapping information is generated at the same time when the second control program is generated.	background technical field the disclosure relates to a control system including a plurality of control units each which executes a program, and a control device intended for the control system. description of related art when an event such as any abnormality occurs in a control target that is controlled by a control device, there is a need to analyze a cause of the event occurrence or an event occurrence situation. in response to such a need, for example, japanese patent application laid-open no. 2015-176370 (patent document 1) discloses a technology for enabling a status of a control device at the time of generation of a cause of the event to be easily recognized when an event occurs. incidentally, safety components according to international standards must be used in order to safely use facilities or machines that are used in many manufacturing sites. safety components are intended to prevent human safety from being threatened by automatically moving devices such as robots. examples of the safety components include a safety control device that executes a safety program, a detection device that detects the presence or entrance of a person, an input device that receives an operation at the time of an emergency, and an output device that actually stops a facility or machine. patent documents [patent document 1] japanese patent application laid-open no. 2015-176370 ep2538290a2 discloses an industrial controller module provided with a routine of program instructions for storing a log of i/o table state changes in a defined portion of memory. ep1703348a2 discloses a programmable controller system in which a preferable data logging operation is carried out properly without any plc operation. ep3068038a1 discloses a trace data collection system in which a collection timing of trace data by a motor control device is precisely controlled. jp2007114862a discloses a network servo system which requires no exclusively used communication data tracing device and traces communication data from a servo drive and a controller. summary even when a safety program is being executed, there is a need to record a status of a safety control device at the time of generation of the cause of the event when an event has occurred. meanwhile, a safety control device is required to reliably execute a safety program according to international standards, and a process of recording a status of the safety control device must not have an influence on the execution of the safety program under any circumstances. such restrictions cause a problem in that a status recording process (that is, a data logging process) in the safety control device cannot be easily implemented. further, for example, in an environment in which each of a plurality of control units executes a control program, a situation in which there are not sufficient resources remaining to implement the status recording process (the data logging process) in each control unit is also conceivable. an objective of the disclosure is to provide a control system and the like for solving the problems as described above. a control system according to an example of the present disclosure includes a first control unit adapted to execute a first control program; a second control unit adapted to execute a second control program; and an input and output unit adapted to serve to input a signal from a field and/or output a signal to a field. the first control unit includes: a data transfer relay unit adapted to execute a process of transferring input data corresponding to a signal input to the input and output unit to the second control unit according to a request from the second control unit, and/or a process of transferring output data that defines a signal to be output from the input and output unit from the second control unit to the input and output unit, a storage unit adapted to store the data transferred by the data transfer relay unit, and a monitoring processing unit adapted to determine whether or not a predetermined trigger condition has been satisfied on the basis of the data held in the storage unit, and outputs values of any data held in the storage unit according to a predetermined output configuration when it is determined that the trigger condition has been satisfied. the first control unit is a standard control unit adapted to control a control target according to a standard control program. the second control unit is a safety control unit adapted to execute a safety program. the input and output unit includes a safety input and output unit adapted to server to input a signal from a safety component and/or output a signal to a safety component. preferred embodiments of the present invention may be gathered from the dependent claims. according to this disclosure, the safety control unit executing the safety program is not involved in a process of outputting the value of the data when the trigger condition has been satisfied, and the standard control unit outputs the value of the data alone. therefore, the data logging process is provided without having an influence on execution of the safety program in the safety control unit. according to this disclosure, even when there is a control unit that cannot realize a data collection function due to various restrictions, data collection related to the control unit can be realized. in this disclosure, the first control unit may further include an interface adapted to receive a detachable recording medium. the monitoring processing unit may write the value of the data to the detachable recording medium. according to this disclosure, since the value of the data to be output is written to a detachable recording medium, it is possible to facilitate secondary use such as analysis of a cause of an abnormality. in the above disclosure, the monitoring processing unit may read the trigger condition and the output configuration from the detachable recording medium. according to this disclosure, when the trigger condition and the output configuration are stored in the detachable recording medium and then mounted in the first control unit, a process in the monitoring processing unit can be validated. therefore, the data logging process can be simply used even when a maintenance person has poor expertise. that is, the data logging process can be realized in a "program-less" manner. in the above disclosure, the monitoring processing unit may validate a determination as to whether or not the trigger condition has been satisfied in response to a user operation. according to this disclosure, since the data logging process can be validated only in necessary scenes, it is possible to avoid, for example, unnecessary monitoring and data output. in the above disclosure, the second control unit may transmit a command for validating the determination as to whether or not the trigger condition has been satisfied to the first control unit in response to a user operation with respect to the second control unit. according to this disclosure, since the data logging process for data that is handled by the second control unit can be validated by a user operating the second control unit, a target of the data logging process and an operation target are matched with each other. accordingly, a likelihood of erroneous operation can be reduced. in the above disclosure, the monitoring processing unit may output time-series values over a predetermined period including a timing at which it is determined that the trigger condition has been satisfied. according to this disclosure, when any trigger condition has been satisfied, it is possible to recognize a temporal status change from immediately before the satisfaction, and therefore, a cause of an abnormality that has occurred or the like can be easily estimated. in the above disclosure, the control system may further include a configuration reception unit adapted to provide a user interface screen for generating the trigger condition and the output configuration. according to this disclosure, a setting operation of the trigger condition and the output configuration can be facilitated. in the above disclosure, the configuration reception unit may output a message when data not held in the storage unit of the first control unit is designated as the trigger condition or the output configuration. according to this disclosure, it is possible to realize operation support of the user on the premise of a configuration that can output only data to be transferred via the first control unit. in the above disclosure, the trigger condition and the output configuration may be defined using variables available in the second control unit. the first control unit may have memory mapping information indicating a correspondence relationship between the variables used for definition of the trigger condition and the output configuration and the data held in the storage unit. the memory mapping information may be generated at the same time as when the second control program is generated. according to this disclosure, it is possible to maintain consistency between the memory mapping information referred to by the first control unit and the safety program executed by the second control unit. according to the embodiment, a control device that controls a control target according to a first control program is provided. the control device is communicatively connected to a second control unit executing a second control program and communicatively connected to an input and output unit that serves to input a signal from a field and/or output a signal to a field. the control device includes: a data transfer relay unit that executes a process of transferring input data corresponding to a signal input to the input and output unit to the second control unit according to a request from the second control unit, and/or a process of transferring output data that defines a signal to be output from the input and output unit from the second control unit to the input and output unit, a storage unit that holds the data transferred by the data transfer relay unit, and a monitoring processing unit that determines whether or not a predetermined trigger condition has been satisfied on the basis of the data held in the storage unit, and outputs a value of any data held in the storage unit according to a predetermined output configuration when it is determined that the trigger condition has been satisfied. according to this disclosure, the control device executing the safety program is not involved in a process of outputting the value of the data when the trigger condition has been satisfied, and the standard control unit can output the value of the data alone. therefore, the data logging process can be provided without having an influence on execution of the safety program in the safety control unit. according to the disclosure, even when there is a control unit that cannot implement a data collection function due to various restrictions, data collection related to the control unit can be realized. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall example of a configuration of a control system according to an embodiment. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an overall system including the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a standard control unit constituting the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a safety control unit constituting the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a support device connected to a control system according to the embodiment. fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating data transfer of input and output data in the safety control unit of the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data logging process that is executed in the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of memory mapping information used for the data logging process that is executed in the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen for generating a logging configuration for the data logging process that is executed in the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process that is provided by the support device according to the embodiment. fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of the data logging process that is provided by the control system according to the embodiment. fig. 12 , including fig.12(a) and fig.12(b) , is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the control system according to the embodiment, in which fig. 12a illustrates an example of a processing procedure in the support device, and fig. 12b illustrates an example of a processing procedure in the standard control unit. description of the embodiments embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. in the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated. <a. example of application> first, an example of a scene in which the disclosure is applied will be described. the control system according to the embodiment includes a first control unit that executes a first control program, a second control unit that executes a second control program, and an input and output unit. as one example, a standard control unit that controls a control target according to a standard control program may be adopted as the first control unit, and a safety control unit that executes a safety program may be adopted as the second control unit. in this case, a safety input and output unit that serves to input a signal from the safety component and/or output a signal to the safety component may be adopted as the input and output unit. alternatively, the standard control unit may be adopted as any of the first control unit and the second control unit. typically, the first control unit may execute the first control program, and the second control unit may execute the second control program to control the control target. in this case, it is assumed that the first control unit has more calculation resources than the second control unit. furthermore, a safety control unit may be adopted as any of the first control unit and the second control unit. that is, when the status recording process (the data logging process) is implemented, an environment in which the first control unit has less constraints than the second control unit is assumed. in the following description, as a typical example, a standard control unit is assumed as the first control unit, and a safety control unit is assumed as the second control unit. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 1 , the control system 2 includes a standard control unit 100 that is an example of a control device, a safety control unit 200, and one or a plurality of safety input and output units (hereinafter also referred to as "safety io units") 250. the standard control unit 100 controls a control target according to a standard control program 1062. the control target includes any facility or device. the safety control unit 200 is communicatively connected to the standard control unit 100. typically, the standard control unit 100 and the safety control unit 200 are connected via an internal bus. the safety control unit 200 executes a safety program 2062. in this specification, "standard control" that is executed according to the standard control program 1062 typically collectively refers to a process of sequentially generating commands for controlling the control target, according to a predetermined required specification. further, in this specification, the "safety control" that is executed according to the safety program 2062 is a term collectively referring to a process of generating a command for preventing a security of a person from being threatened by the control target due to any problem. the safety control includes a process of stopping the control target, for example, not only when a behavior of the control target itself is different from an inherent behavior, but also when it is determined that, for example, the control system 2 cannot appropriately execute control. a safety io unit 250 serves to input signals from the safety component and/or output a signal to the safety component. the safety component includes a safety relay or various safety sensors. although the example in which the safety io unit 250 is disposed on a common transfer path to the safety control unit 200, the disclosure is not limited thereto and the safety io unit 250 may be connected to the standard control unit 100 via another transfer path. the standard control unit 100 includes a data transfer relay unit 20 associated with the transfer path of the safety control unit 200 and the safety io unit 250. according to a request from the safety control unit 200, the data transfer relay unit 20 executes a process of transmitting, to the safety control unit 200, input data corresponding to a signal input to the safety io unit 250 and/or a process of transferring output data defining a signal to be output from the safety io unit 250 from the safety control unit 200 to the safety io unit 250. the standard control unit 100 includes an io data memory 124 which is an example of a storage unit which holds data that is transmitted by the data transfer relay unit 20. the standard control unit 100 includes a monitoring processing unit 160 associated with the io data memory 124. the monitoring processing unit 160 determines whether or not a predetermined trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied on the basis of the data held in the io data memory 124. when it is determined that the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied, the monitoring processing unit 160 outputs a value of any data held in the io data memory 124 according to a predetermined output configuration 1624. that is, the monitoring processing unit 160 executes a data logging process. it should be noted that the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624 may be combined as the logging configuration 162. by adopting the configuration as illustrated in fig. 1 , it is possible to realize a data logging process not having an influence on the execution of the safety program 2062 in the safety control unit 200. accordingly, irrespective of any problems occurring in the safety control, it is possible to support clarification or estimation of a cause thereof or the like. <b. configuration example of overall system 1> next, an example of a configuration of an overall system 1 including the control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the overall system 1 including the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 2 , the overall system 1 includes the control system 2, one or a plurality of field devices connected to the control system 2 via a field network 4, operation and display devices 400 connected to the control system 2 via a high-level network 6, and a server device 500. in this specification, the "field device" is a term collectively referring to devices capable of network connection via the field network 4. the field device may be various devices such as an io device, a robot controller, a temperature controller, and a flow rate controller, in addition to the safety io unit 10 illustrated in fig. 1 . the control system 2 is configured to be able to execute each of the standard control and the safety control. more specifically, the control system 2 includes the standard control unit 100 that serves standard control, a power supply unit 150, a safety control unit 200 that serves safety control, and one or a plurality of safety io units 250. these units are connected to be able to perform data communication via an internal bus 12 (see fig. 3 ). although only the safety io unit 250 is illustrated as an io unit in fig. 2 , the disclosure is not limited thereto, and a normal io unit or a communication unit to be used for the standard control may be mounted. the standard control unit 100 executes a standard control program arbitrarily created according to a control target to realize control for the control target. by using the standard io unit, the standard control unit 100 exchanges signals with field devices such as various sensors or switches. the safety control unit 200 executes a safety program created according to a predetermined safety reference to realize the safety control. the safety control unit 200 exchanges signals with the field devices such as the safety components using the one or plurality of safety io units 250 connected thereto via the internal bus 12 and/or the safety io unit 10 connected thereto via the field network 4. typically, it is preferable for a protocol in which a data arrival time between network nodes is guaranteed to be adopted for the field network 4. for example, ethercat (registered trademark) or the like can be adopted as such a protocol in which the data arrival time between network nodes is guaranteed. alternatively, ethernet/ip (registered trademark), devicenet (registered trademark), componet (registered trademark), or the like may be adopted. hereinafter, a case in which ethercat is adopted as the field network 4 will be described by way of example. in this specification, the "field network" collectively refers to a communication medium for realizing data transfer for an industrial device, and includes a concept including a "field bus". a support device 300 can be connected to the standard control unit 100 and/or the safety control unit 200 of the control system 2. the standard control unit 100 of the control system 2 is connected to one or a plurality of safety io units 10 via the field network 4. the standard control unit 100 functions as a communication master in the field network 4, and each of the safety io units 10 functions as a slave. the standard control unit 100 acquires data (hereinafter also referred to as "input data") collected by the safety io unit 10 via the field network 4, and transmits a command for the safety io unit 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "output data"). the operation and display device 400 functions as a human machine interface (hmi) device, displays a status value or the like held by the control system 2, receives a user operation, and outputs the user operation to the control system 2. the server device 500 includes, for example, a database that collects information from the control system 2 or an operation management system that gives various configurations such as a recipe to the control system 2. <c. example of hardware configuration> next, an example of a hardware configuration of a main device constituting the overall system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. (c1: standard control unit 100) fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the standard control unit 100 constituting the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 3 , the standard control unit 100 includes a processor 102, a main memory 104, a storage 106, a high-level network controller 108, field network controllers 110 and 112, a universal serial bus (usb) controller 114, a memory card interface 116, and an internal bus controller 120. these components are connected via a processor bus 130. the processor 102 corresponds to a calculation processing unit that executes a control calculation or the like, and includes a central processing unit (cpu) or a graphics processing unit (gpu). specifically, the processor 102 reads a program (for example, the system program 1060 and the standard control program 1062) stored in the storage 106, develops the program in the main memory 104, and executes the program to realize control according to a control target, and various processes as will be described below. the main memory 104 includes, for example, a volatile storage device such as a dynamic random access memory (dram) or a static random access memory (sram). the storage 106 includes, for example, a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (hdd) or a solid state drive (ssd). in the storage 106, the standard control program 1062 created according to a control target such as a facility or a machine is stored in addition to the system program 1060 for realizing basic functions. in the storage 106, a memory mapping information 164 may be further stored. details of the memory mapping information 164 will be described below. the high-level network controller 108 exchanges data with any information processing device such as the operation and display device 400 or the server device 500 (see fig. 2 ) via the high-level network 6. the field network controllers 110 and 112 exchanges data with the field device via the field network 4. the field network controllers 110 and 112 function as communication masters for performing periodic communication via the field network 4. although the field network controllers 110 and 112 are illustrated in fig. 3 , a single field network controller may be provided. the usb controller 114 exchanges data with the support device 300 or the like via a usb connection. the memory card interface 116 receives a memory card 118 which is an example of a detachable recording medium. the memory card interface 116 can write data to the memory card 118 and can read various types of data (logs, trace data, or the like) from the memory card 118. the internal bus controller 120 exchanges data with one or a plurality of functional units (including the safety io unit 250) via the internal bus 12. the internal bus controller 120 corresponds to a communication interface for electrically connecting the standard control unit 100 to the functional unit. in this specification, the "functional unit" is a term collectively referring to a device connected to the standard control unit 100 or the like to exchange various signals with a control target. the functional unit may include an io unit, a communication unit, and a controller unit having special functions such as pid control or motion control. the io unit has, for example, one or a plurality of functions among a digital input (di) function for receiving a digital input signal from the control target, a digital output (do) function for transmitting a digital output signal to the control target, an analog input (ai) function for receiving an analog input signal from the control target, and an analog output (ao) function for transmitting an analog output signal to the control target. the internal bus controller 120 functions as a communication master for performing periodic communication via the internal bus 12. more specifically, the internal bus controller 120 includes a master controller 122, an io data memory 124, a transmission circuit (tx) 126, and a reception circuit (rx) 128. the io data memory 124 is a memory for temporarily holding data (input data and output data) that is exchanged with the functional unit via the internal bus 12, and an address is predefined in association with each functional unit. the transmission circuit 126 generates a communication frame including output data and transmits the communication frame on the internal bus 12. the reception circuit 128 receives a communication frame transferred on the internal bus 12 and demodulates the communication frame into input data. the internal bus controller 120 provides a function as the data transfer relay unit 20 ( fig. 1 ). the master controller 122 controls the io data memory 124, the transmission circuit 126, and the reception circuit 128 according to, for example, a data transfer timing on the internal bus 12. the master controller 122 provides control as a communication master that manages, for example, data transfer on the internal bus 12. although the example of the configuration in which the necessary functions are provided by the processor 102 executing the program is illustrated in fig. 3 , some or all of the provided functions may be implemented by a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a field-programmable gate array (fpga), or the like). alternatively, main units of the standard control unit 100 may be realized by using hardware according to a general-purpose architecture (for example, an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer). in this case, a plurality of operating systems (oss) having different uses may be executed in parallel using a virtualization technology and necessary applications may be executed on each os. further, a configuration in which the functions of the display device, the support device, and the like are integrated in the standard control unit 100 may be adopted. (c2: power supply unit 150) the power supply unit 150 supplies power to the standard control unit 100, the safety control unit 200, and the safety io units 250 constituting the control system 2, and also supplies power to various devices (a sensor, a relay, and the like) connected to the safety io unit 250. since the hardware configuration of the power supply unit 150 is well known, more detailed description thereof will be omitted. (c3: safety control unit 200) fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the safety control unit 200 constituting the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 4 , the safety control unit 200 includes a processor 202, a main memory 204, a storage 206, and an internal bus controller 220. these components are connected via a processor bus 230. the internal bus controller 220 functions as a communication slave and provides a communication interface that is the same as the functional unit. that is, the internal bus controller 220 exchanges data with the standard control unit 100 and the functional unit via the internal bus 12. the functional unit and the safety control unit 200 are connected in a daisy chain on the internal bus 12. that is, when the internal bus controller 220 receives a communication frame from a device present on the upstream side on the internal bus 12, the internal bus controller 220 internally copies all or a part of data of the communication frame and transfers all or a part of the data to a device present on the downstream side. similarly, when the internal bus controller 220 receives a communication frame from a device present on the downstream side on the internal bus 12, the internal bus controller 220 internally copies all or a part of the data of the communication frame, and transfers all or a part of the data to a device present on the upstream side. through such sequential transfer of the communication frames, data transfer is realized between the standard control unit 100 and the functional unit/the safety control unit 200. more specifically, the internal bus controller 220 includes a slave controller 222, a buffer memory 224, transmission circuits (tx) 225 and 226, and reception circuits (rx) 227 and 228. the buffer memory 224 temporarily holds communication frames transferred on the internal bus 12. when the reception circuit 227 receives the communication frame transferred on the internal bus 12, the reception circuit 227 stores all or a part of the communication frame in the buffer memory 224. the transmission circuit 226 transmits the communication frame received by the reception circuit 227 to the internal bus 12 on the downstream side. similarly, when the reception circuit 228 receives the communication frame transferred on the internal bus 12, the reception circuit 228 stores all or a part of the communication frame in the buffer memory 224. the transmission circuit 225 transmits the communication frame received by the reception circuit 128 to the internal bus 12 on the downstream side. the slave controller 222 controls the transmission circuits 225 and 226, the reception circuits 227 and 228, and the buffer memory 224 in order to realize the sequential transfer of communication frames on the internal bus 12. the processor 202 corresponds to a calculation processing unit that executes a control calculation and the like, and includes a cpu, a gpu, or the like. specifically, the processor 202 reads a program (for example, a system program 2060 and the safety program 2062) stored in the storage 206, develops the program in the main memory 204, and executes the program to realize control according to a control target, and various processes as will be described below. the main memory 204 includes, for example, a volatile storage device such as a dram or an sram. the storage 206 includes, for example, a nonvolatile storage device such as an hdd or an ssd. in the storage 206, the safety program 2062 created according to a safety component that is a target is stored in addition to the system program 2060 for realizing basic functions. although the example of the configuration in which necessary functions are provided by the processor 202 executing the program is illustrated in fig. 4 , some or all of these functions to be provided may be implemented by a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an asic or an fpga). alternatively, main units of the safety control unit 200 may be realized by using hardware according to a general-purpose architecture (for example, an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer). (c4: safety io unit 250) the safety io unit 250 is an example of a functional unit connected to the standard control unit 100 via the internal bus 12 and performs signal input from the safety component and/or signal output to the safety component. the safety io unit 250 has an input, output, and management function for signals necessary for realization of safety, such as a feedback signal, as compared with the standard io unit. since a hardware configuration of the safety io unit 250 is well known, more detailed description thereof will be omitted. (c5: support device 300) fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the support device 300 connected to the control system 2 according to the embodiment. the support device 300 is realized by, for example, executing a program using hardware (for example, a general-purpose personal computer) according to a general-purpose architecture. referring to fig. 5 , the support device 300 includes a processor 302, a main memory 304, a storage 306, an input unit 308, a display unit 310, an optical drive 312, and a usb controller 316. these components are connected via a processor bus 318. the processor 302 includes a cpu and the like, reads a program (for example, an os 3060 and a support program 3062) stored in the storage 306, develops the program in the main memory 304, and executes the program to realize various processing as will be described below. the main memory 304 includes a volatile storage device, such as a dram or an sram. the storage 306 includes, for example, a nonvolatile storage device such as an hdd or an ssd. the support program 3062 for providing a function as the support device 300 is stored in the storage 306, in addition to the os 3060 for realizing basic functions. the input unit 308 includes a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and receives a user operation. the display unit 310 includes a display, various indicators, a printer, or the like, and outputs processing results or the like from the processor 302. the usb controller 316 controls exchanges of data with, for example, the standard control unit 100 of the control system 2 via a usb connection. the support device 300 includes the optical drive 312, and a program is read from a recording medium 314 (for example, an optical recording medium such as a digital versatile disc (dvd)) that non-transitorily stores a computer-readable program, and installed in the storage 306 or the like. although the program to be executed by the support device 300 may be installed via the computer-readable recording medium 314, the program may be downloaded and installed from, for example, a server device on a network. in addition, functions that are provided by the support device 300 according to the embodiment may be realized by using some of modules that are provided by the os. although the example of the configuration in which the necessary functions of the support device 300 are provided by the processor 302 executing the program is illustrated in fig. 5 , some or all of these functions to be provided may be implemented by using a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an asic or an fpga). (c6: operation and display device 400) as the operation and display device 400 constituting the overall system 1 according to the embodiment, a hardware configuration implemented as a dedicated device may be adopted or a hardware configuration according to a general-purpose architecture (for example, an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer) may be adopted. when the operation and display device 400 is realized by an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer, the same hardware configuration as that of the support device 300 as illustrated in fig. 5 described above is adopted. however, an application program for realizing hmi processing is installed in place of the support program 3062 in the example of the configurations illustrated in fig. 5 . (c7: server device 500) the server device 500 constituting the overall system 1 according to the embodiment can be realized by, for example, using a general-purpose file server or database server. since a hardware configuration of such a device is well known, more detailed description will be omitted. <d. data transmission of input and output data> next, data transfer of input and output data in the safety control unit 200 of the control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating data transfer of input and output data in the safety control unit 200 of the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 6 , the safety control unit 200 exchanges input data and output data with the one or plurality of safety io units 250 connected via the internal bus 12. the safety control unit 200 is not a communication master with respect to the data transfer on the internal bus 12, and cannot control a data transmission and reception timing by itself. therefore, the input data and the output data are exchanged between the safety control unit 200 and the one or plurality of safety io units 250 via the standard control unit 100 which is a communication master of the internal bus 12. for example, when the safety control unit 200 collects input data held by a specific safety io unit 250, the safety control unit 200 transmits an input data request 602 to the standard control unit 100 (the internal bus controller 120). then, the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100 transmits an input data transmission request 604 to the safety io unit 250 that is a target. the safety io unit 250 receiving the input data transmission request 604 transmits designated input data 606 to the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100. the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100 temporarily stores the input data 606 from the safety io unit 250 in the io data memory 124 and transmits some or all of the pieces of the stored data to the safety control unit 200 as the input data 608. through such a series of transmission and reception processes, the input data held by the safety io unit 250 is transferred to the safety control unit 200. conversely, when output data is transmitted from the safety control unit 200 to the specific safety io unit 250 and collected, the output data is transferred through a path reverse to a path described above. that is, the safety control unit 200 transmits the output data directed to the specific safety io unit 250 to the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100. the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100 temporarily stores the output data from the safety control unit 200 in the io data memory 124 and transmits some or all of the pieces of stored data to the safety io unit 250 that is a target as the output data. accordingly, the output data is transferred from the safety control unit 200 to the specific safety io unit 250. further, the safety control unit 200 exchanges the input data and the output data with the one or plurality of safety io units 10 remotely connected thereto via the field network 4. in this case, the input data and the output data are exchanged between the safety control unit 200 and the one or plurality of safety io units 10 via the standard control unit 100 which is a communication master of the field network 4. for example, when the safety control unit 200 collects input data held by the specific safety io unit 10, the safety control unit 200 transmits an input data request 612 to the standard control unit 100 (the internal bus controller 120) . when the field network controller 110 of the standard control unit 100 receives the input data request 612, the field network controller 110 of the standard control unit 100 transmits an input data transmission request 614 to the safety io unit 10 that is a target. the safety io unit 10 receiving the input data transmission request 614 transmits designated input data 616 to the field network controller 110 of the standard control unit 100. when the field network controller 110 of the standard control unit 100 receives the input data 616 from the safety io unit 10, the field network controller 110 of the standard control unit 100 internally transfers the input data 616 to the internal bus controller 120. the internal bus controller 120 temporarily stores the transferred input data 616 in the io data memory 124 and transmits some or all of the pieces of stored data to the safety control unit 200 as input data 618. through such a series of transmission and reception processes, the input data held by the safety io unit 10 is transmitted to the safety control unit 200. conversely, when output data is transmitted from the safety control unit 200 to the specific safety io unit 10 and collected, the output data is transferred via a path reverse to a path described above. that is, the safety control unit 200 transmits output data directed to the specific safety io unit 10 to the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100. the internal bus controller 120 of the standard control unit 100 temporarily stores the output data from the safety control unit 200 in the io data memory 124 and internally transfers some or all of the pieces of stored data to the field network controller 110 as output data. the field network controller 110 transmits the transferred output data to the safety io unit 10 that is a target. accordingly, the output data is transferred from the safety control unit 200 to the specific safety io unit 10. <e. data logging processing> next, a data logging process that is executed in the control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data logging process that is executed in the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 7 , the standard control unit 100 includes a monitoring processing unit 160 for realizing the data logging process. typically, the monitoring processing unit 160 is realized by the processor 102 executing the system program 1060. the monitoring processing unit 160 may be registered as a part of a task that is executed in the standard control unit 100. the monitoring processing unit 160 monitors the value of the io data memory 124 at predetermined periods. as described with reference to fig. 6 , the input data and/or the output data exchanged between the safety control unit 200 and the safety io unit 250 or the safety io unit 10 is stored in the io data memory 124. the monitoring processing unit 160 determines whether or not a value of the input data and/or the output data stored in the io data memory 124 or a change in the value satisfies any one trigger condition 1622 defined in the logging configuration 162. when it is determined that the value or the change satisfies the trigger condition 1622, a data logging process of the target data according to the output configuration 1624 associated with the trigger condition 1622 determined to be satisfied is started. logging data 166 collected through the data logging process is output as data. typically, the collected logging data 166 is written to the memory card 118. that is, the monitoring processing unit 160 may write a value of the data to the memory card 118 which is an example of a detachable recording medium. alternatively, the collected logging data 166 may be written to the storage 106 in the standard control unit 100 or may be transmitted to another device via the field network 4 or the high-level network 6. for example, the logging data 166 may be transmitted to the server device 500 connected to the control system 2 via the high-level network 6. the logging configuration 162 and the memory mapping information 164 may be stored in the memory card 118 itself. in this case, it is possible to prepare for the data logging process only by mounting the memory card 118 in which such information is stored in advance, in the standard control unit 100. that is, the monitoring processing unit 160 may read the logging configuration 162 (the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624) from the memory card 118 which is an example of a detachable recording medium. the monitoring processing unit 160 can recognize a variable meant by the data stored in the io data memory 124 by referring to the memory mapping information 164 prepared in advance. the trigger condition 1622 to be defined in the logging configuration 162 can be defined using one or a plurality of variables, and the memory mapping information 164 is prepared as information indicating whether such a variable corresponds to data stored in any area of the io data memory 124. <f. memory mapping information 164> next, the memory mapping information 164 illustrated in fig. 7 will be described. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the memory mapping information 164 used for the data logging process that is executed in the control system 2 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 8 , a variable name column 1642 and an address column 1644 are typically associated with each other in the memory mapping information 164. names of one or a plurality of variables (variable names) that can be designated as the trigger condition 1622 or the output configuration 1624 of the logging configuration 162 are stored in the variable name column 1642, and an address of the io data memory 124 at which each variable is arranged is stored in the address column 1644. it should be noted that a data structure of the memory mapping information 164 is not limited to that illustrated in fig. 8 , and any data structure (for example, a structure further including a data type of each variable or a comment) may be adopted. the monitoring processing unit 160 can specify an address at which a variable designated as the trigger condition 1622 and/or a variable designated as the output configuration 1624 is arranged, by referring to the memory mapping information 164. thus, the logging configuration 162 (the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624) may be defined using variables available in the safety control unit 200. in this case, the standard control unit 100 refers to the memory mapping information 164 indicating a correspondence relationship between the variables to be used for a definition of the logging configuration 162 (the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624) and the data held in the io data memory 124. since the memory mapping information 164 is generated at the same time when the safety program 2062 is generated, inconsistency between the safety control unit 200 and the standard control unit 100 can be prevented. <g. logging configuration 162> next, the logging configuration 162 illustrated in fig. 7 will be described. fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen 700 for generating the logging configuration 162 for the data logging process that is executed in the control system 2 according to the embodiment. fig. 9 illustrates an example of the user interface screen 700 for generating the logging configuration 162. the user interface screen 700 may be provided by the support device 300, for example. in this case, the support device 300 provides a configuration reception function of providing the user interface screen 700 for generating the logging configuration 162 (the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624). however, the disclosure is not limited to the support device 300, and the safety control unit 200 itself may provide the user interface screen 700. the user interface screen 700 includes a generation button 702, an input pulldown 704, and an input field 706. the generation button 702 receives an instruction to output the logging configuration 162 as a file on the basis of information input to the user interface screen 700. the input pulldown 704 receives a data logging number that is assigned to the logging configuration 162 to be generated. the input field 706 receives a data logging id to be assigned to the logging configuration 162 to be generated. the data logging number and the data logging id can be arbitrarily set by the user. the user interface screen 700 further includes a trigger condition setting portion 710, an input field 716, and a slider 718. the trigger condition setting portion 710 receives a setting of the trigger condition performed by the user. specifically, the trigger condition setting portion 710 includes a variable designation portion 712 and a state designation portion 714. the user inputs the name of the variable (the variable name) serving as the trigger condition 1622 for data logging to the variable designation portion 712 and inputs a designation as to whether the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied in a certain state of the input variable to the state designation portion 714. in the example illustrated in fig. 9 , a variable "sri" is set as a target, and a change in a value thereof to "false" (falling from true to false) is set as the trigger condition 1622. the input field 716 receives a sampling period (a part of the output configuration 1624) for performing data logging after the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied. in the example illustrated in fig. 9 , " 5 ms" is set as the sampling period. the slider 718 receives a configuration (a part of the output configuration 1624) as to whether data is collected from a certain previous period with reference to a timing at which the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied. in the example illustrated in fig. 9 , data between "10.000 s" immediately before the timing at which the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied and "5.000 s" following the timing at which the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied is set to be logged. normally, when any event occurs, confirming a state immediately before the occurrence of the event is often desired, and therefore, setting such a pre-trigger ratio is effective. in this case, the monitoring processing unit 160 outputs a time-series value over a predetermined period of time including a timing at which it is determined that the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied. the user interface screen 700 further includes a target data setting portion 720 for setting the output configuration 1624. the target data setting portion 720 includes a variable name column 722, a data type column 724, and a comment column 726. in the variable name column 722, a variable name for specifying a variable to be set as target data is set or displayed. in the data type column 724, a data type of the corresponding variable (for example, a boolean safety variable (safebool) or boolean variable (bool)) is set. it should be noted that the data type set in the data type column 724 may be automatically set by referring to a variable definition or the like set in advance. in the comment column 726, comments assigned to the variables set as the target data are set or displayed. for the comment column 726, the user may set any comments, or preset comments may be displayed in the comment column 726 by referring to a variable definition or the like. for example, the same variables may be set as target data of the data logging process by copying and pasting variables displayed as a list on the screen for creating the safety program to the target data setting portion 720. the configurations input via the user interface screen 700 illustrated in fig. 9 are stored in the logging configuration 162. data logging can be set for each number set in the input pulldown 704 of the user interface screen 700. in the single standard control unit 100, a plurality of logging configurations 162 may be executed in parallel or only a specific logging configuration 162 selected by the user may be executed. as described above, in the control system 2 according to the embodiment, since the standard control unit 100 executes the data logging process, only the variables accessible to the standard control unit 100 (that is, the input data and/or the output data used in the safety control unit 200) may be the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624. therefore, at a stage of generating the logging configuration 162, a determination may be made as to whether or not the variables set on the user interface screen 700 are valid in the data logging process. when the set variables are not valid (that is, when corresponding data cannot be accessed from the standard control unit 100), an error may be output together with a message indicating that the variables are not valid. that is, when data not held in the io data memory 124 of the standard control unit 100 is designated as the logging configuration 162 (the trigger condition 1622 or the output configuration 1624), the support device 300 providing the user interface screen 700 or the like may output a message. the user interface screen 700 further includes an import button 732 and an export button 734. when the import button 732 is pressed, a process of reading the created logging configuration 162 using any method is executed. when the export button 734 is pressed, a process of externally outputting information set on the user interface screen 700 in any format is executed. by adopting a function of importing the logging configuration 162 related to the data logging process to the user interface screen 700, a configuration of a functional unit mounted on the control system 2 is changed, for example, even when variables used in the safety program are the same. accordingly, it is possible to regenerate the logging configuration 162 even when data mapping on the io data memory 124 of the standard control unit 100 has been changed. it should be noted that the data logging process being executable may be incorporated in the logging configuration 162 as a monitoring condition. for example, the logging configuration 162 in which a flag indicating a status of the safety control unit 200 (that is, a flag indicating that the data logging process is executable) has been defined as a trigger condition 1622 for starting the data logging process may be automatically generated. when the standard control unit 100 normally operates by incorporating such a trigger condition 1622, but the data logging process cannot be appropriately executed due to a problem in the safety control unit 200, it is not necessary to execute the data logging process uselessly. <h. process provided by support device 300> next, a process that is provided by the support device 300 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process that is provided by the support device 300 according to the embodiment. referring to fig. 10 , it is assumed that a project file 350 for realizing safety control in the safety control unit 200 is stored in the support device 300. the support device 300 generates an object type safety program 2062 and generates the memory mapping information 164 by building (a type of compiling) the project file 350. in the control system 2 according to the embodiment, the data stored in the io data memory 124 of the standard control unit 100 becomes a target of the data logging process. therefore, it is necessary to define a correspondence relationship between the variables available in the safety control unit 200 and the data in the io data memory 124 accessible to the standard control unit 100. that is, it is necessary to define a path to the data in the io data memory 124 that can be recognized by the standard control unit 100 that executes the data logging process from the variables of the safety control unit 200, and the memory mapping information 164 defines such a path to the data for each variable. further, when data logging is set via the user interface screen 700 as illustrated in fig. 9 , the logging configuration 162 is generated. the safety program 2062 generated by the support device 300 is transferred (downloaded) to the safety control unit 200, and the memory mapping information 164 generated by the support device 300 is transferred (downloaded) to the standard control unit 100. further, the generated logging configuration 162 may be stored in the memory card 118 or the like. by storing the logging configuration 162 in the memory card 118, it is possible to give the logging configuration 162 to the standard control unit 100 via the memory card 118. <1. example of use> next, an example of use of the data logging process that is provided by the control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of the data logging process that is provided by the control system 2 according to the embodiment. fig. 11 illustrates an example of use in which a maintenance person in charge of maintenance at a manufacturing site and a device designer at a place different from the manufacturing site cooperate to estimate a cause of an abnormality. referring to fig. 11 , first, the device designer estimates one or a plurality of events that are analysis targets, generates a logging configuration according to each event, and sends the logging configuration to the maintenance person (process (1)). the maintenance person stores the logging configuration 162 received from the device designer in the memory card 118 (process (2)). subsequently, the maintenance person mounts, in the standard control unit 100, the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored, and validates the configuration (process (3)). when any abnormality event occurs and the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied in a state in which the setting has been validated, the standard control unit 100 outputs the logging data 166 (process (4)). typically, the output logging data 166 is written to the memory card 118. the maintenance person removes the memory card 118 to which the logging data 166 has been written from the standard control unit 100, acquires the logging data 166 from the removed memory card 118 (process (5)), and sends the logging data 166 to the device designer (process (6)). that is, the maintenance person requests the device designer to analyze the logging data 166. the device designer analyzes the logging data 166 sent from the maintenance person and estimates the cause of the abnormality (process (7)). on the basis of on the content of the estimated cause of the abnormality, an advice regarding improvement of the device or the like is given from the device designer to the maintenance person. by providing such a series of data logging process, even when an abnormality or the like of which a cause cannot be specified by the maintenance person occurs, it is possible to increase a likelihood of estimation or specifying of the cause of the abnormality through data analysis of the device designer having higher expertise. further, according to the control system 2 according to the embodiment, the maintenance person only needs to store the logging configuration 162 sent from the device designer in the memory card 118 and mount the memory card 118 in the standard control unit 100, the data logging process can be easily realized. by adopting such a "program-less" configuration, even when the maintenance person has poor expertise, the necessary logging data 166 can be reliably collected when any abnormality event has occurred, and as a result, it is possible to increase a likelihood of a cause of the abnormality event that has occurred being able to be specified. <j. validation operation> next, an example of an operation for validating the configuration illustrated in fig. 11 described above will be described. as described above, after the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored is mounted in the standard control unit 100, the user validates the logging configuration 162 to start monitoring as to whether or not the trigger condition 1622 of the data logging process has been satisfied. that is, the monitoring processing unit 160 may validate a determination as to whether or not the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied in response to an operation of the user. for such a validation operation, for example, (1) a method of pressing any service switch that is present in the standard control unit 100 or (2) a method of pressing any service switch that is present in the safety control unit 200 rather than the standard control unit 100 can be considered. when the method of pressing any service switch that is present in the safety control unit 200 is adopted, an internal command for instructing validation of the logging configuration 162 is issued from the safety control unit 200 to the standard control unit 100. that is, in response to a user operation with respect to the safety control unit 200, the safety control unit 200 transmits to the standard control unit 100 a command for validating the determination as to whether or not the trigger condition 1622 has been satisfied. further, for the validation operation, (3) mounting, in the standard control unit 100, the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored may be used as a start event, or (4) restarting the standard control unit 100 after the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored is mounted in the standard control unit 100 may be used as a start event. when the method (3) is adopted, it takes least time and effort since it is only necessary for the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored to be mounted in the standard control unit 100. further, for the validation operation, (5) operating an internal variable managed by the standard control unit 100 or the safety control unit 200 may be used as a start event. more specifically, for example, the user may validate the logging configuration 162 by changing a value of the internal variable such as a system variable via the operation and display device 400, the support device 300, or the like. by adopting the method of using the internal variable, it is possible to improve operability from an external device. it should be noted that the state in which the logging configuration 162 is validated may be externally displayed or notified. as a method of such display or notification to the outside, arbitrary lamps and indicators arranged on the surface of the standard control unit 100 or the safety control unit 200 may be in a predetermined display form. for example, in the example of the configuration illustrated in fig. 2 , whether or not the data logging process is being monitored may be displayed using a 7-segment led disposed on a surface of the safety control unit 200. further, a notification of a state in which the logging configuration 162 is validated by using internal variables (for example, system variables) managed by the standard control unit 100 or the safety control unit 200 may be sent to the outside. by using such internal variables, an object for notifying whether or not the data logging process is being monitored can be displayed on the user interface screen of the operation and display device 400. it should be noted that the logging configuration 162 is not limited to the configuration given to the standard control unit 100 via the memory card 118, and methods such as data transfer from the support device 300 to the standard control unit 100 or downloading from the server device 500 to the standard control unit 100 can be used. even in such a case, a validation setting method that is the same as that described above can be adopted. <k. processing procedure> next, a processing procedure in the control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the control system 2 according to the embodiment. fig. 12a illustrates an example of a processing procedure in the support device 300, and fig. 12b illustrates an example of a processing procedure in the standard control unit 100. referring to fig. 12a , when generation of the logging configuration 162 is instructed (yes in step s100), the support device 300 acquires variables available in the safety control unit 200 (step s102) and extracts a variable indicating input and output data among the acquired variables (step s104). that is, the support device 300 extracts data for which the standard control unit 100 is involved in the data transfer among the variables available in the safety control unit 200. this extracted variable indicates data that is held in the io data memory 124 of the standard control unit 100 and can be a candidate for target data of the data logging process. subsequently, the support device 300 receives configurations related to the data logging process including, for example, configurations of the trigger condition 1622 and the output configuration 1624 from the user (step s106). in response to the generation instruction from the user, the support device 300 generates a file of the logging configuration 162 reflecting the content of the received configurations (step s108). the support device 300 writes the generated file of the logging configuration 162 to the memory card 118 (step s110). the process then ends. referring to fig. 12b , when the memory card 118 in which the logging configuration 162 has been stored is mounted (yes in step s200), the standard control unit 100 reads the stored logging configuration 162 from the memory card 118 (step s202). when the standard control unit 100 receives a validation operation from the user (yes in step s204), the standard control unit 100 transitions to a state in which satisfaction of the trigger condition 1622 according to the read logging configuration 162 is periodically monitored (a validated state) by referring to the memory mapping information 164 held in advance (step s206). the standard control unit 100 relays data transfer between the safety control unit 200 and the safety io unit according to an instruction or a request from the safety control unit 200 (step s208). subsequently, the standard control unit 100 determines whether or not the data logging process is in a validated state (step s210). when the data logging process is not in the validated state (that is, when the data logging process is in an invalidated state) (no in step s210), processes of steps s212 and s214 are skipped. on the other hand, when the data logging process is in the validated state (yes in step s210), the standard control unit 100 determines whether any trigger condition 1622 defined in the logging configuration 162 has been satisfied by referring to data stored in the io data memory 124 to be used for data transfer of input data and/or output data (step s212). when any trigger condition 1622 defined in the logging configuration 162 has been satisfied (yes in step s212), the standard control unit 100 outputs time-series data of target data designated as the output configuration 1624 associated with the satisfied trigger condition 1622 to the memory card 118 as logging data (step s214). subsequently, when any trigger condition 1622 defined in the logging configuration 162 is not satisfied (no in step s212) or after step s214 is executed, the standard control unit 100 determines whether or not an invalidation setting has been received from the user (step s216). when the invalidation setting has not been received from the user (no in step s216), the processes of step s208 and the subsequent steps are repeated. when the invalidation setting has been received from the user (yes in step s216), the standard control unit 100 transitions to the invalidated state for the data logging process according to the read logging configuration 162 (step s218). the processes of step s208 and subsequent steps are repeated. <n. advantages> in the control system according to the embodiment, the input data and the output data (io data) used by the safety control unit 200 are exchanged with the safety io units 10 and 250 via the standard control unit 100. by using such a configuration for data transfer, it is possible to realize monitoring according to the trigger condition and outputting the trace data at the time of satisfaction of the trigger condition in the standard control unit 100 without interfering with the execution of the safety program 2062 in the safety control unit 200. accordingly, it is possible to facilitate investigation of a cause when any abnormality occurs while satisfying a need imposed on the safety control.
011-482-874-146-590	BE	[ "BE", "AU", "WO" ]	A47G27/04,E04F21/22	2002-02-15T00:00:00	2002	[ "A47", "E04" ]	device for laying a floor covering	device for laying a floor covering, in particular a carpet, which device comprises an unrolling unit provided with a bearing table on which a carrier roll can be mounted, around which carrier roll the floor covering can be rolled, which unrolling unit is disposed upstream of a drum, which is provided with suction means for drawing the floor covering, which can be wound off the carrier roll, against an outside wall of the drum, which drum can further be driven so that it rotates, in order to take floor covering that is present on said outside wall to a floor on which it is to be laid.	claims 1. device for laying a floor covering, in particular a carpet, characterized in that the device comprises an unrolling unit provided with a bearing table on which a carrier roll can be mounted, around which carrier roll the floor covering can be rolled up, which unrolling unit is disposed upstream of a drum, which is provided with suction means for drawing the floor covering, which can be wound off the carrier roll, against an outside wall of the drum, which drum can further be driven so that it rotates, in order to take floor covering that is present on said outside wall to a floor on which it is to be laid. 2. device according to claim 1 , characterized in that it further comprises a pressure roll, which is disposed in a position virtually parallel to the drum and is provided in order to guide the floor covering coming off the carrier roll towards the drum and to press it against the outside wall of the drum. 3. device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one slide block is fitted downstream of the drum, which slide block is provided for the purpose of pressing down the laid floor covering on the floor. 4. device according to claim 3, characterized in that said slide block is fitted resiliently and can be compressed. 5. device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a cutting element, which is disposed so that it can move in the widthwise direction of the floor covering. 6. device according to claim 5, characterized in that the cutting element comprises a rotatably driven cutting disc and a foot, which foot is disposed opposite the cutting edge of the cutter and can be moved along the abovementioned outside wall of the drum. 7. device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises gluing means, which are provided for gluing the floor covering on the floor. 8. device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the abovementioned bearing table comprises a set of rolls mounted on a lifting mechanism. 9. device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said device comprises two arms disposed in a position virtually parallel to each other and each connected to a first end of a rod, a second end of the rod being connected to a tilting mechanism. 10. device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the unrolling unit is detachably connected to a propulsion unit, which propulsion unit is provided with guide means for guiding it along a predetermined path. 11. device according to claim 10, characterized in that the guide means comprise at least two detection elements, which are staggered relative to each other and are provided in order to generate a detection beam, and are disposed in such a way that the detection beam is directed towards the floor, which detection elements are further provided in order to detect a reflected detection beam and to determine a guide signal from the reflected detection beam. 12. device according to claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the guide means comprise a reference source and are provided in order to guide the propulsion unit in an oriented manner to the reference source. 13. device according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the propulsion unit comprises at least one driving wheel, which can be rotated through an angle of at least 90° in the plane of the floor. 14. device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the propulsion ' unit is provided with an electric generator.	"device for laying a floor covering" the invention relates to a device for laying a floor covering, in particular a carpet. a floor covering such as carpet, linoleum or other covering that is wound onto a carrier roll is usually laid by rolling out the floor covering manually over the floor. the covering is laid in strips or lengths, care being taken that the strips or lengths placed next to each other butt up against each other accurately. the floor covering is either laid loose on the floor or is glued or tacked down on it. a disadvantage of the traditional method of laying floor coverings is that it is a labour-intensive process, certainly if a covering of several hundred m2 has to be laid within a short space of time, as is the case, for example, when an exhibition is being set up. the object of the invention is to achieve a device for laying a floor covering that makes it possible to lay the floor covering quickly and efficiently. a device for laying a floor covering according to the invention is characterized in that the device comprises an unrolling unit provided with a bearing table on which a carrier roll can be mounted, around which carrier roll the floor covering can be rolled up, which unrolling unit is disposed upstream of a drum, which is provided with suction means for drawing the floor covering, which can be wound off the carrier roll, against an outside wall of the drum, which drum can further be driven so that it rotates, in order to take floor covering that is present on said outside wall to a floor on which it is to be laid. the use of an unrolling unit provided with a drum makes it possible to lay the floor covering by machine. drawing the covering against the outside wall of the drum before laying it on the floor ensures that the covering is stretched tightly, so that said floor covering is laid nice and evenly on the floor. a first preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises a pressure roll, which is disposed in a position virtually parallel to the drum and is provided in order to guide the floor covering coming off the carrier roll towards the drum, and to press it against the outside wall of the drum. in this way accurate guidance of the carrier roll towards the drum is achieved, and it is ensured that the floor covering is laid correctly on the drum, which therefore helps to produce correct laying on the floor. a second embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that at least one slide block is fitted downstream of the drum, which slide block is provided for the purpose of pressing down the floor covering on the floor. the slide block ensures that the laid floor covering is pressed onto the floor, which is advantageous in particular when adhesive is used to fix the floor covering. it is advantageous that the device comprises a cutting element, which is disposed so that it can move in the widthwise direction of the floor covering. this means that the floor covering can be cut to the correct length by machine. a third preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that it has two arms disposed in a position virtually parallel to each other and each connected to a first end of a rod, a second end of the rod being connected to a tilting mechanism. this means that rolls of differing widths can be mounted on the same device. a fourth preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that the unrolling unit is detachably connected to a propulsion unit, which propulsion unit is provided with guide means for guiding it along a predetermined path. the detachable connection makes it possible to connect unrolling units of differing widths to the same propulsion unit. the guide means in turn make it possible to guide the device and in that way to lay the different strips or lengths of floor covering accurately alongside each other. a fifth preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that the guide means comprise at least two detection elements, which are staggered relative to each other and are provided in order to generate a detection beam, and are disposed in such a way that the detection beam is directed towards the floor, which detection elements are further provided in order to detect a reflected detection beam and to determine a guide signal from the reflected detection beam. the reflected detection beam makes it possible to detect deviations from a predetermined line and in this way correct the guide. the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. in the drawing : figure 1 shows a rear side of a device according to the invention; figure 2 shows the guide mechanism for moving the carrier arms; figure 3 shows a top view of an unrolling unit as part of the device according to the invention; figure 4 shows a cross section along a vertical plane and in the longitudinal direction through the device according to the invention; figures 5 a), 5 b), 5 c) and 5 d) show details of the upward and downward movement of the second sub-frame; figure 6 shows the inside of the drum; figures 7, 8 and 9 show the cutting and gluing element as part of the device according to the invention. figure 10 shows a detailed view of the wheels as part of the propulsion element; figure 11 shows a side flank with the detectors fitted on it; figure 12 shows an arrangement of the detectors; and figure 13 shows a detail of the detectors. in the drawing the same or a corresponding element is given the same reference numeral. as shown in figure 1 , the device 1 for laying a floor covering comprises a bearing table 2, in which a carrier roll is to be laid, on which carrier roll the floor covering to be laid is rolled up. in the remainder of the description the floor covering will in each case be referred to as carpet 5. it will, however, be clear that the invention is not limited to the laying of carpets and that other types of floor covering that can also be wound onto a carrier roll, such as, for example, linoleum can also be laid with the device according to the invention. the device further comprises a clamping mechanism for clamping the carpet roll. said clamping mechanism comprises two head pieces 3, 4, which preferably have a conical end for engaging in the carrier roll around which the carpet is wound. the head pieces 3 and 4 are each mounted on a carrier arm 6, 7. one end of a first rod 8 and a second rod 9 respectively is connected to the arm 7 and 6 respectively, as is shown in greater detail in figure 2. the other ends of the first and second rods 8 and 9 are connected to a first plate 10, in such a way that the first rod 8 is connected to a first end 11 and the second rod 9 is connected to a second end 12 of the first plate 10. said first end 11 and second end 12 are disposed symmetrically relative to a central axis of rotation 13. the first plate 10 is fitted so that it can rotate about the vertical axis of rotation 13. the rotation is provided by, for example, a first compressed air piston 14, which makes the first plate rotate through an angle α of, for example, 30°. owing to the fact that the first rod 8 and the second rod 9 are each connected on either side of the central axis 13, a rotary movement of the first plate 10 will result in a translation movement of the first and second rod in the direction of the arrows 15 and 16. the result of the translation movement of the rods is that the arms 6 and 7 also undergo a translation movement because the arms are connected to the rods. the translation movement of the arms ensures that the head pieces 3 and 4 can be moved in and out of the carrier roll of the carpet, and in this way can retain the carpet roll when the first plate 10 is in its idle position and can be removed from the carpet roll by making the first plate 10 rotate. the first plate and the compressed air piston 14 are preferably mounted on a first guide mechanism 17, which in turn is connected to a first actuator 18. the first actuator makes it possible for the first guide mechanism to perform a translation, as shown by the arrow 19. such a translation has the advantage that it can compensate for irregularities that occur during the rolling up of the carpet around the carrier roll. the fact is that without this compensation these irregularities would result immediately in irregularities in the laid carpet. by making the clamping mechanism, and in particular the arms 6 and 7, which are connected to the first guide mechanism by way of the first plate and the rods, shift in a left-right movement, these irregularities can be compensated for and the carpet can be laid in an aligned manner. the first actuator is controlled, for example, by means of photoelectric cells (not shown in the figure), which are disposed along the edge of the carpet roll. as further shown in figure 1 , the device according to the invention further comprises a pressure roll 22, which is disposed in a position virtually parallel to a drum 28. the pressure roll is provided in order to guide the carpet coming off the carrier roll towards the drum and to press it against an outside wall of the drum. the pressure roll can be moved up and down, and to that end is fitted on a first lifting mechanism, one end of which is situated in an opening 27 of a side wall of the device. the movement up and down of the pressure roll is what makes the pressure action on the drum possible. disposed virtually parallel to the pressure roll 22 is a guide roll 20, in order to guide the carpet coming off the carpet roll 5 to the first lifting mechanism. the first lifting mechanism comprises two actuators 23, 24, for example in the form of pneumatic pistons or an electric motor, which are fitted on the inside against the side flanks of the device. the actuators are connected to the pressure roll 22 and provide an upward and downward movement of the pressure roll. in order to guide this upward and downward movement, openings 27-1 , 27-2 in which guide plates 25 and 26 can move are provided in the side flanks. said guide plates are fitted on the ends of the pressure roll 22. corresponding profiles are preferably provided both in the openings and on the lateral edges of the guide plates, in order to provide correct guidance. during its upward and downward movement the pressure roll is guided in the opening by the guide plates. at least one slide block 29 is fitted at the bottom of the device and downstream of the drum 28. the slide block is provided in order to press down the laid floor covering on the floor. to that end, the slide block is fitted on a holder 31 provided on the flank 30 of the device. a rod, around which a spring 32 is coiled, is present between the holder 31 and the slide block. for this purpose, the slide block is fitted resiliently, and the spring 32 exerts a force upon the slide block, so that the latter is pressed towards the floor and thereby exerts a downward pressure on the carpet that is wound off the drum 28 and laid on the floor. figure 3 shows a top view of the bearing table 2, which forms part of the device according to the invention. the bearing table is substantially v-shaped and comprises a set of rolls 33 that are rotatably mounted in order to ensure that the carpet roll can be moved easily on the bearing table. the rolls are each disposed with their end faces opposite each other. the bearing table is mounted on an actuator 34, as shown in figure 4. said actuator is, for example, in the form of a pneumatic piston, which moves the bearing table up and down, for example over a distance of 8 cm. the movement of the bearing table up and down makes it possible to take the carpet roll to the head pieces 3 and 4 when a new carpet roll is being placed in position. it is further possible for the bearing table 2 to continue to support the carpet roll in order to ensure that too rapid unrolling of the carpet is slowed down. the device according to the invention comprises an unrolling unit 36 and a propulsion unit 35, which are detachably connected, for example by means of bolts and nuts, by magnetic connection or by other connection means. because the unrolling unit and the propulsion unit are mounted detachably, it is possible to have different unrolling units for different widths of carpet rolls, which unrolling units can then each be connected to the same propulsion unit. the propulsion unit 35 comprises a main frame, which is substantially formed by the bars 37 and 38, which extend in the widthwise direction of the device. two guide tracks 39 and 40 are provided on this main frame, which guide tracks likewise extend in the widthwise direction, virtually parallel to the bars 37 and 38. sliding elements 41 , 42 are provided on said guide tracks, which sliding elements form part of a first sub-frame, which in turn is fitted on an actuator 43, in order to allow the sub-frame to be subjected to a left-right movement. said left-right movement makes it possible to make the entire unrolling unit undergo a left-right movement and in this way to ensure that corrections can be carried out during the laying of the carpet. a second sub-frame is provided on the first sub-frame, which second sub-frame is adjustable in height. the drum 28 and also the bearing table 2 and the pressure roll 22 are fitted on the second sub- frame, so that the latter is likewise adjustable in height, and in this way the device can be lifted off the ground while travelling without carpet. the height adjustment can also be used to press the carpet down on the floor with the drum. the height adjustability of the second sub-frame is carried out by means of two actuators 47-1 and 47-2, as shown in figure 3. these actuators are, for example, in the form of pneumatic pistons or electric motors. the actuators are each provided with a piston, each piston acting upon a first end of a substantially l-shaped connecting piece 44, 45. the centre part of the l-shaped connecting pieces is connected to a shaft 46, which also connects the two connecting pieces to each other. the shaft 46 extends further into a curved opening 48 made in the first sub-frame. as shown in greater detail in figures 4 and 5, sliding pieces 49 are fitted on the other ends of the l-shaped connecting pieces, which sliding pieces belong to the second sub-frame. these sliding pieces act upon a guide, as shown in figures 5 c) and 5 d), which guide is part of the first sub-frame. in the lowest position of the second sub-frame, as shown in figure 5 a), the pistons of the actuators 47-1 and 47-2 are in the retracted state. in order now to raise the height of the second sub- frame, the actuators 47-1 and 47-2 are activated, so that their pistons will move. the linear movement of the pistons exerts a force upon the one end of the l-shaped connecting pieces 44 and 45, so that the latter will begin to rotate anticlockwise about the shaft 46. the rotation of the l- shaped connecting pieces results, on the one hand, in a movement of the shaft 46 in the opening 48 and, on the other hand, in an upward movement of the other ends of the l-shaped connecting pieces. the latter upward movement causes the second sub-frame 50 to slide in the sliding pieces 49, with the result that the second sub-frame is lifted upwards as shown in figures 5 b) and 5 d). owing to the fact that the drum, the bearing table and the pressure roll are fixed on the second sub-frame, they will likewise undergo this upward movement. owing to the fact that the bearing table 2 itself is mounted on a linear actuator 34, said bearing table can undergo a double upward and downward movement, namely that imposed by the actuator 34 and that imposed by the actuators 47-1 and 47-2. the second sub-frame is again taken to the lowest position by operating the actuators 47-1 and 47-2 and taking their pistons to the idle position. the device further comprises a measuring unit 51 , which comprises a small drum that rolls over the carpet running along the drum 28. the rotation of the small drum is measured by a sensor, which converts the rotation into distance travelled and in this way measures how many metres of carpet have been unwound from the roll. the measured value is useful for making the ends of the carpet butt up against each other at the end faces. as shown in figures 1 and 6, the drum 28 is provided with suction means, which, inter alia, comprise an outer casing of the drum provided with perforations 88. fitted in the inside of the drum is a fan 52, which is driven by a motor 53. since said motor 53 rotates along with the drum, it is supplied with power by means of sliding contacts 54. the rotation itself of the drum is brought about by a further motor 55, which drives a wheel 56 that is in contact with the inside wall of the drum 28. the wheel is preferably provided with a rubber circumferential sheath, in order to achieve a good transmission of the power supplied by the motor 55. the wheel can also be in the form of a gearwheel that acts upon a gear ring provided on the inner casing of the drum. the suction power developed by the fan 52 draws in the air through the perforations 51 on the outer casing of the drum, with the result that a vacuum effect is created on the drum, which vacuum effect draws in the carpet running along the drum onto said drum. the drawing in of the carpet means, on the one hand, that the carpet will be subject to the rotation of the drum and will therefore be unwound from the carrier roll and, on the other hand, that the carpet is positioned accurately and tightly on the drum, with the result that accurate laying is promoted. the carpet is preferably rolled onto the carrier roll in such a way that the side laid on the floor is situated on the outside. the carpet is conveyed over the guide roll 20 as shown in figure 4. from there it is guided under pressure roll 22, so that the latter can exert a pressure force on the carpet and the drum. the carpet is laid anticlockwise around the drum, so that when the drum 28 is rotated anticlockwise the carpet comes out at the rear side of the device and is fitted on the floor. the carpet is cut by means of a cutting element, which is disposed so that it is movable in the widthwise direction of the floor covering, as shown in the figures 4, 7, 8 and 9. the cutting element is mounted on a first crossbar 57, which is rigidly connected to the frame of the unrolling unit. a linear actuator 59, the piston of which is connected to a second crossbar 58, is fitted on said first crossbar. said second crossbar in the idle position extends in a manner virtually parallel to the first crossbar 57. the actuator 59 produces a linear movement of the second crossbar 58 from and to the external surface 28 of the drum. a cutting element 60, which is provided with a foot 61 , is fitted on the second crossbar 58, as shown in figure 8. fitted above the foot 61 is a circular cutting disc 62, which is driven rotatably by a motor 63. the cutting disc and the motor likewise form part of the cutting element. the foot 61 is placed against the outer casing of the drum by means of movement of the second crossbar, so that said foot can be positioned under the carpet. the cutting disc 62 takes care of the cutting of the carpet. owing to the fact that the cutting disc is fitted opposite the foot 62, the cutting disc will not damage the drum during the cutting because the foot is now in fact situated between drum and cutting disc. the cutting element is fitted in such a way that it can be moved in the widthwise direction on the second crossbar 58. to this end, the cutting element is fitted on a chain or a toothed belt that is driven by a motor. said movement makes it possible during a cutting operation to move the cutting element over the second crossbar and therefore along the drum on which the carpet is placed. during said movement the cutting disc and the foot move over the width of the carpet and in this way can cut it over the entire width. the cutting element can preferably be connected to an arm 64, which is fitted in such a way that it can pivot about a shaft 65. the shaft 65 is fitted on the second crossbar 58. the pivoting movement is made along an axis that is perpendicular to the second crossbar. the pivoting movement of the arm 64 ensures that the cutting element can tilt outwards through an aperture 66 in the side flank. this makes it possible to cut the carpet over the entire width without constantly projecting parts being fitted on the device. furthermore, the cutter is more easily accessible and is simple to replace. figure 8 shows how the cutting element is tilted outside the device. in order to achieve cutting off of the carpet at an angle, the second crossbar is fitted in such a way that it can rotate. to this end, guide pieces 68 that have a substantially u-shaped profile are provided on either side of the second crossbar 58 and in each case on the first crossbar 57. in each of said guide pieces a bearing 69 is fitted, which bearing in turn is fitted on a flange 67, which is connected to the second crossbar. the flanges 67 in turn are each connected to an actuator that can impose a linear movement. the linear movement of the actuator is transmitted to the flange, with the result that the bearing 69 connected to it will move in the guide piece 68. the downward or upward movement, as a function of the chosen direction of rotation of the actuator, will therefore be transmitted to the second crossbar, so that the latter will rotate about the shaft 70 of the actuator 59 through an angle of, for example, no more than 20°. owing to the fact that the cutting element is mounted on the second crossbar, a rotation of said crossbar will also lead to a rotation of the cutting element, with the result that the carpet can be cut off at an angle. in order to apply adhesive to the carpet, the device is preferably provided with a gluing element 71 , which is fitted, for example, underneath the cutting element on the second crossbar 58. this means that the gluing element can be moved over the entire width of the carpet. figure 10 shows a front side of a device according to the invention. the propulsion unit comprises a motor 71 , which drives a front wheel 72 fitted on the front side of the device. the wheel rests on the floor in order to permit the forward movement of the device. the propulsion unit is further provided with a turning element 73, as shown in figure 10, in order to make the wheel rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the floor through an angle of preferably 90°. this means that the device can perform a rotation movement through 90°. the device is further provided with guide means for guiding it along a predetermined path. said guide means comprise, inter alia, a camera 74, which is disposed on the front side, and also a light source (not shown in the drawing). the light source is, for example, fitted against a wall towards which the device has to move. the light source is disposed in such a way that it forms a reference point for the device. the camera 74 then proceeds to intercept the light transmitted by the light source. a virtual centre line is provided in the lens of the camera. deviations from this centre line result in a correction of the guide. the correction is made by means of a control unit that is known per se, so long as the device is moving correctly towards the reference point. figure 10 also shows further details of the propulsion unit. in addition to the front wheel 72, two rear wheels 75 and 80 are also provided. the rear wheel 75 can be driven by a motor 76 and is further connected to a turning element 77. the turning element 77 has a function that is comparable to that of the turning element 73 and ensures that the rear wheel 75 is rotatable through an angle of 90°. the turning element 77 is further connected to a first plate 79 to which one end of a rod 78 is connected. another end of the rod 78 is connected to a second plate 81 , on which the other rear wheel 80 is fixed. the rod 78 will therefore transmit the rotation imposed by the turning element 77 on the rear wheel 75 to the other rear wheel 80, so that both wheels can rotate in synchronism. the plates 79 and 81 are rotatable about the shafts a and b respectively. the turning elements 73 and 77 can be synchronized with each other, so that the front wheel and the two rear wheels can be rotated together through an angle lying between 0 and 90°. the rotation through an angle of 90° is necessary in order drive the entire device in or out of a corner. the motor 76 is preferably activated, in synchronism with motor 71 , only when the rear wheels have been turned crosswise relative to the usual forward direction of movement. figure 11 illustrates how further guide means 82 have been fitted on a side flank of the device according to the invention. as further illustrated in figure 12, six (82-1 to 82-6) detectors are preferably provided, said detectors forming part of the guide means. the detectors are fitted on the underside of the side flanks, and for each side flank three detectors are provided, each at a distance from the other. as shown in figure 13, each detector 82 comprises a first detection element 83 and a second detection element 84, for example a photoelectric cell pointing towards the floor. the first and second detection elements are disposed in a manner staggered relative to each other, so that there is in each case a distance between their centre points. each photoelectric cell transmits a detection beam in the direction of the floor. the reflection of the transmitted beam is detected and a guide signal is determined from the reflected signal. if the carpet is being correctly laid during unwinding from the drum 28, then the edge 85 of the carpet will ultimately lie precisely between the photoelectric cells 83 and 84. photoelectric cell 83 will then, for example, receive light reflected by the floor, while photoelectric cell 82 will receive light reflected by the carpet. the intensity of the two reflected beams will therefore clearly be different. the quantity of reflected light is converted into a current or voltage value, which is delivered to a control unit 86, to which the detection elements are connected. so long as the carpet is laid correctly the difference between the two reflected detection beams will hardly vary, and the control unit will monitor that this difference remains within predetermined values. if, however, the carpet is laid out of line, for example because it had not been rolled up correctly or because the propulsion unit is not propelling the device in a straight line, then the edge of the carpet will deviate from the ideal line running between the detection elements 83 and 84, so that the difference between the detection signals will vary and will go outside the predetermined value. therefore, for example, if the two detection elements 83 and 84 receive light reflected by the floor, the difference between the two reflected beams will disappear and the control unit 86 will establish that the difference between the two values presented is too small. the control unit will react to this by delivering a guide signal that will be proportionate to the measured difference between the two input signals received. this guide signal is then delivered to a central control unit 87, which in turn will generate correction signals. the correction signals are then either transmitted to the carrier arms 6, 7 by way of the first guide mechanism 17 if the carpet roll has to be shifted, or are transmitted to the front wheel 72 if the correction signal has come from the camera 74 and/or the detectors 82. in this way it is ensured that the carpet is laid correctly. it is also possible to transmit the correction signal to the actuator of the first sub-frame, in order to cause a left-right movement of the sub-frame. the correction signal can, of course, also be distributed over the various elements that make correction possible. in order to ensure that the device, which is self-propelling, is provided with the necessary power supply and/or compressed air, an electric generator and/or a compressor is/are mounted on the device.
012-464-253-278-483	IL	[ "CA", "WO", "EP", "AU", "US", "IL" ]	A61B5/00	2002-03-20T00:00:00	2002	[ "A61" ]	diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state	an apparatus, system and method are provided for diagnosing the degr ee of body metabolic emergency state. a non-vital organ with respect to the metabolic emergency state is first chosen. one or more tissue viability parameters including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentratio n are monitored in the non-vital organ, whereupon the degree of body metabolic emergency state may be determined based on the monitored tissue viability parameters.	claims . apparatus for monitoring in a non- vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to said organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, wherein the state of said at least one tissue viability parameter of said non-vital organ is indicative of degree of said body metabolic emergency state, the apparatus comprising: - illumination means for illuminating a first part of said organ with at least one illuminating radiation via at least one illumination location with respect to said tissue; radiation receiving means for receiving a radiation from a second part of said organ as a result of an interaction between said illuminating radiation and said tissue; correlating means adapted for correlating at least a part of said received radiation to said at least one tissue viability parameter; and indicating means for indicating the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter. . apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said at least one tissue viability parameter is nadh concentration, wherein said radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises an nadh fluorescence emitted by the tissue in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said nadh fluorescence.. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said at least one tissue viability parameter is fp concentration, wherein said radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises an fp fluorescence emitted by the tissue in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said fp fluorescence apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said correlating means is further adapted for correlating at least a part of said received radiation to at least one other tissue viability parameter including at least one of blood flow rate, blood volume and oxy-deoxy state tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said illuminating means comprises a plurality of illuminating radiation wavelengths corresponding to the number of different tissue viability parameters being monitored. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means comprises an illuminating radiation of wavelength in the range of between about 315nm to about 400nm, and preferably about 366nm, about 375nm, about 380nm or about 390nm, for monitoring nadh tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illumination means comprises a suitable led for providing an illuminating radiation of wavelength in the range of between about 315nm to about 400nm, and preferably about 366nm, about 375nm, about 380nm or about 390nm, for monitoring nadh tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means comprises an illuminating radiation of wavelength between about 430nm and about 470nm for monitoring flavoprotein concentration tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means comprises two illuminating radiations, one at an isosbestic wavelength, and the other at a non-isosbestic wavelength, for monitoring blood oxygenation tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means comprises at least two illuminating radiations for monitoring blood oxygenation tissue viability parameter, wherein one said illumination radiation has a wavelength of about 525nm or about 585nm, and wherein the other one said illumination radiation has a wavelength of about 430nm or about 577nm,. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illuminating means comprises an illuminating radiation of wavelength between about 550nm and 800nm, and preferably about 655nm or 785nm, for monitoring blood flow rate tissue viability parameter. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said illumination location is provided by at least one excitation optical fiber having a free end capable of being brought into registry with said first part of said tissue. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said radiation receiving means comprises at least one suitable receiving optical fiber having a free end capable of being brought into registry with said second part of said tissue. apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one excitation optical fiber and said at least one receiving optical fiber are housed in a suitable probe head. apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one excitation fiber comprises a suitable first connector at an end thereof opposed to said free end thereof, said first connector capable of selectively coupling and decoupling said excitation fiber from the rest of the said apparatus. apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one collection fiber comprises a suitable second connector at an end thereof opposed to said free end thereof, said second connector capable of selectively coupling and decoupling said collection fiber from the rest of the said apparatus. apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said probe is disposable. apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said probe is sterilisable. apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said blood flow rate tissue viability parameter is provided by applying a laser doppler flowmetry technique to said radiation received by said radiation receiving means. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising first detection means for detecting said received radiation received by said radiation receiving means. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter further comprises blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises a reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said reflectance. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter further comprises blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises a reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said reflectance, wherein said illumination radiation is at an isosbestic wavelength. apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter further comprises blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises two separate reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by two different illuminating radiations, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of each said reflectance, wherein each said illuminating radiation is at a different isosbestic wavelength. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probe head is adapted for optical measurement in organs comprising tubular vessels. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probe head is adapted for optical measurement in organs comprising tubular vessels, including the esophagus, urethra, blood vessels, the stomach and bladder. apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said probe is incorporated in a suitable urethral catheter including a folley catheter. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probe head is adapted for optical measurement on organs comprising skin. apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said probe head is attached to the skin via a suitable gel. apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said probe head is attached to the skin via a suitable adhesive. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probe head is adapted for fetal distress monitoring. apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probe head is adapted for soft tissue insertion. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first part and said second part are at the same location of said organ. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first part of said organ is different from said second part of said organ. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body metabolic emergency state is sepsis. a system for selectively monitoring in a plurality of organs at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to each said organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, said system comprising a plurality of monitoring probes, each said probe comprising an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 34. system as claimed in claim 35, wherein said plurality of organs are different organs within the same organism. . a system as claimed in claim 35, wherein plurality of organs are different organs within different organisms. a system as claimed in claim 35, wherein said plurality of organs include donor organs. a system for selectively monitoring in a plurality of locations in the same organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to each said location of the organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, said system comprising a plurality of monitoring probes, each said probe comprising an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 35. a method for diagnosing the degree of body metabolic emergency state, comprising: - (a) choosing a non-vital organ with respect to the said metabolic emergency state; (b) monitoring in said non-vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration; and (c) determining the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter monitored in (b). a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein in step (c), said determination is correlated to the direction of change in the value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein in step (c) said degree of body metabolic emergency state is correlated to the amplitude and duration of a change in said value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter is nadh concentration, and an increase in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter is flavoprotein concentration, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter is blood flow rate, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter is blood volume, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. a method as claimed in claim 40, wherein said at least one tissue viability parameter is blood oxygenation level, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. a method as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 47, wherein said non- vital organ is an organ chosen from among the skin, muscles, gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system. a method as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 47, wherein said body metabolic emergency state includes any one of sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, hypoxemia, hypotension, dysoxia and cardiac arrest. a method as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 47, wherein said body metabolic emergency state arises from at least one clinical situation including those that develop in a respiratory icu, neurosurgical icu, delivery room both for a mother and her neonate, neonatal icu, cardiac surgery operative room as well as post-operative period thereof, neuro surgery operative as well as post-operative period thereof, organ transplantation operative as well as post-operative period thereof, elderly and critical ill clinical situations. a method as claimed in claim 50, wherein said body metabolic emergency state arises in patients hospitalized in various clinical wards.	apparatus and method for monitoring tissue vitality parameters for the diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state field of the invention the present invention relates to the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state that may develop in many acute or chronic clinical conditions. in particular, the invention is directed to a multiparametric method, system and apparatus for the monitoring of tissue blood flow, tissue reflectance, tissue oxy-deoxy hemoglobin saturation and mitochondrial (nadh) nicotin- amide adenine dinucleotide and flavoproteins (fp) redox state. more particularly, the invention is concerned with measuring such parameters in real time for the most sensitive tissue or organ in the body to stress situations and sympathetic stimulation, in order to enable early diagnosis of emergency metabolic state of the body, particularly useful in facilitating formulation and navigation of the treatment given to the patient. background of the invention the human body is totally dependent upon continuous supply of oxygen (o2) utilized by various tissues and cells in order to transfer energy from food components into the high-energy phosphate molecules named atp (adenosine- tri-phosphate). most of the o2 absorbed in the body (>95%) is utilized by the mitochondria (c.l. waltemath, oxygen, uptake, transport and tissue utilization, anesth.analog. 49 (1970), pp.184-203), which produces 95% of the atp in normal tissues, as illustrated in figure 1. when o2 supply will be restricted or limited the production of atp will decrease and as a result, cellular functions will be affected (inhibition of pumping activity for example). in general terms, when the balance between o2 supply and o 2 demand is negative the function of the tissue or organ will be affected and a pathological state is developed. typical examples to a severe negative o2 balance are heart attack or stroke where due to occlusion of blood vessel in the heart or the brain the supply of o 2 to a specific region in the vital organ will be limited and the function will be inhibited. these two examples represent dramatic and acute pathological events and the diagnosis of such conditions is relatively easy and fast. in a large segment of critically ill patients the changes in o2 balance is a slow process developed in one or more areas of the body and may end up in morbidity and mortality in large number of patients. a typical example of such a pathological state is sepsis, which is a major cause of death in many patients hospitalized in intensive care units (icus) or even in regular hospital departments. the centers for disease control (cdc) published data about the dynamic of the population size suffered from sepsis. in 1990 they estimated, in the usa, 450,000 cases of sepsis per year with more than 100,000 deaths (centers for disease control: increase in national hospital discharge survey rates for septicemia- united states 1979-1987 jama. 1990, 263:937-938). in 2001, angus et al estimated that the number of sepsis patients will grow to 934,000 in 2010, and to 1,110,000 in 2020 (d.c. angus, w.t. linde-zwirble, g. clermont, j. carcillo, m.r. pinsky, epidemiology of severe sepsis in the united states: analysis of incidence, outcome, and associated costs of care. 2001, crit. care med., 29:1303-1310). they concluded that "severe sepsis is a common, expensive and frequently fatal condition, with as many deaths annually as those from acute myocardial infarction". sepsis represents a large group of patient illnesses in which the deterioration of o2 balance is very hard to identify and the consequences in many cases are fatal. the various groups of "slow killing" pathologies (like sepsis) are very hard to diagnose due to lack of specific and sensitive enough techniques or methods. other examples include hypotension, systemic hypoxemia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards). the same problem of o 2 imbalance may develop in preterm or full term infants hospitalized in the neonatal icu or even in the newborn during delivery. the total number of patients suffer annually from shock, trauma and sepsis is 1.5 million with costs above us$50 billion (ruffolo, 1998). body homeostatic compensatory mechanisms under mild emergency situations, where body o2 is interrupted, some mechanisms of preserving body homeostasis may take place and may return the body to its steady state conditions. under moderate or severe o2 imbalance or the development of emergency pathological state, such as sepsis or severe hypotension for example, the body will not be able to compensate completely the deficit of o2. it is well known and documented that the autonomic nervous system (ans) and mainly its sympathetic branch, including the adrenal gland (secretion of adrenaline), dominate the compensatory mechanisms of the body related to o2 deficiency. the rapid compensatory reaction to decrease in blood volume (hypovolemia for example), appears in all textbooks of physiology (i.e. w.f. ganong, review of medical physiology. 1991, pp578-579, 588-589 appelton & lange medical book). this includes redistribution of blood flow to various organs and giving preference to the most vital organs in the body, namely to the, brain, heart and adrenal glands (a. barber et al., shock. in principles of surgery. 1994, s.i. schwartz et al. (eds.), 7 th edition. mcgraw-hill, ny, pp. 101-122). in order to demonstrate the significance of the present invention a typical emergency o 2 imbalance in a clinical situation is demonstrated hereinafter. the field of fetal distress or hypoxemia including the monitoring approaches during delivery were reviewed in 2001 by clerici et al (g. clerici, r. luzietti t il03/00188 4 and g.c. di renzo, monitoring of antepartum and intrapartum fetal hypoxemia: pathophysiological basis and available techniques. biology neonate, 2001, 79:246-253.) as they summarized "due to the limitations of cardiotocography, additional information is required for appropriate decision making during labor. current evidence suggests that modern technology applied to fetal surveillance can provide useful additional information that can improve our capacity to interpret fetal reaction to labor events". based on clerici et al and other publications, including the inventors' own research activities, figure 2 illustrates the sequence of events that occur under fetal hypoxemia. thus, referring to figure 2, placental hypoxia (i) can lead to changes in the delivery of o2 to the fetus and as a result fetal hypoxemia may develop (ii). under this condition (limitation in o2 supply), glycolysis (anaerobic metabolism) will be stimulated and the resulting increased production of lactic acid will be recognized as acidosis (decrease in blood ph). it is well known that under hypoxic conditions the fetus responds to acute or chronic lack of o2 using various mechanisms. in the acute phase of hypoxia, the fetus will decrease its biophysical activity in order to reduce total body o2 consumption. this may increase o2 supply to vital organs such as brain, adrenals and heart. the activated mechanism of vascular redistribution (iii) will decrease blood flow to the kidneys, g-i tract as well as to the peripheral vasculature such as cutaneous and skeletal muscle vessels. this mechanism of redistribution of blood to various organs of the body, called "brain sparing effect", may lead to "fetal hemodynamic centralization". the involvement of higher levels of noradrenaline, due to the increased sympathetic activity (iv), will increase the oxygen delivery to the brain in order to avoid brain damage. at this point in time there are two possible developments: a. an appropriate response of the "brain sparing effect" to minimize the effect of hypoxemia on the fetus. if the cause for this condition will be resolved, the fetus will return to so call normal conditions and no damage to the brain will be recognized. b. the development of a vicious cycle response or cascade of events. under such conditions the centralization of blood will affect cardiac hemodynamics so that more blood will flow to the brain. during this phase the fetus will present an extreme response to the increasing hypoxemia and the fetal heart function will be impaired. this stage, known as the decompensatory phase may lead to brain damage including edema. the damage may be permanent. in order to evaluate, in real time, the hemodynamic and metabolic state of the fetus, during labor, several approaches were developed and applied to clinical usage: 1. doppler velocitometry of the major arteries, namely, aorta, femoral artery, renal artery or the main arteries supplying the brain. during the initial phase the doppler technique is not a sensitive tool for detecting changes in the uteroplacental vascular bed or gas exchange and metabolites. it is important to note that doppler velocitometry is more meaningful during the progression of fetal hypoxemia. 2. fetal heart rate, which may be monitored externally by placing sensors on the mother's abdomen or internally by an electrode attached to the fetal scalp. 3. uterine contraction pressure may be monitored by placing a sensor in the uterine cavity or by external monitor. 4. pulse oximetrv can provide real time values of fetal arterial blood saturation with oxygen (spθ2). the probe is placed between the uterine wall and fetal cheek. the level of spθ2 could be used as a warning signal to fetal hypoxemia. 5. sampling of scalp blood for the measurement of ph is done whenever fetal hypoxemia is suspected as indicated by the scalp heart rate monitor. the disadvantage of this approach is that the information obtained is not in real time mode. the right side of figure 2 shows typical directional changes recorded in the various organs after the sympathetic stimulation. as seen, the blood flow to the brain and the heart increased while the energy state of the non-vital organs is deteriorated. all the possible monitored parameters will indicate this trend although in practice only few parameters were monitored. pathophysiology of critically ill patients the same pattern of pathophysiological cascade of events may occur in many emergency clinical situations in adult patients and may lead to morbidity and mortality. such situations may include tissue hypoxia, which was discussed in detail during the consensus conference (1996). as shown in figure 3, various pathological states may lead to metabolic disturbances and may end up in cellular energy derangement (hotchkiss and karl, 1992; marik and varon, 1998; ince and sinaasappel, 1999; meier-hellmann and reinhart, 1995). the six pathological states, shown in the left side of figure 3, are the most common events that may develop in clinical practice. the states may develop due to specific clear event, such as a major operation such as heart bypass, brain operation, organ transplant, during the operation as well as during the post-operative period, or during slow process of body deterioration, such as in sepsis or shock. the definition of each of those 6 states is not so well established and some overlapping may exist. under all those situations the metabolic state of the body will be deteriorated and energy failure will develop. in the right side of figure 3 the list of clinical situations given include most of the major clinical situations, such as trauma, perinatal, intra-operative period, post-operative period, and internal medicine, typically treated by major hospitals. as a central protection mechanism, blood flow redistribution will occur and the three protected organs (brain, heart and adrenal gland) will receive more blood and o2, while the peripheral organs or areas (skin and muscles), as well 03 00188 7 as other non vital visceral organs, will undergo vasoconstriction and a decrease in blood flow and o2 supply will occur. monitoring of critically ill patients in medical practice as shown in figure 2 and figure 3, under various severe pathophysiological conditions the compensatory mechanisms of blood flow redistribution is taking place and as a result the sympathetic stimulation will induce significant decrease in tissue oxygenation in non- vital organs and tissues. under these conditions the vital organs of the body are protected by preserving high blood flow and o2 supply. the search for a significant or perfect indicator as well as the most representative organ or tissue in the body to be monitored is an ongoing process. ince and sinaasappel (1999) concluded that "to evaluate the severity of microcirculatory distress and the effectiveness of resuscitation strategies, new clinical technologies aimed at the microcirculation will need to be developed. it is anticipated that optical spectroscopy will play a major role in the development of such tools". in a recent published paper kruse summarized the effort done, by various investigators regarding the perfect indicator of dysoxia, which could be defined as a state of supply- dependent oxygen consumption (j.a. kruse, searching for the perfect indicator of dysoxia, crit. care med. 1999, 27:469-470). it is possible to divide the various existing monitoring devices or parameters according to the monitoring site as shown in figure 4. the systemic monitoring site is defined as a parameter represents the cardiovascular, respiratory systems or the circulated blood. the list of parameters in the local monitoring site is divided into the two groups according to its significant value in keeping the organism alive under severe emergency situations. the monitored parameters listed under low or non vital organs, are divided to those published already in the literature, and the group of parameters included in the mpa (multi parametric approach) which is part of the present invention. kruse (1999) suggests that during systemic insults that result in globally diminishing do2 (delivery of o2), dysoxia probably manifested in the splanchic region before it can be detected by systemic measurements. in another paper m.p. fink reviewed the possible involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in organ failure developed in sepsis (m.p. fink, cytopathic hypoxia: mitochondrial dysfunction as mechanism contribution to organ dysfunction in sepsis, critical care clinics. 2001, 17: 219-237). he came to a very important conclusion regarding the type of parameter to be monitored in septic patients. fink wrote that the effort to improve outcome in patients with sepsis by monitoring and manipulating cardiac output, systemic do2, and regional blood flow are doomed to failure; instead, the focus should be on developing pharmacological strategies to restore normal mitochondrial function and cellular energetics. nevertheless, fink does not suggest that any particular parameters should be monitored to achieve such a goal, less so how to monitor such parameters the search for an early indication for multiorgan failure is an ongoing process for the last 10 years. most of the studies were performed in animal experiments. shoemaker et al. (1984) compared tissue po2 in conjuctival and transcutaneous areas. most of the effort was directed toward the development of real time monitoring device for the spelnchnic metabolic state (fink, 1991; fiddian-green and baker, 1987; hasibeder et al., 1996). the most recent papers will be cited as follows. rozenfeld et al. (1996) used pco2 electrode attached to the mucosal side of the intestine. sato et al. (1997) measured the same parameter in the esophagus during hemorrhagic shock. they found that esophageal tonometry may serve as a practical alternative to gastric tonometry suggested by various investigators (i.e. ruffolo, 1998 and bloechle et al., 1999). in a rat model morgan et al. (1997) monitored pco 2 in the ileum during reduction in aortic pressure. in a pig model knichwitz et al used the intramucosal pco2 as an indicator to intestinal hypoperfusion. in order to simplify the monitoring approach weil et al. (1999), povas et al. (2001), marik, (2001), weil (2000), schlichtig and heard (1999), suggested monitoring pco2 in the sublingual area, which is the most proximal area of the g-i tract. they found that such a measurement could serve as a good indicator to the severity of circulatory shock. pernat et al. (1999) and povas et al. (2000) compared the gastric and sublingual pco2 as indicators for impaired tissue perfusion. they found similar changes under hemorrhagic shock. in a pig model puyana et al. (2000) measured abdominal wall muscle. they concluded that ph was the most sensitive site as compared to the stomach or the abdominal wall muscle. vallet et al. (1994) compared gut and muscle po2 in endotoxemic dogs. sakka et al. (2001) assessed the variability of spalachnic blood flow during stable global hemodynamics in septic patients and compared it to gastric tonometry. boekstegers et al. (1994) measured skeletal muscle po2 in patients with sepsis. nordin et al. (1998), walley et al. (1998) and dubin et al. (2001) measured intramucosal ph in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract under hemorrhagic shock. the same approach of monitoring gastric pco2 was used in patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage by koivisto (2001). the next step was to compare various tissue parameters monitored simultaneously in the skeletal muscle under hemorrhagic shock. mckinley et al. (1998) monitored po2, pco2 and ph in dogs under hemorrhagic shock and also in a patient. mckinley and butler (1999) used a fiber optic probe and compared gastric tonometry (pco2, ph) to muscle pθ2, pco2 and ph in hemorrhagic shock. they concluded that muscle monitoring was more sensitive as compared to gastric tonometry on systemic parameters. to evaluate the changes and severity of blood loss as well as the efficacy of the resuscitation process, sims et al. (2001) used skeletal muscle monitoring of po 2 , pco2 and ph and found the correlation with the severity of blood loss and resuscitation. the same approach was used in the liver by soller et al. (2001). in 1995 powell et al. measured subcutaneous oxygen tension in rats as an indicator of peripheral perfusion. using the same idea, venkatesh et al. (1994, 2000) compared subcutaneous po2 to ileal luminal pco2 in animal model of hemorrhagic shock, subcutaneous po2 was more sensitive parameter. another approach to monitor organ perfusion outside the g-i tract was described by rossen et al. (1995). they found that the epithelial po2 in the bladder was responsive to norepinephrine in a rat model. rosser et al. (1995) and singer et al. (1995) used po2 electrodes in the bladder exposed to sepsis or hemorrhage. singer et al. (1996) repeated those studies in a model of fluid repletion. lang et al. (1999) monitored po2, pco2 and ph in the bladder during ischemia and reperfusion. clavijo et al. (2002) monitored ph and pco2 in the gut as well as in the bladder wall mucosa and found comparable changes in the two organs under shock in a pig model. studies in vitro had shown that the urethra was more sensitive to ischemia as compared to the bladder. (bratslavsky et al., 2001). other approaches to monitor hbo 2 saturation and cytochrome aa3 redox state were done by various groups in animals as well as in patients (cairns et al., 1997; guery et al, 1999 and mckinley et al., 2000). in patients, jakob and takala evaluated the variability of spalanchnik blood flow in patients with sepsis. in us patent nos. 6,258,046, 6,216,024, devices and methods are described for assessing perfusion failure, by measuring the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pco2) in the gastrointestinal tract, or the upper digestive and/or respiratory tract of a patient. in us patent nos. 6,071,237 and 5,579,763 devices and methods are described for assessing perfusion failure, by measuring the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the lower respiratory tract or the digestive system of a patient. in us patent nos. 6,330,469 and 6,216,032, a method and apparatus are described for early diagnosis of a potentially catastrophic illness in a premature newborn infant, in which the heart rate variability in the infant is monitored continuously, and in which at least one characteristic abnormality in the heart rate variability that is associated with the illness. none of these patents discloses or suggests the parametric monitoring for determining early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state that may develop in many acute or chronic clinical conditions. figure 5 shows the hemodynamic and metabolic responses of 4 different organs to norepinephrine injection, intravenously administered during experiments by applicant. measurements were done in the brain (b), kidney (k), liver (l) and testis (t) by placing a surface optical probe on each one of the 4 organs of a rat. four different monitored parameters are presented for each organ, namely, reflectance (ref), fluorescence (flu), corrected nadh fluorescence (nadh) and microcirculatory blood flow (tbf). the monitoring was done by a 4 channel fluorometer reflectometer (a. mayevsky & b. chance, intracellular oxidation-reduction state measured in situ by a multicannel fiber-optic surface fluorometer. science, 1982, 217: 537-540) and 4 laser doppler flowmeters (t. manor, a. meilin, & a. mayevsky. monitoring different areas of the rat cortex in response to fluid percussion trauma. israel j med sci, 1996, 32, supplement, s39; a. mayevsky, a. kraut, t. manor j. sonn, & y. zurovsky, optical monitoring of tissue viability using reflected spectroscopy in vivo. tuchin, v. v. optical technologies in biophysics and medicine ii. proceeding of spie, 2000, 4241: 409-417saratov, russia; a. mayevsky, a. meilin, g.g. rogatsky, n. zarchin, & j. sonn, multiparametric monitoring of the awake brain exposed to carbon monoxide. journal of applied physiology, 1995, 78, 1188-1196). as seen in figure 5, the injection of norepinephrine gave a clear preference to brain oxygenation as compared to the "non vital" organ, namely the kidney, liver and the testis. the blood flow (tbf) was dramatically increased while in the other organs tbf decreased significantly. the reflectance showed a clear decrease in the brain due to a vasodilatation response. the fluorescence and the corrected fluorescence (nadh) showed an oxidation in the brain while in the other 3 organs nadh became reduced (increased signal) due to the lack of o2. it is important to note that all parameters were monitored simultaneously in the same animal. figure 6 shows a comparison of the hemodynamic and metabolic responses to ischemia (left side of figure) and adrenaline injection (right side of figure) in the rat brain(b) and skin (s) in the scalp area. three parameters are presented for each organ, namely, reflectance (r-b, r-s), nadh redox state (nadh-b, nadh-s) and microcirculatory blood flow (tbf-b, tbf-s). ischemia was induced by occlusion of the two carotid arteries which provide blood to the two monitored areas. the monitoring devices were used as in figure 5 although only two channels were used. under occlusion of the two carotid arteries, complete ischemia was induced in the two locations as expected. under adrenaline, the preference was given to the brain, thus blood flow increased while nadh became more oxidized (decreased signal). in the skin, blood flow decreased to very low values and nadh increased significantly. in figure 7 and figure 8 the comparison between brain and the small intestine is shown under anoxia and norepinephrine injection rv. here again, when the massive insult was affecting the o2 availability in the two locations, at the same time, the responses were similar in terms of mitochondrial function. under anoxia (figure 7), nadh increased in the intestine and the brain while blood flow changes were completely reversed in the two organs. this is a result of the autoregulatory mechanism trying to protect the brain under anoxia by increasing blood flow. when norepinephrine was injected, the preference of the brain was clear as compared to the shut down of blood flow and o 2 to the intestine. the same relationship between brain and small intestine are shown in figure 9 and figure 10 but the probe was located on the serosal side (outside) of the intestine, while in figure 7 and figure 8, the measurements were taken in the mucosal side (inside) of the small intestine. the significance of multiparametric monitoring of tissue's pathophysiological state. it is important to note that the diagnostic value of a real time monitoring system in patients is dependent upon the following criteria: a. the anatomical site in the body where the monitoring probe is located. b. the compartment of the tissue of which the monitored parameter is originated, i.e. vascular, extracellular, cytosolic space or intra mitochondrial space. a combination of more than one compartment is also possible. c. the type of the monitored parameter and its significance in terms of physiological and biochemical processes. criterion a the following monitored anatomical sites were published in various publications: 1. skin - transcutaneuous , sub cutaneuous, and conjuctiva. 2. muscle - skeletal muscle, abdominal wall muscle. 3. gastro- intestinal tract - sublingual, stomach and small intestine. 4. urogenital system — bladder, urethra. the difference between various organs is significant in the easiness of anchoring the probe to the tissue and the stability of the measurement. also, in clinical application of the probe, it is important to attach the probe to other devices. criterion b most of the parameters monitored and published represent an average of number of tissue compartment mentioned. tissue po∑, pc0 2 or ph are monitored by insertion of the probe to the tissue or by locating the probe on the surface of the tissue. as a result, those three parameters represent the various compartments without any information regarding the relative contribution of each on the compartments. therefore the results of po2, pco2 or ph could be sensitive to other factors in tissue physiology such as blood flow. the measurement of microcirculatory blood flow provides information on the intravascular compartment. this parameter together with the oxygenation level of the hbo 2 (hemoglobin saturation), that could be measured by visible or nir spectroscopy, represent the supply of o2 to the examined tissue. therefore, it is possible to describe the relationship between o2, supply and demand in a different but a parallel way as compared to ruffolo (1998). referring to figure 11, in a, under normal conditions, the supply of o2 is adequate and meet the demand as that mitochondrial function can be in the normal range (state 4 — state 3 range) as described by chance & williams in 1955. when the supply is diminished to a level that both flow and o2 extraction reached its maximal compensation the critical point reached will induce a decrease in o2 consumption and inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (b). when the metabolic activity of the tissue/organ is stimulated, both demand and supply will increase (c) and mitochondrial activity will be stimulated to supply the extra atp needed. under hypoxic conditions some organs, like the brain and heart that are autoregulated, supply will increase but mitochondrial activity is partially inhibited (d). under those conditions, blood flow to the non-vital organs will be diminished and as a result the mitichondrial function will be inhibited. this process of blood flow redistribution is the basic concept, which is the theoretical basis to the current invention. criterion c the various monitored parameters present in figure 11 represent various biochemical and physiological processes therefore the significance of each one of them is not identical in terms of early warning of emergency state developed in the body. the most advanced technology is the monitoring of pco2 in various organs and mainly in the sublingual location. it is important to note the co2 is a byproduct of the tricarboxlic acid cycle, which generates the nadh, which is later utilized by the mitochondria. the level of co2 is connected to various other processes, including the body acid-base balance and therefor the interpretation of the changes is dependent on various cellular and tissue activities. monitoring of ph has the same problematic disadvantage due to the various processes taking place in the acid-base balance. two other parameters, po2 and hbθ2 are sensitive to blood flow and are not regulated processes. both of them are dependent parameters and therefore are less sensitive to the significant metabolic processes. the other two parameters, tbf and mitochondrial nadh (fp) are the most regulated processes and; the relationship between them can vary in different pathological situations. therefore monitoring each one of them alone is not sufficient due to coupling or uncoupling processes between the two parameters. under decrease perfusion developed under hemorragic shock will always lead to an increases in the nadh levels in the mitochondria due to the lack of o2. but those two parameters may behave differently during recovery processes, which are the most significant stages in diagnosis of the prognosis of the patient after acute emergency state. in many instances blood flow will recover to the large blood vessels as well as to the microcirculation but the mitochondria will still be inhibited. such conditions may be recorded under the development of pathological states such as sepsis or during recovery from hemorragic shock. therefore, and according to the present invention, for good diagnosis of a patient, multiparametric monitoring of the most regular processes in the tissue is necessary. also, the quantification of the metabolic state of the organ, using optical techniques, namely, tbf and mitochondrial redox state, is practical under the multiparametric monitoring. due to the regulation of blood flow to various organs and the redistribution of tbf to the vital organs versus the non-vital organs, it is very clear that the entire organ will be regulated and the responses will be very similar in each part of the organ. therefore it is not necessary to monitor all the parameters from the same volume of tissue. for this reason the various probes that monitor the various parameters could be separated from each other and the diagnosis will be valid. as can be seen in figure 12, the urethra is very sensitive to sympathetic stimulation. adrenaline was injected at time 0 and tbf decreased immediately to very low levels, together with an increase in nadh levels, due to a significant decrease in o2 supply. the recovery to the normoxic level was very slow and a clear correlation between tbf and nadh can be seen. multiparametric monitoring mammalian tissues are dependent upon the continuous supply of metabolic energy (such as atp and phosphocreatine) in order to perform their various vital activities such as biosynthesis, ion transport and the like. because the changes in tissue energy metabolism may have a transient nature or may be permanent, to assess the tissue energy-state, it is necessary to monitor the events continuously using a real-time system. there is a direct correlation between energy metabolism of the cellular compartment and the blood flow in the microcirculation of the same tissue. in a normal tissue, any change in the o2 demand will be compensated by a corresponding change in the blood flow to the tissue. by this mechanism, the o 2 supply remains constant if there is no change in the o2 consumption. a change in blood flow will change the apparent energy state, so there is a significant correlation between the decrease in flow (increased ischemia) and the increase in nadh levels. the parameters commonly used in the art for the assessment of tissue vitality include: a- blood flow rate; b - mitochondrial redox state or the nadh level; c - blood oxygenation state; d - blood volume; and e - flavoprotein concentration a - blood flow rate the blood flow rate relates to the mean volume flow rate of the blood and is essentially equivalent to the mean velocity multiplied by the number of moving red blood cells in the tissue. this parameter may be monitored by a technique known as laser doppler flowmetry, which is based on the fact that light reflected off moving red blood cells (rbc) undergoes a small shift in wavelength (doppler shift) in proportion to the cell's velocity. light reflected off of stationary rbc or bulk stationary tissue, on the other hand, does not undergo a doppler shift. by illuminating with coherent light, such as a laser, and converting the intensities of incident and reflected light to electrical signals, it is possible to estimate the blood flow from the magnitude and frequency distribution of those signals (stern 1975, us 4,109,647). b - mitochondrial redox state or the nadh level the level of nadh, the reduced form of nad, is dependent both on the availability of oxygen and on the extent of tissue activity. referring to figure 13(a), whilst nadh absorbs uv light at wavelengths of about 310 - 400 nm and fluoresces at wavelengths of about 430 - 490 nm, the nad does not fluoresce. the nadh level can thus be measured using mitochondrial nadh fluorometry. the conceptual foundations for mitochondrial nadh fluorometry were established in the early 1950's and were published by chance and williams (chance & williams, 1955). they defined various metabolic states of activity and rest for in- vitro mitochondria. an increase in the level of nadh with respect to nad and the resulting increase in fluorescence intensity indicate that insufficient oxygen is being supplied to the tissue. similarly, a decrease in the level of nadh with respect to nad and the resulting decrease in fluorescence intensity indicate an increase in tissue activity. c - blood oxygenation state the blood oxygenation state parameter refers to the relative concentration of oxyhaemoglobin to deoxy-haemoglobin in the tissue. it may be assessed by the performance of photometry measurements. the absorption spectrum of oxyhaemoglobin hb02 is considerably different from the absorption spectrum of deoxy-haemoglobin hb (kramer & pearlstein, 1979). the measurement of the absorption at one or more wavelengths can thus be used to assess this important parameter. blood oximeters are based on measurement of the haemoglobin absorption changes as blood deoxygenates (pologe, 1987). such oximeters generally use at least two light wavelengths to probe the absorption. in these devices one wavelength is at an isosbestic point while the another wavelength is at a point that exhibits absorption changes due to variation in oxygenation level. for monitoring the oxygenation levels of internal organs, fiber-optic blood oximeters have been developed. these fiber-optic devices irradiate the tissue with two wavelengths, and collect the reflected light through the optical fibers. by analysis of the reflection intensities at several wavelengths the blood oxygenation is deduced. the wavelengths used in one such system were 585nm (isosbestic point) and 577nm (rampil et al., 1992). another blood oximeter measures and analyzes the whole spectrum band 500-620nm (frank and kessler, 1992). the commercial pulse oximeters measure oxygenation of arterial blood rather then blood oxygenation in the tissue. these instruments utilize artery pulsation in order to extract absorption changes originated in arterial blood. the wavelengths used in commercial pulse oximeters are typically around 660nm in the red region of the spectrum, and between 800 to looonm in near- infrared region (pologe, 1987). d - blood volume the blood volume parameter refers to the concentration of the blood in the tissue. when tissue is irradiated, the intensity of reflectance 'r', at the excitation wavelength, from the tissue is informative of the blood volume. the intensity of the reflected signal, r, also referred to as the total backscatter, increases dramatically as blood is eliminated from the tissue as a result of the decrease in haemoglobin concentration. similarly, if the tissue becomes more perfused with blood, r decreases due to the increase in the haemoglobin concentration. the excitation wavelength for r parameter is preferably at an isosbestic point of the absorption spectrum of oxy-deoxy hemoglobin, otherwise the reflectance measurements are influenced by the oxy-deoxy changes and require correction therefor. e - flavoprotein concentration in order to determine the metabolic state of various tissues in-vivo it is possible to monitor the fluorescence of another cellular fluorochrome, namely, flavoproteins (fp). referring to figure 13(b), fp absorbs light at wavelengths of about 410 to about 470nm and fluoresces at wavelengths of about 500nm to about 570nm. the fp level can thus be measured using fp fluorometry. the conceptual foundations for fp fluorometry were established in the late 1960's and were published in several papers as will be referenced hereinafter. simultaneous monitoring of nadh and fp from the same tissue provides better interpretation of the changes in energy production and demand. chance et al., 1971 had used a time-sharing fluorometer to record intracellular redox state of nadh and fp. they showed a very clear correlation between the two chromophores to changes in 02 supply to the perfused liver. using a time sharing fluorometer reflectometer we had shown the simultaneous monitoring of nadh and fp from the surface of the rat's brain (mayevsky, 1976). the kinetics of the responses to anoxia or decapitation were identical for the nadh and fp indicating that the nadh signal comes from the same cellular compartment as the fp - the mitochondrion. the five tissue viability parameters described above represent various important biochemical and physiological activities of body tissues. monitoring them can provide much information regarding the tissues' vitality. in general, the more parameters that are monitored from the tissue the better and more accurate an understanding of the functional state of the tissue that may be obtained. there are several techniques that relate to the simultaneous in-vivo measuring of multiple parameters in certain tissues, which can be used for the various pathological situations arising in modern medicine. the prior art teaches a wide variety of apparatuses/devices which monitor various parameters reflecting the viability of the tissue, for example, in us 4,703,758 and us 4,945,896. a particular drawback encountered in nadh measurements is the haemodynamic artifact. this refers to an artifact in which nadh fluorescence measurements in-vivo are underestimated or overestimated due to the haemoglobin present in blood circulation, which absorbs radiation at the same wavelengths as nadh, and therefore interferes with the ability of the light to reach the nadh molecules. the haemoglobin also partially absorbs the nadh fluorescence. in particular, a reduction of haemoglobin in blood circulation causes an increase in fluorescence, generating a false indication of the true oxidation reduction state of the organ. us 4,449,535 teaches, as means to compensate for this artifact, the monitoring of the concentration of red blood cells, by illuminating at a red wavelength (805 nm) simultaneously and in the same spot as the uv radiation required for nadh excitation and measuring the variation in intensity of the reflected red radiation, as well as the fluorescence at 440-480 nm, the former being representative of the intra-tissue concentration of red blood cells. similarly kobayashi et al (kobayashi et al, 1971) used ultraviolet (uv) illumination at 366nm for nadh excitation, and red light at 720nm for reflectance measurements. however, us 4,449,535 has at least two major drawbacks; firstly, and as acknowledged therein, using a single optical fiber to illuminate the organ, as well as to receive emissions therefrom causes interference between the outgoing and incoming signals, and certain solutions with different degrees of effectiveness are proposed. additionally since the same optical fiber is utilized for transmission of excitation light and for transmission of the collected light the excitation and the collection point is the same one. this imposes relatively low penetration depth as can be learned from the paper of jakobsson and nilsson (jakobsson and nilsson, 1991). even though both radiation wavelengths are incident on the same spot, since detection is also at the same point, effectively two different elements of tissue volume are being probed since the different radiation wavelengths penetrate the tissue to different depths. this results in measurements that are incompatible one with the other, the blood volume measurement relating to a greater depth of tissue than the nadh measurement. therefore, the device disclosed by this reference does not enable adequate compensation of nadh to be effected using the simultaneous, though inappropriate, blood volume measurement. there is in fact no recognition of this problem, much less so any disclosure or suggestion on how to solve it. further, there is no indication of how to measure other parameters such as blood flow rate, fp level or blood oxygenation level using the claimed apparatus. in two earlier patents which have a common inventor with the present invention, us 5,916,171 and us 5,685,313, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, a device is described that is directed to the monitoring of microcirculatory blood flow (mbf), the mitochondrial redox state (nadh fluorescence) and the microcirculatory blood volume (mbv), using a single source multi-detector electro -optical, fiber-optic probe device for monitoring various tissue characteristics to assess tissue vitality. during monitoring, the device is attached to the fore-mentioned tissue. the probe/tissue configuration enables front-face fluorometry/photometry. although us 5,916,171 and us 5,685,313 represent an improvement over the prior art, they nevertheless have some drawbacks: (i) the oxidation level of the blood will introduce artifacts, affecting the microcirculatory blood volume (mbv) since these patents do not specify how to compensate for the oxygenation state of the blood in the tissue, i.e., the relative quantities of oxygenated blood to deoxygenated blood in the tissue. as disclosed in international patent application pct/ilo 1/00906 filed by applicants, this problem may be overcome by performing the nadh and blood volume measurements at an isosbestic point of the oxyhaemoglobin — deoxyhaemoglobin absorption spectrum. (ii) there is no facility included for measurement of the oxyhaemoglobin - deoxyhaemoglobin level, i.e. the blood oxygenation state, which is also an important tissue viability parameter, worthy of monitoring, (iii) in these two us patents, the same tissue volume needs to be monitored for all parameters, and the same light source and wavelength is used for the illumination needed for monitoring all three parameters. to measure both the nadh level and the blood flow rate, a relatively powerful uv laser is used having an illuminating wavelength close to the peak of the nadh excitation spectrum. using a relatively high intensity uv laser illumination source as proposed raises safety issues, especially for long-term monitoring. an additional problem of nadh photo-bleaching arises since high intensity uv laser is used. (iv) the blood flow measurements impose several requirements on the uv laser source. in particular, the uv laser needs to have a high coherence length and very low optical noise. as discussed in more depth below such lasers at these wavelengths have intrinsic properties which tend to discourage their use in such a device, and are in any case quite rare to come by in the first place. international patent application pct/il01/00906, the contents of which are incorporated herein, filed by applicants further addresses these problems by using two separate illumination radiation sources, one for determination of blood flow rate, and the other for determination of at least one tissue viability parameter such as nadh, blood volume and blood oxygenation state. by separating the light sources, the problem of having a single source capable of satisfactorily enabling the determination of blood flow rate as well as the other three tissue vitality parameters is avoided. this patent application provides means for simultaneous measuring of tissue oxygenation by reflectometry rather than by measurement of the skew of the nadh or the fp fluorescence spectra. this method of oxygenation measurement may be of limited use while the fluorescence signals are fading. in any case, apparatuses that incorporate a laser light source are generally required to comply with relevant laser safety standards, since there is some possibility of harm to tissue from exposure to extensive radiation. the two relevant standards which deal with exposure of human tissue to laser radiation are the ansi z136.1-2000 "american national standard for safe use of lasers" and the iec60825-1-1994 international standard called "safety of laser products". these standards define the maximum permissible exposure (mpe) values. these standards relate to laser irradiation of external tissues such as skin and eye and not of the internal organs, in contrast to typical applications of the present invention. still they are the only known, well established references to safe irradiation values for tissues, and any laser device that is intended to perform nondestructive measurements should comply with these in the absence of a more appropriate full damage test being performed on specific tissue type with specific light irradiation. both the above standards permit a maximum of 1 mw/cm 2 irradiance at uva spectral region (315-400nm) for exposure time larger then looosec. this requirement implies a severe limitation on the light intensity emitted by the distal tip of the fiber optic probe, particularly when shorter wavelength, higher intensity radiation is used. both these standards address eye and skin exposure. due to the fact that no specific standard exists for laser exposure to internal organs, these standards have been adopted herein as the applicable standards. this approach was supported by the american fda (premarket notification k992529). there has been a tendency to reduce the total amount of light sources that are incorporated in medical devices designed for tissue vitality measurements, which generally results in a simplified design, lower costs and increased reliability. therefore this has led to the search for a special light source that may be used for as many parameters as possible, and resulted in the evolution of special expensive low noise uv light sources for doppler measurement. measurement of laser doppler at uv wavelengths raise additional safety aspects that significantly complicate the device. on the other hand, recent developments in solid state light sources enable improved design of compact and inexpensive medical devices which may be based on multiple light sources. in pct/il 01/00900 to applicant, the contents of which are incorporated herein, an apparatus is described for monitoring a plurality of tissue viability parameters of a substantially identical tissue element, in which a single illumination laser source provides illumination radiation at a wavelength such as to enable monitoring of blood flow rate and nadh or flavoprotein concentration, together with blood volume and also blood oxygenation state. in preferred embodiments, an external cavity laser diode system is used to ensure that the laser operates in single mode or at else in two or three non-competing modes, each mode comprising a relatively narrow bandwidth. a laser stabilisation control system is provided to ensure long term operation of the laser source at the desired conditions. in the desire to avoid unnecessary complication of the device due to multiple light sources, the developers search for a single light source that would provide adequate excitation light for all parameters. this resulted in the evolution of a special expensive low noise uv light sources for doppler measurement. measurement of laser doppler at uv wavelengths raises additional safety aspects that significantly complicate the device. however, recent developments in solid state light sources now enable embedding several light sources in a relatively simple device without imposing excess complications to the device. in these prior art publications in which multiparametric measurements are conducted, the illuminating radiation is provided at a single location, and great care is taken that the same tissue volume, or at least the same tissue layer is the subject of the monitoring, and thus one or more detection fibers have to be strategically located in relation to the illuminating fiber to achieve this goal. in the present invention, there is no imperative need for the same tissue volume or layer to be monitored, and in fact each parameter may be monitored separately on a different part of the same organ. this is because the entire organ is affected substantially equally by the pathological condition, that is the body compensatory mechanism is affecting the organ in substantially the same way thus, the apparatuses, systems and methods used in the prior art for multiparametric monitoring according to the present invention are not necessarily suitable for the purposes of the prior art apparatuses, systems and methods. it is an aim of the present invention to overcome the above deficiencies in the prior art. it is another aim of the present invention to provide a multiparametric apparatus, system and method for the diagnosis of metabolic emergency state based on multiparametric monitoring. it is another aim of the present invention to provide such a device or apparatus that conforms to the relevant laser safety standards. it is another aim of the present invention to provide such a device or apparatus that is of a convenient size, weight and power consumption such as to enable the same to be portable and/or installable within regular operating theaters. other purposes and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds. summary of the invention the present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring in a non-vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to said organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, wherein the state of said at least one tissue viability parameter of said non-vital organ is indicative of degree of said body metabolic emergency state, the apparatus comprising: - illumination means for illuminating a first part of said organ with at least one illuminating radiation via at least one illumination location with respect to said tissue; radiation receiving means for receiving a radiation from a second part of said organ as a result of an interaction between said illuminating radiation and said tissue; correlating means adapted for correlating at least a part of said received radiation to said at least one tissue viability parameter; and indicating means for indicating the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter. the at least one tissue viability parameter may be nadh concentration, wherein said radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises an nadh fluorescence emitted by the tissue in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said nadh fluorescence. additionally or alternatively, the said at least one tissue viability parameter is fp concentration, wherein said radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises an fp fluorescence emitted by the tissue in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said fp fluorescence the correlating means may be further adapted for correlating at least a part of said received radiation to at least one other tissue viability parameter including at least one of blood flow rate, blood volume and oxy-deoxy state tissue viability parameter. the illuminating means may comprise a plurality of illuminating radiation wavelengths corresponding to the number of different tissue viability parameters being monitored. the illuminating means may comprise an illuminating radiation of wavelength in the range of between about 315nm to about 400nm, and preferably about 366nm, about 375nm, about 380nm or about 390nm, for monitoring nadh tissue viability parameter. the illumination means may also comprise a suitable led for providing an illuminating radiation of wavelength in the range of between about 315nm to about 400nm, and preferably about 366nm, about 375nm, about 380nm or about 390nm, for monitoring nadh tissue viability parameter. the illuminating means may also comprise an illuminating radiation of wavelength between about 430nm and about 470nm for monitoring flavoprotein concentration tissue viability parameter. the illuminating means may also comprise two illuminating radiations, one at an isosbestic wavelength, and the other at a non-isosbestic wavelength, for monitoring blood oxygenation tissue viability parameter, and the wavelengths thereof may be about 525nm or about 585nm, and about 430nm or 577nm, respectively. the illuminating means may also comprise an illuminating radiation of wavelength between about 550nm and 800nm, and preferably about 655nm or 785nm, for monitoring blood flow rate tissue viability parameter. typically, the illumination location is provided by at least one excitation optical fiber having a free end capable of being brought into registry with said first part of said tissue. the radiation receiving means comprises at least one suitable receiving optical fiber having a free end capable of being brought into registry with said second part of said tissue. the at least one excitation optical fiber and said at least one receiving optical fiber are preferably housed in a suitable probe head. the at least one excitation fiber may comprise a suitable first connector at an end thereof opposed to said free end thereof, said first connector capable of selectively coupling and decoupling said excitation fiber from the rest of the said apparatus. at least one collection fiber may comprise a suitable second connector at an end thereof opposed to said free end thereof, said second connector capable of selectively coupling and decoupling said collection fiber from the rest of the said apparatus. optionally, the probe may be disposable and/or sterilisable. typically, the blood flow rate tissue viabihty parameter is provided by applying a laser doppler flowmetry technique to said radiation received by said radiation receiving means. the apparatus also comprises first detection means for detecting said received radiation received by said radiation receiving means. the at least one tissue viability parameter may further comprise blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises a reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said reflectance. the at least one tissue viability parameter may further comprise blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises a reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by said illuminating radiation, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of said reflectance, wherein said illumination radiation is at an isosbestic wavelength. the at least one tissue viability parameter further may comprise blood volume within said organ, and said corresponding radiation received by said radiation receiving means comprises two separate reflectance from the organ in response to illumination thereof by two different illuminating radiations, the said at least one tissue viability parameter being provided by the intensity of each said reflectance, wherein each said illuminating radiation is at a different isosbestic wavelength. in one embodiment, the probe head is adapted for optical measurement in organs comprising tubular vessels. in particular, the probe head may be adapted for optical measurement in organs comprising tubular vessels, including the esophagus, urethra, blood vessels, the stomach and bladder. optionally, the probe is incorporated in a suitable urethral catheter including a folley catheter. in another embodiment, the probe head is adapted for optical measurement on organs comprising skin, and the probe head may be attached to the skin via a suitable gel, or via a suitable adhesive. in yet another embodiment, the probe head is adapted for fetal distress monitoring. in another embodiment, the probe head is adapted for soft tissue insertion. in said apparatus, the first part and said second part may be at the same location of said organ, or, the first part of said organ is different from said second part of said organ. the body metabolic emergency state being diagnosed is typically sepsis. the present invention also relates to a system for selectively monitoring in a plurality of organs at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to each said organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, said system comprising a plurality of monitoring probes, each said probe comprising an apparatus as defined herein. the different organs may be different organs within the same organism, or different organs within different organisms, or may include donor organs. the present invention also relates to a system for selectively monitoring in a plurality of locations in the same organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to each said location of the organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, said system comprising a plurality of monitoring probes, each said probe comprising an apparatus as defined herein. the present invention also relates to a method for diagnosing the degree of body metabolic emergency state, comprising: - (a) choosing a non-vital organ with respect to the said metabolic emergency state; (b) monitoring in said non-vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration; and (c) determining the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter monitored in (b). in step (c), said determination is preferably correlated to the direction of change in the value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. preferably, in step (c) said degree of body metabolic emergency state is correlated to the amplitude and duration of a change in said value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. optionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is nadh concentration, and an increase in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is flavoprotein concentration, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood flow rate, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood volume, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood oxygenation level, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. typically, the non-vital organ is an organ chosen from among the skin, muscles, gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system. typically the body metabolic emergency state includes any one of sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, hypoxemia, hypotension, dysoxia and cardiac arrest. typically, the body metabolic emergency state arises from at least one clinical situation including those that develop in a respiratory icu, neurosurgical icu, delivery room both for a mother and her neonate, neonatal icu, cardiac surgery operative room as well as post-operative period thereof, neuro surgery operative as well as post-operative period thereof, organ transplantation operative as well as post-operative period thereof, elderly and critical ill clinical situations. the method may also be used in situations wherein the body metabolic emergency state arises in patients hospitalized in various clinical wards. brief description of the drawings figure 1 illustrates the interrelation between energy demand, energy supply and regulation of the blood flow to a normal tissue. the list (1-5) in the left side of the figure demonstrates various energy demand processes in typical tissues. figure 2 schematically illustrates the sequence of events and responses taking place during fetal distress, during delivery. (tbf- tissue blood flow; fhr- fetal heart rate; lcbf- localized cerebral blood flow; mca-bf- middle cerebral artery blood flow; hb02- 02 saturation of hb). figure 3 shows a schematic presentation of various pathological states (left side of figure) developed under various clinical situations (right side of figure). the systemic metabolic consequences and the responses of the body to it are shown in the center of the figure. an increase in blood flow (+) will noticed in the protected organs and the decrease (-) in blood flow to the non vital organs will be proportional to the severity of the situation. figure 4 shows a schematic presentation of the classification of monitoring approaches and type of parameters. figure 5 shows the hemodynamic and metabolic responses of 4 different organs to norepinephrine injection, intra venuosly. figure 6 shows a comparison of the hemodynamic and metabolic responses to ischemia and adrenaline injection both in the rat brain(b) and skin (s) in the scalp area. figure 7 illustrates the effect of anoxia (n2) on systemic blood pressure (map) as well as hemodynamic and metabolic activities in the serosal side of the small intestine (upper 3 channels) and brain cortex (lower 3 channels). ibf, cbf - intestinal and cerebral blood flow nadhi, nadhb - intestinal and cerebral mitochondrial nadh. ibv, cbv - intestinal and cerebral blood volume measured by tissue reflectance. figure 8 illustrates the effects of noradrenaline iv injection (ne) on mean arterial pressure, small intestine (upper 3 traces) and brain (lower 3 traces) blood flow, volume and mitochondrial nadh redox state. two levels on ne were injected to the same rat. the intestinal probe was located on the serosal side of the ileum. all abbreviations are as in figure 7. figure 9 illustrates the effects of anoxia on rat brain and intestine blood flow, tissue reflectance and mitochondrial nadh redox state monitored simultaneously. r, f, nadh: reflectance, fluorescence and corrected nadh fluorescence. tbf: tissue blood flow. figure 10 illustrates the responses of the rat brain and small intestine to r injection of adrenaline measured simultaneously. abbreviations are as in figure 9. figure 11 illustrates schematically the relationship between 02 supply and demand under various situations. figure 12 illustrates the responses of rat's urethra to intravenous adrenaline injection : tbf-tissue blood flow; r, f- reflectance and fluorescence; nadh- corrected nadh fluorescence. figure 13(a) shows the excitation fluorescence spectrum (fext) and emission fluorescence spectrum (fems) for nadh in terms of the corresponding fluorescence intensities (if) as a function of wavelength (wl). figure 13(b) shows the excitation fluorescence spectrum (fpext) and emission fluorescence spectrum (fpems) for fp in terms of the corresponding fluorescence intensities (if) as a function of wavelength (wl). figure 14 illustrates schematically the main components of the first embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. figure 15 shows the clock sequence of the system that enables the time sharing operation scheme. the numbers on left side indicate the corresponding light source or detector number. the numbers over the waveforms indicate the appropriate light source wavelengths or detectors wavelengths. figure 16 illustrates light absorption of blood oxy-haemoglobin and blood deoxy-haemoglobin in terms of the extinction parameter (e) as a function of wavelength (wl). figure 17 illustrates schematically the ratio of reflectance at non-isosbestic wavelength to reflectance at isosbestic wavelength, as a function of oxygenation level of blood in tissue. figure 18 illustrates schematically the main components of the probe of the present invention. figure 19 illustrates, in transverse cross-sectional view, the main components of a first embodiment of the probe of the present invention. figure 20(a) and figure 20(b) illustrate, in transverse cross-sectional view and perspective view, respectively, the main components of a second embodiment of the probe of the present invention. figure 21(a) and figure 21(b) illustrate, in transverse cross-sectional view and perspective view, respectively, the main components of a third embodiment of the probe of the present invention. figure 22(a) and figure 22(b) illustrate, in transverse cross-sectional view and perspective view, respectively, the main components of a fourth embodiment of the probe of the present invention. figure 23(a) and figure 23(b) illustrate, in transverse cross-sectional view and perspective view, respectively, the main components of a fifth embodiment of the probe of the present invention. figure 24 illustrates schematically the main components of the second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention detailed description of preferred embodiments the present invention is defined by the claims, the contents of which are to be read as included within the disclosure of the specification, and will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures. in the description to follow, the following illustrative apparatuses and methods are described, it being understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form thereof, and the following description being provided only for the purposes of illustration. the present invention is directed to an apparatus for monitoring at least one tissue viability parameter chosen from nadh and fp concentration corresponding to the non- vital organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state that may develop in many acute or chronic clinical conditions. preferably, the apparatus is adapted for the simultaneous monitoring of such a parameter and the other tissue viability parameters including at least one of, and preferably more than one of, and most preferably all of, the set of parameters comprising blood flow rate, blood volume, tissue blood oxygenation state and either at least fp concentration and at least nadh concentration respectively. multiple light radiation sources provide appropriate illumination at each particular excitation wavelength that are optimally used for monitoring these parameters, as will be described in detail hereinbelow. thus, the present invention is directed to an apparatus for monitoring in a non- vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration corresponding to said organ being monitored, for the early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state, wherein the state of said at least one tissue viability parameter of said non-vital organ is indicative of degree of said body metabolic emergency state, the apparatus comprising: - illumination means for illuminating a first part of said organ with at least one illuminating radiation via at least one illumination location with respect to said tissue; radiation receiving means for receiving a radiation from a second part of said organ as a result of an interaction between said illuminating radiation and said tissue; correlating means adapted for correlating at least a part of said received radiation to said at least one tissue viability parameter; and indicating means for indicating the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter. body emergency metabolic state (bems) is understood herein to refer to the physiological or initial stage of pathophysiological conditions leading to changes in the distribution of blood flow to various organs in the patient, and in which preference is given to the most vital organs in the body, namely the brain, heart and adrenal gland. as a result, the non vital organs such as the skin,muscle,g-i tract and the urogenital system, will enter into a hypoperfusion state. according to the invention, the apparatus comprises indicating means, which comprises any suitable system by which the bems may be determined in real time. thus, such a system is operatively connected to a multiparametric monitoring probes, particular as in the present invention that measure in real time various parameters shown in figure 4. in addition the apparatus includes a computerised unit for data acquisition and a special software for the analysis of the results in real time. in a patient subjected to bems, the rate or intensity of blood flow redistribution will be dependent upon the insult that led to the development of the emergency state. the indicating means enables the determination of a scale or degree of emergency state according to the relative changes recorded by one or the various probes connected to the patient's non vital organ. the software will take into consideration two dynamic parameters: 1. the amplitude of the change. 2. the time duration of the change. these two criteria will be tested in each one of the monitored parameters. the relationship between the amplitude and the duration of a change is not linear but rather asymptotic. this means that if the amplitude of the change is below a certain threshold level, then even a very long duration associated with it will not be effective. the same is true if the duration of the change is below the minimal threshold, then even a very high amplitude change will not be effective. the mathematical model to be used in the software will define and use critical levels of each of the monitored parameters to be considered and weighted accordingly. the output of such an indicating mean will be a representative number ranging from 0-100, say. normal tissue will have a very low value in this scale, and under the development of an emergency state the higher the number or index the more the severe is the situation is for the patient. it is possible that a bems index will be created by various combinations of changes in the individual parameters. it is important to note that the change in the blood flow or hb02 recorded in a non-vital organ represents the vascular compartment of the tissue while the nadh and the fp signal is originating from the intracellular space- the mitochondrion which is under different kind of regulating mechanisms. when such a bems index value increases above a certain level, this will suggest that a more severe situation developed. various combinations of changes are shown in figure 11. it is clear that the change in blood flow alone is not sensitive enough to determine bems and only the intracellular consequences measured from the mitochondria will provide reliable picture of the situation. the correlating means may be hardware or software based, though preferably they form part of the software comprised in the computing means or personal computer (5), described herebelow, and enables the data signals received from the probe to be translated into tissue vitality values. thus the nadh and/or fp concentration measurement is conducted concurrently with the monitoring of the other tissue viability parameters, providing simplicity in terms of configuration and design of the monitoring apparatus, as well as in the method of use, as will be evident from the following description. referring in particular to figure 14, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus, generally designated (98), comprises several sub units, including light source unit (lsu) (2), a fiber optic probe (1), detector unit (dtu) (3), electronics unit (eu) (4), personal computer (pc) (5) and power supply (ps) (6). the light source unit (lsu) (2) comprises multiple solid state emitters that provide the illumination source for measurement of the desired parameters. the light source unit (lsu) (2) is optically coupled to a fiber optic probe (1), which transmits the illumination light to the tissue, collects the light from the tissue and transmits it back to the detector unit (dtu) (3). the dtu (3) comprises several photo -detectors that convert light signals to electrical signals. the electrical signals from the dtu (3) are transferred to the electronics unit (eu) (4) for processing and conversion to digital data that is then transferred to the dedicated microprocessor computing means, typically a personal computer (pc) (5). the apparatus (98) also incorporate appropriate power supply (ps) (6) that supply the electronic circuits of all sub units with appropriate electric current. in this embodiment, the lsu (2) preferably comprises of four separate light sources. each source is utilized for generation of light of specific wavelength appropriate for the measurement of one or more physiological parameters. the first light source (210) is utilized for tissue blood oxygenation measurements, and may comprise a light emitting diode (led) that emits green light that peeks at a wavelength of around 525nm. the bp280cwag6k- 3.5vf-050t led from ledtronics inc. torrance ca. can be used for this purpose. this kind of led has high luminous intensity of about loooomcd. similar leds are readily available from several additional produces. the light from this led is collimated with the lens (212) towards the dichroic mirror (214). this dichroic mirror reflects light at wavelengths shorter than 600nm and transmits light at higher wavelengths. this dichroic mirror enables combining of the green light from the led with the red light from the second light source or red laser diode (220). alternatively, a wavelength of about 585nm may be used for this light source. the red laser diode (220) is utilized for laser doppler measurements. this laser diode (220) can be any single longitudinal mode laser diode such as ld1350 from power technology inc. mabelvale, ar, for example, which emits in continuous wave mode (cw) at 655nm. the laser diode also preferably operates at single longitudinal mode. typically a red free-running single longitudinal mode laser diode source emits laser radiation over a band of 10 to 15mhz. this bandwidth is narrow enough for laser doppler blood flowmetry. many similar single mode laser diodes with various red wavelengths are available at the market. the laser diode is preferably incorporated in appropriate laser head that preferable also includes a peltier thermoelectric cooler with closed loop feedback temperature controller. this temperature control can improve wavelength stability of the laser diode and also ensure noiseless output for long time periods. any way general red single mode laser diode is good enough to serve as laser doppler light source. the light from the led (210) and from ld (220) is combined by the dichroic mirror (214) and passes toward the fiber optic connector (224). in order to insert the light to the optical fiber the focusing lens (222) is used. in order to monitor the excitation intensity of the green light source small part of the green light is deflected towards the photodiode (250) by the dichroic beam splitter (256). the split light component then passes through additional optical filter (254) in order to eliminate the remaining small intensity at the red and focused on the photodiode by the lens (252). the monitoring of the intensity of the red light is not critical, since the signal-processing algorithm of the laser doppler measurement normalizes the detected ac signal, that is correlated to the doppler, with the total light intensity of the dc signal. therefore the exact absolute value of the red laser excitation intensity is not absolutely necessary for the doppler measurements. in any case, this intensity can be measured from the ld internal photodiode that is incorporated in each ld by the manufacturer for monitoring of laser intensity and for stabilization purposes. the light from both sources (210), (220) enters the fiber optic connector (224), which typically forms part of a fiber optic coupler comprising the optical connectors (224), (234) and (280) along with the optical fibers. the purpose of this fiber optic combiner is to combine the light from all four light sources to the excitation fiber (16). the third light source (240) is preferably an ultraviolet led, hg spectral lamp with appropriate filter for 366nm, uv laser or laser diode that may be utilized for nadh fluorescence excitation and for reflectance measurements as will be explained hereinafter. this uv led can be such as nshu550 led manufactured by nichia chemical industries ltd., anan, japan, for example. this led emits ultraviolet radiation at a wavelength of 375nm which is inside the excitation spectrum of the nadh. another possible light source for the third light source (240) is nlhv500 laser diode, manufactured by the same manufacturer. this laser diode is available at several wavelengths from 390 to 410nm. the ld with wavelength of 390nm, since being inside the excitation band of the nadh, is also suitable for light source (240). a further example for light source (240) is a led bp200cuv750-250 at 370nm or l200cuv395-12d led at 390nm both from ledtronics inc. torrance ca. the light from light source (240) is collimated by the suitable lens (242) and reflected by the dichroic mirror (244). the dichroic mirror (244) reflects wavelengths lower then 400nm and allow pass through wavelengths higher then 400nm. the fourth light source (230) may comprise a blue led, blue laser or laser diode with light emission around 430 to 470nm. this excitation source is used for measurement of two parameters. this blue light situated inside the excitation spectrum of the fp as can be seen at figure 13(b). therefore it is useful for the excitation of the fp fluorescence. the same excitation light is used for reflectance measurement at the excitation wavelength. this signal is used for two purposes; first, to correct the fp fluorescence signal for hemodynamic artifact as will be described hereinafter for nadh, second, the reflectance at this wavelength along with the reflectance at 525nm is used in order to measure the tissue blood oxygenation as will be described later. this blue light source (230) may be, for example, a ndhb500apae1 laser diode manufactured by nichia chemical industries ltd., anan, japan, which emits at a wavelength of 440nm which is inside the excitation spectrum of the fp. the light from the fourth light source (230) passes through the dichroic mirror (244). both rays of 440nm and 375nm pass through the beam splitter (264) and focused by lens (232) on the optical connector (234) of the fiber optic combiner consisting of optical fibers and optical connectors (224), (234) and (280). this light is coupled to the excitation fiber (16) of the fiber optic probe. on their way towards the connector (234) each of the two radiations originating from light sources (230), (240) are split, and the split components are directed towards the intensity monitoring photodiode (260) by the beam splitter (264), and is focused on the detector active area by the lens (262). the light at the connector (280) of the fiber optic coupler thus may comprise four wavelengths namely uv light at about 370nm, blue light at 440nm, green light at about 525nm and red light at about 655nm. these different radiations are not emitted to the excitation fiber (14) simultaneously, but rather separately, but according to some appropriate time sharing arrangement that will be described later. the light at the connector (280) is coupled to excitation connector (16) of the excitation fiber (14) of the fiber optic probe (1). the various types of the fiber optic probes will be described hereinafter. the light of the various wavelengths is guided to the tissue being monitored by the optical excitation fiber (14). at the distal end of the fiber optic probe (1) the excitation optical fiber (14) and the collection fibers (15) are in optical contact with the tissue being monitored. by "optical contact" it is meant that there is sufficient proximity, and even physical contact, between the distal end of the fibers (14), (15) and the tissue such as to enable the light from the excitation fibers (14) to penetrate the tissue, and for light emanating from the tissue to be detected by the detection fibers (15). thus, the excitation light penetrates the tissue via the distal end of the excitation fiber (14), while some small part of the original photons or new photons originated form the tissue auto-fluorescence are reach the tissue surface and collected by the collection fibers (15). the collected light is guided back toward the device by the collection optical fibers (15). these fibers are connected to the detection unit (dtu) (3) by the optical connector (17). referring also to figure 15, the light that enters the dtu (3) via the detection fibers (15) may comprise six wavelengths: the reflectance at 370nm (r370), the nadh fluorescence at 460nm (f460), the reflectance at 440nm (r440), the fp fluorescence at 520nm (f520), the reflectance at 525nm (r525) and the doppler signal at 655nm (d655). since these six wavelengths are separated in the time domain the detection of these light signals can be accomplished by four detectors, which are synchronized with the operation timing of the appropriate light sources as will be described later. the light from the collection fibers (15) of the fiber optic probe is channeled to the dtu (3) via the optical connector (17). the collimating lens (378) collimates the light emerging from the fibers and directs it to the first dichroic beam splitter (376). this dichroic beam splitter reflects wavelengths shorter then 400nm towards the photodetector (370). before reaching the photodetector (370) the light is additionally filtered to the 370nm ± lonm by interference filter. in order to fill the active area of the detector the light is focused by the focusing lens (372). the detector (370) is particularly adapted for measuring the reflectance r370. all wavelengths higher than 400nm pass through the dichroic beam splitter (376) and reach the second dichroic beam splitter (346). this dichroic beam splitter reflects all wavelengths shorter then 490nm and allows all higher wavelengths to pass therethrough. the reflectance at 440nm (r440) and fluorescence at 460nm (f460) pass through additional interference filter (344), which pass the wavelength of 450nm ±15nm, and additionally the light is focused on the photodetector (340) active area by the lens (342). the detector (340) is utilized to measure the nadh fluorescence (f460) and the reflectance (r440). these two wavelengths can be monitored by the same detector, due to time sharing, which will be described later. the light that passes the dichroic beam splitter (346) consists of the wavelengths higher then 490nm i.e. (d655), (r525) and (f520). the light reaches the dichroic beam splitter (386) that reflects wavelengths lower then 600nm and transmits all wavelengths higher then 600nm. therefore the r525 and f520 are reflected towards the detector (360). this light pass additional filtering by the interference filter (364) that is centered at 520nm ±20nm. the lens (362) focuses the light on the active area of the detector. the light that passes the dichroic filter (386) is the red light utilized for doppler measurement - (r655). this light passes through additional interference filter (374) centered at 655nm ±lonm and is focused on the active area of the detector (380) by the lens (382) the signal detectors (380), (360), (340), (370) and all normalization detectors (260) and (250) are operatively connected to the electronics unit (eu) (4), and thus the outputs of all these detectors are channeled to the eu (4).. the eu (4) includes five functional sub units: the analog to digital (a/d) and digital to analog d/a converter (401), the led driver electronics (430), the laser diode current and temperature (not shown) driver (420) and the detector's signal processing and conditioning electronics (410). the whole system works according to synchronous detection principle while the clock sequences determined by the computer pc (5), which operatively connected to the eu (4) via the d/a (401). the apparatus (98) preferably operates according to the time sharing scheme. the light sources (240), (230) and (210) are enabled and disabled according to predefined time sequence. the red light source (220) that emits 655nm red light for laser doppler measurements is in on mode during operation of the apparatus (98). this constant operation of light source (220) is due to the relative simplicity of discrimination of this red wavelength from all another wavelengths present in the device. additionally as the result of the required bandwidth and natural fluctuations with time of the laser doppler signal, it is more convenient to perform doppler measurements continuously in cw mode. therefore the light source (220) is working continuously in cw mode, while all optical system is designed to direct this red light to the appropriate doppler detector (380), and all other parts of the optical detection system discriminate these signals. referring now to the figure 15. this time diagram illustrates the relationship between the enabling signals of the light sources and of the corresponding detectors. while each light source is in an enabling period, it generates a train of light pulses at the appropriate wavelength. this train of pulses is of exact predefined frequency and predefined on and off period within each cycle, and it is different for each light source. by way of example, the apparatus (98) can operate at main sequence frequency of 4hz, i.e. each parameter is measured 4 times each second. this time cycle is indicated on figure 15 as tl, with a duration is 250msec. each light source has its predefined time period consisting of enable on mode and off mode. this time period indicated by t2, which is of duration 62.5msec, while the enable on period is 50msec and the off period is 12.5msec (the figure not in scale for simplicity). during the 50msec of the enable on each light source operates in pulse mode with its predefined frequency and duty cycle. the uv light source (240) operates at 2400hz frequency. each cycle duration is 417usec, while the light is on during 40usec and off during 377usec, this emerges in less then 0.1 duty cycle that ensures total duty cycle of light exposure less then 0.02, since this light source is enabled only for 50msec in each tl period. this very low duty cycle is important in order to low as possible the amount of uv irradiation on tissue. the green light source (210) operates at 2800hz frequency. each cycle duration is 375usec, while the light is on during loousec and off during 275usec, this emerges in duty cycle of less then 0.3. there is no special requirements from this duty cycle since the total amount of irradiation that can be applied to tissue in visible region of spectrum is much higher than needed for reliable detection. the blue light source (230) may be utilized for two different measurements as described above. when the light source (230) is utilized as excitation light source for fp fluorescence measurements (f520) the intensity should be higher then than the same light source utilized for reflectance measurement (r440) in order to deduce the tissue oxygenation state. the light source (230) is enabled twice each cycle tl. once for r440 measurements, indicated on the figure 15 as 440* and once for f520 measurements, indicated as 440 on the same figure. when light source (230) enabled for r440 measurements it operates at 2600hz. the light on period is loousec while the light off period is 285usec. when the same light source (230) enabled for f520 measurements it operates at 2000hz. the light on period is 150usec and the light off period is 350usec. the intensity sensing photodetectors (250) and (260) also receive the pulses from the light sources according to their enabling sequence and the corresponding frequencies. the time chart on figure 15 shows the timing of signal appearance at the detectors (250) and (260). as shown on the diagram the detector (260) receives light from light source (240) - indicated by e375 and from the light source (230) - indicated by e440* and e440. each excitation sequence can be determined by it's own specific frequency of light pulses appearance. all photodetectors are operatively connected to the conditioning electronics unit (410). the signals from the detectors are amplified and converted to digital data. a suitable synchronous detection scheme is utilized in order to achieve detection of small signals in noisy environment. the electronics sub unit (410) comprises all necessary electronics hardware components and circuitry in order to perform the synchronous detection of the signals. the light sources drivers receive their appropriate conditioning signals from the a/d unit (401). this unit also provides the synchronization from the computer programmable clock for the chopping trains of all light sources and for the synchronous detectors, which analyze the detectors outputs. each one of the light sources enabled at different time period and operates at different frequency in order to enable discrimination of each one of the signals and it's correct detection by the appropriate detector. the oxygenation measurements designed to be performed according to the well-known method of measuring the reflectance at two different wavelengths. this method described thoroughly in scientific literature for example one of such systems (rampil et. al. 1992) comprised a hg lamp with a rotating filter wheel. the rotating wheel placed a correct filter into the excitation light path and additional appropriate filter into the emission light path. the system therefore measured reflectance at two wavelengths according to time sharing scheme. the wavelengths that utilized in that system where 585nm for isosbestic point and 577nm for non-isosbestic reflectance. the reflectance changes at 577nm indicate changes in tissue blood oxygenation. as can be seen on figure 16 the oxy haemoglobin absorption at 577nm is higher then the absorption of the deoxy haemoglobin. therefore as the tissue blood became more oxygenated the reflectance at 577nm became lower and vise versa. the additional measurement at isosbestic 585nm is needed in order to compensate changes due to increase or decrease of total blood volume. rise in total blood volume will also cause decrease of reflectance at 577nm. therefore measurement at 585nm-isosbestic point is used to normalize these artifact changes. similar concept is utilized in current device but with different wavelengths. the reflectance at isosbestic wavelength of 525nm (see figure 16) is measured by the excitation light from light source (210) (see figure 14) and the photodetector (360). the reflectance at non-isosbestic wavelength of 440nm is measured by the excitation light source (230) and the photodetector (340). the tissue blood oxygenation values can be measured after appropriate calibration according to the calibration curve at figure 17. the x axis of this graph is the oxygenation ratio while the y axis of the graph is the ratio of the reflectances at the two wavelengths. the calibration should be performed against standard tissue blood oxygenation method such as pulse oximetry. the nadh fluorescence f460 is measured by the detector (340) and the fluorescence signals are corrected by the reflectance signals r375, which measured by the detector (370). the correction algorithm is simply subscription of the normalized reflectance from the normalized fluorescence. this correction algorithm is well established in literature (jobsis et al. neurophysiology 3465, 735-749, 1971; rampil et. al. 1992). the fp fluorescence correction algorithm is similar to that of nadh. the fp fluorescence f520 is measured at 520nm by the photodetector (360), the correction signal of reflectance r440 is measured by the photodetector (340). the normalized reflectance signal is subtracted for the normalized fluorescence signal to obtain the corrected fp signal. the photodetectors (340) and (360) are each utilized for two different measurements. the photodetector (340) used for nadh fluorescence f460 measurements and for reflectance r440 measurements. the photodetector (360) is used for fp fluorescence f520 measurements and for reflectance r525 measurements. the reflectance light is obviously much more intensive then the fluorescence light. therefore these two photodetectors have two different gains. while the fluorescence measurements are performed the both photodetectors work at high gain and therefore both became very sensitive to the low intensity fluorescence light. when the reflectance measurement is performed the photodetector work with low gain therefore the relative high light intensities does not saturate the photodetectors output. the conditioning electronics (410) of the eu (4) performs the control on the photodetectors gain according to the main system clock sequence. additionally, in order to get better s/n in fp fluorescence measurements the fp fluorescence excitation light source (230) works in two intensity levels. when this light source (230) is used for fp fluorescence f520 excitation the intensity is set to high. at this time period the photodetector (360) gain is high and the photodetector (340) gain is switched to off in order to protect it from photo-damage. when light source (230) is used for reflectance r440 measurements the intensity is set to low. at this time period the gain of photodetector (340) is non zero but low relatively to it's value when f460 is measured. the gain of all another detectors of the dtu (3) is set to zero. the gain of light source intensity monitoring detector (260) is also controlled according to the status of the light sources (230) and (240). the gain control of all the detectors performed by the conditioning electronics (410), which is a part of the eu (4). the reflectance measurements r525, which is utilized by the photodetector (360) are used for assessment of two parameters, one is the tissue blood oxygenation as described above, second is total blood volume, which correlated to the total back scatter at isosbestic point at oxy-deoxy haemoglobin absorption spectrum. the time sharing and additional chopping of the excitation light utilized in this device enable significantly reduce the total irradiation of the tissue by uv light. this is very important since the maximal permissible exposure (mpe) of human tissue to the uv light at 315-400nm is very low (lmw/cm 2 ) according to the ansi z136.1-2000 standard. this very low exposure limit is easily achieved when time sharing and additional chopping excitation scheme is used. as described above the uv light source (240) (see figure 14) generates light at lees then 0.02 of the time, while the intensity of the uv light at the probe distal end is less then lmw. therefore the uv exposure on the tissue is about an order of magnitude lower then the mpe. the present invention is directed to a probe for use in the multiparametric monitoring of an organ, particularly for the purpose of early diagnosis of body metabolic emergency state that may develop in many acute or chronic clinical conditions. referring to figure 18, and as will become clearer herein, a the fiber-optic probe, generally designated with the numeral (1) is adapted for transmitting light from the apparatus (98) light sources (210), (220), (230) and (240) to the monitored tissue and from the tissue back to the detection unit (3). the probe (1) comprises a fiber-optic cable (12), the proximal end of which is operatively connected to the rest of the apparatus (98), while the distal end of the probe (1) comprises a head (11), which is in secure optical contact with the tissue being monitored.. the fiber optic cable (12) comprises two groups of optical fibers, each group having at least one optical fiber. the first group of fibers may be referred to as excitation fibers (14), and transmits light from the apparatus (98) to the monitored tissue. the excitation fibers group is formed from one or more fibers (14) that are bound together into an optical connector (16) at their proximal ends. the second group of optical fibers, referred to as emission fibers (15), are bound together into an optical connector (17) at their proximal ends, and collects the light that is emitted from the tissue and transmits it back to the detection unit (3) of the apparatus (98). various types of probes particularly adapted or designed for light irradiation and measurement of low-radiance signals from various tissues are described herein. cylindrical probe for radial measurements in tubular body vessels: urethra, blood vessels and others. referring to figure 19, a first embodiment of the probe, generally designated (101), comprises all the elements and features of the probe (1) as described herein, mutatis mutandis. in addition, the probe (101) is particularly adapted for optical measurement of low-radiance signals from the inner surface of elastic body vessels, during catheterization. this is achieved by bending the fibers, which are laid along the internal axis of the catheter, at an angle 90 degrees, or close thereto. in this manner, the distal end of the fibers, i.e., the end from which light is emitted or received, comes into direct contact with the tissue, which is typically concentric with the probe (101). this arrangement for the fiber distal ends eliminates the costly and complicated treatment which would otherwise be required to be performed to the fibers ends, to convert these into "side firing" or "side facing" fibers. moreover, this arrangement is superior to such side facing fibers, in which the coupling efficiency between the side facing fiber and the vessel wall is relatively low. while it is normally sufficient to illuminate a tissue by emitting light into it, (as in photo-dynamic therapy, for example), the poor optical contact between the side firing element and the vessel's wall results in significant losses in collecting signal that emits the vessel's wall. in this embodiment, the fibers are arranged in one or more clusters of excitation fibers (115) and emission (116) fibers. the bending radius of the fibers is equivalent to the inner diameter of the head (112) of the probe (201), thus enabling a minimum tip diameter of typically about 3mm id. the clusters may be arranged in a radial symmetry, in one or more layers. the distal tip of (113) the head (112) may be shaped as a hemisphere, for easy insertion and navigation through the vessel. the head (112) may optionally further comprise one or more tubes (117) that enable fluid transfer between the vessel interior and outside the body. fluid transfer may be required for urine drainage, drugs injection, saline flush and other uses, depending on the vessel being monitored. referring to figure 18, the tubes (117) pass from the tip (113) towards a location before the proximal end of the optical cable (12), wherein the tubes (117) emerge therefrom to form a separate manifold (18) with connection ports (19). probe for measurements upon neonates' skin, gel attachment type. referring to figure 20(a) and figure 20(b), a second embodiment of the probe, generally designated (201), comprises all the elements and features of the probe (1) as described herein, mutatis mutandis. in addition, the probe (201) is particularly adapted for surface attachment to neonates' skin, using adhesive gels. such gels (such as ten20, by do weaver and co. co, usa, for example) are widely used with non-disposable neurodiagnostic electrodes. thus, the head (21) is in the form of a cylindrical button, typically made from a suitable plastic, and comprises a fiber optic bundle (23). the distal end of the fiber bundle (23) is located at the center of the contact face (30) of the head (21), which also comprises two concentric open channels (25), (27). after slightly overfilling the outermost channel (25) with adhesive gel, the head (21) is pressed towards the skin and adhered thereto. the bundle (23) and plastic guide (28) which projects distally at the distal tip thereof form the contact surface (a2), which is the first to come in contact with the tissue, blocking gel that overflows from obscuring or screening the fibers. excessive gel is forced out from the channel (25) and into the inner channel (27). the inner channel (27) acts as a "moat" that accumulates excessive gel in order to block the gel from approaching the fibers and potentially obscuring them. thin holes (29) are drilled from the back of the head (21) into the channel (25), enabling addition of supplementary fresh gel via a syringe needle in order to reinforce the fixation when the gel dissolves. the fiberoptic bundle (23) is sheathed within flexible tubing (22), and secured to the tip by means of epoxy mold (24). the bundle (23) may also include a deformable member such as a short non-flexible plastic or metal wire (22a), in order to enable the user to shape the bundle cable by fingers, to maintain best or lowest profile. probe for measurements on skin, adhesive type referring to figure 21(a) and figure 21(b), a third embodiment of the probe, generally designated (301), comprises all the elements and features of the probe (1) as described herein, mutatis mutandis. in addition, the probe (301) is particularly adapted for surface attachment to neonates' skin, using adhesive tape or the like. thus, the head (31) is in the form of a mouse, and made of relatively soft (30 to 40 shore a) rtv silicone or silicone rubber, such that its contact surface (a3) may easily adapt to the skin contour of the patient. a fiberoptic bundle (34) is embedded into the head (31), forming an internal bend (35) of obtuse angle. since the silicone is elastic with respect to the fibers, it can not force the required additional sharp angled bend upon the fibers. thus, the head (31) comprises a pre-molded stiff kernel (32), made from medical grade epoxy for example, wherein to form and maintain the bend (35) . the kernel (32) is then embedded into a silicone body, thereby positioning the fibers perpendicular to the surface (a3) which is to be attached to the skin (a3). the rest of the fiberoptic bundle (34) is sheathed within flexible tubing (33), wherein its distal end is cast in the head (31). the bundle (34) may also include a deformable member such as a short non-flexible plastic or metal wire (36), in order to enable the user to shape the bundle cable by fingers, to maintain best or lowest profile. adhesive (37) is pre-applied to the distal contact surface (a3) of the probe (301) in order to adhere the same with the skin. such adhesive may be in the form of an adhesive tape, many examples of which are widely used upon skin for various medical applications, such as securing dressings and iv (intravenous) tubing. in case of neonatal or fragile skin, the preferred adhesive is hydrocolloid gel (such as 9943 and 9944, by 3m, mn, usa), since this has the lowest impact upon the skin (lund, c. et al.). in case of normal, adult skin, standard adhesives (such as acrylic or urethane adhesives) may be used. additional securing may be achieved by dressing over the probe (301) with external adhesive tape or hydrocolloid gel strip. hook type probe, for fetal distress monitoring referring to figure 22(a) and figure 22(b), a fourth embodiment of the probe, generally designated (401), comprises all the elements and features of the probe (1) as described herein, mutatis mutandis. in addition, the probe (401) is particularly adapted for surface attachment of the optical fibers to the skin of a fetus, during labor. the fiberoptic bundle (44) is embedded in a heart rate electrode (41), which is commonly used for fetal monitoring after rupturing the woman's membranes. the electrode anchors must keep the fibers distal end (42) in a direct contact with the fetus skin. thus, a dual spiral electrode (45) (such as type 15133c, by cetro ab, sweden, for example), of the type that was initially demonstrated in us patent 3,750,650 (ruttgers, 1973) is preferred due to its excellent anchoring characteristics. the distal end of the fiberoptic bundle (44) is fixed within the plastic tip of the electrode, forming a uniform contact surface (a4). the fiberoptic bundle (44) is sheathed within flexible tubing (43), which is permanently secured to the tip. needle type probe, for soft tissue insertion referring to figure 23(a) and figure 23(b), a fifth embodiment of the probe, generally designated (501), comprises all the elements and features of the probe (1) as described herein, mutatis mutandis. in addition, the probe (501) is particularly adapted for insertion into soft tissues, such as muscles, internal organs and subcutaneous tissues. the head (510) is in the form of a stainless steel needle (52) embedding the optical fibers (53) that are glued into it. the fiberoptic bundle (53) is sheathed within flexible tubing (51) that overlaps the upper portion of the needle. a small, perforated plastic plate (54), enables taping or stitching the probe (501) to an adjunct tissue to achieve additional securing. in some clinical procedures it is desirable to monitor the tissue vitality parameters in several organs of at several points of the same organ. in these situations, a multiple probe system is desirable. by way of example, a second embodiment of the present invention, consisting of a multi-probe system is shown in figure 24. this embodiment as illustrated, uses a plurality of probes, each probe being substantially the same as any one of those described in respect of the first embodiment, mutatis mutandis. the time sharing feature, which provides advantages in measurements of several different parameters by single probe from same tissue, also facilitates a diversion of the irradiation light to any one of the plurality of probes and subsequent detection of the return signals therefrom, by effectively timesharing the dtu between the probes. in other words, the multiprobe detection system essentially multiplexes the signals obtained from each of the plurality of probes, situated in different parts of the tissue or organs. the second embodiment of the present invention, generally designated (98') comprises similar components as the first embodiment, viz lsu (2) probes (1), dtu (3), eu (4), pc (5) and ps (6) as described with respect to the first embodiment, mutatis mutandis, with the following exceptions. the lsu (2') of the second embodiment, as shown in figure 24, though substantially similar to the lsu (1) of the first embodiment (figure 14), further comprises the additional feature that the excitation light is passed through deflector (275) before being coupled to a plurality of the excitation fibers (14), which are each connected to a corresponding one of plurality of the adapters (290) by the optical connectors (16). this deflector (275) can be designed according to various schemes such as acousto-optic deflector, microelectromechanical system (mems) switch rotating mirror or prism and so on. the choice of the specific solution typically depends on availability and price performance of the system. in the second embodiment, each collecting fiber (15) is connected to the dtu (3') by an optical connectors (17) that is essentially similar to that used in the first embodiment. the radiation received via the optical connectors (17) is coupled to a common optical coupler (301). from this optical coupler (301) the light passes through a collimating lens (378) and on to the detection equipment of the dtu (3) as described for the first embodiment mutatis mutandis. the electronics unit eu (4) incorporates additional outputs that control and synchronize the deflector (275) with the main clock sequence of the system. the computer ps (5) and power supply (6) are substantially similar to those of the first embodiment. the main difference with respect to the computer ps(5) of the first embodiment lies in the system operation software, which must be adopted for multi-probe measurements. the main clock sequence form measurement of several parameters is distributed in the second embodiment between several probes. the software operates on the appropriate measured data points from each probe separately. the graphical user interface of the software shows separate data graphs for each probe or display mean value of each parameter for all probes according to the user decision. according to the invention, then, a method is provided for diagnosing the degree of body metabolic emergency state, comprising: - (a) choosing a non-vital organ with respect to the said metabolic emergency state; (b) monitoring in said non-vital organ at least one tissue viability parameter including at least one of nadh and flavoprotein (fp) concentration; and (c) determining the degree of body metabolic emergency state based on said at least one tissue viability parameter monitored in (b). in step (c), said determination is preferably correlated to the direction of change in the value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. preferably, in step (c) said degree of body metabolic emergency state is correlated to the amplitude and duration of a change in said value of said at least one tissue viability parameter. optionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is nadh concentration, and an increase in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is flavoprotein concentration, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood flow rate, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood volume, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. optionally or additionally, the at least one tissue viability parameter is blood oxygenation level, and a reduction in the value thereof is indicative of the presence of a said body metabolic emergency state. typically, the non-vital organ is an organ chosen from among the skin, muscles, gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system. typically the body metabolic emergency state includes any one of sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, hypoxemia, hypotension, dysoxia and cardiac arrest. typically, the body metabolic emergency state arises from at least one clinical situation including respiratory icu, neurosurgical icu, intrapartum, neonatal icu, cardiac surgeray operative as well as post-operative period thereof, neuro surgery operative as well as post-operative period thereof, organ transplantation operative as well as post-operative period thereof, elderly and critical ill clinical situations. while in the foregoing description describes in detail only a few specific embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto and that other variations in form and details may be possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention herein disclosed or exceeding the scope of the claims. references bloechle, c, strate, t., emmermann, a., schneider, c, mack, d., wolf, m., zornig, c, broelsch, c.e., izbicki, j.r. (1999). gastric tonometry accurately predicts mortality in experimental peritonitis in both laparoscopic and conventional surgery. langenbecks arch. surg., 384:76-83. boekstegers, p., weidenhofer, s., kapsner, t., werdan, k. (1994). skeletal muscle partial pressure of oxygen in patients with sepsis. crit. care med., 22:640-650. bratslavsky, g., kogan, b., levin, r.m. (2001).urethra is more sensitive to ischemia than bladder: evidence from an in vitro rat study. j urol., 165:2086- 2090. cairns, c.b., moore, f.a., haenel, j.b., gallea, b.l., ortner, j.p., rose, s.j., moore, e.e. (1997). evidence for early supply independent mitochondrial dysfunction in patients developing multiple organ failure after trauma. j. trauma, 42:532-536. chance, b. and williams, g. r. (1955). respiratory enzymes in oxidative phosphorylation (iii- the steady state). j.biol.chem., 217:409-427. clavijo, j.a., sims, c, menconi, m., shim, i., ochoa, c, puyana, j.c. (2002). multiparameter monitoring of bladder wall mucosa as a surrogate of gut tissue perfusion in hemorrhagic shock. paper in preparation. dubin, a., estenssoro, e., murias, g., canales, h., sottile, p., badie, j., baran, m., palizas, f., laporte, m., rivas diaz, m. (2001). effects of hemorrhage on gastrointestinal oxygenation. intensive care med., 27:1931-1936. fiddian- green, r.g., baker, s. (1987). predictive value of the stomach wall ph for complications after cardiac operations: comparison with other monitoring. crit. care med. 15:153-156. fink, m.p. (1991). gastrointestinal mucosal injury in experimental models of shock, trauma, and sepsis. crit. care med., 19:627-641. hasibeder, w., germann, r., wolf, h.j., haisjackl, m., hausdorfer, h., riedmann, b., bonatii, j., gruber, e., schwarz, b., waldenberger, p., friesenecker, b., furtner, b. (1996). effects of short-term endotoxemia and dopamine on mucosal oxygenation in porcine jejunum. am. j. physiol., 270:g667-g675. hotchkiss, r.s., karl, i.e. (1992). reevaluation of the role of cellular hypoxia and bioenergetic failure in sepsis. jama, 267:1503-1510. ince, c, sinaasappel, m. (1999). microcirculatory oxygenation and shunting in sepsis and shock. crit. care med., 27:1369-1377. guery, b.p., mangalaboyi, j., menager, p., mordon, s., vallet, b., chopin, c. (1999). redox status of cytochrome a,a3: a noninvasive indicator of dysoxia in regional hypoxic or ischemic hypoxia. crit. care med., 27:576-582. jakob, m., takala, j. (2001). variability of splanchnic blood flow measurements in patients with sepsis - physiology, pathophysiology or measurement errors? intensive care med. 27:1692-1695. knichwitz, g., rotker, j., mollhoff, t., richter, k.d., brussel, t. (1998). continuous intramucosal pco2 measurement allows the early detection of intestinal malperfusion. crit. care med., 26:1550-1557. koivisto, t., vapalahti, m., parviainen, i., takala, j. (2001). gastric tonometry after subarachnoid hemorrhage. intensive care med., 27:1614-1621. lang, j.d., evans, d.j, defigueiredo, l.p., hays, s., mathru, m., kramer, gc. (1999). a novel approach to monitor tissue perfusion: bladder mucosal pc02, p02, and phi during ischemia and reperfusion. j. crit. care, 14:93-98. marik, p.e. (2001). sublingual capnography: a clinical validation study. chest, 120:923-927. marik, p.e., varon, j. (1998). the hemodynamic derangements hi sepsis: implications for treatment strategies. chest, 114:854-860. mckinley, b.a., butler, b.d. (1999). comparison of skeletal muscle po2 ph with gastric, pco2, and tonometric pco2 and ph in hemorrhagic shock. crit. care med, 27:1869-1877. mckinley, b.a., marvin, r.g., cocanour, c.s., moore, f.a. (2000). tissue hemoglobin o 2 saturation during resuscitation of traumatic shock monitored using near infrared spectrometry. j. trauma, 48:637-642. mckinley, b.a., parmley, c.l., butler, b.d. (1998). skeletal muscle p0 2 , pco2, and ph in hemorrhage, shock, and resuscitation in dogs. j. trauma, 44:119-127. mckinley, b.a., ware, d.n., marvin, r.g., moore, f.a. (1998). skeletal muscle ph, pco2, and po2 during resuscitation of severe hemorrhagic shock. j. trauma, 45:633-636. meier-hellmann, a., reinhart, k. (1995). effects of catecholamines on regional perfusion and oxygenation in critically ill patients. acta anaesthesiol. scand. suppl., 107:239-48. morgan, t.j., venkatesh, b., endre, z.h. (1997). continuous measurement of gut luminal pco2 in the rat: responses to transient episodes of graded aortic hypotension. crit. care med., 25:1575-1578. nordin, a., makisalo, h., mildh, l., hockerstedt, k. (1998). gut intramucosal ph as an early indicator of effectiveness of therapy for hemorrhagic shock. crit. care med. 26:1110-1117. pernat, a., weil, m.h., tang, w., yamaguchi, h., pernat, a.m., sun, s., bisera, j. (1999). effects of hyper- and hypoventilation on gastric and sublingual pc0 2 . j. appl. physiol., 87:933-937. povoas, h.p., weil, m.h., tang, w., moran, b., kamohara, t., bisera, j. (2000). comparisons between sublingual and gastric tonometry during hemorrhagic shock. chest, 118:1127-1132. povoas, h.p., weil, m.h., tang, w., sun, s., kamohara, t., bisera, j. (2001). decreases in mesenteric blood flow associated with increases in sublingual pc02 during hemorrhagic shock. shock, 15:398-402. powell, c.c., schultz, s.c., burris, d.g., drucker, w.r., malcolm, d.s. (1995). subcutaneous oxygen tension: a useful adjunct in assessment of perfusion status. crit. care med., 23:867-873. puyana, j.c., soller, b.r., parikh, b., heard, s.o. (2000). directly measured tissue ph is an earlier indicator of splanchnic acidosis than tonometric parameters during hemorrhagic shock in swine. crit. care med. 28:2557-2562. rosser, d.m., stidwill, r.p., millar, c.g., singer, m. (1995). the effect of norepinephrine and dobutamine on bladder epithelial oxygen tension. chest, 108:1368-1372. rozenfeld, r.a., dishart, m.k., tonnessen, t.i., schlichtig, r. (1996). methods for detecting local intestinal ischemic anaerobic metabolic acidosis by pc02. j. appl. physiol., 81:1834-1842. ruffolo, d.c. (1998). gastric tonometry: early warning of tissue hypoperfusion. crit. care nurs. q., 21:26-32. sakka, s.g., reinhart, k, wegscheider, , meier-hellmann, a. (2001). variability of splanchnic blood flow in patients with sepsis. intensive care med., 27:1281-1287. sato, y., weil, m.h., tang, w., sun, s., xie, j., bisera, j., hosaka, h.. (1997). esophageal pco2 as a monitor of perfusion failure during hemorrhagic shock. j. appl. physiol., 82:558-562. schlichtig, r, heard, s.o. (1999). sublingual pco2 measurement: the nitroglycerin of monitoring? crit. care med., 27:1380-1381. shoemaker, w.c, fink, s., ray, c.w., mccartney, s. (1984). effect of hemorrhagic shock on conjunctival and transcutaneous oxygen tensions in relation to hemodynamic and oxygen transport changes. crit. care med., 12:949-952. sims, c, seigne, p., menconi, m., monarca, j., barlow, c, pettit, j., puyana, j.c. (2001). skeletal muscle acidosis correlates with the severity of blood volume loss during shock and resuscitation. j. trauma, 51:1137-1146. singer, m., millar, c, stidwill, r., unwin, r. (1996). bladder epithelial oxygen tension-a new means of monitoring regional perfusion? preliminary study in a model of exsanguination/fluid repletion. intensive care med., 22:324-328. singer, m., rosser, d., stidwill, r. (1995). bladder epithelial oxygen tension as a marker of organ perfusion. acta anaesthesiol. scand. suppl., 107:77-80. soller, b.r., heard, s.o., cingo, n.a., his, c, favreau, j., khan, t., ross, r.r., puyana, j.c. (2001). application of fiberoptic sensors for the study of hepatic dysoxia in swine hemorrhagic shock. crit. care med., 29:1438-1444. third european consensus conference in intensive care medicine (1996). tissue hypoxia: how to detect, how to correct, how to prevent? am. j. crit. care med., 154:1573-1578. vallet, b., lund, n., curtis, s.e., kelly, d., cain, s.m. (1994). gut and muscle tissue p02 in endotoxemic dogs during shock and resuscitation. j. appl. physiol., 76:793-800. venkatesh b, clutton brock th, hendry sp. (1994). a multiparameter sensor for continuous intra-arterial blood gas monitoring: a prospective evaluation. crit. care med., 22:588-594. venkatesh, b., morgan, t.j., lipman, j. (2000). subcutaneous oxygen tensions provide similar information to ileal luminal co2 tensions in an animal model of haemorrhagic shock. intensive care med., 26:592-600. walley, k.r., friesen, b.p., humer, m.f., phang, p.t. (1998). small bowel tonometry is more accurate than gastric tonometry in detecting gut ischemia. j. appl. physiol., 85:1770-1777. weil, m.h. (2000). tissue pco2 as universal marker of tissue hypoxia. minerva anestesiol. 66:343-347. minerva anestesiol. 66:343-347. weil, m.h., nakagawa, y, tang, w., sato, y., ercoli, f., finegan, r., grayman, g., bisera, j. (1999). sublingual capnometry: a new noninvasive measurement for diagnosis and quantitation of severity of circulatory shock. crit. care med., 27:1225-1229. lund, c, kuller, j., lane, a., lott, j.w., raines, d .a. . (1999). neonatal skin care: the scientific basis for practice. neonatal netw., 18(4):15-27.
012-532-692-427-593	EP	[ "US", "EP", "AT", "DE" ]	G01P15/09	1983-02-21T00:00:00	1983	[ "G01" ]	dual accelerometer, method for its fabrication and application thereof	the accelerometer comprising two piezoelectric transducers. a common outer seismic mass acts on both transducers and an additional seismic mass acts only on the inner transducer. the sensitivity of the two transducers and the inertial forces acting thereof are so selected that the two transducers, under the action of an acceleration force, each deliver equal output signals. both seismic masses are accessible for being tuned, in their assembled condition, prior to being mounted in a housing of the accelerometer. the accelerometer requires less material, is of small volume and lightweight, and is particularly suitable for being mounted in aircraft engines. it is also easy to manufacture.	1. a dual accelerometer having first and second output channels and comprising: a mounting base; a first electro-mechanical transducer having a first sensitivity; a second electro-mechanical transducer having a second sensitivity; a first seismic mass acting on both of said first and second electro-mechanical transducers, said first and second electro-mechanical transducers being disposed between the mounting base and said first seismic mass; and a second seismic mass disposed between said first and second electro-mechanical transducers, said first and second seismic masses and said first and second sensitivities being relatively selected so that for a common acceleration each of said first and second output channels carry signals of essentially the same value. 2. the dual accelerometer according to claim 1, wherein said first and second transducers are formed from piezoelectric elements, and wherein said first transducer is disposed between said mounting base and said second seismic mass and is formed from fewer piezoelectric elements than said second transducer. 3. the dual accelerometer according to claim 2, further comprising means for mounting said first and second transducers and said first and second seismic masses on said mounting base, and wherein said seismic masses may be adjusted while mounted on said mounting means for essentially equalizing the output signals of said first and second transducers. 4. the dual accelerometer according to claim 3, wherein said first transducer comprises one piezoelectric element less than said second transducer. 5. the dual accelerometer according to claim 4, wherein said second transducer comprises two piezoelectric elements and said first transducer comprises one piezoelectric element. 6. the dual accelerometer according to claim 5, wherein said first transducer further comprises an element formed of ferroelectric material. 7. the dual accelerometer according to claim 3, wherein said mounting means comprises a bolt, passing through said electro-mechanical transducers and said seismic masses, and anchored in said mounting base. 8. the dual accelerometer according to claim 7 wherein said bolt is operable for prestressing said electromechanical transducers. 9. the dual accelerometer according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two seismic masses is formed of a material having a predetermined thermal dilation over a predetermined working temperature range such that any mechanical prestressing of either of said electro-mechanical transducers is essentially constant over said predetermined working temperature range. 10. a dual channel accelerometer having two output channels, a mounting base and comprising: arranged in succession on said mounting base a first electro-mechanical transducer having an axis of sensitivity, a first seismic mass, a second electro-mechanical transducer having an axis of sensitivity, and a second seismic mass; mounting means for securing together and prestressing against said mounting base said electro-mechanical transducers and said seismic masses, each of said electro-mechanical transducers being connected to one of said output channels and being responsive to an acceleration acting along its axis of sensitivity for delivering a signal to its respective output channel; and means for indicating the signal on each of said output channels. 11. the dual accelerometer according to claim 10, wherein said dual accelerometer operates within a predetermined operating temperature range, and wherein at least one of said seismic masses is formed of a material having a thermal dilatation such that the prestressing of the transducers and the seismic masses remains constant over said predetermined operating temperature range. 12. a dual accelerometer having two output channels, a mounting base and comprising: arranged in succession on said mounting base a first electro-mechanical transducer having an axis of sensitivity, a first seismic mass, a second electro-mechanical transducer, and a second seismic mass; a bolt for securing together and prestressing against said mounting base, said electro-mechanical transducers and said seismic masses, each of said electro-mechanical transducers being connected to one of said output channels and being responsive to an acceleration acting along its axis of sensitivity for delivering a signal to its respective output channel; and means for indicating the signals from each of said output channels, said first and second electro-mechanical transducers being at least partially formed from piezoelectric elements, said first electro-mechanical transducer having a different sensitivity than said second electro-mechanical transducer. 13. the dual accelerometer according to claim 12, wherein said first transducer further comprises a ferroelectric material element. 14. the dual accelerometer according to claim 12, wherein said dual accelerometer operates within a predetermined operating temperature range, and wherein at least one of said seismic masses is formed of a material having a thermal dilatation such that the prestressing of the transducers and the seismic masses remains constant over said predetermined operating temperature range. 15. the dual accelerometer according to claim 14, wherein the second transducer comprises one piezoelectric element more than the first transducer. 16. the dual accelerometer according to claim 14 wherein the first transducer comprises one piezoelectric element and the second transducer comprises two piezoelectric elements. 17. a dual accelerometer having two output channels, a mounting base and comprising: arranged in succession on said mounting base a first electro-mechanical transducer having a first sensitivity, a first seismic mass, a second electro-mechanical transducer having a second sensitivity, and a second seismic mass, each of said electro-mechanical transducers being connected to one of said output channels; and a bolt for securing together and prestressing against said mounting base said first and second transducers and said first and second seismic masses, wherein said first and second sensitivities have relative arbitrary values and said seismic masses are selected to compensate for said arbitrary sensitivity values whereby each of said transducers delivers essentially the same output signal to its respective output channel in response to a predetermined acceleration. 18. in combination: a dual accelerometer having two output channels, two electro-mechanical transducers each connected to a respective one of said output channels, a first seismic mass acting on both of said electromechanical transducers and a second seismic mass disposed between said electromechanical transducers and acting on only one of said electro-mechanical transducers, said first and second seismic masses being selected so that for a common acceleration, each of said output channels nominally carry signals of essentially the same value; means, connected to said output channels, for measuring and checking the operating condition of said dual accelerometer, said measuring and checking means comprising, for each output channel, a change-over switch, a measuring instrument, and a signal generator; each of said change-over switches being operable to connect its respective electro-mechanical transducer to its respective signal generator for causing said electro-mechanical transducer to vibrate and for transferring said vibration to the other electro-mechanical transducer wherein the measuring instrument connected to the other electro-mechanical transducer measures the operating condition of both of said electro-mechanical transducers in response to said transferred vibration. 19. in combination: a dual accelerometer having two output channels and two electro-mechanical transducers, each connected to a respective one of said output channels, a first seismic mass acting on both of said electromechanical transducers and a second seismic mass disposed between said electromechanical transducers and acting on only one of said electro-mechanical transducers, said first and second seismic masses being selected so that for a common acceleration, each of said output channels nominally carry signals of essentially the same value; a measuring device connected to at least one of said output channels; a signal generator; means for selectively connecting one of said electromechanical transducers to said signal generator for causing one or said electro-mechanical transducers to vibrate and for transferring said vibration to the other of said electromechanical transducers, wherein said measuring device is operable to measure the operating condition of both of said electromechanical transducers. 20. a method of calibrating a dual accelerometer having a mounting base comprising the steps of: arranging in succession on said mounting base a first electro-mechanical transducer, a first seismic mass, a second electro-mechanical transducer, and a second seismic mass; securing said electro-mechanical transducers and said seismic masses to said mounting base; prestressing said electro-mechanical transducers and said seismic masses against said mounting base to form said dual accelerometer; subjecting said dual accelerometer to a predetermined force; reducing said second seismic mass until said second electro-mechanical transducer delivers a desired output signal in response to said predetermined force; reducing said first seismic mass until said first electro-mechanical transducer delivers a desired output signal in response to said predetermined force. 21. a method of calibrating a dual accelerometer comprising the steps of: assembling on a mounting base in succession, a first electro-mechanical transducer, a first seismic mass, a second electro-mechanical transducer, and a second seismic mass; prestressing said assembled electro-mechanical transducers and seismic masses; subjecting said dual accelerometer to a predetermined force; altering said second seismic mass until a desired output signal in response to said predetermined force is obtained from the second electro-mechanical transducer; altering the first seismic mass until a desired output signal in response to said predetermined force is obtained from the second electro-mechanical transducer.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a dual accelerometer which comprises a mounting base and two electro-mechanical transducers arranged one upon the other in between the mounting base and a common seismic mass and an additional seismic mass between the two transducers. 2. background and prior art accelerometers are known in which the axis of sensitivity of dual transducers are mutually perpendicular, whereby the transducers measure components of acceleration in mutually perpendicular directions. the adjustment of both transducers to the same sensitivity is achieved by forming each transducer from a relatively high number of individual peizoelectric elements. the number and the individual sensitivity of the elements being so matched and selected that both transducers have the same sensitivity. the precision of the matching of the sensitivities of such transducers is very limited since the sensitivity of each individual transducer may vary during the manufacturing process. this sensitivity matching procedure not only makes transducer manufacture difficult, it also requires the utilization of a relatively high number of piezoelectric elements in each transducer so that the production of an accelerometer based on this method becomes expensive. u.s. pat. no. 4,213,114 discloses the use of two identical accelerometers, each with the same axis of sensitivity, that is monoaxial accelerometers, for controlling vibrations of rotating machines, such as aircraft engines. each transducer of such accelerometers is connected to an independent measuring circuit in order to improve the redundancy of the measuring device. unfortunately, this construction results in a relatively expensive, voluminous and heavy device. in order to be mounted in aircraft engines, accelerometers should preferably have small dimensions and be of light weight. u.s. pat. no. 3,744,322 discloses the use of an angular velocity sensor utilizing the coriolis force. the sensor comprises two proof masses arranged between piezoelectric transducers. these transducers are excited by an a.c. signal having a frequency of 5 khz which functions to set the masses into vibration along the axis of rotation of the sensor. the movements of the masses along the axis of rotation are 180.degree. out of phase with one another. the device further comprises pairs of sensors sensitive to shear forces in two directions perpendicular to one another and to the axis of rotation of the sensor. however, such an angular velocity sensor does not include an additional seismic mass between the transducers so that the sensitivity of the transducers may be easily matched to deliver a signal of desired value when both transducers are submitted to a common acceleration. summary of the invention an object of the present invention is to provide a dual accelerometer with transducers having matched sensitivities of a desired value, able to be easily manufactured and having a small volume and weight. to achieve this and other objects, an accelerometer according to the present invention comprises dual transducers having a common seismic mass and an additional seismic mass arranged between the dual transducers, the masses and the sensitivities of the transducers being so adjusted in relation to one another that for a common acceleration, both transducers deliver signals of a predetermined value under the action of the inertial forces. in this case, the two seismic masses may be so selected that even with a very small number of piezoelectric elements, both transducers may be adjusted to have essentially the same sensitivity. preferably, the transducer on which only the common seismic mass acts comprises only two piezoelectric elements while the transducer on which both the common and additional seismic masses as well as the mass of the transducer lying between these masses acts, preferably comprises only a single piezoelectric element. a fine adjustment of the sensitivity of both transducers is also possible in that the common mass and the additional mass may be machined off. due to this adjustment capability, it is possible to utilize a very small number of piezoelectric elements of highly sensitive peizoelectric material so that despite the additional seismic mass, a reduction in volume and weight may be achieved. the invention will be further described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an elevational view of an accelerometer in partial section; and fig. 2 is a schematic diagram at a circuit utilizing the accelerometer of fig. 1. description of the preferred embodiment the active part of the accelerometer comprises a mounting base 1, a first piezoelectric transducer 2, a second piezoelectric transducer 3, a common seismic mass 4, an additional seismic mass 5 arranged between the transducers 2 and 3 and a bolt 6 for firmly connecting the mounting base 1 to the seismic mass 5. the bolt 6 is anchored in the mounting base 1 and a nut 6a is screwed at the upper end of the bolt 6 and welded in its tightened condition thus prestressing the transducers 2 and 3 and the seismic mass 4 and 5 such that for all possible accelerations, only pressure forces will act on these elements. the active parts of the accelerometer are mounted by means of the mounting base 1 in a housing 7 having flange 7a with, for example, three mounting holes 7b. the lower transducer 2 comprises a single piezoelectric element and a ferroelectric element 2b. these two elements are sandwiched between a pair of unnumbered insulation discs. the transducer 3 comprises two piezoelectric elements 3a sandwiched between a pair of unnumbered insulation discs. the connections of the transducer 3 are preferably channeled through a hole in the additional mass 5. all external connections are channeled through a hermetically sealed closing piece 8, under insulation, through a support 7c of the housing 7. the remaining internal connections and terminals of both transducers 2 and 3 are only schematically indicated. the transducer 3 preferably has a sensitivity practically twice as great as the transducer 2. due to the ferroelectric disc 2b, the capacitive characteristics of both transducers are identical so that potential electrical interference is reduced to a minimum, and will have the same influence on both transducers. a flexible electrical connection between seismic mass 5 and the mounting base 1 insures that the electrical potential of the seismic masses 4 and 5 and the mounting base is the same as that of the housing 7 thereby avoiding any disturbing influence from electrostatic fields, and at the same time screening the transducers 4 and 5. the hermetically sealed electrical connections through the closing piece 8 protects the transducers against environmental influences. as alluded to above, the transducer 3 has a sensitivity about twice as great as the transducer 2. in the presence of an acceleration, only those inertial forces due to the seismic mass 4 act on the transducer 3 while the inertial forces of both seismic masses 4 and 5 as well as that of the transducer 3 act on the transducer 2. the additional seismic mass 5 is therefore selected so that together with the mass of the transducer 3, it becomes about the same as the seismic mass 4. thus, the inertial forces acting on the transducer 2 are about twice as great as the inertial forces acting on transducer 3. consequently, for an acceleration of a determined magnitude, the transducers 2 and 3 will each deliver electrical signals of substantially the same value. adjustment to essentially identical output signals may be achieved during fabrication, before the transducers and seismic masses., i.e., active parts, are introduced in the housing 7. after the active parts have been screwed and prestressed, the signals of the two transducers may be measured and compared under predetermined conditions. by adjusting (e.g., machining away) the mass of the common seismic mass 4, the sensitivity of the transducer 3 may be brought to the desired value. then, the additional seismic mass 5 may be adjusted (e.g., machined away) in order to adjust the sensitivity of the transducer 2 so that both transducers deliver identical signals under the same conditions. the active parts are then mounted in the housing 7. in the descriptions and in the claims, it is assumed and indicated that both transducers have matching sensitivities. as used herein, this is intended to mean that under predetermined conditions, the two transducers will deliver essentially matching output signals. this signal matching is essential for the above indicated connection of the accelerometer into a measuring circuit with two channels. such a circuit is schematically indicated in fig. 2 in which the accelerometer with its essential parts is also schematically illustrated. corresponding parts bear the same reference numbers as in fig. 1. the two transducers 2 and 3 are each connected to a measuring instrument 11 through a change-over switch 9 and an amplifier 10. under normal conditions the measuring instruments 11 each indicate the same value of acceleration under the same value of vibration. such indications, within a normal range, indicates that the accelerometer, as well as the measuring circuits, are working normally. different indications from the instruments 11 indicate that either one of the transducers 2 or 3 or one of the amplifiers 10 is not working normally. it is desirable that during engine shut down, i.e., in the absence of any acceleration or vibration, an operator be able to control the operating ability of the system. to this end, each of the change-over switches 9 may be switched to connect one of the generators 12 into the circuit. the generators 12 produce signals having an adequate amplitude and frequency to excite the transducers. if one of the change-over switches 9 is switched to connect a generator 12 into the circuit, the corresponding transducer receives the output of the generator 12 and it then functions as a driving electromechanical transducer, the oscillation of which is delivered to the other transducer. the other transducer, which is connected as previously described to its amplifier 10 and its measuring instrument 11, then generates a signal indicating if both transducers, and the working channel, are working normally. if this is the case, the operation can then switch over so that the other transducer is connected with the corresponding generator 12 and the transducer which was previously connected with is corresponding generator is connected with its measuring channel. this permits a complete check of both transducers as well as of the entire accelerometer and the two measuring channels in the shut down condition. the precise adjustment of the transducers 2 and 3 for the same sensitivity, and for the same output signals is particularly important in the case of a circuit like that of fig. 2, since in the event of a failure of the circuit, a replacement circuit must be inserted without any need for adjustment. various embodiments are possible. the number of piezoelectric elements in both transducers may be different from those indicated above provided the seismic masses are correspondingly adapted. however, for the above-indicated reasons, there exists an interest in reducing the number of piezoelectric elements to a minimum. in the above indicated embodiment, it is assumed that both transducers 2 and 3 work monoacially which means that their axis of sensitivity is the same as the axis of the bolt 6. however, it would also be possible to provide transducers having perpendicular axis of sensitivity. in this way, one of the transducers would be sensitive to pressure and the other to shear. each transducers could also have a maximum shear sensitivity in mutually perpendicular directions. the simplicity of the active parts utilized in the described embodiment is essential. the seismic masses 4 and 5 are preferably simple metallic rings of steel or other suitable material. it is also a particularly important feature that both masses, even in their mounted condition, be easily accessible in order to be adjusted or machined for purposes of mass selection. in a preferred embodiment, these masses may also be rotated easily. in an alternative embodiment, the masses would be accessible only in the mounted condition for purposes of adjustment. it is also necessary to ensure that the prestressing of the transducers is not dependent upon temperature. to this end, at least one of the seismic masses 4 or 5 preferably comprises a material having a thermal dilatation such that the mechanical prestressing of the device remains constant over the whole temperature working range.
012-632-119-676-544	US	[ "US" ]	H01L51/00,C07F7/08,C09K11/06,H01L51/50,C07F15/00	2017-03-29T00:00:00	2017	[ "H01", "C07", "C09" ]	organic electroluminescent materials and devices	the present invention includes compounds containing a combination of heterocyclic benzimidazole and xanthene, thioxanthene or spiro variants thereof. these compounds may be useful as host materials for phosphorescent electroluminescent devices.	1 . a compound of formula i: wherein y is selected from the group consisting of cr 9 r 10 , sir 9 r 10 , o, s, se, and nr 11 ; wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a structure of formula ii; wherein z 1 and z 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, se and nr 20 ; wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two substituents may be joined or fused together to form a ring. 2 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, fluorine, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, nitrile, isonitrile, and combinations thereof. 3 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein z 2 is nr 20 . 4 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein y is cr 9 r 10 or sir 9 r 10 . 5 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein z 1 is selected from the group consisting of o, s, and nr 20 . 6 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein each of r 12 to r 19 is h. 7 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 1 to r 8 is alkyl or cycloalkyl. 8 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 1 to r 8 is a partially or fully deuterated alkyl or cycloalkyl. 9 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 12 to r 19 is alkyl or cycloalkyl. 10 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 12 to r 19 is a partially or fully deuterated alkyl or cycloalkyl. 11 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a tetraphenylene or aza-tetraphenylene group. 12 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of r 1 to r 8 comprises a structure of formula ii. 13 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of 14 . the compound of claim 1 , wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of 15 . an organic light emitting device (oled) comprising: an anode; a cathode; and an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode, comprising a compound of formula i: wherein y is selected from the group consisting of cr 9 r 10 , sir 9 r 10 , o, s, se, and nr 11 ; wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a structure of formula ii; wherein z 1 and z 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, se and nr 20 ; wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two substituents may be joined or fused together to form a ring. 16 . the oled of claim 15 , wherein the organic layer is an emissive layer and the compound of formula i is a host. 17 . the oled of claim 15 , wherein the organic layer further comprises a phosphorescent emissive dopant; wherein the emissive dopant is a transition metal complex having at least one ligand or part of the ligand if the ligand is more than bidentate selected from the group consisting of wherein each x 1 to x 13 are independently selected from the group consisting of carbon and nitrogen; wherein x is selected from the group consisting of br′, nr′, pr′, o, s, se, c═o, s═o, so 2 , cr′r″, sir′r″, and ger′r″; wherein r′ and r″ are optionally fused or joined to form a ring; wherein each r a , r b , r c , and r d may represent from mono substitution to the possible maximum number of substitution, or no substitution; wherein r′, r″, r a , r b , r e , and r d are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, fluorine, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, nitrile, isonitrile, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two adjacent substituents of r a , r b , r c , and r d are optionally fused or joined to form a ring or form a multidentate ligand. 18 . the oled of claim 15 , wherein the organic layer is a blocking layer and the compound of formula i is a blocking material in the organic layer, or the organic layer is a transporting layer and the compound of formula i is a transporting material in the organic layer. 19 . a consumer product comprising an organic light-emitting device (oled) comprising: an anode; a cathode; and an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode, comprising a compound of formula i: wherein y is selected from the group consisting of cr 9 r 10 , sir 9 r 10 , o, s, se, and nr″; wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a structure of formula ii; wherein z 1 and z 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, se and nr 20 ; wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two substituents may be joined or fused together to form a ring. 20 . the consumer product of claim 19 , wherein the consumer product is selected from the group consisting of a flat panel display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a light for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, a heads-up display, a fully or partially transparent display, a flexible display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, tablet, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (pda), a wearable device, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display that is less than 2 inches diagonal, a 3-d display, a virtual reality or augmented reality display, a vehicle, a video wall comprising multiple displays tiled together, a theater or stadium screen, and a sign.	cross-reference to related applications this application claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/478,203, filed mar. 29, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. field the present invention relates to compounds for use as hosts and devices, such as organic light emitting diodes, including the same. background opto-electronic devices that make use of organic materials are becoming increasingly desirable for a number of reasons. many of the materials used to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic opto-electronic devices have the potential for cost advantages over inorganic devices. in addition, the inherent properties of organic materials, such as their flexibility, may make them well suited for particular applications such as fabrication on a flexible substrate. examples of organic opto-electronic devices include organic light emitting diodes/devices (oleds), organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. for oleds, the organic materials may have performance advantages over conventional materials. for example, the wavelength at which an organic emissive layer emits light may generally be readily tuned with appropriate dopants. oleds make use of thin organic films that emit light when voltage is applied across the device. oleds are becoming an increasingly interesting technology for use in applications such as flat panel displays, illumination, and backlighting. several oled materials and configurations are described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and 5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. one application for phosphorescent emissive molecules is a full color display. industry standards for such a display call for pixels adapted to emit particular colors, referred to as “saturated” colors. in particular, these standards call for saturated red, green, and blue pixels. alternatively the oled can be designed to emit white light. in conventional liquid crystal displays emission from a white backlight is filtered using absorption filters to produce red, green and blue emission. the same technique can also be used with oleds. the white oled can be either a single eml device or a stack structure. color may be measured using cie coordinates, which are well known to the art. one example of a green emissive molecule is tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium, denoted ir(ppy) 3 , which has the following structure: in this, and later figures herein, we depict the dative bond from nitrogen to metal (here, ir) as a straight line. as used herein, the term “organic” includes polymeric materials as well as small molecule organic materials that may be used to fabricate organic opto-electronic devices. “small molecule” refers to any organic material that is not a polymer, and “small molecules” may actually be quite large. small molecules may include repeat units in some circumstances. for example, using a long chain alkyl group as a substituent does not remove a molecule from the “small molecule” class. small molecules may also be incorporated into polymers, for example as a pendent group on a polymer backbone or as a part of the backbone. small molecules may also serve as the core moiety of a dendrimer, which consists of a series of chemical shells built on the core moiety. the core moiety of a dendrimer may be a fluorescent or phosphorescent small molecule emitter. a dendrimer may be a “small molecule,” and it is believed that all dendrimers currently used in the field of oleds are small molecules. as used herein, “top” means furthest away from the substrate, while “bottom” means closest to the substrate. where a first layer is described as “disposed over” a second layer, the first layer is disposed further away from substrate. there may be other layers between the first and second layer, unless it is specified that the first layer is “in contact with” the second layer. for example, a cathode may be described as “disposed over” an anode, even though there are various organic layers in between. as used herein, “solution processable” means capable of being dissolved, dispersed, or transported in and/or deposited from a liquid medium, either in solution or suspension form. a ligand may be referred to as “photoactive” when it is believed that the ligand directly contributes to the photoactive properties of an emissive material. a ligand may be referred to as “ancillary” when it is believed that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactive properties of an emissive material, although an ancillary ligand may alter the properties of a photoactive ligand. as used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first “highest occupied molecular orbital” (homo) or “lowest unoccupied molecular orbital” (lumo) energy level is “greater than” or “higher than” a second homo or lumo energy level if the first energy level is closer to the vacuum energy level. since ionization potentials (ip) are measured as a negative energy relative to a vacuum level, a higher homo energy level corresponds to an ip having a smaller absolute value (an ip that is less negative). similarly, a higher lumo energy level corresponds to an electron affinity (ea) having a smaller absolute value (an ea that is less negative). on a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, the lumo energy level of a material is higher than the homo energy level of the same material. a “higher” homo or lumo energy level appears closer to the top of such a diagram than a “lower” homo or lumo energy level. as used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first work function is “greater than” or “higher than” a second work function if the first work function has a higher absolute value. because work functions are generally measured as negative numbers relative to vacuum level, this means that a “higher” work function is more negative. on a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, a “higher” work function is illustrated as further away from the vacuum level in the downward direction. thus, the definitions of homo and lumo energy levels follow a different convention than work functions. more details on oleds, and the definitions described above, can be found in u.s. pat. no. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. there is need in the art for novel compounds that can be used as hosts in phosphorescent electroluminescent devices. the present invention satisfies this unmet need. summary according to an embodiment, a compound is provided that has the structure of formula i shown below wherein y is selected from the group consisting of cr 9 r 10 , sir 9 r 10 , o, s, se, and nr 11 ; wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a structure of formula ii; wherein z 1 and z 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, se and nr 20 ; wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two substituents may be joined or fused together to form a ring. according to another embodiment, an organic light emitting diode/device (oled) is also provided. the oled can include an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode. the organic layer can include a compound of formula i. according to yet another embodiment, the organic light emitting device is incorporated into one or more device selected from a consumer product, an electronic component module, and/or a lighting panel. according to yet another embodiment, a formulation containing a compound of formula i is provided. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows an organic light emitting device. fig. 2 shows an inverted organic light emitting device that does not have a separate electron transport layer. detailed description generally, an oled comprises at least one organic layer disposed between and electrically connected to an anode and a cathode. when a current is applied, the anode injects holes and the cathode injects electrons into the organic layer(s). the injected holes and electrons each migrate toward the oppositely charged electrode. when an electron and hole localize on the same molecule, an “exciton,” which is a localized electron-hole pair having an excited energy state, is formed. light is emitted when the exciton relaxes via a photoemissive mechanism. in some cases, the exciton may be localized on an excimer or an exciplex. non-radiative mechanisms, such as thermal relaxation, may also occur, but are generally considered undesirable. the initial oleds used emissive molecules that emitted light from their singlet states (“fluorescence”) as disclosed, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 4,769,292, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. fluorescent emission generally occurs in a time frame of less than 10 nanoseconds. more recently, oleds having emissive materials that emit light from triplet states (“phosphorescence”) have been demonstrated. baldo et al., “highly efficient phosphorescent emission from organic electroluminescent devices,” nature, vol. 395, 151-154, 1998; (“baldo-i”) and baldo et al., “very high-efficiency green organic light-emitting devices based on electrophosphorescence,” appl. phys. lett., vol. 75, no. 3, 4-6 (1999) (“baldo-ii”), are incorporated by reference in their entireties. phosphorescence is described in more detail in u.s. pat. no. 7,279,704 at cols. 5-6, which are incorporated by reference. fig. 1 shows an organic light emitting device 100 . the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. device 100 may include a substrate 110 , an anode 115 , a hole injection layer 120 , a hole transport layer 125 , an electron blocking layer 130 , an emissive layer 135 , a hole blocking layer 140 , an electron transport layer 145 , an electron injection layer 150 , a protective layer 155 , a cathode 160 , and a barrier layer 170 . cathode 160 is a compound cathode having a first conductive layer 162 and a second conductive layer 164 . device 100 may be fabricated by depositing the layers described, in order. the properties and functions of these various layers, as well as example materials, are described in more detail in u.s. pat. no. 7,279,704 at cols. 6-10, which are incorporated by reference. more examples for each of these layers are available. for example, a flexible and transparent substrate-anode combination is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,844,363, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. an example of a p-doped hole transport layer is m-mtdata doped with f 4 -tcnq at a molar ratio of 50:1, as disclosed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2003/0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. examples of emissive and host materials are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,303,238 to thompson et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. an example of an n-doped electron transport layer is bphen doped with li at a molar ratio of 1:1, as disclosed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2003/0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. pat. nos. 5,703,436 and 5,707,745, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, disclose examples of cathodes including compound cathodes having a thin layer of metal such as mg:ag with an overlying transparent, electrically-conductive, sputter-deposited ito layer. the theory and use of blocking layers is described in more detail in u.s. pat. no. 6,097,147 and u.s. patent application publication no. 2003/0230980, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. examples of injection layers are provided in u.s. patent application publication no. 2004/0174116, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. a description of protective layers may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2004/0174116, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. fig. 2 shows an inverted oled 200 . the device includes a substrate 210 , a cathode 215 , an emissive layer 220 , a hole transport layer 225 , and an anode 230 . device 200 may be fabricated by depositing the layers described, in order. because the most common oled configuration has a cathode disposed over the anode, and device 200 has cathode 215 disposed under anode 230 , device 200 may be referred to as an “inverted” oled. materials similar to those described with respect to device 100 may be used in the corresponding layers of device 200 . fig. 2 provides one example of how some layers may be omitted from the structure of device 100 . the simple layered structure illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 is provided by way of non-limiting example, and it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be used in connection with a wide variety of other structures. the specific materials and structures described are exemplary in nature, and other materials and structures may be used. functional oleds may be achieved by combining the various layers described in different ways, or layers may be omitted entirely, based on design, performance, and cost factors. other layers not specifically described may also be included. materials other than those specifically described may be used. although many of the examples provided herein describe various layers as comprising a single material, it is understood that combinations of materials, such as a mixture of host and dopant, or more generally a mixture, may be used. also, the layers may have various sublayers. the names given to the various layers herein are not intended to be strictly limiting. for example, in device 200 , hole transport layer 225 transports holes and injects holes into emissive layer 220 , and may be described as a hole transport layer or a hole injection layer. in one embodiment, an oled may be described as having an “organic layer” disposed between a cathode and an anode. this organic layer may comprise a single layer, or may further comprise multiple layers of different organic materials as described, for example, with respect to figs. 1 and 2 . structures and materials not specifically described may also be used, such as oleds comprised of polymeric materials (pleds) such as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,247,190 to friend et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. by way of further example, oleds having a single organic layer may be used. oleds may be stacked, for example as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,707,745 to forrest et al, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. the oled structure may deviate from the simple layered structure illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 . for example, the substrate may include an angled reflective surface to improve out-coupling, such as a mesa structure as described in u.s. pat. no. 6,091,195 to forrest et al., and/or a pit structure as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,834,893 to bulovic et al., which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. unless otherwise specified, any of the layers of the various embodiments may be deposited by any suitable method. for the organic layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation, ink-jet, such as described in u.s. pat. nos. 6,013,982 and 6,087,196, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, organic vapor phase deposition (ovpd), such as described in u.s. pat. no. 6,337,102 to forrest et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, and deposition by organic vapor jet printing (ovjp), such as described in u.s. pat. no. 7,431,968, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. other suitable deposition methods include spin coating and other solution based processes. solution based processes are preferably carried out in nitrogen or an inert atmosphere. for the other layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation. preferred patterning methods include deposition through a mask, cold welding such as described in u.s. pat. nos. 6,294,398 and 6,468,819, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties, and patterning associated with some of the deposition methods such as ink-jet and ovjd. other methods may also be used. the materials to be deposited may be modified to make them compatible with a particular deposition method. for example, substituents such as alkyl and aryl groups, branched or unbranched, and preferably containing at least 3 carbons, may be used in small molecules to enhance their ability to undergo solution processing. substituents having 20 carbons or more may be used, and 3-20 carbons is a preferred range. materials with asymmetric structures may have better solution processability than those having symmetric structures, because asymmetric materials may have a lower tendency to recrystallize. dendrimer substituents may be used to enhance the ability of small molecules to undergo solution processing. devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may further optionally comprise a barrier layer. one purpose of the barrier layer is to protect the electrodes and organic layers from damaging exposure to harmful species in the environment including moisture, vapor and/or gases, etc. the barrier layer may be deposited over, under or next to a substrate, an electrode, or over any other parts of a device including an edge. the barrier layer may comprise a single layer, or multiple layers. the barrier layer may be formed by various known chemical vapor deposition techniques and may include compositions having a single phase as well as compositions having multiple phases. any suitable material or combination of materials may be used for the barrier layer. the barrier layer may incorporate an inorganic or an organic compound or both. the preferred barrier layer comprises a mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric material as described in u.s. pat. no. 7,968,146, pct pat. application nos. pct/us2007/023098 and pct/us2009/042829, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. to be considered a “mixture”, the aforesaid polymeric and non-polymeric materials comprising the barrier layer should be deposited under the same reaction conditions and/or at the same time. the weight ratio of polymeric to non-polymeric material may be in the range of 95:5 to 5:95. the polymeric material and the non-polymeric material may be created from the same precursor material. in one example, the mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric material consists essentially of polymeric silicon and inorganic silicon. devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be incorporated into a wide variety of electronic component modules (or units) that can be incorporated into a variety of electronic products or intermediate components. examples of such electronic products or intermediate components include display screens, lighting devices such as discrete light source devices or lighting panels, etc. that can be utilized by the end-user product manufacturers. such electronic component modules can optionally include the driving electronics and/or power source(s). devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be incorporated into a wide variety of consumer products that have one or more of the electronic component modules (or units) incorporated therein. a consumer product comprising an oled that includes the compound of the present disclosure in the organic layer in the oled is disclosed. such consumer products would include any kind of products that include one or more light source(s) and/or one or more of some type of visual displays. some examples of such consumer products include flat panel displays, computer monitors, medical monitors, televisions, billboards, lights for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, heads-up displays, fully or partially transparent displays, flexible displays, laser printers, telephones, mobile phones, tablets, phablets, personal digital assistants (pdas), wearable devices, laptop computers, digital cameras, camcorders, viewfinders, micro-displays (displays that are less than 2 inches diagonal), 3-d displays, virtual reality or augmented reality displays, vehicles, video walls comprising multiple displays tiled together, theater or stadium screen, and a sign. various control mechanisms may be used to control devices fabricated in accordance with the present invention, including passive matrix and active matrix. many of the devices are intended for use in a temperature range comfortable to humans, such as 18 degrees c. to 30 degrees c., and more preferably at room temperature (20-25 degrees c.), but could be used outside this temperature range, for example, from −40 degree c. to +80 degree c. the materials and structures described herein may have applications in devices other than oleds. for example, other optoelectronic devices such as organic solar cells and organic photodetectors may employ the materials and structures. more generally, organic devices, such as organic transistors, may employ the materials and structures. the term “halo,” “halogen,” or “halide” as used herein includes fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine. the term “alkyl” as used herein contemplates both straight and branched chain alkyl radicals. preferred alkyl groups are those containing from one to fifteen carbon atoms and includes methyl, ethyl, propyl, 1-methylethyl, butyl, 1-methylpropyl, 2-methylpropyl, pentyl, 1-methylbutyl, 2-methylbutyl, 3-methylbutyl, 1,1-dimethylpropyl, 1,2-dimethylpropyl, 2,2-dimethylpropyl, and the like. additionally, the alkyl group may be optionally substituted. the term “cycloalkyl” as used herein contemplates cyclic alkyl radicals. preferred cycloalkyl groups are those containing 3 to 10 ring carbon atoms and includes cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, adamantyl, and the like. additionally, the cycloalkyl group may be optionally substituted. the term “alkenyl” as used herein contemplates both straight and branched chain alkene radicals. preferred alkenyl groups are those containing two to fifteen carbon atoms. additionally, the alkenyl group may be optionally substituted. the term “alkynyl” as used herein contemplates both straight and branched chain alkyne radicals. preferred alkynyl groups are those containing two to fifteen carbon atoms. additionally, the alkynyl group may be optionally substituted. the terms “aralkyl” or “arylalkyl” as used herein are used interchangeably and contemplate an alkyl group that has as a substituent an aromatic group. additionally, the aralkyl group may be optionally substituted. the term “heterocyclic group” as used herein contemplates aromatic and non-aromatic cyclic radicals. hetero-aromatic cyclic radicals also means heteroaryl. preferred hetero-non-aromatic cyclic groups are those containing 3 to 7 ring atoms which includes at least one hetero atom, and includes cyclic amines such as morpholino, piperidino, pyrrolidino, and the like, and cyclic ethers, such as tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, and the like. additionally, the heterocyclic group may be optionally substituted. the term “aryl” or “aromatic group” as used herein contemplates single-ring groups and polycyclic ring systems. the polycyclic rings may have two or more rings in which two carbons are common to two adjoining rings (the rings are “fused”) wherein at least one of the rings is aromatic, e.g., the other rings can be cycloalkyls, cycloalkenyls, aryl, heterocycles, and/or heteroaryls. preferred aryl groups are those containing six to thirty carbon atoms, preferably six to twenty carbon atoms, more preferably six to twelve carbon atoms. especially preferred is an aryl group having six carbons, ten carbons or twelve carbons. suitable aryl groups include phenyl, biphenyl, triphenyl, triphenylene, tetraphenylene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenalene, phenanthrene, fluorene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, and azulene, preferably phenyl, biphenyl, triphenyl, triphenylene, fluorene, and naphthalene. additionally, the aryl group may be optionally substituted. the term “heteroaryl” as used herein contemplates single-ring hetero-aromatic groups that may include from one to five heteroatoms. the term heteroaryl also includes polycyclic hetero-aromatic systems having two or more rings in which two atoms are common to two adjoining rings (the rings are “fused”) wherein at least one of the rings is a heteroaryl, e.g., the other rings can be cycloalkyls, cycloalkenyls, aryl, heterocycles, and/or heteroaryls. preferred heteroaryl groups are those containing three to thirty carbon atoms, preferably three to twenty carbon atoms, more preferably three to twelve carbon atoms. suitable heteroaryl groups include dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, furan, thiophene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, benzoselenophene, carbazole, indolocarbazole, pyridylindole, pyrrolodipyridine, pyrazole, imidazole, triazole, oxazole, thiazole, oxadiazole, oxatriazole, dioxazole, thiadiazole, pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, triazine, oxazine, oxathiazine, oxadiazine, indole, benzimidazole, indazole, indoxazine, benzoxazole, benzisoxazole, benzothiazole, quinoline, isoquinoline, cinnoline, quinazoline, quinoxaline, naphthyridine, phthalazine, pteridine, xanthene, acridine, phenazine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, benzofuropyridine, furodipyridine, benzothienopyridine, thienodipyridine, benzoselenophenopyridine, and selenophenodipyridine, preferably dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, carbazole, indolocarbazole, imidazole, pyridine, triazine, benzimidazole, 1,2-azaborine, 1,3-azaborine, 1,4-azaborine, borazine, and aza-analogs thereof. additionally, the heteroaryl group may be optionally substituted. the alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aralkyl, heterocyclic group, aryl, and heteroaryl may be unsubstituted or may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of deuterium, halogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, cyclic amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acid, ether, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof. as used herein, “substituted” indicates that a substituent other than h is bonded to the relevant position, such as carbon. thus, for example, where r 1 is mono-substituted, then one r 1 must be other than h. similarly, where r 1 is di-substituted, then two of r 1 must be other than h. similarly, where r 1 is unsubstituted, r 1 is hydrogen for all available positions. the “aza” designation in the fragments described herein, i.e. aza-dibenzofuran, aza-dibenzothiophene, etc. means that one or more of the c—h groups in the respective fragment can be replaced by a nitrogen atom, for example, and without any limitation, azatriphenylene encompasses both dibenzo[f,h]quinoxaline and dibenzo[f,h]quinoline. one of ordinary skill in the art can readily envision other nitrogen analogs of the aza-derivatives described above, and all such analogs are intended to be encompassed by the terms as set forth herein. it is to be understood that when a molecular fragment is described as being a substituent or otherwise attached to another moiety, its name may be written as if it were a fragment (e.g. phenyl, phenylene, naphthyl, dibenzofuryl) or as if it were the whole molecule (e.g. benzene, naphthalene, dibenzofuran). as used herein, these different ways of designating a substituent or attached fragment are considered to be equivalent. in one aspect, the present invention relates to the development of mixed heterocyclic benzimidazole and xanthene, thioxanthene or spiro-xanthene host materials. in one embodiment, the materials are fused heterocyclics based on combinations such as, but not limited to, at least one xanthene, thioxanthene or spiro variant thereof and at least one benzimidazole[2,1-b]benzothiazole, 5h-benzimidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole and benzimidazo[2,1-b]benzoxazole heterocyclic, which, when linked together or attached to other common heterocyclic host materials such as, but not limited to, benzene, dibenzothiophene or carbazole, exhibit the desired thermophysical and photophysical properties in one aspect, the present invention relates to a compound of formula i: wherein y is selected from the group consisting of cr 9 r 10 , sir 9 r 10 , o, s, se, and nr 11 ; wherein at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a structure of formula ii; wherein z 1 and z 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, se and nr 20 ; wherein each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two substituents may be joined or fused together to form a ring. in one embodiment, z 2 is nr 20 . in one embodiment, y is cr 9 r 10 or sir 9 r 10 . in one embodiment, z 1 is selected from the group consisting of o, s, and nr 20 . in one embodiment, each of r 1 to r 20 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, fluorine, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, nitrile, isonitrile, and combinations thereof. in one embodiment, at least one of r 1 to r 8 is alkyl or cycloalkyl. in one embodiment, at least one of r 1 to r 8 is a partially or fully deuterated alkyl or cycloalkyl. in one embodiment, at least one of r 1 to r 8 comprises a structure of formula ii. in one embodiment, at least one of r 1 to r 11 comprises a tetraphenylene or aza-tetraphenylene group. in one embodiment, each of r 12 to r 19 is h. in one embodiment, at least one of r 12 to r 19 is alkyl or cycloalkyl. in one embodiment, at least one of r 12 to r 19 is a partially or fully deuterated alkyl or cycloalkyl. in one embodiment, the compound is selected from the group consisting of in one embodiment, the compound is selected from the group consisting of in another aspect, the present invention relates to an organic light emitting device (oled) comprising an anode; a cathode; and an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode. in one embodiment, the organic layer includes a compound of formula i. in one embodiment, the organic layer is an emissive layer and the compound of formula i is a host. in one embodiment, the organic layer is a blocking layer and the compound of formula i is a blocking material in the organic layer. in one embodiment, the organic layer is a transporting layer and the compound of formula i is a transporting material in the organic layer. in some embodiments, the oled has one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of being flexible, being rollable, being foldable, being stretchable, and being curved. in some embodiments, the oled is transparent or semi-transparent. in some embodiments, the oled further comprises a layer comprising carbon nanotubes. in some embodiments, the oled further comprises a layer comprising a delayed fluorescent emitter. in some embodiments, the oled comprises a rgb pixel arrangement or white plus color filter pixel arrangement. in some embodiments, the oled is a mobile device, a hand held device, or a wearable device. in some embodiments, the oled is a display panel having less than 10 inch diagonal or 50 square inch area. in some embodiments, the oled is a display panel having at least 10 inch diagonal or 50 square inch area. in some embodiments, the oled is a lighting panel. in one embodiment, the organic layer further comprises a phosphorescent emissive dopant; wherein the emissive dopant is a transition metal complex having at least one ligand or part of the ligand if the ligand is more than bidentate selected from the group consisting of wherein each x 1 to x 13 are independently selected from the group consisting of carbon and nitrogen; wherein x is selected from the group consisting of br′, nr′, pr′, o, s, se, c═o, s═o, so 2 , cr′r″, sir′r″, and ger′r″; wherein r′ and r″ are optionally fused or joined to form a ring; wherein each r a , r b , r c , and r d may represent from mono substitution to the possible maximum number of substitution, or no substitution; wherein r′, r″, r a , r b , r c , and r d are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, fluorine, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, nitrile, isonitrile, and combinations thereof; and wherein any two adjacent substituents of r a , r b , r c , and r d are optionally fused or joined to form a ring or form a multidentate ligand. in some embodiments of the emissive region, the emissive region further comprises a host, wherein the host comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of metal complex, triphenylene, carbazole, dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, aza-triphenylene, aza-carbazole, aza-dibenzothiophene, aza-dibenzofuran, and aza-dibenzoselenophene. in some embodiment of the emissive region, the emissive region further comprises a host, wherein the host is selected from the group consisting of: and combinations thereof. additional information on possible hosts is provided below. the oled disclosed herein can be incorporated into one or more of a consumer product, an electronic component module, and a lighting panel. the organic layer can be an emissive layer and the compound can be an emissive dopant in some embodiments, while the compound can be a non-emissive dopant in other embodiments. in one embodiment, the consumer product is selected from the group consisting of a flat panel display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a light for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, a heads-up display, a fully or partially transparent display, a flexible display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, tablet, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (pda), a wearable device, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display that is less than 2 inches diagonal, a 3-d display, a virtual reality or augmented reality display, a vehicle, a video wall comprising multiple displays tiled together, a theater or stadium screen, and a sign. according to another aspect, a formulation comprising the compound described herein is also disclosed. the emitter dopants can be phosphorescent dopants. the organic layer can include a compound according to formula i, and its variations as described herein as a host. in yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a formulation that comprises the novel compound disclosed herein is described. the formulation can include one or more components selected from the group consisting of a solvent, a host, a hole injection material, hole transport material, and an electron transport layer material, disclosed herein. combination with other materials the materials described herein as useful for a particular layer in an organic light emitting device may be used in combination with a wide variety of other materials present in the device. for example, emissive dopants disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with a wide variety of hosts, transport layers, blocking layers, injection layers, electrodes and other layers that may be present. the materials described or referred to below are non-limiting examples of materials that may be useful in combination with the compounds disclosed herein, and one of skill in the art can readily consult the literature to identify other materials that may be useful in combination. conductivity dopants: a charge transport layer can be doped with conductivity dopants to substantially alter its density of charge carriers, which will in turn alter its conductivity. the conductivity is increased by generating charge carriers in the matrix material, and depending on the type of dopant, a change in the fermi level of the semiconductor may also be achieved. hole-transporting layer can be doped by p-type conductivity dopants and n-type conductivity dopants are used in the electron-transporting layer. non-limiting examples of the conductivity dopants that may be used in an oled in combination with materials disclosed herein are exemplified below together with references that disclose those materials: ep01617493, ep01968131, ep2020694, ep2684932, us20050139810, us20070160905, us20090167167, us2010288362, wo06081780, wo2009003455, wo2009008277, wo2009011327, wo2014009310, us2007252140, us2015060804 and us2012146012. hil/htl: a hole injecting/transporting material to be used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and any compound may be used as long as the compound is typically used as a hole injecting/transporting material. examples of the material include, but are not limited to: a phthalocyanine or porphyrin derivative; an aromatic amine derivative; an indolocarbazole derivative; a polymer containing fluorohydrocarbon; a polymer with conductivity dopants; a conducting polymer, such as pedot/pss; a self-assembly monomer derived from compounds such as phosphonic acid and silane derivatives; a metal oxide derivative, such as moo x ; a p-type semiconducting organic compound, such as 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile; a metal complex, and a cross-linkable compounds. examples of aromatic amine derivatives used in hil or htl include, but are not limited to the following general structures: each of ar 1 to ar 9 is selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon cyclic compounds such as benzene, biphenyl, triphenyl, triphenylene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenalene, phenanthrene, fluorene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, and azulene; the group consisting of aromatic heterocyclic compounds such as dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, furan, thiophene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, benzoselenophene, carbazole, indolocarbazole, pyridylindole, pyrrolodipyridine, pyrazole, imidazole, triazole, oxazole, thiazole, oxadiazole, oxatriazole, dioxazole, thiadiazole, pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, triazine, oxazine, oxathiazine, oxadiazine, indole, benzimidazole, indazole, indoxazine, benzoxazole, benzisoxazole, benzothiazole, quinoline, isoquinoline, cinnoline, quinazoline, quinoxaline, naphthyridine, phthalazine, pteridine, xanthene, acridine, phenazine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, benzofuropyridine, furodipyridine, benzothienopyridine, thienodipyridine, benzoselenophenopyridine, and selenophenodipyridine; and the group consisting of 2 to 10 cyclic structural units which are groups of the same type or different types selected from the aromatic hydrocarbon cyclic group and the aromatic heterocyclic group and are bonded to each other directly or via at least one of oxygen atom, nitrogen atom, sulfur atom, silicon atom, phosphorus atom, boron atom, chain structural unit and the aliphatic cyclic group. each ar may be unsubstituted or may be substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof. in one aspect, ar 1 to ar 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of: wherein k is an integer from 1 to 20; x 101 to x 108 is c (including ch) or n; z 101 is nar 1 , o, or s; ar 1 has the same group defined above. examples of metal complexes used in hil or htl include, but are not limited to the following general formula: wherein met is a metal, which can have an atomic weight greater than 40; (y 101 -y 102 ) is a bidentate ligand, y 100 and y 102 are independently selected from c, n, o, p, and s; l 101 is an ancillary ligand; k′ is an integer value from 1 to the maximum number of ligands that may be attached to the metal; and k′+k″ is the maximum number of ligands that may be attached to the metal. in one aspect, (y 101 -y 102 ) is a 2-phenylpyridine derivative. in another aspect, (y 101 -y 102 ) is a carbene ligand. in another aspect, met is selected from ir, pt, os, and zn. in a further aspect, the metal complex has a smallest oxidation potential in solution vs. fc + /fc couple less than about 0.6 v. non-limiting examples of the hil and htl materials that may be used in an oled in combination with materials disclosed herein are exemplified below together with references that disclose those materials: cn102702075, de102012005215, ep01624500, ep01698613, ep01806334, ep01930964, ep01972613, ep01997799, ep02011790, ep02055700, ep02055701, ep1725079, ep2085382, ep2660300, ep650955, jp07-073529, jp2005112765, jp2007091719, jp2008021687, jp2014-009196, kr20110088898, kr20130077473, tw201139402, u.s. ser. no. 06/517,957, us20020158242, us20030162053, us20050123751, us20060182993, us20060240279, us20070145888, us20070181874, us20070278938, us20080014464, us20080091025, us20080106190, us20080124572, us20080145707, us20080220265, us20080233434, us20080303417, us2008107919, us20090115320, us20090167161, us2009066235, us2011007385, us20110163302, us2011240968, us2011278551, us2012205642, us2013241401, us20140117329, us2014183517, u.s. pat. no. 5,061,569, u.s. pat. no. 5,639,914, wo05075451, wo07125714, wo08023550, wo08023759, wo2009145016, wo2010061824, wo2011075644, wo2012177006, wo2013018530, wo2013039073, wo2013087142, wo2013118812, wo2013120577, wo2013157367, wo2013175747, wo2014002873, wo2014015935, wo2014015937, wo2014030872, wo2014030921, wo2014034791, wo2014104514, wo2014157018. ebl: an electron blocking layer (ebl) may be used to reduce the number of electrons and/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. the presence of such a blocking layer in a device may result in substantially higher efficiencies, and or longer lifetime, as compared to a similar device lacking a blocking layer. also, a blocking layer may be used to confine emission to a desired region of an oled. in some embodiments, the ebl material has a higher lumo (closer to the vacuum level) and/or higher triplet energy than the emitter closest to the ebl interface. in some embodiments, the ebl material has a higher lumo (closer to the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hosts closest to the ebl interface. in one aspect, the compound used in ebl contains the same molecule or the same functional groups used as one of the hosts described below. additional hosts: the light emitting layer of the organic el device of the present invention preferably contains at least a metal complex as light emitting material, and may contain a host material using the metal complex as a dopant material. examples of the host material are not particularly limited, and any metal complexes or organic compounds may be used as long as the triplet energy of the host is larger than that of the dopant. any host material may be used with any dopant so long as the triplet criteria is satisfied. examples of metal complexes used as host are preferred to have the following general formula: wherein met is a metal; (y 103 -y 104 ) is a bidentate ligand, y 103 and y 104 are independently selected from c, n, o, p, and s; l 101 is an another ligand; k′ is an integer value from 1 to the maximum number of ligands that may be attached to the metal; and k′+k″ is the maximum number of ligands that may be attached to the metal. in one aspect, the metal complexes are: wherein (o—n) is a bidentate ligand, having metal coordinated to atoms o and n. in another aspect, met is selected from ir and pt. in a further aspect, (y 103 -y 104 ) is a carbene ligand. examples of other organic compounds used as additional host are selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon cyclic compounds such as benzene, biphenyl, triphenyl, triphenylene, tetraphenylene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenalene, phenanthrene, fluorene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, and azulene; the group consisting of aromatic heterocyclic compounds such as dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, furan, thiophene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, benzoselenophene, carbazole, indolocarbazole, pyridylindole, pyrrolodipyridine, pyrazole, imidazole, triazole, oxazole, thiazole, oxadiazole, oxatriazole, dioxazole, thiadiazole, pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, triazine, oxazine, oxathiazine, oxadiazine, indole, benzimidazole, indazole, indoxazine, benzoxazole, benzisoxazole, benzothiazole, quinoline, isoquinoline, cinnoline, quinazoline, quinoxaline, naphthyridine, phthalazine, pteridine, xanthene, acridine, phenazine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, benzofuropyridine, furodipyridine, benzothienopyridine, thienodipyridine, benzoselenophenopyridine, and selenophenodipyridine; and the group consisting of 2 to 10 cyclic structural units which are groups of the same type or different types selected from the aromatic hydrocarbon cyclic group and the aromatic heterocyclic group and are bonded to each other directly or via at least one of oxygen atom, nitrogen atom, sulfur atom, silicon atom, phosphorus atom, boron atom, chain structural unit and the aliphatic cyclic group. each option within each may be unsubstituted or may be substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof. in one aspect, the host compound contains at least one of the following groups in the molecule: wherein each of r 101 to r 107 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof, and when it is aryl or heteroaryl, it has the similar definition as ar's mentioned above. k is an integer from 0 to 20 or 1 to 20; k′″ is an integer from 0 to 20. x 101 to x 108 is selected from c (including ch) or n. z 101 and z 102 is selected from nr 101 , o, or s. non-limiting examples of the additional host materials that may be used in an oled in combination with the materials disclosed herein are exemplified below together with references that disclose those materials: ep2034538, ep2034538a, ep2757608, jp2007254297, kr20100079458, kr20120088644, kr20120129733, kr20130115564, tw201329200, us20030175553, us20050238919, us20060280965, us20090017330, us20090030202, us20090167162, us20090302743, us20090309488, us20100012931, us20100084966, us20100187984, us2010187984, us2012075273, us2012126221, us2013009543, us2013105787, us2013175519, us2014001446, us20140183503, us20140225088, us2014034914, u.s. pat. no. 7,154,114, wo2001039234, wo2004093207, wo2005014551, wo2005089025, wo2006072002, wo2006114966, wo2007063754, wo2008056746, wo2009003898, wo2009021126, wo2009063833, wo2009066778, wo2009066779, wo2009086028, wo2010056066, wo2010107244, wo2011081423, wo2011081431, wo2011086863, wo2012128298, wo2012133644, wo2012133649, wo2013024872, wo2013035275, wo2013081315, wo2013191404, wo2014142472, emitter: an emitter dopant is not particularly limited, and any compounds may be used as long as the compounds are typically used as emitter materials. examples of suitable emitter materials include, but are not limited to, compounds which can produce emissions via phosphorescence, fluorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, i.e., tadf (also referred to as e-type delayed fluorescence), triplet-triplet annihilation, or combinations of these processes. non-limiting examples of the emitter materials that may be used in an oled in combination with materials disclosed herein are exemplified below together with references that disclose those materials: cn103694277, cn1696137, eb01238981, ep01239526, ep01961743, ep1239526, ep1244155, ep1642951, ep1647554, ep1841834, ep1841834b, ep2062907, ep2730583, jp2012074444, jp2013110263, jp4478555, kr1020090133652, kr20120032054, kr20130043460, tw201332980, u.s. ser. no. 06/699,599, u.s. ser. no. 06/916,554, us20010019782, us20020034656, us20030068526, us20030072964, us20030138657, us20050123788, us20050244673, us2005123791, us2005260449, us20060008670, us20060065890, us20060127696, us20060134459, us20060134462, us20060202194, us20060251923, us20070034863, us20070087321, us20070103060, us20070111026, us20070190359, us20070231600, us2007034863, us2007104979, us2007104980, us2007138437, us2007224450, us2007278936, us20080020237, us20080233410, us20080261076, us20080297033, us200805851, us2008161567, us2008210930, us20090039776, us20090108737, us20090115322, us20090179555, us2009085476, us2009104472, us20100090591, us20100148663, us20100244004, us20100295032, us2010102716, us2010105902, us2010244004, us2010270916, us20110057559, us20110108822, us20110204333, us2011215710, us2011227049, us2011285275, us2012292601, us20130146848, us2013033172, us2013165653, us2013181190, us2013334521, us20140246656, us2014103305, u.s. pat. no. 6,303,238, u.s. pat. no. 6,413,656, u.s. pat. no. 6,653,654, u.s. pat. no. 6,670,645, u.s. pat. no. 6,687,266, u.s. pat. no. 6,835,469, u.s. pat. no. 6,921,915, u.s. pat. no. 7,279,704, u.s. pat. no. 7,332,232, u.s. pat. no. 7,378,162, u.s. pat. no. 7,534,505, u.s. pat. no. 7,675,228, u.s. pat. no. 7,728,137, u.s. pat. no. 7,740,957, u.s. pat. no. 7,759,489, u.s. pat. no. 7,951,947, u.s. pat. no. 8,067,099, u.s. pat. no. 8,592,586, u.s. pat. no. 8,871,361, wo06081973, wo06121811, wo07018067, wo07108362, wo07115970, wo07115981, wo08035571, wo2002015645, wo2003040257, wo2005019373, wo2006056418, wo2008054584, wo2008078800, wo2008096609, wo2008101842, wo2009000673, wo2009050281, wo2009100991, wo2010028151, wo2010054731, wo2010086089, wo2010118029, wo2011044988, wo2011051404, wo2011107491, wo2012020327, wo2012163471, wo2013094620, wo2013107487, wo2013174471, wo2014007565, wo2014008982, wo2014023377, wo2014024131, wo2014031977, wo2014038456, wo2014112450, hbl: a hole blocking layer (hbl) may be used to reduce the number of holes and/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. the presence of such a blocking layer in a device may result in substantially higher efficiencies and/or longer lifetime as compared to a similar device lacking a blocking layer. also, a blocking layer may be used to confine emission to a desired region of an oled. in some embodiments, the hbl material has a lower homo (further from the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than the emitter closest to the hbl interface. in some embodiments, the hbl material has a lower homo (further from the vacuum level) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hosts closest to the hbl interface. in one aspect, compound used in hbl contains the same molecule or the same functional groups used as host described above. in another aspect, compound used in hbl contains at least one of the following groups in the molecule: wherein k is an integer from 1 to 20; l 101 is an another ligand, k′ is an integer from 1 to 3. etl: electron transport layer (etl) may include a material capable of transporting electrons. electron transport layer may be intrinsic (undoped), or doped. doping may be used to enhance conductivity. examples of the etl material are not particularly limited, and any metal complexes or organic compounds may be used as long as they are typically used to transport electrons. in one aspect, compound used in etl contains at least one of the following groups in the molecule: wherein r 101 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof, when it is aryl or heteroaryl, it has the similar definition as ar's mentioned above. ar 1 to ar 3 has the similar definition as ar's mentioned above. k is an integer from 1 to 20. x 101 to x 108 is selected from c (including ch) or n. in another aspect, the metal complexes used in etl contain, but are not limited to the following general formula: wherein (o—n) or (n—n) is a bidentate ligand, having metal coordinated to atoms o, n or n, n; l 101 is another ligand; k′ is an integer value from 1 to the maximum number of ligands that may be attached to the metal. non-limiting examples of the etl materials that may be used in an oled in combination with materials disclosed herein are exemplified below together with references that disclose those materials: cn103508940, ep01602648, ep01734038, ep01956007, jp2004-022334, jp2005149918, jp2005-268199, kr0117693, kr20130108183, us20040036077, us20070104977, us2007018155, us20090101870, us20090115316, us20090140637, us20090179554, us2009218940, us2010108990, us2011156017, us2011210320, us2012193612, us2012214993, us2014014925, us2014014927, us20140284580, u.s. pat. no. 6,656,612, u.s. pat. no. 8,415,031, wo2003060956, wo2007111263, wo2009148269, wo2010067894, wo2010072300, wo2011074770, wo2011105373, wo2013079217, wo2013145667, wo2013180376, wo2014104499, wo2014104535, charge generation layer (cgl) in tandem or stacked oleds, the cgl plays an essential role in the performance, which is composed of an n-doped layer and a p-doped layer for injection of electrons and holes, respectively. electrons and holes are supplied from the cgl and electrodes. the consumed electrons and holes in the cgl are refilled by the electrons and holes injected from the cathode and anode, respectively; then, the bipolar currents reach a steady state gradually. typical cgl materials include n and p conductivity dopants used in the transport layers. in any above-mentioned compounds used in each layer of the oled device, the hydrogen atoms can be partially or fully deuterated. thus, any specifically listed substituent, such as, without limitation, methyl, phenyl, pyridyl, etc. may be undeuterated, partially deuterated, and fully deuterated versions thereof. similarly, classes of substituents such as, without limitation, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, heteroaryl, etc. also may be undeuterated, partially deuterated, and fully deuterated versions thereof. experimental synthesis of compound a (3-bromophenyl)(9,9-dimethyl-9h-xanthen-4-yl)diphenylsilane to a solution of 1,3-dibromobenzene 1 (0.34 ml, 2.82 mmol) in thf (5 ml) at −78° c. was added n-butyllithium (2.5 m in hexane, 1.18 ml, 2.96 mmol) dropwise over 2 min. the reaction was stirred at −78° c. for 30 min before dichlorodiphenylsilane (0.60 ml, 2.82 mmol) was added dropwise over 2 min. the cooling bath was removed and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1.5 h. after 1 h, to a solution of 4-bromo-9,9-dimethyl-9h-xanthene (815 mg, 2.82 mmol) in thf (5 ml) at −78° c., was added n-butyllithium (2.5 m in hexane, 1.18 ml, 2.96 mmol) dropwise over 2 min. the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for 30 min before the previously prepared silane solution was added dropwise over 5 min. the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred overnight before being quenched with water. the organic phase was separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane. the combined organics were dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. the crude product was purified by flash column chromatography (silica, 1:99 to 15:85 dichloromethane:heptanes) followed by trituration with mecn in a sonicator to afford 1.17 g 2 as a white solid (76%). synthesis of 5-(3-((9,9-dimethyl-9h-xanthen-4-yl)diphenylsilyl)phenyl)-5h-benzo [d]benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]imidazole (3-bromophenyl)(9,9-dimethyl-9h-xanthen-4-yl)diphenylsilane (2, 300 mg, 0.55 mmol), 5h-benzo [d]benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]imidazole (3, 125 mg, 0.603 mg), cbridp (19.3 mg. 0.055 mmol) and tbuona (132 mg, 1.37 mmol) were dissolved in xylene (5 ml). the mixture was degassed by bubbling nitrogen through for 15 min. alkylpalladium chloride dimer (6 mg, 0.016 mmol) was added, and the mixture was again degassed by bubbling nitrogen through for another 15 min before being heated to 120° c. for 2 h. the reaction was quenched with water. the organic phase was separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane. the combined organics was dried on mgso 4 , filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. the crude product was purified using reverse phase chromatography (20:80 to 70:30 thf:water, 1cv, 70:30 to 100:0 thf:water, 10 cv, then thf). the crude product was then re-purified using reverse phase chromatography (20:80 to 40:60 thf:water, 1 cv, 40:60 to 70:30 thf:water, 10 cv, then 70:30 thf:water). the product was purified using normal phase flash column chromatography (silica, 1:99 to 100:0 dichloromethane:heptane). it was retained on the silica before 1:1 thf:dichloromethane was used. this material was purified again by normal phase chromatography (silica, 50:50 to 100:0 dichloromethane:heptane) to afford compound a as white solid. device example the oled experimental devices were fabricated by high vacuum (<10-7 torr) thermal evaporation. the anode electrode was 800 å indium tin oxide (ito). the cathode consisted of 10 å lif followed by 1,000 å al. all devices were encapsulated with a glass lid sealed with epoxy resin in a nitrogen glove box. the organic stack of the examples shown in table 1 consist of, sequentially from the ito surface, 100 å lg101 (purchased from lg chem, korea) as the hole injection layer (hil), 250 å of a triarylamine based hole transport layer (htl), 300 å compound a doped with 20% compound b as the emissive layer (eml) in example 1, with compound c replacing compound a in the comparative example, 50 å compound c as etl2 and 300 å of an anthracene based electron transport layer as etl1. the device date is summarized in table 1. table 11931 cieat 1000 cd/m 2deviceemlxyem max [nm]eqe [%]example 1compound a0.1740.38547424.0compara-compound c0.1750.39547520.6tive the data shows that device example 1 with compound a as the host has a high external quantum efficiency (eqe) and the best blue color cie coordinates (0.174,0.385) compared to compound c, which is a commonly used host for blue emitters. it is understood that the various embodiments described herein are by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. for example, many of the materials and structures described herein may be substituted with other materials and structures without deviating from the spirit of the invention. the present invention as claimed may therefore include variations from the particular examples and preferred embodiments described herein, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. it is understood that various theories as to why the invention works are not intended to be limiting.
012-819-199-793-221	JP	[ "JP", "US" ]	A61B18/00,A61B17/32	2004-12-03T00:00:00	2004	[ "A61" ]	ultrasonic surgical apparatus, and method of driving ultrasonic treatment instrument	<p>problem to be solved: to provide an ultrasonic surgical apparatus which does not degrade an incision ability while suppressing the heat generation of a treatment portion, and to provide a method of driving an ultrasonic treatment instrument. <p>solution: the ultrasonic surgical apparatus 1 comprises: a dds 26 or the like for outputting an ultrasonic driving current signal for driving an ultrasonic vibrator 2a to the ultrasonic treatment instrument 2 having a holder 10 and a probe 9 connected with the ultrasonic vibrator 2a; a cpu 22 or the like for carrying out modulation of the ultrasonic driving current signal. the modulation is varied based on a waveform pattern varying an amplitude with respect to the time axis. <p>copyright: (c)2006,jpo&ncipi	1 . an ultrasonic surgical apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic transducer generating vibration in response to a drive signal to be given; a treatment device having a probe to which the vibration is transferred from the ultrasonic transducer to effect treatment with the vibration; a signal generator generating an ac (alternating current) signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer; and a modulator for modulating the ac signal generated by the signal generator to produce the drive signal to be given to the ultrasonic transducer. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a gripper gripping a portion to be treated of an object in cooperation of the probe. 3 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the modulator is configured to modulate the ac signal so that at least one of an amplitude and a duty ratio of the drive signal is changed. 4 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the modulator is configured to change the amplitude of the ac signal based on a predetermined waveform pattern. 5 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the waveform pattern is a plurality of continuous pulse waveforms each having a predetermined duty ratio. 6 . the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein, assuming that each of the pulse waveforms has a period of time t 1 in which the amplitude is high and a period of time t 2 in which the amplitude is low, each of the pulse waveforms has a duty ratio, which is defined as “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )”, of 5 to 10 percents and has a cycle, which is defined as “t 1 +t 2 ”, of 0.1 to 1 seconds. 7 . the apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the duty ratio “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )” is 5 to 50 percents and the cycle “t 1 +t 2 ” is 0.4 to 1 seconds. 8 . the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the modulator is configured to change at least one of the duty ratio and the amplitude in response to a triggering signal. 9 . the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the modulator comprises change means changing the duty ratio and the amplitude in response to a trigger to be given during the plurality of continuous waveforms are issued. 10 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulator comprises modulating means starting the modulation of the drive signal in response to a trigger to be given. 11 . the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the trigger is a timing signal to be produced when the treatment device is used. 12 . the apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the timing signal is any one selected from a group of signals composed of a timing signal produced at a timing when the probe presents a predetermined temperature, a timing signal produced at a timing when a predetermined timer shows a time-out state, a timing signal produced at a timing when the treatment device is gripped to be subjected to a predetermined treatment operation, and a timing signal produced at a timing when the treatment device presents a predetermined impedance value. 13 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulator is configured to produce the drive signal by changing a frequency of the ac signal. 14 . the apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a determination unit automatically determining a type of the treatment device, wherein the modulator is configured to produce the drive signal by performing the modulation on the ac signal, the modulation being depending on a type of the treatment device. 15 . the apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a temperature detector detecting a temperature at a treated portion of an object to be treated by the treatment device, wherein the modulator comprises means for controlling a modulated state of the ac signal so as to allow the temperature at the treated portion detected by the temperature detector to follow up a predetermined target temperature. 16 . an ultrasonic surgical apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic transducer generating vibration in response to a drive signal to be given; a treatment device having a probe to which the vibration is transferred from the ultrasonic transducer to effect treatment with the vibration; signal generating means for generating an ac (alternating current) signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer; and modulation means for modulating the ac signal generated by the signal generator to produce the drive signal to be given to the ultrasonic transducer. 17 . a method of driving a treatment device with an ultrasonic transducer, comprising steps of: generating an ac (alternating current) signal; producing a drive signal by modulating an amplitude of the ac current generated, the modulation being such that, assuming that the drive signal has a period of time t 1 in which the amplitude is high and a period of time t 2 in which the amplitude is low, the drive signal has a duty ratio, which is defined as “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )”, of 5 to 10 percents and has a cycle, which is defined as “t 1 +t 2 ” of 0.1 to 1 seconds; and supplying the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer. 18 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the duty ratio “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )” is 5 to 50 percents and the cycle “t 1 +t 2 ” is 0.4 to 1 seconds. 19 . the method of claim 17 , further comprising steps of automatically determining a type of the treatment device, wherein the modulation step is configured to produced the drive signal by performing the modulation on the ac signal, the modulation being depending on a type of the treatment device. 20 . a treatment method using an ultrasonic treatment device, comprising steps of: touching a probe coupled with an ultrasonic transducer to a portion to be treated of an object; producing a drive signal by modulating an amplitude of an ac (alternating current) signal, the modulation being such that, assuming that the drive signal has a period of time t 1 in which the amplitude is high and a period of time t 2 in which the amplitude is low, the drive signal has a duty ratio, which is defined as “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )”, of 5 to 10 percents and has a cycle, which is defined as “t 1 +t 2 ”, of 0.1 to 1 seconds; and supplying the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer to cause vibration generated by the ultrasonic transducer is transferred to the portion to be treated via the probe.	cross references to related application the present application relates to and incorporates by reference japanese patent application no. 2004-351801 filed on dec. 3, 2004. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an ultrasonic surgical apparatus and a method for driving an ultrasonic treatment device, and in particular, to an ultrasonic surgical apparatus for effecting treatment by holding living tissue which is subjected to surgery, and a method for driving an ultrasonic treatment device. 2. description of related art ultrasonic surgical apparatuses have been in practical use, by which living tissue is incised by allowing a treatment device to vibrate with ultrasonic mechanical vibration. an example of such an ultrasonic surgical apparatus is disclosed in japanese unexamined application publication no. h09-299381. this ultrasonic surgical apparatus has an ultrasonic treatment device which is provided with a gripper and a probe in order to grip a living tissue portion to be treated. an ultrasonic transducer is coupled to the probe to transfer longitudinal vibration of the transducer to the probe. the probe mechanically vibrates when a predetermined electrical signal is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer. when living tissue is gripped between the gripper opened/closed by a drive power and the probe to which ultrasonic vibration is transferred, the living tissue portion can be incised by the frictional heat generated between the vibrating probe and the living tissue portion. however, the magnitude (amplitude) of ultrasonic vibration generated in a probe is determined by the amplitude of current supplied to an ultrasonic transducer. an electrical signal supplied to an ultrasonic transducer has an ultrasonic frequency which is outputted while a foot switch is being turned on by an operator. for this reason, an electrical signal has been supplied to an ultrasonic transducer to allow a probe to have constant amplitude while the foot switch is turned on. therefore, the temperature of a treatment device has often exceeded a desired value. summery of the invention the present invention has been made in view of the problem described above, and provides an ultrasonic surgical apparatus with improved performance for the control of the heat generation in a treatment device thereof. one aspect of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic surgical apparatus comprising an ultrasonic transducer for generating vibration in response to the input of a drive signal, a treatment device having a probe to which the vibration is transferred from the ultrasonic transducer, a signal generator for generating an ac (alternating current) signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer, and a modulator for modulating the ac signal generated by the signal generator to produce the drive signal and for giving the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer. another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of driving an ultrasonic treatment device provided with an ultrasonic transducer, the method comprising steps of producing an ac (alternating current) signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer, modulating amplitude of the ac signal, so that a duty ratio “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )” is 5% to 100% and a period “t 1 +t 2 ” is 0.1 seconds to 1 seconds (t 1 =high output period, t 2 =low output period) to produce a drive signal, and supplying the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer. brief description of the drawings in the appended drawings: fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an entire ultrasonic surgical apparatus related to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus; fig. 3 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a first waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 4 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a second waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 5 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a third waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 6 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the first waveform pattern; fig. 7 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the second waveform pattern; fig. 8 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the third waveform pattern; fig. 9 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a fourth waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 10 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the fourth waveform pattern; fig. 11 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a fifth waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 12 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the fifth waveform pattern; fig. 13 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a sixth waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 14 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the sixth waveform pattern; fig. 15 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a seventh waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 16 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the seventh waveform pattern; fig. 17 is a waveform diagram showing an example of an eighth waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 18 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the eighth waveform pattern; fig. 19 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a ninth waveform pattern applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 20 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform pattern data used for producing the ninth waveform pattern; fig. 21 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a tenth waveform pattern (waveform pattern data) applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 22 is a waveform diagram showing an example of an eleventh waveform pattern (waveform pattern data) applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 23 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a twelfth waveform pattern (waveform pattern data) applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated; fig. 24 is a graph for explaining an example of temperature variation at a treatment device of a handpiece, in comparison conventional temperature variation; fig. 25 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a thirteenth waveform pattern (waveform pattern data) applicable to the embodiment, in which amplitude of a drive current has been modulated, the waveform being for simultaneously changing amplitude of a current and a duty ratio; fig. 26 is an electrical block diagram showing a second embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 27 shows an example of a front panel for setting a waveform pattern data in a third embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 28 shows an example of a front panel for setting a waveform pattern data in a fourth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 29 is a flow diagram showing an example of processing in a cpu for selecting a waveform pattern, which is performed in the fourth embodiment; fig. 30 shows an example of front panel indication in case a waveform pattern is selected in the fourth embodiment; fig. 31 shows an example of a fourteenth waveform pattern data; fig. 32 shows an example of a front panel for setting a waveform pattern data in a fifth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 33 is a flowchart diagram showing an example of processing in a cpu for selecting a waveform pattern, which is performed in the fifth embodiment; fig. 34 shows an example of a front panel indication in case a waveform pattern is selected in the fifth embodiment; fig. 35 is a perspective illustration of a treatment device in which an output value of a temperature sensor serves as a trigger signal, in a sixth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 36 is a cross section of a tip of the probe shown in fig. 35 taken along a dotted line a; fig. 37 is an electrical block diagram of a main unit provided with a temperature detection circuit, in the sixth embodiment; fig. 38 is a perspective illustration of a treatment device in which a temperature sensor is provided to a gripper, in a seventh embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 39 is a cross section of a tip of the probe shown in fig. 38 ; fig. 40 shows a fifteenth waveform pattern in which a time-out signal serves as a trigger signal, in an eighth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 41 shows a sixteenth waveform pattern in which a time-out signal serves as a trigger signal, in a ninth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 42 is a flow diagram exemplifying processing in a cpu to allow a drive current modulated in amplitude according to a trigger signal in the ninth embodiment to be supplied to a handpiece; fig. 43 is a perspective illustration of a handpiece in which an output switch is provided at one side of an operation handle, in a tenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 44 is an electrical block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit provided in a switch detection circuit, in the tenth embodiment; fig. 45 shows a seventeenth waveform pattern data used in the tenth embodiment; fig. 46 is a perspective illustration of a handpiece in which an angle sensor is provided at an operation handle, in an eleventh embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 47 is an electrical block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit provided with an angle detection circuit, in the eleventh embodiment; fig. 48 is a perspective illustration of a handpiece in which a power sensor is provided at an operation handle, in a twelfth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 49 is an electrical block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit provided with a power detection circuit, in the twelfth embodiment; fig. 50 is an electrical block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an main unit in which impedance serves as a trigger signal, in t thirteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 51 is a graph in which a duty ratio is changed relative to impedance, in a fourteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 52 shows an example of an eighteenth waveform pattern data applied to the fourteenth embodiment; fig. 53 shows an example of a nineteenth waveform pattern data applied to the fourteenth embodiment; fig. 54 is a perspective illustration for explaining a state where an rf-id tag is provided to a handpiece at such a position on the surface thereof that can be seen when the handpiece is placed in a tray, in a fifteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; figs. 55a and 55b are characteristic diagrams of impedance and phase difference, respectively, centering on resonance frequency of an ultrasonic transducer, in a sixteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention; figs. 56a to 56 d show waveforms for explaining the processing of a cpu, in the sixteenth embodiment; fig. 57 is a graph of an experimental data showing an example of temperature variation at a treatment device, which varies relative to the variation of duty ratio; fig. 58 is a graph exemplifying an ideal temperature curve for temperature control performed as a modification of the sixth embodiment; fig. 59 is a schematic flow diagram exemplifying processes in a cpu, which is performed in a modification of the sixth embodiment; and fig. 60 is a graph for explaining an example of control of duty ratio according to the processing shown in fig. 59 . detailed description of preferred embodiments hereinafter, various embodiments of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. first embodiment with reference to fig. 1-25 and 57 , a first embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. fig. 1 shows an appearance of an entire arrangement of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus of a first embodiment. this ultrasonic surgical apparatus comprises a main unit 1 , an ultrasonic treatment device (hereinafter referred to a handpiece) 2 , and a foot switch 3 . the handpiece 2 and the foot switch 3 are physically and electrically connected to the main unit 1 . the main unit 1 drives the handpiece 2 . the handpiece 2 is provided with an elongated sheath 4 , with a treatment device 5 being provided at a tip thereof and an operating portion 6 being provided at a base (portion placed in an operator's hand) thereof. a case 7 for accommodating an ultrasonic transducer 2 a (see fig. 2 ), and an operation handle 8 are provided at the operating portion 6 . the ultrasonic transducer 2 a is adapted to generate mechanical vibration (longitudinal vibration) in response to a supplied current (drive current as will be described later). this mechanical vibration is also referred to ultrasonic vibration. this vibration energy is converted into frictional heat at a portion to be treated of a subject. inside the sheath 4 , an ultrasonic probe 9 is disposed to transfer the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic transducer 2 a to the treatment device 5 . a tip of this probe 9 is exposed from a tip of the sheath 4 . further, a gripper 10 which is opened/closed by a driving power with respect to the tip of the probe 9 is provided at the treatment device 5 . the gripper 10 is coupled to a tip of the sheath 4 so as to enable pivotal movement thereof about a pivot pin. as is well known, an arrangement is so made that, by operating the operation handle 8 , the gripper 10 is driven to open/close with respect to the tip of the probe 9 , so that a living tissue portion can be gripped between the probe 9 and the gripper 10 . as shown in fig. 1 , the main unit 1 is provided, at its front face, with a front panel 11 which is provided with a power switch 12 , an operation display panel 13 , and a connecting portion (hereinafter referred to as a handpiece connecting portion) 14 for connecting the handpiece 2 thereto. among them, the handpiece connecting portion 14 is detachably connected with a connector cable 15 which is connected to the handpiece 2 . specifically, one end of the connector cable 15 is connected to the operating portion 6 of the handpiece 2 , and a connector 16 disposed at the other end of the connector cable 15 is detachably connected to the handpiece connecting portion 14 . the operation display panel 13 of the main unit 1 is provided with: a setting switch 17 (which functions as ultrasonic output setting means) for setting or changing the magnitude of ultrasonic output (i.e., vibration energy of the ultrasonic transducer 2 a ), that is, an amplitude value, in effecting ultrasonic treatment; and a display 18 for digitally displaying the magnitude of ultrasonic output set at the setting switch 17 . among them, the setting switch 17 includes an output increase switch 17 a and an output decrease switch 17 b for increasing and decreasing, i.e. for changing, the magnitude of ultrasonic output. it should be understood that, in the present embodiment, the magnitude of ultrasonic output is described as being its ratio to 100% output, and setting or changing of the magnitude of ultrasonic output is described as setting or changing its ratio to 100% output. as described above, the foot switch 3 is connected to the main unit 1 . the foot switch 3 has pedal member 3 a . thus, in response to the stepping operation of an operator onto the pedal member 3 a , a control signal is outputted to the main unit 1 from the foot switch 3 to effect on/off control of an output of the ultrasonic vibration from the ultrasonic transducer. fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus. as shown in fig. 2 , the main unit 1 has a circuit unit consisting of various electric circuits. respective electric circuit portions of the handpiece 2 and the foot switch 3 are electrically connected to this circuit unit. the aforementioned ultrasonic transducer 2 a and a resistor 2 b for determining a type (shape, size, material, etc.) of the handpiece 2 functioning as a treatment device, are provided inside the handpiece 2 . among them, the ends of the resistor 2 b are electrically connected to the main unit 1 through wires and the connector cable 15 . the main unit 1 , as shown in fig. 2 , is provided with a handpiece (hp) determination circuit 21 to which the resistor 2 b is electrically connected. the hp determination circuit 21 detects resistance of the resistor 2 b , and outputs a handpiece-type signal indicative of the type of a handpiece based on a detected resistance. the main unit 1 is also provided with a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a cpu) 22 . such a handpiece-type signal is also transferred to the cpu 22 . according to the type of the handpiece 2 , a maximum voltage, driving frequency and the like of a drive current (current supplied to the transducer 2 a (or may be referred to as a current which the main unit 1 outputs to the transducer 2 a )) are differentiated. the drive current serves as a drive signal to be fed to the transducer 2 a . thus, the cpu 22 is adapted to control various kinds of circuits, so that a suitable drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 based on the received handpiece-type signal. the hp determination circuit 21 and the cpu 22 constitute a principal part of determination means for determining the type of a handpiece. the function of determining a handpiece type is realized by this determination means. in addition to the function of determining a handpiece type as described above, the main unit 1 has a resonance frequency detecting function, a pll (phase-locked loop) function and a constant current supplying function. in order to achieve these functions, the main unit 1 is provided with the following electric circuit components, in addition to the aforementioned hp determination circuit 21 and the cpu 22 . particularly, the main unit 1 further comprises a rom 22 a connected to the cpu 22 , resonance frequency detection circuit 23 , sweep circuit 24 , up/down counter (hereinafter referred to as a u/d counter) 25 , direct digital synthesizer (hereinafter abbreviated to dds) 26 , phase comparator 27 , digital/analogue converter (hereinafter referred to as a d/a converter) 28 , comparator 29 , multiplier 30 serving as a modulation member, power amplifier 31 , detection circuit 32 and analogue/digital converter (hereinafter referred to as an a/d converter) 33 . among them, the rom 22 a is a memory for storing waveform pattern data of a drive current supplied to the transducer 2 a . it should be understood that a ram, not shown, is connected to the cpu 22 , and that programs for performing various controls are stored in the rom 22 , so that the cpu 22 can perform the programs that have been read out from the rom 22 a using the ram. such circuits as the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 , the sweep circuit 24 , the phase comparator 27 , the d/a converter 28 and the a/d converter 33 are electrically connected to the cpu 22 . further, the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 is electrically connected not only to the cpu 22 , but also to the sweep circuit 24 , the u/d counter 25 and the phase comparator 27 . a phase signal from the detection circuit 32 mentioned above is supplied to the phase comparator 27 and the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 . a function of resonance frequency detection is described first. the function of resonance frequency detection is performed immediately after commencement of, i.e. at the time of starting, output to the handpiece 2 . particularly, when the pedal member 3 a is stepped on, the function of resonance frequency detection is performed. the cpu 22 permits the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 to operate at this starting time to detect resonance frequency. in particular, at the time of starting, the cpu 22 outputs to the sweep circuit 24 a sweep starting signal swp and a starting frequency signal sf for indicating a starting frequency fo for starting sweeping. the sweep circuit 24 sets at the u/d counter 25 a count value corresponding to the frequency fo, and varies a counter output value of the u/d counter 25 by supplying an up signal or a down signal to the u/d counter 25 for gradually increasing or decreasing the frequency from the set count value. an output of the count value at the u/d counter 25 is supplied to the dds 26 , and a drive current from the dds 26 is supplied to the transducer 2 a as a drive signal. it should be understood that, when performing the function of resonance frequency detection, the cpu 22 outputs a control signal to the phase comparator 27 to stop signal supply to the u/d counter 25 . while the frequency of a drive current supplied to the transducer 2 a is varied, the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 detects resonance frequency. upon detection of resonance frequency, the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 outputs a pll-on signal to the u/d counter 25 and the phase comparator 27 to turn on a pll function. the pll-on signal is also outputted to the sweep circuit 24 which then stops sweeping operation according to the on signal. as described above, a principal part of resonance frequency detecting means is constituted by the cpu 22 , the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 , the sweep circuit 24 and the detection circuit 32 to thereby realize a resonance frequency detection function. when resonance frequency is determined, pll function is performed. after the power switch 12 of the main unit 1 has been turned on, pll function is performed to maintain the level of the resonance frequency as detected. the detection circuit 32 detects waveforms of a drive current itself supplied to the transducer 2 a and of a voltage corresponding thereto. the detection circuit 32 has a rectangular wave shaping circuit, and based on a current value and a voltage value of the drive current, outputs a rectangular wave signals δi and δv indicative of the respective waveform phases to the phase comparator 27 . the phase comparator 27 then detects a phase shift between the rectangular wave signals δi and δv, and outputs an up signal or down signal according to the shifting amount, to the u/d counter 25 . accordingly, the u/d counter 25 varies the counter value supplied to the dds 26 , i.e. an oscillating circuit, so that the frequency (current frequency) of a drive current matches the detected resonance frequency. in this way, the pll function locks the frequency of a drive current supplied to the transducer 2 a at a resonance frequency detected by the resonance frequency detection circuit 23 , and controls the frequency so as to match the resonance frequency. as described above, the cpu 22 , the u/d counter 25 , the dds 26 , the phase comparator 27 and the detection circuit 32 constitute a principal part of pll means to achieve the pll function. thus, the cpu 22 sets a predetermined value at the u/d counter 25 based on a resonance frequency detected by the resonance frequency detection function and locked by the pll function. the dds 26 , i.e. an oscillating circuit, then outputs a predetermined frequency based on the set value. specifically, the dds 26 outputs an ac (alternating current) signal having a waveform according to a count value from the u/d counter 25 , e.g., an ac signal having a sine waveform whose maximum amplitude is 5v (frequency is 27 khz, for example). the multiplier 30 then multiplies this signal with an amplitude modulating signal imparted to the multiplier 30 to modulate the amplitude. this amplitude-modulated ac signal is then amplified in power by the power amplifier 31 to turn into the aforementioned drive signal (drive current), which is then supplied to the transducer 2 a through the detection circuit 32 . at this time, the detection circuit 32 detects a current waveform of the drive current itself as a drive signal to be supplied to the transducer 2 a , and also detects a voltage waveform of the drive signal in terms of voltage, as well as an absolute value of the current. in other words, the detection circuit 32 monitors the drive signal as a drive current and supplies a signal corresponding to an absolute value of the drive current to the a/d converter 33 and the comparator 29 . the a/d converter 33 then supplies the absolute value data of the detected drive current to the cpu 22 . a drive signal value set at the setting switch 17 of the front panel 11 by an operator has been outputted to the d/a converter 28 by the cpu 22 , and the d/a converter 28 supplies an analogue signal of the set value to the comparator 29 . the comparator 29 , i.e. a differential amplifier, supplies a signal to the multiplier 30 in accordance with the difference between the supplied set value and the detected absolute value of the drive current (amplitude modulating signal). thus, amplitude modification as described above is performed in the multiplier 30 . in this regard, a signal fed from the cpu 22 through the d/a converter 28 serves as a reference value. this reference value can be controlled by various waveform patterns as will be described later. these waveform patterns are set so that amplitude of a drive signal to be supplied to the transducer 2 a can be changed by an adequate mode relative to a time base. in other words, instead of a drive signal that has conventionally had a temporally invariable amplitude, production of a drive signal having a temporally variable amplitude has been enabled. it should be understood that the dds 26 , the multiplier 30 , and the power amplifier 31 constitute drive signal output means. constant current supplying function is described hereunder. the circuit configuration of a principal part related to the amplitude modulation described above also serves as a circuit configuration for realizing this constant current supplying function. specifically, when a living tissue portion is gripped (held) between the probe 9 of the handpiece 2 and the gripper 10 , impedance of the transducer goes up, and thus in turn a current goes down, which unavoidably disables desired treatment. in order to prevent this, an arrangement is made such that the comparator 29 supplies a signal to the multiplier 30 according to a difference between a supplied set value and a detected absolute value of a drive current, and that the multiplier 30 multiplies the signal with a signal from the dds 26 to maintain the amplitude of the drive current at a set value. thus, constant current supplying means is constituted of the detection circuit 32 , the a/d converter 33 , the cpu 22 , the d/a converter 28 , the comparator 29 and the multiplier 30 to realize the constant current supplying function. with the use of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus configured as described above, treatment, such as incision, can be effected to living tissue. further, according to the type of the handpiece 2 , frequency and amplitude of a drive current (i.e., drive signal) to be supplied to the handpiece 2 , i.e. the transducer 2 a , are differentiated. accordingly, in the ultrasonic surgical apparatus, when the connector cable 15 of the handpiece 2 is connected to the main unit 1 , the cpu 22 disposed in the main unit 1 reads a resistance value of the resistor 2 b incorporated in the handpiece 2 and determines the type of the handpiece 2 based on the read resistance value. furthermore, the cpu 22 can adequately effect incision treatment according to the type of the handpiece 2 , and can supply an amplitude-controlled drive current to a transducer so that the heat at the time of treatment is not raised excessively high. in other words, the degree of generation of frictional heat at a portion of a subject being held, can be controlled by the ultrasonic vibration of the transducer 2 a. hereinafter is described an example of a waveform of a drive current as a drive signal which is supplied to the transducer 2 a of the handpiece 2 in an ultrasonic surgical apparatus. if a conventional method is applied, an ultrasonic surgical apparatus is operated such that, when an operator steps on a pedal of the foot switch 3 , for example, supply of a drive current to the handpiece 2 is started with constant amplitude, and when the operator stops stepping on the pedal, the supply of the drive current is stopped. the amplitude of the drive current is constant from the start to the stop of supply. on the other hand, the main unit 1 of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present embodiment supplies a drive current given with predetermined modulation to the handpiece 2 when an operator steps on a pedal of the foot switch 3 . in particular, in the present embodiment, an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . with reference to figs. 3 to 23 , various examples of waveform patterns applicable to the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present embodiment are described hereunder. these waveform patterns indicate modulation variations in the drive current to be supplied to the transducer 2 a of the handpiece 2 . these waveform patterns may be preset or selected for each use. it should be understood that the waveform patterns described hereunder are of ac current, and thus, in the figures, the waveform patterns are created by modulating the amplitude of an ac signal (current signal) having a frequency, for example, of 27 khz, centering on a central line c at which amplitude is 0 (zero). fig. 3 shows an example of a first waveform pattern of a drive current. during one period, i.e. one cycle t, of a frequency, for example, of 1 khz, a period t 1 and a period t 2 are repeated, where the period t 1 represents a 100% output of set amplitude, and the period t 2 represents a 0% output of set amplitude. fig. 4 shows an example of a second waveform pattern, which is rectangle, of a drive current in which a period t 1 of 100% output of set amplitude and a period t 2 of 30% output of set amplitude are repeated. this rectangular waveform includes the output period t 2 , which is low but not zero, and thus has an advantage, from the viewpoint of pll control, that it can be readily created. fig. 5 shows an example of a third waveform pattern, which is sine wave, of a drive current having an output between 100% and 30% of set amplitude. in order to supply the drive currents shown in figs. 3 to 5 to the transducer 2 a of the handpiece 2 , the cpu 22 outputs a voltage data to the d/a converter 28 , the voltage data corresponding to an amplitude waveform pattern of a current value preset by an operator or preset according to the type of the handpiece 2 . the d/a converter 28 supplies a signal corresponding to the value of the received waveform pattern data to the comparator 29 . the comparator 29 then supplies an output signal to the multiplier 30 , according to the difference between the set value of the waveform pattern data and an absolute value of a detected drive current. the multiplier 30 multiplies the output signal with a signal from the dds 26 , by which amplitude-modulated drive currents having waveform patterns as shown in figs. 3 to 5 are created, in which amplitude varies relative to a time base. figs. 6 to 8 show examples of waveform pattern data pd which are outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 to output the respective drive currents shown in figs. 3 to 5 . each of the waveform patterns has continuous multiple pulses of a predetermined duty ratio. in each of the figures, the horizontal axis represents a time base and the vertical axis represents a set value of a drive current, i.e. a set value of a maximum output. the set value of a drive current indicates a ratio to 100% output of current supplied to the handpiece 2 from the main unit 1 . thus, since a waveform pattern is set so that a set value is varied with time, a current signal having specific frequency, for example, of 27 khz is modulated in amplitude so as to be suppressed to the level of set value according to the waveform pattern, and supplied to the transducer 2 a of the handpiece 2 . the cpu 22 and the d/a converter 28 constitute a principal part of modulating means for effecting modulation of a drive current. it should be understood that the duty ratio “t 1 /(t 1 +t 2 )” may be 5% to 100%, preferably, 5% to 50%, and that the period t may be 0.1 to 1 second, preferably, 0.4 to 1 second. these numerical values are based on the experiments carried out by the inventors of the present invention. one example of the results of the experiments is shown in fig. 57 . this figure shows a relation between a duty ratio and temperature. according to this, since temperature increases until the duty ratio is rendered to be 100%, an upper limit of the 100% duty ratio can be used. as can be seen, since saturation starts at around a duty ratio of 50%, even if the duty ratio is increased more than that, i.e. even if the energy given to a treatment device is increased by friction, temperature does not drastically increase. therefore, an upper limit of a particularly preferable duty ratio is about 50%. although no lower limit duty ratio is shown in fig. 57 , this is base on a confirmation that incision was not enabled for a treatment device until a duty ratio was rendered to be about 5%. because each pulse output of such waveform patterns has a high output period t 1 having 100% output of drive current amplitude, the incision capability of the handpiece 2 is not varied. further, because each pulse output has a low output period t 2 having non-100% output of drive current amplitude, the overheating of the treatment device 5 of the handpiece 2 can be suppressed. in particular, generation of frictional heat due to ultrasonic vibration of the probe 9 can be prevented. accordingly, even when the treatment device 5 is brought into touch with living tissue during operation, transformation is unlikely to occur in the living tissue since the temperature of the treatment device 5 is not high. figs. 9 to 20 show other examples of output waveforms of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 , and waveform patterns supplied to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 . fig. 9 shows a fourth waveform pattern, i.e. a current waveform diagram, in which drive current amplitude supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along the shape of a trapezoid. for this waveform pattern, the graded portions in the trapezoids allow the pll control to be well maintained. fig. 10 shows a waveform pattern outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 9 to be outputted. for example, a wave form pattern is outputted so that a current signal having frequency of 27 khz forms a 1 khz-period trapezoidal waveform pattern of current amplitude. therefore, the start-up of a drive current is not abrupt but gradually goes up to a 100% level. fig. 11 shows an example of a fifth waveform pattern, i.e. a current waveform diagram, in which amplitude of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along a trapezoidal shape different from the one shown in figs. 9 and 10 . fig. 12 shows a waveform pattern outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 11 to be outputted. fig. 13 shows an example of a sixth waveform pattern, i.e. a current waveform diagram, in which the amplitude of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along a trapezoidal shape different from the ones shown in figs. 9 to 12 . fig. 14 shows a waveform pattern outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 13 to be outputted. the shapes of the waveforms shown in figs. 13 and 14 each are the combination of a trapezoid and a rectangle. fig. 15 shows an example of a seventh waveform pattern, a current waveform diagram, in which the amplitude of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along a trapezoidal shape different from the ones shown in figs. 9 to 14 . fig. 16 shows a waveform pattern outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 15 to be outputted. the waveforms shown in figs. 15 and 16 are obtained by combining a plurality of different trapezoidal waveforms into one waveform pattern, with one combination of the waveforms as one cycle being repeatedly outputted. fig. 17 shows an example of an eighth waveform pattern, i.e. a current waveform diagram, in which the amplitude of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along a rounded trapezoidal shape based on the trapezoidal shape shown in fig. 9 . fig. 18 shows a waveform patter outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 17 to be outputted. fig. 19 shows an example of a ninth waveform pattern, a current waveform diagram, in which the amplitude of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 varies along a modified sine waveform. for this waveform pattern, pll control can be readily performed, and a low output period t 2 can also be readily ensured. fig. 20 shows a waveform pattern outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 for the drive current shown in fig. 19 to be outputted. as shown in figs. 21 to 23 , after starting treatment, a waveform pattern may be changed between the one in an initial predetermined period ta and the one in a subsequent period tb. figs. 21 to 23 show examples of the waveform patterns in which waveform patterns are changed in mid-course. a waveform pattern is changed in mid-course depending on conditions, such as the contents of treatment carried out by an operator, and the way of using treatment devices. for example, fig. 21 shows a tenth waveform pattern, in which, during a period ta, an initial waveform pattern pa 1 immediately after the foot switch 3 has been depressed presents, in one cycle “t”, a long waveform pattern having a high-output period t 1 of fig. 7 , and after expiry of the period ta, another period tb follows thereto. during the period tb, a combination waveform pattern pa 2 is presented in which the high-output period t 1 of fig. 7 is rendered to be shorter. in short, in the continuous waveform of multiple pulses, a duty ratio is changed in mid-course. fig. 22 shows an eleventh waveform pattern in which, during a period ta, an initial waveform pattern immediately after the foot switch 3 has been depressed presents, in one cycle “t”, a long waveform pattern pa 3 having a high-output period t 1 of fig. 7 . after expiry of the period ta, a period pa 4 follows thereto in which the high-output period t 1 is short and constant and one cycle t is gradually shortened. after expiry of this period, a waveform pattern pa 5 follows in which the high-output period t 1 of fig. 7 is short. specifically, in a period between the period ta and the period tb, there is presented the waveform pattern pa 4 in which one cycle t is gradually shortened. in particular, in a continuous waveform of multiple pulses, the length of one cycle, as well as a duty ratio, is changed in mid-course. in a twelfth waveform pattern shown in fig. 23 , in one cycle t, a waveform pattern pa 6 is presented with a high-output period t 1 being constant during the aforementioned initial period ta. after expiry of this period ta, the high-output period t 1 gradually increases with one cycle t remaining constant. that is to say, a waveform pattern pa 7 is presented in which the period t 2 is gradually reduced. specifically, in the continuous waveform of multiple pulses, the duty ratio is changed in mid-course. the pattern shown in fig. 23 , for example, is preferable in case coagulation treatment is effected at low temperature with the waveform pattern pa 6 of the initial period ta, and incision treatment is thereafter effected by drastically raising temperature with the waveform pattern pa 7 . fig. 24 shows an example of temperature variation at the treatment device 5 of the handpiece 2 . in fig. 24 , temperature variation of a conventional handpiece results in as shown by a curve c 1 in which temperature gradually increases with time. contrarily, for the cases shown in figs. 21 and 22 , temperature increase of a handpiece can be suppressed as shown by a curve c 2 in fig. 24 . for the case shown in fig. 23 , temperature is initially low but can be drastically increased in mid-course as shown by a curve c 3 . the temperature variation of the curve c 3 is preferable, for example, in case living tissue, such as a blood vessel, is initially coagulated at low temperature, and then incised by drastically raising temperature. setting of the various pattern data pd described above have been automatically carried out according to the type of the handpiece 2 determined by the hp determining circuit 21 , however, an operator may often wish to finely control a waveform pattern or to change the setting to another setting value. in such cases, an operator may allow an automatically selected set value to be indicated on the display 18 with a function switch, not shown, of the front panel 11 shown in fig. 1 , and then may change the indicated set value by operating the output increase switch 17 a or the output decrease switch 17 b . the amplitude of a drive current is then controlled so that output is performed along the waveform pattern determined based on the changed set value. in the description provided above, the waveform pattern data has been stored in the rom 22 a connected to the cpu 22 , however, the data may be stored in a rewritable memory, such as a flash memory. it should be understood that, according to the type of the handpiece 2 , modification may be made in the process for changing the maximum amplitude, i.e. 100% output, of a drive current and the frequency of the drive current. for example, an arrangement may be made wherein a waveform pattern data pd of a drive current to be supplied to the handpiece 2 is recorded in advance into a rom incorporated in the handpiece 2 , and the rom data is transferred to the main unit 1 to allow the main unit 1 to control the drive current based on the rom data. moreover, in the waveform pattern examples described above, either amplitude or a duty ratio has been changed, however, as shown in fig. 25 , a waveform pattern may be such that a drive current and amplitude are simultaneously changed (thirteenth waveform pattern). specifically, as shown in fig. 25 , a waveform pattern pa 8 is presented in which the high-output period t 1 is constant at a predetermined first duty ratio in one cycle t, during the initial period ta described above. after expiry of this period ta, a waveform pattern pa 9 follows in which the length of one cycle t is the same as or different from the initial period ta. in the pattern pa 9 , a second duty ratio different from the first duty ratio is imparted, and the level of amplitude during the high-output period t 1 is different from the one in the pattern pa 8 . accordingly, a drive current after time t 2 is different from the drive current before time t 2 in its amplitude and duty ratio. as described above, according to the ultrasonic surgical apparatus of the first embodiment, ultrasonic treatment (incision, coagulation, etc.) can be effected based on a drive current which is controlled in its amplitude so that frictional heat due to the vibration of the probe 9 may not be excessively increased during the treatment. thus, unlike the conventional ultrasonic treatment based on a drive current having constant amplitude, the inventive device is capable of adequately controlling heat required for the treatment. for this reason, such inconvenience can be avoided as the occurrence of undesired incision prior to coagulation due to the transfer of heat to the inside of a portion to be treated. particularly, while ensuring amplitude of a drive current at a required level, a time zone, in which amplitude is to be reduced, is set by an adequate mode. the time zone where the amount of heat to be generated is suppressed, efficiently functions by permitting previously generated heat to be sufficiently diffused to the inside. thus, heat transfer to a treatment device is suppressed to control the timing of incision and coagulation, so that incision can be performed while coagulating the portion to be treated. in particular, incision can be performed substantially in parallel with coagulation. in addition, incision capability based on the required level of amplitude can also be sufficiently ensured. that is, a good balance can be achieved between suppression of heat generation in a treatment device and retaining incision capability. furthermore, according to the present embodiment, incision treatment can be adequately effected according to the type of the handpiece 2 . second embodiment with reference to fig. 26 , a second embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. fig. 26 is a block diagram illustrating an electric circuit configuration of an ultrasonic surgical apparatus, which is a modification of the configuration shown in fig. 2 . in this circuit configuration a rom recorded with waveform pattern data is incorporated into a handpiece 2 . the same components as in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numerals, and description therefor is omitted. in the circuit configuration shown in fig. 26 , a detection circuit 32 a detects a current signal and a voltage signal, and supplies the current signal to an absolute value processing circuit 32 b . the absolute value processing circuit 32 b supplies an absolute value signal of the current signal to the comparator 29 . also, the detection circuit 32 a supplies the current signal and the voltage signal to a rectangular waveform processing circuit 32 c . the rectangular waveform processing circuit 32 c then supplies rectangular waveform signals of the respective current signal and voltage signal to the phase comparator 27 . the handpiece 2 is incorporated with a rom 2 c , and the main unit 1 is provided with a rom data read circuit 41 which is connected to the rom 2 c through the connector cable 15 . the rom data read circuit 41 is connected to the cpu 22 to supply the waveform pattern data pd stored in the rom 2 c thereto. the waveform pattern data pd stored in the rom 2 c are the ones shown in figs. 6-8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 - 23 and 25 . accordingly, the amplitude of a drive current is modulated when the cpu 22 supplies the d/a converter 28 with a set value data according to a waveform pattern data pd. in addition to the treatment devices utilizing ultrasonic waves, other treatment devices may sometimes be used together. in consideration of such cases, a rom incorporated into a treatment device may be made capable of recording thereinto an information data of “no modulation”. it should be understood that, alternatively, an arrangement may be so made that, depending on the contents or the like of surgery, an operator can finely control a waveform pattern determined in advance according to the type of the handpiece 2 . the waveform pattern data pd have been set and recorded in the rom 22 a or 2 c according to respective types of the handpiece 2 . thus, when the handpiece 2 is connected to the main unit 1 , the cpu 22 indicates on the display 18 a minimum value of a drive current and a duty ratio determined according to the type of the handpiece 2 . accordingly, an operator can finely control and change the displayed individual values by operating the switches 17 a and 17 b . then, by inputting a command (not shown) for registering a set value, a waveform pattern can be stored in the ram of the cpu 22 . the display 18 serves as one for indicating and setting a minimum value of a drive current and a duty ratio. for example, for the waveform patterns shown in figs. 6 to 8 , an operator may temporarily permit a preset minimum value ratio in the period t 2 to be indicated on the display 18 by inputting a predetermined command to the cpu 22 . then, the operator may change and finely control the minimum value ratio by operating the switches 17 a , and 17 b . further, an operator may temporarily permit a preset duty ratio to be indicated on the display 18 by inputting a predetermined command to the cpu 22 . then, the operator may change and finely control the duty ratio by operating the switches 17 a and 17 b . the change of a duty ratio involves, for example, a ratio (%) of the period t 1 to one cycle, or a ratio (%) of the period t 2 to one cycle. for a sine waveform pattern as well, an arrangement may be so made that a duty ratio can be changed. for example, as shown in fig. 19 , a duty ratio can be changed by modifying a sine waveform so that the ratio of the high-output period (t 1 ) would not be 50%. the high-output period t 1 is a period in which a maximum value of a current is not less than a predetermined value. in the examples described above, the preset waveform pattern data pd, or finely controlled waveform pattern data pd according to respective types of the handpiece 2 have been supplied to the cpu 22 . alternatively, an arrangement may be so made that an operator can optionally set a waveform pattern data pd depending on the contents or the like of surgery. third embodiment with reference to fig. 27 , a third embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. fig. 27 shows another example of a front panel for an operator to set a waveform pattern data pd. a front panel 11 a shown in fig. 27 is provided with a pair of digital displays 18 a, 18 b, and a pair of switches 17 a, 17 b for increasing and decreasing output, which correspond to the respective digital displays. the switches 17 a, 17 b, respectively, comprise switches 17 aa, 17 ab and switches 17 ba, 17 bb for increasing and decreasing output. the display 18 a is a display for indicating and setting a minimum output value, i.e. a ratio (%) of the minimum output value to a 100% maximum output value. an operator can set a desired minimum value by depressing the switches 17 aa, 17 ab observing a value indicated on the display 18 a. in a similar fashion, the display 18 b is a display for an operator to set a one-cycle duty ratio. an operator can set a desired duty ratio by depressing the switches 17 ba, 17 bb observing a value indicated on the display 18 b. for example, since a maximum value is determined according to the type of the handpiece 2 , an operator may allow the display 18 a to indicate a ratio of “50” (%) as a minimum ratio of current amplitude to a maximum output value. then, the operator may allow the display 18 b to indicate a ratio of “60” (%) as a duty ratio, i.e. a ratio of maximum output to one cycle. when a command (not shown) for registering set value is inputted in this state, the waveform pattern data pd can be stored in the ram of the cpu 22 . in this way, an operator may be able to optionally set a waveform pattern data pd of a drive current of the handpiece 2 , depending on the contents or the like of surgery. fourth embodiment with reference to figs. 28 to 31 , a fourth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an arrangement may be made such that an operator can optionally select a waveform pattern data pd of a drive current of the handpiece 2 depending on the contents or the like of surgery. figs. 28 to 30 illustrate an example in which a waveform pattern is optionally selected. fig. 28 shows an example a front panel in case a waveform pattern is selected. fig. 29 is a flow diagram showing an example of a process flow performed in a cpu of a main unit 1 in selecting a waveform pattern. fig. 30 shows examples of indication on the front panel in selecting a waveform pattern. fig. 31 shows an example of a waveform pattern data (fourteenth waveform pattern data). similar to the front panel 11 shown in fig. 1 , a front panel 11 b comprises a power switch 12 , a display 18 , switches 17 a , 17 b and a handpiece connecting portion 14 . the front panel 11 b further comprises a memory switch 51 serving as a switch for reading out data, and a selection switch 52 for selecting a waveform pattern. a process flow which is performed when an operator selects a waveform pattern is described hereunder with reference to fig. 29 . when the selection switch 51 is depressed by an operator, the cpu 22 executes the process shown in fig. 29 . when the selection switch 51 is depressed initially, a first pattern number is indicated (blinked) (step s 1 ) from among a plurality of waveform patterns recorded on a memory, such as a rom, according to a predetermined sequence. in this case, as shown in fig. 30 , up until the depression of the selection switch 51 , a numeral “100” indicative of 100% output of a drive current is continuously lit on the display 18 (see state 53 in fig. 30 ). then, with the depression of the selection switch 51 , a pattern number “pa 1 ” is blinkingly indicated (see state 54 in fig. 30 ) as the first pattern number. further, a determination is made (step s 2 ) as to whether or not an operator has depressed a memory switch 52 , which means operator's confirmation of entry. if the memory switch 52 is not depressed, a determination is made (step s 3 ) as to whether or not the section switch 51 has been depressed. when the selection switch 51 is depressed, the determination at step s 3 results in yes, and control returns to step s 1 to blinkingly indicate a next pattern number, i.e. “pa 2 ” in this case. when the selection switch 51 is further depressed, step s 2 results in no and step s 3 results in yes, so that control again returns to step s 1 to blinkingly indicate the next pattern number, i.e. “pa 3 ” in this case. in this way, at step s 1 , pattern numbers of the waveform patterns stored in the rom or the like are sequentially indicated (see state 55 in fig. 30 ). if the depression of the memory switch 52 takes place, which means an operator's confirmation of entry of a waveform pattern, step s 2 results in yes. then, a registration process is performed (step s 4 ) for storing the pattern number in a memory, such as a ram. control then proceeds to step s 5 in which the entered pattern number is lit on the display 18 (see state 56 in fig. 30 ). after the entered pattern number is lit for a specific period of time, the contents of the entered waveform pattern data are indicated (step s 6 ). for example, if a selected and entered pattern number corresponds to a waveform pattern shown in fig. 31 , repeating indication as shown by state 57 in fig. 30 is performed on the display 18 . specifically, fig. 31 shows one pattern in which output is gradually increased from 0% to 100% for an initial period of time, the 100% output is maintained for a specific period of time, a 33% output is then maintained for a specific period of time, and a 0% output is then performed. thus, on the display 18 , indication from “100%” to “33%” and then to “0%” is repeated as shown by the state 57 in fig. 30 . as described above, an operator can optionally select a waveform pattern of a drive current of the handpiece 2 depending on the contents or the like of surgery, while the pattern number of a selected waveform pattern is stored in a ram. since the waveform pattern data pd corresponding to the stored pattern number is outputted to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 , the handpiece 2 turns out to be the one which provides good usability for an operator. fifth embodiment with reference to figs. 32 to 34 , a fifth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described below. an arrangement may be made such that an operator can optionally set a waveform pattern of a drive current of a handpiece 2 depending on the contents or the like of surgery. figs. 32 to 34 illustrate an example in which a waveform pattern data is optionally set. fig. 32 shows another example of a front panel used for setting a waveform pattern. fig. 33 is a flow diagram showing an example of the processes performed by a cpu of a main unit 1 in setting a waveform pattern data. fig. 34 shows examples of indication on the front panel in setting a waveform pattern data. similar to the front panel 11 shown in fig. 1 , a front panel 11 c comprises a power switch 12 and a handpiece connecting portion 14 . the front panel 11 c further comprises a display 18 c, a memory switch 61 serving as a switch for designating a registration number, a selection switch 62 for selecting a waveform pattern, increase/decrease switches 63 a , 63 b , 63 c and 63 d , and an entry switch 64 for registration. a process flow for an operator to optionally set a waveform pattern is described with reference to fig. 33 . upon depression of the memory switch 61 by an operator, a cpu 22 executes the processes shown in fig. 33 . when the memory switch 61 is initially depressed, a pattern number is indicated for which a waveform pattern data to be set is registered. at this stage, as shown by a state 71 in fig. 34 , numeral “1” is blinkingly indicated as a first pattern number. the cpu 22 determines (step s 11 ) first as to whether or not the selection switch 62 has been depressed, and then stands by until the selection switch 62 is depressed. with the depression of the selection switch 62 , a next pattern number is blinkingly displayed at step s 12 (see state 72 in fig. 34 ). then, a determination is made (step s 13 ) as to whether or not the entry switch 64 for confirming entry has been depressed. if the entry switch 64 is not depressed, no-determination is made at step s 13 , and control then returns to step s 11 . upon depression of the entry switch 64 , determination at step s 13 results in yes, so that control proceeds to step s 14 to light up a registration pattern number, that is, a pattern number to be registered (see state 73 in fig. 34 ). then, being in a state capable of performing a waveform pattern setting process, the cpu 22 executes setting process (steps s 15 and s 16 ) in which an operator can set a waveform pattern using the switches 63 a , 63 b , 63 c and 63 d and the entry switch 64 . when the cpu 22 is in the setting process of a waveform pattern, an operator can set a waveform pattern in the following procedures. the switch 63 a serves as a button for instructing output decrease, and the switch 63 b serves as a button for instructing output increase. the switch 63 c serves as a button for instructing decrease in output time, and the switch 63 d serves as a button for instructing increase in output time. for example, assuming that a drive current of 100% output is to be outputted initially for 20 ms (millisecond which also applies to the following description), the initial output is rendered to be 100% by using the switch 63 b , and the output time indicated on the display 18 c is changed from 0 ms to 20 ms, for example, by using the switch 63 d . when the entry switch 64 is depressed at this stage, the output of the first 20 ms period is indicated on the display 18 c as an initial waveform pattern shown by an indication 74 a in fig. 34 (see state 74 in fig. 34 ). similarly, by using the switches 63 a , 63 b , 63 c and 63 d , the output and the output time of a second period are set. for example, when a drive current of 70% output with an output time of 30 ms is set, followed by depression of the entry switch 74 , a waveform pattern shown by an indication 75 a in fig. 34 is indicated on the display 18 c (see state 75 in fig. 34 ). further, in the similar manner, the output and the output time of a third period are set using the switches 63 a , 63 b , 63 c and 63 d . for example, when a drive current of 0% output with an output time of 10 ms is set, followed by depression of the entry switch 74 , a waveform pattern as shown by a indication 76 a in fig. 34 is indicated on the display 18 c (see state 76 in fig. 34 ). the setting process is carried out in this way. during the setting process (step s 15 ), a determination is constantly made (step s 16 ) as to whether or not the memory switch 64 has been depressed for confirming the end of pattern setting. if the memory switch 64 has not been depressed, the determination at step s 16 results in no, and control returns to step s 15 . if the entry switch 64 is depressed, the determination at step s 16 results in yes, and control proceeds to step s 17 where the contents of the set waveform pattern are lit up (see state 77 in fig. 34 ). further, a registration process is performed (step s 18 ) for storing the set waveform pattern in a ram. as described above, an operator can optionally set a waveform patter of a drive current of the handpiece 22 depending on the contents or the like of surgery, and the set waveform pattern is stored in a ram. since the stored waveform pattern data pd is outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 , the handpiece 2 turns out to be the one providing good usability for an operator. sixth embodiment with reference to figs. 35 to 37 , a sixth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an arrangement may be so made that an amplitude-modulated current signal is outputted according to a predetermined trigger signal. specifically, an arrangement may be so made that an operator can detect timing for using a handpiece 2 with a predetermined trigger signal, so that a predetermined amplitude-modulated drive signal (current) is outputted. various examples of trigger signals are described hereunder. hereunder is described an example of a temperature sensor that can be implemented in this embodiment. in this example, an output of the temperature sensor serves as such a trigger signal. fig. 35 is a perspective illustration of a treatment device 5 in which an output of the temperature sensor serves as a trigger signal. a probe 9 and a gripper 10 are provided at a tip of the treatment device 5 . the gripper 10 is pivotally linked to a tip of a sheath 4 so as to turn about a pivot pin 81 . by operating an operation handle 8 , the gripper 10 is driven to open/close with respect to the tip of the probe 9 . a temperature sensor 82 , such as a thermo couple, as heat detecting means is provided inside the probe 9 . fig. 36 is a cross section of the tip of the probe 9 circled by a dotted line a in fig. 35 . as shown in fig. 36 , the temperature sensor 82 is adhered to an inner wall surface of a metal cap 83 at the tip, and is adapted to detect temperature of the probe 9 . fig. 37 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit 1 , which is provided with a temperature detection circuit 84 for receiving a signal from the temperature sensor 82 . in the figure, the components having the same configurations as those in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numbers, and description therefor is omitted. the only difference from the configuration shown in fig. 2 is that, in the present embodiment, the temperature detection circuit 84 is provided to the main unit 1 , and that temperature data detected by the temperature detection circuit 84 is arranged to be supplied to the cpu 22 . further difference is that the cpu 22 is adapted to compare data of trigger temperature stored in advance in a rom 22 a or the like with the temperature data of the probe 9 detected by the temperature detection circuit 84 . in case the temperature of the probe 9 becomes equal to or more that of the trigger temperature, the cpu 22 outputs a waveform pattern data pd, for starting output of an amplitude-modulated drive current described above. with this configuration, the cpu 22 supplies a drive current of 100% output when a pedal of the foot switch 3 is stopped on. when the temperature of the probe 9 thereafter becomes equal to or more than a predetermined temperature, i.e. the trigger temperature, of 180 degrees in centigrade, for example, the cpu 22 outputs the waveform pattern data pd as described above to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated current signal is supplied to the handpiece 2 . accordingly, a drive current of 100% output comes to be supplied until the temperature of the treatment device 5 of the handpiece 2 becomes equal to or more than a predetermined temperature. modification of the sixth embodiment a modification is described with reference to figs. 58 to 60 . the above sixth embodiment can be implemented by making a modification thereto as follows. in the sixth embodiment, heat generation caused at a treatment device by the frictional heat resulting from ultrasonic vibration of the probe 9 , has been controlled based on an ideal temperature curve. alternatively, instead of setting this ideal temperature curve, an upper limit of generated heat temperature may be set as a target value, and then a duty ratio or amplitude of a waveform pattern data pd may be controlled so that generated heat temperature follows the target value. this amplitude corresponds to the amplitude of voltage inputted to the d/a converter 28 . one example of this control is described in detail hereunder with reference to figs. 58 to 60 . as shown in fig. 58 , the temperature of a treatment device is gradually increased with time so as to achieve saturation at a specific temperature tu, e.g. at 150 degrees in centigrade. specifically, the upper limit tu in the temperature curve is set as a target temperature for control, and actual temperature of the treatment device, which increases with the friction of the probe 9 , is controlled so as to follow the target temperature, i.e. the upper limit (e.g. 150 degrees in centigrade). this control is performed by permitting the cpu 22 shown in fig. 37 to change a duty ratio of a waveform pattern data pd (see fig. 60 ) which corresponds to the voltage inputted to the d/a converter 28 . more specifically, the cpu 22 stands by while determining as to whether or not the foot switch 3 is on (step s 31 ). when the foot switch 3 is determined to be on (time t 10 in fig. 60 ), commands to issue a waveform pattern data pd of 100% duty ratio (step s 32 ). thereafter, the cpu 22 monitors a detection signal of the temperature detection circuit 84 to determine whether or not the actual treatment temperature has reached a set temperature tset (i.e. target temperature of 150 degrees in centigrade, for example) (step s 33 ). as a result of this determination, the waveform pattern data pd of 100% duty ratio (i.e., duty ratio=100%) is maintained until the treatment temperature reaches the set temperature (no at step s 33 ). on the other hand, when the treatment temperature becomes equal to the set temperature tset (yes at step s 33 , and time t 11 in fig. 60 ), a command is given to decrease the duty ratio at a predetermined rate for a specific period tα (e.g., for several seconds) (step s 34 ). as a result, as shown in fig. 60 , the duty ratio of the waveform pattern data pd is gradually decreased with time from the previous 100% output. then, the cpu 22 again monitors a detection signal from the temperature detection circuit 84 to compare actual treatment temperature with a set temperature (target temperature) (steps s 35 and s 36 ). in particular, the cpu 22 determines whether the treatment temperature is larger than the set temperature (step s 36 a), whether the treatment temperature is less than the set temperature (step s 36 b), and whether the temperature is equal to the set temperature (step s 36 c). depending on the result of this determination, a command is issued to change or maintain a duty ratio (step s 37 ). particularly, when the treatment temperature is larger than the set temperature, the cpu 22 sets a duty ratio which decreases at a specific rate for the specific period tα (step s 37 a). when the treatment temperature is less than the set temperature, the cpu 22 sets a duty ratio which increases at a specific rate for the specific period tα (step s 37 b). when the treatment temperature is equal to the set temperature, the cpu 22 sets a duty ratio which maintains the ratio at the time for the specific period tα (step s 37 c). the thus set duty ratio is outputted (step s 38 ). the cpu 22 thereafter repeats the processes of steps s 35 to s 38 described above until a determination to turn off the foot switch 3 is made (step s 39 ). thus, a duty ratio of a waveform pattern pd is changed as shown in fig. 60 , for example. specifically, from the time t 11 when the treatment temperature has become equal to the set temperature, the duty ratio is decreased for the specific period tα. then, at the expiry of every specific period tα from the time t 11 , the treatment temperature is checked, and according to the result of the check, a command is issued (at time t 12 , t 13 , etc.) to maintain, increase or decrease the duty ratio. as a result, from when the foot switch 3 is stepped on, treatment temperature is promptly raised up to a set temperature (target temperature of 150 degrees in centigrade in this case) at a duty ratio of 100%, as shown in fig. 58 . at the time (time t 11 ) when treatment temperature has reached a set temperature, control proceeds to the change of the duty ratio as described above. thus, the duty ratio is controlled so that treatment temperature is approximately maintained at a set temperature. in this way, temperature of a treatment device can be maintained at a desired value with the relatively simple control, i.e. to start control of a duty ratio when the temperature of the treatment device has reached a set temperature. this simple duty ratio control owes to a unique principle of an ultrasonic surgical apparatus, i.e. to perform incision and coagulation by using the frictional heat of the probe 9 . this device is different from a surgical instrument, such as an electric cautery, in which treatment temperature drastically increases. in case of an ultrasonic surgical apparatus, its simplicity in duty ratio control owes to the smallness of a time constant of temperature transfer, and the readiness that a duty ratio, whether it is small or large, can be reflected, as it is, to treatment temperature. such control of a duty ratio allows treatment temperature to be maintained around a set temperature. it should be understood that the temperature curve in fig. 58 shows an ideal state, and thus practically, treatment temperature fluctuates within a predetermined tolerable width centered on a set temperature, due to the duty ratio control described above. it should also be understood that in the treatment temperature control described above, temperature can be set at any value, and that an appropriate value within a range, for example, of 100 to 150 degrees in centigrade may be set to attain sufficient coagulation. as described above, as an alternative to a duty ratio of a waveform pattern data pd, its amplitude (voltage) may be controlled. in particular, by changing amplitude (v h , v l ) shown in fig. 60 according to actual treatment temperature, the temperature of a treatment device caused by friction can be controlled. additionally, the timing for transferring control to the change of duty ratio or amplitude, should not necessarily coincide with the time when treatment temperature becomes equal to a set temperature. for example, the transfer of control to the change of duty ratio or amplitude may be performed at the time when a formula expressed by “treatment temperature=set temperature−predetermined value β” is satisfied. this predetermined value β is provided in view of the time constant of heat transfer of a treatment device described above. by this value β, the transfer of control to the change of duty ratio or amplitude can be performed a little earlier, so that overshooting of treatment temperature with respect to a set temperature can be surely suppressed. this predetermined value β, for example, may be only a few degrees in centigrade. instead of controlling a duty ratio or amplitude at the time when treatment temperature has become equal to a set temperature as described above, the ideal temperature profile shown in fig. 58 may be stored in a memory in advance to control a duty ratio or amplitude along this temperature profile at the time when the foot switch 3 has been stepped on. this may allow control of treatment temperature with high accuracy. seventh embodiment with reference to figs. 38 and 39 , a seventh embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described hereunder. a temperature sensor 82 may be provided in a gripper 10 rather than in a probe 9 . fig. 38 is a perspective illustration of a treatment device 5 incorporating the temperature sensor 82 . fig. 39 is a cross section of a tip of the probe 9 shown in fig. 38 . in this case as well, the temperature sensor 82 can detect the temperature of the treatment device 5 . accordingly, an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to a handpiece 2 through the same circuit as shown in fig. 37 when the temperature of the treatment device 5 becomes not lower than a predetermined trigger temperature. in the example provided above, a drive current of constant amplitude has been outputted until a trigger signal is generated, and upon generation of a trigger signal, a predetermined amplitude-modulated drive current has been outputted. alternatively, a first amplitude-modulated drive current may be outputted until a trigger signal is generated, and upon generation of a trigger signal, a second amplitude-modulated drive current, which is different from the first amplitude-modulated drive current, may be outputted. eighth embodiment with reference to fig. 40 , an eighth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. a time-out signal may be used as a predetermined trigger signal. fig. 40 shows variation of a waveform pattern (fifteenth waveform pattern) in case a time-out signal serves as a trigger signal. for example, as shown in fig. 40 , after a foot switch 3 has been stepped on at time t 1 , a digital signal corresponding to a drive current of 100% output is transmitted to a d/a converter 28 from a cpu 22 , so that the drive current of 100% output can be supplied to a handpiece 2 . after expiry of a set period ta 1 , a time-out signal is outputted from a timer at time t 2 . in a period tb 1 following the output of the time-out signal, a waveform pattern data pd is outputted to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 , so that a set amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . in this case, a drive current which changes with 100% amplitude and 30% amplitude is supplied. is should be understood that the period ta 1 , i.e. a period from time t 1 to t 2 , may be set according to a value of a drive current which is outputted when the foot switch 3 is stepped on. in the case shown in fig. 40 , if a drive current after switching-on of the foot switch 3 at time t 1 is of 70% output, the period ta 1 is set longer than the case of 100% output. ninth embodiment with reference to figs. 41 and 42 , a ninth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the invention is described. fig. 41 shows an example of variation of a waveform pattern (sixteenth waveform pattern) in which a time-out signal serves as a trigger signal. as shown in fig. 41 , an arrangement may be made such that, during a set period ta 11 , a specific data corresponding to a drive current of 70% output is outputted to a d/a converter 28 from a cpu 22 , so that a drive current of 70% output, for example, not 100%, is supplied, and that, during a period tb 11 following the output of the time-out signal, a waveform pattern data pd is outputted from the cpu 22 to the d/a converter 28 , so that a set amplitude-modulated drive current can be supplied to a handpiece 2 . fig. 42 is a flow diagram showing an example of a process flow of the cpu 22 , which is performed so that a drive current, whose amplitude has been modulated according to a trigger signal, is supplied to the handpiece 2 . the processes shown in fig. 42 are executed when a pedal of the foot switch 3 is stepped on. when a pedal of the foot switch 3 is stepped on, a timer for counting the predetermined period ta 1 (or ta 11 ) is turned on, or started up (step s 21 ). this timer may be a software timer counted by the cpu 22 , or a hardware timer. subsequently, a specific drive current, e.g., a digital data corresponding to the 100% drive current in fig. 39 or the 70% drive current in fig. 41 , is outputted (step s 22 ) to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 . a determination is the made (step s 23 ) as to whether or not the time set at the timer has run out. if not, control returns to step s 22 . if the time has run out, the determination at step s 23 results in yes. the cpu 22 then outputs (step s 24 ) a waveform pattern data pd corresponding to a set amplitude-modulated drive current to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 . as shown in figs. 40 and 41 , with the above arrangement, it is possible use a time-out signal as a predetermined trigger signal. tenth embodiment with reference to figs. 43 to 45 , a tenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an output signal of an output switch provided at a handpiece 2 may be utilized as a predetermined trigger signal. fig. 43 is a perspective illustration of the hand piece 2 in which an output switch is provided at one piece of an operation handle 8 . when the operation handle 8 is gripped for closing, the one piece of handle comes close to the other piece of handle. an output switch 91 is provided at a face of the one piece of the operation handle 8 , which is to be in contact with the other piece. when an operator operates the operation handle 8 for closing so that the output switch 91 is turned on, an output signal of the output switch 91 is supplied to the cpu 22 as a trigger signal. fig. 44 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit 1 provided with a switch detection circuit 92 for receiving a signal from the output switch 91 . fig. 45 shows its effects. in fig. 44 , the same components as in the configuration shown in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numerals, and description therefor is omitted. a difference from the configuration shown in fig. 2 is that, in the present embodiment, the switch detection circuit 92 is provided in the main unit 1 , so that an on-signal indicative of the switching on of the output switch 91 detected by the switch detection circuit 92 , is supplied to the cpu 22 . another difference is that, in the present embodiment, upon reception of the on-signal, the cpu 22 effects amplitude modulation described above to a drive current. in this arrangement, when a pedal of the foot switch 3 is stepped on at time t 21 , the cpu 22 outputs a 50% drive current, for example, for an initial period after time t 21 . thereafter, when the output switch 91 is turned on at time t 22 , the cpu 22 outputs the above waveform pattern to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive signal may be supplied to the handpiece 2 . accordingly, an amplitude-modulated drive current is outputted to the handpiece 2 only when an operator uses the handpiece 2 to hold living tissue. eleventh embodiment with reference to figs. 46 and 47 , an eleventh embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an output signal of an angle sensor provided at a handpiece 2 may be used as a predetermined trigger signal. fig. 46 is a perspective illustration of the handpiece 2 provided with an angle sensor 93 at the operation handle 8 . the angle sensor 93 is constituted of a plurality of light receiving elements and a light emitting element. the plurality of linearly arranged light receiving elements are provided at one piece of the scissors-shaped operation handle 8 , and the light emitting element is provided at the other piece. when the two pieces of the handle are gripped and operated so as to be close to each other, the one piece of the handle pivotally moves about a pivotal center while the other piece remains stationary. thus, among the plurality of light receiving elements, those which currently receive light from the light emitting element are successively switched to others because an incidence angle of the light emitted from the light emitting element changes with the pivotal movement of the one piece of the handle. in this way, the light receiving elements, which currently receive light, are allowed to successively change according to an angle made by the two pieces of the operation handle 8 operated by an operator, or according to the amount of closing movement of the two pieces. accordingly, an angle detection circuit 94 is enabled to detect the angle made by the two pieces based on a detection signal from the plurality of light receiving elements. fig. 47 is a block diagram of a circuit configuration of a main unit 1 provided with the angle detection circuit 94 for receiving a signal from the angle sensor 93 . the same components as in the configuration shown in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numerals, and description therefor is omitted. a difference from the configuration shown in fig. 2 is that, in the present embodiment, the angle detection circuit 94 is provided to the main unit 1 , so that a detection signal detected by the angle sensor 93 is transmitted to the cpu 22 as an angle signal. another difference is that, in the present embodiment, upon reception of the angle signal, the cpu 22 compares the angle signal with a preset angle, and if the angle signal is equal to or less than the preset angle, effects amplitude modulation described above to a drive current serving as a drive signal. in this arrangement, the timing when an angle made between the two pieces of the operation handle 8 becomes equal to or less than a preset angle, serves as a trigger signal. with this trigger signal, the cpu 22 outputs the waveform pattern data pd as described above to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . in the above description, an example has been given in which linearly arranged light receiving elements are used. alternatively, a single light receiving element may be given at a predetermined angle position to notify the cpu 22 of a presence of an output. thus, an amplitude-modulated drive current comes to be outputted to the handpiece 2 only when an operator uses the handpiece 2 to hold living tissue. twelfth embodiment with reference to figs. 48 and 49 , a twelfth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an output signal of a power sensor provided in a handpiece 2 may be utilized as a predetermined trigger signal. fig. 48 is a perspective illustration of the handpiece 2 in which a physical power sensor 95 is provided at an operation handle 8 . the physical power sensor 95 is a pressure sensor, for example. the physical power sensor 95 is provided at one of two pieces of the scissors-shaped operation handle 8 . when the two pieces of the handle is gripped and operated so that they come close to each other, the one piece of the handle pivotally moves about a pivotal center while the other piece remains stationary, so that the other piece of the handle comes into contact with the physical power sensor 95 . after the contact, when the operator operates the operation handle 8 with stronger physical power, the physical power sensor 95 outputs a signal corresponding to the physical power given by the operator to a physical power detection circuit 96 . thus, the physical power detection circuit 96 is enabled to detect the physical power. fig. 49 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit 1 provided with the physical power detection circuit 96 for receiving a signal from the physical power sensor 95 . the same components as the configuration shown in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numerals, and description therefor is omitted. a difference from the configuration shown in fig. 2 is that the present embodiment is provided with the physical power detection circuit 96 in the main unit 1 , which receives a detection signal detected by the physical power sensor 95 to transmit a physical power signal, e.g. a pressure signal, to the cpu 22 . another difference is that, upon reception of the physical power signal, the cpu 22 compares the physical power signal with a preset value, and when the physical power signal becomes equal to or more than the preset value, amplitude modulation described above is effected to a drive current (drive signal). in this arrangement, the timing when the operation handle 8 is operated by an operator to a physical power equal to or more than a predetermined value, serves as a trigger signal. with this trigger signal, the cpu outputs the waveform pattern data pd described above to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . as a result, an amplitude-modulated drive current is outputted to the handpiece 2 only when an operator uses the handpiece 2 to hold living tissue with a predetermined physical power. thirteenth embodiment with reference to fig. 50 , a thirteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. impedance of a handpiece 2 may be used as a predetermined trigger signal. in incision treatment, for example, a living tissue portion is held between a probe 9 and a gripper 10 . since impedance of the handpiece 2 changes by holding living tissue, the change of the impedance can be used as a trigger signal. fig. 50 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main unit 1 which utilizes impedance as a trigger signal. the same components as in the configuration shown in fig. 2 are referred to by the same reference numerals, and description therefor is omitted. a difference from the configuration shown in fig. 2 is that the present embodiment is so configured that the detection circuit 32 is provided with an impedance detection function so that a detected impedance signal is supplied to the cpu 22 . another difference is that, in the present embodiment, upon reception of a detected impedance signal, the cpu 22 compares the impedance signal with a preset value, and when the impedance signal becomes equal to or more than the preset value, effects amplitude modification described above to an outputted drive current. in this arrangement, the timing when the operation handle 8 is operated by an operator for a predetermined operation that changes impedance, serves as a trigger signal. with this trigger signal, i.e. with the change of impedance, the cpu 22 outputs the waveform pattern data pd described above to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . fourteenth embodiment with reference to fig. 51 to 53 , a fourteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an arrangement may be so made that a preset value of a drive current, i.e. a duty ratio, is changed according to detected impedance. fig. 51 is a graph showing the change of a duty ratio relative to the change of impedance. as can be seen from fig. 51 , no amplitude modulation is effected until impedance reaches a preset value z 1 . however, when impedance becomes equal to or more than the preset value z 1 , the impedance is permitted to be associated with a duty ratio, so that a duty ratio in amplitude modification, i.e. t 1 /t or t 1 /t 2 in this case, is increased as impedance increases. the association of impedance with a duty ratio may be stored in advance in a rom or the like as a table data for the cpu 22 to refer to the table data, or may be obtained through an operation of the cpu 22 based on a predetermined formula. based on detected impedance, the cpu 22 reads out or calculates a duty ratio with reference to the relation between impedance and a duty ratio shown in fig. 51 . the cpu 22 then outputs a waveform pattern data pd corresponding to an obtained duty ratio to the d/a converter 28 . fig. 52 shows an example of a waveform pattern (eighteenth waveform pattern) outputted from the cpu 22 . when the foot witch 3 is depressed at time t 31 , a data of a preset specific output (in this case 30%, not 100%) is outputted to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 . then, when impedance becomes equal to or more than the preset value z 1 at time t 32 , the cpu 22 outputs a waveform pattern data pd of a duty ratio that has been set according to fig. 51 to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 . during a period ta 21 , i.e. from time t 31 to time t 32 , a specific data without amplitude modulation is outputted. during a period tb 21 , i.e. after time t 32 , a waveform pattern data pd of a duty ratio corresponding to detected impedance is outputted to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 based on the data shown in fig. 51 . as a modification, amplitude modulation may be carried out as shown in fig. 53 . fig. 53 shows an example of a waveform pattern data pd (nineteenth waveform pattern data) outputted from the cpu 22 . when the foot switch 3 is depressed at time t 31 , a data of a preset specific output (in this case 50%, not 100%) is outputted to the d/a converter 28 from the cpu 22 . then, when impedance becomes equal to or more than the preset value z 1 at time t 32 , the cpu 22 outputs a waveform pattern data pd to the d/a converter 28 . in this regard, the waveform pattern data pd is the one that has been modified by an amplitude increase of δi of a drive current according to detected impedance, with a duty ratio being kept as predetermined. in fig. 53 , the vertical axis of fig. 51 is reflected as an increase δi. in this way, an amplitude-modulated drive current is outputted to the handpiece 2 only when the handpiece 2 is used by an operator to hold living tissue. as described above, the cpu 22 outputs a waveform pattern data to the d/a converter 28 , so that an amplitude-modulated drive current is supplied to the handpiece 2 only when an operator uses the handpiece 2 for incision treatment or the like. in the examples provided above, impedance, an output switch, an angle, physical power and the like have been introduced as a trigger signal, however, other alternatives may be used as a trigger signal. fifteenth embodiment with reference to fig. 54 , a fifteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. an rf-id tag may be stuck onto a handpiece 2 with information on the handpiece 2 being recorded on the rf-id tag. in this case, an arrangement may be so made that an operator and/or nurses can recognize that a handpiece 2 carries an rf-id tag when the handpiece 2 is placed in a tray or the like. for this purpose, as shown in fig. 54 , an rf-id tag 62 may be provided at a certain position on a surface of the handpiece 2 , so that an operator and/or nurses can see the tag when they see the handpiece 2 placed in a tray 61 . if an operator and/or nurses can recognize that the handpiece 2 is provided with the rf-id tag 62 , they can bring the rf-id tag 62 close to a reader to transmit information stored therein, such as a waveform pattern data, to the cpu 22 in the main unit 1 , so that the main unit 1 can output a waveform pattern data suitable for the handpiece 2 . in order for an operator and/or nurses to recognize that the handpiece 2 carries the rf-id tag 62 , an arrangement may be so made that the fr-id tag 62 is provided at a position that can be seen when the handpiece 2 is placed in the tray 61 with whichever side thereof being turned up. for example, as shown by a dotted line in fig. 54 , the rf-id tag 62 may be provided not only on one side of a case 7 but also on the other side of the case 7 so as to be recognized when placed in a tray or the like with whichever side being turned up. similar to the foregoing embodiments, according to the fifteenth embodiment, use of the waveform pattern data of a drive current as described above may realize an ultrasonic surgical apparatus which does not allow deterioration of incision capability, while suppressing heat generation of a treatment device. sixteenth embodiment with reference to figs. 55a, 55b and 56 a- 56 d, a sixteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is described. in order to suppress heat generation of a treatment device, the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the sixteenth embodiment utilizes frequency modulation for the modulation of a drive current. an electric circuit configuration of the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention is substantially the same as the electric circuit configuration shown in fig. 2 . however, as shown by a dash-dot-dot line in fig. 2 , there is provided a signal line for outputting a control signal to the phase comparator 27 from the cpu 22 , or a signal line for outputting a control signal to the dds 26 from the cpu 22 . further, a voltage limiter is provided for the function of constant-current supply in the ultrasonic surgical apparatus. in other words, the ultrasonic surgical apparatus is adapted not to apply any voltage equal to or more than a preset value onto the handpiece 2 . figs. 55a and 55b show characteristics of impedance and phase difference, respectively, centered on a resonance frequency fr of an ultrasonic transducer 2 a . as shown in fig. 55a , the impedance z becomes the smallest at the resonance frequency fr where the phase difference between voltage and current is zero, thereby achieving good energy efficiency. thus, in the first embodiment described above, the resonance frequency fr is detected, and a frequency “f” of a supplied drive current is locked on the resonance frequency, as shown in figs. 55a and 55b . as shown in fig. 55b , at the resonance frequency fr, a phase difference δθ between voltage and current is zero. figs. 56a to 56 d each show a waveform diagram for explaining the processes performed by the cpu 22 in the present embodiment. after detecting the resonance frequency fr, the cpu 22 changes the frequency f of a drive current to be supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 2 a centering on the resonance frequency fr. in the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 56a , the cpu 22 either supplies a phase offset amount to the phase comparator 27 , or supplies a frequency offset amount to the dds 26 , so that the frequency f of a drive current supplied to the handpiece 2 repeats periodical increase and decrease centering on the frequency fr. the phase comparator 27 supplies, in the first place, an up signal or a down signal to the u/d counter 25 so that a phase difference turns to zero, while the cpu 22 changes a value of the up signal or the down signal to be supplied, so that the frequency of a drive current is offset as described above. further, the dds 26 outputs a frequency signal based on a value set in the u/d counter 25 , while the cpu 22 changes the value set in the u/d counter 25 so that the frequency of a drive current is offset as described above. in particular, the cpu 22 is capable of controlling the frequency of a drive current to periodically repeat increase and decrease centering on the center frequency fr. in this way, in the impedance and phase characteristics shown in figs. 55a and 55b , the cpu 22 controls the phase comparator 27 or the dds 26 so that the frequency f is periodically offset from the resonance frequency fr. the transducer 2 a vibrates with the best energy efficiency when a drive current having the resonance frequency fr is supplied to the handpiece 2 . however, when the handpiece 2 is supplied with a drive current whose frequency f varies with respect to the center frequency, repeating increase and decrease as shown in fig. 56a , the transducer 2 a vibrates with bad energy efficiency, i.e. with varying energy efficiency. as shown in fig. 56a , the cpu 22 supplies a control signal to the phase comparator 27 or the dds 26 , so that a jagged drive current having an offset frequency f with respect to the center frequency fr is supplied to the handpiece 2 . as shown in fig. 56b , the impedance z of the handpiece 2 varies as the frequency f varies. the impedance z is the smallest at the resonance frequency fr. as shown in fig. 56c , an effective value of output voltage (vrms) is prevented from being equal to or more than a limiting value vl by the voltage limiter. as shown in fig. 56d , since the impedance z increases with limited output voltage, the effective value of a drive current (irms) decreases lower than a constant current ci according to the impedance z. thus, according to the sixteenth embodiment, the frequency f can be periodically varied within a range including the resonance frequency fr. in this way, an ultrasonic surgical apparatus which does not reduce the incision capability but suppresses heat generation of a treatment device can be achieved. it should be understood that, in the sixteenth embodiment as well, an arrangement may be so made that frequency modulation is performed in response to a preset trigger signal as described in the foregoing embodiments. for example, frequency of a drive current may be changed by using a trigger signal, such as an output from a temperature sensor and a time-out signal from a timer as described referring to figs. 34 to 53 . it should also be understood that frequency modulation may be performed in accordance with the type of a handpiece. various embodiments and modifications have been described with respect to the ultrasonic surgical apparatus and the method for driving the ultrasonic surgical apparatus according to the present invention. such devices and methods according the present invention are not necessarily limited to the ones described herein, but may include those which can be implemented with further modification without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
013-332-557-483-023	US	[ "US" ]	D06F34/28,D06F39/12,G06F3/01	2016-04-25T00:00:00	2016	[ "D06", "G06" ]	washing machine appliance and backsplash assembly	a washing machine is provided that may include a cabinet, a basket, and a backsplash. the cabinet may define an opening and include a backsplash bracket having a predefined footprint. the backsplash bracket may include one or more support decks, each having a planar top surface and a bottom surface. the backsplash bracket may define a first aperture extending through one support deck between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface. the backsplash bracket may also define a second aperture extending through a support deck between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface. the basket may be mounted within the cabinet and define a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed. the backsplash may be positioned over the predefined footprint and include a first and second engagement hook.	1 . a washing machine defining a lateral direction, a transverse direction, and a vertical direction that are mutually orthogonal, the washing machine comprising: a cabinet defining an opening and including a backsplash bracket having a predefined footprint, the backsplash bracket including a first support deck and a second support deck, the first support deck having a planar top surface, the second planar deck also having a planar top surface, the planar top surface of the second planar deck positioned beneath the planar top surface of the first support deck along the vertical direction; a basket mounted within the cabinet, the basket defining a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed; and a backsplash positioned over the predefined footprint, the backsplash including a first engagement hook disposed on the first support deck and a second engagement hook disposed on the second planar deck such that the first and second engagement hooks mount the backsplash to the backsplash bracket. 2 . the washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the first support deck defines a first aperture extending in the vertical direction through the first support deck, wherein the second support deck defines a second aperture extending in the vertical direction through the second planar deck, wherein the first engagement hook includes a prong extending through the first aperture and across a portion of a bottom surface of the first support deck, and wherein the second engagement hook includes a prong extending through the second aperture and across a portion of a bottom surface of the second support deck. 3 . the washing machine of claim 2 , wherein the prong of the first engagement hook includes a side tab extending along the lateral direction across the bottom surface of the first support deck. 4 . the washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the first aperture includes a plurality of discrete first apertures spaced apart from one another along the lateral direction, and wherein the first engagement hook includes a plurality of first engagement hooks, each engagement hook of the plurality of first engagement hooks being matched to a respective one of the plurality of discrete first apertures. 5 . the washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the side tab defines a hook width in the lateral direction, and wherein the first aperture defines a rear aperture width and a front aperture width, the rear aperture width being greater than the hook width and the front aperture width being less than the hook width. 6 . the washing machine of claim 2 , wherein the prong of the second engagement hook includes a forward tab extending along the transverse direction across the bottom surface of the second support deck. 7 . the washing machine of claim 6 , wherein the second aperture includes a plurality of discrete second apertures spaced apart from one another along the lateral direction, and wherein the second engagement hook includes a plurality of second engagement hooks, each engagement hook of the plurality of second engagement hooks being matched to a respective one of the plurality of discrete second apertures. 8 . the washing machine of claim 6 , wherein the forward tab defines a tab length in the transverse direction, and wherein the second aperture defines an aperture length greater than the tab length. 9 . the washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the backsplash includes a perimeter rim complementary to the predefined footprint of the backsplash bracket, and wherein the cabinet includes an elevated lip positioned adjacent the backsplash bracket and extending from at least one of the first support deck or the second support deck, an outer surface of backsplash at the perimeter rim being flush with an outer surface of the cabinet at the elevated lip. 10 . the washing machine of claim 9 , wherein the perimeter rim includes a pair of perimeter edges formed on opposite lateral ends of the backsplash, wherein each perimeter edge extends along the transverse direction in slidable engagement with the second planar top surface of the second support deck. 11 . the washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the backsplash includes an input selector to control operation of the appliance. 12 . the washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the second support deck includes a left support portion and a right support portion, wherein the first support bracket extends in the lateral direction between the left support portion and the right support portion. 13 . the washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the cabinet includes a plurality of sidewalls supporting a top cover, wherein the opening is defined through the top cover, and wherein the backsplash bracket is integrally formed on the top cover at a rear portion of the top cover. 14 . a washing machine defining a lateral direction, a transverse direction, and a vertical direction that are mutually orthogonal, the washing machine comprising: a cabinet defining an opening and including a backsplash bracket having a predefined footprint, the backsplash bracket including one or more support decks, each support deck having a planar top surface and a bottom surface, the backsplash bracket defining a first aperture extending through one of the one or more support decks between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface, and a second aperture extending through one of the one or more support decks between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface; a basket mounted within the cabinet, the basket defining a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed; and a backsplash positioned over the predefined footprint, the backsplash including a first engagement hook and a second engagement hook, the first engagement hook being disposed in slidable engagement across the corresponding bottom surface of the first aperture, and the second engagement hook being disposed in slidable engagement across the corresponding bottom surface of the second aperture such that the first and second engagement hooks mount the backsplash to the backsplash bracket. 15 . the washing machine of claim 14 , wherein the first engagement hook includes a prong extending through the first aperture, the prong including a side tab extending along the lateral direction across the corresponding bottom surface of the first aperture. 16 . the washing machine of claim 15 , wherein the first aperture includes a plurality of discrete first apertures spaced apart from one another along the lateral direction, and wherein the first engagement hook includes a plurality of first engagement hooks, each engagement hook of the plurality of first engagement hooks being matched to a respective one of the plurality of discrete first apertures. 17 . the washing machine of claim 15 , wherein the side tab defines a hook width in the lateral direction, and wherein the first aperture defines a rear aperture width and a front aperture width, the rear aperture width being greater than the hook width and the front aperture width being less than the hook width. 18 . the washing machine of claim 14 , wherein the second engagement hook includes a prong extending through the second aperture, the prong including a forward tab extending along the transverse direction across the corresponding bottom surface of the first aperture. 19 . the washing machine of claim 18 , wherein the second aperture includes a plurality of discrete second apertures separated apart from one another along the transverse direction, and wherein the second engagement hook includes a plurality of second engagement hooks, each engagement hook of the plurality of second engagement hooks being matched to a respective one of the plurality of discrete second apertures. 20 . the washing machine of claim 18 , wherein the forward tab defines a tab length in the transverse direction, and wherein the second aperture defines an aperture length greater than the tab length of the second engagement hook.	field of the invention the present subject matter relates generally to washing machine appliances, and more particularly to backsplash assemblies for washing machine appliances. background of the invention washing machine appliances generally include a cabinet having a tub for containing wash fluid, e.g., water and detergent, bleach, and/or other fluid additives. a basket is rotatably mounted within the tub and defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing. during operation of such washing machine appliances, wash fluid is directed into the tub and onto articles within the wash chamber of the basket. the basket and/or an agitation element can rotate at various speeds to, e.g., agitate articles within the wash chamber, wring wash fluid from articles within the wash chamber, etc. a backsplash assembly is often provided to support one or more components of a user interface. for instance, a display and/or one or more input selectors may be provided on the backsplash. such components may display information about the appliance or allow certain operations or wash cycles to be selected by a user. often, backsplash assemblies are permanently fixed to the cabinet during manufacture of the appliance. however, routine maintenance or repair may require removing the backsplash and/or user interface. significant amounts of time and energy may be required to perform any repairs or maintenance operations. although some existing systems provide removable backsplash and/user interface assemblies, a user will often be required to access a back portion of the appliance in order to remove the backsplash and/or user interface assemblies. this can become especially difficult if the appliance is installed against a wall, or is otherwise positioned such that a rear portion of the appliance is blocked. as a result, even routine maintenance operations may become difficult. moreover, assembly of existing systems requires high degrees of precision. structural integrity and consumer preferences generally demand that any gaps between assembled components be virtually nonexistent or unnoticeable. these attributes are difficult to achieve, however, when the backsplash assembly is formed as a separate component. even mild warping of metal or plastic components can result in an undesirable assembled appearance. accordingly, an appliance having an improved backsplash assembly would be beneficial. more particularly, an appliance having a backsplash assembly that is easily assembled and removable from a front portion of the appliance would be especially useful. brief description of the invention aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. in one aspect of the present disclosure a washing machine is provided that defines a lateral direction, a transverse direction, and a vertical direction that are mutually orthogonal. the washing machine may include a cabinet, a basket, and a backsplash. the cabinet may define an opening and include a backsplash bracket. the backsplash bracket may have a predefined footprint. the backsplash bracket may include a first support deck and a second support deck. the first support deck may have a planar top surface. the second planar deck may have a planar top surface that is positioned beneath the planar top surface of the first support deck along the vertical direction. the basket may be mounted within the cabinet and define a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed. the backsplash may be positioned over the predefined footprint. the backsplash may include a first engagement hook disposed on the first support deck and a second engagement hook disposed on the second planar deck such that the first and second engagement hooks mount the backsplash to the backsplash bracket. in another aspect of the present disclosure a washing machine is provided that defines a lateral direction, a transverse direction, and a vertical direction that are mutually orthogonal. the washing machine may include a cabinet, a basket, and a backsplash. the cabinet may define an opening and include a backsplash bracket having a predefined footprint. the backsplash bracket may include one or more support decks. each support deck may have a planar top surface and a bottom surface. the backsplash bracket may define a first aperture extending through one of the one or more support decks between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface. the backsplash bracket may also define a second aperture extending through one of the one or more support decks between a corresponding planar top surface and a corresponding bottom surface. the basket may be mounted within the cabinet and define a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed. the backsplash may be positioned over the predefined footprint. the backsplash may include a first engagement hook and a second engagement hook. the first engagement hook may be disposed in slidable engagement across the corresponding bottom surface of the first aperture. the second engagement hook may be disposed in slidable engagement across the corresponding bottom surface of the second aperture such that the first and second engagement hooks mount the backsplash to the backsplash bracket. these and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. brief description of the drawings a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures. fig. 1 provides a perspective view of a washing machine appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 2 provides an exploded perspective view of a backsplash assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 3 provides an assembled side view of the exemplary backsplash assembly of fig. 2 . fig. 4 provides an exploded side view of the exemplary backsplash assembly of fig. 2 . fig. 5 provides a partially assembled side view of the exemplary backsplash assembly of fig. 2 . fig. 6 provides a partially assembled bottom view of the exemplary backsplash assembly of fig. 2 . fig. 7 provides a bottom view of the exemplary backsplash assembly of fig. 2 . fig. 8 provides a front view of the exemplary backsplash of fig. 2 . fig. 9 provides a side view of the exemplary backsplash of fig. 2 . detailed description reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. in fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. for instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. generally, the present subject matter provides a washing machine appliance that includes a backsplash that can easily installed or removed from an opposite side of the appliance. for instance, the backsplash may be configured such that, if the backsplash is positioned at a rear portion of the appliance, the backsplash may be removed from the front portion by first sliding the backsplash rearward, then lifting the backsplash vertically. fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a vertical axis washing machine appliance 100 . while described in the context of a specific embodiment of vertical axis washing machine appliance 100 , using the teachings disclosed herein it will be understood that vertical axis washing machine appliance 100 is provided by way of example only. other washing machine appliances having different configurations, different appearances, and/or different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter as well. as may be seen in fig. 1 , washing machine appliance 100 has a cabinet 102 that defines a vertical direction v, a lateral direction l, and a transverse direction t. the vertical direction v, lateral direction l, and transverse direction t are all mutually perpendicular and form an orthogonal direction system. generally, cabinet 102 extends between a top portion 103 and a bottom portion 105 along the vertical direction v. cabinet 102 also extends between a first side portion 107 and a second side portion 109 , e.g., along the lateral direction l, and a front portion 111 and a rear portion 113 , e.g., along the transverse direction t. cabinet 102 of washing machine appliance 100 has a top cover 104 positioned at or adjacent top portion 103 of cabinet 102 . top cover 104 defines an opening 135 that permits user access to wash chamber 130 of wash basket 120 . door 140 is pivotally attached to top cover 104 . however, alternatively, door 140 may be mounted to cabinet 102 or another suitable support. door 140 selectively rotates a closed position and an open position. in the closed position, door 140 inhibits access to wash chamber 130 . conversely, in the open position, a user can access wash chamber 130 . door 140 also includes a handle 146 that, e.g., a user may pull and/or lift when opening and closing door 140 . door 140 includes a pivotable frame 144 that defines an opening 135 above the wash chamber 130 . a discrete panel 142 extends across the opening 135 such that panel 142 is bounded by a portion of pivotable frame 144 and restricts access through door 140 . in some embodiments, panel 142 is configured as a window. for instance, panel 140 may be embodied as a transparent plastic or glass pane. in such embodiments, panel 142 may permit viewing of wash chamber 130 when door 140 is in the closed position, e.g., during operation of washing machine appliance 100 . a backsplash 106 extends from cover 104 . a variety of appliance control input selectors 120 are coupled to backsplash 106 , e.g., to control operation of the appliance. input selectors can be of a touch type such as touchpad or may include more traditional knobs and dials. regardless, input selectors 120 provide an interface whereby the user may operate the machine and select various operation features of the appliance. a display may also be provided on backsplash 106 for notifying the user of various aspect of the machine's operation including e.g., the mode of operation, water temperature selected, and other relevant information. washing machine 100 is controlled by a processing device or other controller, such as a microprocessor (not shown), according to user preference via manipulation of control input selectors 120 mounted on backsplash 106 . as used herein, processing device may refer to one or more microprocessors or semiconductors devices and is not restricted necessarily to a single element. the processing device can be programmed to operate washing machine 100 according to features desired by the consumer. turning to figs. 2 through 9 , an exemplary backsplash assembly 200 is illustrated. as shown, a selectively removable backsplash 202 is provided on a preformed top cover 204 . it is understood that the backsplash 202 and top cover 204 could be embodied as backsplash 106 and top cover 104 illustrated in fig. 1 . included on top cover 204 is a backsplash bracket 206 having a predefined footprint 208 . generally, footprint 208 provides the area over which backsplash 202 may be positioned and mounted. in turn, backsplash bracket 206 is formed at a rear portion 210 of cover 204 , i.e., opposite a front portion 211 in the transverse direction t. backsplash bracket 206 includes one or more support decks, such as a first support deck 212 and a second support deck 214 . each support deck 212 , 214 defines a corresponding planar top surface 216 over which backsplash 202 can be mounted. furthermore, a corresponding bottom surface 218 is provided on each support deck 212 , 214 , beneath planar top surface 216 , e.g., opposite top surface 216 along the vertical direction v. as shown, second support deck 214 includes a separate left support portion 220 and right support portion 222 . each of the support portions 220 , 222 are spaced laterally, i.e., in the lateral direction l. first support deck 212 extends in the lateral direction l between left support portion 220 and right support portion 222 . when assembled, planar top surface 216 of second support deck 214 is disposed beneath the planar top surface 216 of the first support deck 212 relative to the vertical direction v, i.e., at a lower position in the vertical direction v. each support deck 212 , 214 also defines one or more apertures 224 , 226 extending in the vertical direction v through the backsplash bracket 206 . optionally, first support deck 212 defines a plurality of first apertures 224 extending from planar top surface 216 to bottom surface 218 . as shown, each first aperture 224 may be aligned relative to the transverse direction t and spaced apart from one another along the lateral direction l. second support deck 214 defines a plurality of second apertures 226 extending from planar top surface 216 to bottom surface 218 . one or more second apertures 226 are spaced apart from one another along the lateral direction l. at least one second aperture 226 is included on each of right support portion 222 and left support portion 220 . in optional embodiments, one or more mechanical connectors, e.g., screw, bolt, clip, brace, etc., may be connected to or through backsplash 202 to selectively fix backsplash 202 on top cover 204 , e.g., in the transverse direction t. for instance, mated holes 227 may be defined through the backsplash 202 and backsplash bracket 206 to receive a rigid screw or bolt therethrough, and thereby fix backsplash 202 to backsplash bracket 206 such that backsplash 202 is not movable along the transverse direction. in some embodiments, backsplash bracket 206 is integrally formed on top cover 204 . specifically, backsplash bracket 206 , including each of first support deck 212 and second support deck 214 , is formed at rear portion 210 of top cover 204 , e.g., as a unitary member constructed of or with a single continuous piece of material, such as a plastic and/or metal. in particular, stamped metal or molded plastic. as shown, backsplash 202 includes a perimeter rim 228 defined along the bottom of backsplash 202 . perimeter rim 228 defines, e.g., an outermost extreme of backsplash 202 , and determines the area over top cover 204 that backsplash 202 will cover. perimeter rim 228 is configured as complementary to predefined footprint 208 . when assembled, a portion of perimeter rim 228 may directly engage backsplash bracket 206 and rest thereon. in turn, when assembled, perimeter rim 228 is disposed above backsplash bracket 206 , e.g., in the vertical direction v, at the surfaces of backsplash bracket 206 that perimeter rim 228 engages. in some embodiments, an outer surface 230 of backsplash 202 is assembled to be flush with a visible outer surface 232 of top cover 204 . perimeter rim 228 contacts top cover 204 at outer surface 232 and forms a smooth engagement seam 234 . thus, the outer surface 230 of backsplash 202 is substantially continuous with outer surface 232 of top cover 204 , except for the interruption at the engagement seam 234 . perimeter rim 228 includes a pair of perimeter edges 236 formed on opposite lateral ends of backsplash 202 . when assembled, each perimeter edge 236 extends along the transverse direction t in slidable engagement with planar top surface 216 . during assembly or disassembly, each perimeter edge 236 may slide along planar top surface 216 of second support deck 214 . optionally, top cover 204 includes an integrally-formed elevated lip 238 . elevated lip 238 is positioned adjacent to backsplash bracket 206 and extends laterally across at least a portion of backsplash bracket 206 , e.g., at second support deck 214 . moreover, elevated lip 238 extends vertically from second support deck 214 , above first support deck 212 and second support deck 214 in the vertical direction v. advantageously, during assembly, backsplash 202 may be forced toward elevated lip 238 such that perimeter rim 228 directly engages elevated lip 238 and is restricted, e.g., in the transverse direction t, from further movement. in some such embodiments, perimeter rim 228 is substantially flush with elevated lip 238 when bracket assembly 200 is assembled. as shown in figs. 6, 7, and 8 , backsplash 202 includes a plurality of engagement hooks 240 , 242 . specifically, backsplash 202 includes at least a first engagement hook 240 and a second engagement hook 242 that both extend downward in the vertical direction v. first engagement hook 240 is configured as a t-shaped prong disposed through first aperture 224 . a prong body 246 extends through a corresponding first aperture 224 . a side tab 244 of the t-shaped prong extends in the lateral direction l from prong body 246 . as a result, side tab 244 defines a hook width w h in the lateral direction l that is greater than the width w b of the prong body 246 . in embodiments wherein a plurality of first engagement hooks 240 are provided, each first engagement hook 240 may be spaced in the lateral direction l from each other. each spaced first engagement hook 240 may be sized or configured as identical to the other first engagement hooks 240 , as illustrated in fig. 8 . alternatively, one or more first engagement hooks 240 may have a size or shape configuration that is unique from others of the plurality of first engagement hooks 240 . in such embodiments, each first engagement hook 240 is nonetheless matched to a corresponding first aperture 224 . as shown in figs. 6, 7, and 9 , second engagement hook 242 is configured as an l-shaped prong disposed through second aperture 226 . a prong body 246 of second engagement hook 242 extends through a corresponding second aperture 226 . a forward tab 248 of the l-shaped prong extends in the transverse direction t from prong body 246 . moreover, the forward tab 248 defines a tab length e t that is greater than the length e b of the prong body 246 . in embodiments wherein a plurality of second engagement hooks 242 are provided, multiple second engagement hooks 242 may be spaced in the transverse direction t from each other, e.g., on the same support portion 220 , 222 . each second engagement hook 242 may be sized or configured as identical to each other second engagement hook 242 . alternatively, one or more second engagement hooks 242 may have a size or shape configuration, e.g., e t and/or e b , that is unique from others of the plurality of second engagement hooks 242 , as illustrated in fig. 9 . in such embodiments, each second engagement hook 242 is matched to a corresponding second aperture 226 . as illustrated, e.g., in figs. 6 and 7 , first and second engagement hooks 240 , 242 are matched to first and second apertures 224 , 226 respectfully. for instance, each first aperture 224 defines a rear aperture width w r and a front aperture width w f . although width of first aperture 224 varies in the lateral direction l, first aperture 224 extends unobstructed in the transverse direction t to define an aperture length e a . although the rear aperture width w r and front aperture width w f are generally aligned, the rear aperture width w r is greater that the front aperture width w f such that the front aperture width w f is defined within the lateral span of the rear aperture width w r . moreover, the rear aperture width w r is generally greater than the hook width w h . the front aperture width w f is less than the hook width w h , but larger than the width w b of the prong body 246 . when assembled, first engagement hook 240 is disposed in slidable engagement across the bottom surface 218 of first support deck 212 . side tab 244 extends along the lateral direction l across the bottom surface 218 of the first support deck 212 . although side tab 244 may pass through first aperture 224 at rear aperture width w r , front aperture width w f will restrict movement of first engagement hook 240 in the vertical direction v. in turn, prong body 246 will restrict movement of first engagement hook 240 in the lateral direction l. each second aperture 226 defines an aperture length e a in the transverse direction t. a constant aperture width w a may be defined in the lateral direction l. the aperture length e a of the second aperture 226 is greater than a length of the second engagement hook 242 , specifically, the tab length e t of the forward tab 248 . similarly, the aperture width w a of second aperture 226 is greater than the width w b of the prong body 246 of the second engagement hook 242 . when assembled, second engagement hook 242 is disposed through second aperture 226 . forward tab 248 is disposed in slidable engagement with the bottom surface 218 of second support deck 214 . although forward tab 248 may pass through first aperture 224 at rear portion of second aperture 226 , forward tab 248 will be restricted from movement in the vertical direction v when disposed at a forward portion of second aperture 226 due to engagement between the bottom surface 218 of second support deck 214 and second engagement hook 242 prevents forward tab 248 from moving above bottom surface 218 in the vertical direction v. prong body 246 will restrict movement of second engagement hook 242 in the lateral direction l. positioning of backsplash 202 on backsplash bracket 206 may include two discrete orthogonal motions, free of any rotation. specifically, positioning includes a primarily vertical motion (see fig. 4 ) and a primarily transverse motion (see fig. 5 ). as illustrated in fig. 4 , backsplash 202 may be directed in the vertical direction v to bring backsplash 202 into contact with a portion of backsplash bracket 206 . each of first engagement hook 240 and second engagement hook 242 pass through first aperture 224 and second aperture 226 , respectively (see fig. 6 ). once first engagement hook 240 and second engagement hook 242 pass through first and second apertures 224 , 226 , backsplash 202 may be moved forward in the transverse direction t, as illustrated in figs. 5 and 7 . the transverse motion may be halted by contact or engagement between elevated lip 238 and perimeter rim 228 (see fig. 3 ). generally, the forward transverse motion brings engagement hooks 240 , 242 directly beneath bottom surface 218 , such that vertical movement is restricted. although a vertical motion and transverse motion are described for positioning backsplash 202 on backsplash bracket 206 , it is understood that similar but opposite motions could be used to remove backsplash 202 from backsplash bracket 206 . for example, during disassembly, backsplash 202 may be directed rearward in a transverse motion, then moved upward in a vertical motion to bring first and second engagement hooks 240 , 242 out of first and second apertures 224 , 226 . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
013-543-588-164-252	DE	[ "DE", "EP", "US", "PL", "WO", "ES", "HR", "PT", "AT", "DK" ]	B63B35/44,B63B21/00,B63B21/50,B63B5/22,E02B17/00	2008-01-09T00:00:00	2008	[ "B63", "E02" ]	floating foundation supporting framework with buoyancy components, having an open-relief design	the floating foundation supporting framework according to the invention for offshore structures comprises a plurality of buoyancy elements which are arranged on the outside of a bar-type supporting framework which, in turn, is connected to ballast elements via cables (8, 9, 10). this design results in a simple construction and low construction costs.	floating foundation supporting framework (4) for offshore structures, comprising at least one buoyancy element (28, 29, 30) consisting at least partially of concrete, and a supporting framework (11, 12, 13, 14) of steel, wherein the supporting framework (11, 12, 13, 14) is a combination of a shell supporting framework and a bar-type framework, characterized in that the supporting framework (11, 12, 13, 14) comprises several cantilevers (11, 12, 13) that are respectively configured as a spatial bar-type framework; and that extend radially outward from a central spatial trussed structure (14). foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting framework (14) is a spatial trussed framework. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the buoyancy elements (28, 29, 30) is disposed to act as a machine room. foundation supporting framework according to claim 3, characterized in that the buoyancy element (28, 29, 30) is disposed to act as an accommodation space for an adjustment arrangement. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting framework (11, 12, 13) comprises at least two cantilevers (11, 12, 13), the ends of said cantilevers supporting the buoyancy elements (28, 29, 30). foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting framework (11, 12, 13) contains junction points (21, 22, 23, 24) that are made of reinforced concrete or, alternatively, of steel piping. foundation supporting framework according to claim 6, characterized in that the junction points (21, 22, 23, 24) are configured as walkable hollow bodies. foundation supporting framework according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the junction points (21, 22, 23, 24) is connected with at least one of the buoyancy elements (28, 29, 30) via a walkable duct (25, 26, 27). foundation supporting framework according to claim 8, characterized in that the walkable duct (25, 26, 27) is configured as a pipe. foundation supporting framework according to claim 9, characterized in that the pipe consists of steel, plastic material with or without fiber reinforcement, a steel-plastic composite or reinforced concrete. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting framework (11, 12, 13, 14) comprises at least one cage arrangement (31) that circumscribes at least one concrete component (21). foundation supporting framework according to claim 11, characterized in that the cage arrangement (31) disburdens the concrete component (21). foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the shell supporting framework (14) comprises elements of concrete and/or elements of steel. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the bar-type supporting framework (11, 12, 13) comprises elements of steel. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the buoyancy elements (28, 29, 30) is designed in mixed construction and, in doing so, comprises at least one concrete or reinforced concrete component (38) and at least one steel component (39), said components, together, enclosing a hollow space. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the buoyancy element (28, 29, 30) has a cylindrical form. foundation supporting framework according to claim 16, characterized in that the buoyancy element (28, 29, 30) has a rounded cover surface (36) and/or a flat or conical bottom. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that a lower section (38) of the buoyancy element (28, 29, 30) is made of a concrete cup and that an upper section (39) of said buoyancy element is made of a steel hood, said steel hood being fitted to the concrete cup in a water-tight manner. foundation supporting framework according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting framework (11, 12, 13, 14) absorbs, on the one hand, the buoyancy force due to the buoyancy elements (28, 29, 30) and, on the other hand, the transfer force of the anchorages (5, 6, 7). foundation supporting framework according to claim 19, characterized in that the anchorages (5, 6, 7) are made of concrete ballast elements.	cross reference to related applications this application is the u.s. national stage of international application no. pct/ep2009/050186, filed on jan. 8, 2009, and claims the benefit thereof. the international application claims the benefits of german application no. 10 2008 003 647.1 filed on jan. 9, 2008; all applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. background the invention relates to a floating foundation supporting framework for offshore structures for positioning functional units in a floating position. such floating foundation supporting frameworks may hold and support off-shore wind power plants, light towers, transmitter and/or receiver plants, radar plants, bridges, jetties, landing strips or the like, near a coast-line or also at a greater distance from a coast-line. floating foundations have been known, for example, for light towers or also for wind power plants. regarding this, reference is made to de 10 2005 036 679.1, which relates to anchorages of floating foundations on the ocean floor. large plants such as medium-performance and high-performance wind power plants frequently have considerable weight that needs to be compensated by appropriate floating bodies. these must generate buoyancy forces that must far exceed the weight of the structure to be supported as well as that of the floating foundation in order to thus hold the affected structure still, irrespective of wave action and wind influence. to accomplish this, the necessary buoyancy forces may add up to several thousand tons. frequently, floating foundations must necessarily span a relatively large area. the buoyancy forces applied to individual points by the buoyancy elements must be safely absorbed and tolerated by the building structure. in addition to the requirements regarding the stability of the foundation under load, there are requirements regarding the manufacturing options and costs affecting an appropriate building construction in practical applications. for example, the logistics as well as the construction efforts, material expenses and, finally also maintenance expenses, should be kept within limits. until now, floating foundation structures have displayed deficits regarding at least one of the mentioned aspects. considering this, it is the object of the invention to provide a floating foundation supporting framework that has been improved with regard to at least one of the mentioned aspects when compared with known building structures. a floating foundation having a supporting framework in accordance with an aspect of the invention achieves this object. detailed description the supporting framework comprises buoyancy elements, at least one of which is at least partially made of concrete, and connecting elements, which are made of steel and which form a supporting framework. by making the buoyancy elements at least partially of concrete, it is possible to considerably lower the manufacturing costs. this applies, in particular, to geometrically complex shapes such as, for example, the junction regions that must be designed to be hollow in order to make walking on the structure possible. this also applies to buoyancy elements that are located at the outer ends of a supporting framework that is star-shaped, for example, in order to introduce buoyancy forces into the supporting framework at that location. in particular, the lower parts or bottoms of buoyancy elements may be made of concrete. due to the rigidity of reinforced concrete elements, such elements may have a flat bottom or a bottom that is only slightly arched, for example. the use of concrete for the manufacture of a floating foundation supporting framework minimizes the use of steel and thus reduces corrosion problems and prime costs. preferably, the floating foundation supporting framework comprises several cantilevers that extend horizontally when in use, as well as junction points (joints) from which extend inclined and horizontal pipe segments. the supporting framework is comprised of a load-transferring spatial trussed structure, preferably configured as prefabricated steel structures and, e.g., as hollow elements generating buoyancy forces in the junction regions. these structures preferably have the form of reinforced concrete components and are made of, for example, water-impermeable concrete. the junction regions are preferably designed so as to be hollow and patent in order to ensure that it is possible to walk on the cantilever regions. preferably, the supporting framework is designed in such a manner that the buoyancy forces and the load-transfer in the junction points (joints) of the pipe segments are uncoupled in the entire cantilever region and in the connecting region of the buoyancy elements, said buoyancy elements preferably being arranged on the extreme outside, and are associated with the specific supporting framework elements, respectively. as a result of this, clear load conditions are established and undesirable double loads or overloads are prevented. the supporting framework in accordance with the invention is erected in mixed construction with the use of steel and concrete, preferably water-impermeable concrete. the framework is designed in part as a shell supporting framework and in part as a supporting bar framework. for example, the shell supporting framework comprises pipe segments made of steel or also of reinforced concrete components that are designed, for example, as junction points (joints). the supporting bar framework comprises trussed structure sections, for example, made of steel piping or other steel profiles. the supporting bar framework is connected to the shell supporting framework, so that the shell supporting framework and the supporting bar framework, together, form the foundation supporting framework. the overall supporting behavior is defined, in the junction points (joints) of the supporting framework and in the cantilevers, by the trussed construction. the buoyancy forces due to locally applied loads occur at the junctions and on the cantilevers due to reinforced concrete components or, in the cantilever regions, also due to pipe segments. preferably, the outlying buoyancy elements are upright cylinders whose lower cup is configured as a circular cylindrical shell. a steel shell structure is set on said circular cylindrical shell, said steel shell structure preferably being manufactured as a prefabricated cup-shaped circular cylindrical shell that is open in downward direction. at the junction points (joints), the reinforced concrete components are connected to the steel structures. to do so, preferably, water-impermeable, corrosion-resistant assembly techniques are employed. steel pipes or steel socket ends can be fitted to hollow concrete elements by means of elastomer elements or the like. the design of the supporting framework in mixed construction comprising shell supporting frameworks and supporting bar frameworks allows a high degree of variability regarding the requirements for the inert mass distribution in the total system. in addition, it is possible to adapt the system requirements to wind power plants designed for six megawatts and above. in addition, the modules of the system such as, for example, the components of the trussed structure and the components of the shell supporting structure may be prefabricated. the plant may be erected in the dry dock or also on site. for example, assembled system modules may undergo final assembly in the dry dock, whereupon the foundation supporting framework is towed to the installation site. as a result of the prefabrication of the modules, it is only necessary to perform the final assembly in the dry dock. this minimizes the required dwell time in the dry dock and thus permits the efficient production of a larger number of floating supporting frameworks. preferably, the load introduction of the lower guy occurs in trussed construction. preferably, this is at the ends of the cantilevers without any load being applied to the buoyancy elements. consequently, the supporting framework absorbs the forces of the guy as well as the forces of the buoyancy elements. however, it is also possible to impart the pulling forces of the guy as well as the force of the weight of the structure, respectively, as pressure (completely) into the concrete cups (see fig. 7 ). with the foundation supporting framework presented herein, it is possible to erect—in a cost-neutral manner—building structures in depths of up to one thousand meters, irrespective of the depth of the water. the system in accordance with the invention enables an optimal adaptation of the system mass distribution over variably designed ballast elements, preferably by arranging additional masses in the form of prefabricated components of reinforced concrete. these components may be arranged, as needed, at various locations of the entire trussed structure of the cantilevers. such masses may also be disposed to increase mass inertia, avoid vibrations, attenuate vibrations, reduce vibrations and the like. optimally, the total buoyancy force may be adapted to various requirements by additionally providing variably designed buoyancy components, preferably in the form of spherical hollow bodies, in the entire region of the trussed structure of the cantilevers. brief description of the drawings additional details of advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the drawings, the description or the claims. the description is restricted to essential aspects of the invention and other situations. the drawings disclose additional details and are to be used for supplementary reference. they show in fig. 1 an isometric view of an embodiment of a floating foundation, in schematic representation, using the example of a wind power plant; fig. 2 a separate view of one of the junction points (joints) of the foundation supporting framework; fig. 3 a side view of a detail of a cantilever of the foundation supporting framework; fig. 4 a sectional view of a detail of a connecting point between a concrete element and a steel element at a junction; fig. 5 a detail of a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a connecting point between a concrete element and a steel element at a junction; fig. 6 a schematized side view of an end of the cantilever with floating body; fig. 7 a depiction, partially in section, of the floating body in accordance with fig. 6 ; fig. 8 a schematic representation, in section, of a modified embodiment of the floating body; fig. 9 a schematic representation, in section, of a preferred embodiment of the floating body with sub-level machine room; fig. 10 a schematic representation, diagonally in section, of the machine room in accordance with fig. 9 ; figs. 11 and 12 a plan view and a schematic representation, respectively, of various ground plans of the foundation supporting framework. detailed description of the preferred embodiment fig. 1 shows a wind power plant 1 that has been erected in the ocean and that comprises a mast 2 seated on a floating foundation 3 . the floating foundation 3 comprises a floating foundation supporting framework 4 that is held on ballast elements 5 , 6 , 7 . the latter are seated on the ocean floor and are made of concrete. they are connected to the foundation supporting framework 4 by means of cables 8 , 9 , 10 that are made of corrosion-resistant or corrosion-protected steel. the weight of the ballast elements 5 , 6 , 7 is high enough so as to by far exceed the forces produced by the foundation supporting framework 4 . the foundation supporting framework 4 is a mixed steel and concrete structure. this structure comprises several cantilevers 11 , 12 , 13 that extend radially outward from a central spatial trussed structure 14 , for example in the form of a tetrahedron. considering several aspects, the foundation supporting framework 14 is designed in mixed construction. the framework is designed, in part, as a shell supporting framework and in part as a supporting bar framework. in addition, the framework includes steel elements as well as concrete elements. the spatial trussed structure 14 comprises pipe segments 15 , 16 , 18 , 19 , 20 that form the sides of a tetrahedron and are connected to each other at strut attachment fittings 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 . the relatively large diameter of the pipe segments 15 through 20 makes it possible that each pipe may be viewed as a shell supporting framework. the strut attachment fittings 21 through 24 are hollow and lead to additional pipe segments 25 , 26 that preferably extend approximately horizontally and radially away from the center of the foundation supporting framework 4 in outward direction toward the buoyancy elements 28 , 29 , 30 . preferably, the strut attachment fittings 21 through 24 are made of reinforced concrete, however, they may also be made of steel piping. in particular, this applies to the strut attachment fitting 21 . the fittings are connected to the respectively adjacent pipe segments 15 through 20 and 25 , 26 by means of salt-water-resistant, corrosion-resistant and tight junctions. the strut attachment fittings 21 through 24 are largely load-free. however, their presence contributes to the total buoyancy of the building structure. they are surrounded by a cage-like bar framework. this is evident from fig. 1 and from the example of the strut attachment fitting 21 , in particular, also from fig. 2 . such a cage 31 forms a spatial bar framework that connects ring-shaped, load-distributing hollow box girders 32 , 33 , 34 with each other, whereby appropriate pipe segments 15 , 17 or also the mast 2 may be connected to said girders. the ring-shaped hollow box girder 32 , 33 may have a circular or a rectangular cross-section and ground plan. due to the rectangular shape of the girder, the attachment of the spatial trussed structure of the cantilever is simple from a technological viewpoint and is more favorable from a statics viewpoint. the rods forming the cage 31 may be solid profiles, pipe profiles, l-profiles, t-profiles or other suitable profiles. preferably, the cage 31 is a welded construction. fig. 4 shows a hollow box girder using the strut attachment fitting 24 as the example. the bar framework 35 adjoins the (rectangular-) ring-shaped box profile 17 a , said profile adjoining the pipe segment 17 . in addition, the (rectangular-) ring-shaped box profile 17 a may be fitted to a socket end 17 b in which the strut attachment fitting 24 may be placed while creating a seal. fig. 5 also shows a modified embodiment of the connection with the use of the strut attachment fitting 24 as the example. a short metal pipe piece 17 b is provided between the box profile 17 a and the strut attachment fitting 24 . the metal pipe piece may be attached, on one side or on both sides, to the box profile 17 a and to the strut attachment fitting 24 by means of pliable flanges 17 c . preferably, the strut attachment fitting 24 has an internal permanent formwork 24 a made of sheet metal, e.g., steel sheeting, said formwork lining the concrete element of the strut attachment fitting 24 . the formwork 24 a may extend up to the front end of the strut attachment fitting 24 and be welded there to the flanges 17 d or directly to the socket end 17 b , or be attached there in another manner. preferably, each of the cantilevers 11 , 12 , 13 is configured as a spatial supporting bar framework. this can be seen in fig. 1 and, by referring to the example of the cantilever 12 , also in fig. 3 . as can be seen, the bar framework 35 of the cantilever 12 can circumscribe the strut attachment fitting 24 and thus reduce the load applied thereto. the bar framework 35 thus creates the cage enclosing the strut attachment fitting 24 ; the fitting is made of reinforced concrete. again, hollow box girders or other flanges are provided for the attachment of the pipe segments 17 , 29 26 . again, the seal between the strut attachment fitting 24 and the pipe segments 17 , 19 , 26 is water-tight and corrosion-resistant, e.g., due to elastomer elements, compression seals or the like. the occurring loads, in particular bending-torsion loads and the like, are absorbed by the bar framework 35 and transferred by said bar framework to the load-bearing pipe segments 17 , 19 . in the present exemplary embodiment, the pipe segment 26 is arranged in a non-load-bearing manner in the cage formed by the bar framework 35 . if necessary, the pipe segment may also be designed as a concrete pipe, plastic pipe or the like. preferably, the bar framework 35 forms a spatial trussed structure having a rectangular cross-section. unlike the depiction in fig. 1 , the bar framework may also continue to extend through the interior space of the spatial trussed structure 14 . figs. 6 and 9 show the attachment of the buoyancy element 29 to the cantilever 12 , this standing for each of the other radially outwardly located buoyancy elements 28 , 30 . as can be seen, the buoyancy element 2 9 forms a vertically upright cylinder with a curved or rounded upper side 36 and an essentially flat bottom 37 . preferably, said buoyancy element is comprised of two parts. preferably, its lower part 38 is comprised of a cup-shaped cylindrical section of reinforced concrete, as is obvious from the sectional view in accordance with fig. 7 or 9 . however, it may have a flat or, as shown, also a slightly conical or otherwise arched bottom. furthermore, the buoyancy element 29 comprises an upper part 39 that may be, e.g., a steel structure. as is shown by fig. 5 , the upper part 39 and the lower part 38 are connected to each other in a sealed manner. for example, they abut against a seal 40 that is seated on the upper annular flat sealing surface of the lower part 38 . they may be screwed together to create a connection. preferably, however, the part 38 is provided on its inside with a permanent formwork, e.g., of steel, that may extend flange-like over the upper front side of the part 38 . this formwork may be welded to the part 39 . in this case, the seal 40 is unnecessary. the buoyancy element 29 is hollow and may be walkable. the pipe segment 26 may be connected to the concrete element 38 by means of a connecting piece 41 . walls, cross-walls or the like may be provided on the connecting piece 41 and/or in or on the pipe segment 26 , in which case said walls can be locked if necessary. the buoyancy element 29 is anchored to the cantilever 12 by means of connecting means. preferably, these means are arranged on the upper region of part 38 in order to transmit the upthrust buoyancy force acting on part 38 as pressure force to the cantilever 12 . attachment means may be steps provided on the concrete element, anchors set therein, steel plates and the like, these being connected to the cantilever 12 . preferably the steps, as shown by fig. 9 , are directed upward and abut upward against the corbels 35 a , 35 b of the bar framework 35 . below part 38 , the bar framework 35 may have one or more supports 35 c , on which the concrete cup 38 may be temporarily set during assembly in the dry dock. lateral supports 49 a, b transmit lateral forces from the bar framework 35 to the buoyancy element 29 and vice versa. in addition, the cantilever 12 has connecting arrangements 42 for the cable 10 . the connecting arrangement 42 imparts the pulling force of the cable 10 into the cantilever 12 . to do so, individual struts 43 , 44 are provided. the struts extend downward from the cantilever 12 and connect the cantilever to the cable 10 . it is also possible to provide a leveling arrangement that is, e.g., hydraulically actuated. the arrangement holds a vertically adjustable bar 45 , as indicated in fig. 7 . while an appropriate, e.g., hydraulic adjustment arrangement is arranged in the interior space of the buoyancy element 29 and is in contact with one end of the bar 45 , its other end may be connected to the cable 10 . on the bottom of part 38 , an appropriate passage may be provided, said passage enabling a rod 45 to pass, sealing the bar permanently relative to the passage. also, active leveling of the floating foundation 3 can be accomplished with the hydraulic adjustment arrangement. alternatively, the leveling arrangement may also be arranged at another location such as, for example, below part 38 , as is shown by fig. 8 . for example, it is possible to provide, e.g., a chamber 47 made of steel, next to or, as illustrated, under part 38 on the cantilever 12 , whereby the hydraulic adjustment arrangement 48 is located in said chamber. the bar 45 connected to the cable 10 may extend from said adjustment arrangement. it may be possible for the chamber 47 to be walkable over an appropriately dimensioned pipe 49 , the pipe having a diameter of one to two meters and, for example, being connected to the pipe segment 26 or the connecting piece 41 . figs. 9 and 10 show a preferred embodiment of the foundation supporting framework. the chamber 47 forms a machine room in the form of, e.g., a prone cylinder having rounded end sides. the chamber 47 is arranged under the buoyancy element 29 and connected to the bar framework 35 . the wall of the cylinder is stiffened, e.g., with several annular box profile girders 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 . the girders are arranged on the inside and/or on the outside, or so as to extend through the wall, on the chamber 47 . inside the chamber 47 is a winch 54 accommodating at least one, preferably two, cable sheaves 55 , 56 . they may be seated on a common shaft 57 that is rotatably supported in two or move bearing blocks 58 , 59 . preferably, the bearing blocks 58 , 59 are supported on a vertical-adjustment arrangement, for example in the form of hydraulic cylinders 60 , 61 that enable a height adjustment of the bearing blocks 58 , 59 and thus an adjustment of the cable sheaves 55 , 56 . cables 10 a , 10 b move from the cable sheaves 55 , 56 to a common heavy-weight foundation. they may also move to different heavy-weight foundations. at appropriate seals 62 , 63 , the cables 10 a , 10 b pass through the wall of the chamber 47 . among each other, the cables 10 a , 10 b may be connected by a support 64 that ensures a parallel run of the cable sections between the cable sheaves 55 , 56 and the support 64 . as indicated only by dashed lines in fig. 9 , the cable sheaves 55 , 56 may be separated from the remaining interior space of the chamber 47 by dividing walls 65 , 66 . preferably, the entire chamber 47 is dry. should water penetrate up to the cable sheaves 55 , 56 , the dividing walls 65 , 66 prevent the chamber 47 from being flooded. a cross-section of the machine room is shown separately in fig. 10 . as is obvious, the winch 54 comprising an electric motor, hydraulic motor or the like as the drive is supported by or attached to the chamber 47 via a torque bracket 67 . the torque bracket may be pivotally supported on the wall of the chamber 47 . the winch 54 comprises a not specifically shown arrangement for braking and locking the shaft 57 in the desired rotational positions. the hydraulic cylinders 60 , 61 are disposed to vertically adjust the bearing blocks 58 , 59 in order to enable a vertical fine adjustment of the supporting framework for counterbalancing any forces occurring during operation of the structure. as can be seen, it is also possible to pivotally support the hydraulic cylinders 60 , 61 —just like the torque bracket 67 —on the chamber 47 . fig. 11 shows a schematic plan view of the foundation supporting framework. apart from this three-star form, almost any other forms of the supporting framework are possible, as has been shown in fig. 12 . however, a plurality of ballast elements 68 and/or buoyancy elements 69 may be arranged on the periphery as well as in other sections of the supporting framework. the supporting framework may be constructed of simple components in that prefabricated concrete components are used, in particular, as strut attachment fittings and as buoyancy elements. as is obvious, the foundation supporting framework may be pyramidal and may comprise, for example, an inclined supporting structure formed by three hollow cylinders and comprise a triangular supporting framework base made of three hollow cylinders. however, the supporting frame base may have any desired and, in particular, also rectangular form, and be, e.g., square. in accordance with one modification of the invention, extending from the lower corner points of the supporting framework base, three cantilevers with a reciprocal opening angle in horizontal projection of 120 degrees may be provided. apart from that, any desired number of cantilevers with any desired orientation may be used in the ground plan. in particular, the cantilevers may also be positioned so as to form a right angle with respect to each other. the dimensions of the floating body comprising several buoyancy elements is not a function of the supporting framework components. the design of the supporting framework components is a function of the load distribution pattern. in order to achieve a suitable distribution of mass, it is possible to adapt the system's mass distribution over variably configurable ballast elements, preferably by providing additional mass in the form of prefabricated reinforced concrete parts at suitable locations of the trussed framework structure. the cantilever comprises steel profiles and is attached at the junction points (joints) of the spatial trussed frameworks that connect the horizontal and inclined pipe segments with each other. the spatial trussed frameworks may form cages that circumscribe the junction points (joints). the attachment of the spatial trussed frameworks to the pipe segments is accomplished via a load-distribution (round or rectangular) ring-shaped hollow box girder. in order to achieve the statically required total buoyancy force, it is possible to additionally provide buoyancy components displaying variable design, preferably having the shape of spherical hollow bodies, in the entire region of the trussed structures of the cantilevers. preferably, the completely prefabricated foundation supporting structure with the wind power plant set on top in horizontal floating position is taken to its location of use and then connected on-site with the anchoring elements. the winches 54 are used to lower the floating supporting structure, said winches being blocked at a desired immersion depth, e.g., with the use of brakes. a continuous fine adjustment of the floating position may be carried out with the hydraulic cylinders. with the use of the invention, it is possible to achieve a load transfer through diagonal supports preferably having the form of pipe segments of steel and spatial trussed structures of steel, while buoyancy is preferably ensured by buoyancy elements that are located far outside. hereinafter is a list of individual features and aspects that may be of importance in conjunction with the invention. the floating foundation supporting framework is intended, in particular, for offshore constructions for positioning functional units in floating position on or in water, in particular on or in the ocean, and is suitable for depths up to 1000 (one thousand) meters. the floating foundation framework comprises several buoyancy elements that are connected to each other by supporting structures, preferably prefabricated steel and concrete structures, and optionally comprises ballast elements, and acts as a foundation or as a platform for a functional unit. by means of pulling elements, the foundation supporting framework is connected to anchoring elements set on the ocean floor in the manner of concrete construction. the horizontal cantilevers support the buoyancy elements and—like the connecting junctions of inclined or horizontal pipe segments—are comprised of load-transferring steel structures, whereby buoyancy-generating hollow elements in the form of prefabricated reinforced concrete components of water-impermeable concrete are arranged in the junction regions. the hollow elements ensure the walkability of the cantilever regions. the “buoyancy” and “load-transfer” functions are uncoupled from each other at the connecting junctions of the pipe segments in the entire cantilever region and in the connecting region of the buoyancy elements that are located far outside, and are respectively associated with specific supporting foundation elements. construction includes mixed construction using steel and high-performance concrete. preferably, the structure is a combination of shell supporting frameworks of materials such as high-performance concrete and/or steel, prefabricated reinforced concrete parts and/or pipe segments and supporting bar frameworks of steel. the total supporting behavior is characterized by the trussed framework construction in the junctions and in the cantilever region, and the local load introduction of the buoyancy forces in the junctions and in the cantilever region. the local load introduction of the buoyancy forces occurs in the junctions due to the prefabricated reinforced concrete parts. in the cantilever region, the load introduction may also occur by pipe segments. the buoyancy elements are manufactured, in mixed construction, as prefabricated reinforced concrete parts—preferably as a shell having the form of a circular cylinder with a lower bottom plate and steel shell construction—preferably as a prefabricated shell having the form of a circular cylinder. the interfaces between the concrete construction and the steel construction are formed in the connecting junctions and in the connecting regions of the buoyancy elements. the interfaces are designed as a water-impermeable, corrosion-resistant transition construction, e.g. in the form of a steel construction. a high degree of variability is achieved regarding the inert mass distribution requirements for the total system. it is possible to adapt the system requirements of wind energy plants up to 6 megawatts. due to the use of system modules, a high level of prefabrication is achieved. modular assembly systems in semi-fabricated manufacturing condition can be delivered to final assembly. the load introduction of the cable forces takes place from the lower transfer into the trussed framework structure at the end of the cantilever, without stressing the buoyancy element. the manufacture of the system is cost-neutral, independent of the water-depth for depths up to 1000 (one thousand) meters. the system mass distribution can be optimally adapted by ballast elements of variable configuration—preferably by providing additional mass in the form of prefabricated reinforced concrete components—in the entire region of the trussed framework structure of the cantilevers. optionally, it is possible to adapt the total buoyancy force by additionally providing buoyancy elements of variable configuration, preferably in the form of spherical hollow bodies, at any point of the trussed framework structure of the cantilevers. the planning objective can be illustrated for a 3-megawatt wind power plant. the development of cantilever modifications for plants of up to approximately 5 to 6 megawatts is possible. the anchorage of the foundation system can be implemented by means of anchoring elements to be provided on the ocean floor, preferably by heavy-weight foundations in concrete construction. the heavy-weight foundations can be manufactured on site. the floating foundation supporting framework according to the invention for offshore structures comprises a plurality of buoyancy elements which are arranged on the outside of a supporting bar framework which, in turn, is connected to ballast elements via cables 8 , 9 , 10 . this design results in a simple construction and low construction costs. list of reference numerals 1 wind power plant2 mast3 floating foundation4 foundation supporting framework5 , 6 , 7 ballast elements8 , 9 , 10 , 10 a , 10 b cables11 , 12 , 13 cantilevers14 spatial trussed structure15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 pipe segments17 a box profile17 b socket end17 c,d flanges21 , 22 , 23 , 24 strut attachment fittings24 a permanent formwork25 , 26 pipe segments28 , 29 , 30 buoyancy elements31 cage32 , 33 , 34 box girder35 bar framework35 a , 35 b corbels35 c support36 upper side37 bottom38 lower part of buoyancy element39 upper part of buoyancy element40 seal41 connecting piece42 connecting arrangement43 , 44 struts45 bar46 seal47 chamber48 hydraulic adjustment arrangement49 a,b lateral supports50 - 53 box profile supports54 winch55 , 56 cable sheaves57 shaft58 , 59 bearing blocks60 , 61 hydraulic cylinder62 , 63 seals64 support65 , 66 dividing walls67 torque bracket68 ballast element69 buoyancy element
014-532-945-134-485	US	[ "US" ]	H04B7/06,H04L1/16,H04L27/26,H04W48/12,H04W48/14,H04W56/00,H04W72/04	2018-02-15T00:00:00	2018	[ "H04" ]	robust system information delivery on subset of beams	systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for robust system information (si) delivery are provided. one method may include receiving, by a network node, a si request from a ue, and transmitting an acknowledgement of the si request to the ue. in one example, the method may include selecting, by the network node, a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested si message. in an embodiment, the selecting may include selecting the subset of downlink beams based on si requests associated with ss/pbch blocks, and the subset of downlink beams associated with the si requests are used for the delivery of an si message.	1. a method, comprising: receiving, by a network node, a system information (si) request from a user equipment (ue); transmitting an acknowledgement of the system information (si) request to the user equipment (ue); selecting, by the network node, a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested system information (si) message; receiving, from the user equipment (ue), a new system information (si) request associated with an updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block index; and based on the updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch), transmitting the system information (si) message on the subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the user equipment (ue). 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting comprises selecting the subset of downlink beams based on system information (si) requests associated with synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks, and the subset of downlink beams associated with the system information (si) requests are used for delivery of a system information (si) message. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein the new si request comprises an indication informing the network node that the new system information (si) request is a re-transmission of the received system information (si) request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. 4. the method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving, from the user equipment (ue), a number/index of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block that the user equipment (ue) can no longer use for receiving the system information (si) message. 5. an apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive a system information (si) request from a user equipment (ue); transmit an acknowledgement of the system information (si) request to the user equipment (ue); select a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested system information (si) message; receive a new system information (si) request associated with an updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block index; and based on the updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch), transmit the system information (si) message on the subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the user equipment (ue). 6. the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to select the subset of downlink beams based on system information (si) requests associated with synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks, and the subset of downlink beams associated with the system information (si) requests are used for delivery of a system information (si) message. 7. the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the new si request comprises an indication informing the network node that the new system information (si) request is a re-transmission of the received system information (si) request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. 8. the apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive, from the user equipment (ue), a number/index of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block that the user equipment (ue) can no longer use for receiving the system information (si) message. 9. a method, comprising: monitoring synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks to determine whether a subset of downlink beams associated with a previously transmitted system information (si) request is still valid for receiving a requested system information (si) message; and when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted system information (si) request is no longer valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message, the method further comprises checking remaining minimum system information (rmsi) to determine whether the requested system information (si) message will be broadcast using all downlink beams, or transmitting a new system information (si) request. 10. the method of claim 9 , wherein the new system information (si) request is associated with an updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block index. 11. the method of claim 9 , wherein, if it is determined that a new, requested si message will be broadcast, then the method comprises waiting for the broadcast of the system information (si) message without transmitting the new system information (si) request. 12. the method of claim 9 , wherein, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted system information (si) request is no longer valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message, directly transmitting the new system information (si) request without checking the remaining minimum system information (rmsi). 13. the method of claim 9 , wherein it is determined whether the subset of downlink beams associated with a transmitted system information (si) request is still valid for receiving a new, requested system information (si) message, based on at least one of whether a received signal of the subset of downlink beams associated with the system information (si) request is below a certain threshold, on an order of superiority between the detected synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks, or on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. 14. the method of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting, to the network node, a number/index of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block that the user equipment (ue) can no longer use for receiving the si message. 15. an apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to monitor synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks to determine whether a subset of downlink beams associated with a previously transmitted system information (si) request is still valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message; and when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted system information (si) request is no longer valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message, the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to check remaining minimum system information (rmsi) to determine whether the requested system information (si) message will be broadcast using all downlink beams, or transmit a new system information (si) request. 16. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the new system information (si) request is associated with an updated synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block index. 17. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein, if it is determined that the requested system information (si) message will be broadcast, then the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to wait for the broadcast of the system information (si) message without transmitting the new system information (si) request. 18. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted system information (si) request is no longer valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message, the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to directly transmit the new system information (si) request without checking the remaining minimum system information (rmsi). 19. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein it is determined whether the subset of downlink beams associated with a transmitted system information (si) request is still valid for receiving the requested system information (si) message, based on at least one of whether a received signal of the subset of downlink beams associated with the system information (si) request is below a certain threshold, on an order of superiority between the detected synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks, or on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. 20. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit, to the network node, a number/index of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) block that the user equipment (ue) can no longer use for receiving the si message.	cross-reference to related applications this application claims priority from u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/631,068 filed on feb. 15, 2018. the contents of this earlier filed application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. field some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems. for instance, various example embodiments may be directed to system information (si) delivery in telecommunication systems, such as long term evolution (lte), fifth generation (5g) or new radio (nr) systems, or other wireless systems. background examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include the universal mobile telecommunications system (umts) terrestrial radio access network (utran), long term evolution (lte) evolved utran (e-utran), lte-advanced (lte-a), lte-a pro, and/or fifth generation (5g) radio access technology or new radio (nr) access technology. fifth generation (5g) or new radio (nr) wireless systems refer to the next generation (ng) of radio systems and network architecture. it is estimated that nr will provide bitrates on the order of 10-20 gbit/s or higher, and will support at least enhanced mobile broadband (embb) and ultra-reliable low-latency-communication (urllc). nr is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low latency connectivity and massive networking to support the internet of things (iot). with iot and machine-to-machine (m2m) communication becoming more widespread, there will be a growing need for networks that meet the needs of lower power, low data rate, and long battery life. it is noted that, in 5g or nr, the nodes that can provide radio access functionality to a user equipment (i.e., similar to node b in e-utran or enb in lte) may be referred to as a next generation or 5g node b (gnb). summary one embodiment is directed to a method that may include receiving, by a network node, a si request from a ue, and transmitting an acknowledgement of the si request to the ue. in one example, the method may include selecting, by the network node, a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested si message. in an embodiment, the selecting may include selecting the subset of downlink beams based on si requests associated with ss/pbch blocks, and the subset of downlink beams associated with the si requests are used for the delivery of an si message. according to certain embodiments, the method may further include, for example when the ue has determined that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for receiving the si message, receiving, from the ue, a new si request. in one example, the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. according to some embodiments, the re-transmitted (new) si request may include an indication informing the network node that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. the method may also include, based on the updated ss/pbch block index, transmitting the si message on a new downlink beam, such as on the selected subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. in an example embodiment, the method may also include receiving, from the ue, the number/index of the ss/pbch block that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive a si request from a ue, and transmit an acknowledgement of the si request to the ue. in one example, the apparatus may be caused to select a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested si message. in an embodiment, the selection of the subset of downlink beams may be based on si requests associated with ss/pbch blocks, and the subset of downlink beams associated with the si requests are used for the delivery of an si message. in one embodiment, the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to, for example when the ue has determined that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for receiving the si message, receive a new si request from the ue. in one example, the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. according to some embodiments, the re-transmitted (new) si request may include an indication informing the apparatus that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to, based on the updated ss/pbch block index, transmit the si message on a new downlink beam, such as on the selected subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. in an example embodiment, the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive, from the ue, the number/index of the ss/pbch block that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. another embodiment is directed to a method that may include receiving, from a ue, a si request, and transmitting an ack message including an indication to the ue that the si message will be delivered in a time window that is shorter than a si period. according to one embodiment, the method may further include transmitting the requested si message on a subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. in an embodiment, the transmitting may further include informing the ue that the requested si message will be transmitted on a same subset of downlink beams associated with the si request, for example, within a time duration that is much shorter than the si period. according to one example, the transmitting may also include indicating, to the ue, the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in one embodiment, transmitting may also include transmitting the indication when the time duration between receiving the si request and start of the si window is large enough that the subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in yet another embodiment, the method may further include configuring the ue to send si requests for an si message only within a time duration before the si window of the corresponding message starts. another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a ue, a si request, and to transmit an ack message including an indication to the ue that the si message will be delivered in a time window that is shorter than a si period. according to one embodiment, the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit the requested si message on a subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. in an embodiment, the apparatus may also be controlled to inform the ue that the requested si message will be transmitted on a same subset of downlink beams associated with the si request, for example, within a time duration that is much shorter than the si period. according to one example, the apparatus may also be controlled to further indicate, to the ue, the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in one embodiment, the apparatus may also be controlled to transmit the indication when the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception. in yet another embodiment, the apparatus may be further controlled to configure the ue to send si requests for an si message only within a time duration before the si window of the corresponding message starts. another embodiment is directed to a method that may include monitoring ss/pbch blocks to determine whether a subset of downlink beams associated with a transmitted si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message. according to an embodiment, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, the method may include checking rmsi to determine whether the requested si message will be broadcast using all downlink beams, or transmitting a new si request. according to an embodiment, if it is determined that the requested si message will not be broadcast, the method may include transmitting a new si request to the network. in one example, the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. in one embodiment, if it is determined that the requested si message will be broadcast, then the method may include waiting for the broadcast of the si message without transmitting the new si request. according to another embodiment, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, the method may include directly transmitting the new si request without checking the rmsi. in an example embodiment, it may be determined whether the subset of downlink beams associated with a transmitted si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message, for example, based on whether a received signal of the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is below a certain threshold, on an order of superiority between the detected ss/pbch blocks, or on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. according to one example embodiment, the method may also include transmitting, to the network node, the number/index of the ss/pbch block that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to monitor ss/pbch blocks to determine whether a subset of downlink beams associated with a previously transmitted si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message. according to an embodiment, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to check rmsi to determine whether the requested si message will be broadcast using all downlink beams, or to transmit a new si request. according to an embodiment, if it is determined that the requested si message will not be broadcast, the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit a new si request to the network. in one example, the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. in one embodiment, if it is determined that the requested si message will be broadcast, then the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to wait for the broadcast of the si message without transmitting the new si request. according to another embodiment, when it is determined that the subset of downlink beams associated with the previously transmitted si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to directly transmit the new si request without checking the rmsi. in an example embodiment, the apparatus may determine whether the subset of downlink beams associated with a transmitted si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message, for example, based on whether a received signal of the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is below a certain threshold, on an order of superiority between the detected ss/pbch blocks, or on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. according to one example embodiment, the apparatus may also be controlled to transmit, to the network node, the number/index of the ss/pbch block that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. another embodiment is directed to a method that may include transmitting a si request to a network node, and receiving an ack message including an indication that the requested si message will be delivered in a time window that is shorter than the si period. in one example, the indication may further include an indication of the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the requested si message. in an embodiment, the receiving may include receiving the indication when the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that a subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. the method may then include monitoring the indicated time window for the si message. another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit a si request to a network node, and receive an ack message including an indication that the si message will be delivered in a time window that is shorter than the si period. in one example, the indication may further include an indication of the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in an embodiment, the indication may be received when the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. the at least one memory and computer program code may be further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to monitor the indicated time window for the si message. brief description of the drawings for proper understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to one embodiment; fig. 2 illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to another embodiment; fig. 3a illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to one embodiment; fig. 3b illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to another embodiment; fig. 4a illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to one embodiment; fig. 4b illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to another embodiment; fig. 4c illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to another embodiment; and fig. 4d illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to another embodiment. detailed description it will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for robust system information (si) delivery, as represented in the attached figures and described below, is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments but is representative of selected example embodiments. the features, structures, or characteristics of example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. for example, the usage of the phrases “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. thus, appearances of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. additionally, if desired, the different functions or steps discussed below may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. furthermore, if desired, one or more of the described functions or steps may be optional or may be combined. as such, the following description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain example embodiments, and not in limitation thereof. in nr, the system information (si) may be split into: (1) minimum si, and (2) other si. the minimum si contains the essential information for public land mobile network (plmn) selection, cell selection, layer 1 (l1)/layer 2 (l2) parameters for initial access (i.e., content of master information block (mib), system information block 1 (sib 1) and system information block 2 (sib 2) in lte). the other si contains the remaining si with information that is not part of the minimum si. the minimum si may be transmitted over two different downlink (dl) channels using different radio resource control (rrc) messages in nr (e.g., masterinformationblock and systeminformationblocktype1). the term remaining minimum si (rmsi) may also be used to refer to systeminformationblocktype1. the other si may be transmitted in systeminformationblocktype2 and above. the minimum si and rmsi may be broadcasted periodically like in the lte system, whereas the other si may be periodically broadcasted or delivered on demand. the rmsi may include an indicator whether the concerning si/sib message is provided by broadcast or on demand, i.e., one or multiple sibs may be mapped to an si message. for nr systems operating at high carrier frequency or employing transmit (tx) beamforming in general, the broadcast transmission may be performed using a grid of beams sweeping a set of beams in horizontal and vertical directions to cover all the area of a cell. the parameters required for requesting an on-demand other si message using msg 1 or msg 3 may be included in the rmsi. the network may acknowledge the si request of the ue in msg 2 or msg 4, depending on whether si request is performed using msg 1 or msg 3, respectively. moreover, to inform the ue on how to receive the other si, the rmsi may include the scheduling information, such as the mapping of the sibs to si messages, the configuration of the length of the si window pertaining to each si message, i.e., the time duration over which the si message is delivered by the network and scheduled periodically, the periodicity of the si window, and the number of repetitions within the si window, etc. the ue can improve the detection probability by combining the multiple repetitions within the si window, i.e., by providing combining/diversity gain. in order to limit the number of si requests, the ue may check in the rmsi whether the si message of interest will be provided by broadcast before sending the si request. if the required si message is not broadcasted, the ue may first send an si request, otherwise the ue may monitor directly the scheduling information of the si message for reception. for synchronization, the ue may monitor synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (ss/pbch) blocks candidate locations defined in certain 3 rd generation partnership project (3gpp) specifications. one ss/pbch block may include four orthogonal frequency division multiplex (ofdm) symbols and may contain a primary synchronization signal (pss), a secondary synchronization signal (sss), physical broadcast channel (pbch) containing mib along with demodulation deference signal (dmrs). each ss/pbch block may be sent to a specific direction to ensure sufficient coverage for the broadcast and synchronisation. the maximum number l of ss/pbch block candidate locations per frequency range may determine the maximum number of beams in beam sweep. the ue may obtain the ss/pbch block index from each ss/pbch block. for instance, for l=4 and l>4, the ue may determine the two least significant bits (lsb) of the ss/pbch block index per half-frame from one-to-one mapping with an index of the dmrs sequence transmitted in the pbch. for l=64 (for frequencies above 6 ghz), the ue may determine the remaining 3 most significant bits (msb) from the higher layer parameter ssb-index-explicit in mib. when monitoring for rmsi or other si, i.e., trying to receive physical downlink control channel (pdcch) or physical downlink shared channel (pdsch) for rmsi or broadcasted other si, a ue may assume that the dmrs port of pdcch and/or pdsch are quasi co-located (qcl) with the associated ss/pbch block. for rmsi, the association may be determined by the monitoring occasions corresponding to each ss/pbch block index. the details of other si monitoring occasions have not yet been determined, but similar associations as for rmsi and ss/pbch block will be supported. broadcasting a si message is expensive in terms of downlink radio resources since the same content has to be repeated on all beams of a cell which can be up to l=64 in nr. in case the number of si requests in the cell is small, i.e., only a few ues in the cell have requested the si message, it may be beneficial if the network sends the requested si message only on the downlink beams (identified by ss/pbch block index) associated with the received si requests. for example, one approach may be for the network to learn or count the number of ues interested in an on-demand si message in different time periods and make profiles for the different times of the day, i.e., low number of si request in early morning/night, much higher during rush hour, and so on. in this learning phase, the network can transmit the si message in the direction of the requesting ue upon receiving an si request. alternatively, the network may assume at the beginning of each si period that the broadcast on a subset of beams would be the baseline transmission approach. if the number of received si request becomes larger than a threshold, the network may decide to broadcast the si message on all beams to refrain further ues from sending their si requests. the configuration of the threshold may be subject to network dimensioning and optimization similar to any other configuration parameter. the association between the received si request and the downlink transmit beam (delivering the si message) may be implicitly defined. after sending the si request in uplink based on an association with ss/pbch block index x, the ue should expect to receive the on-demand si message from time occasions associated with ss/pbch block x. for enabling the transmission of on-demand si message on a subset of all beams, a solution has been proposed in which the ue may check if a certain on-demand si message is already being broadcasted before requesting it. according to this proposal, ue that has requested a certain on-demand si message is not mandated to check any associated broadcast flag before trying to receive it, i.e., the ue does not need to check the rmsi for broadcast after the si request has been sent and before the si message is received. after having transmitted an si request associated with a particular ss/pbch block index (i.e., prach occasion), the ue may assume that the on-demand si message will be delivered on time occasions associated with ss/pbch block x (e.g., to broadcast beam x). thus, if the network does not indicate in rmsi that the si message will be delivered by broadcast, the ue can assume that the requested si message will be delivered on the downlink beam associated with the si request. however, this solution has the problem that the downlink beam transmitting the si message and associated with the si request may no longer be suitable/strong enough for receiving the si message. in other words, the best reception downlink beam of the ue may change while waiting for the si window due to, for example, obstruction by moving obstacles, pedestrians, or ue movement or rotation, etc. as such, the ue may fail to receive the requested si message in the si window since the network will not deliver it in the new beam direction detected by the ue. indeed, this problem is likely to occur because the time duration between the time the si request/or si acknowledgement (ack) is sent/received and the occurrence of the si window can be quite large depending on the configuration of si periodicity. for instance, if lte values of si periodicity are taken as baseline, the time duration may be 80 ms, 160 ms, 320 ms, 640 ms, 1.28 s, 2.56 s and 5.12 s. therefore, presently, on-demand si content is broadcast on all beams, which is particularly inefficient when the number of ues wanting on-demand si is low and when the number of beams is high (e.g., up to 64 in nr). the network can determine a sub-set of beams to use for sending on-demand si content by determining which ‘ss/pbch blocks’ the ues use when they synchronise to the network. the network determines this information from the implicit association between the received si request and ss/pbch block index. since the best sub-set of beams to use for sending si may change by the time the on-demand si is broadcast, one embodiment provides that the ue may re-transmit the on-demand request when the ue synchronises to a different ‘ss/pbch block’. another embodiment is directed to reducing the time between the network receiving an on-demand si request and the network broadcasting the on-demand si message. these example embodiments will be discussed in more detail below. some example embodiments provide methods for increasing the robustness of si delivery on a subset of beams. for example, certain embodiments enable the network and ues (which may be in rrc idle/inactive state) to synchronize on the time occasions and the subset of all downlink beam(s) for receiving a requested si message. in one embodiment, a ue may be configured to continue monitoring the ss/pbch blocks, which are the resource blocks carrying primary/secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel, after receiving the ack for the si request, for example, associated with ss/pbch block index x. according to an example embodiment, if a lower/physical layer of the ue detects that ss/pbch block index x is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, it may inform the upper/rrc layer of the ue which may trigger a procedure where the ue checks again in the rmsi whether the si message will be delivered by broadcast. in one example, as a part of this procedure, the ue may select a new ss/pbch block (e.g., with index m, where m≠x) based on which it obtains the rmsi. if the rmsi information indicates that the other si (of interest) will be delivered by broadcast, the ue may start to monitor the si window/occasion associated with the ss/pbch block (e.g., of index m). otherwise, if the rmsi information does not indicate that the other si (of interest) will be delivered by broadcast, the rrc layer of the ue may re-transmit the si request (which will be associated later on in the physical layer with the new ss/pbch block (beam)). in an embodiment, having received an acknowledgement to the new si request associated with the new ss/pbch block index (i.e., beam), the ue may start to monitor the si window/occasions associated with the new ss/pbch block (e.g., of index m). in another embodiment, the network may inform the ue that the requested si message will be broadcasted on the same beam associated with the si request within a time duration that is much shorter than the si period. for example, the time duration may be short enough that the downlink beam x associated with the si request remains suitable for si reception. in other words, as one example, the indicated time duration is such that the downlink beam transmitting the si message and associated with the si request is still strong enough to receive the si message. in yet another embodiment, the network may configure the ues to send the si requests for an on-demand si message only within a time duration before the si window of the corresponding message starts. for example, the time duration may be short enough that the downlink beam x associated with the si request remains suitable for si reception. the time duration may be configured by the network or given in the specifications. fig. 1 illustrates an example signaling diagram, according to certain embodiments of the invention. as illustrated in the example of fig. 1 , at 110 , a ue 101 may transmit a si request to a network node 102 , such as a base station, enb or gnb. at 120 , the network node 102 may transmit an ack acknowledging the si request to the ue 101 . after receiving the ack message, the ue 101 may monitor, at 130 , the ss/pbch blocks to determine if the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message. for example, in an embodiment, the ue 101 may check if a received signal of the downlink beam associated with the si request is below a certain threshold. in one example, the threshold may be pre-configured by the network. in some embodiments, the ue 101 may determine the validity of the downlink beam based, for example, on an order of superiority between the detected ss/pbch blocks, on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. according to certain examples, the ue may not need to monitor all the ss burst sets (where one ss burst corresponds to one complete ss/pbch block sweep) located between the time instant the ack is received and the si window. it is noted that a ss burst set may refer to the half-frame in which the ss/pbch blocks are sent. in one example, when the ue 101 detects, at 140 , that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, the ue 101 may, at 150 , re-check in rmsi (e.g., sib1 in nr) whether the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast before re-transmitting the si request at 160 . thus, if the ue 101 determines from re-checking the rmsi that the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast, then the ue 101 will skip step 160 and not re-transmit the si request. in another example, when the ue 101 detects, at 140 , that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, the ue 101 may re-send the si request directly, at 160 , without checking the rmsi. in other words, according to this example embodiment, the ue 101 skips the step 150 of re-checking the rmsi and proceeds directly to re-transmitting the si request at 160 . according to some embodiments, the ue 101 may inform the network that the new si request 160 is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request 110 associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. in an embodiment, the ue 101 may also indicate, to the network, the number/index of the ss/pbch block (beam) that the ue 101 can no longer use for receiving the si message. as an example, the ue indication that the new si request 160 is a re-transmission may be signaled in msg 3 carrying the si request, or in msg 1 if extended with a data part, or in a separate message than the one carrying the si request. after receiving the new si request 160 , the network node 102 may transmit the si message, at 170 , on the new downlink beam and may refrain from sending it on the downlink beam that the ue can no longer use for si reception (e.g., if the number of ss/pbch block is conveyed to the network). fig. 2 illustrates an example signaling diagram, according to some additional embodiments of the invention. as illustrated in the example of fig. 2 , at 210 , a ue 201 may transmit a si request to a network node 202 , such as a base station, enb or gnb. in this example embodiment, at 220 , the network node 202 may transmit an ack including an indication to the ue 201 that the si message will be delivered shortly after receiving the ack message, which will be much earlier than the si window. in other words, in this example, the network node 202 may indicate that the si message will be delivered in a time window or occasion that is shorter than the si period. according to one example, the network indication may be transmitted as part of the ack in msg 2 when the si request is performed using msg 1. in another example, the network indication may be transmitted as part of the ack in msg 4 when the si request is performed using msg 3. according to certain embodiments, the network node 202 may also indicate to the ue 201 the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in some embodiments, the scheduling information for the si message delivered shortly after the ack may be conveyed in ack msg 2 or msg 4, in a dci scheduling the si message, in rmsi, or fixed in the specifications. the scheduling information for the si message may include, for example, time/frequency resources, modulation coding scheme (mcs), time duration for monitoring the si message, etc. according to certain embodiments, the network node 202 may send the indication, at 220 , if the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the downlink beam corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in an embodiment, ue(s) that receive the network indication in the ack message may monitor the si message in the time window that is scheduled shortly after receiving the ack. in the example of fig. 2 , the ue 201 , after receiving the indication at 220 , monitors the si message in the indicated time window, at 240 , shortly after receiving the indication. however, in an embodiment, ue(s) that do not receive any network indication in the ack message monitor the si window for receiving the requested si message. hence, in the example of fig. 2 , the ue 200 , which sends its si request at 235 and receives an ack with no indication at 237 , monitors the si window at 250 to receive the requested si message. fig. 3a illustrates an example of an apparatus 10 according to an embodiment. in an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a node, host, or server in a communications network or serving such a network. for example, apparatus 10 may be a base station, a node b, an evolved node b (enb), 5g node b or access point, next generation node b (ng-nb or gnb), wlan access point, mobility management entity (mme), and/or subscription server associated with a radio access network, such as a gsm network, lte network, 5g or nr. it should be understood that, in some example embodiments, apparatus 10 may be comprised of an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system where the server and the radio node may be stand-alone apparatuses communicating with each other via a radio path or via a wired connection, or they may be located in a same entity communicating via a wired connection. it should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 10 may include components or features not shown in fig. 3 a. as illustrated in the example of fig. 3a , apparatus 10 may include a processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. processor 12 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. in fact, processor 12 may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (dsps), field-programmable gate arrays (fpgas), application-specific integrated circuits (asics), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. while a single processor 12 is shown in fig. 3a , multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. for example, it should be understood that, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system (e.g., in this case processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. in certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster). processor 12 may perform functions associated with the operation of apparatus 10 , which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the apparatus 10 , including processes related to management of communication resources. apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to a memory 14 (internal or external), which may be coupled to processor 12 , for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 12 . memory 14 may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and/or removable memory. for example, memory 14 can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (hdd), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable media. the instructions stored in memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 12 , enable the apparatus 10 to perform tasks as described herein. in an embodiment, apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to (internal or external) a drive or port that is configured to accept and read an external computer readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, usb drive, flash drive, or any other storage medium. for example, the external computer readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 12 and/or apparatus 10 . in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting and receiving signals and/or data to and from apparatus 10 . apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. the transceiver 18 may include, for example, a plurality of radio interfaces that may be coupled to the antenna(s) 15 . the radio interfaces may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of gsm, nb-iot, lte, 5g, wlan, bluetooth, bt-le, nfc, radio frequency identifier (rfid), ultrawideband (uwb), multefire, and the like. the radio interface may include components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters and the like), mappers, a fast fourier transform (fft) module, and the like, to generate symbols for a transmission via one or more downlinks and to receive symbols (for example, via an uplink). as such, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information on to a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 15 and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 15 for further processing by other elements of apparatus 10 . in other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals or data directly. additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may include an input and/or output device (i/o device). in an embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12 . the modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for apparatus 10 . the memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as an application or program, to provide additional functionality for apparatus 10 . the components of apparatus 10 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. according to some embodiments, processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. in addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 18 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry. as used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to hardware-only circuitry implementations (e.g., analog and/or digital circuitry), combinations of hardware circuits and software, combinations of analog and/or digital hardware circuits with software/firmware, any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processors) that work together to case an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 ) to perform various functions, and/or hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s), or portions thereof, that use software for operation but where the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. as a further example, as used herein, the term “circuitry” may also cover an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its accompanying software and/or firmware. the term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device. as introduced above, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be a network node or ran node, such as a base station, access point, node b, enb, gnb, wlan access point, or the like. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform the functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as the signaling flow diagrams illustrated in fig. 1 or 2 . for example, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform one or more of the steps performed by the network node 102 of fig. 1 or the network node 202 of fig. 2 . in some embodiments, for instance, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform a process for robust si delivery on a subset of beams. in one embodiment, apparatus 10 may be configured to receive a second si request when a ue synchronizes to a different ss/pbch block from the one associated with the original si request. for instance, in this example embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to receive, from the ue, a si request and to transmit an ack acknowledging the si request to the ue. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to select a subset of downlink beams for transmitting a requested si message. in one example, the subset of downlink beams may be selected based on the si requests associated with the ss/pbch blocks. in certain embodiments, only a subset of downlink beams associated with si requests are used for the delivery of an si message. in an embodiment, when the ue determines that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to receive a new si request from the ue. the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. according to some embodiments, the re-transmitted (new) si request may include an indication informing apparatus 10 that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. in an embodiment, apparatus 10 may receive the new si request along with an indication of the number/index of the ss/pbch block (beam) that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. as an example, the ue indication that the new si request is a re-transmission may be received by apparatus 10 in msg 3 carrying the si request, or in msg 1 if extended with a data part, or in a separate message than the one carrying the si request. after receiving the new si request, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to transmit the si message on the new downlink beam that the ue has synchronized to, and apparatus 10 may refrain from sending the si message on the downlink beam that the ue can no longer use for si reception (e.g., if the number of ss/pbch block is conveyed to the apparatus 10 ). another embodiment may be directed to reducing the time between apparatus 10 receiving a si request and apparatus 10 broadcasting the si message. in this example embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to receive, from a ue, a si request. according to one example, apparatus 10 may then be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to transmit an ack including an indication to the ue that the si message will be delivered shortly after the ue receives the ack message, which will be much earlier than the si window. for example, the transmitted ack may indicate to the ue that the si message will be transmitted in a time window or occasion that is shorter than the si period. in another embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to inform the ue that the requested si message will be broadcasted on the same beam associated with the si request within a time duration that is much shorter than the si period. for instance, the time duration may be short enough that the downlink beam associated with the si request remains suitable for si reception. as one example, the indicated time duration may be such that the downlink beam transmitting the si message and associated with the si request is still strong enough to receive the si message. in an example embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to transmit the indication as part of the ack in msg 2 when the si request is performed using msg 1. in another example embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to transmit the indication as part of the ack in msg 4 when the si request is performed using msg 3. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may also be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to indicate to the ue the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. according to some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to send the indication if the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the downlink beam corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in yet another embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to configure the ues to send the si requests for an on-demand si message only within a time duration before the si window of the corresponding message starts. for example, the time duration may be short enough that the downlink beam associated with the si request remains suitable for si reception. the time duration may be configured by the network or given in the specifications. in some embodiments, the scheduling information for the si message delivered shortly after the ack may be conveyed in ack msg 2 or msg 4, in a dci scheduling the si message, in rmsi, or fixed in the specifications. the scheduling information for the si message may include, for example, time/frequency resources, modulation coding scheme (mcs), time duration for monitoring the si message, etc. in an embodiment, ue(s) that receive the indication, from apparatus 10 , in the ack message may monitor the si message in the time window that is scheduled shortly after receiving the ack. however, in an embodiment, ue(s) that do not receive any indication, from apparatus 10 , in the ack message just monitor the si window for receiving the requested si message. fig. 3b illustrates an example of an apparatus 20 according to another embodiment. in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communications network or associated with such a network, such as a ue, mobile equipment (me), mobile station, mobile device, stationary device, iot device, or other device. as described herein, ue may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, mobile equipment, mobile unit, mobile device, user device, subscriber station, wireless terminal, tablet, smart phone, iot device or nb-iot device, or the like. as one example, apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for instance, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, or the like. in some example embodiments, apparatus 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage medium (for example, memory, storage, or the like), one or more radio access components (for example, a modem, a transceiver, or the like), and/or a user interface. in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies, such as gsm, lte, lte-a, nr, 5g, wlan, wifi, nb-iot, bluetooth, nfc, multefire, and/or any other radio access technologies. it should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 20 may include components or features not shown in fig. 3 b. as illustrated in the example of fig. 3b , apparatus 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. processor 22 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. in fact, processor 22 may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (dsps), field-programmable gate arrays (fpgas), application-specific integrated circuits (asics), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. while a single processor 22 is shown in fig. 3b , multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. for example, it should be understood that, in certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system (e.g., in this case processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. in certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster). processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of apparatus 20 including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the apparatus 20 , including processes related to management of communication resources. apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to a memory 24 (internal or external), which may be coupled to processor 22 , for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 22 . memory 24 may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and/or removable memory. for example, memory 24 can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (hdd), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable media. the instructions stored in memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 22 , enable the apparatus 20 to perform tasks as described herein. in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to (internal or external) a drive or port that is configured to accept and read an external computer readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, usb drive, flash drive, or any other storage medium. for example, the external computer readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 22 and/or apparatus 20 . in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving a downlink signal and for transmitting via an uplink from apparatus 20 . apparatus 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. the transceiver 28 may also include a radio interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to the antenna 25 . the radio interface may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of gsm, lte, lte-a, 5g, nr, wlan, nb-iot, bluetooth, bt-le, nfc, rfid, uwb, and the like. the radio interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters and the like), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, an inverse fast fourier transform (ifft) module, and the like, to process symbols, such as ofdma symbols, carried by a downlink or an uplink. for instance, transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information on to a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 25 and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 25 for further processing by other elements of apparatus 20 . in other embodiments, transceiver 28 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals or data directly. additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may include an input and/or output device (i/o device). in certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or touchscreen. in an embodiment, memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 22 . the modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for apparatus 20 . the memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as an application or program, to provide additional functionality for apparatus 20 . the components of apparatus 20 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. according to an example embodiment, apparatus 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with apparatus 10 via a wireless or wired communications link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as nr. according to some embodiments, processor 22 and memory 24 may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. in addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 28 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry. as discussed above, according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be a ue, mobile device, mobile station, me, iot device and/or nb-iot device, for example. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to perform the functions associated with embodiments described herein. for instance, in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured to perform one or more of the processes depicted in any of the flow charts or block diagrams described herein, such as the signaling flow diagram illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 . as an example, apparatus 20 may be configured for robust reception of si on a subset of beams. according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to transmit a si request to a network node, such as a base station, enb or gnb. in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to receive, from the network node, an ack acknowledging the si request. after receiving the ack message, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to monitor the ss/pbch blocks to determine whether the downlink beam associated with the si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message. for example, in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to check if a received signal of the downlink beam associated with the si request is below a certain threshold. in one example, the threshold may be pre-configured by the network. in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to determine the validity of the downlink beam based, for example, on an order of superiority between the detected ss/pbch blocks, on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. according to certain examples, apparatus 20 may not need to monitor all the ss burst sets (where one ss burst corresponds to one complete ss/pbch block sweep) located between the time instant the ack is received and the si window. in one example, when apparatus 20 detects that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to, before transmitting a new si request, re-check in rmsi (e.g., sib1 in nr) whether the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast. thus, if apparatus 20 determines from re-checking the rmsi that the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast, then apparatus 20 will wait for broadcast of the si message and not transmit the new si request. if apparatus 20 determines that the requested si message will not be broadcast by the network, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to re-transmit the si request. in another example, when apparatus 20 detects that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to re-send the si request directly, without first checking the rmsi. in other words, according to this example embodiment, apparatus 20 may skip the step of re-checking the rmsi and proceed directly to re-transmitting the si request. according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to inform the network that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may also be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to indicate, to the network, the number/index of the ss/pbch block (beam) that the apparatus 20 can no longer use for receiving the si message. as an example, the indication that the new si request is a re-transmission may be signaled in msg 3 carrying the si request, or in msg 1 if extended with a data part, or in a separate message than the one carrying the si request. after transmitting the new si request, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to receive the si message on the new downlink beam that apparatus 20 has synchronized to. in another embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to transmit a si request to a network node, and to receive an ack including an indication to the apparatus 20 that the si message will be delivered in a time window shortly after receiving the ack message, and which will be much shorter than the si period. according to one example, the network indication may be transmitted as part of the ack in msg 2 when the si request is performed using msg 1. in another example, the network indication may be transmitted as part of the ack in msg 4 when the si request is performed using msg 3. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may also be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to receive an indication of the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in some embodiments, the scheduling information for the si message delivered shortly after the ack may be conveyed in ack msg 2 or msg 4, in a dci scheduling the si message, in rmsi, or fixed in the specifications. the scheduling information for the si message may include, for example, time/frequency resources, modulation coding scheme (mcs), time duration for monitoring the si message, etc. according to certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to receive the indication if the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the downlink beam corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in an embodiment, based on the receipt of the network indication in the ack message, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to monitor the si message in the time window that is scheduled shortly after receiving the ack. fig. 4a illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for si delivery, according to one embodiment. in certain embodiments, the flow diagram of fig. 4a may be performed by a network node, such as an access point, base station, node b, enb, gnb, or any other access node. as illustrated in the example of fig. 4a , the method may include, at 400 , receiving a si request from a ue. the method may then include, at 405 , transmitting an ack message acknowledging the si request to the ue. according to certain embodiments, the method may include selecting, by the network node, a subset of downlink beams for transmitting the requested si message. in an embodiment, for example when the ue determines that the downlink beam associated with the si request is no longer valid for receiving the requested si message, the method may include, at 410 , receiving a new si request again from the ue. for example, the new si request may be associated with an updated ss/pbch block index. according to some embodiments, the receiving 410 of the new si request may include receiving an indication informing the network node that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request (i.e., the si request received in step 400 ) that is associated with a downlink beam that is no longer valid for reception. in an embodiment, the receiving 410 may include receiving the new si request along with an indication of the number/index of the ss/pbch block (beam) that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. as an example, the receiving 410 may include receiving the ue indication that the new si request is a re-transmission in msg 3 carrying the si request, or in msg 1 if extended with a data part, or in a separate message than the one carrying the si request. after receiving the new si request, the method may include, at 415 , transmitting the si message on the new downlink beam, e.g., the subset of downlink beams, that is valid for reception at the ue, and refraining from sending it on the downlink beam that the ue can no longer use for si reception. fig. 4b illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for reducing the time between a network receiving a si request and broadcasting the si message, according to an embodiment. in certain embodiments, the flow diagram of fig. 4b may be performed by a network node, such as an access point, base station, node b, enb, gnb, or any other access node. in the example of fig. 4b , the method may include, at 420 , receiving, from a ue, a si request. according to one example, the method may also include, at 425 , transmitting an ack message including an indication to the ue that the si message will be delivered in a time window beginning shortly after the ue receives the ack message, which will be much earlier than the si window. according to one embodiment, the method may also include transmitting the requested si message on a subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. in an embodiment, the transmitting 425 may further include informing the ue that the requested si message will be transmitted on a same subset of downlink beams associated with the si request. in an example embodiment, the transmitting 425 may include transmitting the indication as part of the ack in msg 2 when the si request is performed using msg 1. in another example embodiment, the transmitting 425 may include transmitting the indication as part of the ack in msg 4 when the si request is performed using msg 3. according to certain embodiments, the transmitting 425 may further include transmitting an indication, to the ue, of the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. according to some embodiments, the transmitting 425 may include sending the indication if the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in some embodiments, the scheduling information for the si message delivered shortly after the ack may be conveyed in ack msg 2 or msg 4, in a dci scheduling the si message, in rmsi, or fixed in the specifications. the scheduling information for the si message may include, for example, time/frequency resources, modulation coding scheme (mcs), time duration for monitoring the si message, etc. in an embodiment, ue(s) that receive the indication, from the network node, in the ack message may monitor the si message in the time window that is scheduled shortly after receiving the ack. however, in an embodiment, ue(s) that do not receive any indication, from the network node, in the ack message just monitor the si window for receiving the requested si message. in an embodiment, the method may further include, at 430 , transmitting the si message in the time window indicated in the ack message. fig. 4c illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for receipt of si on a subset of beams, according to one embodiment. in certain embodiments, the flow diagram of fig. 4c may be performed, for example, by a ue, mobile station, mobile equipment, iot device, or the like. according to some embodiments, the method may include, at 440 , transmitting a si request to a network node and, at 445 , receiving an ack message acknowledging the si request. after receiving the ack message, the method may include, at 450 , monitoring the ss/pbch blocks to determine whether a subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is still valid for receiving the requested si message. for example, in an embodiment, the monitoring 450 may include checking whether a received signal of the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is below a certain threshold. in one example, the threshold may be pre-configured by the network. in some embodiments, the monitoring 450 may include determining the validity of the subset of downlink beams based, for example, on an order of superiority between the detected ss/pbch blocks, on some relative received power difference between them, or on an absolute threshold. if it is determined at 455 that the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is still valid for reception, then the method may include, at 460 , monitoring the regular si window to receive the si message. in one example, when it is detected at 455 that the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, the method may optionally include, before re-transmitting the si request, re-checking in rmsi whether the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast at 465 . if it is determined, at 475 , that the requested si message will be delivered by broadcast, then the method may include, at 480 , receiving the si message by broadcast and not re-transmitting the si request. if it is determined, at 475 , that the requested si message will not be broadcast by the network, then the method may include re-transmitting a new si request at 470 . in another example, when it is detected at 455 that the subset of downlink beams associated with the si request is no longer valid for reception, the method may proceed directly to re-transmitting a new si request at 470 , without first checking the rmsi. in other words, according to this example embodiment, the method may skip steps 465 and 475 , and instead proceed directly to the re-transmitting step 470 . according to some embodiments, the re-transmitting 470 may include informing the network that the new si request is actually a re-transmission of a previously sent si request associated with a subset of downlink beams that is no longer valid for reception. in an embodiment, the re-transmitting 470 may include indicating, to the network, the number/index of the ss/pbch block (beam) that the ue can no longer use for receiving the si message. as an example, the re-transmitting 470 may include transmitting the indication that the new si request is a re-transmission in msg 3 carrying the si request, or in msg 1 if extended with a data part, or in a separate message than the one carrying the si request. after transmitting the new si request, the method may include, at 485 , receiving the si message on a new subset of downlink beams that is valid for reception at the ue. fig. 4d illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for receipt of si on a subset of beams, according to one embodiment. in certain embodiments, the flow diagram of fig. 4d may be performed, for example, by a ue, mobile station, mobile equipment, iot device, or the like. according to some embodiments, the method may include, at 490 , transmitting a si request to a network node. the method may then include, at 492 , receiving an ack message including an indication to the ue that the si message will be delivered shortly after receiving the ack message, which will be much earlier than the si window. according to one example, the receiving 492 may include receiving the network indication as part of the ack in msg 2 when the si request is performed using msg 1. in another example, the receiving 492 may include receiving the network indication as part of the ack in msg 4 when the si request is performed using msg 3. according to certain embodiments, the receiving 492 may include receiving an indication of the time duration that the ue should monitor to receive the si message. in some embodiments, the scheduling information for the si message delivered shortly after the ack may be conveyed in ack msg 2 or msg 4, in a dci scheduling the si message, in rmsi, or fixed in the specifications. the scheduling information for the si message may include, for example, time/frequency resources, modulation coding scheme (mcs), time duration for monitoring the si message, etc. according to certain embodiments, the receiving 492 may include receiving the indication if the time duration between receiving the si request and the start of si window is large enough that the subset of downlink beams corresponding to the si request may no longer be assumed to be valid for reception in si window. in an embodiment, based on the receipt of the network indication in the ack message, the method may include, at 495 , monitoring the si message in the indicated time window that is scheduled shortly after receiving the ack. therefore, certain example embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements, and/or advantages. various example embodiments are able to provide for robust si delivery and/or reception. as a result of some embodiments, signaling and network overhead are reduced. in addition, certain embodiments are able to reduce ue power consumption. as such, example embodiments can improve performance, latency, and/or throughput of networks and network nodes including, for example, access points, base stations/enbs/gnbs, and mobile devices or ues. accordingly, the use of certain example embodiments result in improved functioning of communications networks and their nodes. in some example embodiments, the functionality of any of the methods, processes, signaling diagrams, algorithms or flow charts described herein may be implemented by software and/or computer program code or portions of code stored in memory or other computer readable or tangible media, and executed by a processor. in some example embodiments, an apparatus may be included or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit or entity configured as arithmetic operation(s), or as a program or portions of it (including an added or updated software routine), executed by at least one operation processor. programs, also called program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets and macros, may be stored in any apparatus-readable data storage medium and include program instructions to perform particular tasks. a computer program product may comprise one or more computer-executable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out some example embodiments. the one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of it. modifications and configurations required for implementing functionality of an embodiment may be performed as routine(s), which may be implemented as added or updated software routine(s). software routine(s) may be downloaded into the apparatus. software or a computer program code or portions of it may be in a source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form, and it may be stored in some sort of carrier, distribution medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. such carriers include a record medium, computer memory, read-only memory, photoelectrical and/or electrical carrier signal, telecommunications signal, and software distribution package, for example. depending on the processing power needed, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or it may be distributed amongst a number of computers. the computer readable medium or computer readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium. in other example embodiments, the functionality may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 or apparatus 20 ), for example through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a programmable gate array (pga), a field programmable gate array (fpga), or any other combination of hardware and software. in yet another example embodiment, the functionality may be implemented as a signal, a non-tangible means that can be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the internet or other network. according to an embodiment, an apparatus, such as a node, device, or a corresponding component, may be configured as circuitry, a computer or a microprocessor, such as single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, including at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for arithmetic operation and an operation processor for executing the arithmetic operation. one having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the example embodiments as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. therefore, although some embodiments have been described based upon these example preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of example embodiments.
017-752-309-381-788	US	[ "US" ]	C08F2/46	2009-04-07T00:00:00	2009	[ "C08" ]	jettable ink composition	jettable radiation-curable building compositions and jettable support compositions useful for three-dimensional printing of objects, such as for rapid prototyping, which exhibit an excellent balance of liquid jettability properties and cured properties are provided. the radiation-curable building composition, which may be used for either three-dimensional printing or single pass (two-dimensional) printing comprises 10 to 30 percent of dendritic oligomer(s), 40-70 percent of mono-functional monomer(s), and up to 15 percent of at least one photoinitiator. the jettable support material has similar liquid jettability properties and a similar composition, but further comprises an amine synergist in an amount sufficient to produce a material that can be easily broken and separated from cured building material.	1 . a radiation-curable, jettable composition for printing on a substrate and/or printing a three-dimensional article, the composition comprising: a) 10-30 percent of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight; b) 40-70 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight; c) an amount of at least one photoinitiator that is effective to induce rapid curing of the composition upon exposure to an activating radiation; d) optionally up to 20 percent by weight of a non-dendritic oligomer by weight; e) at least one dendritic oligomer, the optional at least one non-dendritic oligomer, and the at least one mono-functional monomer comprising at least 65 percent of the composition by weight; f) optionally up to 20 percent by weight of additives selected from poly-functional monomers, pigments, dispersion agents, anti-foaming agents, emulsifiers, surfactants, biocides, humectants, buffering agents and stabilizers; and g) wherein the composition does not contain a surface agent. 2 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the mono-functional monomer is an acrylate. 3 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the mono-functional monomer is isobornyl acrylate. 4 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is an acrylate oligomer. 5 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate. 6 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate having a weight average of from 6 to 18 acrylate groups per molecule. 7 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate having an acrylate equivalent weight of from 96 to 194. 8 . a composition of claim 1 , wherein the dendritic oligomer has a viscosity at 25° c. of from 320 to 3500 centipoise. 9 . a jettable support material for three-dimensional printing of an article, the composition comprising: a. 1 to 30 percent of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight; b. 1 to 30 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight; c. 10 to 50 percent of an amine synergist by weight; d. optionally up to about 15 percent of at least one photoinitiator by weight, optionally up to 20 percent by weight of a non-dendritic oligomer by weight; and e. optionally up to 20 percent by weight of additives selected from poly-functional monomers, pigments, dispersion agents, anti-foaming agents, surfactants, biocides, humectants, buffering agents and stabilizers. 10 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the mono-functional monomer is an acrylate. 11 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the mono-functional monomer is isobornyl acrylate. 12 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is an acrylate oligomer. 13 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate. 14 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate having a weight average of from 6 to 18 acrylate groups per molecule. 15 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the dendritic oligomer is a hyperbranched polyester acrylate having an acrylate equivalent weight of from 96 to 194. 16 . a composition of claim 9 , wherein the dendritic oligomer has a viscosity at 25° c. of from 320 to 3500 centipoise.	copyright notice a portion of the disclosure of this patent contains material that is subject to copyright protection. the copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. field of the invention the present invention relates to radiation curable compositions and methods suitable for three dimensional inkjet printing applications. in particular the present invention relates to compositions and methods of curable inks that obviate the need for surface agents such as a surfactant and show improved properties over compositions of the prior art. background of the invention there is a recognized need for radiation-curable jettable compositions, such as inks, that rapidly cure, exhibit excellent film durability and adhesion to substrates. potential advantages include no volatile organic compound emissions or hazardous air pollutants, instant drying, high solvent resistance of the cured films, high light fastness of the cured films, lower energy requirement and space savings of curing equipment, and excellent storage stability. however, it is also recognized that there are challenges in achieving such radiation-curable, jettable compositions. in particular, there has been some difficulty in achieving liquid jettability properties such as low viscosity, low volatility, good droplet formation, formulation stability and rapid curing while also achieving the desired print and film properties after curing, such as scratch and/or abrasion resistance, good adhesion to substrates, hardness, and flexibility. it has been proposed that improved radiation-curable ink compositions for ink-jet printing can be achieved by employing greater than 30 weight percent of a hyperbranched acrylate oligomer or a polyester tetraacrylate oligomer. nevertheless, there remains a need for an improved radiation-curable, jettable composition exhibiting a better combination of liquid jettability properties and cured properties that facilitates lower temperature jetting of the composition and/or jetting from smaller diameter nozzles to facilitate higher resolution for two-dimensional printing and/or three-dimensional printing, such as for rapid prototyping. brief summary of the invention the invention provides radiation-curable compositions having lower viscosity to facilitate jetting at lower temperatures, which in turn results in better ink stability, less energy use, faster start-up of equipment for jetting the ink on a substrate, and facilitates higher resolution printing making it possible to achieve precision printing and/or rapid prototyping at or near room temperature, generally without compromising desired properties of the cured films. the lower jetting temperatures that are possible with certain aspects of the invention, in addition to reducing energy demands, and facilitating faster start-up, reduce the potential for thermal damage, resulting in less wear and tear and longer useful lives of inkjet equipment. another advantage of the lower compositions viscosity possible in accordance with certain aspects of the invention is that smaller size jetting nozzles may be employed to achieve higher printing resolution. it should also be noted that the present invention compositions exhibit improved pigment wetting and faster cure time when compared to the prior compositions for 3d curable polymers. the radiation-curable, jettable compositions of the invention include 10-30 percent of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight, 20-70 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight, up to 20 percent of at least one non-dendritic oligomer by weight, and up to 15 percent of at least one photoinitiator by weight. the radiation-curable, jettable compositions may optionally include up to about 20 percent by weight of poly-functional monomers, pigments, dispersion agents, anti-foaming agents, surfactants, biocides, humectants, buffering agents, and stabilizers. the dendritic oligomer or oligomers, mono-functional monomer or monomers, optional non-dendritic oligomer or oligomers, and the photoinitiator or photoinitiators comprise at least about 65 percent of the composition by weight. the invention also relates to a similar composition that may be used as a support material for three-dimensional printing, such as for rapid prototyping. the support material may comprise up to 30 percent of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight, up to 30 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight, and from 10 percent to 50 percent of a reactive amine synergist by weight. reactive amines have been traditionally used for enhancing surface curing. however, it has been discovered that such reactive amines can act as plasticizers when used in larger quantities, and that this property may be exploited to produce a support material with weak physical properties that is strong enough to support the building material (radiation-curable, jettable composition) during rapid prototyping, but is capable of being easily removed after the desired three-dimensional object (model) has been completed. these and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification and claims. detailed description of preferred embodiments many inks with desirable properties are very high in viscosity and a tradeoff must be made to lower the viscosity in order to make them workable. inkjet printing requires very low viscosity - so low that a great deal of monomer must be used, generally compromising the finished properties of the cured material. it would be desirable to use 100% epoxy or urethane oligomers. however, this would not be jettable with existing technology. this invention, with the right combination of raw materials, can actually provide a radiation-curable, jettable composition with extremely strong cured properties and very low viscosity before cure. it would be desirable to provide print heads that would enable smaller nozzles and thus higher print resolution. this would not be possible with high viscosity inks using existing ink jet technology known to the art. alternatively, one may lower the temperature of the jetting (because of the lowered viscosity) to enable printing at a lower temperature, thus, saving wear and tear, energy costs, risk of thermal polymerization of the ink in the printing heads and thereby increasing the safety of the printing process as well as the speed from turning the machine on until the time it actually prints (less time waiting for the heads to heat up if they only have to go to 40 c instead of 70 c). the compositions of this invention enable the above envisioned improvements that allow higher print resolution and/or lower jetting temperatures. the low viscosity radiation-curable, jettable compositions of this invention may be used for two-dimensional printing, such as for banners, labels, and signage, or for three-dimensional printing, such as for rapid prototyping. it is conceivable that such compositions may be employed in other printing and/or coating applications, and may or may not contain colorants, such as dyes and/or pigments, depending on the particular application for which the composition is employed. radiation-curable, jettable compositions generally have a relatively low viscosity as compared with other ink compositions, such as those used for screen printing. the radiation-curable, jettable compositions of the invention typically have a dynamic viscosity at 20° c. that is in the range of 1 to 100 centipoise. compositions used for inkjet printing typically have a surface tension of about 27-33 dynes/cm. in addition to these generally accepted requirements for inkjet printing compositions, it is highly desirable that such compositions are completely free of volatile organic components and hazardous air pollutants, cure very rapidly, and do not exhibit excessive shrinkage during curing (e.g., typically from 10 to 12%). shrinkage is determined by dividing the difference between the density of the cured film and the applied liquid film by the density of the cured film, and multiplying by 100 to get the percent shrinkage. other highly desirable properties include high solvent resistance, good adhesion to substrates, high flash points and excellent storage stability. radiation-curable, jettable compositions that meet or exceed all of the above-requirements may be formulated in accordance with the invention. the radiation-curable compositions of the invention generally comprise from 10 to 30 percent of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight, and 20 to 70 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight. optionally, the radiation-curable compositions of this invention may comprise up to 20 percent of at least one non-dendritic oligomer by weight. these three types of ingredients (dendritic oligomers, non-dendritic oligomers, and mono-functional monomers) comprise at least 65 percent of the composition by weight. the composition also contains at least one photoinitiator with the remainder of the composition, if any, comprising poly-functional monomer(s), pigment(s), and/or dye(s), dispersion agent(s), anti-foaming agent(s), surfactant(s), biocide(s) (e.g., fungicide(s), bactericide(s), and algaecide(s)), humectants(s), buffering agent(s) and/or stabilizer(s). the photoinitiator(s) is (are) present in an amount that is effective to induce rapid curing of the composition upon exposure to an activating radiation. by having a large proportion of the composition, i.e., at least 65 percent by weight comprised of dendritic oligomer(s), optional non-dendritic oligomers, and mono-functional monomer(s), it is possible to simultaneously achieve the required high functionality needed for fast curing, and the low viscosity needed for jetting the composition from the small diameter nozzles of inkjet print heads, while also being capable of achieving all or substantially all of the other desirable properties (e.g., no volatile organic compounds or hazardous air pollutants, and good adhesion to substrates). dendritic oligomers are highly branched macromolecules and are generally categorized based on the manner in which they are synthesized. dendrimers generally are globular-shaped molecules prepared via a divergent or convergent iterative methodology in which a plurality of layers or generations are built on a preceding layer or generation in a stepwise process. at each step, the dendritic product is separated from any unreacted monomer, and in a next step the product is reacted with a different monomer having different functional groups. in divergent synthesis, the layers are synthesized from a core to a periphery, while in divergent synthesis, the layers are synthesized from an outer periphery inwardly toward a core. when synthesis conditions are carefully controlled, the resulting dendrimer is a perfectly regular mono-dispersed product. as a practical matter, macromolecules prepared using the above stepwise synthesis process are generally regarded as being dendrimers, even if there are some imperfections and a resulting polydispersity that is slightly greater than 1. hyperbranched oligomers and polymers have architectures similar to dendrimers and exhibit similar characteristics, such as high functionality and a generally globular shape. however, hyperbranched oligomers and polymers are generally synthesized via a one-pot reaction process, rather than an iterative process. as a result, hyperbranched oligomers and polymers generally have a polydispersity that is substantially greater than 1 (e.g., about 1.5 or more). hyperbranched molecules can be distinguished from the more traditional types of branched molecules that were known prior to the development of dendrimers in the late 1980s and the synthesis of hyperbranched molecules in the 1990s. in general, hyperbranched molecules (oligomers and polymers) can be distinguished from non-dendritic branched molecules based on the degree of branching. the degree of branching (db) has been defined as follows: db=(branched units+terminal units)/(branched units+terminal units+linear units). thus, a linear polymer, which does not have any branched units, only two terminal units, and a large number of linear units (e.g., monomer units), would have a degree of branching near zero. a perfect dendrimer has a degree of branching equal to 1. generally, the more traditional types of branched polymers that were known prior to the development of dendritic molecules had a degree of branching that is significantly less than 0.2, whereas hyperbranched polymers generally have a degree of branching that is well in excess of 0.25, with about 0.5 being common, and there being at least one report of a one-pot synthesis (without multiple purification and reaction steps) of a polymer having a degree of branching of 1. see gerhard maier, christina zech, brigette voit, and hartmut komber, “an approach to hyperbranched polymers with a degree of branching of 100%,” macromolecular chemistry and physics, vol. 199, issue 12, pages 2655-2664 (1998). because there are various, and sometimes divergent, definitions for dendrimers and hyperbranched molecules, we will, unless otherwise indicated, define dendritic molecules to encompass oligomeric dendrimers, polymeric dendrimers, hyperbranched oligomers and hyperbranched polymers, with dendrimers being defined as molecules having a polydispersity of about 1 (e.g., from 1 to 1.1) and a degree of branching of about 1 (e.g., from 0.95 to 1), irrespective of how the molecule is synthesized, and hyperbranched molecules being defined as molecules having a polydispersity greater than 1.1 and a degree of branching of from 0.25 to slightly less than 0.95, irrespective of how the molecule is synthesized. the terms “oligomer” and “oligomeric” generally refer to a plurality of monomeric units that have been chemically reacted and bonded together to form a molecule that is not large enough to be regarded as a polymer. technical dictionaries sometimes define oligomers as “polymers having two, three or four monomers” or as consisting “of a finite number of monomer units.” a more meaningful definition should exclude dimers, trimers, and other low molecular weight molecules that exhibit properties more closely related to the monomers from which they are derived than to the high polymers formed by combining a large number of such monomers (e.g., about 100 or more), with the division between oligomer and polymer being the number of repeat units (e.g., monomers) at which there is not an appreciable or detectable change in properties (e.g., glass transition temperature) with the addition of another unit. while these definitions will not generally provide the same values for all monomeric materials used to form pre-oligomers (e.g., dimers, trimers, etc.), oligomers and polymers, and may not be precisely determinable even for a particular monomer, the range is typically from about 10 to about 30 or more repeat units. for purposes of this specification, the terms “oligomeric” and “oligomer” will, unless otherwise indicated, encompass molecules having from 10 to 40 repeating structural units or monomers, and will also encompass all materials specifically identified as hyperbranched oligomers. preferred hyperbranched oligomers that may be employed in the radiation curable, jettable compositions of this invention include acrylate and/or methacrylate functionalized hyperbranched oligomers (also referred to as hyperbranched or dendritic acrylate oligomers). a preferred class of dendritic acrylate oligomers is hyperbranched polyester acrylates (i.e., hyperbranched polyesters having reactive acrylate groups). examples of hyperbranched polyester acrylates include those commercially available from sartomer, exton, pa., under the designations cn2300, cn2301, cn2302, cn2303 and cn2304. relevant properties for these hyperbranched polyester acrylates are listed in table 1. data for the conventional, non-dendritic poly-functional acrylate dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (dpha) is listed in table 1 for comparison. table 1surfaceacrylatetension,equivalentviscosity @dynes/cmproductacrylates/moleculeweight25 c., cps@25 c.cn2300816360032.6cn23019153350038.4cn23021612235037.8cn2303619432040.3cn2304189675032.6dpha610213,00039.9 other hyperbranched oligomers that may be employed in the compositions of this invention include polyether methacrylates and/or acrylates, which can be prepared by acrylation (or methyacrylation) of a hydroxyl-functional hyperbranched polyether. for example, commercially available hyperbranched polyether polyols, such as boltorn® h2o available from perstorp, can be acrylated by reacting the polyether polyol with acrylic acid in the presence of a broenstedt acid in accordance with known techniques. another class of suitable hyperbranched oligomers is polyurethane (meth)acrylates, which can be prepared using (meth)acrylation techniques on hyperbranched polyurethanes. the mono-functional monomers which may be employed individually or in combinations, include various compounds having a single reactive group, such as an acrylate or methacrylate group. the term “mono-functional monomer,” as used herein, refers to a free radical and/or ionically polymerizable material having a single reactive double bond. examples of mono-functional acrylate monomers that may be employed in the compositions of this invention include acryloyl morpholine, octyl (meth)acrylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate(meth)acrylate, isonornyl(meth)acrylate, isobornyl(meth)acrylate, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl(meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl(meth)acrylate, lauryl(meth)acrylate, beta-carboxyethyl(meth)acrylate, isobutyl(meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, isodecyl(meth)acrylate, dodecyl(meth)acrylate, n-butyl(meth)acrylate, methyl(meth)acrylate, hexyl(meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylic acid, stearyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxyl-functional caprolactone ester(meth)acrylate, isooctyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxymethyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxyisopropyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxbutyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxyisobutyl(meth)acrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl(meth)acrylate and isobornyl acrylate. a preferred mono-functional acrylate monomer is isobornyl acrylate. the photointiators that may be employed individually or in combination include various compounds that form free radicals when irradiated, such as with ultraviolet light. examples of such initiators include benzophenone; 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone; 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-(4-morpholinophenyl)butan-1-one; benzyl dimethylketal bis(2,6-dimethylbenzoyl)-2,4,4-trimethylphosphine oxide; 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropanone; oligo(2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-(4-(1-methylvinyl)phenyl)propane); 2,4,6-trimethylbenzophenone; 4-methylbenzophenone; 4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl-(2-hydroxy-2-propyl) ketone, available from ciba specialty chemicals pty ltd under the name “irgacure® 2959”; 2-methyl-1-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-(4-morpholinyl)-1-propanone, available from ciba specialty chemicals pty ltd under the name “irgacure® 907”; and 2,4,6-trimethybenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide, available from ciba specialty chemicals pty ltd under the name “darocur® tpo.” other photoinitiators that may be employed include those that initiate polymerization by formation of ionic species, and photoinitiators that are activated by other than ultraviolet radiation, such as electronic beam. the choice and amount of an initiator or a combination of initiators depends on several factors, as is known in the art, including the monomers, oligomers and other materials selected for a composition, the desired properties of the cured composition, the wavelength and intensity of the irradiating source, and the desired cure speed. for three-dimensional printing applications, such as for rapid prototyping, photoinitiators that achieve rapid cure rates and facilitate the formation of cured products from the selected reactants, and which exhibit an outstanding combination of desired properties, while also achieving significantly less yellowing include irgacure® 907; irgacure® 2959; darocur® tpo; and darocur® 819, which is comprised of bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphine oxide. typically, initiators are added in an amount of from about 0.5 percent to about 15 percent by weight of the composition. in addition to the required reactive oligomers (10 to 30 percent by weight of the composition), the optional non-dendritic oligomers (up to 20 percent by weight of the composition) the mono-functional monomers (20 to 70 percent by weight of the composition), and the photoinitiators (an amount effective to induce a desirably rapid cure upon exposure to an activating radiation, and up to 15 percent by weight of the composition), the radiation curable, jettable compositions of the invention may optionally include other ingredients or additives in an amount that totals up to 20 percent of the composition by weight. such optional ingredients include non-dendritic poly-functional monomers, such as diacrylates, triacrylates, etc.; pigments; dispersion agents; anti-foaming agents; surfactants; biocides, such as bactericides, algaecides and fungicides; humectants; buffering agents; and stabilizers. examples of non-dendritic poly-functional monomers that may be employed include: glycerol triacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, dimethylolpropane tetraacrylate, and dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate. combinations of these poly-functional monomers and/or other poly-functional monomers may be included in the radiation-curable compositions of this invention. in some cases, the combination of hyperbranched oligomers and mono-functional monomers result in a composition having a viscosity that is actually lower than desired for certain types of inkjet printing apparatuses. in such cases, the viscosity of the composition may be increased by adding at least one non-dendritic oligomer to the composition. the non-dendritic oligomers are typically linear or lightly-branched oligomers, but may be comprised of generally any oligomer that is not encompassed by the above definition of dendritic oligomers. suitable non-dendritic oligomers that may be employed include linear and/or other non-dendritic analogues of the dendritic oligomers that are employed. specific, non-limiting examples include non-dendritic polyester based urethane diacrylate oligomers that are commercially available from sartomer under the designations cn965, cn962 and cn964. however, other types of compatible non-dendritic oligomers that provide the desired viscosity lowering effect without adversely affecting the properties (e.g., handling properties, stability, cure properties, physical properties of the cured composition, etc.) may be employed. when employed, the non-dendritic oligomers may comprise up to about 20 percent of the composition by weight. non-dendritic oligomers also increase elongation to break and flexibility, in addition to reducing viscosity, and may be added for these purposes. pigments that may be optionally added to the radiation-curable compositions of this invention include organic pigments such as phthalocyanines, anthraquinones, perylenes, carbazoles, monoazo- and disazobenzimidazolones, isoindolinones, monoazonaphthols, diarylidepyrazolones, rhodamines, indigoids, quinacridones, diazopyranthrones, dinitranilines, pyrazolones, dianisidines, pyranthrones, tetrachloroisoindolinones, dioxazines, monoazoacrylides, anthrapyrimidines, and others known in the art. other pigments that can be employed are available commercially under the designation of pigment blue 1, pigment blue 15, pigment blue 15:1, pigment blue 15:2, pigment blue 15:3, pigment blue 15:4, pigment blue 15:6, pigment blue 16, pigment blue 24, and pigment blue 60; pigment brown 5, pigment brown 23, and pigment brown 25; pigment yellow 3, pigment yellow 14, pigment yellow 16, pigment yellow 17, pigment yellow 24, pigment yellow 65, pigment yellow 73, pigment yellow 74, pigment yellow 83, pigment yellow 95, pigment yellow 97, pigment yellow 108, pigment yellow 109, pigment yellow 110, pigment yellow 113, pigment yellow 128, pigment yellow 129, pigment yellow 138, pigment yellow 139, pigment yellow 150, pigment yellow 154, pigment yellow 156, and pigment yellow 175; pigment green 1, pigment green 7, pigment green 10, and pigment green 36; pigment orange 5, pigment orange 15, pigment orange 16, pigment orange 31, pigment orange 34, pigment orange 36, pigment orange 43, pigment orange 48, pigment orange 51, pigment orange 60, and pigment orange 61; pigment red 4, pigment red 5, pigment red 7, pigment red 9, pigment red 22, pigment red 23, pigment red 48, pigment red 48:2, pigment red 49, pigment red 112, pigment red 122, pigment red 123, pigment red 149, pigment red 166, pigment red 168, pigment red 170, pigment red 177, pigment red 179, pigment red 190, pigment red 202, pigment red 206, pigment red 207, and pigment red 224; pigment violet 19, pigment violet 23, pigment violet 37, pigment violet 32, pigment violet 42; and pigment black 6 or 7 (the color index, vols. 1-8, by the society of dyers and colourists, yorkshire, england). solid pigments can be combined with one or more liquid materials. optionally, a commercial pigment can be comminuted, for example by milling, to a desired size, followed by milling with one or more liquid ingredients. generally, radiation-curable, jettable compositions should not contain particles having a size in excess of about one micrometer. additional ingredients such as flow additives, uv light stabilizers, hindered amine light stabilizers, emulsifiers and surfactants can also be employed and can be present in the compositions of the invention typically in an amount of up to 2 percent by weight. for example, to enhance durability of a printed image graphic, especially in outdoor environments exposed to sunlight, a variety of commercially available stabilizing chemicals can be added to the ink composition. these stabilizers can be grouped into the following categories: heat stabilizers, ultra-violet light stabilizers, and free-radical scavengers. heat stabilizers are commonly used to protect the resulting image graphic against the effects of heat and are commercially available under the trade designations mark® v 1923 (witco corp. of greenwich, conn.); synpron® 1163, ferro 1237 and ferro 1720 (ferro corp., polymer additives div., walton hills, ohio). such heat stabilizers can be present in amounts ranging from about 0.02 to about 0.15 weight percent. ultraviolet light stabilizers are commercially available under the trade designations uvinol® 400 (a benzophenone type uv-absorber sold by basf corp. of parsippany, n.j.), cyasorb uvi 164 from cytec industries, west patterson, n.j., and tinuvin® 900, tinuvin® 123 and/or 1130 uv-absorber (ciba specialty chemicals, tarrytown, n.y.) and can be present in amounts ranging from about 0.01 to about 5 weight percent of the total ink. free-radical scavengers can be present in an amount from about 0.05 to about 0.25 weight percent of the total ink. nonlimiting examples of the scavenger include hindered amine light stabilizer (hals) compounds, hydroxylamines, sterically hindered phenols, and the like. commercially available hals compounds include tinuvin® 292 (trade designation for a hindered amine light stabilizer sold by ciba specialty chemicals, tarrytown, n.y.) and cyasorb® uv3581 (trade designation for a hindered amine light stabilizer sold by cytec industries, west patterson, n.j.). while stabilizers can be added in small amounts, it is preferred to use as little as possible (or none) to prevent interference with the reaction of the cure. a wide variety of agents also can be used. examples include aminobenzoates, secondary amines, silicones, waxes, morpholine adducts, amine materials available under trade designations sartomer cn386 (a difunctional amine coinitiator, which when used in conjunction with a photosensitizer such as benzophenone, promotes rapid curing under uv light), cn381 (a copolymerizable amine acrylate that may be used as a synergist in combination with a suitable photoinitiator to increase cure speed, especially at the surface of a uv curable film), cn383 (an acrylated amine coinitiator, which when used in conjunction with a photosensitizer such as benzophenone, promotes rapid curing under uv light), and the like. in addition, the radiation curable ink compositions of the invention can include other additives, such as, for instance, slip modifiers, thixotropic agents, foaming agents, antifoaming agents, flow or other rheology control agents, waxes, oils, plasticizers, binders, antioxidants, photoinitiator stabilizers, gloss agents, fungicides, bactericides, organic and/or inorganic filler particles, leveling agents, opacifiers, antistatic agents, dispersants and the like. the invention also provides a building material that can be used in conjunction with the radiation-curable compositions for making three-dimensional objects, such as in three-dimensional modeling or rapid prototyping utilizing three-dimensional computer aided design data. in such three-dimensional printing, curable liquid material is dispensed and cured layer by layer to form a three-dimensional object. in accordance with this technique, the radiation-curable composition is used as a building material that is dispensed by a first inkjet head or set of inkjet heads, while a support material is simultaneously dispensed from a second inkjet head or set of inkjet heads. the support material is dispensed in locations where the building material is absent to hold the building material in place as the article is produced. at the conclusion of the model production, the support material is removed while the building material remains. there are many different techniques employed for removing the support material. for example, certain support materials can be liquefied by heating (e.g., waxes) to a temperature that is sufficiently low to prevent damage of the model that has been fabricated using the building material. as another example, certain support materials can be removed using pressurized water jet sprays. ideally, support material exhibits jettability properties substantially the same as the radiation-curable, jettable composition used as a building material, while also exhibiting sufficient strength and toughness as a support material while allowing for easy removal from the finished model. it has been discovered that reactive amines that have been conventionally used for enhancing surface cure can be used in larger quantities as a plasticizer, and this property can be exploited to produce a support material with weak physical properties, but which is strong enough to support the model during jetting, and is easily removed once the model is completed. additionally, the support material of this invention has substantially the same liquid jettability properties as the radiation-curable compositions because the building materials and support materials of this invention have substantially the same components in substantially the same proportions, the most significant difference being that the support material includes a relatively high quantity of an amine synergist. the support material of the invention comprises 1 to 30 percent, preferably from about 10 percent to 30 percent, of at least one dendritic oligomer by weight, 1 to 30 percent of at least one mono-functional monomer by weight, 10 to 50 percent of an amine synergist by weight, and optionally up to 15 percent of at least one photoinitiator by weight. as with the radiation-curable, jettable compositions that may be used as a building material, the support materials of this invention may comprise small amounts of other optional ingredients. generally, the dendritic oligomers, mono-functional monomers, photoinitiators, and optional ingredients employed in the support material may be selected from the corresponding materials used in the radiation-curable, jettable building materials described above. as with the radiation-curable building materials, the support materials may comprise up to 20 percent by weight of poly-functional monomers, pigments, dispersion agents, anti-foaming agents, surfactants, biocides, humectants, buffering agents, and/or stabilizers. examples of amine synergists that may be employed include isopropylthioxanthone, ethyl-4-(dimenthylamino)benzoate, 2-ethylhexyldimethylaminobenzoate, and dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate. an example of a commercially available amine synergist that may be advantageously employed in the support material compositions of the invention include sartomer® cn386, which is a di-functional amine co-initiator available from sartomer co., inc., exton, pa. by employing from about 10 percent to 50 percent of an amine synergist, the resulting composition, upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation, produces a material that becomes very rubbery and gel-like upon cure and breaks apart very easily, facilitating the creation of a support material that is easily separated from the building material at the completion of the model. in addition, support material is essentially completely miscible with the model material. it therefore seperates cleanly and without leaving a residue or imparting an opaque white residue or modified texture at the boundary line of the two materials due to effects of phase change, immiscibility and the like. the traditional support material is water soluble and the traditional model material is not, which generally makes them immiscible, forcing one to modify the model material in some way to make it miscible. this process can lead to less desirable (but miscible) compositions due to cost issues, more limited monomer selection, heath and safety effects and the like. the invention will be further illustrated by exemplary formulations, which may be regarded as working examples, but which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. a first example of a radiation-curable, jettable composition that may be used for three-dimensional printing, such as for prototypes or models, has the following formula: ingredientamounthyperbranched polyester acrylate10 to 30 percentoligomer-sartomer ® cn2302reactive monomer-isobornyl40 to 70 percentacrylate-sartomer ® sr560photoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 9070 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 29590 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 8190 to 2 percentslip agent-byk chemie byk 3070 to 1 percent another example of a radiation-curable, jettable composition that may be used as a building material in accordance with the invention has the following formula: ingredientamounthyperbranched polyester acrylate10 to 30 percentoligomer-sartomer ® cn2302reactive monomer-isobornyl40 to 70 percentacrylate-sartomer ® sr560photoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 9070 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 29590 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba darocur ® tpo0 to 5 percentslip agent-byk chemie byk 3070 to 1 percent an example of a support material in accordance with the invention has the following formulation: ingredientamounthyperbranched polyester acrylate1 to 30 percentoligomer-sartomer ® cn2302reactive monomer-isobornyl acrylate-1 to 30 percentsartomer ® sr560amine synergist-sartomer ® cn3861us10 to 50 percentphotoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 9070 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba irgacure ® 29590 to 5 percentphotoinitiator-ciba darocur ® tpo0 to 5 percentslip agent-byk chemie byk 3070 to 1 percent compositions in accordance with certain aspects of the invention provide substantial benefits relating to the provision of a rapidly curable and radiation-curable composition that can be jetted from conventional inkjet nozzles at reduced temperature, and/or can be jetted from smaller nozzles to provide greater resolution. these benefits are derived from the lower viscosity that can be achieved with compositions in accordance with certain aspects of the invention. the lower viscosity can lead to shorter start-up times, reduced energy costs, and reduced wear and tear on printing equipment. additionally, there is a flattened temperature versus viscosity curve for compositions in accordance with certain aspects of the invention, especially in the normal inkjetting temperature range, wherein the viscosity changes only very slightly with temperature as compared with conventional compositions. as a result, nozzle temperature does not need to be controlled as precisely as with conventional compositions. this, in turn, should facilitate the use of less expensive printing machines. the above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.
018-188-500-377-930	US	[ "US" ]	F42B33/00,B22F3/00,B22F3/10,B22F3/22,B22F5/00,B22F5/06,C04B35/64,C22C1/04,C22C14/00,C22C33/02,C22C38/02,C22C38/04,C22C38/18,C22C38/42,C22C38/44,C22C38/48,C22C38/58,F42B5/02,F42B5/30,F42B5/307,F42B33/02,F42C19/08	2010-11-10T00:00:00	2010	[ "F42", "B22", "C04", "C22" ]	lightweight polymer ammunition cartridge casings	one embodiment of the present invention provides a polymeric ammunition cartridge and methods of making and using the same. the cartridge includes a substantially cylindrical insert connected to a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. the substantially cylindrical insert includes a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body includes a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers a circumferential surface of the primer flash hole.	1 . a method of making a substantially cylindrical insert by metal injection molding comprising the steps of: providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size. 2 . the substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 , wherein the substantially cylindrical insert comprising a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. 3 . the substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 , wherein the powdered metal comprises stainless steel, brass, ceramic alloys. 4 . the substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 , wherein the powdered metal comprises 102, 174, 201, 202, 300, 302, 303, 304, 308, 309, 316, 316l, 316ti, 321, 405, 408, 409, 410, 415, 416, 416r, 420, 430, 439, 440, 446 or 601-665 grade stainless steel. 5 . the substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 , wherein the substantially cylindrical insert further comprises a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface; and a diffuser positioned in the primer recess comprising a diffuser flash hole aligned with the primer flash hole. 6 . the substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 , wherein the second size is about 10 percent to about 20 percent smaller than the first size. 7 . the metal injection molding substantially cylindrical insert of claim 1 . 8 . an ammunition cartridge comprising: a substantially cylindrical insert made by the process comprising providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size; and bonded to a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers an circumferential surface of the primer flash hole. 9 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprise a nylon polymer. 10 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the substantially cylindrical insert is adhesively fitted to the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. 11 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the substantially cylindrical insert is adhesively fitted to the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body with a curable polymer adhesive. 12 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the substantially cylindrical insert, the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body or both comprises a coating to adjust the shrinkage. 13 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end comprises a forward opening end having a first and a second mechanical interlock for engagement between the forward opening end and a bullet. 14 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the forward opening end comprises one or more cannelures formed on an outer circumferential surface of the forward opening end. 15 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the forward opening end comprises one, two, three, or more annular rings that mate with one, two, three, or more corresponding annular grooves positioned on the bullet. 16 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the forward opening end is crimped so that a polymeric material flows into an annular groove of a bullet. 17 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , wherein a bullet is adhesively fitted to the forward opening end. 18 . the ammunition cartridge of claim 8 , further comprising a diffuser positioned in the primer recess comprising a diffuser flash hole aligned with the primer flash hole. 19 . a substantially cylindrical insert mold for making a substantially cylindrical insert by metal injection molding comprising: a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface; a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface; a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface; and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. 20 . a method of making an ammunition cartridge comprising by the steps of: providing a metal injection molded substantially cylindrical insert made by providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size; providing a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber; bonding the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end to the metal injection molded substantially cylindrical insert to form a bonded ammunition cartridge; and curing the bonded ammunition cartridge. 21 . the method of claim 20 , further comprising the step of applying a coating to adjust the shrinkage to the substantially cylindrical insert, the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body or both.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation application of co-pending u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/320,961 filed on jul. 1, 2014, which is a continuation-in-part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/011,202 filed on aug. 27, 2013 now u.s. pat. no. 9,546,849, which is a division of u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/292,843 filed on nov. 9, 2011 now u.s. pat. no. 8,561,543 issued oct. 13, 2013, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/456,664, filed nov. 10, 2010, the contents of each are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. technical field of the invention the present invention relates in general to the field of ammunition, specifically to compositions of matter and methods of making and using substantially cylindrical inserts made by metal injection molding. statement of federally funded research none. incorporation-by-reference of materials filed on compact disc none. background of the invention without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with lightweight polymer cartridge casing ammunition. conventional ammunition cartridge casings for rifles and machine guns, as well as larger caliber weapons, are made from brass, which is heavy, expensive, and potentially hazardous. there exists a need for an affordable lighter weight replacement for brass ammunition cartridge cases that can increase mission performance and operational capabilities. lightweight polymer cartridge casing ammunition must meet the reliability and performance standards of existing fielded ammunition and be interchangeable with brass cartridge casing ammunition in existing weaponry. reliable cartridge casings manufacturing requires uniformity (e.g., bullet seating, bullet-to-casing fit, casing strength, etc.) from one cartridge to the next in order to obtain consistent pressures within the casing during firing prior to bullet and casing separation to create uniformed ballistic performance. plastic cartridge casings have been known for many years but have failed to provide satisfactory ammunition that could be produced in commercial quantities with sufficient safety, ballistic, handling characteristics, and survive physical and natural conditions to which it will be exposed during the ammunition's intended life cycle; however, these characteristics have not been achieved. for example, u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/160,682 discloses a base for a cartridge casing body for an ammunition article, the base having an ignition device; an attachment device at one end thereof, the attachment device being adapted to the base to a cartridge casing body; wherein the base is made from plastic, ceramic, or a composite material. u.s. pat. no. 7,610,858 discloses an ammunition cartridge assembled from a substantially cylindrical polymeric cartridge casing body defining a casing headspace with an open projectile-end and an end opposing the projectile-end, wherein the casing body has a substantially cylindrical injection molded polymeric bullet-end component with opposing first and second ends, the first end of which is the projectile-end of the casing body and the second end has a male or female coupling element; and a cylindrical polymeric middle body component with opposing first and second ends, wherein the first end has a coupling element that is a mate for the projectile-end coupling element and joins the first end of the middle body component to the second end of the bullet-end component, and the second end is the end of the casing body opposite the projectile end and has a male or female coupling element; and a cylindrical cartridge casing head-end component with an essentially closed base end with a primer hole opposite an open end with a coupling element that is a mate for the coupling element on the second end of the middle body and joins the second end of the middle body component to the open end of the head-end component; wherein the middle body component is formed from a material more ductile than the material head-end component is formed from but equal or less ductile than the material the bullet-end component is formed from. methods for assembling ammunition cartridges and ammunition cartridges having the headspace length larger than the corresponding headspace length of the chamber of the intended weapon measured at the same basic diameter for the cartridge casing without being so large as to jam the weapon or otherwise interfere with its action are also disclosed. shortcomings of the known methods of producing plastic or substantially plastic ammunition include the possibility of the projectile being pushed into the cartridge casing, the bullet pull being too light such that the bullet can fall out, the bullet pull being too insufficient to create sufficient chamber pressure, the bullet pull not being uniform from round to round, and portions of the cartridge casing breaking off upon firing causing the weapon to jam or damage or danger when subsequent rounds are fired or when the casing portions themselves become projectiles. to overcome the above shortcomings, improvements in cartridge case design and performance polymer materials are needed. brief summary of the invention one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of making a substantially cylindrical insert by metal injection molding comprising the steps of: providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size. the substantially cylindrical insert comprising a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. the powdered metal comprises stainless steel. one embodiment of the present invention provides an ammunition cartridge comprising: a substantially cylindrical insert made by the process comprising providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size; and bonded to a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers an circumferential surface of the primer flash hole. the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body may include a nylon polymer. the substantially cylindrical insert may include adhesively fitted to the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. the substantially cylindrical insert may be adhesively fitted to the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body with a curable polymer adhesive. the substantially cylindrical insert, the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body or both may include a coating to adjust the shrinkage. one embodiment of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical insert mold for making a substantially cylindrical insert by metal injection molding comprising: a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface; a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface; a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface; and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. one embodiment of the present invention provides a polymeric ammunition cartridge. the cartridge includes a substantially cylindrical insert connected to a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. the substantially cylindrical insert includes a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body includes a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers a circumferential surface of the primer flash hole. other embodiments include the primer inserted into the primer recess, the charge located in the powder chamber, and/or a bullet or projectile. one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of making an ammunition cartridge comprising: providing a metal injection molded substantially cylindrical insert made by providing a mold of the substantially cylindrical insert to form a substantially cylindrical insert mold; providing a feedstock comprising a powdered metal and a first binding agent and a second binding agent; injection molding the feedstock into the substantially cylindrical insert mold to form an substantially cylindrical insert having a first size; debinding the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the first binding agent; and sintering the substantially cylindrical insert to remove the second binding agent and form a finished substantially cylindrical insert having a second size; providing a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, and bonding the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end to the metal injection molded substantially cylindrical insert to form a bonded ammunition cartridge; and curing the bonded ammunition cartridge. in addition the present invention provides the further step of applying a coating to adjust the shrinkage to the substantially cylindrical insert, the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body or both. in one embodiment the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body is formed from a ductile polymer, more preferably a nylon polymer. in one embodiment the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body is formed from a fiber-reinforced polymeric composite. in one embodiment the fiber-reinforced polymeric composite contains between about 10 and about 70 weight percent glass fiber fillers, mineral fillers, or mixtures thereof. in one embodiment the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and bullet are further welded or bonded together. the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end may include a forward opening end having a first and a second mechanical interlock for engagement between the forward opening end and a bullet. in one embodiment the forward opening end includes two or more cannelures formed on an outer circumferential surface of the forward opening end. in one embodiment the forward opening end comprises one, two or more annular rings that mate with one, two or more corresponding annular grooves positioned on the bullet. the forward opening end is crimped so that a polymeric material flows into an annular groove of a bullet. in one embodiment the bullet is adhesively fitted to the forward opening end; however, in other embodiment, the bullet is fitted to the forward opening end by welding or bonding together using solvent, adhesive, spin-welding, vibration-welding, ultrasonic-welding or laser-welding techniques. in one embodiment the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end includes a cannelure or mechanical interlock for engagement between the forward opening end and a bullet at the shoulder end of the forward opening end. although the mechanical interlock is located in the lower portion of the bullet at the shoulder end it may also be located at any position from the entrance or the end of the cylindrical polymeric bullet-end. furthermore, the mechanical interlock/cannelure may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more mechanical interlocks/cannelures. the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end may be connected to the bullet through an adhesive or weld. in addition, a combination of adhesives or welds, etc and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more mechanical interlocks/cannelures may be used. the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end may include a forward opening end having a first and a second mechanical interlock for engagement between the forward opening end and a bullet. in one embodiment the forward opening end includes two or more cannelures formed on an outer circumferential surface of the forward opening end. in one embodiment the forward opening end comprises one, two or more annular rings that mate with one, two or more corresponding annular grooves positioned on the bullet. the forward opening end is crimped so that a polymeric material flows into an annular groove of a bullet. in one embodiment the bullet is adhesively fitted to the forward opening end; however, in other embodiment, the bullet is fitted to the forward opening end by welding or bonding together using solvent, adhesive, spin-welding, vibration-welding, ultrasonic-welding or laser-welding techniques. in one embodiment the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body includes polymers selected from the group consisting of polyurethane prepolymer, cellulose, fluoro-polymer, ethylene inter-polymer alloy elastomer, ethylene vinyl acetate, nylon, polyether imide, polyester elastomer, polyester sulfone, polyphenyl amide, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride or thermoset polyurea elastomer, acrylics, homopolymers, acetates, copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadinen-styrene, thermoplastic fluoro polymers, inomers, polyamides, polyamide-imides, polyacrylates, polyatherketones, polyaryl-sulfones, polybenzimidazoles, polycarbonates, polybutylene, terephthalates, polyether imides, polyether sulfones, thermoplastic polyimides, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polyphenylene sulfides, polyethylene, polypropylene, polysulfones, polyvinylchlorides, styrene acrylonitriles, polystyrenes, polyphenylene, ether blends, styrene maleic anhydrides, polycarbonates, allyls, aminos, cyanates, epoxies, phenolics, unsaturated polyesters, bismaleimides, polyurethanes, silicones, vinylesters, urethane hybrids, polyphenylsulfones, copolymers of polyphenylsulfones with polyethersulfones or polysulfones, copolymers of poly-phenylsulfones with siloxanes, blends of polyphenylsulfones with polysiloxanes, poly(etherimide-siloxane) copolymers, blends of polyetherimides and polysiloxanes, and blends of polyetherimides and poly(etherimide-siloxane) copolymers. the forward opening end comprises a neck with a plurality of internal structures for supporting a bullet. the substantially cylindrical coupling element is a male coupling element with a straight skirt interlock surface that tapers to a smaller diameter at the forward portion on the skirt tip to mate with a female coupling element of the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end. in one embodiment the polymeric ammunition cartridge further includes a diffuser positioned in the primer recess comprising a diffuser flash hole aligned with the primer flash hole. another embodiment of the polymeric ammunition cartridge having a diffuser of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical insert, a diffuser, and a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. the substantially cylindrical insert includes a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. the diffuser positioned in the primer recess comprising a diffuser flash hole aligned with the primer flash hole. the substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body includes a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers a circumferential surface of the primer flash hole. the diffuser has a primer flash hole with a flash hole lip extending into a bore of the primer flash hole. another embodiment of the polymeric ammunition cartridge of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical insert having a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface; a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers an circumferential surface of the primer flash hole; and a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end upper portion comprising a bullet-end coupling element connected to the substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a forward opening end to engage a bullet. another embodiment of the polymeric ammunition cartridge of the present invention includes a metal insert for a polymeric ammunition cartridge having a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. in other embodiments the polymeric ammunition cartridge, further includes a diffuser positioned in the primer recess comprising a diffuser flash hole aligned with the primer flash hole. another embodiment of the polymeric ammunition cartridge of the present invention includes a polymer insert for a polymeric ammunition cartridge having a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. in other embodiments the polymeric ammunition cartridge, further includes a diffuser positioned in the primer recess. still another embodiment includes a method of forming a polymeric ammunition cartridge by providing a substantially cylindrical insert having a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface, forming a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body comprising a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, connecting the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end to the substantially cylindrical coupling element; and covering circumferentially an interior surface of the primer flash hole. the method further includes the step of positioning a diffuser comprising a diffuser flash hole in the primer recess and aligning the diffuser flash hole with the primer flash hole. brief description of the several views of the drawings for a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures and in which: fig. 1 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a polymeric cartridge case according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case lacking the aperture coating; figs. 4a and 4b depict images of a catastrophic failure of the polymeric cartridge case of fig. 3 ; fig. 5 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case displaying ribs according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case displaying ribs according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a polymeric cartridge case having a diffuser according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case having a diffuser according to one embodiment of the present invention; figs. 9a-9h depict the diffuser according to a different embodiment of the present invention; fig. 10 depicts an exploded view of the polymeric cartridge casing; fig. 11 depicts a view of the substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end having a shoulder forming chamber neck and a bullet; and fig. 12 depicts an elevation view of a bullet-end component of the polymeric cartridge casing; and fig. 13 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a bullet-end component of the polymeric cartridge casing. detailed description of the invention while the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. to facilitate the understanding of this invention, a number of terms are defined below. terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. terms such as “a”, “an” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. the terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as outlined in the claims. reliable cartridge manufacture requires uniformity from one cartridge to the next in order to obtain consistent ballistic performance. among other considerations, proper bullet seating and bullet-to-casing fit is required. in this manner, a desired pressure develops within the casing during firing prior to bullet and casing separation. historically, bullets employ a cannelure, which is a slight annular depression formed in a surface of the bullet at a location determined to be the optimal seating depth for the bullet. in this manner, a visual inspection of a cartridge could determine whether or not the bullet is seated at the proper depth. once the bullet is inserted into the casing to the proper depth, one of two standard procedures is incorporated to lock the bullet in its proper location. one method is the crimping of the entire end of the casing into the cannelure. a second method does not crimp the casing end; rather the bullet is pressure fitted into the casing. the polymeric ammunition cartridges of the present invention are of a caliber typically carried by soldiers in combat for use in their combat weapons. the present invention is not limited to the described caliber and is believed to be applicable to other calibers as well. this includes various small and medium caliber munitions, including 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm and 0.50 caliber ammunition cartridges, as well as medium/small caliber ammunition such as 380 caliber, 38 caliber, 9 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 45 caliber and the like. the cartridges, therefore, are of a caliber between about 0.05 and about 5 inches. thus, the present invention is also applicable to the sporting goods industry for use by hunters and target shooters. fig. 1 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a polymeric cartridge case according to one embodiment of the present invention. a cartridge 10 suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing 12 showing a powder chamber 14 with projectile (not shown) inserted into the forward end opening 16 . polymer casing 12 has a substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 extending from forward end opening 16 rearward to opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component 18 may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the forward end of bullet-end component 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 . the bullet-end component typically has a wall thickness between about 0.003 and about 0.200 inches and more preferably between about 0.005 and more preferably between about 0.150 inches about 0.010 and about 0.050 inches. the middle body component 28 is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations is acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 of bullet-end component 18 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole 40 extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end 22 extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface 34 and into the powder chamber 14 to provide support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 and middle body component 28 . polymer casing 12 also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . the middle body component extends from a forward end opening 16 to coupling element 22 . the middle body component typically has a wall thickness of between about 0.003 and about 0.200 inches and more preferably between about 0.005 and about 0.150 inches; or about 0.010 and about 0.050 inches. the bullet-end 16 , middle body 18 and bottom surface 34 define the interior of powder chamber 14 in which the powder charge (not shown) is contained. the interior volume of powder chamber 14 may be varied to provide the volume necessary for complete filling of the chamber 14 by the propellant chosen so that a simplified volumetric measure of propellant can be utilized when loading the cartridge. either a particulate or consolidated propellant can be used. the substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and a primer recess 38 formed therein for ease of insertion of the primer (not shown). the primer recess 38 is sized so as to receive the primer (not shown) in an interference fit during assembly. a primer flash hole 40 communicates through the bottom surface 34 of substantially cylindrical insert 32 into the powder chamber 14 so that upon detonation of primer (not shown) the powder in powder chamber 14 will be ignited. projectile (not shown) is held in place within chamber case neck 26 at forward opening 16 by an interference fit. mechanical crimping of the forward opening 16 can also be applied to increase the bullet pull force. the bullet (not shown) may be inserted into place following the completion of the filling of powder chamber 14 . projectile (not shown) can also be injection molded directly onto the forward opening 16 prior to welding or bonding together using solvent, adhesive, spin-welding, vibration-welding, ultrasonic-welding or laser-welding techniques. the welding or bonding increases the joint strength so the casing can be extracted from the hot gun casing after firing at the cook-off temperature. the bullet-end and bullet components can then be welded or bonded together using solvent, adhesive, spin-welding, vibration-welding, ultrasonic-welding or laser-welding techniques. the welding or bonding increases the joint strength so the casing can be extracted from the hot gun casing after firing at the cook-off temperature. an optional first and second annular grooves (cannelures) may be provided in the bullet-end in the interlock surface of the male coupling element to provide a snap-fit between the two components. the cannelures formed in a surface of the bullet at a location determined to be the optimal seating depth for the bullet. once the bullet is inserted into the casing to the proper depth to lock the bullet in its proper location. one method is the crimping of the entire end of the casing into the cannelures. the bullet-end and middle body components can then be welded or bonded together using solvent, adhesive, spin-welding, vibration-welding, ultrasonic-welding or laser-welding techniques. the welding or bonding increases the joint strength so the casing can be extracted from the hot gun casing after firing at the cook-off temperature. fig. 2 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case according to one embodiment of the present invention. a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component (not shown) may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations are acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole 40 is located in the primer recess 28 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end 22 extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface 34 and into the powder chamber 14 to provide support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and middle body component 28 . polymer casing 12 also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . fig. 3 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case lacking the aperture coating (not shown). a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component (not shown) may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations are acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole (not shown) is located in the primer recess 28 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip (not shown) to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and middle body component (not shown). figs. 4a and 4b depict images of a catastrophic failure of the polymeric cartridge case of fig. 3 . other polymeric cartridge case was tested and resulted in catastrophic failure with the rounds blowing the magazine out of the weapon and fragmenting the metal insert and lodging the polymer case in the chamber. the examination of the catastrophic failure revealed the tearing of the polymer at the top of the insert. as a result, in some embodiments the height of the insert was reduced by 0.020″ to reduce the tearing and frequency of catastrophic failures. further examination, revealed that the polymer at the flash hole of the base was separating from the insert. one embodiment locks the polymer into the flash hole by extending the polymer into the flash hole. in addition, the raised area was removed, the diameter of the flash hole was opened, and the primer side was counter bored. other embodiments may incorporate all, one, or a combination of 2 or more of these elements to stop the gas from separating the polymer from the insert that was creating combustion between the insert and the polymer. fig. 5 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case displaying ribs according to one embodiment of the present invention. a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component 18 may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations is acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole 40 is located in the primer recess 28 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end 22 extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface 34 and into the powder chamber 14 to provide support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and middle body component 28 . polymer casing (not shown) also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . the substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 or anywhere within the powder chamber 14 may include one or more ribs 48 on the surface. the number of ribs 48 will depend on the specific application and desire of the manufacture but may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more ribs. in the counter bore, the polymer was having difficulty filling this area due to the fact that the polymer used has fillers in it, and needed to be reblended during molding. one embodiment includes six ribs 48 to create turbulence in the flow of the polymer, thus allowing the material to fill the counter bore. fig. 6 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case displaying ribs according to one embodiment of the present invention. one embodiment that reduces bellowing of the insert includes a shortened insert and angled coupling element 30 inside of the insert. in addition, the raised portion of the polymer at the flash hole was removed, the internal polymer wall was lowered and angled to match the insert and the internal ribs were lengthened. a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component (not shown) may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations are acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole 40 is located in the primer recess 28 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end 22 extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface 34 and into the powder chamber 14 to provide support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 and middle body component 28 . polymer casing (not shown) also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . the substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 or anywhere within the powder chamber 14 may include one or more ribs 48 on the surface. the number of ribs 48 will depend on the specific application and desire of the manufacture but may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more ribs. in the counter bore, the polymer was having difficulty filling this area due to the fact that the polymer used has fillers in it, and needed to be reblended during molding. one embodiment includes six ribs 48 to create turbulence in the flow of the polymer, thus allowing the material to fill the counter bore. another embodiment of the present invention is a shortened insert and angled coupling element 30 inside of the insert. in addition, raised portions of the polymer at the flash hole, lowered and angled the internal polymer wall to match the insert and lengthened the internal ribs. fig. 7 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a polymeric cartridge case having a diffuser according to one embodiment of the present invention. the diffuser (not shown) is a device that is used to divert the affects of the primer off of the polymer and directing it to the flash hole. the affects being the impact from igniting the primer as far as pressure and heat. a cartridge 10 suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 with projectile (not shown) inserted into the forward end opening 16 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 extending from forward end opening 16 rearward to the opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component (not shown) may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the forward end of bullet-end component 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 . the middle body component 28 is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations is acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end 22 in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end 22 of bullet-end component 18 fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole 40 is located in the primer recess 28 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end 22 extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface 34 and into the powder chamber 14 to provides support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and middle body component 28 . polymer casing 12 also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . the middle body component extends from a forward end opening 16 to coupling element 22 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface 34 with a diffuser (not shown) positioned in the primer recess 38 . the diffuser (not shown) includes a diffuser aperture (not shown) that aligns with the primer flash hole 40 . the diffuser (not shown) is a device that is used to divert the affects of the primer (not shown) off of the polymer. the affects being the impact from igniting the primer as far as pressure and heat to divert the energy of the primer off of the polymer and directing it to the flash hole. fig. 8 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the polymeric cartridge case having a diffuser according to one embodiment of the present invention. a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing (not shown) showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing (not shown) has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component (not shown) may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end (not shown) is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . coupling element 30 , as shown may be configured as a male element, however, all combinations of male and female configurations are acceptable for coupling elements 30 and coupling end (not shown) in alternate embodiments of the invention. coupling end (not shown) fits about and engages coupling element 30 of a substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface (not shown) that is opposite a top surface 36 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface (not shown). a primer flash hole 40 extends through the bottom surface (not shown) into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end (not shown) extends the polymer through the primer flash hole 40 to form an aperture coating 42 while retaining a passage from the top surface 36 through the bottom surface (not shown) and into the powder chamber 14 to provides support and protection about the primer flash hole 40 . when contacted the coupling end (not shown) interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and middle body component 28 . polymer casing (not shown) also has a substantially cylindrical open-ended middle body component 28 . located in the top surface 36 is a primer recess 38 that extends toward the bottom surface (not shown) with a diffuser 50 positioned in the primer recess 38 . the diffuser (not shown) includes a diffuser aperture 52 and a diffuser aperture extension 54 that aligns with the primer flash hole 40 . the diffuser 50 is a device that is used to divert the affects of the primer (not shown) off of the polymer. the affects being the impact from igniting the primer as far as pressure and heat to divert the energy of the primer off of the polymer and directing it to the flash hole. the diffuser 50 can be between 0.004 to 0.010 inches in thickness and made from half hard brass. for example, the diffuser 50 can be between 0.005 inches thick for a 5.56 diffuser 50 . the od of the diffuser for a 5.56 or 223 case is 0.173 and the id is 0.080. the diffuser could be made of any material that can withstand the energy from the ignition of the primer. this would include steel, stainless, cooper, aluminum or even an engineered resin that was injection molded or stamped. the diffuser can be produce in t shape by drawing the material with a stamping and draw die. in the t diffuser the center ring can be 0.005 to 0.010 tall and the od is 0.090 and the id 0.080. figs. 9a-9h depict different embodiment of the diffuser of the present invention. fig. 10 depicts an exploded view of the polymeric cartridge casing. a cartridge 10 suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a middle body component 28 having a substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 extending from forward end opening 16 rearward to opposite end 20 . a portion of a cartridge suitable for use with high velocity rifles is shown manufactured with a polymer casing 12 showing a powder chamber 14 . polymer casing 12 has a substantially cylindrical opposite end 20 . the bullet-end component 18 may be formed with coupling end 22 formed on end 20 . coupling end 22 is shown as a female element, but may also be configured as a male element in alternate embodiments of the invention. the middle body component (not shown) is connected to a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 . the substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 and a bullet 56 inserted therein. the substantially cylindrical insert 32 also has a flange 46 cut therein and a primer recess (not shown) formed therein for ease of insertion of the primer (not shown). when contacted the coupling end 22 interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip 44 to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 and middle body component 28 . in one embodiment of the present invention, the substantially cylindrical insert 32 may be made of a metal that is formed by a metal injection molding process. the model design may be seen in figs. 2, 8, 9 and 10 . the molded substantially cylindrical insert 32 is then bound to the middle body component 28 . in the metal injection molding process of making the substantially cylindrical insert 32 a mold is made in the shape of the substantially cylindrical insert 32 including the desired profile of the primer recess (not shown). the substantially cylindrical insert 32 includes a substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 extending from a bottom surface 34 that is opposite a top surface (not shown). located in the top surface (not shown) is a primer recess (not shown) that extends toward the bottom surface 34 . a primer flash hole (not shown) is located in the substantially cylindrical insert 32 and extends through the bottom surface 34 into the powder chamber 14 . the coupling end (not shown) extends through the primer flash hole (not shown) to form an aperture coating (not shown) while retaining a passage from the top surface (not shown) through the bottom surface (not shown) and into the powder chamber 14 to provides support and protection about the primer flash hole (not shown). when contacted the coupling end (not shown) interlocks with the substantially cylindrical coupling element 30 , through the coupling element 30 that extends with a taper to a smaller diameter at the tip (not shown) to form a physical interlock between substantially cylindrical insert 32 and middle body component 28 . for example, the metal injection molding process, which generally involves mixing fine metal powders with binders to form a feedstock that is injection molded into a closed mold, may be used to form a substantially cylindrical insert. after ejection from the mold, the binders are chemically or thermally removed from the substantially cylindrical insert so that the part can be sintered to high density. during the sintering process, the individual metal particles metallurgically bond together as material diffusion occurs to remove most of the porosity left by the removal of the binder. the raw materials for metal injection molding are metal powders and a thermoplastic binder. there are at least two binders included in the blend, a primary binder and a secondary binder. this blended powder mix is worked into the plasticized binder at elevated temperature in a kneader or shear roll extruder. the intermediate product is the so-called feedstock. it is usually granulated with granule sizes of several millimeters. in metal injection molding, only the binders are heated up, and that is how the metal is carried into the mold cavity whereas, in preparing a feedstock, it is important first to measure the actual density of each lot of both the metal powders and binders. this is extremely important especially for the metal powders in that each lot will be different based on the actual chemistry of that grade of powder. for example, 316l is comprised of several elements, such as fe, cr, ni, cu, mo, p, si, s and c. in order to be rightfully called a 316l, each of these elements must meet a minimum and maximum percentage weight requirement as called out in the relevant specification. hence the variation in the chemistry within the specification results in a significant density variation within the acceptable composition range. depending on the lot received from the powder producer, the density will vary depending on the actual chemistry received. molding many mim companies will mold a part until they feel that the cavity has been filled. both mold design factors such as runner and gate size, gate placement, venting and molding parameters set on the molding machine affect the molded part. a helium pycnometer can determine if there are voids trapped inside the parts. during molding, you have a tool that can be used to measure the percent of theoretical density achieved on the “green” or molded part. by crushing the measured “green” molded part back to powder, you can now confirm the percent of air (or voids) trapped in the molded part. to measure this, the density of the molded part should be measured in the helium pycnometer and compared to the theoretical density of the feedstock. then, take the same molded part that was used in the density test and crush it back to powder. if this granulate shows a density of more than 100% of that of the feedstock, then some of the primary binders have been lost during the molding process. the molding process needs to be corrected because using this process with a degraded feedstock will result in a larger shrinkage and result in a part smaller than that desired. it is vital to be sure that your molded parts are completely filled before continuing the manufacturing process for debinding and sintering. the helium pycnometer provides this assurance. primary debinding properly debound parts are extremely important to establish the correct sintering profile. the primary binder must be completely removed before attempting to start to remove the secondary binder as the secondary binder will travel through the pores created by the extraction of the primary binder. primary debinding techniques depend on the feedstock type used to make the parts. however the feedstock supplier knows the amount of primary binders that have been added and should be removed before proceeding to the next process step. the feedstock supplier provides a minimum “brown density” that must be achieved before the parts can be moved into a furnace for final debinding and sintering. this minimum brown density will take into account that a small amount of the primary binder remnant may be present and could be removed by a suitable hold during secondary debinding and sintering. the sintering profile should be adjusted to remove the remaining small percent of primary binder before the removal of the secondary binder. most external feedstock manufacturers provide only a weight loss percent that should be obtained to define suitable debinding. solvent debound parts must be thoroughly dried, before the helium pycnometer is used to determine the “brown” density so that the remnant solvent in the part does not affect the measured density value. when the feedstock manufacturer gives you the theoretical density of the “brown” or debound part, can validate the percent of debinding that has been achieved. most mim operations today perform the secondary debinding and sintering in the same operation. every mim molder has gates and runners left over from molding their parts. so, you will be able to now re-use your gates and runners with confidence that they will shrink correctly after sintering. if the feedstock producers have given you the actual and theoretical densities of their feedstock, you can easily measure the densities of the gates and runners and compare the results to the values supplied. once the regrind densities are higher than that required to maintain the part dimensions, the regrinds are no longer reusable. feedstock in accordance with the present invention may be prepared by blending the powdered metal with the binder and heating the blend to form a slurry. uniform dispersion of the powdered metal in the slurry may be achieved by employing high shear mixing. the slurry may then be cooled to ambient temperature and then granulated to provide the feedstock for the metal injection molding. the amount of powdered metal and binder in the feedstock may be selected to optimize moldability while insuring acceptable green densities. in one embodiment, the feedstock used for the metal injection molding portion of the invention may include at least about 40 percent by weight powdered metal, in another about 50 percent by weight powdered metal or more. in one embodiment, the feedstock includes at least about 60 percent by weight powdered metal, preferably about 65 percent by weight or more powdered metal. in yet another embodiment, the feedstock includes at least about 75 percent by weight powdered metal. in yet another embodiment, the feedstock includes at least about 80 percent by weight powdered metal. in yet another embodiment, the feedstock includes at least about 85 percent by weight powdered metal. in yet another embodiment, the feedstock includes at least about 90 percent by weight powdered metal. the binding agent may be any suitable binding agent that does not destroy or interfere with the powdered metals. the binder may be present in an amount of about 50 percent or less by weight of the feedstock. in one embodiment, the binder is present in an amount ranging from 10 percent to about 50 percent by weight. in another embodiment, the binder is present in an amount of about 25 percent to about 50 percent by weight of the feedstock. in another embodiment, the binder is present in an amount of about 30 percent to about 40 percent by weight of the feedstock. in one embodiment, the binder is an aqueous binder. in another embodiment, the binder is an organic-based binder. examples of binders include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic resins, waxes, and combinations thereof. non-limiting examples of thermoplastic resins include polyolefins such as acrylic polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene carbonate, polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. suitable waxes include, but are not limited to, microcrystalline wax, bee wax, synthetic wax, and combinations thereof. examples of suitable powdered metals for use in the feedstock include, but are not limited to: stainless steel including martensitic and austenitic stainless steel, steel alloys, tungsten alloys, soft magnetic alloys such as iron, iron-silicon, electrical steel, iron-nickel (50ni-50f3), low thermal expansion alloys, or combinations thereof. in one embodiment, the powdered metal is a mixture of stainless steel, brass and tungsten alloy. the stainless steel used in the present invention may be any 1 series carbon steels, 2 series nickel steels, 3 series nickel-chromium steels, 4 series molybdenum steels, series chromium steels, 6 series chromium-vanadium steels, 7 series tungsten steels, 8 series nickel-chromium-molybdenum steels, or 9 series silicon-manganese steels, e.g., 102, 174, 201, 202, 300, 302, 303, 304, 308, 309, 316, 316l, 316ti, 321, 405, 408, 409, 410, 416, 420, 430, 439, 440, 446 or 601-665 grade stainless steel. as known to those of ordinary skill in the art, stainless steel is an alloy of iron and at least one other component that imparts corrosion resistance. as such, in one embodiment, the stainless steel is an alloy of iron and at least one of chromium, nickel, silicon, molybdenum, or mixtures thereof. examples of such alloys include, but are not limited to, an alloy containing about 1.5 to about 2.5 percent nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, no more than about 0.15 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; an alloy containing about 6 to about 8 percent nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, no more than about 0.15 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; an alloy containing about 0.5 to about 1 percent chromium, about 0.5 percent to about 1 percent nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, no more than about 0.2 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; an alloy containing about 2 to about 3 percent nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, about 0.3 to about 0.6 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; an alloy containing about 6 to about 8 percent nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, about 0.2 to about 0.5 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; an alloy containing about 1 to about 1.6 percent chromium, about 0.5 percent or less nickel, no more than about 0.5 percent molybdenum, about 0.9 to about 1.2 percent carbon, and the balance iron with a density ranging from about 7 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3 ; and combinations thereof. suitable tungsten alloys include an alloy containing about 2.5 to about 3.5 percent nickel, about 0.5 percent to about 2.5 percent copper or iron, and the balance tungsten with a density ranging from about 17.5 g/cm 3 to about 18.5 g/cm 3 ; about 3 to about 4 percent nickel, about 94 percent tungsten, and the balance copper or iron with a density ranging from about 17.5 g/cm 3 to about 18.5 g/cm 3 ; and mixtures thereof. in addition, the binders may contain additives such as antioxidants, coupling agents, surfactants, elasticizing agents, dispersants, and lubricants as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,950,063, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. suitable examples of antioxidants include, but are not limited to thermal stabilizers, metal deactivators, or combinations thereof. in one embodiment, the binder includes about 0.1 to about 2.5 percent by weight of the binder of an antioxidant. coupling agents may include but are not limited to titanate, aluminate, silane, or combinations thereof. typical levels range between 0.5 and 15% by weight of the binder. fig. 11 depicts a view of the substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 and a bullet (not shown). one embodiment includes modifications to strengthen the neck of the mouth 60 and to the internal base area 62 to reduce nose tearing and lodging in the chamber. the substantially cylindrical open-ended polymeric bullet-end 18 illustrates a lock 58 (e.g., 0.030×0.003) and added a step to allow for the lock 58 to flex out during firing. polymer was added to the external area to strengthen the neck of the mouth 60 and to the internal base area 62 . the interference of the bullet to the neck was increased by adding polymer to the inside of the neck 64 and the exit lock modified by adding an angle to the rim 66 . the polymeric and composite casing components may be injection molded. polymeric materials for the bullet-end and middle body components must have propellant compatibility and resistance to gun cleaning solvents and grease, as well as resistance to chemical, biological and radiological agents. the polymeric materials must have a temperature resistance higher than the cook-off temperature of the propellant, typically about 320° f. the polymeric materials must have elongation-to-break values that to resist deformation under interior ballistic pressure as high as 60,000 psi in all environments (temperatures from about −65 to about 320° f. and humidity from 0 to 100% rh). according to one embodiment, the middle body component is either molded onto or snap-fit to the casing head-end component after which the bullet-end component is snap-fit or interference fit to the middle body component. the components may be formed from high-strength polymer, composite or ceramic. examples of suitable high strength polymers include composite polymer material including a tungsten metal powder, nylon 6/6, nylon 6, and glass fibers; and a specific gravity in a range of 3-10. the tungsten metal powder may be 50%-96% of a weight of the bullet body. the polymer material also includes about 0.5-15%, preferably about 1-12%, and most preferably about 2-9% by weight, of nylon 6/6, about 0.5-15%, preferably about 1-12%, and most preferably about 2-9% by weight, of nylon 6, and about 0.5-15%, preferably about 1-12%, and most preferably about 2-9% by weight, of glass fibers. it is most suitable that each of these ingredients be included in amounts less than 10% by weight. the cartridge casing body may be made of a modified zytel resin, available from e.i. dupont de nemours co., a modified 612 nylon resin, modified to increase elastic response. examples of suitable polymers include polyurethane prepolymer, cellulose, fluoro-polymer, ethylene inter-polymer alloy elastomer, ethylene vinyl acetate, nylon, polyether imide, polyester elastomer, polyester sulfone, polyphenyl amide, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride or thermoset polyurea elastomer, acrylics, homopolymers, acetates, copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadinen-styrene, thermoplastic fluoro polymers, inomers, polyamides, polyamide-imides, polyacrylates, polyatherketones, polyaryl-sulfones, polybenzimidazoles, polycarbonates, polybutylene, terephthalates, polyether imides, polyether sulfones, thermoplastic polyimides, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polyphenylene sulfides, polyethylene, polypropylene, polysulfones, polyvinylchlorides, styrene acrylonitriles, polystyrenes, polyphenylene, ether blends, styrene maleic anhydrides, polycarbonates, allyls, aminos, cyanates, epoxies, phenolics, unsaturated polyesters, bismaleimides, polyurethanes, silicones, vinylesters, or urethane hybrids. examples of suitable polymers also include aliphatic or aromatic polyamide, polyeitherimide, polysulfone, polyphenylsulfone, poly-phenylene oxide, liquid crystalline polymer and polyketone. examples of suitable composites include polymers such as polyphenylsulfone reinforced with between about 30 and about 70 weight percent, and preferably up to about 65 weight percent of one or more reinforcing materials selected from glass fiber, ceramic fiber, carbon fiber, mineral fillers, organo nanoclay, or carbon nanotube. preferred reinforcing materials, such as chopped surface-treated e-glass fibers provide flow characteristics at the above-described loadings comparable to unfilled polymers to provide a desirable combination of strength and flow characteristics that permit the molding of head-end components. composite components can be formed by machining or injection molding. finally, the cartridge case must retain sufficient joint strength at cook-off temperatures. more specifically, polymers suitable for molding of the projectile-end component have one or more of the following properties: yield or tensile strength at −65° f.>10,000 psi elongation-to-break at −65° f.>15% yield or tensile strength at 73° f.>8,000 psi elongation-to-break at 73° f.>50% yield or tensile strength at 320° f.>4,000 psi elongation-to-break at 320° f.>80%. polymers suitable for molding of the middle-body component have one or more of the following properties: yield or tensile strength at −65° f.>10,000 psi yield or tensile strength at 73° f.>8,000 psi yield or tensile strength at 320° f.>4,000 psi. commercially available polymers suitable for use in the present invention thus include polyphenylsulfones; copolymers of polyphenylsulfones with polyether-sulfones or polysulfones; copolymers and blends of polyphenylsulfones with polysiloxanes; poly(etherimide-siloxane); copolymers and blends of polyetherimides and polysiloxanes, and blends of polyetherimides and poly(etherimide-siloxane) copolymers; and the like. particularly preferred are polyphenylsulfones and their copolymers with poly-sulfones or polysiloxane that have high tensile strength and elongation-to-break to sustain the deformation under high interior ballistic pressure. such polymers are commercially available, for example, radel r5800 polyphenylesulfone from solvay advanced polymers. the polymer can be formulated with up to about 10 wt % of one or more additives selected from internal mold release agents, heat stabilizers, anti-static agents, colorants, impact modifiers and uv stabilizers. the polymers of the present invention can also be used for conventional two-piece metal-plastic hybrid cartridge case designs and conventional shotgun shell designs. one example of such a design is an ammunition cartridge with a one-piece substantially cylindrical polymeric cartridge casing body with an open projectile-end and an end opposing the projectile-end with a male or female coupling element; and a cylindrical metal cartridge casing head-end component with an essentially closed base end with a primer hole opposite an open end having a coupling element that is a mate for the coupling element on the opposing end of the polymeric cartridge casing body joining the open end of the head-end component to the opposing end of the polymeric cartridge casing body. the high polymer ductility permits the casing to resist breakage. one embodiment includes a 2 cavity prototype mold having an upper portion and a base portion for a 5.56 case having a metal insert over-molded with a nylon 6 (polymer) based material. in this embodiment the polymer in the base includes a lip or flange to extract the case from the weapon. one 2-cavity prototype mold to produce the upper portion of the 5.56 case can be made using a stripper plate tool using an osco hot spur and two subgates per cavity. another embodiment includes a subsonic version, the difference from the standard and the subsonic version is the walls are thicker thus requiring less powder. this will decrease the velocity of the bullet thus creating a subsonic round. the extracting inserts is used to give the polymer case a tough enough ridge and groove for the weapons extractor to grab and pull the case out the chamber of the gun. the extracting insert is made of 17-4 ss that is hardened to 42-45rc. the insert may be made of aluminum, brass, cooper, steel or even an engineered resin with enough tensile strength. the insert is over molded in an injection molded process using a nano clay particle filled nylon material. the inserts can be machined or stamped. in addition, an engineered resin able to withstand the demand on the insert allows injection molded and/or even transfer molded. one of ordinary skill in the art will know that many propellant types and weights can be used to prepare workable ammunition and that such loads may be determined by a careful trial including initial low quantity loading of a given propellant and the well known stepwise increasing of a given propellant loading until a maximum acceptable load is achieved. extreme care and caution is advised in evaluating new loads. the propellants available have various burn rates and must be carefully chosen so that a safe load is devised. fig. 12 depicts an elevation view of a bullet-end component of the polymeric cartridge casing. a cartridge (not shown) suitable for use with high velocity rifles may be manufactured as a modular component system with a middle body component (not shown) with one end being connected to a bullet-end component 18 that is connected to a bullet (not shown) inserted therein and the other end being connected to a substantially cylindrical insert (not shown). as the cartridge (not shown) is made as a modular component system it must be assembled and fused together, e.g., the substantially cylindrical insert (not shown) must be attached to the middle body component (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 must also be attached to the middle body component (not shown). in addition, the bullet (not shown) must be attached to the bullet-end component 18 at the forward end opening 16 . the bullet-end component 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 and a forward end opening 16 at one end to receive a bullet (not shown) and a powder chamber coupling 68 at the other that mates to the powder chamber (not shown). the forward end opening 16 may include a textured surface 70 that extends into the inner neck 64 to enhance the sealing of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . the textured surface 70 may be in the form of groves, slots, channels, scratches or any other texture to increase the surface area to enhance bonding of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . for example, the forward end opening 16 may include a textured surface 70 of channels that extend into the inner neck 64 to enhance the sealing of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . during assembly the textured surface 70 provides additional surface area for the adhesive to interact with and thus secure the seal between the bullet (not shown) and the forward end opening 16 . fig. 13 depicts a side, cross-sectional view of a bullet-end component of the polymeric cartridge casing. a cartridge (not shown) suitable for use with high velocity rifles may be manufactured as a modular component system with a middle body component (not shown) with one end being connected to a bullet-end component 18 that is connected to a bullet (not shown) inserted therein and the other end being connected to a substantially cylindrical insert (not shown). the cartridge (not shown) is made as a modular component system it must be assembled and fused together, e.g., the substantially cylindrical insert (not shown) must be attached to the middle body component (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 must also be attached to the middle body component (not shown). in addition, the bullet (not shown) must be attached to the bullet-end component 18 at the forward end opening 16 . the bullet-end component 18 has a shoulder 24 forming chamber neck 26 and a forward end opening 16 at one end to receive a bullet (not shown) and a powder chamber coupling 68 at the other that mates to the powder chamber (not shown). the forward end opening 16 may include a textured surface 70 that extends into the inner neck 64 to enhance the sealing of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . the textured surface 70 may be in the form of groves, slots, channels, scratches or any other texture to increase the surface area to enhance bonding of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . for example, the forward end opening 16 may include a textured surface 70 of channels or grooves that extend into the inner neck 64 to enhance the sealing of the bullet (not shown) and the bullet-end component 18 . during assembly the textured surface 70 provides additional surface area for the adhesive to interact with and thus secure the seal between the bullet (not shown) and the forward end opening 16 . for example the textured surface 70 may be grooves that extend into the inner neck 64 so that an adhesive when applied to the bullet can wick into the grooves and into the inner neck 64 to provide a contact area on the bullet and the inner neck 64 for the adhesive. the adhesive can then be cured (e.g., uv light) and sealed. the textured surface 70 may be in any form that allows wicking and/or the increasing of the surface area, e.g., hatching, grooves, scratches, roughness, etc. the components may be made of polymeric compositions, metals, ceramics, alloys, or combinations and mixtures thereof. in addition, the components may be mixed and matched with one or more components being made of different materials. for example, the middle body component (not shown) may be polymeric; the bullet-end component 18 may be polymeric; and a substantially cylindrical insert (not shown) may be metal. similarly, the middle body component (not shown) may be polymeric; the bullet-end component 18 may be metal; and a substantially cylindrical insert (not shown) may be an alloy. the middle body component (not shown) may be polymeric; the bullet-end component 18 may be an alloy; and a substantially cylindrical insert (not shown) may be an alloy. the middle body component (not shown); the bullet-end component 18 ; and/or the substantially cylindrical insert may be made of a metal that is formed by a metal injection molding process. the description of the preferred embodiments should be taken as illustrating, rather than as limiting, the present invention as defined by the claims. as will be readily appreciated, numerous combinations of the features set forth above can be utilized without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims. such variations are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. it is contemplated that any embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented with respect to any method, kit, reagent, or composition of the invention, and vice versa. furthermore, compositions of the invention can be used to achieve methods of the invention. it will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. the principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims. all publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. the use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” the use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or.” throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects. as used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. the term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. for example, “a, b, c, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, and if order is important in a particular context, also ba, ca, cb, cba, bca, acb, bac, or cab. continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as bb, aaa, ab, bbc, aaabcccc, cbbaaa, cababb, and so forth. the skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context. all of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
021-496-338-736-765	US	[ "US" ]	B01D5/00,B01D46/00,B01D50/00,B01D35/30	2008-11-11T00:00:00	2008	[ "B01" ]	portable air filtration system	a portable air filtration system used in industrial environments to filter and re-circulate fumes from a fume source includes a housing that filters the fumes from the fume source. the housing defines at least one housing inlet to receive the fumes and a housing outlet to dispense the fumes. a receiving assembly is releaseably engageable with the at least one housing inlet and includes a receiver inlet and a receiver outlet. the receiver outlet is in fluid communication with the at least one housing inlet. the receiver inlet receives the fumes from the fume source and transfers the fumes to the housing inlet. the system is capable of being modified between a plurality of configurations.	1. a portable air filtration system for use in industrial environments to filter and re-circulate fumes from a fume source comprising: a housing defining a plurality of housing inlets for receiving the fumes and a housing outlet for dispensing the fumes; a receiving assembly releaseably engaged to one of said housing inlets to establish fluid communication with said housing; a housing plate releasably engaged over said other of said housing inlets for blocking the flow of fumes into said housing though said other of said housing inlets; and wherein said releasable engagement of said receiving assembly and said housing plate about said housing inlets can be interchanged to alter between a downdraft flow and a backdraft flow of fumes into said housing. 2. the system as set forth in claim 1 further including at least one wheel secured to said housing for moving said housing. 3. the system as set forth in claim 2 further including a plurality of wheels, each of said wheels being disposed adjacent a corner of said housing. 4. the system as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said housing inlets is disposed on a front face of said housing and said other of said housing inlets is disposed on a top face of said housing. 5. the system as set forth in claim 1 further including a fan disposed in said housing and operatively connected to a motor for generating suction at said at least one housing inlet and for propelling the fumes out of said housing through said housing outlet. 6. the system as set forth in claim 1 further including a filter disposed in said housing for removing particulates from the fumes. 7. the assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including a plurality of louvers extending across said receiver inlet for dispersing the fumes entering said receiving assembly from the fume source and for filtering out large materials from the fumes. 8. the system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving assembly includes a duct arm having a first end in fluid communication with one of said housing inlets and extending to a receiver inlet for receiving the fumes from the fume source. 9. the assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said duct arm includes at least one flexible section and at least one rigid tube. 10. the assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein each of said at least one flexible sections is defined by a bellows tube. 11. the assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said duct arm serially includes a first flexible section and a first rigid tube and a second flexible section and a second rigid tube and a third flexible section. 12. the assembly as set forth in claim 8 further including a first swivel interconnecting one of said housing inlets of said housing and said first end of said duct arm for allowing rotation of said duct arm relative to said housing. 13. the system as set forth in claim 12 further including a duct plate releaseably engaged to one of said housing inlets and defining said first swivel for interconnecting one of said_housing inlets and said first end of said duct arm. 14. the system as set forth in claim 8 further including a hood having a hood outlet in fluid communication with said distal end of said duct arm and presenting a face defining a hood inlet for receiving the fumes from the fume source. 15. the assembly as set forth in claim 12 further including a hood having a hood outlet in fluid communication with said distal end of said duct arm and a second swivel interconnecting said hood outlet of said hood and said distal end of said duct arm for allowing rotation of said hood relative to said duct arm. 16. the system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiver assembly is an intake plenum having a plenum outlet in fluid communication with one of housing inlets and presenting a face defining plenum inlet for receiving the fumes for the fume source. 17. the system as set forth in claim 16 wherein one of said housing inlets is disposed on a front face of said housing and the other of said housing inlets is disposed on a top face of said housing. 18. the system as set forth in claim 17 wherein said intake plenum is releasably engaged to said housing inlet disposed on said front face of said housing and said plenum inlet faces upwardly to create the downdraft flow into said housing. 19. the system as set forth in claim 18 further including at least one support leg extending downwardly from said intake plenum for supporting said intake plenum. 20. the system as set forth in claim 17 wherein said intake plenum is releasably engaged to said housing inlet disposed on said top face of said housing and said plenum inlet faces outwardly to create the backdraft flow into said housing.	cross reference to related application this utility patent application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/113,346 filed nov. 11, 2008, entitled “portable air filtration system,” the entire disclosure of the application being considered part of the disclosure of this application, and hereby incorporated by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the subject invention relates to air filtration systems and more particularly to portable air filtration systems that may be modified between different configurations based on use and used in industrial environments to filter and re-circulate the fumes from a fume source. 2. description of the prior art many factories use machines or equipment, in welding for example, which create unhealthy fumes that must be filtered. back draft assemblies, and positionable fume arms have been used near the source of the fumes, e.g. the work-piece being welded. positionable fume arms often include a small hood and a fume arm. the hood is positioned near the fume source and the fume arm transfers the fumes to the housing where they are filtered. a low horsepower motor is used to drive a fan in these positionable arm systems. the hood of a fume must be placed no farther than eighteen inches from the fume source in order to be effective. in certain applications, for example when a large work-piece is being welded, the hood must be consistently moved along the work-piece to maintain adequate filtration of the fumes. welders often neglect to move the hood because of the effort required to do so and because it breaks their concentration on the welding operation. neglecting to consistently move the hood to keep it within the eighteen inch operating range thereby compromises the quality of air in the work environment. a back draft housing includes a housing inlet for receiving the fumes and a housing outlet for dispensing the fumes. a motor and a fan operatively connected to the motor generates suction at the housing inlet and propels the fumes out of the housing through the housing outlet. a filter is disposed in the housing for filtering particulates from the fumes. back draft housings are very effective when used in, for example, welding cells. the back draft housing is usually floor mounted and is very powerful so that it can pull fumes from the welding cell. the problem with back draft housings is that they cannot be effectively used on long welds. the distance between the back draft housing and the point of the weld has to be in the unit's range, or it will be ineffective. summary of the invention and advantages the subject invention relates to a portable air filtration system used in industrial environments to filter and re-circulate fumes from a fume source. the air filtration system includes a housing that filters the fumes from the fume source. the housing defines at least one housing inlet to receive the fumes and a housing outlet to dispense the fumes. a receiving assembly is releaseably engageable with the at least one housing inlet and includes a receiver inlet and a receiver outlet. the receiver outlet is in fluid communication with the at least one housing inlet. the receiver inlet receives the fumes from the fume source and transfers the fumes to the housing inlet. the system is capable of being modified between a plurality of configurations. brief description of the drawings other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of an exemplary air filtration system having a duct arm secured to a housing according to the subject invention; fig. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary air filtration system having an intake plenum secured to the housing at a first housing inlet according to the subject invention; and fig. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary air filtration system having the intake plenum secured to the housing at a second housing inlet according to the subject invention. detailed description of the invention referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a portable air filtration system 20 is generally shown. the subject invention relates to air filtration systems 20 and more particularly to portable air filtration systems 20 that may be modified between different configurations based on use and used in industrial environments to filter and re-circulate the fumes from a fume source. the portable air filtration system 20 includes a housing 24 that filters the fumes from the fume source. the housing 24 defines at least one housing inlet 26 a , 26 b to receive the fumes and a housing outlet 28 to dispense the fumes. a receiving assembly 30 is releaseably engageable with the at least one housing inlet 26 a , 26 b and includes a receiver inlet 32 and a receiver outlet 34 . the receiver outlet 34 is in fluid communication with the at least one housing inlet 26 a , 26 b . the receiver inlet 32 receives the fumes from the fume source and transfers the fumes to the housing inlet 26 a , 26 b . the system 20 is capable of being modified between a plurality of configurations. the system 20 includes a housing 24 for filtering fumes. the housing 24 may be any shape and size known in the art. in the exemplary embodiment, the housing 24 is generally rectangular and includes a top and bottom face spaced from one another and connected by a plurality of side walls to define a housing chamber therein. the housing 24 includes at least one wheel 36 to allow for movement of the housing 24 from one location to another. in the preferred embodiment, the housing 24 includes a plurality of wheels 36 secured to the housing 24 , with each of the wheels 36 being disposed adjacent a corner of the housing 24 . it should be appreciated that the assembly may include any wheel 36 known in the art and may further include any number of wheels 36 needed to move the housing 24 . the housing 24 defines at least one housing inlet 26 a , 26 b for receiving the fumes and a housing outlet 28 for dispensing the fumes. in the exemplary embodiment, the housing 24 defines a plurality of housing inlets 26 a , 26 b capable of receiving fumes from the fume source. any one of the plurality of housing inlets 26 a , 26 b may be used to receive the fumes based on the configuration of the system 20 . in the exemplary embodiment, the housing 24 includes two housing inlets, a first housing inlet 26 a on a top face 38 of the housing 24 and a second housing inlet 26 b on a front face 40 of the housing 24 . when the system 20 includes a plurality of housing inlets 26 a , 26 b and one of the housing inlets 26 a , 26 b is not in use, it may be covered with a housing plate 42 to block the flow of fumes into the housing 24 through the covered housing inlet 26 a , 26 b . the housing plate 42 is releaseably engageable with any one of the plurality of housing inlets 26 a , 26 b to block the flow of fumes into the housing 24 through the covered housing inlet 26 a , 26 b. an electric motor 44 is disposed in the housing 24 . a fan is operatively connected to the motor 44 for generating suction at the housing inlets 26 a , 26 b and for propelling the fumes out of the housing 24 through the housing outlet 28 . at least one filter 22 is disposed in the housing 24 for removing particulates from the fumes. additionally, a first spark arrester, as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, may be disposed in the housing 24 for arresting sparks and other combustible materials. it should be appreciated that the described system 20 is only exemplary, and any system 20 known in the art for moving fumes through a filter 22 or other cleaning mechanism may be used. as shown in fig. 1 , the exemplary configuration of the receiver assembly is a duct arm 46 having a first end 48 in fluid communication with the housing inlet 26 b of the housing 24 . the duct arm 46 extends outwardly from the at least one housing inlet 26 a , 26 b to a distal end 50 for conveying fumes to the housing inlet 26 a , 26 b . in the exemplary embodiment, the system 20 includes a single duct arm 46 extending from the housing 24 but may include a plurality of duct arms 46 extending from the housing 24 . the system 20 includes a duct plate 52 with a first swivel 54 that defines an opening to mate with the first end 48 of the duct arm 46 . the first swivel 54 interconnects the housing inlet 26 a , 26 b of the housing 24 and the first end 48 of the duct arm 46 and allows for rotation of the duct arm 46 relative to the housing 24 . the duct arm 46 may be of any length capable of reaching a fume source from the housing 24 . a hood 56 is disposed at the distal end 50 of the duct arm 46 . the hood 56 defines a hood inlet 58 for receiving the fumes from the fume source. the hood inlet 58 may have any cross-section for receiving the fumes from the fume source, e.g. circular, hexagonal, etc. in the exemplary embodiment, the duct arm 46 serially includes a first flexible section 60 , a first rigid tube 62 , a second flexible section 64 , a second rigid tube 66 , and a third flexible section 68 . each of the flexible sections 60 , 64 , 68 may be defined by a bellows tube. the first flexible section 60 extends from the first swivel 54 , and the third flexible section 68 extends to the hood 56 . a second swivel may be used to interconnect the hood 56 to the distal end 50 of the duct arm 46 and allow for rotation of the hood 56 relative to the duct a in 46 . the duct arm 46 of the exemplary embodiment may include control arms 70 for controlling the movement of the duct arm 46 relative to the housing 24 . control arms 70 could be used to interconnect the first swivel 54 and the first rigid tube 62 , the first rigid tube 62 and the second rigid tube 66 , and the second rigid tube 66 and the hood 56 . the control arms 70 are pivotally connected together at a pivot 72 and include a control mechanism for controlling pivotal movement of the control arms 70 relative to one another for moving the first rigid tube 62 relative to the first swivel 54 , the second rigid tube 66 relative to the first rigid tube 62 , and the hood 56 relative to the second rigid tube 66 . the duct arm 46 and the hood 56 are often very heavy and difficult for a user to manually move. to assist the user, the control mechanisms may include springs or actuators to bias the control arms 70 and help the user move the hood 56 relative to the housing 24 more easily. additionally, the control mechanisms support the duct arm 46 and the hood 56 and hold them in place when the user releases the hood 56 . to support the duct arm 46 and hood 56 , the control mechanisms may include friction disks or dampers to hold the duct arm 46 and hood 56 in a desired position for the user. as shown in figs. 2 and 3 , the receiver assembly is an attachable intake plenum 74 having a plenum inlet 76 and a plenum outlet 78 . at least one filter 22 may be disposed in the intake plenum 74 . in the exemplary embodiment, a spark arrester, as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including a wire mesh is disposed in the intake plenum 74 for arresting sparks and other combustible materials, and a plurality of louvers 80 extend across and between opposite sides of the plenum inlet 76 for dispersing the fumes entering the intake plenum 74 from the fume source and for filtering out large materials from the fumes. as shown in fig. 2 , the intake plenum 74 , with the plenum inlet 76 facing upward, may be attached to housing inlet 26 a disposed on the front face 40 of the housing 24 to create a downdraft flow. in the exemplary embodiment, the plenum outlet 78 is interconnected to the housing inlet 26 a on the front face 40 while the housing plate 42 is disposed over the housing inlet 26 a on the top face 38 to create the downdraft flow. at least one support leg may be pivotally attached to the back of the intake plenum 74 to support the intake plenum 74 . as shown in fig. 3 , the intake plenum 74 , with the plenum inlet 76 facing outward, may be attached to housing inlet 26 b disposed on the top face 38 of the housing 24 to create a backdraft flow. in the exemplary embodiment, the plenum outlet 78 is interconnected to the housing inlet 26 b on the top face 38 while the housing plate 42 is disposed over the housing inlet 26 b on the front face 40 to create the backdraft flow. at least one support leg may be pivotally attached to the top of the intake plenum 74 and pivoted forward to support a backdraft hood around the plenum intake. the foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and do come within the scope of the invention. accordingly, the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
021-901-209-836-424	US	[ "US", "JP", "EP", "CN", "WO" ]	C12Q1/6886,C12N15/11,C12Q1/6827,C12Q1/6874,C12Q1/6855,C12Q1/6811,C12Q1/6876,C07H21/02,C12Q1/6869,C12Q1/68	2015-06-09T00:00:00	2015	[ "C12", "C07" ]	methods, systems, compositions, kits, apparatus and computer-readable media for molecular tagging	in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a multiplex molecular tagging procedure that employs a plurality of tags that are appended to a plurality of polynucleotides. the tags have characteristics, including a sequence, length and/or detectable moiety, or any other characteristic, that uniquely identifies the polynucleotide molecule to which it is appended, and permits tracking individual tagged molecules in a mixture of tagged molecules. for example, the tag having a unique tag sequence, can uniquely identify an individual polynucleotide to which it is appended, and distinguish the individual polynucleotide from other tagged polynucleotides in a mixture. in some embodiments, the multiplex molecular tagging procedure can be used for generating error-corrected sequencing data and for detecting a target polynucleotide which is present at low abundance in a nucleic acid sample.	1 . a method for detecting a variant sequence target polynucleotide which is present in a nucleic acid sample, comprising the steps: a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a plurality of oligonucleotide tags; wherein: a. the plurality of oligonucleotide tags comprise a plurality of single- or double-stranded primers, wherein individual primers include: i. a 3′ region that specifically binds a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and ii. a 5′ tail having a sequence that is not complementary to a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acids sample, and including a sequence comprising the randomer tag sequence; and b. wherein individual oligonucleotide tags in the plurality of oligonucleotide tags include a region having a randomer tag sequence which comprises different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences, wherein the fixed tags sequences within the randomer tag sequence form a sequence alignment anchor and b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending at least one tag from the plurality of oligonucleotide tags to individual polynucleotides within the plurality of polynucleotides; c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides; d) sequencing at least a portion of the population of tagged amplicons; to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads; e) aligning the sequence alignment anchors of the plurality of candidate sequencing reads and generate error-corrected sequencing data; and f) determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the single reaction mixture contains 1-100 ng of the plurality of polynucleotides, which includes a mixture of target and non-target polynucleotides. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100 different polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect 85-100% of the different polynucleotides that are present in the nucleic acid sample. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid sample comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein any two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with tags that differ from each other, and wherein any two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different oligonucleotide tag at both ends. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein primers are appended to individual polynucleotides in a primer extension reaction in step (b) in two to four rounds of primer extension. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the single reaction mixture contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 9 different randomer tag sequences. 9 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the randomer tag sequence comprises the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, and wherein the length “n” is 2-10; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, and wherein the length “x” is 2-10; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs from the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein the length “m” is 2-10; (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein the length “y” is 2-10; and (v) wherein the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” are sequence alignment anchors. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture are appended to individual polynucleotides in an enzymatic ligation reaction in step (b), wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture comprise a plurality of double-stranded stranded linear adaptor, a stem-looped adaptor or a y-shaped adaptor, and wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags includes the randomer tag sequence. 11 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating a plurality of tagged capture polynucleotides by appending the plurality of polynucleotides with at least one universal sequence selected from a group consisting of: an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, a capture primer sequence and a cleavable site. 12 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising: a) forming a plurality of captured polynucleotides, by binding the plurality of tagged capture polynucleotides to a plurality of capture primers attached to a support; and b) sequencing the plurality of captured polynucleotides . 13 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. 14 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one cmos sensor that detects a nucleotide incorporation event. 15 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the sequencing in step (b) further comprises: flowing one type of nucleotide onto the plurality of captured polynucleotides, wherein the one type of nucleotide is selected from a group consisting of a nucleotide labeled with an optically-detectable label, a nucleotide that is not labeled with an optically-detectable label, is terminator nucleotide, or a nucleotide that is not a terminator nucleotide. 16 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the sequencing in step (b) includes flowing 2-4 different types of nucleotides onto the plurality of captured polynucleotides, wherein at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is selected from a group consisting of a nucleotide labeled with an optically-detectable label, a nucleotide that is not labeled with an optically-detectable label, is terminator nucleotide, or a nucleotide that is not a terminator nucleotide. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the sequencing in step (d) generates a plurality of sequencing reads which include no more than 2 false positive sequencing reads. 18 . the method of claim 9 wherein the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6, wherein: “n 1 n 2 n 3 ” and “n 4 n 5 n 6 ” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t; wherein “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” represents a first fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” represents a second fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags and differs from the sequence of the first fixed tag sequence. 19 . the method of claim 18 wherein the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. 20 . a plurality of tagged polynucleotides generated by the method of claim 1 .	cross reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. non-provisional application ser. no. 15/178,450, filed jun. 9, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119 to u.s. provisional application nos. 62/172,836, filed jun. 9, 2015, 62/207,177, filed aug. 19, 2015, 62/248,978, filed oct. 30, 2015, 62/304,530, filed mar. 7, 2016, 62/310,647, filed mar. 18, 2016, 62/311,276, filed march 21, 2016, and 62/323,142, filed apr. 15, 2016; the disclosures of all of the which aforementioned applications are incorporated by reference in their entireties. throughout this application various publications, patents, and/or patent applications are referenced. the disclosures of the publications, patents and/or patent applications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. summary in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data, which employs a molecular tagging procedure, in which polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, comprising the steps: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a plurality of oligonucleotide tags. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprises the steps: (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending at least one tag from the plurality of oligonucleotide tags to individual polynucleotides within the plurality of polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprises the steps: (c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprises the steps: (d) sequencing at least a portion of the population of tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprises the steps: (e) determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture of step (a) contains 1-100 ng of the plurality of polynucleotides, which includes a mixture of target and non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture of step (a) detects the presence of 5-100 different polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture of step (a) detects 85-100% of the different polynucleotides that are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, any two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides in step (b) are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, any two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different oligonucleotide tag at both ends. for example, the two tagged polynucleotides that are appended with tags that differ from each other are the same or different two tagged polynucleotide that are appended with a different oligonucleotide tag at both ends. in some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides in step (b) are appended with tags that differ from each other, wherein the at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different oligonucleotide tag at both ends. in some embodiments, individual oligonucleotide tags in the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in step (a) include a region having a randomer tag sequence which comprises different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture of step (a) contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 9 different randomer tag sequences. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture of step (a) include a randomer tag sequence which comprises the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , wherein (i) “n” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, and wherein the length “n” is 2-10; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, and wherein the length “x” is 2-10; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs from the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein the length “m” is 2-10; (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein the length “y” is 2-10; and (v) wherein the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the plurality of the oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture that appended to individual polynucleotides in a primer extension reaction in step (b), wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture comprise a plurality of single-stranded primers which include: (i) a 3′ region that specifically binds a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a 5′ tail having a sequence that does not bind to a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acids sample and the 5′ tail includes a sequence comprising the randomer tag sequence. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture are appended to individual polynucleotides in an enzymatic ligation reaction in step (b), wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture comprise a plurality of a double-stranded linear adaptor, a stem-looped adaptor or a y-shaped adaptor, and wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags includes the randomer tag sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise: generating a plurality of tagged capture polynucleotides by appending the plurality of polynucleotides with at least one universal sequence selected from a group consisting of: an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, a capture primer sequence and a cleavable site. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise: (a) forming a plurality of captured polynucleotides, by binding the plurality of tagged capture polynucleotides to a plurality of capture primers attached to a support; and (b) sequencing the plurality of captured polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one cmos sensor that detects a nucleotide incorporation event. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (b) further comprises: flowing one type of nucleotide onto the plurality of captured polynucleotides. for example, the one type of nucleotide is selected from a group consisting of a nucleotide labeled with an optically-detectable label, a nucleotide that is not labeled with an optically-detectable label, is terminator nucleotide, or a nucleotide that is not a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (b) includes flowing 2-4 different types of nucleotides onto the plurality of captured polynucleotides. for example, at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is selected from a group consisting of a nucleotide labeled with an optically-detectable label, a nucleotide that is not labeled with an optically-detectable label, is terminator nucleotide, or a nucleotide that is not a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise: sequencing at least a portion of the population of tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads each having the randomer tag sequence which comprises different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences, wherein the fixed tags sequences within the randomer tag sequence form a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise: aligning the sequence alignment anchors of the plurality of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to a plurality of tagged polynucleotides which are generated by any method described herein. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, comprising the steps: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a plurality of oligonucleotide tags. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending at least one tag to individual polynucleotides within the plurality of polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (d) sequencing at least a portion of the population of tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (e) determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) comprises determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 1-100 ng of the plurality of polynucleotides, which includes a mixture of target and non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a) detect the presence of 5-100 different polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a) detect 85-100% of the different polynucleotides that are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample in step (a) comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, the biological fluid is blood, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, or semen. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample in step (a) comprises dna or rna, or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides in step (b) are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides in step (b) are appended with a different tag at both ends. in some embodiments, individual oligonucleotide tags in the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in step (a) include a region comprising different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 9 different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (b) are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in a sequence-dependent manner. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture of step (a) are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in a primer extension reaction in step (b), and the single reaction mixture includes a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a), comprise a plurality of single-stranded primers, wherein individual single-stranded primers include: (i) a 3′ region that specifically binds a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a 5′ tail having a sequence that is not complementary to a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acids sample. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, and wherein the length “n” is 2-10; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, and wherein the length “x” is 2-10; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs from the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein the length “m” is 2-10; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein the length “y” is 2-10. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6, wherein: “n 1 n 2 n 3 ” and “n 4 n 5 n 6 ” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t; wherein “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” represents a first fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” represents a second fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags and differs from the sequence of the first fixed tag sequence. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), wherein “nnn” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the “act” and the “tga” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the plurality of the single stranded primers. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in an enzymatic ligation reaction in step (b), and the single reaction mixture includes a dna ligase or rna ligase. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture of step (a), comprise a plurality of a double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor. in some embodiments, the plurality the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, comprise a region having the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, and wherein the length “n” is 2-10; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, and wherein the length “x” is 2-10; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs from the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein the length “m” is 2-10; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein the length “y” is 2-10. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6, wherein: “n 1 n 2 n 3 ” and “n 4 n 5 n 6 ” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t; wherein “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” represents a first fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” represents a second fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags and differs from the sequence of the first fixed tag sequence. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded primers comprise the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), wherein “nnn” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the “act” and the “tga” within the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining that the first target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptors. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprise the steps: appending the plurality of polynucleotides with at least one or any combination of a universal sequence selected from a group consisting of: an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, a capture primer sequence and a cleavable site. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including a first and second tagged target polynucleotide, that are generated in step (b) are appended with an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, and a first capture primer sequence. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including the first and second tagged target polynucleotides, which are generated in step (b) are appended with a second capture primer sequence having a sequence that differs from the sequence of the first capture primer sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a variant sequence target polynucleotide) which is present in a nucleic acid sample, further comprise the steps: (a) forming a plurality of captured polynucleotides, including forming a captured first polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the first tagged target polynucleotides to a first capture primer which is attached to a support; (b) forming (i) a captured second polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the second tagged target polynucleotides to a second capture primer which is attached to the same support as the first capture primer, or (ii) a captured second polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the second tagged target polynucleotides to a second capture primer which is attached to a different support; (c) conducting a primer extension reaction; and (d) sequencing the first and the second captured polynucleotides with a plurality of polymerases and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the sequencing comprises a massively parallel sequencing reaction. in some embodiments, the support comprises a substantially planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor. in some embodiments, the at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor detects a byproduct from nucleotide incorporation, wherein the byproduct includes pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (c) further comprises: flowing one type of nucleotide onto the captured plurality of polynucleotides, including the captured first and the second polynucleotides on the support. in some embodiments, the one type of nucleotide is labeled with an optically-detectable label, or is not labeled with an optically-detectable label. in some embodiments, the one type of nucleotide is terminator nucleotide or is not a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (c) includes flowing 2-4 different types of nucleotides onto the captured plurality of polynucleotides, including the captured first and the second polynucleotides on the support. in some embodiments, at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is labeled with an optically-detectable label, or is not labeled with an optically-detectable label. in some embodiments, at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is terminator nucleotide or none of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides are a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (d) further comprises: sequencing the population of tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) comparing a reference tag sequence with the plurality of candidate sequencing reads; and (ii) culling a first candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads when a tag sequence of the first candidate sequencing read does not have 100% sequence identity with the reference tag sequence. in some embodiments, the reference tag sequence is not used for correcting an error contained in a given candidate sequencing read. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) forming a plurality of a family of grouped sequencing reads by grouping together candidate sequencing reads having the same tag sequence. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining the percentage of the candidate sequencing reads within a given family of grouped sequencing reads that have a target polynucleotide sequence that is identical to a reference target polynucleotide sequence; and (ii) determining that the given family of grouped sequencing reads represents the variant target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample, when at least 10% of the candidate sequencing reads within the given family of grouped sequencing reads have 100% sequence identity with the reference target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) counting the number of different families of grouped sequencing reads having a common first target polynucleotide sequence; and (ii) retaining these different counted families of grouped sequencing read when the count equals or exceeds three. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a target polynucleotide (e.g., a target polynucleotide having a variant sequence) which is present in a nucleic acid sample (e.g., present at low abundance in the nucleic acid sample), comprising the steps: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing (i) a plurality of target polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, wherein the plurality of target polynucleotides includes at least a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide, and (ii) a plurality of oligonucleotide tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags includes at least a first, second, third and fourth tag. in some embodiments, individual tags from the plurality of oligonucleotide tags comprise different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, a low abundant target polynucleotide may be present in a nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-5%. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged target polynucleotides that are appended with a different tag at both ends. in some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides that are generated in the single reaction mixture include a first and second tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the first tagged target polynucleotide is generated by appending the first tag to one end of the first target polynucleotide and appending the second tag to the other end of the first target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second tagged target polynucleotide is generated within the same single reaction mixture by appending the third tag to one end of the second target polynucleotide and appending the fourth tag to the other end of the second target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including generating a population of first tagged amplicons by amplifying the first tagged target polynucleotides, and generating a population of second tagged amplicons by amplifying the second tagged target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the amplifying is conducted by pcr. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (d) sequencing the population of tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the sequencing includes sequencing the target polynucleotide regions and the tags appended thereon, including sequencing the population of the first tagged amplicons which comprises sequencing the first target polynucleotide regions and the appended first and second tag regions. in some embodiments, the sequencing includes sequencing the population of the second and tagged amplicons which comprises sequencing the second target polynucleotide regions and the appended third and fourth tag regions. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (e) determining that (i) the first target polynucleotide and the second target polynucleotide are present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%, or determining that (ii) the first target polynucleotide or the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, wherein the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect 85-90%, or 85-95%, or 85-99%, or 85-100% of the different target polynucleotides that are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) comprises determining that the first target polynucleotide which is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) comprises determining that the second target polynucleotide which is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) comprises determining that the first and second target polynucleotide are present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, the first or second target polynucleotide in step (a) is present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, the first and second target polynucleotides in step (a) are each present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, the plurality of target polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample in step (a) comprises cell free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, the plurality of target polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample in step (a) comprises dna or rna, or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, the biological fluid is blood, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, or semen. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 1-10 ng, or 10-30 ng, or 30-50 ng, or 50-100 ng of a plurality of polynucleotides, which includes target and non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 10 4 -10 9 of the first tags having different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 10 4 -10 9 of the second tags having different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 10 4 -10 9 of the third tags having different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture in step (a) contains 10 4 -10 9 of the fourth tags having different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a), including the first, second, third and fourth tags, are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in a sequence-dependent manner. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a), including the first, second, third and fourth tags, are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in a primer extension reaction in step (b). in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture comprises a primer extension reaction which includes a plurality of single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers, a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of tags in the single reaction mixture comprises a plurality of single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers. in some embodiments, the plurality of tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a), comprise a plurality of single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers, wherein individual single-stranded tag primers include a 3′ region that specifically binds a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the plurality of single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers include individual single-stranded tag primers comprising a 5′ tail having a sequence that is not complementary to a target sequence in the plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acids sample. in some embodiments, the plurality of single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers, comprise a plurality of single-stranded primers which include a 5′ tail having the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, and wherein the length “n” is 2-10; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, and wherein the length “x” is 2-10; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs from the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein the length “m” is 2-10; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein the length “y” is 2-10. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of single-stranded tag primers comprise the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6, wherein “n 1 n 2 n 3 ” and “n 4 n 5 n 6 ” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t; wherein “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” represents a first fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags, wherein “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” represents a second fixed tag sequence that is the same in all of the plurality of tags and differs from the sequence of the first fixed tag sequence. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the 5′ tail of the plurality of the single-stranded tag primers comprise the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), wherein “nnn” represents a random tag sequence wherein each base position in the random tag sequence is independently selected from a, g, c or t. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining that the first target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the first and/or second single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers; and (ii) determining that the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the third and/or fourth single-stranded oligonucleotide tag primers. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture in step (a), including the first, second, third and fourth tags, are appended to their respective target polynucleotides in an enzymatic ligation reaction in step (b), and the single reaction mixture includes a dna ligase or rna ligase. in some embodiments, the plurality of tags in the single reaction mixture comprise a plurality of a double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor. in some embodiments, the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, comprise a region having the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the stem region of the stem-looped adaptor or the y-shaped adaptor comprise the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y . in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, comprise a region having the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the stem region of the stem-looped adaptor or the y-shaped adaptor comprise the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the plurality of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor, comprise a region having the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c or t. for example, the stem region of the stem-looped adaptor or the y-shaped adaptor comprise the 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1). in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining that the first target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the first and/or second tag (e.g., of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor); and (ii) determining that the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5% using the sequence alignment anchor of the third and/or fourth tags (e.g., of the double-stranded linear adaptor, stem-looped adaptor or y-shaped adaptor). in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides that are generated in the single reaction mixture in step (b) are generated by primer extension using the plurality of single-stranded tag primers, or are generated by enzymatic ligation using the plurality of double-stranded linear adaptors, stem-looped adaptors or y-shaped adaptors. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides are amplified to generate a population of tagged amplicons, which includes a first and second population of tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (d) further comprises: sequencing the population of tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads including: (i) sequencing the population of first tagged amplicons to generate a population of first candidate sequencing reads having the first target polynucleotide sequence and the first and second tag sequences, and (ii) sequencing the population of second tagged amplicons to generate a population of second candidate sequencing reads having the second target polynucleotide sequence and the third and fourth tag sequences. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) comparing a reference-first tag sequence with one of the first candidate sequencing reads from the population of first candidate sequencing reads, and culling/discarding the first candidate sequencing read when the first tag sequence of the first candidate sequencing read does not have 100% sequence identity with the reference-first tag sequence; and (ii) comparing a reference-third tag sequence with one of the second candidate sequencing reads from the population of second candidate sequencing reads, and culling/discarding the second candidate sequencing read when the third tag sequence of the second candidate sequencing read does not have 100% sequence identity with the reference-third tag sequence. in some embodiments, the reference-first tag sequence and the reference-second tag sequence each contain a known reference sequence, which includes a wild-type or variant reference sequence. in some embodiments, the reference-first tag sequence and the reference-third tag sequence are not used for correcting an error contained in the first or second candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: forming a plurality of a family of grouped sequencing reads by grouping together candidate sequencing reads having the same first, second, third or fourth tag sequence, including forming a first family of grouped sequencing reads by grouping together candidate sequencing reads having the same first or second tag sequence, and including forming a second family of grouped sequencing reads by grouping together candidate sequencing reads having the same third or fourth tag sequence. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) determining the percentage of the candidate sequencing reads within a family of grouped sequencing reads that have a target polynucleotide sequence that is identical to a reference target polynucleotide sequence, including determining the percentage of the candidate sequencing reads within the first family of grouped sequencing reads that have a first target polynucleotide sequence that is identical to a reference first target polynucleotide sequence, and including determining the percentage of the candidate sequencing reads within the second family of grouped sequencing reads that have a second target polynucleotide sequence that is identical to a reference second target polynucleotide sequence; (ii) determining that the first family of grouped sequencing reads represents a first target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample, when at least 10% of the candidate sequencing reads within the first family of grouped sequencing reads have 100% sequence identity with the reference first target polynucleotide; and (iii) determining that the second family of grouped sequencing reads represents a second target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample, when at least 10% of the candidate sequencing reads within the second family of grouped sequencing reads have 100% sequence identity with the reference second target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining in step (e) includes: (i) counting the number of different families of grouped sequencing reads having a common first target polynucleotide sequence, and retaining the different families of grouped sequencing read when the count equals or exceeds three; and (ii) counting the number of different families of grouped sequencing reads having a common second target polynucleotide sequence, and retaining the different families of grouped sequencing read when the count equals or exceeds three. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for manipulating the candidate sequencing reads (e.g., within any given family of grouped sequencing reads) to yield a high percentage of true positives while reducing the percentage of false positives by applying any one or any combination of the thresholds including the culling threshold, a grouping threshold, counting grouped reads threshold counting family threshold, difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold non-target pattern threshold and/or family level threshold according to the present teachings. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise appending the plurality of polynucleotides with at least one or any combination of universal sequences selected from a group consisting of: an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, a capture primer sequence and a cleavable site. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including the first tagged and second tagged target polynucleotides that are generated in the single reaction mixture of step (b) are further appended with an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, and a first capture primer sequence. optionally, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including the first tagged and second tagged target polynucleotides, that are generated in the single reaction mixture in step (b) are further appended with a second capture primer sequence having a sequence that differs from the sequence of the first capture primer sequence. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including the first tagged and second tagged target polynucleotides, that are attached to an amplification primer sequence, sequencing primer sequence, first capture primer sequence and/or the second capture primer, undergo further steps including: (i) forming a plurality of captured polynucleotides, including forming a captured first polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the first tagged target polynucleotides to a first capture primer which is attached to a support, and forming a captured second polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the second tagged target polynucleotides to a second capture primer which is attached to the same support as the first capture primer; (ii) conducting a primer extension reaction to generate a first and second captured target polynucleotide which are attached to the same support; and (iii) sequencing the first and the second captured polynucleotides with a plurality of polymerases and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the sequencing comprises a massively parallel sequencing reaction or a sequencing reaction that employs gel electrophoresis or a microarray. in some embodiments, the support comprises a substantially planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged target polynucleotides, including the first tagged and second tagged target polynucleotides, that include the amplification primer sequence, sequencing primer sequence, first capture primer sequence and/or the second capture primer, undergo further steps including: (i) forming a plurality of captured polynucleotides, including forming a captured first polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the first tagged target polynucleotides to a first capture primer which is attached to a first support; (ii) forming a captured second polynucleotide by binding the first capture primer sequence of the second tagged target polynucleotides to a second capture primer which is attached to a second support (e.g., the first and second supports are different supports); (iii) conducting a primer extension reaction to generate a first which is attached to the first support and to generate a second captured target polynucleotide which is attached to the second support; and (iv) sequencing the first and the second captured polynucleotides with a plurality of polymerases and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the sequencing comprises a massively parallel sequencing reaction or a sequencing reaction that employs gel electrophoresis or a microarray. in some embodiments, the first and second supports each comprise a substantially planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the first and second captured polynucleotides that are attached to the first and second bead, respectively, are deposited onto a support having one sequencing reaction site or an array of sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor. in some embodiments, the at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor detects a byproduct from nucleotide incorporation, wherein the byproduct includes pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (d) further comprises: (i) providing a support having a plurality of sequencing reaction sites that have polynucleotides captured thereon or the plurality sequencing reaction sites are deposited with beads that carry attached polynucleotides, wherein the polynucleotides on the sequencing reaction sites include the first and second captured polynucleotides; and (ii) flowing one type of nucleotide onto the sequencing reaction sites (e.g., datp, dgtp, dctp or dttp). the flowed nucleotides contact the polynucleotides on the sequencing reaction sites. optionally, the flow includes one type of nucleotide which is labeled with an optically-detectable label, or is not labeled with an optically-detectable label. optionally, the flow includes one type of nucleotide which is a terminator nucleotide or is not a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the sequencing in step (d) further comprises: (i) providing a support having a plurality of sequencing reaction sites that have polynucleotides captured thereon or the plurality sequencing reaction sites are deposited with beads that carry attached polynucleotides, wherein the polynucleotides on the sequencing reaction sites include the first and second captured polynucleotides; and (ii) flowing 2-4 different types of nucleotides onto the sequencing reaction sites (e.g., any combination of 2-4 of datp, dgtp, dctp or dttp). the flowed nucleotides contact the polynucleotides on the sequencing reaction sites. optionally, at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is labeled with an optically-detectable label, or is not labeled with an optically-detectable label. optionally, at least one type of the 2-4 different types of nucleotides is terminator nucleotide or is not a terminator nucleotide. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a is a schematic that depicts a non-limiting embodiment of a molecular tagging method. fig. 1b is a figure legend for fig. 1a . fig. 2a is a schematic that depicts a non-limiting embodiment of a molecular tagging method. fig. 2b is a figure legend for fig. 2a fig. 3a is a schematic that depicts a non-limiting embodiment of a molecular tagging method. fig. 3b is a figure legend for fig. 3a . fig. 4 is a graph showing library quantitation. fig. 5 is a read length histogram. fig. 6a is a table showing the number of functional families that contain positive control variants. fig. 6b is a continuation of the table in fig. 6a , where fig. 6b shows the number of functional families that contain positive control variants. fig. 7a is a histogram showing family size distribution of a tagged library generated from a 0.1% dilution standard from an engineered control sample. fig. 7b is a histogram showing family size distribution of a tagged library generated from a 0.5% dilution standard from an engineered control sample. fig. 8a is a histogram showing family size distribution of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 8b is a histogram showing family size distribution of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 9a is a histogram showing read counts per target sequence of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 9b is a histogram showing read counts per target sequence of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 10a is a histogram showing the number of different families of size at least 3, of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 10b is a histogram showing the number of different families of size at least 3, of a tagged library generated from cfdna. fig. 11 is a graph showing size distribution of reference dna and cfdna from human blood. fig. 12 is a graph showing the sequencing and input requirements for level of detection (lod) levels. fig. 13 is a graph showing the detected frequency of allelic variants. fig. 14a is a histogram showing family size distribution. fig. 14b is a histogram showing amplicon read coverage. fig. 14c is a histogram showing amplicon molecular coverage. fig. 15a is a histogram showing the on-target amplicon coverage for samples containing rna spiked into dna. fig. 15b is a histogram showing the on-target amplicon coverage for samples containing rna spiked into dna. fig. 16a is a schematic that depicts a non-limiting embodiment of a mis-tagging event. fig. 16b is a schematic that depicts another non-limiting embodiment of a mis-tagging event. fig. 17 is a graph showing the coverage depth and the detected frequency of allelic variants. fig. 18a is a block diagram that depicts a non-limiting block diagram of processing steps applied to sequencing reads for generating error-corrected sequencing data. fig. 18b is a block diagram that depicts a non-limiting block diagram of processing steps applied to families of candidate sequencing reads for generating error-corrected sequencing data. fig. 18c is a block diagram that depicts a non-limiting block diagram of processing steps applied to families of candidate sequencing reads for generating error-corrected sequencing data. fig. 19a is non-limiting schematic that depicts a molecular tagging workflow for generating a family reference sequence. figs. 19b is non-limiting schematic that depicts a molecular tagging workflow for generating a family reference sequence. fig. 20a is a histogram showing the number of whole target false positive (fp) called for 0.1% allelic frequency in a 0.1% megamix dilution sample. fig. 20b is a histogram showing the number of hotspot false positive (fp) called for 0.1% allelic frequency in a positive control acrometrix™ sample. fig. 21a is histogram showing the number of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos: 3-52) and the number of reads per tagged family is shown along the y-axis. fig. 21b is a histogram of the data from fig. 21a showing the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos: 3-52) and the % reads containing variants is shown along the y-axis. fig. 22a is a histogram showing the number of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:53-72) and the number of reads per tagged family is shown along the y-axis. there are 45,780 reads covering this amplicon (hnf1a2). these reads span 1,532 unique 5′ tags. the true variants are carried by 4 tagged families, each containing >90% allelic frequency. the bar graph shows that if a barcode family contains a true variant, the variant should be carried by the majority of read members in that family. fig. 22b is a histogram of the data from fig. 22a showing the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:53-72) and the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family is shown along the y-axis. fig. 23a is a histogram showing the number of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:73-112) and the number of reads per tagged family is shown along the y-axis. fig. 23b is a histogram of the data from fig. 23a showing the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:73-112) and the fraction of reads containing variants is shown along the y-axis. fig. 23c is a table that lists the count and percent of sequencing reads for select barcodes (seq id nos: 73-78) for a target sequence located on chromosome 12. fig. 24a is a histogram showing the number of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:113-152) and the number of reads per tagged family is shown along the y-axis. fig. 24b is a histogram of the data from fig. 24a showing the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each tagged family. the various unique tag sequences are listed along the x-axis (seq id nos:113-152) and the fraction of reads containing variants is shown along the y-axis. fig. 24c is a table that lists the count and percent of sequencing reads for select barcodes (seq id nos: 113-118) for a target sequence located on chromosome 12. fig. 25 is a visualization of true variants. box 1: these reads contain true variants because the randomers between the spacers are the same. also, the reads contain both of the true variants. box 2: these reads contains false positive because reads carrying the variant come from a mixture of all different barcodes. fig. 26a is a detection of false positives (fp) the first 18 aligned sequencing reads. fp example: there are 40,886 reads covering this amplicon; these reads span 1,808 unique 5′ barcodes; there are 96 reads carrying the variant. shown in fig. 21a , the top 50 families whose members contain the fp variant. shown in fig. 21b , the fraction of reads carrying the variant in each family. the first barcode family contains 6 reads carrying the variant, but these 6 reads represent only 5% of total reads in this family. fig. 26b is a continuation of fig. 26a showing the next 19 aligned sequencing reads. fig. 27a is an isp summary showing the number of total reads and usable reads of a sequencing run having 4.4 million mapped reads and 40,000× mean depth. fig. 27b is a graph showing read length from a sequencing run shown in fig. 27a . fig. 28 is a graph showing total aligned bases and reference coverage and position in the read of a sequencing run corresponding to figs. 27a and b. fig. 29 is a graph showing the coverage depth of tagged amplicons of a sequencing run corresponding to figs. 27a and b. fig. 30a is an isp summary showing the number of total reads and usable reads of a sequencing run. fig. 30b is a graph showing read length from a sequencing run. fig. 31 is a graph showing total aligned reads and reference coverage and position in the read of a sequencing run corresponding to figs. 30a and b. fig. 32a is a graph showing coverage overview of a sequencing run corresponding to figs. 30a and b. fig. 32b is a table showing amplicon read coverage and target base coverage corresponding to the data show in fig. 32a . fig. 33 is a histogram showing coverage depth (left y-axis) or number of reads having variants (right x-axis, solid dots) for sequencing reads of various target sequences (x-axis) corresponding to the data shown in figs. 27a and b. undetectable hotspots. 25% of hotspots will not be detectable because too few reads carry them (they are likely not all from the same family). coverage for these hotspots: 80-120,000×. for hotspots with low coverage, it is likely that the amplicon has poor performance. for hotspots with high coverage, it is possible that the variant was either not present in the sample due to non-uniform sample preparation or reads with variants were not sequenced. detailed description this description and exemplary embodiments should not be taken as limiting. for the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, or proportions, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about,” to the extent they are not already so modified. accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained. at the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. it is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and any singular use of any word, include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. as used herein, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items. as used herein the terms “amplify”, “amplifying”, “amplification”, and other related terms include producing multiple copies of an original biomolecule. in some embodiments, nucleic acid amplification produces multiple copies of an original polynucleotide (e.g., polynucleotide), where the copies comprise a template sequence, or a sequence that is complementary to the template sequence. in some embodiments, the copies comprise a sequence that is substantially identical to a template sequence, or is substantially identical to a sequence that is complementary to the template sequence. as used herein the terms “hybridize”, “hybridizing”, “hybridization”, and other related terms include hydrogen bonding between two different nucleic acids, or between two different regions of a single nucleic acid molecule, to form a duplex nucleic acid. hybridization can comprise watson-crick or hoogstein binding to form a duplex nucleic acid. the two different nucleic acids, or the two different regions of a single nucleic acid, may be complementary, or partially complementary. the complementary base pairing can be the standard a-t or c-g base pairing, or can be other forms of base-pairing interactions. duplex nucleic acids can include mismatched base-paired nucleotides. complementary nucleic acid strands need not hybridize with each other across their entire length. in some embodiments, conditions that are suitable for nucleic acid hybridization and/or for washing conditions include parameters such as salts, buffers, ph, temperature, gc% content of the polynucleotide and primers, and/or time. for example, conditions suitable for hybridizing or washing nucleic acids (e.g., polynucleotides and primers) can include hybridization solutions having sodium salts, such as nacl, sodium citrate and/or sodium phosphate. in some embodiments, hybridization or wash solutions can include formamide (e.g., about 10-75%) and/or sodium dodecyl sulfate (sds) (e.g., about 0.01-0.7%). in some embodiments, a hybridization solution can be a stringent hybridization solution which can include any combination of formamide (e.g., about 50%), 5× ssc (e.g., about 0.75 m nacl and about 0.075 m sodium citrate), sodium phosphate (e.g., about 50 mm at about ph 6.8), sodium pyrophosphate (e.g., about 0.1%), 5× denhardt's solution, sds (e.g., about 0.1%), and/or dextran sulfate (e.g., about 10%). in some embodiments, the hybridization or washing solution can include bsa (bovine serum albumin). in some embodiments, hybridization or washing can be conducted at a temperature range of about 15-25° c., or about 25-35° c., or about 35-45° c., or about 45-55° c., or about 55-65° c., or about 65-75° c., or about 75-85° c., or about 85-95° c., or about 95-99° c., or higher. in some embodiments, hybridization or washing can be conducted for a time range of about 1-10 minutes, or about 10-20 minutes, or about 20-30 minutes, or about 30-40 minutes, or about 40-50 minutes, or about 50-60 minutes, or about 1-6 hours, or longer. in some embodiments, hybridization or wash conditions can be conducted at a ph range of about 5-10, or about ph 6-9, or about ph 6.5-8, or about ph 6.5-7. methods for nucleic acid hybridization and washing are well known in the art. for example, thermal melting temperature (t m ) for nucleic acids can be a temperature at which half of the nucleic acid strands are double-stranded and half are single-stranded under a defined condition. in some embodiments, a defined condition can include ionic strength and ph in an aqueous reaction condition. a defined condition can be modulated by altering the concentration of salts (e.g., sodium), temperature, ph, buffers, and/or formamide. typically, the calculated thermal melting temperature can be at about 5-30° c. below the t m , or about 5-25° c. below the t m , or about 5-20° c. below the t m , or about 5-15° c. below the t m , or about 5-10° c. below the t m . methods for calculating a t. are well known and can be found in sambrook (1989 in “molecular cloning: a laboratory manual”, 2 nd edition, volumes 1-3; wetmur 1966, j. mol. biol., 31:349-370; wetmur 1991 critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 26:227-259). other sources for calculating a t. for hybridizing or denaturing nucleic acids include oligoanalyze (from integrated dna technologies) and primer3 (distributed by the whitehead institute for biomedical research). it is important to accurately detect and identify the type of variant sequence in a nucleic acid sample obtained from a source that is suspected to have a disease, infection or genetic abnormality (e.g., a somatic mutation). sometimes the sample contains a variant sequence which arose from a rare event which manifests itself in a few copies, or a single copy, of dna or rna, so the variant sequence is hidden among a mixture of non-variant molecules. it is challenging to reliably detect and accurately identify the variant sequence(s) that are present in a sample that contains mostly non-variant sequences. detecting and identifying genetic variants (including polymorphic and mutant sequences) is often useful for diagnosing an infection, disease or genetic abnormality. sequence analysis of such variants that are present at low abundance poses a challenge, because the abundance levels of some variants is in the range of about 0.05 to 1%, or lower abundance ranges, which is lower than the error rates of massively parallel sequencing platforms. the sources of these errors come from multiple stages of the workflow that are typically employed to yield next generation sequencing data. for example, some library preparation workflows start with physically sheared nucleic acids, where the shearing step introduces oxidative damage that can lead to formation of 8-oxog bases, which can undergo hoogstein base pairing with adenine bases, and can eventually lead to c-to-a and g-to-t base changes. library prep workflows that include an end-repair step that employs a polymerase, may generate polymerase-introduced errors during nucleotide incorporation. many library prep workflows also include at least one primer extension step for appending a tag sequence and/or for amplifying. in particular, high error rates come from nucleotide incorporation by the polymerase during a primer extension reaction using non-tailed primers for amplification, or using tailed primers to append adaptor sequences to the polynucleotides. examples of this type of error can arise from pre-amplification and amplification steps. additional sources of errors can be traced to nucleotide mis-incorporation during the sequencing reaction, and base-calling by the sequencing apparatus and/or software. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for accurately confirming the presence of low abundance dna and/or rna molecules that carry variant sequences in a biological sample, where the biological sample contains nucleic acids having a mixture of target (e.g., mutant or variant) and non-target (e.g., non-mutant or non-variant) sequences. the nucleic acid molecules that carry the variant sequence may be present in a sample at only 0.0001-1%. the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, according to the present teachings generally include molecular tagging, sequencing, and analysis of the sequencing date, to confirm the presence of one or more rare abundance nucleic acid molecules having variant sequences. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a multiplex molecular tagging procedure that employs a plurality of tags that are appended to a plurality of polynucleotides. the tags have characteristics, including a sequence, length and/or detectable moiety, or any other characteristic, that uniquely identifies the polynucleotide molecule to which it is appended, and permits tracking individual tagged molecules in a mixture of tagged molecules. for example, the tag (e.g., having a unique tag sequence) can uniquely identify an individual polynucleotide to which it is appended, and distinguish the individual polynucleotide from other tagged polynucleotides in a mixture. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data. in some embodiments, the detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or error-corrected sequencing data is generated by practicing a single-plex or multi-plex molecular tagging procedure to generate a plurality of individual polynucleotides that are appended with at least one unique tag. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data further comprise amplifying the tagged polynucleotides to generate a plurality of tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data further comprise sequencing the tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data further comprise manipulating the sequencing reads, which can include applying at least one threshold, which can reduce errors in the sequencing reads. in some embodiments, manipulation of the sequencing reads includes culling, sorting, grouping, counting grouped reads, counting family of reads, and other manipulation steps. in some embodiments, the manipulation steps can be based on tag-specific reference sequences and/or polynucleotide-specific reference sequences. the resulting error-corrected sequencing data is reduced in the number of sequencing errors that typically arise during the library prep and/or sequencing workflow. by reducing the error rate in the sequencing data to a level that is similar to (or even less than) the frequency level of a target polynucleotide (e.g., a low abundance allele, variant or mutant) in a mixture of nucleic acids, then detection and identification of low abundant target polynucleotides that are present in a mixture of nucleic acids is attainable. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be implemented on a nucleic acid sample obtained from any type of fluid (e.g., a biological fluid) or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be implemented on any type of nucleic acid sample, including nucleic acids isolated from biopsied tissue, fresh or frozen tissue, archived tissue (e.g., ffpe-preserved), and biological fluids containing a single cell or a few dozen cells, cell-free nucleic acids (dna and/or rna), or nucleic acids isolated from circulating tumor cell(s). in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be implemented on a nucleic acid sample having as little as 1-100 ng of polynucleotides, including dna and rna or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can accurately detect and identify low abundant polynucleotides that are present at about 0.0001-1%, or at about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5% (or abundance ranges lower than 0.0001%) in a nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can detect about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100% of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be implemented on a nucleic acid sample using a single reaction mixture (e.g., single tube reaction) using a single-plex or multi-plex format. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be practiced by appending at least one adaptor, from a repertoire of adaptors, to individual polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample, optionally by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be practiced by appending at least one unique tag sequence using at least one primer, from a repertoire of primers, to individual polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample, optionally by primer extension. the primers can be designed to selectively target a different sequence of interest in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data can be practiced using a repertoire of adaptors or primers which contain at least one unique tag sequence, optionally including at least one random or degenerate tag sequence. in some embodiments, the tag (e.g., a randomer tag) contains at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the molecular tagging procedures described in the present teachings offer advantages over conventional solid tissue biopsy procedures. the level of detection of the molecular tagging methods is sensitive enough to permit use of a biological fluid such as blood, to obtain the initial nucleic acid sample. obtaining blood samples (or other biological fluids) offers a non-invasive approach, poses less risk, and is less expensive when compared to an invasive tissue biopsy procedure. also, the molecular tagging method, using blood as a source of the initial nucleic acid sample, can produce results in a few days, compared to 3 or more weeks for tissue biopsy. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data are useful for: (1) improving the quality of sequencing data generated by any type of massively parallel sequencing procedure by generating error-corrected sequencing data, where the massively parallel sequencing procedures, includes for example, sequencing by oligonucleotide probe ligation and detection (e.g., solid™ from life technologies, wo 2006/084132), probe-anchor ligation sequencing (e.g., complete genomics or polonator™), sequencing-by-synthesis (e.g., genetic analyzer™ and hiseq™ from illumina (bentley 2006 current opinion genetics & development 16:545-552; and bentley, et al., 2008 nature 456:53-59; and u.s. pat. no. 7,566,537)), pyrophosphate sequencing (e.g., genome sequencer flx™ from 454 life sciences (u.s. pat. nos. 7,211,390, 7,244,559 and 7,264,929)), ion-sensitive sequencing (e.g., personal genome machine (ion pgm™) and ion proton™ sequencer, both from ion torrent systems, inc.), and single molecule sequencing platforms (e.g., heliscope™ from helicos); (2) detecting, identifying and/or counting one or more target polynucleotides in a nucleic acid sample that contains target and non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks non-target polynucleotides; (3) determining if a target polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, or if it arose from spurious events during the sample prep and/or sequencing workflow; (4) increasing the sensitivity of detecting low-abundance target polynucleotides in a nucleic acid sample, where for example the target polynucleotides are present at about 0.0001-1%, or at about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or abundance ranges lower than 0.0001%; (5) determining the abundance level of a target polynucleotide and its related polymorphic forms that are present within the initial nucleic acid sample, where the polymorphic forms can include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms; (6) counting the number of a target polynucleotide that are present in a nucleic acid sample, which for example, can be used for copy number variation analysis of cell-free circulating dna (or dna isolated from circulating tumor cells) in a biological fluid (e.g., blood) from a subject, and where the cell-free dna (or dna from the tumor cells) originated from any source include fetus, tumor or infectious organism; (7) detecting the presence of polymorphic forms of a target polynucleotides (e.g., wild-type, allelic, variant and/or mutant forms) in a nucleic acid sample from a subject, where the variant and/or mutant forms are associate (or not associated) with an infection or disease, and optionally diagnosing the infection or disease in the subject; (8) monitoring the progression of an infection or disease that may be associated with a change in the genetic variation in a disease by detecting the appearance and/or disappearance of the genetic variants in a nucleic acid sample from a subject; (9) determining the heterogeneity of target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample; (10) monitoring the efficacy of a medical treatment for an infection or disease (e.g., therapy monitoring); (11) selecting a therapy based on the genetic variants that are discovered; (12) detecting residual disease in a subject; (13) detecting disease recurrence in a subject; (14) detecting a copy number variation of a target polynucleotide; (15) detecting an indication of graft rejection in an organ transplant recipient by detecting donor dna in the transplant recipient. (16) detecting and characterizing (e.g., sequencing) cell-free circulating fetal dna present in maternal blood. (17) annual broad-based screening (e.g., for cancer or other diseases). one skilled in the art will recognize that the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media of the present teachings have many other uses as well. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data employs a molecular tagging procedure, in which polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the tag-appending reaction is stochastic. in some embodiments, the polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag that is randomly selected from a repertoire of diverse tags (e.g., a plurality of tags). in some embodiments, the tag-appending reaction can be performed with an excess of tags compared to the number of polynucleotide molecules. the tag-appending event for one polynucleotide can be independent of a tag-appending event for a different polynucleotide, for example if the supply of tags is substantially non-depleting. the diversity of the tags and the number of copies of identical polynucleotides, along with the statistics of random selection, will dictate the frequency of uniquely-tagged polynucleotides. for example, random selection can influence the frequency of uniquely-tagged polynucleotides that are generated by ligating polynucleotides to tag-carrying adaptors (e.g., where the tag can be a randomer tag), or are generated by primer extension using tag-carrying primers. when the diversity of the tag-carrying adaptors greatly exceeds the number of polynucleotide molecules present in a tag-appending reaction, then substantially every tagged molecule will be appended to a unique tag. although it is challenging to obtain yields of 100% of the tagged molecules being uniquely tagged, a substantial percentage of the tagged molecules will be appended to a unique tag, where about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the tagged polynucleotide molecules that are generated from a tag-appending reaction are uniquely tagged. in some embodiments, other types of molecular tagging procedures are not necessarily controlled by random selection. for example, a molecular tagging procedure that is conducted with tailed primers in a primer extension reaction (e.g., pcr) can be a selective process that is controlled by the 3′ portion of the tailed primers which can contain a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of a target polynucleotide. the 5′ portion of the tailed primer can contain a sequence that does not hybridize substantially to a target sequence. the 5′ portion of the tailed primer can contain at least one tag sequence (e.g., randomer tag sequence) which is designed to exhibit minimal hybridization to the target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, a set of tailed primers can include the same 3′ target-specific sequence and different 5′ randomer tag sequences. when the sequence of the 3′ region of the tailed primer is designed to exhibit minimal hybridization to non-target polynucleotides, then the primer extension reaction will generate a population of tagged polynucleotides that are selectively enriched for target sequences that correspond to the sequences in the 3′ region of the primers. the 3′ target-specific region of a tailed primer can have perfect complementarity with its target sequence, or can be partially complementary with its target sequence which includes at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or 99% complementarity with its target sequence. typically, but not necessarily, a forward and reverse primer are employed in a primer extension reaction (e.g., pcr) to generate amplicons (e.g., tagged amplicons). thus, a primer extension reaction can be a form of an enrichment step that primarily generates tagged polynucleotides having certain selected target sequences and reduces the number of non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the 3′ regions of the forward and reverse primers can selectively hybridize to a region of a target polynucleotide (e.g., target dna or rna polynucleotide) that can be used in a primer extension reaction (e.g., pcr) to generate tagged amplicons that span an intron, exon, junction intron-exon, coding, non-coding, or fusion sequences. the primer extension reaction can be performed with an excess of tag primers compared to the number of polynucleotide molecules. the primer extension reaction can be performed using a repertoire of primers having unique tag sequences in the 5′ tail region so that different polynucleotide molecules having the same sequence can be appended to different tag sequences. in some embodiments, a set of tailed primers can contain numerous members that have a common 3′ region that selectively hybridizes to a particular portion of a specific target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, a set of tailed primers can include multiple forward and reverse tailed primers. the members of the set of tailed primers can carry a 5′ tail having the same tag sequences or different tag sequences. when a set of tailed primers carries a common 3′ region and different tag sequences in their 5′ region, then a primer extension reaction can generate a population of tagged polynucleotides molecules having the same target polynucleotide sequence, and many of the tagged molecules will be appended to a different tag. when the diversity of the tag-carrying primers (e.g., tailed primers) greatly exceeds the number of polynucleotide molecules present in a tagging reaction, then substantially every tagged molecule will be appended to a unique tag. using this diverse set of primers in a molecular tagging procedure can generate a population of tagged polynucleotides that are selectively enriched for target sequences that corresponds to the 3′ region of the primers, but substantially each tagged polynucleotide carries a unique tag. by contrast, when a set of tailed primers carries a common 3′ region and a common tag sequence in their 5′ region, then a primer extension reaction can generate a population of tagged polynucleotides molecules having the same target polynucleotide sequence, and substantially each tagged molecule is appended to the same tag. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data by: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides, including target and non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lack non-target polynucleotides; (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides (parent tagged polynucleotides) by appending at least one unique tag to individual polynucleotide molecules from the plurality of polynucleotides, and (c) generating tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where the tagged amplicons are progeny tagged molecules that arose from the parent tagged polynucleotides molecules. in some embodiments, the unique tag(s) are appended to the nucleic acids in a one-step tagging procedure or a multiple-step tagging procedure. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from a biological sample or a synthesized (e.g., engineered) sample, or a mixture of both. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains dna, rna or a mixture of dna and rna (e.g., total nucleic acid sample). in some embodiments, the mixture of dna and rna are obtained from the same biological sample. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains cfdna, cfrna, or a mixture of both. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise sequencing the amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the sequencing step can be performed using massively parallel sequencing procedures or size fractionation procedures (e.g., gel electrophoresis). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise manipulating the candidate sequencing reads (e.g., sorting, grouping, culling and/or counting) to produce a set of error-corrected sequencing reads, which can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide (e.g., wild-type, polymorphic variant or mutant). the plurality of candidate sequencing reads can be sorted and/or grouped into different families of sequencing reads based on a common reference sequence of one or more unique tags. the candidate sequencing reads that do not match a reference tag sequence can optionally be discarded (e.g., culled), or can be assigned to a group of sequence reads if the criterion for requiring an exact match is relaxed. the candidate sequencing reads that remain in any given family of sequencing reads, form a set of error-corrected sequencing reads. within any given family of sequencing reads, the polynucleotide portion of the sequencing reads can be compared to a polynucleotide reference sequence. the sequencing reads can be counted to determine the percentage of sequencing reads, within any given family, that have a polynucleotide portion that is substantially identical to the polynucleotide reference sequence. when the calculated percentage of sequencing reads that are substantially identical to the polynucleotide reference sequence exceeds a threshold level, a determination can be made that the polynucleotide (represented by the family of sequencing reads) is a true positive and is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. the amplification step combined with the massively parallel sequencing procedure, can generate a large initial data set of sequencing reads that can be manipulated (e.g., sorting, grouping, culling and/or counting) to enable a statistical analysis for generating error-corrected sequencing data which can increase the confidence in determining if a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and can be used to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. during the amplification step, a parent tagged polynucleotide that carries a variant sequence will give rise to progeny molecules that also carry the same variant sequence. some of the progeny molecules may also carry a spurious mutant sequence that is not found in the parent polynucleotide but was introduced during the workflow. the spurious mutant sequence may be found in the tag and/or the polynucleotide. the spurious mutant sequences can contribute to the error rate of the sequencing data. in some embodiments, one or more threshold settings can be applied, which are used to manipulate the candidate sequencing reads to reduce the error rate. during the amplification step, a parent tagged polynucleotide having a sequence that matches that of a reference sequence, may give rise to progeny molecules that carry a variant sequence (e.g., spurious mutant). the spurious mutant sequence that is not found in the parent polynucleotide may have been introduced during the workflow. the spurious mutant sequence may be found in the tag and/or the polynucleotide. the spurious mutant sequences can contribute to the error rate of the sequencing data. in some embodiments, one or more threshold settings can be applied, which are used to manipulate the candidate sequencing reads to reduce the error rate. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for applying one or more thresholds to improve the accuracy and/or sensitivity of a sequencing workflow. in some embodiments, the threshold(s) can be established using the sequence of at least one reference sequence, including a portion of at least one tag (e.g., a randomer tag) that is appended to a polynucleotide and/or using at least a portion of the polynucleotide itself. the known sequence of a tag can be used as a reference tag sequence which is compared to tag sequences in a set of candidate sequencing reads. in a similar manner, the known sequence of a polynucleotide can be used as a reference polynucleotide sequence which is compared to polynucleotide sequences in a set of candidate sequencing reads. one or more threshold criteria can be applied to a set of candidate sequencing reads in any order, to generate a set of error corrected sequencing reads in which the number of false positives is reduced. in some embodiments, the candidate sequencing reads can be manipulated according to the teachings described herein to yield a high percentage of true positives while reducing the percentage of false positives ( figs. 20a and b). for example, a set of candidate sequencing reads may be subjected to any one or any combination of a culling threshold, a grouping threshold, counting grouped reads threshold counting family threshold, difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold and/or non-target pattern threshold, which may be applied in any order ( figs. 18a , b and c). optionally, the order of thresholds applied to the candidate sequencing reads includes: (1) culling, grouping, counting grouped reads, and counting family thresholds; (2) grouping, culling, counting grouped reads, and counting family thresholds; (3) culling, grouping, and counting grouped reads; (4) grouping, culling, and counting grouped reads; (5) culling, grouping, and counting family thresholds; or (6) grouping, culling and counting family thresholds. in some embodiments, a family of grouped candidate sequencing reads may be subjected to any one or any combination of a difference counting threshold, a pattern counting threshold and/or a non-target pattern threshold, which may be applied in any order. in some embodiments, an error-corrected family of grouped candidate sequencing reads may be subjected to any one or any combination of a family level threshold and a multi-family threshold. one skilled in the art will recognize that many other combinations and order of thresholds can be applied to the candidate sequencing reads to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. in some embodiments, a culling threshold can be used to guide a decision to retain or remove a candidate sequencing read ( fig. 18a , ( 100 )) that contains a sequence that varies from a reference sequence (e.g., a spurious variant tag or polynucleotide sequence). in some embodiments, a tag error can be detected in the candidate sequencing reads ( fig. 18a , ( 300 )). in some embodiments, the criterion of the culling threshold ( fig. 18a , ( 200 )) can require that a candidate sequencing read has 100% sequence identity with a reference tag or reference polynucleotide sequence in order to be retained. in some embodiments, the criterion for the culling threshold can require that a sequence read is discarded if it differs by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 base positions compared to a reference sequence. in some embodiments, the criterion of the culling threshold can require that a candidate sequencing read has about 50-60%, or about 60-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-99%, sequence identity with a reference tag or reference polynucleotide sequence in order to be retained. removing at least one sequencing read from a set of candidate sequencing reads ( fig. 18a , ( 400 )), may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate ( fig. 18a , ( 500 )). in some embodiments, a grouping threshold can be used to guide which candidate sequencing reads are grouped together, based on a tag-based and/or polynucleotide-based reference sequence, to form at least one family of grouped sequencing reads. an exemplary tag-based grouping threshold is shown in fig. 18a ( 600 ). for example, a first group of sequencing reads can share a common first tag sequence, and a second group of sequencing reads can share a common second tag sequence, where the first and second tag sequences differ from each other. in another example, a first group of sequencing reads can share a common first and second tag sequence (e.g., a tag at both ends of a first polynucleotide), and a second group of sequencing reads can share a common third and fourth tag sequence (e.g., a tag at both ends of a second polynucleotide), where at least two of the tag sequences differ from each other. in some embodiments, the criterion of the grouping threshold can require that all members of a group of sequencing reads have 100% sequence identity with a tag or polynucleotide reference sequence. in some embodiments, the criterion of the grouping threshold can require that all members of a group of sequencing reads differ from a tag or polynucleotide reference sequence by no more than 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 base positions. in some embodiments, the criterion of the grouping threshold can require that all members of a group of sequencing reads have about 50-60%, or about 60-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-99%, sequence identity with a tag or polynucleotide reference sequence. generating at least one group of sequencing reads may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, an error-corrected family of sequencing reads (or sometimes called a family of error-corrected sequencing reads) contains a plurality of sequencing reads that have been grouped together based on a common tag-based and/or target polynucleotide-based reference sequence. optionally, candidate sequencing reads that do not meet or exceed the criterion of the grouping threshold are discarded and are therefore not placed in a family of sequencing reads. optionally, an error-correction algorithm is applied to a candidate sequencing read that does not meet or exceed the criterion of the grouping threshold, to correct the error (e.g., error in the tag and/or target polynucleotide region), and the now-corrected sequencing read is placed in a family of sequencing reads. the exemplary block diagram in fig. 18a ( 700 ) shows tagged sequencing reads grouped into a family based on a common tag sequence. the grouping threshold is applied to a plurality of tagged sequencing reads to generate many different grouped families. the exemplary block diagram in fig. 18a ( 800 ) shows multiple different families of sequencing reads each formed by grouping tagged sequencing reads having a given common tag sequence. in some embodiments, a sequencing read that does not meet or exceed a threshold can be discarded from a group of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, an entire group of sequencing reads (e.g., a family of grouped sequencing reads) can be discarded if a single sequencing read within that group differs from a polynucleotide reference sequence by two or more base positions. in some embodiments, a counting grouped reads threshold can be used to determine if a polynucleotide molecule having a particular sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, a family of grouped sequencing reads can be analyzed, using a counting grouped reads threshold, to determine if a polynucleotide was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. within the family of grouped sequencing reads, the number of candidate sequencing reads that match a reference sequence can be counted, and the count can be converted into a percent. the reference sequence can be based on one particular known target polynucleotide sequence, or on a consensus sequence. the match between the candidate sequencing reads and the reference sequence can be 100% identity, or the match requirement can be relaxed so that the match is about 65-75%, or about 75-85%, or about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 99-100% sequence identity. the percent of sequencing reads in that group that match the reference sequence can be compared to a threshold which may require, for example, that at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% of the members in a group must match the reference sequence, then it may be concluded that a particular sequencing read is a true positive, and that the polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the counting grouped reads threshold can be used to determine if a sequencing read (e.g., containing a variant sequence) is a true positive sequencing read and if it corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, a counting family threshold can be used to determine if a polynucleotide molecule having a particular sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, a molecular tagging procedure can produce multiple families of sequencing reads that, within a family, the sequencing reads are grouped together based on a common tag and/or target polynucleotide sequence that is unique to each different family. more than one of the families may contain sequencing reads of the same target polynucleotide. for example, the initial nucleic acid sample can include multiple copies of a particular target polynucleotide, where each of the particular target polynucleotides is appended with a unique tag. amplification will produce progeny molecules, whose sequences can be grouped together (into a family) based on a common unique tag. the number of different families having the same target polynucleotide sequence can be counted, and if this number exceeds a counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, the minimum number of different families having the same target polynucleotide sequence can be a set having 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11-20, 20-30 or more different families. the family of sequencing reads that are inferred to represent a true positive sequencing read may be retained, and may be subjected to further analysis. when the number of different families having the same target polynucleotide sequence does not exceed a counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence may be deemed to represent a false positive sequencing read so it may be inferred that it was not present in the initial nucleic acid sample. the family of sequencing reads that are inferred to represent a false positive sequencing read may be discarded. in some embodiments, the candidate sequencing reads can be manipulated according to the teachings described herein to yield a high percentage of true positives while reducing the percentage of false positives ( figs. 20a and b). in some embodiments, a family of grouped sequencing reads, such as a family formed using a grouping threshold, may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error ( figs. 16a and b). a mistagged sequencing read may include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads for the family. one embodiment of a mis-tagging event is shown in fig. 16a , which shows a multiplex single reaction tagging mixture containing target sequences a and b, and tailed primers that are designed to hybridize to a portion of target sequence a or b. the “gsa” denotes the region of a tailed primer that will hybridize to a portion of target sequence a, and the “gsb” denotes the region of a tailed primer that will hybridize to a portion of target sequence b. the tailed primers also contain different 5′ tag sequence (tags 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) that do not exhibit substantial hybridization to target sequence a or b. in fig. 16a , the tailed primer (e.g., tailed primer gsb) having a 3′ gene-specific region which is designed to hybridize specifically to polynucleotide b, instead hybridizes to a region of polynucleotide a (target sequence a). the mis-tagging event is denoted with an (). the gsb tailed primer undergoes primer extension to append the tag 3 sequence onto the target a sequence thereby generating a spurious mis-tagged product having polynucleotide a appended to tags 3 and 4. the mis-tagged product undergoes amplifying, sequencing and manipulation of the sequencing reads (e.g., culling, sorting and grouping, in any order). the tag 3 family of grouped sequencing reads represents spurious polynucleotides having target sequence a appended to tags 3 and 4. since a second copy of the tailed primer tag 3-gsb (if it is present in the tagging reaction) does not hybridize to a target sequence b, then the tag 3 family of grouped sequencing reads does not include a target b sequence appended with a tag 3 sequence. another embodiment of a mis-tagging event is shown in fig. 16b , which shows a multiplex single reaction tagging mixture containing target sequences a and b, and tailed primers that are designed to hybridize to a portion of target sequence a or b. the “gsa” denotes the region of a tailed primer that will hybridize to a portion of target sequence a, and the “gsb” denotes the region of a tailed primer that will hybridize to a portion of target sequence b. the tailed primers also contain different 5′ tag sequence (tags 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) that do not exhibit substantial hybridization to target sequence a or b. in fig. 16b , the tailed primer (e.g., tailed primer gsb) having a 3′ gene-specific region which is designed to hybridize specifically to polynucleotide b, hybridizes to a region of polynucleotide a (target sequence a) and to a region of polynucleotide b (target sequence b). the mis-tagging event is denoted with an (). both of the gsb tailed primers undergo primer extension to append the tag 3 sequence onto the target a sequence and the target b sequence, thereby generating two types of tagged products: (i) a spurious mis-tagged product having polynucleotide a appended to tags 3 and 4, and (ii) a properly-tagged product having polynucleotide b appended to tags 3 and 5. the mis-tagged and properly-tagged products undergo amplifying, sequencing and manipulation of the sequencing reads (e.g., culling, sorting and grouping, in any order). the tag 3 family of grouped sequencing reads represents two types of tagged molecules: (i) spurious polynucleotides having target sequence a appended to tags 3 and 4 (mis-tagged products) and (ii) polynucleotides having target sequence b appended to tags 3 and 5 (properly-tagged products). in some embodiments, a difference counting threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 900 )) can be used to identify which candidate sequencing reads may be a mistagged sequencing read ( 1200 ). for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between a candidate sequencing read and the reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read ( 1300 ) may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate ( 1400 ). in some embodiments, a pattern counting threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 1000 )) can be used to identify which candidate sequencing reads may be mistagged sequencing reads ( 1200 ) having a common pattern of variants. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can be used to identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read ( 1300 ) may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate ( 1400 ). in some embodiments, a non-target pattern threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 1100 )) can be used to identify which candidate sequencing reads may be mistagged sequencing reads ( 1200 ). mistagged sequencing reads may have a pattern of differences that is similar to a pattern of expected differences between the reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read ( 1300 ) may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate ( 1400 ). in some embodiments, a family level threshold can be used to identify a candidate variant within an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. for example, an error-corrected family of sequencing reads can be formed by detecting and removing mistagged sequencing reads using a difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold and/or non-target pattern threshold. for example, aligning the error-corrected sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the error-corrected family, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, a family level threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 1500 )) can be used to identify a candidate variant within an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. for example, an error-corrected family of sequencing reads can be formed by detecting and removing mistagged sequencing reads using any one or any combination of: a difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold and/or non-target pattern threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 900 ), ( 1000 ) and ( 1100 ), respectively). for example, aligning the error-corrected sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the error-corrected family, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, a family level threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 1500 )) can be used to determine a representative base for each base position to produce a family reference sequence. for example, in an error-corrected family of sequencing reads, for each position in the aligned sequences counting a number of aligned sequences having a particular base at the position ( 1600 ) and applying the family level threshold to the number to identify a representative base for that position. a number below the family level threshold indicates a base error at the position in the particular aligned sequence. a grouped family of sequencing reads that does not meet the family level threshold may be discarded ( 1700 ). in the families that are retained, the representative bases identified for each position can be used to generate a family reference sequence containing the representative base for each position. the family reference sequence is a single sequencing read that is error-corrected and is a compressed representation ( 1800 ) of the sequencing reads for the retained family. the family reference sequence can be stored in memory. in some embodiments, the family reference sequence is compared to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a family-based candidate variant. when the representative base at a given position differs from a base at the corresponding position in the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence, a family-based candidate variant at the given position is identified. in some embodiments, a multi-family threshold ( fig. 18b , ( 2300 )) can guide a decision to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, the family level threshold applied for different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, a multi-family threshold ( 2300 ) can be applied to the family-based candidate variants ( 2100 ) identified using the family reference sequences from multiple families ( 2200 ) to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some instances, the family-based candidate variants identified using family reference sequences for different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. fig. 18a is a block diagram of processing steps applied to a plurality of candidate sequencing reads for error correction and family grouping in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. a memory stores a plurality of candidate sequencing reads ( 100 ) for analysis by a processor configured to apply operations implementing these steps. a first stage of error correction operations detects erroneous sequencing reads by comparing the corresponding portions of the sequencing reads to a tag-specific reference sequence and/or a polynucleotide-specific reference and applying a culling threshold ( 200 ). the sequencing reads that do not meet the criterion ( 300 ) of the culling threshold are removed from memory ( 400 ). after the first stage of error correction, a subset of candidate sequencing reads remains for further processing ( 500 ). the grouping operations ( 600 ) compare tag sequences of the candidate sequencing reads with a reference tag sequence. candidate sequencing reads that share a common tag sequence are grouped into a given family, where the common tag sequence is unique to that family ( 700 ). the grouping operation generates multiple families of tagged sequencing reads ( 800 ). fig. 18b is a block diagram of additional processing steps which follow the processing steps shown in fig. 18a . the processing steps are applied to families of candidate sequencing reads in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. another stage of error correction operations identifies mistagged sequences that may be present in the grouped families of candidate sequencing reads by applying any one or any combination of the difference counting threshold ( 900 ), pattern counting threshold ( 1000 ) and/or non-target pattern threshold ( 1100 ) . the identified mistagged sequences that are contained in the grouped families are removed from memory ( 1300 ). yet another stage of error correction includes position-based comparison operations ( 1600 ) which can create a family reference sequence for each family that is analyzed. the family reference sequence ( 1800 ) is a single sequencing read that is error-corrected and is a compressed representation of the sequencing reads for the retained family. for each base position that is analyzed, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base at the position and applying a family level threshold to the number can identify a representative base for that position. a number below the family level threshold at a given position indicates a base error in the aligned sequence. the family level threshold may be set based on a level of error tolerated. for example, for 20% error, the family level threshold is set to 80% of the sequencing reads for a given position. for a family containing 5 or 4 grouped sequencing reads, at least 80% of the sequencing reads for a given position gives the family level threshold equal to 4 for both. for a family containing 3 grouped sequencing reads, at least 80% of the sequencing reads for the position gives the family level threshold equal to 3. a family reference sequence ( 1800 ) is generated by assembling the representative bases determined for each position into an array. a base error in a particular position in any of the candidate sequencing reads is not represented in the family reference sequence. the family reference sequence represents an error-corrected sequence for the family. the candidate sequencing reads of the family may be removed from memory ( 1700 ) while the family reference sequence is stored in memory. storing the family reference sequence while discarding the candidate sequencing reads saves space in memory, resulting in a compression ratio of n:1, where n is the number of candidate sequencing reads in the family. returning to fig. 18b , comparing ( 2000 ) the family reference sequence ( 1800 ) to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence ( 1900 ) at each position and detecting a different base for a given position can identify a family-based candidate variant ( 2100 ) at the given position. performing the comparison for each of the families corresponding to the polynucleotide-specific reference can generate multiple family-based candidate variants ( 2200 ). counting the number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold ( 2300 ) to the number of error-corrected families can identify the variant at the given position ( 2400 ). the value of the multi-family threshold the nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to the same target polynucleotide. the percent factor can be in a range of 0.0001 to 0.1%, 0.001 to 0.1%, 0.01 to 0.1%, 0.02 to 0.08%, 0.03 to 0.07%, 0.04 to 0.06%, 0.045 to 0.055%, 0.0001 to 2.5%, 0.1 to 2.5%, 1 to 2.5%, 1.5 to 2.5%, 1.8 to 2.2%, 1.9 to 2.1%, or 1.95% to 2.05%, or a subinterval of one of these ranges. in some embodiments, the processing steps shown in fig. 18c follow those shown in fig. 18a . as in fig. 18b , another stage of error correction includes operations to identify mistagged sequencing reads that may be present in the grouped families of candidate sequencing reads. the example shown in fig. 18c does not include the position-based comparisons to determine a family reference sequence. for determining the family-based variant, the candidate sequencing reads of the error-corrected family are each compared to a polynucleotide specific reference sequence. the comparing operation determines a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the polynucleotide reference sequence have different bases. counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference at the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. the operations for detecting a variant using multiple family-based candidate variants are the same as described for fig. 18b . figs. 19a and b are non-limiting schematics that depict a molecular tagging workflow. the two target polynucleotides at the top of fig. 19a carry the same mutant sequence which is denoted with an “x”. the two target polynucleotides at the top of fig. 19b carry the same wild-type sequence. the target polynucleotides at the top of figs. 19a and b are each appended at both ends to unique tags (e.g., randomer tags 1-8) in the same tag-appending reaction mixture via adaptor ligation or primer extension. the tagged molecules are amplified in the same reaction mixture to generate a plurality of tagged amplicons, some of which now carry spurious mutant sequences that were produced during the amplification step. the spurious mutant sequences in figs. 19a and b are denoted with an “0”. the plurality of tagged amplicons is sequenced to generate a plurality of candidate tagged sequencing reads. thus the sequences of the original two mutant and wild-type molecules are contained in multiple candidate tagged sequencing reads. the candidate tagged sequencing reads are manipulated by applying any one or any combination of the culling threshold, a grouping threshold, counting grouped reads threshold counting family threshold, difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold non-target pattern threshold and/or family level threshold to reduce the multiple candidate tagged sequencing reads to a single sequencing read (e.g., the family reference sequence) that is error-corrected and is a compressed representation of the multiple candidate tagged sequencing reads in the family. the family reference sequence which represents the mutant candidate tagged sequencing reads is denoted by a dashed rectangular box at the bottom of fig. 19a . the family reference sequence which represents the wild-type candidate tagged sequencing reads is denoted by a dashed rectangular box at the bottom of fig. 19b . both the mutant and wild-type family reference sequences can be stored in memory. it will be appreciated by the skilled artisan that any threshold can be adjusted based on one or on several factors, including: the number of sequencing reads that are generated, the percent of sequencing reads that are culled and/or retained, the number of different groups of sequencing reads, and the size of the groups. a multi-family threshold can guide a decision to identify a variant that may be present in the nucleic acid sample. in some instances, different families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the nucleic acid sample. the value of the multi-family threshold is a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to the same target polynucleotide. the percent factor can be in a range of 0.0001 to 0.1%, 0.001 to 0.1%, 0.01 to 0.1%, 0.02 to 0.08%, 0.03 to 0.07%, 0.04 to 0.06%, 0.045 to 0.055%, 0.0001 to 2.5%, 0.1 to 2.5%, 1 to 2.5%, 1.5 to 2.5%, 1.8 to 2.2%, 1.9 to 2.1%, or 1.95% to 2.05%, or a subinterval of one of these ranges. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or reducing the error rate of sequencing data, which can enable increasing the sensitivity level for detecting and identifying genetic variants, for example by leveraging the massively parallel analysis capability of next generation sequencing platforms. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting low abundance genetic variants that are present within a nucleic acid sample, at a sensitivity level of about 0.0001-1%, or at about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or about 5-10% in a nucleic acid sample, or about 0.05-0.1%, or about 0.048-0.1%, or about 0.046-0.1%, or about, 0.044-0.1%, or about 0.042-0.1%, or about 0.040-0.1%, or about 0.025-0.05%, or about 0.0125-0.025%, or less than 0.0125% (or lower abundance ranges). in some embodiments, the starting nucleic acid sample contains about 1-7 ng, or about 5-12 ng, or about 10-105 ng, or about 100 ng-1 ug of polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the starting nucleic acid sample contains about 0.0001-5 ng of polynucleotides. optionally, the starting nucleic acid sample can be approximately 1-50 ng and can be obtained from a biological fluid, solid biological sample, any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data, comprising: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides; and (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending to at least some of the plurality of polynucleotides at least one tag. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a full-length universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a partial-length universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) amplifying the tagged polynucleotides to generate tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (d) determining the sequence of at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a population of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: manipulating the candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least one threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: counting the number of different families (of sequencing grouped sequencing reads) having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides are appended with the at least one tag in a single reaction mixture. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-6 unique tags, or 4-105 unique tags, or 100-510 unique tags, or 500-1010 unique tags, or 1000-5010 unique tags, or 5000-10,010 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-105, or 100-205, or 200-305, or 300-405, or 400-505 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a target polynucleotide sequence appended to at least one tag, are about 30-105 bases, or about 100-305 bases, or about 300-605 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least one target polynucleotides and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the target and non-target polynucleotides or lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected family of sequencing reads is used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, is used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides, (e.g., including genetic variants) that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are uniquely tagged, that is at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with different tags. the two tagged polynucleotide can include a target polynucleotide having the same or different sequence. in some embodiments, each of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in a plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a tag that differs from a tag that is appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, at least two tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended at both ends with a different tag. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended with the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide is appended to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide that is appended with the at least one tag, includes about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends at least one tag to the plurality of polynucleotides. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended with the at least one tag by primer extension reaction using at least one tag primer having a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the at least one tag primer includes at least one unique tag sequence. optionally, the tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of a tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction further comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides are selectively appended to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in a tag adaptor or primer) comprises a randomer tag having at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags in a plurality of tags have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including to generate a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and at least a portion of two tags that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a target polynucleotides in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, by appending at least one tag to each end of individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. optionally, the nucleic acid sample includes target polynucleotide and non-target polynucleotides or lack non-target polynucleotides. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a full-length universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a partial-length universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (b) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) determining that the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and at least a portion of two tags that are appended to the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes manipulating the population of candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads, for example by applying one or more thresholds including culling, grouping, counting grouped reads, difference counting, pattern counting and/or non-target pattern counting family thresholds. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least one threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to detect a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample, for example by applying a family-level threshold and/or a multi-family threshold. in some embodiments, the determining step includes culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes counting the number of different families (of sequencing grouped sequencing reads) having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mi stagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the appending the at least one tag to each end of the individual polynucleotides from the plurality of polynucleotides is conducted in a single reaction mixture. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a target polynucleotide sequence appended to at least one tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least one target polynucleotides and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the target and non-target polynucleotides or lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are uniquely tagged, that is at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with different tags. the two tagged polynucleotide can include a target polynucleotide having the same or different sequence. in some embodiments, each of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in a plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a tag that differs from a tag that is appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, at least two tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended at both ends with a different tag. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended at each end with the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide is appended at each end to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide that is appended with the at least one tag, includes 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends at least one tag to the plurality of polynucleotides. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended at each end with the at least one tag by primer extension reaction using at least one tag primer having a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the at least one tag primer includes at least one unique tag sequence. optionally, the tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of a tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in a tag adaptor or primer) comprises a randomer tag having at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags in a plurality of tags have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and at least a portion of two tags that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a target polynucleotides in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, by contacting (i) a plurality of polynucleotides that include a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide with (ii) a plurality of tags that include a first, second, third and fourth tag, and appending the first tag to one end of the first polynucleotide and appending the second tag to the other end of the first polynucleotide, and appending the third tag to one end of the second polynucleotide and appending the fourth tag to the other end of the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes target polynucleotides and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., the first and second polynucleotides) are appended with a unique tag sequence (e.g., first, second, third or fourth unique tag) and a universal tag sequence (e.g., first, second, third or fourth universal tag) using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., the first polynucleotide) are appended with unique tag sequences (e.g., first and second unique tags) and universal tag sequences (e.g., first and second universal tags) using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., the second polynucleotide) are appended with unique tag sequences (e.g., third and fourth unique tags) and universal tag sequences (e.g., third and fourth universal tags) using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction with the first polynucleotide using (i) the first tag that contains the first unique tag sequence and the full-length first universal sequence and (ii) the second tag that contains the second unique tag sequence and the full-length second universal sequence. in the same reaction mixture, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction with the second polynucleotide using (i) the third tag that contains the third unique tag sequence and the full-length third universal sequence and (ii) the fourth tag that contains the fourth unique tag sequence and the full-length fourth universal sequence. the first, second, third and fourth tags contain the same or different universal sequences. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction with the first polynucleotide using (i) the first tag that contains the first unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the first universal sequence and (ii) the second tag that contains the second unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the second universal sequence. in the same reaction mixture, the first ligation or primer extension reaction is performed with the second polynucleotide using (i) the third tag that contains the third unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the third universal sequence and (ii) the fourth tag that contains the fourth unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the fourth universal sequence. a second ligation or primer extension reaction is performed using the first polynucleotide (which is now tagged) and (iii) a tag that contains at least a portion of the first universal sequence and (iv) a tag that contains at least a portion of the second universal sequence. a second ligation or primer extension reaction is performed using the second polynucleotide (which is now tagged) and (iii) a tag that contains at least a portion of the third universal sequence and (iv) a tag that contains at least a portion of the fourth universal sequence. the first, second, third and fourth tags contain the same or different universal sequences. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (b) generating a population of first tagged amplicons by amplifying the first tagged polynucleotides, and generating a population of second tagged amplicons by amplifying the second tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) determining that the first target polynucleotide and/or that the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are appended to the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are appended to the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag. in some embodiments, the determining step includes manipulating the population of candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads, for example by applying one or more thresholds including culling, grouping, counting grouped reads, counting family, difference counting, pattern counting and/or non-target pattern thresholds. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least one threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to detect a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample, for example by applying a family-level threshold and/or a multi-family threshold. in some embodiments, the determining step includes culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the culling threshold can be used to retain or remove the first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the culling threshold can be used to retain or remove the second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold to generate a first family of grouped sequencing reads, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold to generate a second family of grouped sequencing reads, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the counting grouped reads threshold to determine the percent of the first grouped sequencing reads that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence, in order to determine if the first family of grouped sequencing reads contains true positive sequencing reads. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the counting grouped reads threshold to determine the percent of the second grouped sequencing reads that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence, in order to determine if the second family of grouped sequencing reads contains true positive sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes counting the number of different families (of sequencing grouped sequencing reads) having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mi stagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. optionally, the difference counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the difference counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the first family, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the second family, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. optionally, the pattern counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the pattern counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the pattern counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the first family, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the pattern counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the second family, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. optionally, the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold can be used to retain or remove a second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the first family, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the second family, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. optionally, the non-target pattern threshold can be used to retain or remove a first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the non-target pattern threshold can be used to retain or remove a second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the non-target pattern threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the first family, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the non-target pattern threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read in the second family, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. optionally, a first error-corrected family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the family level threshold to identify a first candidate variant in the first family, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second error-corrected family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the family level threshold to identify a second candidate variant in the second family, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. optionally, a first set of error-corrected families of grouped sequencing reads supporting a particular first candidate variant can be subjected to a multi-family threshold to identify a first variant in the first set of families, where members of families the first set of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, a second set of error-corrected families of grouped sequencing reads supporting a particular second candidate variant can be subjected to a multi-family threshold to identify a second candidate variant in the second set of families, where members of families the second set of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the appending step is conducted in a single reaction mixture, where the first tag is appended to one end of the first polynucleotide and the second tag is appended to the other end of the first polynucleotide, and the third tag is appended to one end of the second polynucleotide and the fourth tag is appended to the other end of the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a first target polynucleotide sequence appended to a first and second tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a second target polynucleotide sequence appended to a third and fourth tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least one target polynucleotides and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the target and non-target polynucleotides or lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected family of sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with tags at each end (e.g., first and second tags) that differ from other tags that are appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with tags at each end (e.g., third and fourth tags) that differ from other tags that are appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a different tag at each end (e.g., first and second tags). in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a different tag at each end (e.g., third and fourth tags). in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a first tag and a second tag that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a third and fourth tag that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the first polynucleotide is appended with the first and second tags (e.g., first and second tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the second polynucleotide is appended with the third and fourth tags (e.g., third and fourth tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide, including the first and second polynucleotides, are appended at each end to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide (including the first and second polynucleotides) that is appended at each end with the at least one tag, includes about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended at each end with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends at least one tag to each end of the plurality of polynucleotides. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the first target polynucleotide is appended with the first and second tag primers by primer extension reaction using a first and second tag primer, where the first and second tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a first target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the first tag primer includes at least a first unique tag sequence and the second tag primer includes at least a second unique tag sequence. the first and second tag primers can hybridize to a different region of the first target polynucleotide. optionally, the first tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. optionally, the second tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of the first tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the first target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. the 3′ region of the second tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the first target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. optionally, the 3′ regions of the first and second tag primers hybridize to different portions of the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second target polynucleotide is appended with the third and fourth tag primers by primer extension reaction using a third and fourth tag primer, where the third and fourth tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a second target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the third tag primer includes at least a third unique tag sequence and the fourth tag primer includes at least a fourth unique tag sequence. the third and fourth tag primers can hybridize to a different region of the second target polynucleotide. optionally, the third tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. optionally, the fourth tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of the third tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the second target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. the 3′ region of the fourth tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the second target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. optionally, the 3′ regions of the third and fourth tag primers hybridize to different portions of the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides, where the subset includes the first and second target polynucleotides, are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in a tag adaptor or contained in a first, second, third and fourth tag primer) comprises a randomer tag, where the random tag includes at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags in a plurality of tags have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the tagged amplicons, including the first and second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands of the first and second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are part of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are part of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are part of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are part of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a target polynucleotides in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides and (ii) a plurality of tags; and (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending at least one tag to individual polynucleotides within the plurality of polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes target polynucleotides and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides and the plurality of tags are placed in one reaction mixture to perform the tag-appending reaction. in some embodiments, separate reaction vessels can be set up where each reaction vessel contains a plurality of polynucleotides and/or a plurality of tags, and then the separate reaction vessels can be mixed together in any combination to generate one or more combinatorial mixtures, where the combinatorial mixtures are used as the single reaction mixture for conducting the tag-appending reaction. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated in the single reaction mixture by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a full-length universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a partial-length universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise the step: (d) determining that the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of one or more polynucleotides and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes manipulating the population of candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads, for example by applying one or more thresholds including culling, grouping, counting grouped reads counting family, difference counting, pattern counting and/or non-target pattern thresholds. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least one threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to detect a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample, for example by applying a family-level threshold and/or a multi-family threshold. in some embodiments, the determining step includes culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes counting the number of different families (of sequencing grouped sequencing reads) having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mi stagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a target polynucleotide sequence appended to at least one tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least one target polynucleotides and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the target and non-target polynucleotides or lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected family of sequencing reads are used to detect and identify a target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are uniquely tagged, that is at least two of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with different tags. the two tagged polynucleotide can include a target polynucleotide having the same or different sequence. in some embodiments, each of the tagged polynucleotide molecules in a plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a tag that differs from a tag that is appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, at least two tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended at both ends with a different tag. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended at each end with the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide is appended at each end to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide that is appended with the at least one tag, includes about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends at least one tag to the plurality of polynucleotides. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides that are appended at each end with the at least one tag by primer extension reaction using at least one tag primer having a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the at least one tag primer includes at least one unique tag sequence. optionally, the tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of the tag primer includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to a portion of the target polynucleotide, and the 5′ region includes a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in a tag adaptor or primer) comprises a randomer tag having at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags in a plurality of tags have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that is appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the polynucleotide and at least a portion of two tags that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of the at least one tag that are appended to the polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides including at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide, and (ii) a plurality of tags; and (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, including a first tagged polynucleotide by appending a first pair of tags to the first polynucleotide, and generating within the single reaction mixture a second tagged polynucleotide by appending a second pair of tags to the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes target polynucleotides and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., first and second polynucleotides) are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using a pair of tags each containing a unique tag sequence and an optional full-length universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using a pair of tags each containing a unique tag sequence and an optional partial-length universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using a pair of tags each containing a unique tag sequence an optional universal sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprising the step: (c) generating a population of first tagged amplicons by amplifying the first tagged polynucleotides, and generating a population of second tagged amplicons by amplifying the second tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprising the step: (d) determining that the first target polynucleotide and/or that the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the first pair of tags that are appended to the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the second pair of tags that are appended to the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags from the first pair of tags that are appended to the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags from the second pair of tags that are appended to the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes manipulating the population of candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads, for example by applying one or more thresholds including culling, grouping, counting grouped reads, counting family, difference counting, pattern counting and/or non-target pattern thresholds. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least on threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to detect a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample, for example by applying a family-level threshold and/or a multi-family threshold. in some embodiments, the determining step includes culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes counting the number of different families having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mi stagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least a first target polynucleotide and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least a second target polynucleotide and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the first target and non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the second target and non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the first target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or about 0.1-1%, or lower abundance ranges. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides (e.g., the first target polynucleotide) including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of target polynucleotides (e.g., the second target polynucleotide) including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the first target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the first target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the second target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the second target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the first target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the second target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) of the first polynucleotide that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) of the second polynucleotide that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a first pair of tags, one tag at each end, that differ from substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a second pair of tags, one tag at each end, that differ from substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different tag at each end. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different tag at each end. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a first pair of tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotides in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a second pair of tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides, that are appended at each end with the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the first polynucleotides are appended with a first pair of tags (e.g., a first pair of tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the second polynucleotides are appended with a second pair of tags (e.g., a second pair of tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide in the single reaction mixture is appended at each end to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide in the single reaction mixture that is appended with the at least one tag (e.g., the first tagged polynucleotide and the second tagged polynucleotide), includes about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends the first pair of tags to the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends the second pair of tags to the second polynucleotide. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the first polynucleotide is appended with a first pair of tags, (e.g., one tag at each end) by primer extension reaction, where one or both tags in the first pair of tags includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of the first target polynucleotide, and where one or both tags in the first pair of tags includes at least one unique tag sequence. optionally, one or both tags in the first pair of tags includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of both tag primers in the first pair of tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to different portions of the first target polynucleotide, and optionally, one or both tag primers in the first pair of tag primers includes a 5′ region containing a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second polynucleotide is appended with a second pair of tags, (e.g., one tag at each end) by primer extension reaction, where one or both tags in the second pair of tags includes a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of the second target polynucleotide, and where one or both tags in the second pair of tags includes at least one unique tag sequence. optionally, one or both tags in the second pair of tags includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of both tag primers in the second pair of tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to different portions of the second target polynucleotide, and optionally, one or both tag primers in the second pair of tag primers includes a 5′ region containing a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in the first pair of tag adaptors or primers) comprises a randomer tag having at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in the second pair of tag adaptors or primers) comprises a randomer tag having at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags in a plurality of tags have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the first tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the first tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags of the first pair of tags that is appended to the first polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags of the second pair of tags that is appended to the second polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags of the first pair of tags that are appended to the first polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of one or both of the tags of the second pair of tags that are appended to the second polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected family of sequencing reads. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing (i) a plurality of polynucleotides including at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide, and (ii) a plurality of tags including at least a first, second, third and fourth tag; and (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a first tagged polynucleotide by appending the first tag to one end of the first polynucleotide and appending the second tag to the other end of the first polynucleotide, and generating within the single reaction mixture a second tagged polynucleotide by appending the third tag to one end of the second polynucleotide and appending the fourth tag to the other end of the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides. the tagged polynucleotides can be generated by conducting a one-step tagging reaction or a multiple-step tagging reaction. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., the first polynucleotide) are appended with unique tag sequences (e.g., first and second unique tags) and universal tag sequences (e.g., first and second universal tags) using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides (e.g., the second polynucleotide) are appended with unique tag sequences (e.g., third and fourth unique tags) and universal tag sequences (e.g., third and fourth universal tags) using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction with the first polynucleotide using (i) the first tag that contains the first unique tag sequence and the full-length first universal sequence and (ii) the second tag that contains the second unique tag sequence and the full-length second universal sequence. in the same reaction mixture, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction with the second polynucleotide using (i) the third tag that contains the third unique tag sequence and the full-length third universal sequence and (ii) the fourth tag that contains the fourth unique tag sequence and the full-length fourth universal sequence. the first, second, third and fourth tags contain the same or different universal sequences. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction with the first polynucleotide using (i) the first tag that contains the first unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the first universal sequence and (ii) the second tag that contains the second unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the second universal sequence. in the same reaction mixture, the first ligation or primer extension reaction is performed with the second polynucleotide using (i) the third tag that contains the third unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the third universal sequence and (ii) the fourth tag that contains the fourth unique tag sequence and optionally at least a portion of the fourth universal sequence. a second ligation or primer extension reaction is performed using the first polynucleotide (which is now tagged) and (iii) a tag that contains at least a portion of the first universal sequence and (iv) a tag that contains at least a portion of the second universal sequence. a second ligation or primer extension reaction is performed using the second polynucleotide (which is now tagged) and (iii) a tag that contains at least a portion of the third universal sequence and (iv) a tag that contains at least a portion of the fourth universal sequence. the first, second, third and fourth tags contain the same or different universal sequences. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprising the step: (c) generating a population of first tagged amplicons by amplifying the first tagged polynucleotides, and generating a population of second tagged amplicons by amplifying the second tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprising the step: (d) determining that the first target polynucleotide and/or that the second target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first target polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are appended to the first target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second target polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are appended to the second target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a first population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag. in some embodiments, the determining step includes generating a second population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second polynucleotide and/or at least the portion of the third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag. in some embodiments, the determining step includes manipulating the first and/or second population of candidate sequencing reads to generate error-corrected sequencing reads, for example by applying one or more thresholds including culling, grouping, counting grouped reads counting family, difference counting, pattern counting and/or non-target pattern thresholds. optionally, the manipulating includes applying at least one threshold to the candidate sequencing reads. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to determine that a particular polynucleotide is present in the initial nucleic acid sample, and to identify the sequence of the particular polynucleotide. optionally, the manipulated sequencing reads can be used to detect a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample, for example by applying a family-level threshold and/or a multi-family threshold. in some embodiments, the determining step includes culling one or more candidate sequencing reads from the first and/or second population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the candidate sequencing reads can be culled by applying a culling threshold. for example, a culling threshold can be used to retain or remove at least one candidate sequencing read, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the culling threshold can be used to retain or remove the first candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the first tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. optionally, the culling threshold can be used to retain or remove the second candidate sequencing read, which corresponds to the second tagged polynucleotide, to generate error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes grouping a subset of the first and/or second population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence. the grouped sequencing reads can be used to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads. the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold. for example, the grouping threshold can be based on a reference tag sequence or a reference polynucleotide sequence. the different sequencing reads that are grouped into a given family of sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold to generate a first family of grouped sequencing reads, where the members of the first family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. optionally, the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped by applying a grouping threshold to generate a second family of grouped sequencing reads, where the members of the second family of grouped sequencing reads share a common tag and/or polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the determining step includes determining the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence using a counting grouped reads threshold. for example, the counting grouped reads threshold can be based on a particular polynucleotide sequence or a tag sequence. when the percent of sequencing reads within a grouped family that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) the reference sequence meets or exceeds the counting grouped reads threshold, then it may be concluded that the sequencing reads are true positive sequencing reads, and that a polynucleotide having that sequence was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. optionally, a first family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the counting grouped reads threshold to determine the percent of the first grouped sequencing reads that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence, in order to determine if the first family of grouped sequencing reads contains true positive sequencing reads. optionally, a second family of grouped sequencing reads can be subjected to the counting grouped reads threshold to determine the percent of the second grouped sequencing reads that match (e.g., are similar or identical to) a reference sequence, in order to determine if the second family of grouped sequencing reads contains true positive sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes counting the number of different families (of sequencing grouped sequencing reads) having the same target polynucleotide sequence and applying the counting family threshold. if the number of counted families exceeds the counting family threshold, then the target polynucleotide sequence is deemed to represent a true positive sequencing read that corresponds to a polynucleotide that is present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the determining step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads or a grouped family of sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mi stagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. the non-target pattern threshold may be applied prior or subsequent to the grouping threshold. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the appending step is conducted in a single reaction mixture, where the first tag is appended to one end of the first polynucleotide and the second tag is appended to the other end of the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the appending step is conducted in a single reaction mixture, where the third tag is appended to one end of the second polynucleotide and the fourth tag is appended to the other end of the second polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture contains 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of oligonucleotide tags in the single reaction mixture detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a first target polynucleotide sequence appended to a first and second tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, amplicons that contain a second target polynucleotide sequence appended to a third and fourth tag, are about 30-100 bases, or about 100-300 bases, or about 300-600 bases, or about 600-1,000 bases in length. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is obtained from any type of biological fluid or solid biological sample, or any organism, or from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), smear, or even air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample includes dna, rna, a mixture of rna and dna, cfdna, dna from circulating tumor cells, or cfrna. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains at least one target polynucleotides and one or more non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks any non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains about 0.001 ng-100 ug, or about 1-500 ng of polynucleotides, which includes the target and non-target polynucleotides, or the nucleic acid sample lacks non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the abundance level of the target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of first target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample contains a plurality of second target polynucleotides including wild-type forms and its related polymorphic forms which include allelic, variant and/or mutant forms. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the first target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the first target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the second target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to a population of polymorphic polynucleotides that are related to the second target polynucleotide and are present in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the first target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads, or the error-corrected family of sequencing reads, are used to detect and identify the second target polynucleotide that is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of about 0.0001-1%, or about 0.001-1%, or about 0.01-1%, or about 0.1-1%, or about 0.1-5%, or lower abundance ranges, relative to the total population of polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) of the first polynucleotide that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the error-corrected sequencing reads are used to detect and identify about 85-95%, or about 95-99%, or about 100%, of the different target polynucleotides (e.g., including genetic variants) of the second polynucleotide that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with the first and second tags that differ from other tags that are appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with the third and fourth tags that differ from other tags that are appended to substantially every other tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a different tag at each end (e.g., first and second tags). in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a different tag at each end (e.g., third and fourth tags). in some embodiments, the first tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a first tag and a second tag that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the second tagged polynucleotide in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides is appended with a third and fourth tag that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides are appended at each end with the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the first polynucleotide is appended with the first and second tags (e.g., first and second tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the second polynucleotide is appended with the third and fourth tags (e.g., third and fourth tag adaptors) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide, including the first and second polynucleotides, are appended at each end to the at least one tag (e.g., tag adaptor) by enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, substantially every polynucleotide (including the first and second polynucleotides) that is appended at each end with the at least one tag, includes about 10-30%, or about 30-50%, or about 50-70%, or about 70-80%, or about 80-90%, or about 90-95%, or about 95-99% of the individual polynucleotide molecules within the plurality of polynucleotides are appended at each end with at least one tag. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends the first and second tags to the first polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the enzymatic ligation non-selectively appends the third and fourth tags to the second polynucleotide. for example, a blunt-ended ligation reaction can be used to append at least one tag to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides. in another example, tags having a 5′ or 3′ overhang end can be appended to individual polynucleotides from a plurality of polynucleotides using enzymatic ligation. in some embodiments, the appending step includes enzymatically ligating at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate ligation reactions (e.g., about 1-6) to append at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. optionally, the at least one adaptor (e.g., tag adaptor) can be appended to one or both ends of individual polynucleotides in the first, second, third, or subsequent round of enzymatic ligation reactions. in some embodiments, the first target polynucleotide is appended with the first and second tag primers by primer extension reaction using a first and second tag primer, where the first and second tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a first target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the first tag primer includes at least a first unique tag sequence and the second tag primer includes at least a second unique tag sequence. the first and second tag primers can hybridize to a different region of the first target polynucleotide. optionally, the first tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. optionally, the second tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of the first and second tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to different portions of the first target polynucleotide, and the first and/or second tag primers includes a 5′ region containing a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the first target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the second target polynucleotide is appended with the third and fourth tag primers by primer extension reaction using a third and fourth tag primer, where the third and fourth tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to at least one region of a second target polynucleotide within the nucleic acid sample, and the third tag primer includes at least a third unique tag sequence and the fourth tag primer includes at least a fourth unique tag sequence. the third and fourth tag primers can hybridize to a different region of the second target polynucleotide. optionally, the first tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. optionally, the second tag primer includes a portion that does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. for example, the 3′ region of the third and fourth tag primers include a target-specific sequence that selectively hybridizes to different portions of the second target polynucleotide, and the third and/or fourth tag primers includes a 5′ region containing a unique tag sequence which does not selectively hybridize to the second target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction comprises a polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides, where the subset includes the first target polynucleotide, are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality of polynucleotides, where the subset includes the second target polynucleotide, are selectively appended at each end to at least one tag by primer extension. in some embodiments, the appending step includes conducting a primer extension reaction with primers (e.g., tag primers) to produce a plurality of tagged polynucleotides having at least one end appended with a tag sequence. optionally, the molecular tagging procedure includes conducting multiple separate rounds of primer extension reactions to append at least one tag sequence to the at least one end of individual polynucleotides. for example, 2-4 rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) are conducted with a repertoire of tag primers to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual tagged polynucleotides have each end appended with a unique tag sequence, and optionally one or both ends of the individual tagged polynucleotides can also include the same or different universal sequences. additional rounds of primer extension (e.g., pcr) can be conducted with tailed primers to append additional unique tag sequences, barcodes sequences and/or universal sequences. the tailed primers used in the additional rounds of primer extension can include a sequence in their 3′ region that hybridizes with a tag sequence from the previous primer extension reaction. about 2-40 additional rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted. optionally, one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one barcode or universal sequence to the polynucleotides, followed by one or more rounds of primer extension reactions can be conducted to append at least one unique tag sequence to the polynucleotides. in some embodiments, unique tag sequences can be appended to the polynucleotides using a combination of enzymatic ligation using tag adaptors and/or primer extension (e.g., pcr) using tag primers. in some embodiments, the at least one tag (e.g., contained in a tag adaptor or contained in a first, second, third and fourth tag primer) comprises a randomer tag, where the random tag includes at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the tags include a sequence having at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, individual tags, including the first, second, third and fourth tags, in a plurality of tags, have the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the amplifying comprises isothermal or thermo-cycling amplification, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling amplification. optionally, the amplifying includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, the determining step includes sequencing at least two of the tagged amplicons, including the first and second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands that correspond to the tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing one or both strands of the first and second tagged amplicons. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the first target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are part of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes sequencing at least a portion of the second target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are part of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the first target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of first tag and/or at least a portion of the second tag, where the first and second tags are part of the first tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes generating a population of candidate sequencing reads that contain at least a portion of the second target polynucleotide and/or at least a portion of third tag and/or at least a portion of the fourth tag, where the third and fourth tags are part of the second tagged polynucleotide. optionally, the determining step includes counting the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads. if the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads does not exceed a threshold, then the error-corrected sequencing reads will not be included in further data analysis. optionally, the determining step includes calculating a percentage of the number of sequencing reads within the error-corrected sequencing reads relative to the number of candidate sequencing reads prior to the culling step. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides which includes target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides; (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides (e.g., parent tagged polynucleotides) by appending at least one unique tag to individual polynucleotide molecules from the plurality of polynucleotides, wherein the appending is conducted within a single reaction mixture; (c) generating tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where the tagged amplicons are progeny molecules that arose from the parent tagged polynucleotides; (d) determining the sequence of at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a population of candidate sequencing reads; (e) culling at least some of the candidate sequencing reads by removing one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence, to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads; (f) grouping a subset of the error-corrected family of sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where each of the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; and (g) determining that a given polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample, by using the error-corrected family of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the unique tag includes a randomer sequence (e.g., a randomer tag) comprising at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides which includes target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides; (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides (e.g., parent tagged polynucleotides) by appending at least one unique tag to individual polynucleotide molecules from the plurality of polynucleotides, wherein the appending is conducted within a single reaction mixture; (c) generating tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where the tagged amplicons are progeny molecules that arose from the parent tagged polynucleotides; (d) determining the sequence of at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a population of candidate sequencing reads; (e) culling at least some of the candidate sequencing reads by removing one or more candidate sequencing reads from the population of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence, to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads; (f) grouping a subset of the error-corrected family of sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where each of the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; and (g) determining that a given polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample, by using the error-corrected family of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the unique tag includes a randomer sequence (e.g., a randomer tag) comprising at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the culling step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a set of candidate sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. applying the difference counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a set of candidate sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a set of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides which includes target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides; (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides (e.g., parent tagged polynucleotides) by appending at least one unique tag to individual polynucleotide molecules from the plurality of polynucleotides, wherein the appending is conducted within a single reaction mixture; (c) generating tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where the tagged amplicons are progeny molecules that arose from the parent tagged polynucleotides; (d) determining the sequence of at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a population of candidate sequencing reads; (e) grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where each of the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; (f) culling at least one of the family of candidate sequencing reads by removing one or more candidate sequencing reads from family of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence, to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads; and (g) determining that a polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample, by using the error-corrected family of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the unique tag includes a randomer sequence (e.g., a randomer tag) comprising at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for detecting a first target polynucleotide and a second target polynucleotide in a nucleic acid sample, comprising: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides which includes target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides; (b) generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides (e.g., parent tagged polynucleotides) by appending at least one unique tag to individual polynucleotide molecules from the plurality of polynucleotides, wherein the appending is conducted within a single reaction mixture; (c) generating tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where the tagged amplicons are progeny molecules that arose from the parent tagged polynucleotides; (d) determining the sequence of at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a population of candidate sequencing reads; (e) grouping a subset of the population of candidate sequencing reads into different families of candidate sequencing reads, where each of the different families of candidate sequencing reads include a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; (f) culling at least one of the family of candidate sequencing reads by removing one or more candidate sequencing reads from family of candidate sequencing reads, based on a tag-specific reference sequence and/or based on a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence, to generate an error-corrected family of sequencing reads; and (g) determining that a polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample, by using the error-corrected family of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, individual polynucleotides are appended with a unique tag sequence and a universal tag sequence using a one-step or multiple-step (e.g., two-step) tagging procedure. for example, the one-step tagging procedure includes performing a ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence and a universal sequence. the two-step tagging procedure includes performing a first ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence, and performing a subsequent ligation or primer extension reaction using tags that contain a unique tag sequence or a universal sequence. in some embodiments, the unique tag includes a randomer sequence (e.g., a randomer tag) comprising at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. in some embodiments, the culling step includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from a grouped family of candidate sequencing reads. in some instances, a given family of sequencing reads may include mistagged sequencing reads that include a common tag sequence but correspond to a different region of a target polynucleotide or a non-target polynucleotide due to a tag-appending error, including an error arising from tag adaptor ligation or tag primer extension, or other error. a mistagged sequencing read would include one or more base positions where nucleotides differ from a reference polynucleotide sequence or correctly tagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying a mistagged sequencing read by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. for example, determining a number of nucleotides that differ between the sequencing read and the reference polynucleotide and comparing the number to the difference counting threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing read may be retained or removed. applying the difference counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants by comparing a sequencing read to other sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold. for example, determining a number of sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying candidate mistagged sequencing reads by comparing the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and applying a difference counting threshold. comparing a candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other identified candidate mistagged sequencing reads and applying a pattern counting threshold can detect a common pattern of variants that may be present in the candidate mistagged sequences. for example, determining a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having a particular pattern of variants in their polynucleotide sequences and comparing the number to a pattern counting threshold can identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the difference counting threshold and the pattern counting threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the culling step includes identifying mistagged sequencing reads by comparing a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide or a different region of the target polynucleotide. for example, a pattern of expected differences between a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide can be predetermined and stored in a lookup table. optionally, comparing the sequencing reads to the reference sequence and applying a difference counting threshold can identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. comparing a pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read to a pattern of expected differences and applying a non-target pattern threshold can identify a mistagged sequencing read. the mistagged sequencing reads may be retained or removed. applying the non-target pattern threshold to a family of grouped sequencing reads and removing an identified mistagged sequencing read may yield a family of sequencing reads having a reduced error rate. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a family-based candidate variant. the error-corrected families of sequencing reads can be used to detect and identify variants that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, for a given error-corrected family, aligning the sequencing reads to a reference sequence for the target polynucleotide, determining a base position where one or more aligned sequencing reads and the reference sequence have different bases, counting the number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference in the base position and applying a family level threshold can identify a family-based candidate variant. when the number of base differences is below the family level threshold, no family-based candidate variant is identified. in some instances, applying the family level threshold may identify one or more candidate variants. in some embodiments, the determining step includes identifying a genetic variant. candidate variants from multiple error-corrected families can be used to identify a variant that may be present in the initial nucleic acid sample. for example, applying a counting family threshold can identify the number of different error-corrected families having the same target polynucleotide sequence. in some instances, different error-corrected families for a given target polynucleotide sequence may identify a particular candidate variant. counting the number of error-corrected families supporting the particular candidate variant and applying a multi-family threshold can identify the candidate variant as a variant that was present in the initial nucleic acid sample. in some embodiments, the molecular tagging methods described in the present teachings can be used to detect copy number variation, including aneuploidy, such as monosomy, trisomy or higher orders of aneuploidy. take for example, parents having the genotype bc and bb, and their progeny who carries a duplication genotype bbc. in some embodiments, polynucleotide samples can be obtained from both parents and their progeny (e.g., cfdna or dna from blood or a tissue sample), and each of the three samples is separately subjected to the molecular tagging methods described in the present teachings, using a repertoire of unique tags and a sample-specific barcode tag that identifies/distinguishes polynucleotides obtained from either parent or the progeny. the three separately tagged samples can be pooled together and sequenced to generate sequencing data (e.g., sequencing reads). for example the tagged sample can be sequenced using a massively parallel sequencing method or one that employs gel electrophoresis or microarray. the sequencing reads can be manipulated by applying culling, sorting, grouping, counting grouped reads, counting family of reads, and other manipulation steps, to yield error-corrected sequencing data. for the heterozygous parent bc, the number of unique tag sequences that are associated with the target sequence allele-b and with the target sequence allele-c can be counted and compared. the expected ratio of b to c alleles is approximately 1:1 for the bc parent, since half of the total allele counts come from allele-b and half from allele-c. in a similar analysis for the bb parent, the number of unique tag sequences that are associates with the allele-b can be counted and compared. since the bb parent is homozygous, the expected ratio of b to c alleles is 2:0, since all of the allele counts come from allele-b. for the aneuploid progeny, the number of unique tag sequences that are associated with the allele-b and allele-c can be counted and compared. the expected ratio of b to c alleles is 2:1, since the one of the allele-b and the allele-c contribute to the allele count and the extra allele-b also contributes to the allele count. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for attaching a unique identifying tag, including any of the randomer tags described herein, to any type of macromolecule. the tagged macromolecules may be useful for distinguishing the different tagged macromolecules from each other, and to permit tracking individual tagged macromolecules in a workflow or in a mixture of macromolecules. for example, the macromolecule to be tagged include sugars, carbohydrates, lipids, phospholipids, oligonucleotides, polynucleotides, peptides, polypeptides, peptides, and hormones. the macromolecules also includes drug candidates, prodrugs, drugs, pharmaceutical candidates, and drug metabolites. the macromolecules include antibodies, antigens, cell-signaling molecules, serum proteins, glycoproteins, cholesterol, glycolipids, polysaccharides, lectins, growth factors, cytokines, steroids, and vitamins. the randomer tags include various forms, such as single-stranded oligonucleotide primers and double-stranded adaptors. the randomer tags contain at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences, including a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. the randomer tags can be attached to a macromolecule using procedures well known to the skilled artisan, which include using chemical modification of the sugar to generate oligonucleotides carrying one or more modified 2′ sugars such as 2′-fluoro, 2′-o-methyl, 2′-methoxyethyl substituents and bicyclic sugars locked nucleic acids (lna) for making oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates. other methods for generating oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates include using peptide nucleic acids (pna) or introducing (2-aminoethyl)-glycine peptide backbone and replacing the corresponding ribose or deoxyribose rings. many methods are well known for conjugating oligonucleotides to macromolecules (u.s. pat. no. 6,444,806; u.s. published application nos. 2010/0167290 and 2004/0038331; winkler 2013 therapeutic delivery 4(7):791-809, and juliano, ming and nakagawa 2012 accounts of chemical research 45(7): 1067-1076). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for performing an enrichment procedure to enrich for the target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the enrichment procedure can be conducted prior to or after the tag-appending procedure. for example, enrichment can include a solid phase capture procedure to enrich for the target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the target polynucleotides can be selectively captured by hybridizing a nucleic acid sample (e.g., which contains at least one target polynucleotide) with a capture primer that is attached to a support (e.g., planar support or beads). the polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample can include at least one universal sequence appended to one or both ends, or the nucleic acids lack a universal sequence. the support can include immobilized capture primers having the same sequence or different primer sequences. the capture primers, which are attached to the support, can be contacted with the nucleic acid sample under conditions suitable to selectively hybridize to a portion of the target polynucleotides or to a portion of the universal sequence. the non-hybridized polynucleotides can optionally be removed by washing or by enzymatic degradation, and the target polynucleotide remain hybridized to the capture primers. the captured polynucleotides can optionally be eluted from the support. the eluted polynucleotides can be subjected to any one of the molecular tagging procedures described in the present teachings to generate tagged polynucleotides. in another example, enrichment can include an in-solution capture procedure to enrich for the target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the target polynucleotides can be selectively captured by hybridizing a nucleic acid sample (e.g., which contains at least one target polynucleotide) with a soluble capture primer. optionally, the soluble capture primer is attached to an affinity moiety (e.g., biotin). the polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample can include at least one universal sequence appended to one or both ends, or the nucleic acids lack a universal sequence. the soluble capture primers can include the same sequence or different sequences. the soluble capture primers can be contacted with the nucleic acid sample under conditions suitable to selectively hybridize to a portion of the target polynucleotides or to a portion of the universal sequence. the non-hybridized polynucleotides can optionally be removed by washing or by enzymatic degradation, and the target polynucleotide remains hybridized to the soluble capture primers. the captured polynucleotides can optionally be eluted from the soluble capture primers. the eluted polynucleotides can be subjected to any one of the molecular tagging procedures described in the present teachings to generate tagged polynucleotides. optionally, the captured polynucleotides can be removed from the non-capture polynucleotides by contacting the affinity moiety (e.g., biotin) which attached to the soluble capture primer, with its cognate affinity receptor (e.g., an avidin-like molecule) to form a soluble capture primer/affinity complex. the soluble capture primer/affinity complex can be washed to remove the non-captured polynucleotides. if the cognate affinity receptor is attached to a paramagnetic bead, then the soluble capture primer/affinity complex can be removed from the non-captured polynucleotides using a magnetic source to attract the paramagnetic beads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for appending a polynucleotide with at least one tag. at least one tag can be appended to a polynucleotide to generate a tagged polynucleotide. the tagged polynucleotide contains a polynucleotide covalently or non-covalently joined, or associated, to at least one tag. the polynucleotide can be appended to at least one tag via covalent, ionic, hydrogen, dipole-dipole, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, affinity bonding, or bonds or associations involving van der waals forces. in some embodiments, at least one primer containing one or more tag sequences can be appended to a polynucleotide by hybridization to the polynucleotide. for example, the primer can be a tailed primer having a target-specific 3′ region that hybridizes with a portion of the polynucleotide, and a 5′ region that does not hybridize with the polynucleotide (the 5′ tail). the 5′ tail can include at least one tag sequence. in some embodiments, at least one tag can be appended to a polynucleotide by conducting a primer extension reaction, for example using one or more primers, at least one type of polymerase and a plurality of nucleotides. the primers can include at least one tag sequence (e.g., unique tag sequence). the primer can include a region that can selectively hybridize to a portion of the polynucleotide (e.g., a target-specific sequence in the 3′ region of the primer). the primer can also include a region that is designed to exhibit minimal hybridization to a portion of the polynucleotide (e.g., a non-target specific sequence in the 5′ region of the primer). for example, the primer can be a tailed primer. the primer can include at least one tag sequence in the 5′ tail region. in some embodiments, at least one adaptor containing one or more tags can be appended to a polynucleotide via enzymatic ligation, for example using a dna ligase, including t4 dna ligase, t7 dna ligase, taq ligase, a ligase from a quick ligase™ kit (new england biolabs), or electroligase™ (new england biolabs) . in some embodiments, at least one adaptor containing one or more tags can be appended to a polynucleotide via enzymatic ligation, for example using an rna, including t4 rna ligase 1 or 2, t4 ligase 2 truncated (e.g., k227q or kq), or thermostable appdna/rna ligase. in some embodiments, a transposon-mediated tagmentation reaction can be used to insert a tag sequence at a random location into a polynucleotide, and make a double-stranded cut in the polynucleotide, to yield a polynucleotide fragment appended at one or both ends with at least one tag. for example, a transposon complex can be formed by contacting a polynucleotide with a transposase which is bound to two transposon end sequences each containing at least one tag. the transposon complex can be incubated under conditions that permit a tagmentation reaction to occur. the transposase and transposon end sequences can be derived from mua (u.s. application ser. nos. 13/553,395 and 14/480,419, or pct application no. pct/ep2014/079473, or u.s. pat. no. 6,593,113) or tn5 (u.s. published application nos. 2014/0162897; 2014/0031261; 2013/0196860; 2011/0287435; and 2010/0120098). in some embodiments, at least one tag can be appended to the polynucleotide by interactions between binding partners. for example, a biotinylated tag can bind a polynucleotide that is conjugated to streptavidin, or the polynucleotide can be biotinylated and the tag can be conjugated to streptavidin. the biotin/streptavidin binding partners can be substituted with one of many other binding partners. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting genetic variants, identifying genetic variants and/or generating error-corrected sequencing data, for appending a polynucleotide with at least one tag using an in vitro transposon-mediated fragmenting and tagging (e.g., “tagmentation”). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for fragmenting and tagging nucleic acids from a nucleic acid sample in an in vitro reaction, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of transpososome complexes, including a first and second transpososome complex, wherein individual transpososome complexes include (i) a plurality of transposases, (ii) a first transposon end sequence, wherein the first transposon end sequence is capable of binding to a transposase from the plurality of transposases and includes a first tag sequence having different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences, and wherein the first transposon end sequence optionally contains at least one nick, gap, apurinic site or apyrimidinic site, (iii) a second transposon end sequence, wherein the second transposon end sequence is capable of binding to a transposase from the plurality of transposases and includes a second tag sequence having different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences, and wherein the second transposon end sequence optionally contains at least one nick, gap, apurinic site or apyrimidinic site, and wherein the first and second tag sequence contain different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the methods fragmenting and tagging nucleic acids further comprise: (b) contacting, in a single reaction mixture, the plurality of transpososome complexes with a plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample which includes at least a first target polynucleotide, wherein the contacting is performed under conditions that are suitable for (i) transposing the plurality of transpososome complexes into the plurality of polynucleotides, including transposing the first and second transposon end sequences or the first and second transpososome complexes (respectively) into different positions of the first target polynucleotide, (ii) and fragmenting the plurality of polynucleotides including fragmenting the first target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the methods further comprise: (c) producing a plurality of tagged polynucleotides that are appended with a different tag sequences at both ends, wherein at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with tag sequences that differ from each other. the plurality of tagged polynucleotides that are generated in the single reaction mixture include a first tagged polynucleotide, wherein the first tagged target polynucleotide is generated by transposing and fragmenting the first transposon end sequences into the first target polynucleotide at a first position and attaching the first transposon end sequence to the end of the fragmented first target polynucleotide, and by transposing and fragmenting the second transposon end sequences into the first target polynucleotide at a second position and attaching the second transposon end sequence to the other end of the fragmented first target polynucleotide, wherein the plurality of tagged polynucleotides includes the first transposon end sequence having at least one nick, gap, apurinic site or apyrimidinic site, and a second end having at least one nick, gap, apurinic site or apyrimidinic site. in some embodiments, (i) the first transpososome complex includes a first pair of double-stranded transposon end sequences wherein the double-stranded transposon end sequences in the first pair have a first random tag sequence; and (ii) the second transpososome complex includes a second pair of double-stranded transposon end sequences wherein the double-stranded transposon end sequences in the second pair have a second random tag sequence, and wherein the first random tag sequence differs from the second random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the method further comprises: (d) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides, including generating a population of first tagged amplicons by amplifying the first tagged target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the method further comprises: (e) sequencing the population of tagged amplicons which comprises sequencing the target polynucleotide regions and the tags appended thereon, including sequencing the population of the first tagged amplicons which comprises sequencing the first target polynucleotide regions and the appended first and second tag regions. in some embodiments, the method further comprises: (f) determining that the first target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media described in wo 2015/113725 can be used to generate a population of transpososome complexes with mua or tn5 transpososomes, and individual transpososome complexes contains two double-stranded transposon end sequences, wherein each double-stranded transposon end sequence includes at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences, and having the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y . for example, the double-stranded transposon end sequences include the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the double-stranded transposon end sequence includes a random sequence which is represented by “n”, and a fixed sequence which is represented by “x”. thus, the double-stranded transposon end sequence includes a randomer tag that can be represented by the structure n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 . optionally, the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. in some embodiments, the double-stranded transposon end sequence comprises a randomer tag which includes the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, the molecular tagging procedure can be performed using a limited number of primer extension cycles. for example, to reduce the nucleotide mis-incorporation errors that are potentially introduced into a tagged polynucleotides, the target polynucleotides can be appended with at least one tag using a limited number of primer extension cycles. for example, at least one tag is appended to a target polynucleotide (e.g., via primer extension with a tailed tag primer) under conditions that limit the number of primer extension reactions to 2-4 cycles. optionally, a pcr reaction can be limited to about two cycles to append a tag to one end, and append a second tag to the other end of a target polynucleotide. optionally, the first and second tags that are appended to the polynucleotide have the same or different tag sequence. in some embodiments, about 1-100 pcr cycles, or about 1-50 pcr cycles, or about 1-25 pcr cycles, or about 1-15 pcr cycles, can be employed to append the target polynucleotides with at least one tag. in some embodiments, when performing any of the molecular tagging procedures of described in the present teachings, only the tagged polynucleotides will be sequenced. thus, any un-tagged polynucleotides will not be detected. optimizing the tag-appending conditions can increase the likelihood that more polynucleotides in the initial nucleic acid sample will be detected by sequencing. optimizing the tag-appending conditions may ensure that a maximum number of polynucleotide molecules are appended with at least one tag, so that about 5-10%, or about 10-25%, or about 25-50%, or about 50-75%, or about 75-90%, or about 90-99.99% of the polynucleotides are appended to at least one tag. one way to increase the number of tagged polynucleotides is to increase the amount of input nucleic acids, but this is not always feasible for biological samples containing scant amounts of nucleic acids with low abundant variant species. the tagging reaction can contain an excess of tags compared to the amount of input polynucleotides. another way to increase the yield of tagged polynucleotides is to improve the tag-appending conditions. for example, when appending a tag to a polynucleotide via an enzymatic ligation reaction, parameters such as blunt-end vs. sticky-end ligation, tag concentration relative to the polynucleotides, and temperature can be modulated to increase the percent of polynucleotides that are tagged. in another example, target polynucleotides-of-interest can be selectively appended to one or more tags using tailed primers in a primer extension reaction (thermo-cycling or isothermal). the specificity of hybridization between the target-specific portion of the tailed primer and the target polynucleotide can be optimized by adjusting parameters such as time, temperature, salts (e.g., monovalent cations), organic solvents (e.g., formamide), ph, as well as the length of the target-specific region and the concentrations of the tailed primers and input polynucleotides. yet another way to increase the yield of tagged polynucleotides is to reduce the concentration of the nucleic acids in the tag-appending reaction relative to the concentration of the adaptor tags or tag primers. for example, the nucleic acid sample can be split into 2-20 or more separate pools, and the nucleic acid within each pool are placed into a single reaction mixture. the single reaction mixture can be used to append at least one tag (e.g., adaptors or primers) to the polynucleotides within the nucleic acid sample. within each pool, the polynucleotides (from the nucleic acid sample) can be contacted with a set of a mixture of different tags (e.g., adaptors or primers), so that each pool has a different set of tags or each pool has the same or an overlapping set of tags. in some embodiments, if the initial nucleic acid sample contains a mixture of different polynucleotides, then the probability that any two polynucleotides having the same sequence are appended with the same one tag is quite low, and the probability that any two polynucleotides having the same sequence are appended with the same two tags is even lower. thus, a tag-appending reaction performed in separate pools using the same set of tags will likely generate tagged polynucleotides where substantially every tagged polynucleotides that is appended with a different tag. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for depositing an aliquot of the nucleic acid sample into two or more separate reaction vessels, to perform separate tag-appending reactions in each reaction vessel. for example, each reaction vessel contains a separate single reaction mixture that receives a separate aliquot of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, for generating a plurality of tagged polynucleotides and optionally for generating tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, each reaction vessel can contain the same or different repertoire of tags (e.g., randomer tags). in some embodiments, the separately tagged polynucleotides can be separately amplified, then pooled. in some embodiments, the separately tagged polynucleotides can be pooled and then amplified. in some embodiments, the separately tagged amplicons can be pooled and then sequenced. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, and related compositions, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media that further include a step to remove excess primers (e.g., tag primers) that are un-hybridized to a target polynucleotide after conducting a primer extension reaction (e.g., pcr). for example, any enzyme that degrades single-stranded oligonucleotides can be used, including single-stranded exonucleases, for example include recjf, t5 exonuclease, lambda exonuclease, e. coli exonuclease i, e. coli exonuclease iii, exonuclease vii or recbcd nuclease. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, and related compositions, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media that further include at least one washing step. the washing step can be conducted at any time during the workflow, for example before, during or after any tag-appending or amplifying step. in some embodiments, a washing step can remove excess or unreacted components of the appending, amplifying and/or determining steps. in some embodiments, any of the appending, amplifying and/or determining steps, according to the present teachings, can be conducted manually or by automation. in some embodiments, any one or any combination of the steps can be conducted manually or by automation, including: (1) forming a single reaction mixture, (2) appending at least one tag to a polynucleotide, (3) amplifying, (4) washing and/or (5) determining. for example, any reagents for the forming-a-single-reaction-mixture, appending , amplifying or washing steps can be deposited into, or removed from, a reaction vessel via manual or automated modes. in some embodiments, reagents for nucleic acid synthesis include any one or any combination of tags, nucleic acid sample, polynucleotides, enzymes (e.g., ligases or polymerases), nucleotides, divalent cations, binding partners, and/or buffer. in some embodiments, any tagged amplicons produced using the methods, systems, compositions or kits of the present teachings can be used to detect mutations associated with cancer that are located in at least one of the genes selected from abi1; abl1; abl2; acsl3; acsl6; aff1; aff3; aff4;akap9; akt1; akt2; alk; apc; arhgap26; arhgef12; arid1a; arnt; aspscr1; asxl1; atf1; atic; atm; axin2; bap1; bard1; bcar3; bcl10; bcl11a; bcl11b; bcl2; bcl3; bcl6; bcl7a;bcl9; bcr; birc3; blm; bmpr1a; braf; brca1; brca2; brd3; brd4; brip1; bub1b; card11; cars; casc5; cbfa2t3; cbfb; cbl; cblb; cblc; ccdc6; ccnb1ip1; ccnd1; ccnd2; cd74; cd79a; cdc73; cdh1; cdh11; cdk4; cdk6; cdkn2a; cdkn2b; cdkn2c; cdx2; cebpa; cep110; chek1; chek2; chic2; chn1; cic; ciita; clp1; cltc; cltcl1; col1a1; creb1; creb3l2; crebbp; crtc1; crtc3; csf1r; ctnnb1; cxcr7; cyld; cytsb; dclk3; ddb2; ddit3; ddr2; ddx10; ddx5; ddx6; dek; dgkg; dicer1; dnmt3a; eef1b2, egfr; eif4a2; elf4; ell; eln; eml4;ep300; eps15; erbb2; erbb4; erc 1; ercc2; ercc3; ercc4; ercc5; erg; etv 1; etv4; etv5; etv6; ewsr1; ext1; ext2; ezh2; fam123b; fanca; fancc; fancd2; fance; fancf; fancg; fas; fbxw7; fcrl4; fgfr1; fgfr1op; fgfr2; fgfr3; fh; fip1l1; flcn; fli1; flt1; flt3; fnbp1; foxl2; foxo1; foxo3; foxo4; foxp1; fus; gas7; gata1; gata2; gata3; gmps; gnaq; gnas; golga5; gopc; gpc3; gphngpr124; hip1; hist1h4i; hlf; hnf1a; hnrnpa2b1; hook3; hoxa11; hoxa13; hoxa9; hoxc11; hoxc13; hoxd13; hras; hsp90aa1; hsp90ab1; idh1; idh2; ikzf1; il2; il21r; il6st; irf4; itga10; itga9; itk; jak1; jak2; jak3; kdm5a; kdm5c; kdm6a; kdr; kdsr; kiaa1549; kit; klf6; klk2; kras; ktn1; lasp1; lck; lcp1; lhfp; lifr; lmo2; lpp; maf; malt1; maml2; map2k1; map2k4; mdm2; mdm4; mecom; men1; met; mitf; mkl1; mlh1; mll; mllt1; mllt10; mllt3; mllt4; mllt6; mn1; mpl; mre11a; msh2; msh6; msi2; msn; mtcp1; mtor; muc1; myb; myc; mycl1; mycn; myh11; myh9; myst3; myst4; naca; nbn; nbpf10, ncoa1; ncoa2; ncoa4; nek9; nf 1; nf2; nfe2l2; nfkb2; nin; nkx2-1; nlrp1; nono; notch1; notch2; npm1; nr4a3; nras; nsd1; ntrk1; ntrk3; numa1; nup214; nup98; olig2; omd; pafah1b2; palb2; patz1; pax3; pax5; pax7; pax8; pbrm1; pbx1; pcm1;pde4dip; pdgfb; pdgfra; pdgfrb; per1; phox2b; picalm; pik3ca; pik3r1; pim1; plag1; pml; pms1; pms2; pou2af1; pou5f1; pparg; ppp2r1a; prcc; prdm16; prf1; prf19; prkar1a; prrx1; psip1; ptch1; pten; ptpn11; rabep1; rad50; rad51l1; raf1; ranbp17; rap1ds1; rara; rb1; rbm15; recql4; rel; ret; rhoh; rnf213; ros1; rpn1; rps6ka2; rsbn1l; runx1; runx1t1; sbds; sdhaf2; sdhb; setd2; sfpq; sfrs3; sh3gl1; slc6a18; slc45a3; smad4; smarca4; smarcb1; smo; socs1; src; srgap3; ss18; ss18l1; stil; stk11; stk36; sufu; syk; taf15; taf1l; tali; tal2; tcf12; tcf3; tcl1a; tet1; tet2; tex14; tfe3; tfeb; tfg; tfrc; thrap3; tlx1; tlx3; tmprss2; tnfaip3; top1; tp53; tpm3; tpm4; tpr; trim27; trim33; trip11; tsc1; tsc2; tshr; usp6; vhl; was; wash3p; whsc1l1; wrn; wt1; xpa; xpc; zbtb16; zmym2; znf331; znf384; and znf521. in some embodiments, any tagged amplicons produced using the methods, systems, compositions or kits of the present teachings can be used to detect mutations associated with cancer that are located in at least one of the genes selected from abl1; akt1; alk; apc; atm; braf; cdh1; cdkn2a; csf1r; ctnnb1; egfr; erbb2; erbb4; fbxw7; fgfr1; fgfr2; fgfr3; flt3; gnas; hnf1a; hras; idh1; jak2; jak3; kdr; kit; kras; map2k1; met; mlh1; mpl; notch1; npm1; nras; pic3ca; pdgfra; pik3ca; pten; ptpn11; rb1; ret; ros1, smad4; smarcb1; smo; src; stk11; tp53; and vhl. in some embodiments, any tagged amplicons produced using the methods, systems, compositions or kits of the present teachings can be used to detect mutations, including for example at least one of the following: egfr (leu858arg), tp53 (arg158leu), tp53 (tyr220cys), met (thr1010ile), and/or kras (gly12cys). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a support. in some embodiments, the support can include a surface which is an outer or top-most layer or boundary of an object. in some embodiments, a surface can be interior to the boundary of the support. in some embodiments, a support can be a substantially planar support, as well as concave, convex, or any combination thereof in some embodiments, a support can be a bead, particle, microparticle, sphere, filter, flowcell, well, microwell, groove, channel reservoir, gel or inner wall of a capillary. in some embodiments, a support includes the inner walls of a capillary, a channel, a well, microwell, groove, channel, reservoir. in some embodiments, a support can include texture (e.g., etched, cavitated, pores, three-dimensional scaffolds or bumps). in some embodiments, a support includes a plurality of reaction sites arranged in an organized or random array. in some embodiments, the plurality of reaction sites can be arranged on the support in a random pattern, organized pattern, rectilinear pattern, hexagonal pattern, or addressable array pattern. for example, the plurality of reaction sites can be used for solid phase amplification (e.g., amplification reaction sites) or for sequencing (e.g., sequencing reaction sites). in some embodiments, a support can be porous, semi-porous or non-porous. in some embodiments, particles can have a shape that is spherical, hemispherical, cylindrical, barrel-shaped, toroidal, rod-like, disc-like, conical, triangular, cubical, polygonal, tubular, wire-like or irregular. in some embodiments, a support can be made from any material, including glass, borosilicate glass, silica, quartz, fused quartz, mica, polyacrylamide, plastic polystyrene, polycarbonate, polymethacrylate (pma), polymethyl methacrylate (pmma), polydimethylsiloxane (pdms), silicon, germanium, graphite, ceramics, silicon, semiconductor, high refractive index dielectrics, crystals, gels, polymers, or films (e.g., films of gold, silver, aluminum, or diamond). in some embodiments, a support can be magnetic or paramagnetic. in some embodiments, a support can be paramagnetic beads (particle) attached with streptavidin, for example dynabeads m-270 (from invitrogen, carlsbad, calif.). a bead or particle can have an iron core, or comprise a hydrogel or agarose (e.g., sepharose). in some embodiments, the support (including interior scaffolds of a bead or particle) can be attached with a plurality of a capture primer. a support can be coated with an acrylamide, carboxylic or amine compound for attaching a nucleic acid (e.g., a capture primer). in some embodiments, an amino-modified nucleic acid (e.g., primer) can be attached to a support that is coated with a carboxylic acid. in some embodiments, an amino-modified nucleic acid can be reacted with ethyl (dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (edc) or edac for attachment to a carboxylic acid coated support (with or without n-hydoxysuccinimide (nets)). a capture primer can be immobilized to an acrylamide compound coating on a support. the particles can be coated with an avidin-like compound (e.g., streptavidin) for binding biotinylated nucleic acids. in some embodiments, a support can be a well, microwell, groove, channel reservoir, gel or inner wall of a capillary. the surface of the support can be formed of a semi-metal or metal or oxide or nitride ceramic thereof. exemplary metals or semi-metals include silicon, gallium, aluminum, halfnium, titanium, tungsten, tantalum, zirconium, or any alloy or combination thereof. such exemplary metals or semi-metals can also form ceramic oxides, nitrides, or oxynitrides. in a particular example, the surface can be further treated with a surface agent including functionality, such a phosphate, phosphonate, catechol, nitrocatechol, boronate, phenylboronate, imidazole, silanol or silane functionality. in some embodiments, the support can be treated or coated with a surface agent that enhances signal detection of nucleotide incorporation by products such as pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. in an example, a surface agent including silane functionality can have the formula r—[(ch2)n]-si—[x1x2x3] where r is an organofunctional group, [(ch2)n] is a hydrocarbon linker (n=1 to 20) si is a silicon atom, and [x1x2x3] comprises one or more independent hydrolysable groups, including alkoxy or halogen groups. in another embodiment, the silane group may be r—[(c2h40)n]-si—[x1x2x3] where r is an organofunctional group, [(c2h4o)n] (n=1 to 100) is a polyether linker, si is a silicon atom, and [x1x2x3] comprises one or more hydrolysable groups, including alkoxy or halogen groups. in either of the embodiments, organofunctional groups r include, but are not limited to methyl, methylene, phenyl, benzyl, anilino, amino, amide, hydroxyl, aldehyde, alkoxy, halo, mercapto, carboxy, acyl, vinyl, allyl, styryl, epoxy, isocyanato, glycidoxy, and acryloxy. see, for example, u.s. pat. no. 8,647,577, incorporated herein by reference. in another example, the surface agent can bind as a monolayer over one or more of the surfaces. in particular, the surface agent includes a functional group reactive with the bronsted base or lewis acid functionality formed on the surfaces. see, for example, u.s. patent publication no. 2016/0003768, incorporated herein by reference. an exemplary surface reactive functional group of the surface agent can include a silane, phosphates, phosphonic acid, phosphinic acid, bisphosphonic acid, multidentate phosphates or phosphonates, polyphosphates/phosphonates, isocyanate, catechol, hydroxamate, alkoxy derivatives thereof, or any combination thereof. exemplary alkoxy groups include methoxy, ethoxy, or combinations thereof. in another example, a combination of a clodronic acid and a functionalized primary amine can be used in place of a surface reactive functional group. in an example, silanes can functionalize many ceramic and metallic surfaces. in a particular example, silanes, isocyanates, hydroxamates, and clodronic acid can functionalize silica surfaces. in another example, phosphates, catechols, and hydroxamates can be used to functionalize titania surfaces. in further examples, particular surface reactive functional groups may preferentially deposit on one or more metal or ceramic surfaces relative to other metal or ceramic surfaces. distal from the functional group, the surface agent can include a functional group that does not include a donor pair of electron or that lacks bronsted base or acid activity. the distal functional group can be a positively charged functional group or can be a neutral functional group. exemplary neutral functional groups include alkyl, branched alkyl, or cyclic aromatic groups. exemplary positively charged groups that lack a donor pair of electrons include salts of quaternary ammonium ions derived from secondary amines, tertiary amines or heterocyclic groups incorporating nitrogen. in another example, the distal functional group can be a nitroso functional group. exemplary heterocyclic groups incorporating nitrogen include quaternary amines derived from pyrrolidine, pyrrole, imidazole, piperidine, pyridine, pyrimidine, purine, triazolium, or combinations thereof in particular, the salt can include a halide salt of the quaternary ammonium ions, such as a bromide salt. the secondary, tertiary, or quaternary amines can be conjugated to alkyl groups including methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, or tert-butyl alkyl groups. in another example, the distal functional group can include hindered primary, secondary or tertiary amines, such as amines hindered by proximal phosphate, phosphonate, phosphinate, or silane groups, or combinations thereof. in a particular example, the distal functional group can include biotin or a derivative thereof. in an example, the distal functional group can be bound to the surface reactive functional group by an amide, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, or polyether or thioether moiety, or a combination thereof. for example, the distal functional group can be separated from the surface reactive functional group by an alkyl moiety having 1 to 16 carbons, such as 1 to 12 carbons. in an example, the alkyl moiety can have 8 to 12 carbons, such as 10 to 12 carbons. in another example, the alkyl moiety can have 1 to 6 carbons, such as 1 to 4 carbons, or 1 to 3 carbons. in particular, surface agents including hindered amine distal functionality can have an alkyl moiety having 1 to 6 carbons, such as 1 to 4 carbons, or 1 to 3 carbons. in another example, the alkoxy moiety can have a number of carbons in a range similar to that of the alkyl moiety. in an additional example, a polyether moiety can have between 1 and 10 ether units, each having between 1 and 4 carbons, such as between 1 and 3 carbons. for example, the polyether moiety can have between 1 and 6 ether units, such as between 1 and 4 ether units. in a particular example, the surface agent includes a silane surface reactive functional group. exemplary surface agents include alkyl trialkoxy silane, such as octyldecyl triethoxysilane, octyldecyl trimethoxy silanes, propyl trimethoxy silane, or combinations thereof; salts of quaternary ammonium alkyl alkoxy silanes, such as butyl ammonium trimethoxy silane, methyl ammonium benzo trimethoxy silanes, uronium-silane or thiouronium-silane, methoxy-n silane, short butyl ammonium trimethoxy silanes, or a combination thereof; fluorinated or chlorinated derivatives thereof; derivatives thereof; or combinations thereof. exemplary quaternary salts include chlorine or bromine salts of such quaternary ammonium alkyl trialkoxysilanes. such silane surface agents can bind to semi-metal or metal oxides. some silane-based surface agents can bind indiscriminately to sidewalls surface or sensor surfaces. in another example, the surface agent can be a phosphonic acid-based surface agent. an exemplary surface agent includes alkyl phosphonic acids, such as octadecyl phosphonic acid; chlorine or bromine salts of quaternary amino phosphonic acids, such as imidazole phosphonic acids (e.g., 1-methyl-3-(dodecylphosphonic acid) imidazolium, or 1-methyl-3-(hexylphosphonic acid) imidazolium), (12-dodecylphosphonic acid) trimethylammonium bromide, methyl ammonium phosphonic acid, ethyl ammonium phosphonic acid, (12-dodecylphosphonic acid)tripropylammonium bromide, (12-dodecylphosphonic acid)tributylammonium bromide; (12-dodecylphosphonic acid) methyltriazolium bromide; (6-hexylphosphonic acid) imidazolium; pyridine alkyl phosphonic acids; benzo alkyl phosphonic acids; (1-amino-1-phenylmethyl) phosphonic acid; fluorinated or chlorinated derivatives thereof; derivatives thereof; or any combination thereof in another example, the surface agent can be a biotin alkyl phosphonic acid. in an example, phosphates and phosphonates can preferentially bind to sensor surfaces. in a further example, the phosphonic acid-based surface agent can include more than one phosphonic acid surface active functional group. for example, the surface agent can be a bisphosphonic acid, including two phosphonic acid surface active functional groups, such as alendronic acid or a derivative thereof. in particular, the surface agent can be a multidentate phosphonic acid-based surface agent, for example, including more than one phosphonic acid functional group coupled to a central moiety functioning as the distal group, such as a tertiary amine or alkyldiamine. for example, the surface agent can be a functionalized amino bis(alkyl phosphonic acid), such as a biotin functionalized amino bis(methylene phosphonic acid), nitrilotris (alkyl phosphonic acid), e.g. nitrilotris (methylene phosphonic acid), an ether derivative thereof, or a combination thereof in another example, the surface agent can be alkyldiamine tetrakis (alkyl phosphonic acid), such as ethylene diamine tetrakis (methylene phosphonic acid). in a further example, the surface agent can be diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid), hexamethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid), tetramethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid), or any combination thereof in an additional example, the surface agent is a phenyl diphosphonic acid, a functionalized derivative thereof, or a combination thereof. in a further example, the surface agent can be a catechol, such as a catecholamine, nitrocatechol, nitrocatecholamine, derivatives thereof, or a combination thereof. for example, the catechol can include a dopamine, nitrodopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, esters thereof, or a combination thereof in a particular example, the catechol is dopamine or nitrodopamine. in an additional example, the surface agent can include an isocyanate or hydroxamate surface active functionality. in particular embodiments, support materials, such as polymeric materials can be deposited into surface support structures, such as a well, microwell, groove, channel reservoir, gel or inner wall of a capillary. for example, polymer beads can be deposited into wells, microwells, groove, channels, or capillaries. in another example, a polymer can be coated over such surface structures. for example, a polymer matrix can be formed over the surface structures. see, for example, us patent publication no. 2015/0160153, incorporated herein by reference. for example, the polymer matrix can be formed from matrix precursors, such as a radically polymerizable monomer, for example, a vinyl-based monomer. in particular, the monomer can include a hydrophilic monomer, such as an acrylamide, vinyl acetate, hydroxyalkylmethacrylate, variations or derivatives thereof, copolymers thereof, or any combination thereof in a particular example, the hydrophilic monomer is an acrylamide, such as an acrylamide functionalized to include hydroxyl groups, amino groups, carboxyl groups, halogen groups, or a combination thereof in an example, the hydrophilic monomer is an aminoalkyl acrylamide, an acrylamide functionalized with an amine terminated polyalkyl glycol, an acrylopiperazine, or a combination thereof. in another example, the acrylamide can be a hydroxyalkyl acrylamide, such as hydroxyethyl acrylamide. in particular, the hydroxyalkyl acrylamide can include n-tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl)acrylamide, n-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide, or a combination thereof. the acrylamide functionalized with an amine terminated polyalkyl glycol can include between 1 and 20 units of an alkyl glycol, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or a combination thereof in another example, a comonomer can include a halogen modified acrylate or acrylamide, such as a n-(5-bromoacetamidylpentyl)acrylamide (brapa). while brapa is illustrated as including a bromoacetamide group, a bromoalkylamide including an alkyl group of 2 to 20 carbons can be used. further, the pentyl group of brapa can be replaced with another alkyl group having a carbon length in a range of 2 to 20. in another example, a comonomer can include an oligonucleotide modified acrylate or acrylamide monomer. in a further example, a mixture of monomers, such as a mixture of hydroxyalky acrylamide and amine functionalize acrylamide or a mixture of acrylamide and amine functionalized acrylamide, can be used. in an example, the amine functionalize acrylamide can be included in a ratio of hydroxyalkyl acrylamide:amine functionalized acrylamide or acrylamide:amine functionalized acrylamide in a range of 100:1 to 1:1, such as a range of 100:1 to 2:1, a range of 50:1 to 3:1, a range of 50:1 to 5:1 or even a range of 50:1 to 10:1. in another example, the amine functionalize acrylamide can be included in a ratio of hydroxyalkyl acrylamide:bromine functionalized acrylamide or acrylamide:bromine functionalized acrylamide in a range of 100:1 to 1:1, such as a range of 100:1 to 2:1, a range of 50:1 to 3:1, a range of 50:1 to 5:1 or even a range of 50:1 to 10:1. in a further example, an oligonucleotide functionalized acrylamide or acrylate monomer, such as an acryditetm monomer, can be included to incorporate oligonucleotides into the polymer matrix. another exemplary matrix precursor includes a crosslinker. in an example, the crosslinker is included in a mass ratio of monomer to crosslinker in a range of 15:1 to 1:2, such as a range of 10:1 to 1:1, a range of 6:1 to 1:1, or even a range of 4:1 to 1:1. in particular, the crosslinker can be a divinyl crosslinker. for example, a divinyl crosslinker can include a diacrylamide, such as n,n′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(2-hydroxyl ethyl)acrylamide, n,n′-(2-hydroxypropane-1,3-diyl)diacrylamide, or a combination thereof in another example, a divinyl crosslinker includes ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, divinylbenzene, hexamethylene bisacrylamide, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, a protected derivative thereof, or a combination thereof. polymerization can be initiated by an initiator within the solution. for example, the initiator can be a water-based. in another example, the initiator can be a hydrophobic initiator, preferentially residing in a hydrophobic phase. an exemplary initiator includes ammonium persulfate and temed (tetramethylethylenediamine). temed can accelerate the rate of formation of free radicals from persulfate, in turn catalyzing polymerization. the persulfate free radicals, for example, convert acrylamide monomers to free radicals which react with unactivated monomers to begin the polymerization chain reaction. the elongating polymer chains can be randomly crosslinked, resulting in a gel with a characteristic porosity which depends on the polymerization conditions and monomer concentrations. riboflavin (or riboflavin-5′-phosphate) can also be used as a source of free radicals, often in combination with temed and ammonium persulfate. in the presence of light and oxygen, riboflavin is converted to its leuco form, which is active in initiating polymerization, which is usually referred to as photochemical polymerization. in another example, an azo initiator can be used to initiate polymerization. in particular, the azo initiator can be azobisisobutyronitrile (aibn). in a further example, precursors to the polymer matrix can include surface reactive additives to enhance binding with surface. exemplary additives include functionalize acrylic monomers or functionalized acrylamide monomers. for example, an acrylic monomer can be functionalized to bind with a surface material, such as a ceramic material forming the bottom or sidewall of a well. in an example, the additive can include an acryl-phosphonate, such as methacrylphosphonate. in another example, the additive can include dimethylacrylamide or polydimethylacrylamide. in a further example, the additive can include a polylysine modified with polymerizable groups, such as acrylate groups. in another example, polymerization can be facilitated using an atom transfer radical polymerization (atrp). the atrp system can include a chain transfer agent (cta), monomer, a transition metal ion, and a ligand. an exemplary transition metal ion complex includes a copper-based complex. an exemplary ligand includes 2,2′-bipyridine, 4,4′-di-5-nonyl-2,2′-bipyridine, 4,4′,4″-tris(5-nonyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine, n,n,n′,n′,n″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, 1,1,4,7,10,10-hexamethyltriethylenetetramine, tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine, n,n-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)octadecylamine, n,n,n′,n′-tetra[(2-pyridyl)methyl] ethylenediamine, tris[(2-pyridyl)methyl]amine, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, tris(2-bis(3-butoxy-3-oxopropyl)aminoethyl)amine, tris(2-bis(3-(2-ethylhexoxy)-3-oxopropyl)aminoethyl)amine, tris(2-bis(3-dodecoxy-3-oxopropyl)aminoethyl)amine, aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic/heteroaromatic amines, variations and derivatives thereof, or combinations thereof. an exemplary cta includes 2-bromopropanitrile, ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate, ethyl 2-bromopropionate, methyl 2-bromopropionate, 1-phenyl ethylbromide, tosyl chloride, 1-cyano-1-methylethyldiethyldithiocarbamate, 2-(n,n-diethyldithiocarbamyl)-isobutyric acid ethyl ester, dimethyl 2,6-dibromoheptanedioate, and other functionalized alkyl halides, variations or derivatives thereof, or any combination thereof. optionally, the brapa monomer can function as a branching agent in the presence of an atrp system. in an example, atrp is initiated at a surface to directly bond the polymer to the surface. for example, acrylate monomers, acrylamide monomers, acryditetm monomers, succinimidyl acrylates, bis-acrylate or bis-acrylamide monomers, derivatives thereof, or combinations thereof can be applied in solution to the initiated surface in the presence of a transition metal ion/ligand complex. in another, the atrp system can be used to attach a polymer to a surface of the well using a modified phosphonate, sulfonate, silicate, titanate, or zirconate compounds. in particular, an amine or hydroxyl terminated alkyl phosphonate or an alkoxy derivative thereof can be applied to a surface and initiated using an initiator. the catalyst complex and monomers can be applied, extending the surface compound. in an exemplary method, an aqueous solution including precursors to the polymer matrix can be applied into wells of the structure defining an array of wells. the aqueous solution in the wells can be isolated by providing an immiscible fluid over the wells and initiating polymerization of the polymer precursors within the solution within the wells. many examples of methods for preparing supports treated or coated with at least one surface agent that can be that enhances signal detection of nucleotide incorporation byproducts can be found in u.s. published application nos. 2012/0045368, published feb. 23, 2012; 2016/0032371, published feb. 4, 2016; and 2016/0003768, published jan. 7, 2016. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for appending a polynucleotide with at least one tag using a nucleic acid amplification reaction, which includes a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) (u.s. pat. nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202 both granted to mullis), ligase chain reaction (lcr) (barany 1991 proceedings national academy of science usa 88:189-193; barnes 1994 proceedings national academy of science usa91:2216-2220), or isothermal self-sustained sequence reaction (kwoh 1989 proceedings national academy of science usa 86:1173-1177; wo 1988/10315; and u.s. pat. nos. 5,409,818, 5,399,491, and 5,194,370), or recombinase polymerase amplification (rpa) (u.s. pat. no. 5,223,414 to zarling, u.s. pat. nos. 5,273,881 and 5,670,316 both to sena, and u.s. pat. nos. 7,270,981, 7,399,590, 7,435,561, 7,666,598, 7,763,427, 8,017,339, 8,030,000, 8,062,850, and 8,071,308). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for appending a polynucleotide with at least one tag using circularized nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample can be circularized, for example by intramolecular ligation or use of a splint molecule or a padlock structure. the circularized molecules can be used to generate the tagged amplicons by rolling circle amplification, vector-mediated procedure, padlock structure formation, or hairpin adaptor-mediated procedure. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes rolling circle amplification (rca). for example, tailed primer having a 3′ region that hybridizes to a portion of a circular polynucleotide and a 5′ unique tail, can be used to conduct the amplification reaction to generate concatemers having a tag in their 5′ region. examples of rolling circle amplification are described in fire and xu 1995 proceedings of the national academy of science 92:4641-4645; lizardi 1998 nature genetics 19:225; baner 1998 nucleic acids research 26:5073; zhao 2008 agnewandte chemie international edition 47:6330-6337; and nilsson 2008 trends in biochemistry 24:83-88. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes a vector-mediate method in which a portion of a target polynucleotide (target sequence) is inserted into a vector, and the target sequence is joined on one or both sides with a unique tag, to generate a circular molecule. the circular molecule is subjected to bi-directional rca using forward and reverse primers that selectively hybridize to the target sequence, to generate forward and reverse concatemers (bielas and ericson, u.s. application publication no. 2015/0126376). the concatemers can be sequenced and the sequencing reads can be manipulated using the methods described in the present teachings. alternatively, the circular molecule is subjected to uni-directional rca using a primer specific for the tag sequence or the target sequence (u.s. pat. nos. 6,287,824; 6,480,791; 8,221,982; 8,383,345; 8,865,410). in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes ligating a target polynucleotide with at least one tag to form a circular molecule. rca is performed using a primer that hybridizes to the tag or target sequence (u.s. patent nos. 6,480,791; 7,537,897; 8,003,330; 8,383,345; 8,497,069; 8,835,358; and 8,865,410). in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes forming a padlock structure using a pre-circle probe containing at least one tag. the pre-circle probe is hybridized to a target polynucleotide to form a padlock structure having a nick. the nick is closed with a ligase, and primer extension is performed with a primer specific for the tag or target sequence (u.s. pat. nos. 6,830,884; 7,498,131; and 7,790,388). in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes ligating hairpin adaptors to both ends of a double-stranded target polynucleotide, where the hairpin adaptors contain at least one tag. the resulting ligation product can form a single-stranded circular molecule that can undergo rca (u.s. pat. no. 8,309,330). in some embodiments, the nucleic acid amplification reaction includes utilizing a loxp/cre system, in which a loxp sequence is joined to at least one tag and a cre recombinase is used to generate a circular molecule having a tag insert. the circular molecule can be subjected to rca (u.s. pat. no. 6,448,017). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, for appending a polynucleotide with at least one tag using and inverse pcr reaction. for example, an inverse pcr reaction incudes: (a) providing a nucleic acid sample containing a plurality of polynucleotides; (b) randomly-fragmenting the plurality of polynucleotides to generate fragments having (i) at least one region having a known sequence flanked by unknown sequences, and (ii) terminal ends having unique sequences; (c) appending a first universal sequence to one end of the fragmented polynucleotides and appending a second universal sequence to the other end of the fragmented polynucleotides, for example by adaptor ligation, to generate adaptor-joined fragments; (d) amplifying the adaptor-joined fragments using pcr and primers that hybridize to the first or second universal sequences of the adaptor-joined fragments, to generate adaptor-joined amplicons; (e) circularizing the adaptor-joined amplicons to generate a plurality of circular molecules that contain (i) at least one region having a known sequence flanked by unknown sequences, (ii) a first terminal end having a first unique sequence which is joined to the first universal sequence, and (iii) a second terminal end having a second unique sequence which is joined to the second universal sequence ; (f) amplifying the circular molecules by rolling circle amplification using tailed primers that hybridize to the known sequence, to generate linear molecules (e.g., concatemers) having (i) a first terminal end having a first unique sequence which is joined to the first universal sequence, (ii) a second terminal end having a second unique sequence which is joined to the second universal sequence, (iii) a region having a known sequence flanked by unknown sequences; and (g) sequencing the linear molecules to produce a plurality of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, further comprise manipulating the sequencing reads and applying at least one threshold, which can reduce errors in the sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the manipulating of the candidate sequencing reads includes culling, sorting, grouping, counting grouped reads, counting family of reads, and other manipulation steps. in some embodiments, randomly-fragmenting step can be conducted by shearing or transposon-mediated tagmentation. in some embodiments, the manipulating steps can be based on tag-specific reference sequences and/or polynucleotide-specific reference sequences. in some embodiments, other variations of the inverse pcr methods can be practiced, based on methods described in u.s. 2014/0227705 (vogelstein); ochman 1988 genetics 120:621-623; triglia 1988 nucleic acids research 16:8186; or silver and keerikatte 1989 journal of virology 63:1924-1928). in some embodiments, any tagged-target polynucleotides (including tagged amplicons) that have been generated according to the present teachings, can be attached to a solid support. for example, a bridge amplification reaction can be conducted to attach the tagged-target nucleic acids to a substantially planar support (e.g., flowcell) or beads. individual tagged-target nucleic acids include at least one tag adaptor sequence and a first universal adaptor sequence at one end and at least another tag adaptor sequence and a second universal adaptor sequence at the other end. in some embodiments, the tag portion of the first and second tag-adaptors have different sequences. in some embodiments, the first and/or second tag-adaptors include a universal amplification and/or sequencing primer sequences. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged-target nucleic acids include target sequence portions having different sequences. the population of tagged nucleic acids are amplified to generate a population of tagged-target amplicons. the population of tagged-target amplicons is rendered single-stranded to generate a population of single-stranded tagged-target nucleic acids. at least a portion of the population of the single-stranded tagged-target nucleic acids is hybridized to capture primers that are attached to a support. the support can include a plurality of first and second capture primers having different sequences, for example, the first capture primers hybridize to the first universal sequence and the second capture primers hybridize to the second universal sequence. in the hybridization step, the first universal adaptor (e.g., attached to the first polynucleotide) hybridizes with the first capture primer, and a primer extension reaction extends the first capture primer to generate a first capture primer extension product having a complementary sequence of the second adaptor at one end. the primer extension reaction employs the captured target nucleic acid as a template. the template molecule is removed. the first capture primer extension product bends (e.g., arches) so that the second adaptor sequence can hybridize to a nearby second capture primer, and a primer extension reaction extends the second capture primer to generate a second capture primer extension product having a complementary sequence of the first adaptor at one end, and forming a double-stranded bridge molecule. the double-stranded bridge is denatured to yield two single-stranded, immobilized target nucleic acids. one of the single-stranded, immobilized target nucleic acids has a first primer (or complementary sequence thereof) which is attached to the support and the other end of the molecule has a second primer sequence (or complementary sequence thereof), and the second primer sequence can hybridize to a nearby second capture primer to start another bridge amplification reaction. the other single-stranded, immobilized target nucleic acids has a second primer (or complementary sequence thereof) which is attached to the support and the other end of the molecule has a first primer sequence (or complementary sequence thereof), and the first primer sequence can hybridize to a nearby first capture primer to start another bridge amplification reaction. repeat cycles of bridge amplification produce a plurality of amplified target nucleic acids that are attached to the support. the cycles of bridge amplification can be conducted under isothermal conditions. examples of compositions and methods for bridge amplification are found in u.s. pat. nos. 7,790,418, 7,985,565, 8,143,008 and 8,895,249. in some embodiments, any tagged-target polynucleotides (including tagged amplicons) that have been generated according to the present teachings, can be attached to a solid support. for example, a template walking reaction can be conducted to attach the tagged target nucleic acids to a substantially planar support (e.g., flowcell) or beads. individual tagged target nucleic acids include at least one tag sequence and a first universal adaptor sequence at one end and at least another tag sequence and a second universal adaptor sequence at the other end. in some embodiments, the first and second universal adaptors have different sequences. in some embodiments, the first and/or second adaptor includes a universal amplification primer sequence. in some embodiments, the first and/or second adaptor includes a universal sequencing primer sequence. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged target nucleic acids have different target sequences. in some embodiments, the template walking reaction includes: providing a support attached with a plurality of capture primers. the support can include a plurality of capture primers that are attached to the support by their 5′ ends. the support can include a plurality of immobilized capture primers, where the 3′ end of the capture primers includes the same sequence. in some embodiments, the 3′ end of the capture primers includes a sequence having a low t. (melting temperature) sequence. the plurality of capture primers can hybridize with at least a portion of the first universal adaptor sequence. in some embodiments, the template walking reaction includes: rendering a population of tagged target nucleic acids single-stranded. in some embodiments, the template walking reaction includes: hybridizing at least a portion of the population of single-stranded tagged target nucleic acids to the capture primers that are attached to a support. in the hybridization step, the first universal adaptor hybridizes with a first immobilized capture primer, and a primer extension reaction extends the first capture primer to generate a first captured primer extension product having a complementary sequence of the second adaptor at one end. the primer extension reaction employs the tagged target nucleic acid as a template. the template molecule (which is hybridized along its length to the first extension product) undergoes localized denaturation at the first adaptor region that contains the low t. region, and the first universal adaptor region rehybridizes to a nearby capture primer (e.g., a second capture primer), while the remainder of the template molecule is hybridized to the first extension product. primer extension of the second capture primer, serves to denature the portion of the template molecule that is still hybridized with the first extension product, and generates a second captured primer extension product. repeat cycles of template walking include hybridizing the first universal adaptor region to a nearby capture primer, primer extension, localized denaturation at the first universal adaptor region that contains the low t. region, re-hybridization with a different nearby capture primer, and primer extension, to produce a plurality of amplified target nucleic acids that are attached to the support. the cycles of template walking can be conducted under isothermal conditions. for example, a method for template walking, comprises: (a) providing a support with immobilized a plurality of capture primers which includes a first and a second capture primer, wherein the plurality of the capture primers have an identical sequence or have an identical 3′ portion, and wherein the 5′ ends of the plurality of the capture primers are attached to the support, and wherein the plurality of the capture primers contain a region having a low melting temperature sequence; (b) providing a plurality of single-stranded tagged target nucleic acids which includes a first single-stranded tagged target nucleic acid, wherein the plurality of single-stranded tagged target nucleic acids having (i) a first universal adaptor and a first tag attached to one end of the target nucleic acids, and (ii) a second universal adaptor and a second tag attached to the other end of the target nucleic acids; (c) hybridizing the first capture primer to the first universal adaptor of the first single-stranded tagged target nucleic acid; (d) extending the first capture primer by conducting a primer extension reaction to generate a duplex first extension product which is hybridized along the length of the first extension product; (e) separating a portion of the first capture primer (e.g., that includes the low melting temperature sequence) from the hybridized first universal adaptor by local denaturation; (f) re-hybridizing the first universal adaptor to the second capture primer while the remainder of the duplex first extension product remains in duplex form; (g) extending the second capture primer by conducting a primer extension reaction that separates the remainder of the duplex first extension product and generates a duplex second extension product which is hybridized along the length of the second extension product; (h) separating a portion of the second capture primer (e.g., that includes the low melting temperature sequence) from the hybridized first universal adaptor by local denaturation; (i) re-hybridizing the first universal adaptor to another of the immobilized capture primers while the remainder of the duplex second extension product remains in duplex form; and (j) extending the immobilized capture primer by conducting a primer extension reaction that separates the remainder of the duplex second extension product and generates a duplex third extension product which is hybridized along the length of the third extension product. in some embodiments, steps (a)-(j) can be conducted under isothermal conditions. examples of compositions and methods for nucleic acid template walking are found in u.s. published application nos. 2012/0156728 and 2013/0203607. in some embodiments, any tagged-target polynucleotides (including tagged amplicons) that have been generated according to the present teachings, can be attached to a solid support. for example, a recombinase-polymerase amplification (rpa) reaction can be conducted under aqueous conditions to attach the tagged target nucleic acids to any type of support including a substantially planar support (e.g., flowcell) or beads. individual tagged target nucleic acids include at least one tag sequence and a first universal adaptor sequence at one end and at least another tag sequence and a second universal adaptor sequence at the other end. in some embodiments, the first and second adaptors have different sequences. in some embodiments, the first and/or second adaptor includes a universal sequencing primer sequence. in some embodiments, the first adaptor includes a universal amplification primer sequence that differs from the universal amplification sequence in the second adaptor. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged-target nucleic acids have different target sequences. the population of tagged-target nucleic acids is rendered single-stranded. in a single reaction mixture (an aqueous reaction mixture), the single-stranded tagged-nucleic acids are reacted/contacted with: (i) a plurality of supports (e.g., beads) having a plurality of capture primers attached thereon, wherein the capture primers on the plurality of supports have the same sequence and can hybridize to the first universal adaptor sequence of the tagged nucleic acids; (ii) a plurality of soluble reverse primers that are identical to or can hybridize to the second universal adaptor sequence of the tagged nucleic acids; (iii) polymerase; and (iv) a plurality of nucleotides. in some embodiments, the single reaction mixture further includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), and optionally accessory proteins, including recombinase loading factor (e.g., t4 uvsy) and/or single-stranded binding protein (t4 gp32). the single reaction mixture can be incubated under conditions suitable for conducting nucleic acid amplification. the recombinase and accessory proteins can mediate d-loop formation between the first universal adaptor sequence and the capture primer. the first universal adaptor sequence region of the single-stranded tagged-target nucleic acid hybridizes to one of the plurality of capture primers on the support (e.g., bead), and primer extension produces a captured primer extension product. a soluble reverse primer hybridizes to the second universal adaptor region of the captured primer extension product, and a primer extension reaction produces a reverse primer extension product. the recombinase and accessory proteins can mediate d-loop formation between the second universal adaptor sequence and the soluble reverse primer. the reverse primer extension product can dissociate (e.g., denature) from the captured primer extension product, and re-hybridize with a different capture primer on the same support (e.g., bead), for another primer extension reaction. repeat cycles of the rpa-bead amplification reaction yields beads that are attached with multiple copies of the tagged-target nucleic acid to yield individual beads that are attached with substantially monoclonal copies of one tagged-target nucleic acid. optionally, different beads are attached with copies of different tagged-target nucleic acids (e.g., polyclonality). in some embodiments, the capture primers are attached to a support (e.g., planar-like support) and the recombinase-polymerase reaction is conducted in a manner similar to the rpa-bead method, where the aqueous single reaction mixture contacts the surface of the support having the attached capture primers, where the aqueous single reaction mixture contains template nucleic acids, fusion primers (or lacking fusion primers), reverse primers, polymerase, nucleotides, recombinase and accessory proteins. optionally, the rpa single reaction mixture also includes a forward fusion primer which serves as a splint molecule that can hybridize to a capture primer and the first universal adaptor sequence which is joined to the tagged nucleic acid. in embodiments using the forward fusion primer, the first universal adaptor sequence (which is joined to the target nucleic acid) can hybridize with a portion of the fusion primer, but the first adaptor lacks a sequence that can hybridize to the capture primer on the support (e.g., bead). in some embodiments, the fusion primer hybridizes to the first universal adaptor sequence, and a primer extension reaction yields a fusion primer extension product which includes a sequence that can hybridize to the capture primer on the support (e.g., bead). the soluble reverse primer hybridizes with the fusion primer extension product, and a primer extension reaction yields a reverse primer extension product. the reverse primer extension product can hybridize to one of the plurality of capture primers on the support (e.g., bead), and a primer extension reaction yields a capture primer extension product which is attached to the support (e.g., bead) and includes a sequence that is complementary to the reverse primer extension product. in some embodiments, the rpa-bead method includes an water-and-oil emulsion, where droplets of the aqueous reaction mixture are surrounded by an immiscible fluid (e.g., oil) so that the aqueous droplets provide compartmentalized reaction mixtures containing: one or more beads that are attached with capture primers; template nucleic acids; fusion primers (or lacking fusion primers); reverse primers; polymerase; nucleotides; and recombinase and accessory proteins. in some embodiments, cycles of an rpa reaction, using beads or a support, with or without an emulsion, can be conducted under isothermal amplification conditions. examples of compositions and methods for recombinase-polymerase amplification (rpa) reactions are found in u.s. published application nos. 2013/0225421 and 2014/0080717, and in u.s. pat. nos. 7,399,590, 7,666,598, 8,637,253, 8,809,021, and 9,057,097. in some embodiments, any tagged-target polynucleotides (including tagged amplicons) that have been generated according to the present teachings, can be attached to a solid support. for example, an emulsion pcr reaction can be conducted to attach the tagged target nucleic acids to any type of support including particles or beads. individual tagged target nucleic acids include at least one tag sequence and a first universal adaptor sequence at one end and at least another tag sequence and a second universal adaptor sequence at the other end. in some embodiments, the first and second adaptors have different sequences. in some embodiments, the first and/or second adaptor includes a universal sequencing primer sequence. in some embodiments, the first adaptor includes a universal amplification primer sequence that differs from the universal amplification sequence in the second adaptor. in some embodiments, at least two of the tagged-target nucleic acids have different target sequences. the empcr-bead method is conducted in an water-and-oil emulsion, where droplets of the aqueous reaction mixture are surrounded by an immiscible fluid (e.g., oil) so that individual aqueous droplets provide compartmentalized reaction mixtures containing: one or more beads that are attached with capture primers; template nucleic acids (e.g., tagged nucleic acids); fusion primers (or lacking fusion primers); reverse primers; polymerase; and nucleotides. optionally, the tagged nucleic acids are diluted so that, individual aqueous droplets contain only one tagged nucleic acid molecule. the emulsion pcr reaction is conducted under thermocycling conditions to render the tagged-target nucleic acids single-stranded. during emulsion pcr, the single-stranded tagged-nucleic acids are reacted/contacted with: (i) a plurality of supports (e.g., beads) having a plurality of capture primers attached thereon, wherein the capture primers on the plurality of supports have the same sequence and can hybridize to the first universal adaptor sequence of the tagged nucleic acids; (ii) a plurality of soluble reverse primers that are identical to or can hybridize to the second universal adaptor sequence of the tagged nucleic acids; (iii) polymerase; and (iv) a plurality of nucleotides. the first universal adaptor sequence region of the single-stranded tagged-target nucleic acid hybridizes to one of the plurality of capture primers on the support (e.g., bead), and primer extension produces a captured primer extension product. a soluble reverse primer hybridizes to the second universal adaptor region of the captured primer extension product, and a primer extension reaction produces a reverse primer extension product. the reverse primer extension product can dissociate (e.g., denature) from the captured primer extension product, and re-hybridizes with a different capture primer on the same support (e.g., bead), for another primer extension reaction. repeat cycles of the empcr-bead amplification reaction yields beads that are attached with multiple copies of the tagged-target nucleic acid to yield individual beads that are attached with substantially monoclonal copies of one tagged-target nucleic acid. optionally, different beads are attached with copies of different tagged-target nucleic acids (e.g., polyclonality). upon completion of amplification, the emulsion droplets can be contacted with a breaking solution to rupture/break the droplet and release the beads that are attached with tagged nucleic acids. optionally, the empcr-bead amplification reaction mixture also includes a forward fusion primer which serves as a splint molecule that can hybridize to a capture primer and the first universal adaptor sequence which is joined to the target nucleic acid. in embodiments using the forward fusion primer, the first universal adaptor sequence (which is joined to the tagged nucleic acid) can hybridize with a portion of the fusion primer, but the first adaptor lacks a sequence that can hybridize to the capture primer on the support (e.g., bead) therefor the tagged nucleic acid cannot bind the capture primer on the support. in some embodiments, the fusion primer hybridizes to the first universal adaptor sequence, and a primer extension reaction yields a fusion primer extension product which includes a sequence that can hybridize to the capture primer on the support (e.g., bead). the soluble reverse primer hybridizes with the fusion primer extension product, and a primer extension reaction yields a reverse primer extension product. the reverse primer extension product can hybridize to one of the plurality of capture primers on the support (e.g., bead), and a primer extension reaction yields a capture primer extension product which is attached to the support (e.g., bead) and includes a sequence that is complementary to the reverse primer extension product. examples of compositions and methods for empcr-bead amplification reactions may be found in u.s. pat. nos. 7,323,305; 7,638,276; 7,842,457; 8,012,690; 8,153,402; 8,158,359; 8,748,102; 8,765,380; and pct published application no. wo 2012/138926. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a nucleic acid synthesis or nucleic acid amplification reaction (amplification condition) that can be conducted under thermo-cycling or isothermal conditions, or a combination of both types of conditions. for example, the amplification condition can include alternating between thermocycling and isothermal amplification conditions, in any order. in some embodiments thermo-cycling amplification conditions comprise a nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture that is subjected to an elevated temperature for a period of time that is sufficient to denature at least about 30-95% of the double-stranded target nucleic acids, and then subjected to a lower temperature for a period of time that is sufficient to permit hybridization between the single-stranded target nucleic acids and any of the primers (e.g., capture primer, reverse solution-phase primer, or fusion primer). in some embodiments, the increase and decrease temperature cycle is repeated at least once. in some embodiments isothermal amplification conditions comprise a nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture that is subjected to a temperature variation which is constrained within a limited range during at least some portion of the amplification, including for example a temperature variation is within about 20° c., or about 10° c., or about 5° c., or about 1-5° c., or about 0.1-1° c., or less than about 0.1° c. in some embodiments, an isothermal nucleic acid amplification reaction can be conducted for about 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 or 120 minutes, or longer. in some embodiments, an isothermal nucleic acid amplification reaction can be conducted at about 15-30° c., or about 30-45° c., or about 45-60° c., or about 60-75° c., or about 75-90° c., or about 90-93° c., or about 93-99° c. in some embodiments, an isothermal amplification reaction mixture includes a recombinase (e.g., t4 uvsx), with or without recombinase accessory factors (e.g., t4 uvsy and/or gp32 protein). in some embodiments, a sufficient number of the tagged-target nucleic acids (including amplicons thereof) can be sequenced (e.g., sampling) to ensure the probability that any target polynucleotide that is present in the plurality of tagged polynucleotides will be represented in a set of sequencing reads and can therefore be detected. to accomplish this goal, many thousands, many tens-of-thousands, or many millions of tagged amplicons need to be sequenced, which can optionally be achieved by employing a massively parallel sequencing procedure. the capability of sequencing many thousands, many tens-of-thousands, or many millions of tagged amplicons increases the probability to about 10-25%, or about 25-50%, or about 50-75%, or about 75-90%, or about 90-99.99% , that a tagged polynucleotide will be represented in a set of sequencing reads and can therefore be detected and analyzed. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, and related compositions, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, which further include a sequencing reaction. in some embodiments, any tagged-target nucleic acids (including amplicons thereof) that are prepared according to the present teachings can be sequenced. in some embodiments, any type of sequencing platform can be employed, including massively parallel sequencing platforms or older versions of sequencing, such as: sanger sequencing, sequencing by oligonucleotide probe ligation and detection (e.g., solid™ from life technologies, wo 2006/084132), probe-anchor ligation sequencing (e.g., complete genomics or polonator™), sequencing-by-synthesis (e.g., genetic analyzer™ and hiseq™ from illumina (bentley 2006 current opinion genetics & development 16:545-552; and bentley, et al., 2008 nature 456:53-59; and u.s. pat. no. 7,566,537)), pyrophosphate sequencing (e.g., genome sequencer flx™ from 454 life sciences (u.s. pat. nos. 7,211,390, 7,244,559 and 7,264,929)), ion-sensitive sequencing (e.g., personal genome machine (ion pgm™) and ion proton™ sequencer, both from ion torrent systems, inc.), and single molecule sequencing platforms (e.g., heliscope™ from helicos). in some embodiments, a sequencing platform that employs sequence-by-synthesis includes attaching a plurality of tagged polynucleotides to a support (e.g., immobilized tagged polynucleotides). the tagged polynucleotides can include a universal capture sequence (e.g., universal amplification sequence), and the support can include capture primers attached thereon. the tagged polynucleotides can be attached to the support by binding the capture sequence of the tagged polynucleotide to the capture primer on the support. the plurality of tagged polynucleotides can be covalently attached to the support via the bridge amplification reaction described herein. the support can be a part of a flowcell, and the support includes a substantially planar surface, grooves or a plurality of wells (e.g., microwells or nanowells) arranged in an array. a sequencing reaction site includes any site on the support where a sequencing reaction is conducted. a plurality of sequencing reaction sites can be located at any location on the planar surface, on any region of the grooves, or within any of the wells. sequencing primers can be hybridized to the plurality of immobilized tagged polynucleotides. an aqueous solution that contains one, two, three or four types of nucleotides (e.g., deoxyribose triphosphate nucleotides) can be flowed onto the plurality of immobilized tagged polynucleotides, and in the presence of a polymerase that binds the tagged polynucleotides and catalyzes nucleotide incorporation, the sequencing reaction begins. a nucleotide that is complementary to template strand is incorporated onto the primer, an optional wash step removes non-incorporated nucleotides, and the identity of the incorporated nucleotide is determined. in some embodiments, the nucleotides in the flow are attached to an optically-detectable label. for example, the different types of nucleotides (e.g., a, g, c and t) can be attached to a different label that differentiates one type of nucleotide from the other types. the optically-detectable label can be attached to the base of the nucleotides. the different types of nucleotides can also optionally be attached to a blocking moiety that confers the ability to inhibit or block further nucleotide incorporations (e.g., a terminator blocking moiety). the blocking moiety can be attached to the 2′ or 3′ sugar position. the linker that attaches the label to the base, and attaches the blocking moiety to the sugar, can be the same or different type of linker. after a nucleotide is incorporated, the identity of the incorporated nucleotide is determined by exposing the incorporated nucleotide with radiation energy (e.g., light) and the emitted signal from the label is detected. the optically-detectable label and/or the blocking moiety are removed from the incorporated nucleotide by reacting the linker with a cleaving agent. if the same type of linker is used to attach the label to the base and attach the blocking moiety to the sugar, then one type of cleaving agent can be used to remove the label and blocking moiety. if a different type of linker is used to attach the label to the base and attach the blocking moiety to the sugar, then two types of cleaving agent can be used to remove the label and blocking moiety. the next sequencing cycle begins by performing a subsequent nucleotide flow, and the washing, identifying, and linker cleaving steps are repeated. in some embodiments, the sequence-by-synthesis methods include those described by illumina (u.s. pat. nos. 7,057,026; 7,566,537; 7,785,796; 8,158,346; 7,541,444; 7,057,026; 7,592,435; 7,414,116; 7,427,673 and 8,399,188) and described by jingyu ju (u.s. pat. nos. 7,713,698; 7,790,869; 8,088,575; 7,635,578; and 7,883,869) which are all expressly incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. the tagged-target nucleic acid described herein can be detected or sequenced using a suitable electrical or optical detector. in some embodiments, any of the tagged-target nucleic acids (and amplicons thereof) that have been synthesized according to the present teachings can be sequenced or detected by any sequencing method or detection means, including sequencing-by-synthesis, ion-based sequencing involving the detection of sequencing byproducts using field effect transistors (e.g., fets and isfets), chemical degradation sequencing, ligation-based sequencing, hybridization sequencing, pyrosequencing or pyrophosphate detection sequencing, capillary electrophoresis, gel electrophoresis, next-generation, massively parallel sequencing platforms, sequencing platforms that detect hydrogen ions or other sequencing by-products, and sequencing platforms that can detect single molecule sequencing platforms. in some embodiments, a sequencing reaction can be conducted using at least one sequencing primer that can hybridize to any portion of the tagged amplicons, including a nucleic acid adaptor (e.g., universal sequence) or a target polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits and apparatuses, for conducting sequencing reaction on a support having one or more reaction sites coupled to a sensor. in some embodiments, any tagged-target nucleic acid produced according to the present teachings can be detected for its presence in a detection system using any of the technology described herein. for example, an array using cmos technology may be used to simply detect the presence of a specific nucleic acid sequence, such as through qpcr or dpcr. the presence of the nucleic acid sequence may be detected through non-optical (detecting reaction byproducts) or optical methods. the optical methods may include dye-labeled tags on the sequences or on any nucleotides hybridized to the sequence. in some embodiments, any tagged-target nucleic acids produced according to the present teachings can be sequenced using methods that detect one or more byproducts of nucleotide incorporation. the detection of polymerase extension by detecting physicochemical byproducts of the extension reaction, can include pyrophosphate, hydrogen ion, charge transfer, heat, and the like, as disclosed, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 7,948,015 to rothberg et al.; and rothberg et al, u.s. patent publication no. 2009/0026082, hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. other examples of methods of detecting polymerase-based extension can be found, for example, in pourmand et al, proc. natl. acad. sci., 103: 6466-6470 (2006); purushothaman et al., ieee iscas, iv-169-172; anderson et al, sensors and actuators b chem., 129: 79-86 (2008); sakata et al., angew. chem. 118:2283-2286 (2006); esfandyapour et al., u.s. patent publication no. 2008/01666727; and sakurai et al., anal. chem. 64: 1996-1997 (1992). in addition detection may be based on a change in capacitance, impedance or conductivity or voltammetry. reactions involving the generation and detection of ions are widely performed. the use of direct ion detection methods to monitor the progress of such reactions can simplify many current biological assays. for example, template-dependent nucleic acid synthesis by a polymerase can be monitored by detecting hydrogen ions that are generated as natural byproducts of nucleotide incorporations catalyzed by the polymerase. ion-sensitive sequencing (also referred to as “ph-based” or “ion-based” nucleic acid sequencing) exploits the direct detection of ionic byproducts, such as hydrogen ions, that are produced as a byproduct of nucleotide incorporation. in one exemplary system for ion-based sequencing, the nucleic acid to be sequenced can be captured in a microwell, and nucleotides can be flowed across the well, one at a time or two or more different types, under nucleotide incorporation conditions. the polymerase incorporates the appropriate nucleotide into the growing strand, and the hydrogen ion that is released can change the ph in the solution, which can be detected by an ion sensor that is coupled with the well. this technique does not require labeling of the nucleotides or expensive optical components, and allows for far more rapid completion of sequencing runs. examples of such ion-based nucleic acid sequencing methods and platforms include the ion pgm™, ion proton™, and ion 55sequencer (ion torrent™ systems, thermo fisher scientific). in some embodiments, any tagged-target nucleic acids produced using the methods, systems, compositions or kits of the present teachings can be used as a substrate for a biological or chemical reaction that is detected and/or monitored by a sensor including a field-effect transistor (fet). in various embodiments the fet is a chemfet, finfet or an isfet. a “chemfet” or chemical field-effect transistor, is a type of field effect transistor that acts as a chemical sensor. it is the structural analog of a mosfet transistor, where the charge on the gate electrode is applied by a chemical process. an “isfet” or ion-sensitive field-effect transistor, is used for measuring ion concentrations in solution; when the ion concentration (such as h+) changes, the current through the transistor will change accordingly. a detailed theory of operation of an isfet is given in “thirty years of isfetology: what happened in the past 30 years and what may happen in the next 30 years,” p. bergveld, sens. actuators, 88 (2003), pp. 1-20. a fin field effect transistor or “finfet” is a type of non-planar or three-dimensional transistor. additionally, a nanowire may be used either alone or in conjunction with the fet. in some embodiments, the fet may be a fet array. as used herein, an “array” is a planar arrangement of elements such as sensors or wells. the array may be one or two dimensional. a one dimensional array can be an array having one column (or row) of elements in the first dimension and a plurality of columns (or rows) in the second dimension. the number of columns (or rows) in the first and second dimensions may or may not be the same. the fet or array can comprise 10 2 , 10 3 , 10 4 , 10 5 , 10 6 , 10 7 or more fets. in some embodiments, one or more microfluidic structures can be fabricated above the fet sensor array to provide for containment and/or confinement of a biological or chemical reaction. for example, in one implementation, the microfluidic structure(s) can be configured as one or more wells (or microwells, or reaction chambers, or reaction wells, as the terms are used interchangeably herein) disposed above one or more sensors of the array, such that the one or more sensors over which a given well is disposed detect and measure analyte presence, level, and/or concentration in the given well. in some embodiments, there can be a 1:1 correspondence of fet sensors and reaction wells. exemplary embodiments of fet sensor arrays can be found in u.s. pat. nos. 7,948,015; 8,262,900; 8,776,573; 8,208,712. microwells or reaction chambers are typically hollows or wells having well-defined shapes and volumes which can be manufactured into a substrate and can be fabricated using conventional microfabrication techniques, e.g. as disclosed in the following references: doering and nishi, editors, handbook of semiconductor manufacturing technology, second edition (crc press, 2007); saliterman, fundamentals of biomems and medical microdevices (spie publications, 2006); elwenspoek et al, silicon micromachining (cambridge university press, 2004); and the like. examples of configurations (e.g. spacing, shape and volumes) of microwells or reaction chambers are disclosed in rothberg et al, u.s. patent publication 2009/0127589; rothberg et al, u.k. patent application gb24611127. in some embodiments, the biological or chemical reaction can be performed in a solution or a reaction chamber that is in contact with, operatively coupled, or capacitively coupled to a fet such as a chemfet, finfet, or an isfet. the fet (finfet or chemfet or isfet) and/or reaction chamber can be an array of fets or reaction chambers, respectively. in some embodiments, a biological or chemical reaction can be carried out in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional array of reaction chambers, wherein each reaction chamber can be coupled to a fet, and each reaction chamber is no greater than 10 μm 3 (i.e., 1 pl) in volume. in some embodiments each reaction chamber is no greater than 0.34 pl, 0.096 pl or even 0.012 pl in volume. a reaction chamber can optionally be no greater than 2, 5, 10, 15, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82, 92, or 102 square microns in cross-sectional area at the top. preferably, the array has at least 10 2 , 10 3 , 10 4 , 10 5 , 10 6 , 10 7 , 10 8 , 10 9 , or more reaction chambers. in some embodiments, at least one of the reaction chambers is operatively coupled to at least one of the fets. fet arrays as used in various embodiments according to the disclosure can be fabricated according to conventional cmos fabrications techniques, as well as modified cmos fabrication techniques and other semiconductor fabrication techniques beyond those conventionally employed in cmos fabrication. additionally, various lithography techniques can be employed as part of an array fabrication process. exemplary fet arrays suitable for use in the disclosed methods, as well as microwells and attendant fluidics, and methods for manufacturing them, are disclosed, for example, in u.s. patent publication no. 20100301398; u.s. patent publication no. 20100300895; u.s. patent publication no. 20100300559; u.s. patent publication no. 20100197507, u.s. patent publication no. 20100137143; u.s. patent publication no. 20090127589; and u.s. patent publication no. 20090026082, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. in one aspect, the disclosed methods, compositions, systems, apparatuses and kits can be used for carrying out label-free nucleic acid sequencing, and in particular, ion-based nucleic acid sequencing. the concept of label-free detection of nucleotide incorporation has been described in the literature, including the following references that are incorporated by reference: rothberg et al, u.s. patent publication 2009/0026082; anderson et al, sensors and actuators b chem., 129: 79-86 (2008); and pourmand et al, proc. natl. acad. sci., 103: 6466-6470 (2006). briefly, in nucleic acid sequencing applications, nucleotide incorporations are determined by measuring natural byproducts of polymerase-catalyzed extension reactions, including hydrogen ions, polyphosphates, ppi, and pi (e.g., in the presence of pyrophosphatase). examples of such ion-based nucleic acid sequencing methods and platforms include the ion pgm™ or ion proton™, or ion s5® sequencer (ion torrent™ systems, thermo fisher scientific). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods for sequencing any of the tagged amplicons produced by the teachings provided herein. in one exemplary embodiment, the disclosure relates generally to a method for obtaining sequence information from tagged amplicons, comprising: (a) generating tagged-target nucleic acids (or amplicons thereof); and (b) sequencing the tagged-target nucleic acids or amplicons by performing template-dependent nucleic acid synthesis using at least one of the tagged-target nucleic acids or amplicons produced during step (a) as a template. the amplifying can optionally be performed according to any of the amplification methods described herein. in some embodiments, the template-dependent synthesis includes incorporating one or more nucleotides in a template-dependent fashion into a newly synthesized nucleic acid strand. optionally, the methods can further include producing one or more ionic byproducts of such nucleotide incorporation. in some embodiments, the methods can further include detecting the incorporation of the one or more nucleotides into the sequencing primer. optionally, the detecting can include detecting the release of hydrogen ions. in another embodiment, the disclosure relates generally to a method for sequencing a nucleic acid, comprising: (a) attaching tagged-target nucleic acids to sequencing particles by amplifying the tagged-target nucleic acids in the presence of sequencing particles to generate at least one particle attached with a substantially monoclonal polynucleotide population containing a portion of one of the tagged-target nucleic acids, according to the teachings disclosed herein; and (b) disposing the particles into a reaction chambers, wherein one or more of the reaction chambers are in contact with a field effect transistor (fet). optionally, the method further includes contacting the substantially monoclonal polynucleotide population, which are disposed into one of the reaction chambers, with a polymerase thereby synthesizing a new nucleic acid strand by sequentially incorporating one or more nucleotides into a nucleic acid molecule. optionally, the method further includes generating one or more hydrogen ions as a byproduct of such nucleotide incorporation. optionally, the method further includes detecting the incorporation of the one or more nucleotides by detecting the generation of the one or more hydrogen ions using the fet. in some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a change in voltage and/or current at the at least one fet within the array in response to the generation of the one or more hydrogen ions. in some embodiments, the fet can be selected from the group consisting of: ion-sensitive fet (isfet) and chemically-sensitive fet (chemfet). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods (and related compositions, systems, kits and apparatuses) for nucleic acid sequencing, comprising identifying a series of contiguous nucleotides in a nucleic acid template according to any of the methods disclosed herein. one exemplary system involving sequencing via detection of ionic byproducts of nucleotide incorporation is the ion pgm™ or ion proton™ or ion s5 ® sequencer (ion torrent system, thermo fisher scientific), which is an ion-based sequencing system that sequences nucleic acid templates by detecting hydrogen ions produced as a byproduct of nucleotide incorporation. typically, hydrogen ions are released as byproducts of nucleotide incorporations occurring during template-dependent nucleic acid synthesis by a polymerase. the ion pgm™, ion proton™, or ion s5® sequencer detects the nucleotide incorporations by detecting the hydrogen ion byproducts of the nucleotide incorporations. the ion pgm™, ion proton™, or ion s5® sequencer can include a plurality of nucleic acid templates to be sequenced, each template disposed within a respective sequencing reaction well in an array. the wells of the array can each be coupled to at least one ion sensor that can detect the release of h + ions or changes in solution ph produced as a byproduct of nucleotide incorporation. the ion sensor comprises a field effect transistor (fet) coupled to an ion-sensitive detection layer that can sense the presence of h + ions or changes in solution ph. the ion sensor can provide output signals indicative of nucleotide incorporation which can be represented as voltage changes whose magnitude correlates with the h + ion concentration in a respective well or reaction chamber. different nucleotide types can be flowed serially into the reaction chamber, and can be incorporated by the polymerase into an extending primer (or polymerization site) in an order determined by the sequence of the template. alternatively, one type of nucleotide can be flowed into the reaction chamber, and can be incorporated by the polymerase into an extending primer (or polymerization site) in an order determined by the sequence of the template. each nucleotide incorporation can be accompanied by the release of h + ions in the reaction well, along with a concomitant change in the localized ph. the release of h + ions can be registered by the fet of the sensor, which produces signals indicating the occurrence of the nucleotide incorporation. nucleotides that are not incorporated during a particular nucleotide flow may not produce signals. the amplitude of the signals from the fet can also be correlated with the number of nucleotides of a particular type incorporated into the extending nucleic acid molecule thereby permitting homopolymer regions to be resolved. thus, during a run of the sequencer multiple nucleotide flows into the reaction chamber along with incorporation monitoring across a multiplicity of wells or reaction chambers can permit the instrument to resolve the sequence of many nucleic acid templates simultaneously. further details regarding the compositions, design and operation of the ion pgm™ or ion proton™ or ion s5 1 υ or ion s5xl™ sequencers can be found, for example, in u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/002781, now published as u.s. patent publication no. 2009/0026082; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/474897, now published as u.s. patent publication no. 2010/0137143; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/492844, now published as u.s. patent publication no. 2010/0282617, all of which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. in a typical embodiment of ion-based nucleic acid sequencing, nucleotide incorporations can be detected by detecting the presence and/or concentration of hydrogen ions generated by polymerase-catalyzed extension reactions. in one embodiment, templates, optionally pre-bound to a sequencing primer and/or a polymerase, can be loaded into reaction chambers (such as the microwells disclosed in rothberg et al, cited herein), after which repeated cycles of nucleotide addition and washing can be carried out. in some embodiments, such templates can be attached as clonal populations to a solid support, such as particles, bead, or the like, and said clonal populations are loaded into reaction chambers. in another embodiment, the tagged-target nucleic acid templates, optionally bound to a polymerase, are distributed, deposited or positioned to different sites of the array. the sites of the array include primers and the methods can include hybridizing different templates to the primers within different sites. in each addition step of the cycle, the polymerase can extend the primer by incorporating added nucleotide only if the next base in the template is the complement of the added nucleotide. if there is one complementary base, there is one incorporation, if two, there are two incorporations, if three, there are three incorporations, and so on. with each such incorporation there is a hydrogen ion released, and collectively a population of templates releasing hydrogen ions changes the local ph of the reaction chamber. the production of hydrogen ions is monotonically related to the number of contiguous complementary bases in the template (as well as the total number of template molecules with primer and polymerase that participate in an extension reaction). thus, when there are a number of contiguous identical complementary bases in the template (i.e. a homopolymer region), the number of hydrogen ions generated, and therefore the magnitude of the local ph change, can be proportional to the number of contiguous identical complementary bases. if the next base in the template is not complementary to the added nucleotide, then no incorporation occurs and no hydrogen ion is released. in some embodiments, after each step of adding a nucleotide, an additional step can be performed, in which an unbuffered wash solution at a predetermined ph is used to remove the nucleotide of the previous step in order to prevent misincorporations in later cycles. in some embodiments, the after each step of adding a nucleotide, an additional step can be performed wherein the reaction chambers are treated with a nucleotide-destroying agent, such as apyrase, to eliminate any residual nucleotides remaining in the chamber, which may result in spurious extensions in subsequent cycles. in one exemplary embodiment, different kinds of nucleotides are added sequentially to the reaction chambers, so that each reaction can be exposed to the different nucleotides one at a time. for example, nucleotides can be added in the following sequence: datp, dctp, dgtp, dttp, datp, dctp, dgtp, dttp, and so on; with each exposure followed by a wash step. the cycles may be repeated for 50 times, 100 times, 200 times, 300 times, 400 times, 500 times, 750 times, or more, depending on the length of sequence information desired. in some embodiments, sequencing can be performed according to the user protocols supplied with the ion pgm™, ion proton™, or ion s5® sequencer. example 3 provides one exemplary protocol for ion-based sequencing using the ion pgm™ sequencer (ion torrent™ systems, thermo fisher scientific). in some embodiments, a cmos sensor can detect a nucleotide incorporation event, including detect nucleotide incorporation byproducts. in some embodiments, in addition to using cmos technology to detect reaction byproducts, such as hydrogen ions, phosphate ions, pyrophosphate ions or phosphate chains, cmos technology may be used as sensor to detect other measureable signals. for example, cmos technology may be used to detect fluorescence, phosphorescence, luminescence, bio-luminescence. in some embodiments, the surface of the sensors may have receptors or may be treated with a surface treatment so that the sensor surface may attract and/or bind to any molecules being detected. the surface treatment may be used to improve the signal to noise ratio (snr) of the system. in some embodiments, the sensors may be combined with nanowires. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods for sequencing a population of template polynucleotides, comprising: (a) generating a plurality of amplicons by clonally amplifying a plurality of target polynucleotides onto a plurality of particles, wherein the amplifying is performed within a single continuous phase of a reaction mixture and wherein at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% of the resulting amplicons are substantially monoclonal in nature. in some embodiments, a sufficient number of substantially monoclonal amplicons are produced in a single amplification reaction to generate at least 100 mb, 200mb, 300 mb, 400 mb, 500mb, 750 mb, 1gb or 2 gb of aq20 sequencing reads on an ion torrent pgm™ 314, 316 or 318 sequencer. the term “aq20 and its variants, as used herein, refers to a particular method of measuring sequencing accuracy in the ion torrent pgm™ sequencer. accuracy can be measured in terms of the phred-like q score, which measures accuracy on logarithmic scale that: q10=90%, q20=99%, q30=99.9%, q40=99.99%, and q50=99.999%. for example, in a particular sequencing reaction, accuracy metrics can be calculated either through prediction algorithms or through actual alignment to a known reference genome. predicted quality scores (“q scores”) can be derived from algorithms that look at the inherent properties of the input signal and make fairly accurate estimates regarding if a given single base included in the sequencing “read” will align. in some embodiments, such predicted quality scores can be useful to filter and remove lower quality reads prior to downstream alignment. in some embodiments, the accuracy can be reported in terms of a phred-like q score that measures accuracy on logarithmic scale such that: q10=90%, q17=98%, q20=99%, q30=99.9%, q40=99.99%, and q50=99.999%. in some embodiments, the data obtained from a given polymerase reaction can be filtered to measure only polymerase reads measuring “n” nucleotides or longer and having a q score that passes a certain threshold, e.g., q10, q17, q100 (referred to herein as the “nq17” score). for example, the 100q20 score can indicate the number of reads obtained from a given reaction that are at least 100 nucleotides in length and have q scores of q20 (99%) or greater. similarly, the 200q20 score can indicate the number of reads that are at least 200 nucleotides in length and have q scores of q20 (99%) or greater. in some embodiments, the accuracy can also be calculated based on proper alignment using a reference genomic sequence, referred to herein as the “raw” accuracy. this is single pass accuracy, involving measurement of the “true” per base error associated with a single read, as opposed to consensus accuracy, which measures the error rate from the consensus sequence which is the result of multiple reads. raw accuracy measurements can be reported in terms of “aq” scores (for aligned quality). in some embodiments, the data obtained from a given polymerase reaction can be filtered to measure only polymerase reads measuring “n” nucleotides or longer having a aq score that passes a certain threshold, e.g., aq10, aq17, aq100 (referred to herein as the “naq17” score). for example, the 100aq20 score can indicate the number of reads obtained from a given polymerase reaction that are at least 100 nucleotides in length and have aq scores of aq20 (99%) or greater. similarly, the 200aq20 score can indicate the number of reads that are at least 200 nucleotides in length and have aq scores of aq20 (99%) or greater. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a tag, for example an oligonucleotide having a tag sequence. optionally, the tag is a randomer tag. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a pair of tags. optionally, the pair of tags includes a forward and reverse tag primer, or a left and a right tag adaptor. optionally the pair of tags can be used in a primer extension reaction (e.g., a pcr reaction) or an enzymatic ligation reaction. optionally, in the pair of tags, one or both are a randomer tag. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises an oligonucleotide having a randomer tag which includes at least one random sequence (e.g., degenerate sequence) and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises an oligonucleotide having at least two random sequences alternating with at least two fixed sequences. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises 3 random sequences alternating with 3 fixed sequences, or 4 random sequences alternating with 4 fixed sequences. one skilled in the art will recognize that the randomer tag can include any number of random sequence units alternating with any number of fixed sequence units. in some embodiments, the fixed sequence within the randomer tag comprises 1-20 or more nucleotides, or analogs thereof in some embodiments, the random sequence within the randomer tag comprises 1-20 or more nucleotides, or analogs thereof. in some embodiments, each position within the random sequence of the randomer tag is a nucleotide selected from a, t, g, c, i, u, or analogs thereof in some embodiments, the tags (or randomer tags) are soluble tags (e.g., tags in solution) or the tags are attached to a support, including tags attached to a substantially planar support or bead support. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a plurality of tags. optionally, the plurality of tags includes at least two randomer tags. in some embodiments, the plurality of randomer tags comprise a plurality of oligonucleotides, where individual randomer tags include at least one random sequence (e.g., degenerate sequence) and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. optionally, the randomer tag comprises an oligonucleotide having at least two random sequences alternating with at least two fixed sequences. in some embodiments, one or more tags includes a detectable moiety. in some embodiments, the label can generate, or cause to generate, a detectable signal. in some embodiments, the detectable signal can be generated from a chemical or physical change (e.g., heat, light, electrical, ph, salt concentration, enzymatic activity, or proximity events). for example, a proximity event can include two reporter moieties approaching each other, or associating with each other, or binding each other. in some embodiments, the detectable signal can be detected optically, electrically, chemically, enzymatically, thermally, or via mass spectroscopy or raman spectroscopy. in some embodiments, the label can include compounds that are luminescent, photoluminescent, electroluminescent, bioluminescent, chemiluminescent, fluorescent, phosphorescent or electrochemical. in some embodiments, the label can include compounds that are fluorophores, chromophores, radioisotopes, haptens, affinity tags, atoms or enzymes. in some embodiments, the label comprises a moiety not typically present in naturally occurring nucleotides. for example, the label can include fluorescent, luminescent or radioactive moieties. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a single-stranded or double-stranded primer containing at least one tag sequence. optionally, the tag is a randomer tag. optionally, the primer includes a target-specific sequence that can hybridize with at least a portion of a target polynucleotide. for example the target-specific sequence is located in the 3′ region of the primer. optionally, the primer includes an extendible 3′ end, for example a terminal 3′ oh. optionally, the 5′ region of the primer includes at least one tag (e.g., randomer tag). optionally, the primer includes at least one barcode sequence, amplification primer sequence, sequencing primer sequence, capture primer sequence, or cleavable site. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a single-stranded or double-stranded adaptor containing at least one tag sequence (e.g., a tag adaptor). optionally, the tag is a randomer tag. optionally, the double-stranded adaptor includes at least one blunt end. optionally, the double-stranded adaptor includes at least one 5′ or 3′ overhang end. optionally, the 5′ or 3′ overhang end can hybridize with a terminal region of at least one target polynucleotide. optionally, at least one end of the adaptor is ligatable to another nucleic acid (e.g., a target polynucleotide). optionally, one strand of the adaptor includes a terminal 5′ phosphate group. optionally, one strand of the adaptor includes a terminal 3′ oh group. optionally, the adaptor includes at least one barcode sequence, universal sequence, amplification primer sequence, sequencing primer sequence, capture primer sequence or cleavable site. in some embodiments, any of the primers containing at least one tag (e.g., at least one randomer tags) include a gene-specific region in their 3′ regions that can selectively hybridize to a portion of at least one target polynucleotide, where the target polynucleotide contains a mutation that is associated with cancer that are located in at least one of the genes selected from abi1; abl1; abl2; acsl3; acsl6; aff1; aff3; aff4;akap9; akt1; akt2; alk; apc; arhgap26; arhgef12; arid1a; arnt; aspscr1; asxl1; atf1; atic; atm; axin2; bap1; bard1; bcar3; bcl10; bcl11a; bcl11b; bcl2; bcl3; bcl6; bcl7a;bcl9; bcr; birc3; blm; bmpr1a; braf; brca1; brca2; brd3; brd4; brip1; bub1b; card11; cars; casc5; cbfa2t3; cbfb; cbl; cblb; cblc; ccdc6; ccnb1ip1; ccnd1; ccnd2; cd74; cd79a; cdc73; cdh1; cdh11; cdk4; cdk6; cdkn2a; cdkn2b; cdkn2c; cdx2; cebpa; cep110; chek1; chek2; chic2; chn1; cic; ciita; clp1; cltc; cltcl1; col1a1; creb1; creb3l2; crebbp; crtc1; crtc3; csf1r; ctnnb1; cxcr7; cyld; cytsb; dclk3; ddb2; ddit3; ddr2; ddx10; ddx5; ddx6; dek; dgkg; dicer1; dnmt3a; eef1b2, egfr; eif4a2; elf4; ell; eln; eml4;ep300; eps15; erbb2; erbb4; erc1; ercc2; ercc3; ercc4; ercc5; erg; etv1; etv4; etv5; etv6; ewsr1; ext1; ext2; ezh2; fam123b; fanca; fancc; fancd2; fance; fancf; fancg; fas; fbxw7; fcrl4; fgfr1; fgfr1op; fgfr2; fgfr3; fh; fip1l1; flcn; fli1; flt1; flt3; fnbp1; foxl2; foxo1; foxo3; foxo4; foxp1; fus; gas7; gata1; gata2; gata3; gmps; gnaq; gnas; golga5; gopc; gpc3; gphngpr124; hip1; hist1h4i; hlf; hnf1a; hnrnpa2b1; hook3; hoxa11; hoxa13; hoxa9; hoxc11; hoxc13; hoxd13; hras; hsp90aa1; hsp90ab1; idh1; idh2; ikzf1; il2; il21r; il6st; irf4; itga10; itga9; itk; jak1; jak2; jak3; kdm5a; kdm5c; kdm6a; kdr; kdsr; kiaa1549; kit; klf6; klk2; kras; ktn1; lasp1; lck; lcp1; lhfp; lifr; lmo2; lpp; maf; malt1; maml2; map2k1; map2k4; mdm2; mdm4; mecom; men1; met; mitf; mkl1; mlh1; mll; mllt1; mllt10; mllt3; mllt4; mllt6; mn1; mpl; mre11a; msh2; msh6; msi2; msn; mtcp1; mtor; muc1; myb; myc; mycl1; mycn; myh11; myh9; myst3; myst4; naca; nbn; nbpf10, ncoa1; ncoa2; ncoa4; nek9; nf1; nf2; nfe2l2; nfkb2; nin; nkx2-1; nlrp1; nono; notch1; notch2; npm1; nr4a3; nras; nsd1; ntrk1; ntrk3; numa1; nup214; nup98; olig2; omd; pafah1b2; palb2; patz1; pax3; pax5; pax7; pax8; pbrm1; pbx1; pcm1;pde4dip; pdgfb; pdgfra; pdgfrb; peri; phox2b; picalm; pik3ca; pik3r1; plag1; pml; pms1; pms2; pou2af1; pou5f1; pparg; ppp2r1a; prcc; prdm16; prf1; rf19; prkar1a; prrx1; psip1; ptch1; pten; ptpn11; rabep1; rad50; rad51l1; raf1; ranbp17; rap1gds1; rara; rb1; rbm15; recql4; rel; ret; rhoh; rnf213; ros1; rpn1; rps6ka2; rsbn1l; runx1; runx1t1; sbds; sdhaf2; sdhb; setd2; sfpq; sfrs3; sh3gl1; slc6a18; slc45a3; smad4; smarca4; smarcb1; smo; socs1; src; srgap3; ss18; ss18l1; stil; stk11; stk36; sufu; syk; taf15; taf1l; tali; tal2; tcf12; tcf3; tcl1a; tet1; tet2; tex14; tfe3; tfeb; tfg; tfrc; thrap3; tlx1; tlx3; tmprss2; tnfaip3; top1; tp53; tpm3; tpm4; tpr; trim27; trim33; trip11; tsc1; tsc2; tshr; usp6; vhl; was; wash3p; whsc1l1; wrn; wt1; xpa; xpc; zbtb16; zmym2; znf331; znf384; and znf521. in some embodiments, any of the primers containing at least one tag (e.g., at least one randomer tags) include a gene-specific region in their 3′ regions that can selectively hybridize to a portion of at least one target polynucleotide, where the target polynucleotide contains a mutation that is associated with cancer that are located in at least one of the genes selected from abl1; akt1; alk; apc; atm; braf; cdh1; cdkn2a; csf1r; ctnnb1; egfr; erbb2; erbb4; fbxw7; fgfr1; fgfr2; fgfr3; flt3; gnas; hnf1a; hras; idh1; jak2; jak3; kdr; kit; kras; map2k1; met; mlh1; mpl; notch1; npm1; nras; pic3ca; pdgfra; pik3ca; pten; ptpn11; rb1; ret; ros1, smad4; smarcb1; smo; src; stk11; tp53; and vhl. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a single-stranded or double-stranded polynucleotide appended to at least one tag, including tagged-nucleic acids. optionally, the tag is a randomer tag. optionally, the polynucleotide is appended at one end to a first randomer tag, and appended to the other end to a second randomer tag. optionally, one or both ends further comprise at least one barcode tag. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a single reaction mixture containing (i) a plurality of polynucleotides including at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide, and (ii) a plurality of tags (e.g., randomer tags) including at least a first, second, third and fourth randomer tag. the plurality of tags comprises tagged-single-stranded primers or tagged-double-stranded adaptors. in some embodiments, the plurality of polynucleotides comprises a mixture of different polynucleotides or polynucleotides having the same sequence. the plurality of polynucleotides includes target and non-target polynucleotides, or lack non-target polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the plurality of randomer tags comprises a mixture of different randomer tags. optionally, the single reaction mixture further comprises any one or any combination of reagents for appending the randomer tags to the polynucleotides, including: ligase, atp, polymerase (e.g., recombinant polymerase), nucleotides, and/or cations for enhancing a primer extension reaction (e.g., magnesium and/or manganese). optionally, the single reaction mixture further comprises reagents for transposon-mediated insertion and fragmentation (e.g., tagmentation), including at least one transposome complex which includes a plurality of transposases and a plurality of transposon end sequences. optionally, the single reaction mixture includes at least one polynucleotide appended to one or more randomer tags (e.g., at least one tagged polynucleotide). optionally, the single reaction mixture includes at least one amplicon generated from a tagged polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising one or more nucleic acid samples containing polynucleotides, for example a nucleic acid sample that includes a mixture of target and/or non-target polynucleotides. the polynucleotides in the nucleic sample can include dna and/or rna. the polynucleotides in the nucleic sample can include any one or any combination of single-stranded and/or double-stranded polynucleotides. the polynucleotides in the nucleic sample can include cdna. the nucleic acid sample can originate from a biological sample, including a biological fluid, cell culture, solid tissue or solid tumor. the nucleic acid sample can originate from a single tube of drawn blood (e.g., approximately 7.5-10 ml). the nucleic acid sample can originate from multiple tubes of drawn blood that are pooled together as a source of polynucleotides to undergo a tag-appending reaction. the nucleic acid sample can originate from any organism including human, canine, feline, bovine, equine, murine, porcine, caprine, lupine, ranine, piscine, simian, ape, plant, insect, bacteria, virus or fungus. the nucleic acid sample can originate from water, soil or food. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample can originate from any organ, including head, neck, brain, breast, ovary, cervix, colon, rectum, endometrium, gallbladder, intestines, bladder, prostate, testicles, liver, lung, kidney, esophagus, pancreas, thyroid, pituitary, thymus, skin, heart, larynx, or other organs. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample originate from a biological sample, including a biological fluid obtained from blood, serum, plasma, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid (e.g., from a pregnant female), cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, semen and the like. for example, blood, serum and plasma include fractions or processed portions thereof. optionally, the nucleic acid sample can be a formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (ffpe) sample, which contains polynucleotides. in some embodiments, a biological sample includes a biological fluid or solid tissue obtained by biopsy, swab, needle biopsy (e.g., fine needle biopsy or fine needle aspirate), biopsy via microforceps, smear, or air borne nucleic acids. in some embodiments, the solid tissue includes healthy or diseased tissue (e.g., tumor) or fluid, or a mixture of healthy and diseased tissue or fluid. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample originates from a biological sample that contains cells, bacteria, virus, fungus and/or cell-free nucleic acids or nucleic acids isolated from circulating tumor cell(s). in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is isolated from the same source (e.g., the same subject) at different time points. for example, a nucleic acid sample is obtained from the same subject, tissue, tumor, cell or biological fluid at multiple time points. the nucleic acid sample is obtained at a different second, minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. the tumor includes any one or any combination of non-malignant, pre-malignant and/or malignant cells. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample is isolated from a different source (e.g., different subjects) over different time points. for example, (1) at a first time point, a nucleic acid sample is obtained from a first subject, tissue, tumor, cell or biological fluid, and (2) at a second time point, a nucleic acid sample is obtained from a second subject, tissue, tumor, cell or biological fluid. at subsequent time points, additional nucleic acid samples can be obtained. the different time points include a different second, minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample can undergo a separate processing step to extract the polynucleotides, and the extracted polynucleotides can be used to conduct a tag-appending reaction. optionally, an optional enrichment step can be performed to remove the cellular debris. for example, cells contained within a biological fluid can be lysed to release the polynucleotides which are then enriched or purified to remove the cellular debris. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample can be used directly in a tag-appending reaction without any separate polynucleotide extraction step. for example, a nucleic acid sample (e.g., a biological fluid containing cells or cell-free nucleic acids) can be added directly to a reaction vessel along with various reagents for conducting any tag-appending and/or amplification step as described in the present teachings. alternatively, cell-free nucleic acids can be extracted from a biological source and added to a reaction vessel along with various reagents for conducting any tag-appending and/or amplification step as described in the present teachings. in some embodiments, a separate cell lysis step is not practiced, or a lysis step is conducted prior to the tag-appending step. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample can be a reference standard. for example, the reference standard is manufactured from engineered cell lines that are known to carry mutant sequences (e.g., cancer cell line) or from engineered cell lines that do not carry mutant sequences of interest, or the reference standard is manufactured from recombinant nucleic acids. optionally, the reference standard is fragmented to an average size (e.g., about 160 bp) that is similar to the size of cfdna extracted from a biological fluid (e.g., blood). one example of a reference standard is commercially-available from horizon diagnostics (cambridge, united kingdom). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a plurality of polynucleotides. the plurality of polynucleotides can include single-stranded or double-stranded polynucleotides, or a mixture of both. the plurality of polynucleotides can include cdna. the plurality of polynucleotides comprise dna, cfdna (e.g., cell-free dna), ctdna (e.g., circulating tumor dna), cfrna (cell-free rna), cdna (e.g., copy dna synthesized from rna), rna, rna/dna, or nucleic acid analogs. the plurality of polynucleotides comprises mrna, mirna, rrna, trna or a mixture of any of these nucleic acids (e.g., a mixture of rna and dna). the plurality of polynucleotides can include polynucleotides having the same sequence or a mixture of different sequences. the plurality of polynucleotides can include polynucleotides having the same or different lengths. the plurality of polynucleotides can include about 2-10, or about 10-50, or about 50-100, or about 100-500, or about 500-1,000, or about 1,000-5,000, or about 10 3 -10 6 , or about 10 6 -10 10 or more polynucleotide molecules. the plurality of polynucleotides comprises polymers of deoxyribonucleotides, ribonucleotides, and/or analogs thereof. the plurality of polynucleotides comprise naturally-occurring, synthetic, recombinant, cloned, fragmented, un-fragmented, amplified, unamplified or archived (e.g., preserved) forms. the plurality of polynucleotides can be randomly fragmented using enzymatic, chemical or mechanical procedures (e.g., mechanical shearing, sonication, nebulization, or acoustics). fragmentation can be pre-determined using any one or a combination of different restriction endonucleases. fragmentation of the plurality of polynucleotides can be random using a nick translation reaction which employs one or more enzymes that couple nucleic acid nicking and nick translating activities in the presence of nucleotides that lack a detectable moiety, or in the presence of labeled nucleotides. in some embodiments, nick translation conditions conducted according to the present teachings produce unlabeled nucleic acid fragments (u.s. 2012/0301926, chen). for example, the present teachings can include nick translation conditions comprising a nicking enzyme (e.g., dnase i) and a polymerase having 5′→3′ degradation/polymerization activity, or can include a nicking enzyme (e.g., dnase i) and a polymerase having 5′→3′ strand displacing activity (e.g., taq polymerase). a nick translation reaction according to the present teachings can further include one or more unlabeled nucleotides (e.g., datp, dttp, dctp, dgtp, dutp, or analogs thereof). a nick translation reaction can include a cation, such as magnesium, manganese or calcium. the nick translation reaction can include at least one single-stranded binding protein, including phage t4 gp 32 protein, sulfolobus solfataricus single-stranded binding protein, methanococcus jannaschii single-stranded binding protein, or e. coli single-stranded binding protein. fragment sizes can be about 20-10,000 base-pairs in length. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a plurality of polynucleotides that include target and non-target polynucleotides, or lacks non-target polynucleotides. for example, a target polynucleotide is a polynucleotide-of-interest, and a non-target polynucleotide is a polynucleotide not-of-interest. the plurality of polynucleotides can include at least one group of target polynucleotides which contain a target polynucleotide and its related variants. for example, the group of target polynucleotides can include a target polynucleotide which is a wild-type form and its related polymorphic forms, which can include variant, allelic and/or mutant forms. the related variant forms contain at least one genetic point mutation, insertion, deletion, substitution, inversion, rearrangement, splice, sequence fusion (e.g., gene fusion or rna fusion), truncation, transversion, translocation, non-sense mutation, sequence repeat, single nucleotide polymorphism (snp), or other genetic rearrangement. the mutant or variant sequences also include copy number variation, aneuploidy, partial aneuploidy, or polyploidy. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a tag which can be appended to a polynucleotide. in some embodiments, a tag comprises an oligonucleotide, including a single-stranded or double-stranded oligonucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a plurality of tags which can be appended to a plurality of polynucleotides. the different tags in the plurality of tags can have the same characteristics or different characteristics. the tag can include characteristics, including a sequence, length and/or detectable moiety, or any other characteristic that identifies the polynucleotide molecule to which it is appended. for example, the tag (e.g., having a unique tag sequence) can uniquely identify an individual polynucleotide to which it is appended, and distinguish the individual polynucleotide from other tagged polynucleotides in a mixture. in another example, the tag (e.g., having a sample-specific sequence or a sample-specific barcode sequence) that is appended to multiple polynucleotides can identify the polynucleotides derived from a common sample or source. in some embodiments, substantially all of the tagged molecules in a single reaction mixture can be appended with the same barcode sequence. the tag can be appended to a double-stranded polynucleotide to identify one or both of the strands. in some embodiments, the junction sequence of a tagged polynucleotide can be used to identify the polynucleotide. for example, a junction sequence that contains at least a portion of the tag (e.g., a unique tag or sample-specific tag) and a portion of the polynucleotide (e.g., an endogenous polynucleotide sequence) that is juxtaposed to the tag, can be used to identify the polynucleotide. the junction sequence can include a portion of the tag and at least 2-20, or about 20-50, or about 50-100 or more nucleotides of the polynucleotide. optionally, one or both ends of a polynucleotide are appended to one or more tags. optionally, one or both junction sequences can be used to identify the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the tags comprise dna, rna or both dna and rna, or analogs thereof. the tags comprise a single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acid, or analog thereof. the tags can be naturally-occurring, synthetic, recombinant forms. for tags that include both dna and rna, the 5′ end of the tags is rna or dna. for tags that include both dna and rna, the 3′ end of the tags is rna or dna. in some embodiments, at least one end of a double-stranded tag is a blunt end or an overhang end, including a 5′ or 3′ overhang end. the tags can be any length, including 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-1000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-100 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-75 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-50 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-25 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-10 nucleotides or base-pairs. the tag can be about 100-200 nucleotides or longer. in some embodiments, a plurality of tags includes tags having the same or different lengths. in some embodiments, a plurality of tags includes tags having the same or different sequences. in some embodiments, a plurality of tags includes tags having the same or different detectable moieties. optionally, a tag can include a nucleotide analog or linkage between nucleotides that render the tag resistant to a nuclease. optionally, the tag includes at least one phosphorothiolate, phosphorothioate, and/or phosphoramidate linkage. optionally, a tag includes moiety includes a blocking group attached to the 2′ or 3′ sugar group of a nucleotide, where the blocking group inhibits nucleotide incorporation. optionally, the 3′ end of a tag can include a 3′oh. optionally, the 5′ end of a tag can include a phosphate group. optionally, a tag can be biotinylated at either end or any internal location within the tag. optionally, a tag can include a cleavage site, including a restriction endonuclease sequence, a nicking enzyme sequence, a type iis sequence, or at least one uracil base. for example, a tag containing at least one uracil base is cleavable with uracil dna glycosylase (udg) and formamidopyrimidine dna glycosylase (fpg). optionally, a tag can include at least one unique tag sequence, at least one barcode sequence (e.g., a sample-specific tag sequence), at least one universal sequence which includes an amplification primer sequence, a sequencing primer sequence, cleavable site and/or a sequence for grafting to a support (e.g., capture primer sequence). in some embodiments, a tag is not substantially self-hybridizing so it does not easily form a hairpin, stem-loop, or circular structure. in some embodiments, a tag is a linear nucleic acid molecule. in some embodiments, a tag is self-hybridizing so it can form a hairpin, stem-loop, or circular structure. in some embodiments, the tag can be part of an amplification or sequencing primer, or part of an adaptor, or a tag can be a separate nucleic acid. in some embodiments, the tag can be synthesized using recombinant or chemical-synthesis technology, or by combinatorial synthesis methodology. optionally, a mixture of different tags can be made by hand-mixing or machine-mixing different batches of tags. in some embodiments, at least one tag can be appended to a linear or circular polynucleotide molecule. a tag can be inserted into an interior region of a polynucleotide, or appended to one or both ends of a polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the sequence of a tag can be designed to hybridize to a portion of a polynucleotide, or exhibit minimal hybridization to a polynucleotide. optionally, a tag does not substantially hybridize with any polynucleotide sequence. in some embodiments, a set of tags (e.g., a repertoire of tags) can include a plurality of tags having the same sequence, or at least two of the tags in the set contain different sequences. in some embodiments, a set of tags includes about 1-4 unique tags, or 4-100 unique tags, or 100-500 unique tags, or 500-1000 unique tags, or 1000-5000 unique tags, or 5000-10,000 unique tags, or more than 10,000 unique tags. in some embodiments, a set of tags include about 10 5 or 10 6 or 10 7 or 10 8 or 10 9 or 10 10 or 10 11 or 10 12 more unique tags. in some embodiments, a set of tags can detect the presence of 5-100, or 100-200, or 200-300, or 300-400, or 400-500 or more different target polynucleotides in the nucleic acid sample. the set of tags can include a plurality of tags having the same length, or at least two of the tags in the set have different lengths. at least two tags within a set are distinguishable from each other by their sequence, length and/or detectable moieties. at least two tags within a set have melting temperatures that are substantially the same, where the melting temperatures are within about 10-5° c. of each other, or within about 5-2° c. of each other, or within about 2-0.5° c. of each other, or less than about 0.5° c. of each other. at least one tag, in a set of tags, is labeled with a detectable moiety, or all tags in a set are unlabeled. at least two of the tags in a set exhibit minimal cross-hybridization. at least one tag, in a set of tags, contains at least 1, 2, 3 or 4 bases that differ from another tag in the set. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a tag which is a randomer tag that can be appended to a polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a plurality of tags which are randomer tags that can be appended to a plurality of polynucleotides. the different randomer tags in the plurality of randomer tags can have the same characteristics or different characteristics. in some embodiments, a tag containing at least one random sequence is a randomer tag. in some embodiments, the randomer tag includes at least one random sequence and at least one fixed sequence, or comprises a random sequence flanked on both sides by a fixed sequence, or comprises a fixed sequence flanked on both sides by a random sequence. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises an oligonucleotide having at least two random sequences alternating with at least two fixed sequences. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises 2 random sequences alternating with 2 fixed sequences, or the randomer tag comprises 3 random sequences alternating with 3 fixed sequences, or 4 random sequences alternating with 4 fixed sequences. one skilled in the art will recognize that the randomer tag can include any number of units having a random sequence alternating with any number of units having a fixed sequence. in some embodiments, a randomer tag that contains a unit of 3 nucleotides that encodes an amino acid, or encodes a stop codon, or does not encode an amino acid or a stop codon. the randomer tag can include a fixed sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-1000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-100 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-75 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-50 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-25 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-10 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include a random sequence that is 2-2000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-1000 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-100 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-75 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-50 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-25 nucleotides or base-pairs, or 2-10 nucleotides or base-pairs in length. the randomer tag can include at least one random sequence interspersed with fixed sequences. in some embodiments, the randomer tag comprises the structure (n) n (x) x (m) m (y) y , and (i) wherein “n” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, and wherein “n” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “n” random tag sequence; (ii) wherein “x” represents a fixed tag sequence, and wherein “x” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “x” random tag sequence; (iii) wherein “m” represents a random tag sequence that is generated from a, g, c, t, u or i, wherein the random tag sequence “m” differs or is the same as the random tag sequence “n”, and wherein “m” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “m” random tag sequence; and (iv) wherein “y” represents a fixed tag sequence, wherein the fixed tag sequence of “y” is the same or differs from the fixed tag sequence of “x”, and wherein “y” is 2-10 which represents the nucleotide length of the “y” random tag sequence. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “x” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is the same in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequence “y” is different in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the fixed tag sequences “(x) x ” and “(y) y ” within the plurality of the single stranded primers are sequence alignment anchors. the random sequence within a randomer tag is represented by “n”, and the fixed sequence is represented by “x”. thus, a randomer tag can be represented by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 or by n 1 n 2 n 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 x 4 x 5 x 6 n 7 n 8 n 9 . these are not intended to represent limiting examples of a randomer tag, as the skilled artisan will recognize that many other structures are possible. the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a group consisting of a, g, c, t, u and i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c, t, u or i, or can be selected from a subset of these six different types of nucleotides. optionally, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from any one of a, g, c or t. the randomer tag can have a random sequence in which some or all of the nucleotide positions can be randomly selected from a subset (e.g., a constrained set) of a, g, c, t, u or i. for example, a nucleotide for each position within a random sequence can be independently selected from a subset containing any two nucleotides selected from a, g, c, t, u and i. a nucleotide for each position within a random tag sequence can be independently selected from a subset containing any three, four or five nucleotides selected from a, g, c, t, u and i. non-limiting examples of subsets of two nucleotides include c and t, or a and g. one skilled in the art will recognize that many other subsets are possible. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” is the same or different sequence in a plurality of tags. in some embodiments, the first fixed tag sequence “x 1 x 2 x 3 ” and the second fixed tag sequence “x 4 x 5 x 6 ” within the plurality of single-stranded tag primers are sequence alignment anchors. by generating a large number of unique randomer tags, it is possible to increase the probability that a substantial percentage of the polynucleotides (or target polynucleotides) in a nucleic acid sample will be appended with at least one randomer tag. the presence of one random sequence within a randomer tag serves to increase the number of possible unique randomer tags. it follows that the presence of more than one random sequence further increases the diversity of a repertoire of randomer tags. the number of possible unique randomer tags will be dictated by the length of the random sequence and the number of possible different nucleotide bases that can be used to generate the random sequence, along with the length of the fixed sequence. for example, a 12-mer randomer tag having the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), where “n” represents a position within the random sequence that is generated randomly from a, g, c or t, the number of possible distinct randomer tags is calculated to be 4 6 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}6) is about 4096, and the number of possible different combinations of two randomer tags is 4 12 (or 4{circumflex over ( )}12) is about 16.78 million. in some embodiment, the underlined portions of 5′- nnn act nnn tga-3′ (seq id no:1) are a sequence alignment anchor. in some embodiments, different randomer tags can include at least one fixed sequence that is the same or different among the different randomer tags. in some embodiments, different randomer tags can include at least one fixed sequence having the same or different length among the different randomer tags. there are several advantages to using randomer tags that are designed to contain random sequences interspersed with fixed sequences. for example, the fixed sequences can be designed to contain certain sequences, length and spacing the will reduce primer-primer interaction and/or primer dimer formation during the primer extension or amplification steps. optionally, a randomer tag having a short fixed length, 2-10 nucleotides in length, may reduce primer-primer interaction and/or primer dimer formation during the primer extension or amplification steps. in another example, the random sequences that are disperse among the fixed sequences will increase the diversity of a set of randomer tags while maintaining a short overall length of the randomer tag, which will require less time and reagents for sequencing through the randomer tag region but will still deliver the sequencing information that will be used to generate error-corrected sequencing data. an advantage of performing a molecular tagging procedure using randomer tags that contain alternating unit sequences of fixed and random sequences, is that the randomer tag sequence can be used for error-correction of the sequencing reads (e.g., error-correction of a family of sequencing reads). for example, the candidate sequencing reads can be grouped into families based on a common randomer tag sequence. the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequences can be used as a sequence alignment anchor to impose a strict requirement that all members of any given tag family must contain the length, sequence and spacing that is identical to a reference sequence of the fixed sequences. the candidate sequencing reads that do not meet this requirement may be removed from further analysis. for example, in a reference randomer tag having the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1), the length, sequence and spacing of the two fixed sequences 5′-act-3′ and 5′-tga-3′ can be used as sequence alignment anchors for comparison with the tag sequence portion of a candidate sequencing read. if the tag sequence portion of the candidate sequencing read does not match the length, sequence and spacing of the two fixed sequences, then the candidate sequencing read may be discarded. this type of comparison with a randomer tag sequence, and decision to retain or discard a sequencing read, can be applied to any candidate sequencing read. the candidate sequencing reads that do not carry a match for the fixed sequences will likely correspond to polynucleotide products of primer extension or amplification having spurious errors that are introduced by polymerase-mediated nucleotide mis-incorporation or strand slippage. strand slippage may result from secondary structure formation (e.g., loop formation) of the nascent strand or the template strand during primer extension. thus, the fixed sequences within the randomer tag sequence can serve as a sequence alignment anchor that is used to generate error-corrected sequencing data, including generating a family of error-corrected sequencing reads. a molecular tagging procedure which uses tags that lack alternating fixed and random sequences cannot identify sequencing reads carrying errors in the tag region, and therefore cannot generate error-corrected sequencing data in this manner. in some embodiments, the reference sequence of a randomer tag is used to correct the sequence of a randomer tag in a candidate sequencing read. for example, if a candidate sequencing read shows that a randomer tag sequence is 5′-nnnactnnntg c -3′ (seq id no:2), and the reference sequence is known to be 5′-nnnactnnntg a -3′ (seq id no:1), then an error-correction algorithm would be applied to change the erroneous base from c to a, to yield an error-corrected sequencing read which is 5′-nnnactnnntg a -3′ (seq id no:1). in some embodiments, the randomer tag sequence is not used to correct any sequencing read, but instead, the candidate sequencing read that contains an error (e.g., an error in the randomer tag sequence) is discarded. another advantage of using randomer tags having more than one unit of a random sequence, is that a population of randomer tags will provide enough sequence diversity to serve as a substantially non-depleting population of unique tag sequences. the presence of more than one random sequence increases the diversity of a repertoire of randomer tag sequences. the number of possible unique randomer tags will be dictated by the length of the random sequence and the number of possible different nucleotide bases that can be used to generate the random sequence, along with the length of the fixed sequence. additionally, the overall length of a randomer tag, which contains alternating fixed/random sequences, can be minimized to reduce the amount of time and reagents needed to sequence one or both tags and the target sequence, while enabling error-corrected sequencing data. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising one or more primers containing at least one tag (e.g., at least one randomer tag). in some embodiments, the primer comprises an oligonucleotide containing dna, rna both dna and rna, or analogs there. optionally, the primer is single-stranded or double-stranded. optionally, the primer can be naturally-occurring or synthesized using chemical synthesis or recombinant procedures. optionally, the primer includes an extendible 3′ end or a non-extendible 3′ end, where the terminal nucleotide at the non-extendible end carries a blocking moiety at the 2′ or 3′ sugar position. in some embodiments, the primer can include a region that can selectively hybridize to a portion of the polynucleotide (e.g., a target-specific sequence in the 3′ region of the primer). the primer can also include a region that is designed to exhibit minimal hybridization to a portion of the polynucleotide (e.g., a non-target specific sequence in the 5′ region of the primer). for example, the primer can be a tailed primer. the primer can include at least one tag in the 5′ tail region. in some embodiments, a pair of primers includes a forward and a reverse primer that can be used in an amplification reaction (e.g., pcr). for example, a first primer (e.g., the forward primer) in the pair of primers can hybridize to a first position of a polynucleotide, and a second primer (e.g., the reverse primer) in the same pair of primers can hybridize to a second position of the same polynucleotide (or complementary strand), so that the first and second primers are separated by about 10-500 base pairs, or about 10-2000 base pairs, or about 2000-5000 base pairs, or about 5000-10,000 base pairs, or longer separation distances of a polynucleotide in its double-stranded form. these embodiments are applicable to a second pair of primers that includes a third primer (e.g., forward primer) and fourth primer (e.g., reverse primer). in some embodiments, the first and second primers in any given pair of primers can hybridize to a polynucleotide so that the location of their hybridization positions will flank a target region of the polynucleotide. in some embodiments, a first and/or second pair of primers (e.g., tailed primers) can be used in a primer extension reaction to generate polynucleotides appended with at least one tag. optionally, the primer extension reactions can be conducted under isothermal or thermo-cycling conditions, or a combination of isothermal and thermo-cycling conditions. in some embodiments, the extension products from the primer extension reaction are about 10-2000 nucleotides, or about 2000-5000 nucleotides, or about 5000-10,000 nucleotides in length. in some embodiments, the primer extension reaction can be performed on dna, rna or a mixture of dna and rna, using forward and reverse primers (e.g., tailed primers) that can selectively hybridize to a region of a target polynucleotide (e.g., target dna or rna polynucleotide) to generate tagged amplicons that span an intron, exon, junction intron-exon, coding, non-coding, or fusion sequences. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising at least one adaptor. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising at least one adaptor appended to a polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include at least one tag (e.g., at least one randomer tag). in some embodiments, the polynucleotides are joined or appended to at least one adaptor, or lack any adaptor. in some embodiments, one or more adaptors can be joined to the polynucleotide by ligation. in some embodiments, the adaptor comprises a nucleic acid, including dna, rna, rna/dna molecules, or analogs thereof in some embodiments, the adaptor can include one or more deoxyribonucleoside or ribonucleoside residues. in some embodiments, the adaptor can be single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acids, or can include single-stranded and/or double-stranded portions. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have any structure, including linear, hairpin, forked (y-shaped), or stem-loop. for example, y-shaped adaptors can include a first oligonucleotide having one end portion hybridized to an end portion of a second oligonucleotide to form a duplex stem portion, and the other end portions of the first and second oligonucleotides are not hybridized to each other. examples of y-shaped adaptors include u.s. pat. no. u.s. pat. no. 8,563,478 (gormley), u.s. pat. no. 8,053,192 (bignell), u.s. pat. no. 7,741,463 (gormley), u.s. pat. no. 8,182,989 (bignell), u.s. pat. no. 6,287,825 (weissman), u.s. pat. no. 8,420,319 (mikawa) and u.s. pat. no. 7,993,842 (mckernan) optionally, a linear, hairpin, stem-looped, or y-shaped adaptor contains at least one tag sequence (e.g., at least one randomer tag sequence). for example the stem portion of the hairpin, stem-looped or y-shaped adaptor contains at least one tag (e.g., at least one randomer tag). examples of y-shaped adaptors used for molecular tagging methods can be found in u.s application publication nos. 2015/0044687; 2015/0031559; 2014/0155274; 2014/0227705; and international publication nos. wo 2013/181170 and wo 2015/100427. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have any length, including fewer than 10 bases in length, or about 10-20 bases in length, or about 20-50 bases in length, or about 50-100 bases in length, or longer. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have any combination of blunt end(s) and/or sticky end(s). in some embodiments, at least one end of the adaptor can be compatible with at least one end of a nucleic acid fragment. in some embodiments, a compatible end of the adaptor can be joined to a compatible end of a nucleic acid fragment. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have a 5′ or 3′ overhang end. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have a 5′ or 3′ overhang tail. in some embodiments, the tail can be any length, including 1-50 or more nucleotides in length. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include an internal nick. in some embodiments, the adaptor can have at least one strand that lacks a terminal 5′ phosphate residue. in some embodiments, the adaptor lacking a terminal 5′ phosphate residue can be joined to a nucleic acid fragment to introduce a nick at the junction between the adaptor and the nucleic acid fragment. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include a nucleotide sequence that is identical or complementary to any portion of the polynucleotide, capture primer, fusion primer, solution-phase primer, amplification primer, or a sequencing primer. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include an oligo-da, oligo-dt, oligo-dc, oligo-dg or oligo-u sequences. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include a unique identifier sequence (e.g., barcode sequence). in some embodiments, a plurality of barcoded adaptors (e.g., plurality of different barcoded adaptors) can be used for constructing a multiplex library of polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the barcoded adaptors can be appended to a polynucleotide and used for sorting or tracking the source of the polynucleotide. for example, a population of polynucleotides can be appended to a common barcoded adaptor which identifies the polynucleotides as being obtained from a common source. in some embodiments, one or more barcode sequences can allow identification of a particular adaptor among a mixture of different adaptors having different barcodes sequences. for example, a mixture can include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7-10, 10-50, 50-100, 100-200, 200-500, 500-1000, or more different adaptors having unique barcode sequences. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include degenerate sequences. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include one or more inosine residues. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include at least one scissile linkage. in some embodiments, the scissile linkage can be susceptible to cleavage or degradation by an enzyme or chemical compound. optionally, the adaptor includes at least one uracil base. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include at least one phosphorothiolate, phosphorothioate, and/or phosphoramidate linkage. for example, a tag containing at least one uracil base is cleavable with uracil dna glycosylase (udg) and formamidopyrimidine dna glycosylase (fpg). in some embodiments, the adaptor can include any type of restriction enzyme recognition sequence, including type i, type ii, type hs, type iib, type iii, type iv restriction enzyme recognition sequences, or recognition sequences having palindromic or non-palindromic recognition sequences. in some embodiments, the adaptor can include a cell regulation sequences, including a promoter (inducible or constitutive), enhancers, transcription or translation initiation sequence, transcription or translation termination sequence, secretion signals, kozak sequence, cellular protein binding sequence, and the like. in some embodiments, any primer (e.g., tailed primer) or adaptor can be compatible for use in any type of sequencing platform including chemical degradation, chain-termination, sequence-by-synthesis, pyrophosphate, massively parallel, ion-sensitive, and single molecule platforms. in some embodiments, any primer or adaptor can be compatible for use in any type of sequencing procedure including: sequencing by oligonucleotide probe ligation and detection (e.g., solid™ from life technologies, wo 2006/084132), probe-anchor ligation sequencing (e.g., complete genomics or polonator™), sequence-by-synthesis (e.g., illumina's genetic analyzer™ or hiseq™, see also bentley 2006 current opinion genetics & development 16:545-552; and bentley, et al., 2008 nature 456:53-59; and u.s. pat. no. 7,566,537), pyrophosphate sequencing (e.g., genome sequencer flx™ from 454 life sciences, see also u.s. pat. nos. 7,211,390, 7,244,559 and 7,264,929454 life sciences), ion-sensitive sequencing (e.g., personal genome machine (ion pgm™) and ion proton™ sequencer, both from ion torrent systems, inc.) and single molecule sequencing platforms (e.g., heliscope™ from helicos). for example, any primer or adaptor can be used to graft a polynucleotide to a support (e.g., bead, flowcell or array of reaction sites) that is used for conducting a sequencing reaction. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising one or more polymerases. in some embodiments, the compositions (and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media) includes one type, or a mixture of different types of polymerases. in some embodiments, the polymerase includes any enzyme, or fragment or subunit of thereof, that can catalyze polymerization of nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogs. in some embodiments, the polymerase requires a nucleic acid having an extendible 3′ end. for example, the polymerase can require a terminal 3′ oh of a nucleic acid primer to initiate nucleotide polymerization. the polymerase comprises any enzyme that can catalyze the polymerization of nucleotides (including analogs thereof) into a nucleic acid strand. typically but not necessarily such nucleotide polymerization can occur in a template-dependent fashion. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be a high fidelity polymerase. such polymerases can include without limitation naturally occurring polymerases and any subunits and truncations thereof, mutant polymerases, variant polymerases, recombinant, fusion or otherwise engineered polymerases, chemically modified polymerases, synthetic molecules or assemblies, and any analogs, derivatives or fragments thereof that retain the ability to catalyze such polymerization. optionally, the polymerase can be a mutant polymerase comprising one or more mutations involving the replacement of one or more amino acids with other amino acids, the insertion or deletion of one or more amino acids from the polymerase, or the linkage of parts of two or more polymerases. the term “polymerase” and its variants, as used herein, also refers to fusion proteins comprising at least two portions linked to each other, where the first portion comprises a peptide that can catalyze the polymerization of nucleotides into a nucleic acid strand and is linked to a second portion that comprises a second polypeptide, such as, for example, a reporter enzyme or a processivity-enhancing domain. typically, the polymerase comprises one or more active sites at which nucleotide binding and/or catalysis of nucleotide polymerization can occur. in some embodiments, the polymerase includes or lacks other enzymatic activities, such as for example, 3′ to 5′ exonuclease activity or 5′ to 3′ exonuclease activity. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be isolated from a cell, or generated using recombinant dna technology or chemical synthesis methods. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be expressed in prokaryote, eukaryote, viral, or phage organisms. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be post-translationally modified proteins or fragments thereof. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be a dna polymerase and include without limitation bacterial dna polymerases, eukaryotic dna polymerases, archaeal dna polymerases, viral dna polymerases and phage dna polymerases. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be a replicase, dna-dependent polymerase, primases, rna-dependent polymerase (including rna-dependent dna polymerases such as, for example, reverse transcriptases), a thermo-labile polymerase, or a thermo-stable polymerase. in some embodiments, the polymerase can be any family a or b type polymerase. many types of family a (e.g., e. coli pol i), b (e.g., e. coli pol ii), c (e.g., e. coli pol iii), d (e.g., euryarchaeotic pol ii), x (e.g., human pol beta), and y (e.g., e. coli umuc/dinb and eukaryotic rad30/xeroderma pigmentosum variants) polymerases are described in rothwell and watsman 2005 advances in protein chemistry 71:401-440. in some embodiments, a polymerase can be a t3, t5, t7, or sp6 rna polymerase. in some embodiments, a reaction mixture that includes a polymerase (e.g., t7 polymerase) can also include thioredoxin. in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a heat-stable or heat-labile polymerase. in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a low fidelity or high fidelity polymerase. in some embodiment, the polymerase can lack 5′-3′ exonuclease activity. in some embodiments, the polymerase can have strand-displacement activity. in some embodiments, the archaeal dna polymerase, can be, without limitation, a thermostable or thermophilic dna polymerase such as, for example: a bacillus subtilis (bsu) dna polymerase i large fragment; a thermus aquaticus (taq) dna polymerase; a thermus filiformis (tfi) dna polymerase; a phi29 dna polymerase; a bacillus stearothermophilus (bst) dna polymerase; a thermococcus sp. 9° n-7 dna polymerase; a bacillus smithii (bsm) dna polymerase large fragment; a thermococcus litoralis (tli) dna polymerase or vent (exo-) dna polymerase (from new england biolabs); or “deep vent” (exo-) dna polymerase (new england biolabs). in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises e. coli large fragment dna polymerase i (e.g., klenow). in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a polymerase having a fast nucleotide incorporation rate, or a highly processive polymerase, or a polymerase that exhibits tolerance to biological contaminants (e.g., contaminants from a biological fluid such as blood or serum). in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a pyrococcus or pyrococcus -like enzyme, including a polymerase from pyrococcus furiosus (pfu). in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises at least a portion of a polymerase from pyrococcus that is fused with a processivity-enhancing domain which increases fidelity and speed. in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a phusion polymerase (european patent no. 1463809). in some embodiments, the polymerase comprises a high-fidelity pfu enzyme which include q5 enzyme (new england biolabs). in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising at least one co-factor for polymerase activity. in some embodiments, a co-factor comprises one or more divalent cation. examples of divalent cations include magnesium, manganese and calcium. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising one or more nucleotides. in some embodiments, the compositions (and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media) includes one type, or a mixture of different types of nucleotides. a nucleotide comprises any compound that can bind selectively to, or can be polymerized by, a polymerase. typically, but not necessarily, selective binding of the nucleotide to the polymerase is followed by polymerization of the nucleotide into a nucleic acid strand by the polymerase. such nucleotides include not only naturally occurring nucleotides but also any analogs, regardless of their structure, that can bind selectively to, or can be polymerized by, a polymerase. while naturally occurring nucleotides typically comprise base, sugar and phosphate moieties, the nucleotides of the present disclosure can include compounds lacking any one, some or all of such moieties. in some embodiments, the nucleotide can optionally include a chain of phosphorus atoms comprising three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more phosphorus atoms. in some embodiments, the phosphorus chain can be attached to any carbon of a sugar ring, such as the 5′ carbon. the phosphorus chain can be linked to the sugar with an intervening o or s. in some embodiments, one or more phosphorus atoms in the chain can be part of a phosphate group having p and o. in some embodiments, the phosphorus atoms in the chain can be linked together with intervening o, nh, s, methylene, substituted methylene, ethylene, substituted ethylene, cnh 2 , c(o), c(ch 2 ), ch 2 ch 2 , or c(oh)ch 2 r (where r can be a 4-pyridine or 1-imidazole). in some embodiments, the phosphorus atoms in the chain can have side groups having o, bh 3 , or s. in the phosphorus chain, a phosphorus atom with a side group other than o can be a substituted phosphate group. in the phosphorus chain, phosphorus atoms with an intervening atom other than o can be a substituted phosphate group. some examples of nucleotide analogs are described in xu, u.s. pat. no. 7,405,281. some examples of nucleotides that can be used in the disclosed compositions (and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media) include, but are not limited to, ribonucleotides, deoxyribonucleotides, modified ribonucleotides, modified deoxyribonucleotides, ribonucleotide polyphosphates, deoxyribonucleotide polyphosphates, modified ribonucleotide polyphosphates, modified deoxyribonucleotide polyphosphates, peptide nucleotides, modified peptide nucleotides, metallonucleosides, phosphonate nucleosides, and modified phosphate-sugar backbone nucleotides, analogs, derivatives, or variants of the foregoing compounds, and the like. in some embodiments, the nucleotide can comprise non-oxygen moieties such as, for example, thio- or borano-moieties, in place of the oxygen moiety bridging the alpha phosphate and the sugar of the nucleotide, or the alpha and beta phosphates of the nucleotide, or the beta and gamma phosphates of the nucleotide, or between any other two phosphates of the nucleotide, or any combination thereof. in some embodiments, a nucleotide can include a purine or pyrimidine base, including adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil or inosine. in some embodiments, a nucleotide includes datp, dgtp, dctp, dttp and dutp. in some embodiments, the nucleotide is unlabeled. in some embodiments, the nucleotide comprises a label and referred to herein as a “labeled nucleotide”. in some embodiments, the label can be in the form of a fluorescent dye attached to any portion of a nucleotide including a base, sugar or any intervening phosphate group or a terminal phosphate group, i.e., the phosphate group most distal from the sugar. in some embodiments, the nucleotide is a terminator nucleotide. in some embodiments, the terminator nucleotide will, once incorporated, inhibit or block further nucleotide incorporations at the 3′ end of the nucleic acid molecule. the terminator nucleotide includes a terminator group (also referred to as a terminator moiety or a blocking moiety or blocking group) that confers the ability to inhibit or block further nucleotide incorporations. in some embodiments, the terminator nucleotides can be operably linked to at least one terminator group or moiety. in some embodiments, at least one terminator group can be operably linked to any portion of the base, sugar (e.g., 2′ or 3′ position), phosphate group or any phosphate in the phosphate chain. in some embodiments, the terminator group can be neutralized, cleaved, or otherwise removed from the terminator nucleotide via suitable treatments. in some embodiments, neutralization, cleavage or removal of the terminator group can permit subsequent nucleotide incorporations to occur. in some embodiments, the non-extendible end can be converted to an extendible end via cleavage, neutralization or removal of the terminator group. in some embodiments, the terminator group cannot be neutralized, cleaved, or otherwise removed from the terminator nucleotide via suitable treatments (e.g., non-reversible terminator nucleotides). examples of terminator nucleotide can be found in u.s. pat. nos. 7,057,026; 7,566,537; 7,785,796; 8,158,346; 7,541,444; 7,057,026; 7,592,435; 7,414,116; 7,427,673; 8,399,188; 7,713,698; 7,790,869; 8,088,575; 7,635,578; and 7,883,869; and in pct application no. pct/us2016/023139, filed mar. 18, 2016, which are all expressly incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising any one or any combination of oligonucleotide tags, capture primers, reverse solution-phase primers, fusion primers, target polynucleotides and/or nucleotides that are non-labeled or attached to at least one label. in some embodiments, the label comprises a detectable moiety. in some embodiments, the label can generate, or cause to generate, a detectable signal. in some embodiments, the detectable signal can be generated from a chemical or physical change (e.g., heat, light, electrical, ph, salt concentration, enzymatic activity, or proximity events). for example, a proximity event can include two reporter moieties approaching each other, or associating with each other, or binding each other. in some embodiments, the detectable signal can be detected optically, electrically, chemically, enzymatically, thermally, or via mass spectroscopy or raman spectroscopy. in some embodiments, the label can include compounds that are luminescent, photoluminescent, electroluminescent, bioluminescent, chemiluminescent, fluorescent, phosphorescent or electrochemical. in some embodiments, the label can include compounds that are fluorophores, chromophores, radioisotopes, haptens, affinity tags, atoms or enzymes. in some embodiments, the label comprises a moiety not typically present in naturally occurring nucleotides. for example, the label can include fluorescent, luminescent or radioactive moieties. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, as well as related systems, methods, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising at least one member of a binding partner. in some embodiments, a binding partners includes two molecules, or portions thereof, which have a specific binding affinity for one another and typically will bind to each other in preference to binding to other molecules. in some embodiments, binding partners include an “affinity moiety” and a “receptor moiety”. typically but not necessarily some or all of the structure of one member of a specific binding pair is complementary to some or all of the structure possessed by the other member, with the two members being able to bind together specifically by way of a bond between the complementary structures, optionally by virtue of multiple non-covalent attractions. in some embodiments, molecules that function as binding partners include: biotin (and its derivatives) and its binding partners avidin, streptavidin and their derivatives; his-tags which bind nickel, cobalt or copper; cysteine, histidine, or histidine patch which bind ni-nta; maltose which binds with maltose binding protein (mbp); lectin-carbohydrate binding partners; calcium-calcium binding protein (cbp); acetylcholine and receptor-acetylcholine; protein a and binding partner anti-flag antibody; gst and binding partner glutathione; uracil dna glycosylase (udg) and ugi (uracil-dna glycosylase inhibitor) protein; antigen or epitope tags which bind to antibody or antibody fragments, particularly antigens such as digoxigenin, fluorescein, dinitrophenol or bromodeoxyuridine and their respective antibodies; mouse immunoglobulin and goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin; igg bound and protein a; receptor-receptor agonist or receptor antagonist; enzyme-enzyme cofactors; enzyme-enzyme inhibitors; and thyroxine-cortisol. another binding partner for biotin can be a biotin-binding protein from chicken (hytonen, et al., bmc structural biology 7:8). in some embodiments, an avidin moiety can include an avidin protein, as well as any derivatives, analogs and other non-native forms of avidin that can bind to biotin moieties. other forms of avidin moieties include native and recombinant avidin and streptavidin as well as derivatized molecules, e.g. nonglycosylated avidins, n-acyl avidins and truncated streptavidins. for example, avidin moiety includes deglycosylated forms of avidin, bacterial streptavidins produced by streptomyces (e.g., streptomyces avidinii), truncated streptavidins, recombinant avidin and streptavidin as well as to derivatives of native, deglycosylated and recombinant avidin and of native, recombinant and truncated streptavidin, for example, n-acyl avidins, e.g., n-acetyl, n-phthalyl and n-succinyl avidin, and the commercial products extravidin™, captavidin™, neutravidin™ and neutralite™ avidin. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a single reaction mixture which can be a tag-appending reaction mixture that is used for appending a plurality of tags (e.g., randomer tags) to a plurality of polynucleotides, to generate a plurality of tagged polynucleotides, where individual polynucleotides within the plurality are appended with at least one tag. the single reaction mixture can be contained in a single reaction vessel. the single reaction mixture can include any one or any combination of target polynucleotides, enzymes (e.g., polymerases and/or ligases), nucleotides, divalent cations, binding partners, and/or buffer. optionally, the enzymes comprise polymerases which include recombinant, fusion, mutant, heat-stable or heat labile forms. optionally, the nucleotides can include compounds having structures the same as or similar to naturally-occurring nucleotides, or nucleotide analogs having derivatized base, sugar and/or phosphate groups, or labeled or non-labeled nucleotides. optionally, the divalent cations include magnesium, manganese and/or calcium. optionally, the binding partners include biotin and avidin-like compounds, such as avidin or streptavidin. optionally, the buffer comprises a source of ions, such as kcl, k-acetate, nh4-acetate, k-glutamate, nh 4 cl, or ammonium sulfate. optionally, the buffer includes tris, tricine, hepes, mops, aces, mes, or inorganic buffers such as phosphate or acetate-based buffers which can provide a ph range of about 4-12. optionally, the buffer includes chelating agents such as edta or egta. optionally, the buffer includes dithiothreitol (dtt), glycerol, spermidine, and/or bsa (bovine serum albumin). optionally, the buffer includes atp. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to compositions, and related methods, systems, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, comprising a tag-appending reaction mixture that is distributed into one or more reaction vessels. in some embodiments, a single reaction vessel contains a tag-appending reaction mixture. in some embodiments, a single reaction vessel contains an amplification reaction mixture. non-limiting examples of a single reaction vessel include a tube, inner wall of a tube, well, microwell, reaction chamber, groove, channel reservoir, flowcell, or similar structures. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to kits, and related compositions, systems, methods and apparatuses, comprising at least two components or reagents used to generate the tagged nucleic acids as described in the present teachings. for example, the kit contains any combination of at least two of the following reagents: a plurality of randomer tags in the form of double-stranded adaptors or single-stranded tailed primers or both, enzymes (e.g., polymerases and/or ligases), nucleotides, divalent cations, binding partners, and/or buffer(s). optionally, the kit also contains target nucleic acids to be used as positive or negative control polynucleotides. the kit contains a plurality of randomer tags which comprise oligonucleotides having at least two random sequences alternating with at least two fixed sequences. the polymerases and ligases include recombinant, fusion, mutant, heat-stable or heat labile forms. the nucleotides include compounds having structures the same as or similar to naturally-occurring nucleotides, or nucleotide analogs having derivatized base, sugar and/or phosphate groups, or labeled or non-labeled nucleotides. the divalent cations include magnesium, manganese and/or calcium. the binding partners include biotin and avidin-like compounds, such as avidin or streptavidin. the buffer(s) comprise a source of ions, such as kcl, k-acetate, nh 4 -acetate, k-glutamate, nh 4 cl, or ammonium sulfate. the buffer(s) includes tris, tricine, hepes, mops, aces, mes, or inorganic buffers such as phosphate or acetate-based buffers which can provide a ph range of about 4-12. the buffer(s) include chelating agents such as edta or egta. the buffer(s) include dithiothreitol (dtt), glycerol, spermidine, and/or bsa (bovine serum albumin). the buffer(s) includes atp. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, comprising: (a) tagging at least some of the plurality of polynucleotides, with at least one oligonucleotide tag to generate tagged polynucleotides. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (b) amplifying at least some of the tagged polynucleotides to generate tagged amplicons. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (c) sequencing at least some of the tagged amplicons to generate a plurality of candidate sequencing reads, including sequences corresponding to both a portion of the polynucleotide and a portion of the at least one oligonucleotide tag that is appended to the polynucleotide, wherein the candidate sequencing reads are stored in a memory in communication with a processor. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (d) identifying a subset of candidate sequencing reads having errors. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (e) grouping the remaining candidate sequencing reads into families of grouped candidate sequencing reads having a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (f) removing mistagged sequencing reads from the families of candidate sequencing reads to produce error-corrected families of sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, further comprising: (g) detecting a variant in a plurality of error-corrected families of sequencing reads, wherein the variant is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the identifying of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads, to a tag-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the tag-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the identifying of step (d) further includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, the identifying of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the identifying of step (d) further includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes applying a difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read to one or more other candidate sequencing reads in the given family to identify candidate sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) includes comparing the candidate sequencing reads in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes comparing the candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other candidate mistagged sequencing reads in the family to identify a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to determine a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes determining a number of matches for the pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read compared to a pattern of expected differences between the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (f) further includes applying the non-target pattern threshold to the number of matches to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes aligning the sequencing reads for the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) further includes counting a number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference at a given position in the aligned sequences. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) further includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) further includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) further includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to a given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g), the variant detected is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes: (a) aligning the sequencing reads in the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) for each position in the aligned sequences counting a number of aligned sequences in the family having a particular base at the position. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a representative base for the position, wherein a number below the family level threshold at the position indicates a base error in the aligned sequence. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes generating a family reference sequence having the representative base for each position, wherein the family reference sequence is stored in memory. in some embodiments, the method further comprises removing the sequencing reads of the error-corrected family from memory. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes: (a) comparing the family reference sequence to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) identifying a family-based candidate variant at a given position when the representative base at the given position differs from a base at the given position in the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (g) includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, the biological fluid is blood, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, or semen. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample comprises dna or rna, or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different tag at both ends. in some embodiments, individual oligonucleotide tags in a plurality of oligonucleotide tags include a region comprising different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, a single reaction mixture contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 8 different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, the variant is present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, the sequencing of step (c) comprises using a planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor. in some embodiments, at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor detects a byproduct from nucleotide incorporation, wherein the byproduct includes pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for detecting a variant sequence target polynucleotide which is present in a nucleic acid sample, comprising the steps: (a) forming a single reaction mixture containing: (i) a plurality of polynucleotides from the nucleic acid sample, and (ii) a plurality of oligonucleotide tags; (b) generating within the single reaction mixture a plurality of tagged polynucleotides by appending at least one tag to individual polynucleotides within the plurality of polynucleotides; (c) generating a population of tagged amplicons by amplifying the plurality of tagged polynucleotides; (d) sequencing at least a portion of the population of tagged amplicons to form candidate sequencing reads; and (e) determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) comprises determining that the variant sequence target polynucleotide is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read to a tag-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the tag-specific reference sequence. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) further includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes grouping the candidate sequencing reads into families of grouped candidate sequencing reads having a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes removing mistagged sequencing reads from the families of candidate sequencing reads to produce error-corrected families of sequencing reads. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes applying a difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads includes comparing the candidate sequencing read to one or more other candidate sequencing reads in the given family to identify candidate sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads includes comparing the candidate sequencing reads in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes comparing the candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other candidate mistagged sequencing reads in the family to identify a common pattern of variants. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to determine a group of mistagged sequencing reads. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes determining a number of matches for the pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read compared to a pattern of expected differences between the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide. the embodiments, the step of removing mistagged sequencing reads further includes applying the non-target pattern threshold to the number of matches to identify a mistagged sequencing read. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes aligning the sequencing reads for the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) further includes counting a number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference at a given position in the aligned sequences. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) further includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a family-based candidate variant. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) further includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) further includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify a variant in the variant sequence target polynucleotide. the embodiments, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to a given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. the embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. the embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes: (a) aligning the sequencing reads in the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) for each position in the aligned sequences counting a number of aligned sequences in the family having a particular base at the position. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a representative base for the position, wherein a number below the family level threshold at the position indicates a base error in the aligned sequence. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes generating a family reference sequence having the representative base for each position. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes: (a) comparing the family reference sequence to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) identifying a family-based candidate variant at a given position when the representative base at the given position differs from a base at the given position in the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. the embodiments, the determining of step (e) includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify a variant in the variant sequence target polynucleotide. the embodiments, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. the embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. the embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to methods, as well as related systems, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media for the disclosure relates generally to systems, as well as related methods, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, which comprise: a system for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides, comprising: (i) a machine-readable memory; and (ii) a processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform steps including: (a) receive a plurality of candidate sequencing reads, wherein the candidate sequencing reads produced from sequencing tagged amplicons generated by amplifying tagged polynucleotides, wherein the tagged polynucleotides are generated by appending at least one oligonucleotide tag to at least some of the plurality of polynucleotides, wherein the plurality of candidate sequencing reads are stored in the memory; (b) identify a subset of candidate sequencing reads having errors; (c) group the remaining candidate sequencing reads into families of grouped candidate sequencing reads having a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; (d) remove mistagged sequencing reads from the families of candidate sequencing reads to produce error-corrected families of sequencing reads; and € detect a variant in a plurality of error-corrected families of sequencing reads, wherein the variant is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (b) to identify includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads, to a tag-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the tag-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the step (b) to identify further includes a step to apply a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, the step (b) to identify includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the step (b) to identify further includes a step to apply a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to apply a difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing read to one or more other candidate sequencing reads in the given family to identify candidate sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to apply a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing reads in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to compare the candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other candidate mistagged sequencing reads in the family to identify a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to apply a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to determine a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads includes a step to compare the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to determine a number of matches for the pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read compared to a pattern of expected differences between the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the step (d) to remove mistagged sequencing reads further includes a step to apply the non-target pattern threshold to the number of matches to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (e) to detect includes a step to align the sequencing reads for the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect further includes a step to count a number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference at a given position in the aligned sequences. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect further includes a step to apply a family level threshold to the number to identify a family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect further includes a step to count a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect further includes a step to apply a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, in the system, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to a given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, in the system, in the step (e) to detect, the variant detected is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (e) to detect includes steps to: (a) align the sequencing reads in the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) for each position in the aligned sequences count a number of aligned sequences in the family having a particular base at the position. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (e) to detect includes a step to apply a family level threshold to the number to identify a representative base for the position, wherein a number below the family level threshold at the position indicates a base error in the aligned sequence. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect includes a step to generate a family reference sequence having the representative base for each position, wherein the family reference sequence is stored in memory. in some embodiments, the step (e) further comprises a step to remove the sequencing reads of the error-corrected family from memory. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (e) to detect includes steps to: (a) compare the family reference sequence to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (b) identify a family-based candidate variant at a given position when the representative base at the given position differs from a base at the given position in the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, in the system, the step (e) to detect includes a step to count a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the step (e) to detect includes a step to apply a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, in the system, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, in the system, the nucleic acid sample comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, the biological fluid is blood, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, or semen. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample comprises dna or rna, or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, in the system, at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different tag at both ends. in some embodiments, in the system, individual oligonucleotide tags in a plurality of oligonucleotide tags include a region comprising different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, in the system, a single reaction mixture contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 8 different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, in the system, the variant is present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, in the system, the sequencing comprises using a planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor. in some embodiments, the at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor detects a byproduct from nucleotide incorporation, wherein the byproduct includes pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. in some embodiments, the disclosure relates generally to systems, as well as related methods, compositions, kits, apparatuses and computer-readable media, which comprise a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following steps for detecting a genetic variant in a nucleic acid sample having a plurality of polynucleotides: (a) receiving a plurality of candidate sequencing reads, wherein the candidate sequencing reads are produced by sequencing tagged amplicons generated by amplifying tagged polynucleotides, wherein the tagged polynucleotides are generated by appending at least one oligonucleotide tag to at least some of the plurality of polynucleotides; (b) identifying a subset of candidate sequencing reads having errors; (c) grouping the remaining candidate sequencing reads into families of grouped candidate sequencing reads having a common tag sequence that is unique to a given family of candidate sequencing reads; (d) removing mistagged sequencing reads from the families of candidate sequencing reads to produce error-corrected families of sequencing reads; and (e) detecting a variant in a plurality of error-corrected families of sequencing reads, wherein the variant is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-5%. in some embodiments, the at least one oligonucleotide tag is appended to at least some of the plurality of polynucleotides in a single reaction mixture. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the identifying of step (b) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads, to a tag-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the tag-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the identifying of step (b) further includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the identifying of step (b) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read from the plurality of candidate sequencing reads to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the identifying of step (b) further includes applying a culling threshold to identify a candidate sequencing read having an error. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to determine a number of nucleotides that differ between the candidate sequencing read and the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes applying a difference counting threshold to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read to one or more other candidate sequencing reads in the given family to identify candidate sequencing reads having a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to identify a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing reads in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes comparing the candidate mistagged sequencing read to one or more other candidate mistagged sequencing reads in the family to identify a common pattern of variants. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes applying a pattern counting threshold to a number of candidate mistagged sequencing reads having the common pattern of variants to determine a group of mistagged sequencing reads. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) includes comparing the candidate sequencing read in the given family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence to identify a pattern of differences in a candidate mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes determining a number of matches for the pattern of differences in the candidate mistagged sequencing read compared to a pattern of expected differences between the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence and an expected sequence for a non-target polynucleotide. in some embodiments, the removing mistagged sequencing reads of step (d) further includes applying the non-target pattern threshold to the number of matches to identify a mistagged sequencing read. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) includes aligning the sequencing reads for the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) further includes counting a number of aligned sequences having a particular base difference at a given position in the aligned sequences. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) further includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) further includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) further includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to a given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) , the variant detected is present in the nucleic acid sample at an abundance level of 0.05-0.1%. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) includes: (i) aligning the sequencing reads in the error-corrected family to a polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (ii) for each position in the aligned sequences counting a number of aligned sequences in the family having a particular base at the position. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) includes applying a family level threshold to the number to identify a representative base for the position, wherein a number below the family level threshold at the position indicates a base error in the aligned sequence. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) includes generating a family reference sequence having the representative base for each position. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, further comprises storing the family reference sequence in memory. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, further comprises removing the sequencing reads of the error-corrected family from memory. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) includes: (i) comparing the family reference sequence to the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence; and (ii) identifying a family-based candidate variant at a given position when the representative base at the given position differs from a base at the given position in the polynucleotide-specific reference sequence. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the detecting of step (e) includes counting a number of error-corrected families having a particular family-based candidate variant. in some embodiments, the detecting of step (e) includes applying a multi-family threshold to the number of error-corrected families to identify the variant. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, a value of the multi-family threshold is a nearest integer to a product of a percent factor multiplied by a number of different families corresponding to given target polynucleotide sequence and the value is at least 2 of the number of different families. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.001 to 0.1%. in some embodiments, the percent factor is in a range from 0.045 to 0.055%. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the nucleic acid sample comprises cell-free nucleic acids from a biological fluid, nucleic acids from a biopsied tissue, nucleic acids from a needle biopsy, or nucleic acids from cells. in some embodiments, the biological fluid is blood, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, lavage fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, urine, stool, feces, or semen. in some embodiments, the nucleic acid sample comprises dna or rna, or a mixture of dna and rna. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, at least two of the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with tags that differ from each other. in some embodiments, the plurality of tagged polynucleotides are appended with a different tag at both ends. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, individual oligonucleotide tags in a plurality of oligonucleotide tags include a region comprising different random tag sequences alternating with fixed tag sequences. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the single reaction mixture contains a plurality of oligonucleotide tags having 10 4 -10 8 different random tag sequences. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the genetic variant is present in the nucleic acid sample as a variant sequence, polymorphic sequence or mutant sequence. in some embodiments, in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the sequencing comprises using a planar support, a flowcell, a plurality of wells, a particle or a bead. in some embodiments, the support includes an array of 10 4 -10 9 sequencing reaction sites. in some embodiments, the sequencing reaction sites are operatively coupled to at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor. in some embodiments, at least one field effect transistor (fet) sensor detects a byproduct from nucleotide incorporation, wherein the byproduct includes pyrophosphate, hydrogen ions, protons, charge transfer or heat. according to various exemplary embodiments, one or more features of any one or more of the above-discussed teachings and/or exemplary embodiments may be performed or implemented using appropriately configured and/or programmed hardware and/or software elements. determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware and/or software elements may be based on any number of factors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heat tolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output data rates, memory resources, data bus speeds, etc., and other design or performance constraints. examples of hardware elements may include processors, microprocessors, input(s) and/or output(s) (i/o) device(s) (or peripherals) that are communicatively coupled via a local interface circuit, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (asic), programmable logic devices (pld), digital signal processors (dsp), field programmable gate array (fpga), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth. the local interface may include, for example, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters and receivers, etc., to allow appropriate communications between hardware components. a processor is a hardware device for executing software, particularly software stored in memory. the processor can be any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (cpu), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the computer, a semiconductor based microprocessor (e.g., in the form of a microchip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any device for executing software instructions. a processor can also represent a distributed processing architecture. the i/o devices can include input devices, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a microphone, a touch screen, an interface for various medical devices and/or laboratory instruments, a bar code reader, a stylus, a laser reader, a radio-frequency device reader, etc. furthermore, the i/o devices also can include output devices, for example, a printer, a bar code printer, a display, etc. finally, the i/o devices further can include devices that communicate as both inputs and outputs, for example, a modulator/demodulator (modem; for accessing another device, system, or network), a radio frequency (rf) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc. examples of software may include software components, programs, applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs, machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures, software interfaces, application program interfaces (api), instruction sets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. a software in memory may include one or more separate programs, which may include ordered listings of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. the software in memory may include a system for identifying data streams in accordance with the present teachings and any suitable custom made or commercially available operating system (o/s), which may control the execution of other computer programs such as the system, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, communication control, etc. according to various exemplary embodiments, one or more features of any one or more of the above-discussed teachings and/or exemplary embodiments may be performed or implemented using appropriately configured and/or programmed non-transitory machine-readable medium or article that may store an instruction or a set of instructions that, if executed by a machine, may cause the machine to perform a method and/or operations in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. such a machine may include, for example, any suitable processing platform, computing platform, computing device, processing device, computing system, processing system, computer, processor, scientific or laboratory instrument, etc., and may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware and/or software. the machine-readable medium or article may include, for example, any suitable type of memory unit, memory device, memory article, memory medium, storage device, storage article, storage medium and/or storage unit, for example, memory, removable or non-removable media, erasable or non-erasable media, writeable or re-writeable media, digital or analog media, hard disk, floppy disk, read-only memory compact disc (cd-rom), recordable compact disc (cd-r), rewriteable compact disc (cd-rw), optical disk, magnetic media, magneto-optical media, removable memory cards or disks, various types of digital versatile disc (dvd), a tape, a cassette, etc., including any medium suitable for use in a computer. memory can include any one or a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (ram, such as dram, sram, sdram, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., rom, eprom, eerom, flash memory, hard drive, tape, cdrom, etc.). moreover, memory can incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. memory can have a distributed architecture where various components are situated remote from one another, but are still accessed by the processor. the instructions may include any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, encrypted code, etc., implemented using any suitable high-level, low-level, object-oriented, visual, compiled and/or interpreted programming language. according to various exemplary embodiments, one or more features of any one or more of the above-discussed teachings and/or exemplary embodiments may be performed or implemented at least partly using a distributed, clustered, remote, or cloud computing resource. according to various exemplary embodiments, one or more features of any one or more of the above-discussed teachings and/or exemplary embodiments may be performed or implemented using a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. when a source program, the program can be translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, etc., which may or may not be included within the memory, so as to operate properly in connection with the 0/s. the instructions may be written using (a) an object oriented programming language, which has classes of data and methods, or (b) a procedural programming language, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions, which may include, for example, c, c++, pascal, basic, fortran, cobol, perl, java, and ada. according to various exemplary embodiments, one or more of the above-discussed exemplary embodiments may include transmitting, displaying, storing, printing or outputting to a user interface device, a computer readable storage medium, a local computer system or a remote computer system, information related to any information, signal, data, and/or intermediate or final results that may have been generated, accessed, or used by such exemplary embodiments. such transmitted, displayed, stored, printed or outputted information can take the form of searchable and/or filterable lists of runs and reports, pictures, tables, charts, graphs, spreadsheets, correlations, sequences, and combinations thereof, for example. examples embodiments of the present teachings can be further understood in light of the following examples, which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present teachings in any way. example 1 molecule tagging—a dna sample: the molecular tagging procedure was performed with control dna and cell-free dna. a control dna sample that contains target sequences present at 0.1% (e.g., allelic frequency) was generated by diluting acrometrix™ oncology hotspot control (thermo fisher scientific 969056) into genomic dna background of gm24385 cell line. isolating cf dna: cell-free dna (cfdna) was extracted from donor blood plasma using the reagents and instructions contained in a magmax™ cell-free dna isolation kit, alternative protocol b (thermo fisher scientific a29319). residual blood cells were removed from plasma by centrifugation at 1600×g for 10 minutes at 4° c. the plasma was transferred to a new centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 16000×g for another 10 minutes at 4° c. the plasma volume was measured. the binding solution was prepared by mixing together the lysis/binding solution and magnetic beads, according to the table provided in the alternative protocol b. table 1plasma volume:reagents:1 ml2 ml4 ml10 mlmagmax ™ cell free1.25ml2.5ml5ml12.5mldna lysis/bindingsolutionmagmax ™ cell free15μl30μl60μl150μldna magnetic beadstotal volume:1.265ml2.53ml5.06ml12.65ml the binding solution was added to the plasma, and the tube was swirled or inverted 10 times. the tube was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes with rotation. the tube was place on a magnet for 5 minutes, or until the solution appeared clear. while the tube remained on the magnet, the supernatant was carefully removed and discarded. the tube remained on the magnet for 1 additional minute, and the residual supernatant was carefully removed and discarded. the tube was removed from the magnet. the beads were resuspended in 1 ml of magmax™ cell free dna wash solution to make a bead slurry. the bead slurry was transferred to a fresh 1.5 ml non-stick microfuge tube, and the lysis/binding tube was saved and set aside. the microfuge tube was placed on a dynamag™-2 magnet for 20 seconds. the supernatant was removed from the bead slurry, and was used to rinse the lysis/binding tube, then transferred to the bead slurry. the lysis/binding tube was discarded. the tube containing the bead slurry remained on the magnet for an additional 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed with a 1 ml pipette. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™-2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. the tube was removed from the magnet. 1 ml of freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was added to the tube, and the tube was vortexed for 30 seconds. the tube was placed on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed using a 1 ml pipette. the tube remained on the magnet, while the beads were air-dried for 3-5 minutes. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™ -2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. 400 ul of 0.1× tae was added to the tube, followed by vortexing for 5 minutes. the tube was placed on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed and transferred to a fresh 1.5 ml tube. 5 ul of magmax™ cell free dna magnetic beads and 500 ul of magmax™ cell free lysis/binding solution was added to the supernatant (in the fresh tube), and mixed thoroughly. the tube was shaken for 5 minutes to bind the cfdna to the beads. the tube was placed on the magnet for 5 minutes. the supernatant was removed using a 1 ml pipette. the tube was removed from the magnet, and 1 ml of magmax™ cell free dna wash solution was added, and the tube was vortexed for 30 seconds. the tube was placed on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed using a 1 ml pipette. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™ -2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. the tube was removed from the magnet for the 80% ethanol wash steps. 1 ml of freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was added, and the tube was vortexed for 30 seconds. the tube was place on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed using a 1 ml pipette. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™ -2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. the tube was removed from the magnet. 1 ml of freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was added, and the tube was vortexed for 30 seconds. the tube was place on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant was removed using a 1 ml pipette. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™ -2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. while the tube remained on the magnet, the beads were air dried for 3-5 minutes. while the tube remained on the magnet, the dynamag™-2 magnet stand was tapped on the benchtop 5 times. any residual liquid was removed from the tube using a 200 ul pipette. the cfdna was eluted from the beads by adding 10-15 ul of magmax™ cell free dna elution solution to the tube. the tube was vortexed for 5 minutes using a vortex adapter. the tube was placed on the magnet for 2 minutes. the supernatant contains the purified cfdna. the cfdna was used to generate molecular tagged libraries, or was stored at 4° c. for 24 hours or at −20° c. for long-term storage. molecular tagging procedure: molecular tagged libraries were generated from the cfdna using pcr molecular tagging assignment (approximately 2-4 pcr cycles) followed by pcr amplification (approximately 16-18 pcr cycles) (see fig. 3 and legend for fig. 3 ). forward and reverse gene-specific primers were designed to contain unique molecular tags consisting of a total of 6 “n” degenerate bases interspersed with spacer sequences (fixed sequences) located 5′ of the gene-specific sequences ( fig. 3 and legend for fig. 3 ). for example, the forward and reverse gene-specific primers contained a random tagging sequence located 5′ to the gene-specific sequence: 5′ nnnactnnntga-3′ (seq id no:1). the forward gene-specific primers also included a portion of a universal a-primer sequence located 5′ of the random tagging sequence and an ionxpress barcode sequence. the reverse gene-specific primers included a portion of a universal p1-primer sequence located 5′ of the random tagging sequence but lacked a barcode sequence. the forward and reverse gene-specific primers contained a portion of a universal a-primer sequence, or a portion of a universal p1 primer sequence, to be used for subsequent pcr amplification in which the remainder of the universal a or p1 sequences were added using tailed primers, for compatibility for ion torrent sequencing. thus, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. also, forward and reverse tailed gene-specific primers that lacked the random tag sequence were tested. two or four molecular tagging pcr cycles were performed in a 25 μl reaction containing 20 ng of cfdna, 1× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625), and 10 to 50nm of each primer depending on the total number of amplicons with cycling conditions as follows: 1 cycle of 98° c. for 2 minutes, 2 or 4 cycles of 98° c. for 15 seconds, 60° c. for 4 minutes, 72° c. for 2 minutes, an hold at 4° c. alternatively, the 20 ng of cf dna was split into 2 or 4 aliquots, and each aliquot was subjected to the molecular tagging pcr cycles as described above. excess primers were removed by recjf exonuclease (new england biolabs, m0264s), by diluting recj f exonuclease (30 u/ul) 1:10 in 1× neb buffer 2, and adding 2 ul of the diluted enzyme to the pcr reaction, and digesting at 37° c. for 15 minutes (optional for primer pools <40amplicons), and subsequent ampure™ xp purification. purification: first round: for the ampure™ xp purification steps, 25 ul of the pcr reaction was transferred to a fresh 1.5 ml tube. the pcr tube was washed with an additional 25 ul of water to collect all the contents, which was transferred to the 1.5 ml tube. 75 ul of the 1.5× ampure™ xp reagent (beckman coulter, a63880) was added to the 1.5 ml tube, and the tube was incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature on a rotor. fresh 80% ethanol was prepared. the sample was washed with the fresh 80% ethanol twice, by following the manufacturer's instructions. the final washed sample was eluted in 25 pl of low te buffer (10 mm tris-hcl, ph 8.0, 0.1 mm edta). pcr amplification: for the pcr amplification part of the workflow, approximately 16-18 pcr cycles were performed using forward primers that contained a portion of the universal a primer sequence and an ionxpress barcode sequence, and using reverse primers that contained a portion of the universal p1 primer sequences. the pcr amplification reactions were conducted in a 50 ul reaction containing the previously eluted dna, 1× phusion™ hifi buffer, 200 μm dntps, 0.4 μm forward primer, 0.4 μm reverse primer and 2 u phusion™ hifi dna polymerase with the following cycling conditions: 1 cycle of 98° c. for 2 minutes, 16 to 18 cycles of 98° c. for 15 seconds, 63° c. for 15 seconds, 72° c. for 15seconds, and hold at 4° c. purification: second round: the reaction was purified with ampure™ xp reagent. the amplicons were transferred to a fresh 1.5 ml tube. the pcr tube was washed with an additional 20 ul of water to collect all the contents, which was transferred to the 1.5 ml tube, which contains approximately 70 ul. double size selection was performed with 0.5× and 0.95× ampure™ xp reagent. alternatively pippin prep could be used for size selection. for the ampure™ method, 77 ul of the 1.5× ampure™ xp reagent was added to the 1.5 ml tube, and the tube was incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature on a rotor. the sample was washed with the fresh 80% ethanol twice, by following the manufacturer's instructions. the final washed sample was eluted in 25 μl of low te buffer (10 mm tris-hcl, ph 8.0, 0.1 mm edta). the final library was eluted in 25 ul low te buffer and quantified using high sensitivity dna kit on the agilent 2100 bioanalyzer. 40 pm of library was used for template amplification and attaching to ion sphere beads, using an ion pgm™ hi-q™ chef 400 supplies kit (thermo fisher scientific a25948 and a27293 kits) and 318 v2 chip loading procedures. sequencing was performed on ion pgm apparatus. the sequencing data was analyzed using various culling, sorting and counting methodologies with applied thresholds and demonstrated that 0.05-0.1% limit of detection was achieved. in one tagging experiment, the results showed: 45/163 true variants were detected (requirement >2 families and >0.8 members carrying a variant); 6/45 detected variants have coverage below 20,000; 5/45 detected variants observed at frequency below 0.1%; and the observed allelic frequencies varied 0.1%±0.1%. example 2 molecular tagging—cell free dna: cell-free dna was isolated from a single tube of blood (approximately 7.5 ml blood) and processed as described in example 1 above. in a 96-well plate, the molecular tagging pcr assignment was set-up as follows. individual wells contained: 20 ng cfdna, 1× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l), 3.5 ul lung gene-specific primer panel, and water to make a final volume of 25 ul. different panels of the lung gene-specific primers were tested. the panels of lung-specific primers contained a repertoire of forward and reverse primers. for example, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ is seq id no:1. the lung gene-specific primer panel is a multiplex panel that contained 38-46 different pairs of lung-specific primers, where each pair contained a forward and reverse primer. the gene-specific primer pairs in the panel also contained the random tagging sequence, and either the universal a or p1 primer sequences (see description in examplel above). the 96-well plate was sealed with an adhesive film. the plate was vortexed to mix the contents wells, and the plate was spun. the plate was loaded into a thermocycler, and the following program was run: table 2stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2minutescycle: 298° c.15seconds60° c.4minutes72° c.2minuteshold72° c.2minuteshold4° c.∞ alternatively, the 20 ng of cf dna was split into 2 or 4 aliquots, and each aliquot was subjected to the molecular tagging pcr cycles as described above. ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed to disperse the beads. a solution of 80% ethanol was freshly prepared. 260 ul of the 80% ethanol was mixed with 65 ul water. the adhesive film was removed from the plate. 25 ul of nuclease-free water was added to each well containing a sample. 75 ul (e.g., 1.5× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added. the plate was re-sealed with film, and vortexed to mix, then incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was vortexed again, and incubated again at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun briefly. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, the film was removed, and the plate was place on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added. the plate was moved side-to-side to two or four positions on the magnet t wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. the 80% ethanol wash was repeated once. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. a smaller pipette was used to remove the ethanol drops from the side of the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 23 ul of te was added to individual wells to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with adhesive film, vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnet for at least 2 minutes. 23 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the pcr amplification procedure was set-up as follows: to the wells containing the 23 ul of sample from the previous step, the following was added: 1 ul universal primer-a (contains an ionxpress barcode sequence), 1 ul universal primer p1, 25 ul 2× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l). the wells contained about 50 ul of liquid. the contents of the wells were mixed by pipetting up and down 5 times. the plate was spun down briefly. optional: if there were any carry over beads, the plate was placed on the magnet stand for 3 minutes, and 50 ul of the reaction was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was re-sealed. the plate was loaded onto a thermo-cycler and the following program was run: table 3stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2minutescycle 2:98° c.15seconds60° c.30seconds72° c.30secondscycle 16:98° c.15seconds63° c.15seconds72° c.15secondshold:4° c.∞ 520 ul of the freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was mixed with 130 ul of nuclease-free water, per sample. the film was removed from the plate. 57.5 ul (e.g., 1.15× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample, and pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was placed on a magnet and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added to the samples, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 5 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 50 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul (e.g.,lx of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the sample was pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was place on a magnet and incubated for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 30 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 10 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 28 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. to quantitate the library, 5 dilution sample points were prepared from standard e. coli library ( e. coli dh10b library at approximately 68 pm stock solution). for example, dilution samples were prepared at: 6.8 pm, 0.68 pm, 0.068 pm, 0.0068 pm and 0.00068 pm. dilution samples of the library prepared from the cfdna was prepared by mixing 2 ul of the cfdna library with 198 ul water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:100 dilution sample). 3 ul of the 1:100 dilution sample was mixed with 27 ul of water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:1000 dilution sample). for each sample, 3 wells were set up for: sample, standard, and ntc. a master mix was prepared using the following formula for a 384 well plate: table 4component:volume:2x taqman master mix5ul20x ion taqman assay0.5ultotal volume:5.5ul 5.5 ul of the master mix was dispensed into each well, and 4.5 ul of the 1:1000 diluted library and standard was added to these wells. a pcr reaction on a 7900 ht thermo-cycler (qpcr system) was set up as follows: table 5stage:temperature:time:hold50° c.2minuteshold95° c.20seconds40 cycles95° c.1second60° c.20seconds the average concentration of the undiluted cfdna library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined with qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. [001069] the final library was eluted in 25 ul low te buffer and quantified using high sensitivity dna kit on the agilent 2100 bioanalyzer. 40 pm of library was used for template amplification and attaching to ion sphere beads, using an ion pgm™ hi-q™ chef 400 supplies kit (thermo fisher scientific a25948 and a27293 kits) and 318 v2 chip loading procedures. sequencing was performed on ion pgm apparatus. the sequencing data was analyzed using various culling, sorting and counting methodologies with applied thresholds (e.g., see appendix 2 and 3), and demonstrated that 0.05-0.1% limit of detection was achieved (see all the data in appendix 1). the molecular tagging pcr assignment was also conducted using 20 ng of a 0.1% dilution of megamix control dna (from acrometrix) which contains synthetic and genomic dna including cancer-relevant mutations. each molecular tagging reaction was conducted with 2 pcr cycles using phusion u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l) and a multiplex primer panel that contained braf, and the amplification products were purified with 1.5× ampure™ xp reagent. the second pcr amplification was conducted with 22 pcr cycles using phusion hifi dna polymerase and buffer, and universal primer-a1 and universal primer-p1, and the amplification products were purified with 1.4× ampure™ xp reagent. the results are shown in the table below. 67% of the reads had more than 1000× coverage. there were no reverse reads because universal primer-a1 was always on the 5′ primer. table1contig_idcontig_srtcontig_endregion_idgc_countoverlapsfwd_e2erev_e2e184chr3178936024178936105chp2_pik3ca_73216491153410185chr134902710649027178chp2_rb1_72316713158890186chr11108200916108200993chp2_atm_103217239167870187chr75523296355233053chp2_efgr_35517617143410188chr2212652720212652806chp2_erbb4_23218224153810189chr134903915049039232chp2_rb1_102718239167900190chr4153250853153250926chp2_fbxw7_22818525174850191chr5112173872112173962chp2_apc_14518536150190192chr418083121808399chp2_fgfr3_46018912167110193chr75524163655241729chp2_efgr_44819886183830194chr184860302948603119chp2_smad4_85820342102730195chr7116423408116423492chp2_met_63421720195920196chr4153245411153245492chp2_fbxw7_53621816170140197chr1115258690115258774chp2_nras_1412229271020198chr11108137932108138025chp2_atm_43424315204460199chr7552110455521126chp2_efgr_13325437216720200chr45596097755961059chp2_kdr_54625493237500201chr2212288905212288990chp2_erbb4_8382589159670202chr45595507955955168chp2_kdr_64627323252950203chr1775785177578601chp2_tp53_34327366254510204chr45559743755597524chp2_kit_74028103262280205chr45595377655953860chp2_kdr_74130929293790206chr7116339616116339701chp2_met_14732261298320207chr4153247278153247369chp2_fbxw7_44442625387890208chr12121432011121432099chp2_hnf1a_25545780395590 example 3 molecular tagging—fusion rna: cell-free dna was isolated from a single tube of blood (approximately 7.5 ml blood) and processed as described in example 1 above. two nucleic acid samples containing a mixture of dna and rna were prepared as follows. an rna cocktail, which contained known fusion rna species, was spiked into the cfdna to a final concentration of 25% or 50% rna. a third nucleic acid sample containing only the rna cocktail was also used for the molecular tagging procedure. other samples were prepared and tested in which the rna cocktail was spiked into the cfdna to a final concentration of 2%, 1%, 0.5%, and 0.1% rna. the rna cocktail was prepared from fusion-positive lung nci cell lines h2228 and hcc78. reverse transcription reaction: the 5× vilo™ rt reaction mix and 10× superscript™ iii enzyme mix were from a superscript™ iv vilo™ cdna synthesis kit (thermo fisher scientific, catalog no. 11754-050). in a 96-well plate, a reverse transcription reaction was set-up as follows. individual wells contained: 20 ng nucleic acid sample (cfdna plus spiked-in rna), 2 ul of 5× vilo reaction mix, 1 ul of 10× superscript™ iii enzyme mix, and nuclease-free water to make 10 ul total volume. the 96-well plate was sealed with an adhesive film. the plate was vortexed to mix the contents wells, and the plate was spun. the plate was loaded into a thermocycler, and the following program was run: table 7stage:temperature:time:stage 142° c.30minutesstage 285° c.5minuteshold10° c.∞ tagging: rirst round pcr: reagents for the molecular tagging pcr assignment were set up in new wells in the same 96-well plate as follows. a total volume of 25 ul reaction volume contained: 10 ul of the cdna from the reverse transcription reaction described above, 12.5 ul of 2× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l), 2.5 ul of tagged primer panel. the tagged primer panel contains a multiplex set paired forward and reverse gene-specific primers that are designed to produce amplicons having a fusion sequence. the tagged primers in the panel also contained the random tagging sequence, and either the universal a or p1 primer sequences (see the description of the forward and reverse gene-specific primers in example 1 above). for example, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ is seq id no:1. the 96-well plate was sealed with an adhesive film. the plate was vortexed to mix the contents wells, and the plate was spun. the plate was loaded into a thermocycler, and the following program was run: table 8stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2minutescycle: 298° c.15seconds60° c.4minutes72° c.2minuteshold72° c.2minuteshold4° c.∞ purification: first round: ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed to disperse the beads. a solution of 80% ethanol was freshly prepared. 260 ul of the 80% ethanol was mixed with 65 ul water. the adhesive film was removed from the plate. 25 ul of nuclease-free water was added to each well containing a sample. 75 ul (e.g., 1.5× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added. the plate was re-sealed with film, and vortexed to mix, then incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was vortexed again, and incubated again at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun briefly. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, the film was removed, and the plate was place on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added. the plate was moved side-to-side to two or four positions on the magnet t wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. the 80% ethanol wash was repeated once. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. a smaller pipette was used to remove the ethanol drops from the side of the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 23 ul of te was added to individual wells to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with adhesive film, vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnet for at least 2 minutes. 23 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. second round pcr: the pcr amplification procedure was set-up as follows: to the wells containing the 23 ul of sample from the previous step, the following was added: 1 ul universal primer-a (contains an ionxpress barcode sequence), 1 ul universal primer p1, 25 ul 2× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l). the wells should contain about 50 ul of liquid. the contents of the wells were mixed by pipetting up and down 5 times. the plate was spun down briefly. optional: if there were any carry over beads, the plate was placed on the magnet stand for 3 minutes, and 50 ul of the reaction was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was re-sealed. the plate was loaded onto a thermo-cycler and the following program was run: table 9stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2minutescycle 2:98° c.15seconds60° c.30seconds72° c.30secondscycle 16:98° c.15seconds63° c.15seconds72° c.15secondshold:4° c.∞ purification—second round: 520 ul of the freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was mixed with 130 ul of nuclease-free water, per sample. the film was removed from the plate. 57.5 ul (e.g., 1.15× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample, and pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was placed on a magnet and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added to the samples, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 5 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 50 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul (e.g.,1× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the sample was pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was place on a magnet and incubated for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 30 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 10 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 28 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. to quantitate the library, 5 dilution sample points were prepared from standard e. coli library ( e. coli dh10b library at approximately 68 pm stock solution). for example, dilution samples were prepared at: 6.8 pm, 0.68 pm, 0.068 pm, 0.0068 pm and 0.00068 pm. dilution samples of the library prepared from the cfdna was prepared by mixing 2 ul of the cfdna library with 198 ul water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:100 dilution sample). 3 ul of the 1:100 dilution sample was mixed with 27 ul of water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:1000 dilution sample). for each sample, 3 wells were set up for: sample, standard, and ntc. a master mix was prepared using the following formula for a 384 well plate: table 10component:volume:2x taqman master mix5ul20x ion taqman assay0.5ultotal volume:5.5ul 5.5 ul of the master mix was dispensed into each well, and 4.5 ul of the 1:1000 diluted library and standard was added to these wells. a pcr reaction on a 7900 ht thermo-cycler (qpcr system) was set up as follows: table 11stage:temperature:time:hold50° c.2minuteshold95° c.20seconds40 cycles95° c.1second60° c.20seconds the average concentration of the undiluted cfdna library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined with qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. the final library was eluted in 25 ul low te buffer and quantified using high sensitivity dna kit on the agilent 2100 bioanalyzer. 40 pm of library was used for template amplification and attaching to ion sphere beads, using an ion pgm™ hi-q™ chef 400 supplies kit (thermo fisher scientific a25948 and a27293 kits) and 318 v2 chip loading procedures. sequencing was performed on ion pgm apparatus. the sequencing data was analyzed using various culling, sorting and counting methodologies with applied thresholds, and demonstrated that eml4-alk and slc34a2-ros1 fusion transcripts were detected. example 4 molecular tagging with lung primer panel—cfdna, megamix control dna, and horizon control dna samples. cell-free dna was isolated from a single tube of blood (approximately 7.5 ml blood, 4-5 ml plasma) from human lung cancer subjects (e.g., late stage lung cancer) and processed as described in example 1 above. the blood was collected in edta blood collection tubes or streck dna blood collection tubes. generally, approximately 20-50 ng of cfdna was isolated from about 7.5 ml blood. also, matched ffpe samples were obtained from the same human lung cancer subjects. tagging cfdna, megamix control dna or horizon control dna: the components from an oncomine® lung cfdna kit were thawed on ice, including: the lung cfdna panel of primers, and the cfdna library pcr master mix. the lung cfdna panel of primers included primer pairs for generating 35 different amplicons that covers mutations in 11 genes, including 157 hotspot mutations. for example, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ is seq id no:1. the megamix control dna is a control dna mixture from acrometrix™, containing synthetic and genomic dna which includes cancer-relevant mutations. the horizon cfdna control dna is a reference standard made from engineered cell lines and contains cancer-relevant mutations. in a 96-well plate, the molecular tagging pcr assignment was set-up in individual wells as follows: table 12component:volume:cfdna or megamix or horizon control dnaxμlnuclease-free water12.6 minus x μllung cfdna panel2.4μlcfdna library pcr master mix15μltotal volume:30μl the cfdna pcr master mix was added last to minimize the amount of time the reaction mixture spent at room temperature. alternatively, the master mix was set up on ice. the plate was sealed with microamp® clear adhesive film. the plate was vortexed to mix well. the plate was spun at 300×g for 30 seconds. a thermal cycler was pre-heated to 90° c. the plate was loaded into the thermal cycler and run under the following program: table 13stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2min.cycle: 298° c.30sec.64° c.2min.62° c.2min.60° c.4min.58° c.2min.72° c.30sec.hold72° c.2min.hold4° c.∞ to minimize sample evaporation, a microamp® optical film compression pad was used during pcr. first round purification: ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed thoroughly to disperse the beads. low retention pipet tips were used for the ampure™ purification steps. a solution of 80% ethanol was freshly prepared. 260 ul of the 80% ethanol was mixed with 65 ul nuclease-free water per sample. the plate was briefly spun to collect the samples at the bottom of the wells. the adhesive film was carefully removed from the plate. 30 μl of nuclease-free water was added to each sample. 96 μl (1.6× sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the plate was re-sealed with film, and vortexed to mix, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was vortexed again and incubated at room temperature for another 5 minutes. the color of the sample was checked after each vortexing to ensure thorough mixing of the beads. the plate was spun at 300×g for 1 minute. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the plate was not moved while resting on the magnet. the wash was repeated with 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. a smaller pipette (e.g., 10 or 20 μl) was used to remove all the ethanol droplets from the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 24 μl of low te was added to the pellet to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with fresh microamp® adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun at 300×g for 30 seconds to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for at least 2 minutes. 23 μl of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate, using low retention tips to reduce sample loss. appending the universal p1 and barcoded a adaptors: a second pcr reaction was set-up as follows: to the wells containing the 23 μl sample from the previous step, the following was added: 1 μl cfdna library primer a/bc x (barcodes 1-16); 1 μl cfdna library primer p1; 25 μl cfdna library master mix (for a total of 50 μl volume). the cfdna library master mix was added last to minimize the amount of time the reaction spent at room temperature. the plate was sealed with new microamp® adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly. the plate was spun at 300×g for 30 seconds to collect the droplets. a thermal cycler was pre-heated to 90° c. the plate was loaded into the thermal cycler and run under the following program: table 14stage:temperature:time:hold:98° c.2min.cycle: 1898° c.15sec.64° c.15sec.72° c.15sec.hold:72° c.5min.hold:4° c.∞ to minimize sample evaporation, a microamp® optical film compression pad was used during pcr. second round purification: 520 μl of freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was mixed with 130 μl of nuclease-free water, per sample. 115 μl (1.15× sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the plate was re-sealed, vortexed to mix, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the color of the sample was checked after vortexing to ensure thorough mixing of the beads. the plate was spun at 300×g for 1 minute. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the plate was not moved while resting on the magnet. the wash was repeated with 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. a smaller pipette (e.g., 10 or 20 μl) was used to remove all the ethanol droplets from the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 μl of low te was added to the pellet to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with fresh microamp® adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun at 300×g for 30 seconds to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for at least 2 minutes. 50 μl of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate, using low retention tips to reduce sample loss. size-selection: size-selection was performed as follows. the plate was removed from the magnet. 45 μl (0.9× sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the plate was re-sealed, vortexed to mix, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the color of the sample was checked after vortexing to ensure thorough mixing of the beads. the plate was spun at 300×g for 1 minute. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the plate was not moved while resting on the magnet. the wash was repeated with 150 μl of freshly prepared 80% ethanol was added to each well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 seconds. the supernatant was removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. a smaller pipette (e.g., 10 or 20 μl) was used to remove all the ethanol droplets from the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 30 μl of low te was added to the pellet to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with fresh microamp® adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun at 300×g for 30 seconds to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnetic stand and incubated for at least 2 minutes. 28 μl of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate, using low retention tips to reduce sample loss. library quantification and preparing dilution standards: a dilution series was prepared using e. coli dh10b control dna (˜68 pm stock), which included 6.8 pm, 0.68 pm, 0.068 pm, 0.0068 pm and 0.00068 pm. these dilutions were used as dilution standards in a qpcr instrument. a 1:100 dilution of the tagged library was prepared by combining 2 μl of a tagged library with 198 μl of nuclease-free water, the mixture was vortexed well, and spun briefly. a 1:1000 dilution of the tagged library was prepared by combining 3 μl of the 1:100 dilution with 27 μl of nuclease-free water, the mixture was vortexed, and spun briefly. three wells each were set up for each tagged library, dilution standard and no template control (ntc). the volume of master mix for each sample was prepared using the following table: table 15component:volume:2x taqman master mix5μl20x ion taqman assay0.5μltotal volume:5.5μl 5.5 μl of master mix was dispensed into each well, and 4.5 μl of the 1:1000 dilution standard or the 1:1000 diluted tagged library. a 7900 ht systems thermal cycler was run as follows: table 16stage:temperature:time:hold50° c.2min.hold95° c.20sec.cycle: 4095° c.1sec.60° c.20sec. the average concentration of the undiluted tagged library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined by qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. results: the results of a library quantitation procedure of a tagged library generated from cfdna, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, is shown in fig. 4 . the results of a read length analysis of a tagged library generated from cfdna, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 5 . the results of a true positive count and a sensitivity analysis of several tagged libraries generated from different dilution standards of control dna (e.g., 0.5% or 0.1%), and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 6 . the results of a family size distribution analysis of a tagged library generated from a 0.1% dilution standard of engineered control dna, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 7a . the results of a family size distribution analysis of a tagged library generated from a 0.5% dilution standard of engineered control dna, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 7b . the results of a family size distribution analysis of a tagged library generated from a cfdna-1 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 8a . the results of another family size distribution analysis of a different tagged library generated from a cfdna-2 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 8b . the results of a reads count per target sequence of a tagged library generated from a cfdna-1 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 9a . the results of a reads count per target sequence of a tagged library generated from a cfdna-2 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 9b . the results of a family size analysis (e.g., size ≥3) of a tagged library generated from a cfdna-1 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 10a . the results of a family size analysis (e.g., size ≥3) of a tagged library generated from a cfdna-2 sample, and using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip is shown in fig. 10b . tagged libraries were generated from eight different cfdna samples, using the molecular tagging method described in example 4, and then sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip. the results of median read coverage, median functional families, targets >0.8 mm coverage, and hotspot variants called for false-positives are shown in the table 17 below: table 17medianhotspotsamplemedianfunctionaltargets >variantsnameread covfamilies0.8 mm covcalled (fps)cfdna163767391288.57%0cfdna264373377182.86%0cfdna357282509282.86%0cfdna457008522980%0cfdna562452500665.71%0cfdna657867499265.71%0cfdna755599437580%1cfdna857279413774.29%1 example 5 molecular tagging with lung primer panel cell-free dna was isolated from a single tube of blood (approximately 7.5 ml blood, 4-5 ml plasma) from human lung cancer subjects (e.g., late stage lung cancer) and processed as described in example 1 above. the blood was collected in edta blood collection tubes or streck dna blood collection tubes. also, matched ffpe samples were obtained from the same human lung cancer subjects. cfdna was isolated from blood plasma, using the magmax™ cell-free dna isolation procedure described in example 4 above. dna from the ffpe samples were isolated using the recoverall™ multi-sample rna/dna isolation kit according the manufacturer's instructions (thermo fisher scientific catalog no. a26069). a control dilution series was prepared by diluting engineered plasmid control dna (acrometrix™ oncology hotspot control) in a background of gm24385 genomic dna down to 0.1% or 0.5% frequency, and then fragmented the dna mix to generate fragments with an average size of 170 bp. the acrometrix™ sample contained 40 common tumor mutations interrogated by the molecular tagging procedure. the size distribution looked similar to horizon's cfdna reference sample ( fig. 11 ). the amount of input reference was doubled in order to match the number of dna fragments longer than 110 bp in human cfdna. dilution series of the horizon standard reference hd780 (0.1%, 1%, and 5%) was also tested, the horizon sample contained 8 low frequency mutations in our hotspot positions, including two large insertion and deletion variants of size >10 bp. an analytical verification of variant detection performance in normal cfdna samples and ff/ffpe tumor samples. tagged libraries were generated from the cfdna (from blood plasma), dna (from ffpe samples), horizon multiplex i cfdna reference standard (5, 10, 30, 40, 50 or 60 ng input dna), and acrometrix™ oncology hotspot control, using the lung cfdna primer panel as described in example 4 above. for example, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ is seq id no:1. the lung cfdna primer panel targeted: alk, braf, egfr, erbb2, kras, map2k1, met, nras, pik3ca, ros1 and tp53. the lung cfdna primer panel targets 35 amplicons, covering 157 or 169 hotspot mutations in 11 genes. the forward and reverse primers were placed 40-60 bp apart to accommodate the size distribution of the cfdna and ffpe dna. the tagged libraries were sequenced on an ion torrent semiconductor sequencing chip. the horizon reference standard was used to demonstrate detection sensitivity and specificity of the molecular tagging procedure. the results indicate that, for the horizon reference standard, >80% sensitivity was achieved with 5 ng input of the 1% horizon standard and 50 ng of the 0.1% horizon standard (see table 18 below). 20 ng input cfdna was also tested. table 18horizon controlinputsensitivityspecificity5%5 ng100%100%5%10 ng100%100%1%5 ng81.25%100%1%10 ng100%100%0.1%30 ng75%99%0.1%40 ng75%100%0.1%50 ng94%100%0.1%60 ng94%100% the molecular tagging procedure achieved >95% sensitivity with >20 ng input dna and >85% sensitivity with 20 ng input dna, and , <1 false (fp=false positive) call per sample for allelic variants in hotspot positions present in the sample at 0.1% (see table 19 below). table 19sample inputcfdna 20 ngffpe/cfdna 10 nglod0.1%0.50%sensitivity (%)89.6 ± 5.8100%specificity (%)99.4 ± 0.3100%fp/sample0.250 the molecular tagging procedure requires only ˜20 ng of input dna for 0.1% level of detection ( fig. 12 ). the acrometrix™ oncology hotspot reference control contains fragmented dna representing 39 variants at ˜0.1% allelic frequency, and was used to test the sensitivity of the molecular tagging procedure. the results show that >80% sensitivity and >95% specificity was achieved. the allelic frequencies of 39 variants were observed at range of about 0.05%-0.15% ( fig. 13 ). the molecular tagging procedure permitted interrogation of 171 biomarkers relevant in lung from cosmic and oncomine® databases, and de novo variant detection at 1,700 genomic positions in 11 genes implicated in non-small cell lung cancer. the molecular tagging procedure achieved >95% on-target reads and highly uniform amplification across targeted cfdna molecules from 20 ng input human cfdna ( figs. 14a , b and c). high concordance in variant detection was observed between the cfdna from blood and matched ffpe samples (see table 20 below which shows the observed frequencies of variants detected from matched plasma and ffpe samples). table 20samplevariantffpeplasma1egfr-l858r71.42%2.62%2tp53-r158l51.89%4.32%3met-t1010i43.87%51.75%kras-g12c34.62%0.28%4n/ano detectionno detection5egfr-l858r58.44%7.28%met-t1010i41.93%48.72%tp53-y220c35.54%1.93%6tp53-r158l10.19%1.26% data analysis: sequencing reads with the same unique tag sequence were grouped together in a family. a family containing at least 3 read was called a functional family, which enabled accurate reconstruction of the sequence of the original dna fragment. for 0.1% lod, 20 ng of input dna was required and >25,000× read coverage ( fig. 12 ). this generated more than 2,500 functional families (molecular coverage) on each target ( figs. 14a , b and c). see also fig. 17 which shows a range of coverage depth for some target sequences having observed allelic frequencies of about 0.1-1%. the data analysis also included applying various thresholds to the candidate sequencing reads, including the culling threshold, grouping threshold, counting grouped reads threshold counting family threshold, difference counting threshold, pattern counting threshold and non-target pattern threshold, which yielded a high percentage of true positives while reducing the percentage of false positives ( figs. 20a and b) when compared to data analysis that did not include these various thresholds. fig. 20a is a histogram showing the number of whole target false positive (fp) called when applying a default set of thresholds (a) compared to the number of false positive called when applying the various thresholds described according the present teachings (b) for 0.1% allelic frequency in a 0.1% acrometrix™ sample. fig. 20b is a histogram showing the number of hotspot false positive (fp) called when applying a default set of thresholds (a) compared to the number of false positive called when applying the various thresholds described according the present teachings (b) for 0.1% allelic frequency in a positive control acrometrix™ sample. a summary of the data is shown in table 21 below: table 210.1%0.1%input type:cfdnacfdnaacrometrix ™acrometrix ™input amount:20 ng20 ng6000 copies6000 copies# mapped reads:2,604,6301,909,1811,897,8282,248,694% on target reads:78.63%85.59%91.21%92.59%median read coverage:59,04746,24648,04058,473median molecular5231530073287773coverage:% of amplicons >77.14%74.29%89.18%86.44%0.8 of mmc:# true positives:n/an/a3537# false positives:0000sensitivity:n/an/a87.18%92.5%ppv:100%100%100%100% the data demonstrates that the molecular tagging procedure is sensitive enough to detect low abundance nucleic acid molecules carrying allelic variants, which are present in a sample at about 0.1%, and the molecular tagging procedure can be used to achieve that same level of detection in cfdna from a biological fluid (e.g., blood). this data also demonstrates that the molecular tagging procedure detects overlapping mutations in cfdna and matched ffpe samples, and the molecular tagging procedure can be used to monitor tumor dynamics (e.g., monitor non-small cell lung cancer and other cancers). example 6 molecular tagging—fusion rna: cell-free dna was isolated from a single tube of blood (approximately 7.5 ml blood) and processed as described in example 1 above. mixtures of rna spiked into cfdna was prepared as described in example 3 above. the reverse transcription reaction was conducted as described in example 3 above. tagging: first round pcr: reagents for the molecular tagging pcr assignment were set up in new wells in the same 96-well plate as follows. a total volume of 30 ul reaction volume contained: 10 ul of the cdna from the reverse transcription reaction described above, 15 ul of cfdna library pcr master mix, 2.5 ul of tagged primer panel, and 2.5 ul of lung cfdna primer panel. for example, the forward gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal a]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the reverse gene-specific primers contained the following sequences: 5′-[portion of universal p1]-[nnnactnnntga]-[gene specific sequence]-3′. the sequence 5′-nnnactnnntga-3′ is seq id no:1. the 96-well plate was sealed with an adhesive film. the plate was vortexed to mix the contents wells, and the plate was spun. the plate was loaded into a thermocycler, and the following program was run: table 22stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2min.cycles: 298° c.30sec.64° c.2min.62° c.2min.60° c.4min.58° c.2min.72° c.30sec.hold72° c.2min.hold4° c.∞ purification: first round: ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed to disperse the beads. a solution of 80% ethanol was freshly prepared. 260 ul of the 80% ethanol was mixed with 65 ul water. the adhesive film was removed from the plate. 30 ul of nuclease-free water was added to each well containing a sample. 96 ul (e.g., 1.6× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added. the plate was re-sealed with film, and vortexed to mix, then incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was vortexed again, and incubated again at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun briefly. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, the film was removed, and the plate was place on a magnetic stand and incubated for 5 minutes or until the solution turned clear. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added. the plate was moved side-to-side to two or four positions on the magnet t wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. the 80% ethanol wash was repeated once. the supernatant was removed and discarded, from individual wells without disturbing the pellet. a smaller pipette was used to remove the ethanol drops from the side of the wells. the beads in the wells were air-dried on the magnet at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 24 ul of te was added to individual wells to disperse the beads. the plate was re-sealed with adhesive film, vortexed thoroughly, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was spun to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on a 96-well plate rack, and the film was removed. the plate was placed on a magnet for at least 2 minutes. 23 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. second round pcr: the pcr amplification procedure was set-up as follows: to the wells containing the 23 ul of sample from the previous step, the following was added: 1 ul universal primer-a (contains an ionxpress barcode sequence), 1 ul universal primer p1, 25 ul 2× phusion™ u multiplex pcr master mix (thermo fisher scientific f-5625 or f-562l). the wells should contain about 50 ul of liquid. the contents of the wells were mixed by pipetting up and down 5 times. the plate was spun down briefly. optional: if there were any carry over beads, the plate was placed on the magnet stand for 3 minutes, and 50 ul of the reaction was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was re-sealed. the plate was loaded onto a thermo-cycler and the following program was run: table 23stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2min.cycles: 1898° c.15sec.64° c.15sec.72° c.15sec.hold72° c.5min.hold4° c.∞ purification—second round: 520 ul of the freshly-prepared 80% ethanol was mixed with 130 ul of nuclease-free water, per sample. the film was removed from the plate. 50 ul of nuclease-free water was added to each sample. 115 ul (e.g., 1.15x of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample, and pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was placed on a magnet and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added to the samples, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 5 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 50 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. the plate was removed from the magnet. 45 ul (e.g., 0.9× of the sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each sample. the sample was pipetted up and down 5 times. the plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes. the plate was place on a magnet and incubated for 5 minutes, or until the solution cleared. the supernatant was carefully removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. 150 ul of the 80% ethanol was added, and the plate was moved side-to-side in two or four positions on the magnet to wash the beads. the supernatant was removed and discarded, without disturbing the pellet. the wash was repeated with 150 ul of the 80% ethanol. the supernatant was removed and discarded. using a smaller pipetted (e.g., 10 to 20 ul pipette), ethanol droplets remaining in the wells were removed. the plate was left on the magnet, at room temperature for 5 minutes, to air-dry the beads. the plate was removed from the magnet. 30 ul of low te was added to the pellets to disperse the beads. the samples were pipetted up and down 10 times to resuspend the beads. alternatively, the plate was sealed with adhesive film, and vortexed thoroughly, and spun down to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. 28 ul of the supernatant was transferred to new wells on the same plate. to quantitate the library, 5 dilution sample points were prepared from standard e. coli library ( e. coli dh10b library at approximately 68 pm stock solution). for example, dilution samples were prepared at: 6.8 pm, 0.68 pm, 0.068 pm, 0.0068 pm and 0.00068 pm. dilution samples of the library prepared from the cfdna was prepared by mixing 2 ul of the cfdna library with 198 ul water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:100 dilution sample). 3 ul of the 1:100 dilution sample was mixed with 27 ul of water, mixed and spun down briefly (this is the 1:1000 dilution sample). for each sample, 3 wells were set up for: sample, standard, and ntc. a master mix was prepared using the following formula for a 384 well plate: table 24component:volume:2x taqman master mix5ul20x ion taqman assay0.5ultotal volume:5.5ul 5.5 ul of the master mix was dispensed into each well, and 4.5 ul of the 1:1000 diluted library and standard was added to these wells. a pcr reaction on a 7900 ht thermo-cycler (qpcr system) was set up as follows: table 25stage:temperature:time:hold50° c.2minuteshold95° c.20seconds40 cycles95° c.1second60° c.20seconds the average concentration of the undiluted cfdna library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined with qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. the final library was eluted in 25 ul low te buffer and quantified using high sensitivity dna kit on the agilent 2100 bioanalyzer. the tagged library was used for template amplification and attaching to ion sphere beads, and ion s5 and s30 chip loading procedures. sequencing was performed on ion proton apparatus. the sequencing data was analyzed using various culling, sorting and counting methodologies with applied thresholds, and demonstrated that eml4-alk and slc34a2-ros1 fusion transcripts were detected. figs. 15a and b show the on-target amplicon coverage for the rna-spiked dna samples. table 26 below shows the specific detection of all eight horizon hotspot sequences. table 26allele readfrequency:allele name:gene idcoverage:coverage:0.74%a59tnras10,388591.03%e545kpik3ca10,261571.43%g12dkras17,0912280.42%l858regfr27,5851700.13%p848legfr24,000450.42%q61knras33,395300.21%t790megfr20,8801690.45%v69_d770insasvegfr23,077299 table 27 below shows the coverage for fusion target sequences achieved using random priming or gene-specific priming for the for reverse transcription step. table 271% cocktail1% cocktail1% cocktail1% cocktailrna + cfdnarna + cfdnarna + cfdnarna + cfdnacontrolcontrolcontrol gene-control gene-random rtrandom rtspecific rtspecific rteml4-alk8113418626e6aa20.ab374361eml4-alk2904348e6ba20.ab374362slc34a2-ros127223093186s4r32.cosf1197slc34a2-ros1206273152169s4r34.cosf1198 the molecular tagging procedure achieved detection at ˜1% of rna fusion and dna variants, in a sample containing a mixture of rna and dna. example 7 molecular tagging via adaptor ligation-megamix control dna the megamix control dna is a control dna mixture from acrometrix™, containing synthetic and genomic dna which includes cancer-relevant mutations. the input sample included megamix diluted to 0.1%. the workflow included: dephosphorylation of input dna, gene-specific amplification using ampliseq (thermo fisher scientific, catalog no. 4475345) using non-tagged gene-specific primers, amplicon-end clean-up, tagged adaptor ligation, pcr amplification, and sequencing. dephosphorylation: all reactions were conducted in a multiwall plate. the dephosphorylation reaction included: 3.5 ul (20 ng) of megamix dna, 0.5 ul of 10× fastap buffer, and 1 ul of fastap thermosensitive alkaline phosphatase (thermo fisher scientific, catalog no. ef0654. the dephosphorylation reaction was incubated at 37° c. for 60 minutes, then at 75° c. for 5 minutes to deactivate the enzyme, and cooled at 4° c. gene-specific amplification: the gene-specific amplification reaction included: 10 ul of 2× phusion™ u multiplex mastermix (thermo fisher scientific catalog no. f562s), 4 ul ampliseq dna panel (colon and lung primer panel, thermo fisher scientific catalog no. 4475345), and 1 ul of nuclease-free water. the amplification reaction was mixed well, then 5 ul of the dephosphorylated input dna was added. the thermocycler was programmed as follows: table 28stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2min.cycles: 12 or 1498° c.15sec.60° c.4min.hold10° c.∞ then 2 ul of the fupa reagent from the ampliseq kit was added, and the reaction was incubated at 50° c. for 10 minutes, 55° c. for 10 minutes, 60° c. for 20 minutes, and then the reaction was held at 10° c. for no longer than 1 hour. the volume of this amplicon reaction now contains 22 ul. tagging via adaptor ligation: the tagging adaptors contained a mixture of different 14-mer random/degenerate sequences, so that potentially 4 14 =2.68×10 8 different tags sequences were present. the 14-mer random tag adaptors did not contain interspersed random and fixed sequences. the tagging adaptors also contained either a universal a or p1 adaptor sequence. for example, the a-tagging adaptors contained 5′-[a adaptor]-[14-mer random tag]-3′ and the p1-tagging adaptors contained 5′-[14-mer]-[p1 adaptor]-3′. the ligation reaction contained: 4 ul of the switch solution from the ampliseq kit, 2 ul of the tagged adaptors, 22 ul of the amplicons, and 2 ul of dna ligase. the ligation reaction was incubated at 22° c. for 30 minutes, 72° c. for 10 minutes, and hold at 10° c. first round purification: ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed thoroughly to disperse the beads. low retention pipet tips were used for the ampure™ purification steps. a solution of 70% ethanol was freshly prepared by mixing 230 ul of ethanol with 100 ul nuclease-free water per sample. 45 ul (1.5× sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each ligation reaction, and mixed by pipetting 5 times, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was placed on a magnetic rack for 2 minutes or until the solution appeared clear. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. 150 ul of the freshly-prepared 70% ethanol was added to the pellet, and the plate was moved side-to-side between the two magnets to wash the pellet. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the washing step was repeated by adding 150 ul of the freshly-prepared 70% ethanol was added to the pellet, and the plate was moved side-to-side between the two magnets to wash the pellet. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the plate was placed back on the magnet, and the bead/pellet was air-dried at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 23 ul of low te was added to the pellet to disperse the beads. the plate was sealed, vortexed, and spun to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. the supernatant (˜23 ul) was removed to a new tube. amplification via pcr: the pcr amplification reaction was conducted by mixing: 25 ul of 2× phusion™ u multiplex master mix (thermo fisher scientific catalog no. f562s), 2 ul of universal a and p1 amplification primers, and 23 ul of the ampure™-purified supernatant table 29stage:temperature:time:hold98° c.2min.cycles: 5 or 398° c.15sec.64° c.1min.hold10° c.∞ second round purification: ampure™ xp reagent was incubated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and vortexed thoroughly to disperse the beads. low retention pipet tips were used for the ampure™ purification steps. a solution of 70% ethanol was freshly prepared by mixing 230 ul of ethanol with 100 ul nuclease-free water per sample. 75 ul (1.5x sample volume) of agencourt ampure™ xp reagent was added to each ligation reaction, and mixed by pipetting 5 times, and incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was placed on a magnetic rack for 2 minutes or until the solution appeared clear. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. 150 ul of the freshly-prepared 70% ethanol was added to the pellet, and the plate was moved side-to-side between the two magnets to wash the pellet. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the washing step was repeated by adding 150 ul of the freshly-prepared 70% ethanol was added to the pellet, and the plate was moved side-to-side between the two magnets to wash the pellet. the supernatant was carefully removed, without disturbing the pellet, and the supernatant was discarded. the plate was placed back on the magnet, and the bead/pellet was air-dried at room temperature for 5 minutes. the plate was removed from the magnet. 50 ul of low te was added to the pellet to disperse the beads. the plate was sealed, vortexed, and spun to collect the droplets. the plate was placed on the magnet for at least 2 minutes. the supernatant (˜23 ul) was removed to a new tube. library quantification and preparing dilution standards: a dilution series was prepared using e. coli dh10b control dna (˜68 pm stock), which included 6.8 pm, 0.68 pm, 0.068 pm, 0.0068 pm and 0.00068 pm. these dilutions were used as dilution standards in a qpcr instrument. a 1:1,000 and 1:10,000 dilution of the tagged library were prepared. three wells each were set up for each tagged library, dilution standard and no template control (ntc). the volume of master mix for each sample was prepared using the following table: table 30component:volume:2x taqman master mix5μl20x ion taqman assay0.5μltotal volume:5.5μl 5.5 μl of master mix was dispensed into each well, and 4.5 μl of the 1:1,000 or 1:10,000 diluted tagged library. the thermal cycler was programmed as follows: table 31stage:temperature:time:hold50° c.2min.hold95° c.20sec.cycle: 4095° c.1sec.60° c.20sec. the average concentration of the undiluted tagged library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined by qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. the average concentration of the undiluted dna library was calculated by multiplying the concentration determined with qpcr by the library dilution used in this assay. the final library was eluted in 25 ul low te buffer and quantified using high sensitivity dna kit on the agilent 2100 bioanalyzer. the tagged library was used for template amplification and attaching to ion sphere beads, and ion pgm/318 or proton p1 chip loading procedures. sequencing was performed on an ion pgm or proton i sequencing apparatus. the sequencing data was analyzed using various culling, sorting and counting methodologies with applied thresholds. table 32 below shows that the tag-ligation workflow yielded about 54-89% on-target reads. some of the variant sequences were detected at 0.1% lod, with a high percentage of false positives. table 32cycles:ampliseqpcr/2 ndon-targetinput dnapcrreadsreadsmrluniformityion torrent pgm/318 sequencing chip20 ng12 + 51,371,38154.49%12985.78%20 ng14 + 31,415,09686.80%11996.55%ion torrent proton i sequencing chip20 ng12 + 519,271,45464.21%12177.86%20 ng14 + 321,292,64289.79%11894.72%
021-902-921-937-768	US	[ "US" ]	B68B1/04	1990-04-27T00:00:00	1990	[ "B68" ]	bridle	a horse restraining apparatus includes a headstall having a pair of cheek pieces which fit on opposite sides of a horse's muzzle. the cheek pieces are attached to a nose band which encircles the horse's muzzle. bit attachment elements are provided at the end of each cheek piece for removably coupling a bit to the headstall. when the bit is attached to the headstall, the apparatus functions as a bridle. when the bit is removed, the apparatus functions as a harness.	1. a restraining apparatus for a horse, comprising: a) a headstall including i) a nose band for encircling the horse's muzzle, ii) a crown piece for extending over the horse's head behind the ears, iii) at least two cheek pieces attaching said nose band to said crown piece, each of said cheek pieces including a first end proximate said nose band and a second end proximate said crown piece, iv) a throat latch with ends attached to the second end of each of said cheek pieces, v) receiving means coupled to said nose band for residing under the horse's muzzle and removably receiving a tether, and vi) a connector strap having a first end attached to said receiving means and a second end attached to said throat latch for extending lengthwise along the underside of the horse's muzzle to retain the shape of said headstall; b) a bit; and c) bit attachment means for removably attaching said bit to said cheek pieces, said bit attachment means including i) a connector ring provided at each end of said bit, ii) an extension portion at said first end of each of said cheek pieces extending beyond said nose band, and iii) pressure-sensitive fastening means for releasably joining each of said extension portions to an intermediate portion of its corresponding cheek piece after each of said extension portions is passed through a corresponding one of said connector rings and doubled back to form a loop for retaining said ring, said pressure-sensitive fastening means including a first element provided on said extension portion of each of said cheek pieces, and a second element provided on each of said cheek pieces at a location intermediate said first and second ends for engaging the corresponding first element in response to a pressure force of predetermined magnitude being exerted on said second element in a direction toward said first element and for disengaging said first element in response to a pulling force of predetermined magnitude being exerted on said second element away from said first element; wherein said apparatus functions as a bridle when said bit is attached to said cheek pieces, and as a harness when said bit is removed from said cheek pieces. 2. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein: a) one of said first element and said second element comprises at least one loop; and b) the other of said first element and said second element comprises at least one resilient hook for releasably engaging said at least one loop. 3. an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein: a) said at least one loop comprises a plurality of loops; and b) said at least one resilient hook comprises a plurality of resilient hooks. 4. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a ring slideably mounted on each of said cheek pieces for encircling said cheek piece and the corresponding doubled over extension portion to prevent accidental separation of said extension portion from said cheek piece. 5. a restraining apparatus for a horse, comprising: a) a headstall including i) a nose band for encircling the horse's muzzle, ii) a crown piece for extending over the horse's head behind the ears, iii) at least two cheek pieces attaching said nose band to said crown piece, each of said cheek pieces including a first end proximate said nose band and a second end proximate said crown piece, iv) a throat latch with ends attached to the second end of each of said cheek pieces, v) receiving means coupled to said nose band for residing under the horse's muzzle and removably receiving a tether, and vi) a connector strap having a first end attached to said receiving means and a second end attached to said throat latch for extending lengthwise along the underside of the horse's muzzle to retain the shape of said headstall; b) a bit; c) bit attachment means for removably attaching said bit to said cheek pieces; and d) adjustable coupling means for adjustably coupling one end of said crown piece to the second end of one of said cheek pieces, said adjustable coupling means including i) a connector ring carried at said second end of said one cheek piece, ii) a strap having a first end and a second end, said first end being mounted for movement along the circumference of said connector ring to allow variation of the angular orientation of said strap relative to said cheek piece and iii) connector means for detachably coupling said strap to said crown piece at a selected one of a plurality of attachment sites, whereby said apparatus functions as a bridle when said bit is attached to said cheek pieces, and as a harness when said bit is removed from said cheek pieces. 6. an apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said connector means comprises: a) a first element of an engagement pair carried at said second end of said strap; and b) a second element of said engagement pair carried by said crown piece for releasably engaging said first element.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to equipment used with riding animals. more particularly this invention relates to a bridle which may be used as a halter. 2. prior art halters and bridles are well known, and have been in use for many years serving distinct and useful functions. halters are fitted onto an animal, such as a horse or mule, and used for a variety of purposes. when a lead shank is attached, the halter may be used for leading or tethering the animal. a halter is used to obtain a measure of control over the animal. the halter fits securely over the head and is usually formed from strong material that resists breaking. a bridle also fits over a horse's head in a manner similar to a halter. however, it includes a bit which fits into a horse's mouth. the bridle allows a much subtler control of the horse and is used when the horse is ridden. the halter and bridle have been used for many years and work very well for their intended functions. however, problems often develop when changing from halter to bridle. the halter is used to secure a horse when saddling, but must be removed to allow the bridle to be put on the horse. this is when problems can occur. when the halter is removed, control over the horse may be lost. this may be due to the nature of the horse or some external factor causing the horse to take fright. if this happens when the halter has been removed the horse is free to bolt. many times a halter will be removed from the head and refastened around the horse's neck to retain some control. the bridle may then be fastened onto the horse's head. however, this was not the way the halter was designed to be used and may be awkward. also, when the halter is off or fastened around the horse's neck there is very little or no control of a horse's head. the horse may then throw its head, hindering attempts to put on the bridle. some horses may even attempt to bite. without some means of restraint, this could be a painful problem. another problem arises when a bridle is in place. many times a rider would like to tether the horse for a short time. a horse tethered with a bridle and having a bit in its mouth is in danger of being injured. the solution is to exchange the halter for the bridle, which causes the problems mentioned before to arise. it would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bridle. another object of the invention is to provide a bridle which may be safely used as a halter. and another object of the present invention is to provide a bridle with a bit that can be easily attached and removed. still another object of the invention is to provide a bridle which may be easily transformed into a halter. summary of the invention briefly, to achieve the desired objects of the instant invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, provided is a headstall having a pair of cheek pieces which fit one to either side of a horse's muzzle. the cheek pieces are attached to a noseband which encircles the horse's muzzle. when a bridle is required, a bit is attached adjacent to the nose band by attachment means located at the end of each cheek piece. the present invention is thus a bridle which can be used as a halter when the bit is removed. brief description of the drawings the foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bridle, constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention as it would appear fastened to the head of a horse; fig. 2 is a side view of the headstall of the present invention; fig. 3 is a perspective view of the headstall of the present invention with a lead shank attached, for use as a halter; fig. 4 is a partial view of the present invention showing bit attachment means; and fig. 5 is a partial view of the present invention showing bit and bit attachment means. preferred embodiment of the present invention turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to fig. 1 which illustrates the present invention, a bridle generally designated 10, fastened to a horse's head 12. bridle 10 has a headstall 13 shown in figs. 2 and 3 and a bit 14 attached to headstall 13 by bit attachment means 15. figs. 2 and 3 illustrate headstall 13, which has a nose band 16, cheek pieces 17, crown piece 18, throat latch 19 and brow band 20. nose band 16 is a strip of material bent into a loop with both ends attached to an o-ring 22. cheek pieces 17a and 17b are strips of material each with an end attached to opposite sides of nose band 16 and the other ends attached to o-rings 23 and 24 respectively. throat latch 19 is a strip of material with one end coupled to the bottom of o-ring 23 and the other to the bottom of o-ring 24. crown piece 18 is a strip of material with one end fastened to the top of o-ring 23 and the other end to the top of o-ring 24. brow band 20 is a strip of material with each end coupled to crown piece 18. crown piece 18 is fastened to o-ring 24 by adjustable coupling means 25. in this preferred embodiment adjustable coupling means 25 consists of a buckle 26 attached to o-ring 24 by a short strip of material 27. the end of crown piece 18 which is to be attached to o-ring 24 has a number of holes 28 which allow it to be adjustably attached to buckle 26. referring back to fig. 1, it can be seen that nose band 16 encircles the horse's muzzle with cheek pieces 17 extending along either jaw line. crown piece 18 loops over the crown of head 12 behind the ears, with brow band 20 extending across the brow of head 12 to prevent crown piece 18 from slipping down. throat latch 19 loops under head 12 at the junction of the throat and head 12. a short strip of material 28 is coupled to o-ring 22 and the middle portion of throat latch 19 to help headstall 13 retain its shape. when used as a halter, a lead shank 29 may be attached to o-ring 22 as illustrated in fig. 3. also o-rings 23 and 24 may be used when cross tying, as with a standard halter. fig. 4 illustrates bit attachment means 30 which attaches bit 14 to headstall 13. cheek pieces 17 are two layered. a small separation 32a and 32b is formed between the layers of each cheek piece 17a and 17b respectively where they attach to nose piece 16. nose piece 16 is also formed from two layers, one of which goes through separations 32a and 32b. the material of nose band 16 and cheek pieces 17a and 17b may then be joined by stitching or any other means known to those skilled in the art. it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that two layered cheek pieces need not be used to join cheek piece 17 to nose band 16. an alternative may be stitching cheek piece 17 to nose band 16. in this embodiment bit attachment means 30 consists of portions 33a and 33b extending from cheek pieces 17a and 17b respectively, past nose band 16. each portion 33a and 33b is doubled outwardly back upon cheek piece 17a and 17b. portions 33a and 33b are attached to cheek pieces 17a and 17b by fastening means forming loops 34. in this embodiment portions 33a and 33b are coupled to cheek pieces 17a and 17b respectively by pressure-sensitive, resilient hook and loop fasteners such as the type marketed under the name velcro.rtm. on the outside of portions 33a and 33b and cheek pieces 17a and 17b. a ring 36 may be used to slide down over the junction of portion 33a and 33b and cheek pieces 17a and 17b to prevent accidental separation. a bit 14 is attached by passing portions 33 a and 33b through rings 37 of bit 14 then doubling portions 33 back and attaching them to cheek pieces 17. thus, bridle 10 may be used without bit 14, as a halter to tether a horse, then bit 14 can be added for riding purposes. bit 14 may be removed at any time to prevent damage to the horse's mouth, and control over the horse's head is never relinquished. various changes and modifications to the embodiment herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. to the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.
022-271-029-802-895	US	[ "US" ]	F42B5/26	2000-06-07T00:00:00	2000	[ "F42" ]	ammunition tracking system	a tracking system for ammunition cartridges where the cartridge casings are provided with serial indicia on an inside surface such that spent casing found at a crime scene can be tracked to the purchaser of the ammunition via a machine scannable system.	1. the method of coding small arms ammunition cartridges having a hollow cylindrical casing having inner and outer wall surfaces including a closed bottom wall having an outer surface, a bullet projectile attached to the forward end of the casing, an explosive charge included in the interior of the casing and a primer to activate the charge positioned on said bottom wall, comprising providing the outer cylindrical wall surface of the casing with a machine-readable code which code identifies such cartridge, assembling said cartridges in an assembly area and moving and orienting said cartridges seriatim into a lighted code reading station including code reading software such that said code is visible to an optical vision system, reading and decoding such code as the cartridges pass through said code reading station, assigning said cartridges a unique tracking number, thereafter placing a number of such cartridges in a retail package and thereafter applying such unique tracking numbers onto said package so that such numbers may be traced to the ultimate purchaser of such package by reading a casing of one of such cartridges when recovered at a crime scene, and, wherein said cartridges are assembled longitudinally side by side in said assembly area and thereafter rolled into said lighted code reading station wherein the resultant turning of the individual cartridges enables the code to be read by the optical vision system. 2. the method of coding small arms ammunition cartridges having a hollow cylindrical casing having inner and outer wall surfaces including a closed bottom wall having an outer surface, a bullet projectile attached to the forward end of the casing an explosive charge included in the interior of the casing and a primer to activate the charge positioned on said bottom wall, comprising providing at least one exterior wall surface of the casing with a machine-readable code which code identifies such cartridge, assembling said cartridges in an assembly area and moving and orienting said cartridges seriatim into a lighted code reading station including code reading software such that said code is visible to an optical vision system, reading and decoding such code as the cartridges pass through said code reading station, assigning said cartridges a unique tracking number, thereafter placing a number of such cartridges in a retail package and thereafter applying such unique tracking numbers onto said package so that such numbers may be traced to the ultimate purchaser of such package by reading a casing of one of such cartridges when recovered at a crime scene, including providing stop means between the assembly area and the code reading station and wherein said stop means is activated by contact with an upstream cartridge.	background of the invention this invention relates to small arms ammunition and more particularly to a system that will enable investigative authorities to better solve crimes involving the discharge of firearms utilized with such ammunition. when firearms are utilized in the commission of a crime, the crime scene often includes spent ammunition casings. it would thus be desirable to be able to link those crime scene casings to the person or persons committing such crime. presently there are anti-diversion tracking systems referred to as adts which allow manufacturers to trace products using overt and covert technologies from point of manufacture throughout the distribution chain. for instance, scannable indicia, codes including conventional bar codes can be incorporated into labels of many products such as cosmetics, shampoos and the likes in order to be able to trace the manufacturing and purchase history of such articles for purposes of recall and policing unauthorized distribution. accordingly, it would be desirable if the general principles of such product tracking systems could be utilized and modified to enable the tracking of ammunition cartridges such that crime scene firearms' casings could be traced to the last authorized purchaser of the ammunition cartridge from which the casing was part of. summary and objects of the invention it is, accordingly, an objective of the present invention to modify such anti-diversion tracking systems in a unique and unobvious manner so as to achieve crime scene identification of spent ammunition casings. such is accomplished by the present ammunition tracking system which is designed to serialize ammunition cartridges in such a fashion as to be able to trace them from manufacturer, to distributor, to the retailer and finally to the final consumer or purchaser via a network of computer terminals at the point of purchase. such system places a number or other unique identification on an interior surface of the cartridge casing which indicia will be still visible after the cartridge is fired such that investigative personnel can visually identify such number or other indicia and utilize such to trace the ammunition to the purchaser and additionally place an optically readable code on the shell casing exterior surface such that it may be read by high speed optical scanning equipment so as to, in part, establish a manufacturing and distribution history of such cartridge. such system would thus allow casings found at crime scenes to be traced to the person who purchased them greatly enhancing the ability of law enforcement agencies to quickly and confidently solve crimes. these and other objectives of the present invention are accomplished by a small arms ammunition cartridge including a casing having a cylindrical body having inner and outer wall surfaces and opposed top and bottom ends wherein said bottom end is closed by a bottom wall in turn having a top inner surface and a lower outer surface, an explosive charge contained in the casing, a bullet attached to the top of the casing body and means for initiating the explosive charge to fire the bullet, the improvement comprising a machine readable code on at least one of the outer wall surfaces of said casing and a unique indicia visible by the human eye on at least one of said inner surfaces of said casing, said indicia identifying a particular casing and said code including identification of said indicia. other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. description of the drawings in the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: fig. 1 shows a single unit of small arms ammunition generally referred to as a cartridge; fig. 2 shows the cartridge shown in fig. 1 in a disassembled format showing the component parts thereof commonly referred to as an exploded view; fig. 3 is a bottom plan view on an enlarged scale of the cartridge shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 4 is a view of the interior portion of the shell casing taken along the line 4 4 of fig. 2 ; fig. 5 shows a laser-marking device imparting a machine-readable code, e.g., in data matrix format, on the bottom of the casing shown in fig. 1 and particularly on the outside surface of the primer portion thereof; fig. 6 shows a similar laser-etching device that is capable of imprinting a serialized number on the upper surface of the inside bottom wall of the cartridge casing; fig. 7 is a stylized view showing the progression of individual cartridges to packages thereof to a case and at each stage of the process being machine read for the purposes of the present invention including a stylized view of the interior of an ammunition or gun store in which the outside barcode of an individual package of cartridges is scanned and information taken as to the identity, etc. of the retail customer purchasing such; fig. 8 is a plan view of a crime scene; fig. 9 is a slightly enlarged partial interior portion of a shell casing in which the indicia imparted on the upper inner surface thereof is visible by the naked eye of the crime scene investigator; fig. 10 is a stylized view of an overall system for reading coded cartridges and handling such information; fig. 11 is a stylized top plan view of a second system for reading coded cartridges; fig. 12 is a stylized elevational view of such second system for reading coded cartridges; fig. 13 is a stylized top plan view of a third system for reading coded cartridges; fig. 14 is a stylized elevational view of a fourth system for reading coded cartridges; fig. 15 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the reading system shown in fig. 14 ; and fig. 16 is a stylized elevational view of a fifth reading system. detailed description of the invention several unique manners of achieving the results of the present invention have been devised. in one method (method no. 1) the flat metal sheet stock (not shown) in the raw materials stage that is destined to be formed into firearm cartridge shells (casings) may be provided with a laser reactive coating. such coating may be applied to both sides of the stock wherein one side of the stock is destined to become the inside of the ultimately formed cartridge casing and the other side forming the outside of such cartridge casing. this coating will enable an optical laser to mark the stock on both opposed surfaces or at least the surface destined to become the inside of the cartridge as by etching or burning through selected areas thereof. this etching would take place at predetermined intervals along the stock sheet metal to correspond to those special areas, which will bear the indicia on the ultimately formed cartridge casing. preferably the indicia on the cartridge shell interior should be visible with the naked eye by the crime scene investigator. the indicia destined to become the desired outside portion of the cartridge can be in code, that is, machine-readable, and as small as one-millimeter square (see fig. 3 ). coding by such laser etching of the top and bottom surfaces of the stock can occur simultaneously with impartation of matching numbers either visibly readable or encoded. such a tracking number can take the form of a multiple digit number, e.g., a twelve digit number which would provide the capability of tracking up to 999,999,999,999 individual cartridges per year. following years could begin with a letter prefix (example: a99,999,999,999). this method will provide a system wherein no two cartridges could have the same tracking number for decades to come. in addition, prefixes or suffixes of numbers, letters or other indicia could be provided for each different manufacturer. in this first method of forming cartridge casings from stock already provided with indicia as by the above-described laser etching process, the top code or tracking number will become the inside of the cartridge which will enable humanly readable tracking of such number and the bottom code will become the outside of the cartridge casing which will enable such to be machine readable in data matrix format ecc200. such data matrix code format is, in essence, a two-dimensional barcode and is utilized as the marking code of choice of many industries such as computer chip manufacturers to mark their small manufactured components. there are also a number of other barcodes including one-dimensional barcodes that may be utilized with this invention so as to not exclude a symbology that may be suited for this application including preprinted labels to visibly readable inksall of which including the laser etchable coding must be environmentally resistant to the condition of use, that is, the indicia applied to the cartridge shell's inside surface must be capable of withstanding the explosive and burning forces of the propellant upon firing, and the surface destined to become the outside surface of the cartridge must be able to withstand environmental conditions, e.g., temporary high temperature and normal abrasion contact. in a second method of coding, the cartridge primer, which may be manufactured on site or supplied by a vendor, is coated with a laser reactive material or dark colored finish. the laser to produce a machine-readable code, e.g., data matrix format ecc200, will remove this micro coating. as the cartridges are assembled, the primer is placed in the bottom and seated into the cartridge casing. prior to injecting the explosive charge, e.g., gunpowder, into the cartridge casing, a machine vision system will read and decode the data matrix code previously formed by the laser on the primer. this information will then be translated by computer software and sent to an online laser that will print the humanly readable equivalent in two probable locations. these locations are inside the edge of the cartridge casing or on the bottom inside surface of the cartridge casing. this number will be used to locate the purchaser of the cartridge if the cartridge is involved in a crime. in this method, it would only be necessary to apply a laser etchable coating to that surface of the stock destined to form the inside surface of the cartridge or apply such coating to that surface after the formation of the cartridge casing. the cartridge manufacturing process will continue as the explosive charge, e.g., gunpowder, is added and the projectile is seated and crimped to the cartridge casing to form the completed ammunition cartridge. a third method applies the desired indicia after the primer has been seated into the cartridge casing but before the cartridge is filled with gunpowder. two (2) lasersone firing a data matrix on the outside bottom of the primer and the second laser printing the humanly readable equivalent inside the rim or on the inside bottom of the cartridge are utilized. it is also possible to print, etch or otherwise apply the machine-readable code to the outside bottom surface of the cartridge casing, that is, that surface surrounding the bottom surface of the primer rather than on the primer itself. as stated before, an ink jet printer could also print the machine-readable data matrix. in the example set forth above, the completed ammunition cartridge 10 is formed from a cartridge casing or shell 12 , a primer 14 usually a percussion activated explosive charge, the primary explosive charge 16 , e.g., gunpowder, that is placed in the casing and the projectile bullet 20 which is attached to the casing after the gunpowder is inserted. the casing includes an elongated cylindrical body 22 open at the top end 24 thereof and including a smaller opening (not shown) at the bottom wall 26 thereof. the cartridge primer 14 is generally in the form of a circular disc having opposed upper 28 and lower surfaces 30 and is adapted to be crimped or otherwise attached to the casing bottom wall 26 while positioned in the opening thereof. the machine-readable bar matrix code is referred to by the reference numeral 40 while the indicia on the inside surface of the casing by the reference numeral 42 . the commercially available lasers are referred to by the reference numeral 44 . the scanning and labeling process as an example, the cartridges are then placed in a holder with the primer 14 facing up, which would likely be an automated process. before the holders with the coded cartridges are placed and sealed in the retail package, a machine vision system will read and record the identity of each cartridge. such optical vision systems that are capable of reading and decoding as many as 100 individual data matrix codes at simultaneously are commercially available. the software within the ats (ammunition tracking system) system will then identify, process and assign the cartridges a unique package number. the package number is then printed onto the side of the retail package 48 , e.g., via an ink jet printer. the printed format could be a number of different types of linear barcode 50 plus the humanly readable equivalent. this unique package number may also be used to automatically print and apply the label. there is also the option of using a preprinted label. such preprinted label would be applied to the package after the package has been scanned by the machine vision system. all labels will then be linked to the cartridge identities inside the package. this number will later be used to track to the ultimate consumer. the building of shipping cases is also illustrated in fig. 7 . as the packages of completed cartridges are being packed, the package barcode 50 numbers are then scanned and the shipper case is built. the ammunition tracking system (ats) software program will store all package identifications being placed in the case. after a preset number of packages have been reached to complete the case, a linear barcode 52 will be printed and applied to the case 54 . this process may be done automatically. the ammunition tracking system is used to link this shipper case barcode and all the cartridges contained within the case to the distributor or retailer during shipment from the manufacturer. a palette is built in the same fashion. after a preset number of cases have been placed on a palette, the ammunition tracking system will assign and print a palette label. this palette label when scanned will link every case, package and cartridge's identification to its destination. figs. 9 and 10 show in diagram format the manner in which the ammunition tracking system tracks the ammunition. when ammunition is shipped to a distributor or retailer, the manufacturer will normally generate an order and picking list from their existing system. using a data collection device equipped with ammunition tracking software, the manufacturer will enter the retailer or distributor identification number followed by the invoice number. (these steps are covered in depth by trained ammunition tracking personnel.) the order picker is then prompted to scan the palettes and/or cases selected to fill said order. when the order is complete, the same procedure will be repeated to fill the next order and so on. scanning a palette or case will immediately link those particular cartridges in that palette or case to the receiving retailer/distributor. at the end of the day or any scheduled time/quantity interval, the data collectors are uploaded to the central database server of the ammunition tracking system that will continually update this offsite central database. the distributor shipping to the retailer would use the same shipping method utilized by the manufacturer to ship to a distributor. how the ammunition tracking system is used to track cartridges from the retailer to the consumer is as follows: when the retailer sells any ammunition cartridges to a customer, the retailer will enter via the ammunition tracing system's direct internet link or onsite computer, the package identification number and/or scan the tracking barcode 50 printed on the side of the package. the system will prompt the retailer to enter the customer's name, state of residence and driver's license number along with any other pertinent information required by law. with the process complete, the cartridge identification numbers are now linked to the ultimate customer along with date, time and retailer of record. in the case of the direct online internet connection, the transaction is instantly recorded. in the case of the retailer using an onsite computer to collect the transaction data, this computer will be polled at the end of each business day or other interval, and all transactions will be uploaded to the centralized database. the preferred system would be the instant online hookup. tracking ammunition involved in a crime ammunition found at crime scenes are decoded by visibly looking into the interior bottom or side of the spent cartridge casing 12 . this humanly readable number is entered into the ammunition tracking system's central database by law enforcement agencies at the scene or some central location linked by telephone or computer. immediately, the ammunition is then traced back to the customer who purchased the ammunition along with the date and retailer of record as well as all the pertinent information collected. this process may be accomplished in two ways: 1) because the data is instant and in a humanly readable form, officials at the scene are able to radio the cartridge identification number and thereby have a very strong lead within a very short time period; 2) the cartridge casing would be returned to the lab to perform the data trace. the above-explained systems for utilizing the markings applied to an ammunition cartridge casing enable the objectives of the present invention to be carried out in a cost effective, relatively simple manner. a key feature of the invention is not only the broad concept of marking cartridges for the purpose of tracing them to a purchase source, but also the concept of including a serial identification number on a surface of the cartridge casing which is hidden from the user and only visible after the bullet is fired from a gun and that any attempt to alter such interior indicia would normally destroy the usefulness of the product. also in order to enable the retrieval of stored information relative to where, when and to whom sold and the like, a practical system to read, decode, store, label and track small arms cartridges which are coded in the various manners and locations as set forth in the present application is necessary. other coding designs or patterns such as those set out in u.s. pat. no. 6,293,204 issued sep. 25, 2001 to regen may be utilized as well and in that regard the specification of such regen patent is hereby incorporated into the subject application by specific reference thereto. one of the critical aspects of a practical system, as described herein and with particular reference to the explanation of the fig. 7 reading, decoding, labeling and tracking of small arms ammunition casings, is the manner in which the casings are initially read such that the code applied thereto regardless of the particular code utilized can be inputted into a useful and retrievable data base. five alternate reading systems are set forth hereinafter by reference to figs. 10 thru fig. 14 . with regard to the first reading system, specific reference is made to fig. 10 which functions with a single camera and wherein the labeling system utilizes a data matrix coded in the primer. after the ammunition (cartridges) has been coded but prior to being put into the finished retail package, the cartridges are placed into the inner box holder as shown in fig. 7 with the primers face up and would likely be an automated process. see also fig. 10 where a machine vision system will read and record the identity of each cartridge. such optical vision systems are capable of reading and decoding as many as 100 individual codes simultaneously as the cartridges pass under the camera and into the retail package. the software within the system will then process and assign the cartridges within the package a unique tracking number. the unique number can then be printed onto the side of the retail package via an ink jet printer. the printed format could also be of an automated print and apply label in either a liner barcode or a two-dimensional barcode such as data matrix or pdf 417. all labels will be linked to the cartridge identities inside the package. these numbers will later be used to track to the ultimate consumer. in each of the various reading systems referred to herein, the vision cameras are tailored to each type of code system and handling format, however, the fig. 10 drawing outlines the overall system wherein reading of the cartridges takes place at the vision or cameras' location 80 and such data supplied to the plc computer 84 which, in turn, provides the information input to a print and label applicator device 86 where the finished retail package 88 is moved along a conveyor 90 and a label provided with the appropriate information for that package received from the plc computer is applied. presently, there are data storage programs capable of storing massive amounts of data that will be required in such systems as to be described hereinafter. each system described within this document will employ the latest in barcode label and ocr (optical character recognition) scanning and decoding principles. all systems abide by the basic barcode scanning and decoding principles of proper lighting and contrast. frequently used terms: ocroptical character recognition; plcprogrammable logic control; and ccdcharged couple device. the second system is a gravity fed horizontal system and is illustrated in figs. 11 and 12 . such second system can be described and is designed to collect data from the ammunition casing as the casing by gravity or otherwise rolls down a custom-designed ramp. the system will read, decode and store all coded ammunition whether the code is of a barcode, label or alphanumeric nature. after the ammunition has been coded but before it is placed into the retail package, the finished cartridges will be received onto a preferably rubber-coated ramp 100 . the cartridges are placed horizontally on the ramp with the casings touching each other and lined up in the same direction with all primers at one end and the projectile at the other end. as the cartridges roll down the ramp, the rubber coating on the ramp via friction will cause the cartridges to rotate. the cartridges will pass by an illuminated multi-camera system 102 . this multi-camera zone will allow multiple rotations of each cartridge within the zone. the angle of the ramp will not be so severe that the cartridges will not rotate too fast for the cameras to decode them. this ramp will vary in length from 2 to 5 feet in length. fig. 12 is a top view and illustrates how the rolling action of the casings will expose the code to the cameras. the camera zone will have overlapping fields of view that will ensure the code is exposed to either of the two cameras. in this second reading system, the code applied to the outer casing surface is read by the system. software controlling the system ensures complete reading, decoding and storing of data from of each of the cartridges passing the cameras. this gathered information is then sent to the (plc) computer, which based upon preset parameters, could also record information such as date and lot code as well as all the cartridge identification data. after the system has read, decoded and counted the preset number of cartridges per retail box, the cartridges are allowed to roll onto a following conveyor. the third reading system is also a multi-camera system. in this sequence, the pre-coded cartridges are placed end to end on a conveyor 110 (see fig. 13 ). as the cartridge enters the chute 112 , it passes a sensor 114 that will trigger special lighting. an opening 116 is present in the guide chute. special lighting and three ccd cameras that will provide a 360-degree view of the cartridge as it passes through the opening will surround this opening. the opening is present to prevent distortion of the code for the cameras. the cameras will read, decode and store the cartridge's identity as it passes through the camera zone. the opening is preferably of a length considerably less than that of the cartridge to reduce the possibility of a cartridge falling out thereof. after the cartridge has passed through the zone and its code read, the cartridge will make a right 90 degree turn and become horizontal once more onto a conveyor and on to the packaging area. the code read in this case is on the outer surface of the casing. software controlling the system ensures complete reading, decoding and storage of each of the cartridges passing the camera zone. this gathered information is then sent to the (plc) computer, which based upon preset parameters, could also record information such as date and lot code as well as all the cartridge identification data. after the system has read, decoded and counted the preset number of cartridges per retail box, the cartridges are allowed onto a following conveyor. the fourth system is a single camera system as shown in fig. 14 where the finished and coded cartridges are placed on a first conveyor 120 horizontally end-to-end. product motion sensor 121 will trigger a stop release lever 122 to allow one cartridge at a time to proceed into the scanning zone. the release/stop lever will hold the following cartridges in place on the conveyor. the scanning zone consists of one ccd camera 124 and multiple led lights 126 . as shown in fig. 15 , a single cartridge, as it moves down the conveyor 120 , is pushed onto a twin roller scan zone by the first conveyor. this zone comprises two rollers 128 in parallel between the first and second conveyors 120 and 130 . one of the rollers 128 in the zone is motorized to rotate the cartridge at a preset speed. as the cartridge rotates, the ccd camera system reads, decodes and stores the barcode or alphanumeric tracking information placed on the cartridge sometime during the production phase. the special lighting continuously illuminates the scanning zone. when the ccd camera has read and decoded the information on the cartridge, the information will be sent to the plc computer center that, in turn, will send a signal to a release stop lever retract 122 and allow the next cartridge into the camera zone. the camera zone rollers will have a cork screw design that will take the cartridge to the end of the rollers where a product stop lever will keep the cartridge in place. when the cartridge is decoded, that is, the code has been read, the stop release lever will retract and allow the cartridge to proceed onto the second conveyor. the second conveyor will bring the cartridges to the final packaging area where the cartridges will be placed into the retail package. software controlling the system ensures complete reading, decoding and storage of each of the cartridges passing the camera zone. this gathered information is then sent to the (plc) computer, which based upon preset parameters, could also record information such as date and lot code as well as all the cartridge identification data. after the system has read, decoded and counted the preset number of cartridges per retail box, the cartridges are allowed onto a following conveyor. the fifth system as shown in fig. 16 is a single camera system and is designed to pick up a single cartridge from the conveyor. a device 140 will employ a gripping mechanism to pick up the cartridge. an arm of the gripping device will then move the cartridge to the camera zone position. with the camera zone illuminated, the gripping mechanism will rotate the cartridge in the camera zone. when the cartridge has been successfully read and decoded, the gripping mechanism will lower the cartridge onto the same conveyor or onto a different conveyor, release the cartridge and allow the cartridge to proceed to the finished packaging area. the device repeats this procedure unless otherwise notified by the plc computer. the gripping mechanism resembles a miniature cargo crane and functions in much the same manor. suitable devices termed pick and place devices are commercially available, e.g., see u.s. pat. no. 4,095,699 to o'neill. software controlling the system ensures complete reading, decoding and storage of each of the cartridges passing the camera zone. this gathered information is then sent to the (plc) computer, which based upon preset parameters, could also record information such as date and lot code as well as all the cartridge identification data. after the system has read, decoded and counted the preset number of cartridges per retail box, the cartridges are allowed onto a following conveyor. in each of the above-described five alternate systems for reading the information placed on the cartridge, the cartridge is then transported to a loading conveyor where the cartridges are brought to the packaging area where they will be kept together and put into the retail package. when the cartridges are completely in the retail box, a sensor will trigger the computer-controlled print and apply label machine to apply a label to the package as sown in, fig. 10 . this label will contain all the cartridge ids (identification data) as well as any other pertinent information such as date and lot code, and this label is scanned at the retailer location when the customer purchases the package of cartridges. the building of shipping cases is also illustrated in fig. 7 as the packages of complete cartridges are being packed, the package barcode numbers are then scanned and the shipper case is built. the ammunition tracking system software program will store all package identifications being placed in the shipping case. after a preset number of packages have been reached to complete the case, a barcode will be printed and applied to the shipping casethis process may be done automatically. the ammunition tracking system is used to link this shipper case barcode and all cartridges contained within the case to the distributor or retailer during shipment from the manufacturer. a pallet is built in the same fashion. after a preset number of cases have been placed on a palette, the ammunition tracking system will assign and print a palette label. this palette label when scanned will link every case, package and cartridge's identification to its destination. fig. 10 in diagram format shows the manner in which the ammunition tracking system tracks the ammunition. scanning a palette, case or retail package to the retailer when ammunition is shipped to a distributor or retailer, the manufacturer will normally generate an order and picking list from their existing system. using a data collector device equipped with the ammunition tracking system software, the manufacturer will enter the retailer or distributor identification number followed by the invoice number (these steps are covered by trained ammunition tracking personnel). the order picker is then prompted to scan the palettes, cases or retail package selected to fill the order. when the order is complete, the same procedure will be repeated to fill the next order and so on. at the end of the day or any scheduled time/quantity interval, the data collectors are uploaded to the central database server of the ammunition tracking system that will continually update this offsite central database. the distributor shipping to the retailer would use the same shipping method utilized by the manufacturer to ship to a distributor. how the ammunition tracking system is used to track cartridges to a customer from the retailer to the consumer is as follows: when the retailer sells any ammunition cartridges to a consumer, the retailer will enter via an icon from the main menu or the point-of-sale software that may have a pre-programmed key that will collect that ammunition and customer data. by selecting the pre-programmed key, the point-of-sale software will prompt the retailer for the customer's state-approved form of identification. based on the guidelines of each state, more or less detailed information will be entered such as name, address and driver's license number. in the event the purchase is made via credit card, all personal information will be gathered from that source. once the required information has been entered, the retailer can then scan any cases or retail boxes of ammunition. with the process complete, the cartridges' identification numbers are now linked to the ultimate customer along with the date, time and retailer of record. in the case of the direct online internet connection, the transaction is instantly recorded. in the case of the retailer using an onsite computer to collect the data, this computer will be polled at the end of each business day or other interval and all transactions will be uploaded to the centralized database. the preferred system would be the instant online hookup. tracking ammunition involved in a crime ammunition casings found at crime scenes may be decoded in a number of ways. in the case of the code being of a barcode technology, the casing may be decoded by using a single camera vision system and utilizing windows-base programs, it will be possible to read and decode the barcode thus retrieving the tracking number placed on the casing during manufacturing. in the event the code is of an alphanumeric nature, the code can be retrieved without special equipment. also, note the possibility of there being a matching code on the inside of the casing. this redundant code is recommended to ensure survivability of said tracking number. the decoded manufacturer tracking number is entered into the ammunition tracking system central database by law enforcement agencies at the scene or some central location linked by telephone or computer. immediately, the ammunition is then traced back to the customer who purchased the ammunition along with the date and retailer as well as all pertinent information collected. it is preferred that any casing at a crime scene be returned to the law enforcement lab to perform this task. the devices and equipment referred to herein and partially listed on page 18 hereof are readily available commercially; e.g., ocr devices are commonly used in barcode and computer flatbed scanners; plc are found in everyday computers with system control software to control conveyors, scanners, printers, etc.; ccd are found in the latest video and all digital camerasalso the latest barcode scanners use this technology; led (light emitting diode) are used in clocks, cable tv boxes, etc. the above devices can be purchased at radio shack, staples and computer and electrical supply stores. while there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.
023-020-713-271-656	JP	[ "JP", "DE", "US" ]	B25B23/157,B23B45/00,H02P3/12	1983-07-12T00:00:00	1983	[ "B25", "B23", "H02" ]	control system of clutch type motorized clamping tool	in an electrical tool having a clutch for adjusting rotational torque of the driven shaft, a limit switch of double-throw type is used for detecting the state of the clutch, and a capacitor is arranged to be charged via the limit switch. in one embodiment of the instant invention, the capacitor is normally discharged and is charged when the clutch assumes a disengaged state, thereby producing a trigger pulse used for making a short circuit for the motor only when the capacitor is not fully charged. in another embodiment, the capacitor is normally charged, and is discharged when the clutch assumes a disengaged state, thereby producing a trigger pulse used for making a short circuit for the motor. with this arrangement a switching circuit provided for making the short circuit for the motor is effectively prevented from making the short circuit when a power switch is turned on irrespective of the state of the clutch.	1. a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: (a) a power switch for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power; (b) a limit switch responsive to said clutch, said limit switch assuming first and second states for selectively transmitting electrical power fed through said power switch; (c) a switching circuit of self-holding type responsive to said limit switch for short-circulating said motor when said clutch is in a predetermined state, said switching circuit being powered through said power switch; and (d) means responsive to said limit switch for preventing said switching circuit from making a short circuit with respect to said motor, said means having a capacitor arranged to be charged through said limit switch. 2. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said limit switch has a movable contact connected to one terminal of said capacitor, a stationary contact connected via discharging circuit to the other terminal of said capacitor, and another stationary contact connected via said power switch to said power source. 3. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a diode connected in series with said capacitor. 4. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a forward/reverse switch of double-throw type connected to terminals of said motor for changing the polarity of applying voltage, said other stationary contact of said limit switch being connected via said forward/reverse switch to said power switch. 5. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switching circuit comprises a relay circuit for making said short circuit, and a drive circuit for the relay circuit, having a thyristor responsive to a signal fed from said capacitor. 6. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said limit switch has a movable contact connected to one terminal of said capacitor, a first stationary contact connected via said power switch to said power source, and a second stationary contact connected to said switching circuit for supplying the same with a trigger signal. 7. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a forward/reverse switch of double-throw type connected to terminals of said motor for changing the polarity of applying voltage, said first stationary contact of said limit switch being connected via said forward/reverse switch to said power switch. 8. a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said switching circuit comprises a relay circuit for making said short circuit, and a drive circuit for the relay circuit, having a thyristor responsive to a signal fed from said capacitor via said limit switch. 9. a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: (a) a power switch of double-throw type, for assuming a first state for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power and a second state for making a short circuit for said motor; (b) a limit switch of double-throw type responsive to said clutch, for assuming a first state for receiving power source voltage through said power switch when said power switch is in said first state, and a second state in which said power source voltage is not received; (c) a switching circuit of double-throw type for assuming a first state normally for supplying said motor with electrical power and a second state for short-circuiting said motor; (d) a capacitor connected between said limit switch and said switching circuit for causing said switching circuit to assume said second state only when said limit switch is in said first state and said capacitor is in other than fully-charged state; and (e) a discharging circuit connected to said limit switch and to said capacitor so that said capacitor is discharged when said limit switch assumes said second state. 10. a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: (a) a power switch of double-throw type, for assuming a first state for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power and a second state for making a short circuit for said motor; (b) a limit switch of double-throw type responsive to said clutch, for assuming a first state for receiving power source voltage through said power switch when said power switch is in said first state, and a second state in which said power source voltage is not received; (c) a switching circuit of double-throw type for assuming a first state normally for supplying said motor with electrical power and a second state for short-circuiting said motor; and (d) a capacitor connected between a movable contact of said limit switch and ground so as to be charged when said limit switch is in said first state, said capacitor being discharged when said limit switch assumes a second state so as to cause said switching circuit to assume said second state thereof.	background of the invention this invention relates generally to electrical tools such as powered screw drivers, impact wrenches or the like, and more particularly to such tools having a clutch. conventional electrical tools used for driving screws, nuts or the like have a clutch interposed between a motor shaft and a driven shaft connected to a bit so that a desired tightening torque is obtained with the adjustment of the force of a coil spring or the like. more specifically, such a clutch is used for terminating the transmission of the rotational force from the motor through disengagement thereof when the tightening torque exceeds a predetermined value. furthermore, a limit switch associated with the clutch is used for triggering a self-holding switching circuit so that both terminals of the motor are short-circuited for effecting dynamic braking. as a result, the motor is stopped. at the time of motor stopping, the clutch is usually put in engaged state again due to rotational inertia. however, the clutch sometimes remains in disengaged state. when a power switch of such a conventional tool is turned on again under a condition where the clutch is disengaged, since the limit switch is in a closed state, the switching circuit operates so that dynamic braking is performed. for this reason, therefore, it has hitherto been necessary to manually rotate the driven shaft to put the clutch in an engaged state before the main switch is turned on. such manual operation required sometimes prior to restarting the motor is troublesome, and therefore, easy-handling tools have been desired. summary of the invention the present invention has been developed in order to remove the above-described drawback inherent to the conventional circuit arrangements for electrical tools with a clutch. it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch so that the motor of the tool can be restarted irrespective of the state of the clutch. according to a feature of the present invention, a limit switch of double-throw type is used and a capacitor is arranged to be charged via the limit switch. in one embodiment of the instant invention, the capacitor is normally discharged and is charged when the clutch assumes a disengaged state, thereby producing a trigger pulse used for making a short circuit for the motor, only when the capacitor is not fully charged. in another embodiment, the capacitor is normally charged, and is discharged when the clutch assumes a disengaged state, thereby producing a trigger pulse used for making a short circuit for the motor. in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: a power switch for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power; a limit switch responsive to said clutch which assumes first and second states for selectively transmitting power fed through said power switch; a switching circuit of self-holding type responsive to said limit switch for short-circuiting said motor when said clutch is in a predetermined state, said switching circuit being powered through said power switch; and means responsive to said limit switch for preventing said switching circuit from making a short circuit with respect to said motor, said means having a capacitor arranged to be charged through said limit switch. in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: a power switch of double-throw type, for assuming a first state for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power and a second state for making a short circuit for said motor; a limit switch of double-throw type responsive to said clutch, for assuming a first state for receiving power source voltage through said power switch when said power switch is in said first state, and a second state in which said power source voltage is not received; a switching circuit of double-throw type for assuming a first state normally for supplying said motor with electrical power and a second state for short-circuiting said motor; a capacitor connected between said limit switch and said switching circuit for causing said switching circuit to assume said second state only when said limit switch is in said first state and said capacitor is in other than fully-charged state; and a discharging circuit connected to said limit switch and to said capacitor so that said capacitor is discharged when said limit switch assumes said second state. in accordance with the present invention, there is further provided a circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch, comprising: a power switch of double-throw type, for assuming a first state for supplying a motor of said tool with electrical power and a second state for making a short circuit for said motor; a limit switch of double-throw type responsive to said clutch, for assuming a first state for receiving power source voltage through said power switch when said power switch is in said first state, and a second state in which said power source voltage is not received; a switching circuit of double-throw type for assuming a first state normally for supplying said motor with electrical power and a second state for short-circuiting said motor; and a capacitor connected between a movable contact of said limit switch and ground so as to be charged when said limit switch is in said first state, said capacitor being discharged when said limit switch assumes a second state so as to cause said switching circuit to assume said second state thereof. brief description of the drawings the object and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: figs. 1 and 2 are explanatory cross-sectional views of a clutch used in electrical tools according to the present invention; fig. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the invention referring now to figs. 1 and 2, schematic cross-sectional views around a clutch of an electrical tool, such as an electrical screw driver, are shown. fig. 1 shows a state of driving a screw, nut or the like in a tightening direction. when a motor shaft 2 coupled with an unshown electrical motor rotates, a fixed clutch 1 secured to the motor shaft 2 also rotates. a movable clutch 3 is attached to a driven shaft 5 via ball keys 4, and is slidable in the axial direction of the driven shaft 5 and rotates together with the driven shaft 5. the movable clutch 3 is pressed toward a fixed key 8 secured to the fixed clutch 1 by way of a coil spring 6 which is attached to the movable clutch 3 via a thrust ball bearing 7. a limit switch 10 is located around the movable clutch 3 such that the limit switch 10 is operated when the movable clutch 3 moves left from the position of fig. 1. as will be described in detail with reference to figs. 3 and 4 hereinafter, the limit switch 10 is of double-throw type whereas conventional limit switches are of single-throw type. the limit switch 10 has a movable contact "a" and two stationary contacts "b" and "c", and the movable contact "a" is in contact with the stationary contact " c" when the movable clutch 3 is in the position of fig. 1. under the condition of fig. 1, the driving force from the motor shaft 2 is transmitted via the fixed clutch 1, the fixed keys 8, the movable keys 9 and the movable clutch 3 to the driven shaft 5, and therefore a screw driver bit or the like (not shown) attached to the left end of the driven shaft 5 is rotated for tightening the screw or the like. this state of the clutch is referred to as an engaged state. as the screw-tightening operation is completed, load which is greater than a setting torque value defined by the pressing force of the coil spring 6, is applied to the driven shaft 5, and then the movable key 9 runs on the fixed key 8. as a result, the movable clutch 8 disengages from the fixed clutch 1, where the limit switch 10 remains in depressed state. at this time, the movable clutch 3 has been moved left against the force of the coil spring 6 causing the movable contact "a" of the limiting switch 10 to be in contact with the stationary contact "b". fig. 2 shows such a state of termination of tightening operation, and this state of the clutch is referred to as a disengaged state. when the operation of the electrical tool is interrupted, the clutch normally returns to the state of fig. 1. however, the clutch remains sometimes in the disengaged state of fig. 2 after the operation of the electrical tool has been interrupted or terminated. as described at the beginning of this specification, when the clutch remains in the condition of fig. 2, the electrical motor cannot be restarted when a power switch is turned on again in the conventional arrangement because a conventional limit switch causes another switching circuit to establish a short-circuit for the motor. the circuit arrangement according to the present invention removes such a drawback so that the motor can be restarted whenever the power switch is turned on. referring now to fig. 3, a circuit diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention is shown. the circuit generally comprises a d.c. power source 11, which may be a battery or a rectifying circuit responsive to an a.c. power source, a power switch 12 of double-throw type, a limit switch 10 of double-throw type, a forward/reverse switch 14, a d.c. motor m, and a switching circuit including a relay circuit 13 and thyristor circuit s which drives the relay circuit 13. the power switch 12 comprises a movable contact "a" contactable with either a stationary contact "b" or another stationary contact "c", where the stationary contact "b" is connected to a positive terminal of the power source 11, and the movable contact "a" and the other stationary contact "c" are respectively connected to terminals of the forward/reverse switch 14. the stationary contact "c" is provided for braking the motor m through dynamic braking when the power switch 12 is turned off. the forward/reverse switch 14 is a conventional double-throw, double-pole switch for changing the polarity of supplying voltage to the motor m so that a desired rotational direction is obtained for either tightening or loosening a screw. it is assumed that when the forward/reverse switch 14 is in the state shown by solid lines, the motor m rotates in a forward direction for tightening a screw. the limit switch 10 is of the double-throw type as mentioned in the above, and a positive terminal "+" of a capacitor c2 is connected to the movable contact "a" thereof. a negative terminal "-" of the capacitor c2 is connected to the stationary contact "c" and to the anode of a diode d whose cathode is connected via a resistor r2 to the gate of a thyristor scr of the thyristor circuit s. the thyristor circuit s also comprises a capacitor c1 and a resistor r1 connected in parallel between the gate of the thyristor scr and ground connected to a negative terminal of the power source 11. the relay circuit 13 comprises a solenoid l which actuates a movable contact "a" thereof on energization. the solenoid l is connected at its one terminal to the movable contact "a" of the power switch 12, and at the other terminal to the anode of the thyristor scr. the relay has a stationary contact "b" connected to the movable contact "a" of the power switch 12, and another stationary contact "c" connected to ground. the relay circuit 13 is provided for making a short circuit for the motor m when the tightening torque exceeds a predetermined value in the same manner as in conventional circuit arrangements, and the thyristor circuit s is provided for energizing the solenoid l of the relay circuit 13. the thyristor circuit s functioning as a drive circuit for the relay circuit 13, is arranged to be triggered by a trigger pulse fed from the capacitor c2 as will be described in detail hereinafter. the capacitor c2 preferably has a value around 0.1 microfarad when the voltage of the power source 11 is 140 volts. the circuit arrangement of fig. 3 operates as follows. before turning on the power switch 12, one of tightening mode and loosening mode is selected by the forward/reverse switch 14 which is manually operable. normally, the clutch is in the state of fig. 1 before the power switch 12 is turned on, while respective switches are in the state shown by solid lines in fig. 3. in detail, the power switch 12 is not yet turned on so that the movable contact "a" thereof is in contact with a stationary contact "c", the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 is in contact with the stationary contact "b", the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 is in contact with the stationary contact "c". when the power switch 12 is turned on so that the movable contact "a" is in contact with the stationary contact "b", as shown by a dotted line the motor m is energized. at this time the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 is in contact with the stationary contact "c" since the solenoid l thereof has not been powered, and no trigger pulse is being applied to the gate of the thyristor scr. during the tightening operation the clutch is in the engaged state of fig. 1, and therefore, the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 is in contact with the stationary contact "c". assuming that the load torque, which is greater than a torque value determined by the suppressing force of the coil spring 6, is applied to the driven shaft 5 as the screw has been tightened the movable key 9 runs on the fixed key 8 as shown in fig. 2. as a result, the fixed clutch 1 is disengaged from the movable clutch 3 and thus the limit switch 10 is actuated by the movable clutch 3 so that the movable contact, as shown by a dotted line, "a" is now in contact with the stationary contact "b" which is connected to a terminal of the motor m via the forward/reverse switch 14. since this terminal of the motor m receives positive voltage through the power switch 12, this voltage is applied to the capacitor c2. thus, the charging of the capacitor c2 starts since current flows via the capacitor c2, the diode d, the resistor r2 and the resistor r1 of the thyristor circuit s. with this charging operation, a positive pulse is applied to the gate of the thyristor scr to turn on the same. as a result, the thyristor scr is rendered conductive causing the energization of the solenoid l of the relay circuit 13. therefore, the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 is attracted toward the solenoid l so as to be in contact with the stationary contact "b". as a result, the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 leaves the stationary contact "c" to cut off the power supply to the motor m. the connection between the contacts "a" and "b" of the relay circuit 13 makes a short circuit for the motor m. as a result, dynamic braking is performed to reduce the rotational speed of the motor m. then the motor m finally stops. at this time the clutch stops during the state of fig. 1 usually because the motor m further rotates due to inertia over a given rotational angle after application of dynamic braking. as a result, the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 returns to be in contact with the stationary contact "c". accordingly, the capacitor c2 is immediately discharged via a discharging circuit 20 interposed between a negative terminal "-" of the capacitor c2 and the stationary contact "c". after the completion of screw-tightening, the power switch 12 is manually turned off and thus the movable contact "a" thereof is returned to be in contact with the stationary contact "c". therefore, the thyristor scr is turned off to de-energize the solenoid l of the relay circuit 13. thus, the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 returns to be in contact with the stationary contact "c" to restore its original state. as a result, all the switches are put in the initial state prior to operation. however, the clutch sometimes stops in the state of fig. 2 in which the movable key 9 of the movable clutch 3 runs on the fixed key 8 of the fixed clutch 1 to be put in a disengaged state. during such state, the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 is continuously in contact with the stationary contact "b". even under such disengaged state of the clutch, the power switch 12 is manually turned off after the operation of the electrical tool. therefore, the thyristor s is turned off to de-energize solenoid l of the relay circuit 13. accordingly, the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 returns to the stationary contact "c". under such condition, let us assume that the power switch 12 is again turned on to re-establish the connection beteen contacts "a" and "b" for performing another screw-tightening operation. at this time, although the positive voltage from the power source 11 is fed via the power switch 12 and the limit switch 10 to the capacitor c2, since the capacitor c2 has been fully charged in the former braking operation, no current can flow thereinto, and therefore, no trigger pulse is applied to the gate of the thyristor scr. since the solenoid l has been deenergized when the power switch 12 was turned off, the movable contact "a" of the relay circuit 13 has returned to the stationary contact "c", and the relay circuit 13 is prevented from making a short circuit for the motor m even if the power switch 12 is turned on. in this way, the motor m starts rotating without receiving braking force. as soon as the movable clutch 3 moves back to the state of fig. 1, the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 comes into contact with the stationary contact "c" so that the capacitor c2 is immediately discharged via the discharging circuit 20. as a result, the capacitor c2 is now ready for generating a trigger pulse when the clutch is put in the state of fig. 2 in the same manner as described in the above. the diode d connected in series with the capacitor c2 is provided so that discharging of the capacitor c2 is effected by way of only the discharging circuit 20 connected between the contact "c" of the limit switch 10. in the above description, it is assumed that the forward/reverse switch 14 has been put in a state illustrated by solid lines so that the driven shaft 5 rotates in a direction of tightening the screw. when the forward/reverse switch 14 is manipulated to be put in a state of dotted lines for causing the motor m to rotate in a direction of loosening the screw, the stationary contact "b" of the limit switch 10 receives a negative voltage. as a result, the capacitor c2 is not charged and no trigger pulse is produced. accordingly, the thyristor circuit s is not triggered and no dynamic braking is effected in the same manner as in conventional electrical screw drivers or the like. from the above it will be understood that the thyristor scr receives a trigger pulse only when the capacitor c2 is not fully charged. as a result, the thyristor scr is prevented from continuously receiving a trigger signal when the clutch is put in the disengaged state of fig. 2. fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. this embodiment differs from the embodiment of fig. 3 in that the limit switch 10 and the capacitor c1 are provided in a different manner. more specifically, the stationary contact "c" of the limit switch 10 is connected to one terminal of the motor m, and the other stationary contact "b" is directly connected to the gate of the thyristor scr. furthermore, the capacitor c1 is interposed between the movable contact "a" and ground. the capacitor c2, the discharging circuit 20, and the diode d of fig. 3 are not used in this embodiment. this embodiment of fig. 4 operates as follows. when the motor m operates in the condition of fig. 4 (see solid lines in the forward/reverse switch 14 and the limit switch 10), the capacitor c1 is charged. as the clutch is put in the disengaged state of fig. 2, the movable contact "a" of the limit switch 10 comes into contact with the stationary contact "b", and therefore the capacitor c1 is discharged via the resistor r1. at this time a trigger pulse is applied to the gate of the thyristor scr for turning on the same. consequently, the solenoid l of the relay circuit 13 is energized to make a short circuit for the motor m in the same manner as in the above embodiment of fig. 3. assuming that the clutch remains in the disengaged state of fig. 2, when the power switch 12 is turned on again (connection between contacts "a" and "c") after turning off the same, the thyristor scr does not receive a trigger signal or pulse because the capacitor c1 has been fully discharged. as a result, no short circuit is made, and the motor m starts rotating without receiving braking force. therefore, the limit switch 10 returns to the engaged state of fig. 1, and then the capacitor c1 is again charged to be prepared for the generation of a subsequent trigger pulse. from the foregoing description, it will be understood that the present invention provides a useful circuit arrangement for an electrical tool with a clutch where the motor can be restarted irrespective of the position of the clutch. the above-described embodiments are just examples of the present invention, and therefore, it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
023-606-667-837-038	US	[ "US" ]	G01B15/00	1999-11-02T00:00:00	1999	[ "G01" ]	non-contact volume measurement	there is described a method and apparatus for measuring the volume of an object by means of penetrating radiation. the object is placed in an irradiation zone and measurements of amounts of radiation passing through respective areas of the object are made. from each measurement, a value representative of the thickness of the object at that area is derived, and by adding the representative values, a volume is calculated. the object is preferably moved through the irradiation zone, while radiation is measured by means of a linear array of sensors extending perpendicularly to the movement direction.	1. an inspection method wherein a product to be inspected is placed in an irradiation zone wherein penetrating radiation may pass through the product and impinge on a detector, the method comprising the steps of: 2. an inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises first and second sensors, and said steps of measuring said first and said second amounts comprise measuring radiation incident on each respective sensor. 3. an inspection method according to claim 2 , wherein the radiation is x-radiation. 4. an inspection method according to claim 1 , further including a calibration step wherein a test body is placed in the irradiation zone and a test amount of radiation impinging on the detector is measured and the test measurement stored. 5. an inspection method according to claim 4 , wherein a plurality of test bodies are placed in the irradiation zone sequentially during the calibration step, and a series of test measurements corresponding to respective test bodies is stored. 6. an inspection method according to claim 4 , wherein the derivation steps comprise comparing said first and second amounts with previously-stored test measurements. 7. an inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein the derivation steps each comprise selecting a previously-stored test measurement on the basis of said first and second amounts. 8. an inspection method according to claim 6 , wherein the derivation steps each comprise calculating a value representative of the thickness of the product on the basis of said respective first or second amount and said previously-stored test measuremnts. 9. an inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a linear array of sensors and the product is sequentially placed in a plurality of positions spaced in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the linear array, and wherein a value representative of the thickness of the product is derived for each sensor at each position of the product. 10. an inspection method according to claim 9 , wherein the spacing between successive positions of the product substantially corresponds to the width of the linear array. 11. an inspection method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 12. an inspection apparatus for providing an indication of the volume of an object, comprising: 13. an inspection apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein said detector comprises a first sensor for measuring said first amount of radiation, and a second sensor for measuring said second amount of radiation. 14. an inspection apparatus according to claim 12 , including means to move said object from a first position to a second position, and wherein the detector is adapted to measure said first amount of radiation when the object is in the first position, and to measure said second amount of radiation when the object is in the second position. 15. an inspection apparatus according to claim 12 , further including memory means for storing a plurality of calibration measurements. 16. an inspection apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the calculating means comprises means to derive said first value and said second value on the basis of said first and second amounts and said calibration measurements. 17. an inspection apparatus according to claim 12 , comprising a plurality of detectors each adapted to measure an amount of radiation corresponding to a respective area of the object, the calculating means is adapted to derive a value representative of the thickness of the object at each respective area on the basis of the respective measured radiation amount, and wherein the adding means is adapted to add the calculated values. 18. an inspection apparatus according to claim 17 , further including memory means to store the respective values representative of the thickness of the object at each respective area. 19. an inspection apparatus according to claim 17 , further including memory means to store information relating to the relative positioning of the respective areas of the object.	field of invention the present invention relates to methods and apparatus to effect non-contact measurement of the volume of an object. the invention particularly concerns an apparatus and method for use in an inspection system, for monitoring the content of package and optionally rejecting packages falling outside acceptable volumetric parameters. background of the invention in many production processes, inspection of the product is carried out at various stages during the production process, and particularly immediately prior to final packaging and dispatch of the product. in processes for the commercial production of foodstuffs, for example, there is a requirement to ensure that each package of a prepared foodstuff contains the proper amounts of the various components of the foodstuff, prior to its shipping from the factory. as an example, in the production of ready-to-prepare meals comprising a number of pouches or sachets which are packaged in an outer wrapper, it is necessary to inspect the packages to determine that all of the pouches or sachets are present. in a conventional installation for inspecting products such as foodstuffs, prepared meats, or other materials permable to x-rays, there is provided a conveyor for transporting the packaged products. above the conveyor a source of x-rays directs a wide beam of x-rays onto the conveyor surface, the x-ray beam being shaped by an aperture plate to form a narrow irradiation zone extending across the width of the conveyor, beneath the conveyor, and aligned with the irradiation zone, a linear array of photodiodes is arranged to extend across the width of the conveyor. a phosphorescent strip is mounted above the array of photodiodes to extend transversely to the direction of the conveyor, so that x-rays from the source pass between the aperture plates, through the product and the conveyor, and strike the phosphorescent strip. each point along the length of the phosphorescent strip emits visible light in proportion to the strength of the x-radiation striking the strip at that point, and this visible light is converted by the array of photodiodes into electrical signals. the signal from each photodiode represents the strength of the x-ray beam at the corresponding point across the width of the conveyor. the thickness and density of the product modulates the intensity of the x-radiation striking the photophorescent strip, and thus modulates the amount of visible light emitted at each point along the length of the phosphorescent strip. the array of photodiodes detects this modulated light emission, and by repeatedly sampling the outputs of the individual photodiodes in the linear array of photodiodes, the product is scanned as it passes through the irradiation zone. the outputs of the photodiodes are conventionally displayed as a video image of the passing product. in the case of prepared meat products, any bones remaining in the meat will resist penetration of x-rays to a greater extent than will the meat, and thus the photodiode which falls in the shadow of the bone will be illuminated to a lesser extent than will photodiodes which receive x-rays passing through the meat. the presence of any bone or other body more resistant to x-rays can be detected in the video image as a dark area. the product concerned may then either be re-processed or discarded from the production line. in an alernative use for the inspection equipment, detection of the absence of a product may be effected. for example, in the final inspection of multiply packaged food items such as cakes or pies, the packages may pass through the irradiation zone and the photdiode outputs are used to form a video image of the packaged items. by monitoring the image, the number of items present within the package can be verified, since a missing item result in a lighter image area than would otherwise be expected. the package may then be rejected. in the simple detection processes described above, the detected light level is compared by the operative monitoring the video display with a predeterminced ideal image, and a decision is made on the basis of whether the image is too dark, when foreign bodies are to be detected, or the image is too bright when the absence of an inspected item is to be detected. detection in either case is thus dependent on the reliability of the operative monitoring the video display, and difficulties with inspection equipment of this type frequently occur if the operative is distracted or suffers a lapse of concentration. brief description of the drawings an objective of the present invention is to provide a method of measuring the volume of an object be detecting the attenuation of radiation passing through the object. in a preferred embodiment, an inspection method is provided which derives a measure of a volumetric parameter of the inspected object by detecting x-ray signals passing through the object. a further objective of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus wherein a volumetric measurement of an object passing through a radiation zone is determined on the basis of the outputs of an array of detectors sensing radiation which has passed through the object. a further objective of the present invention is to provide an automatic inspection installation for inspecting a series of items which can indicate those items falling out with predetermined inspection parameters. according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of inspecting a product wherein the product is placed in an irradiation zone wherein penetrating radiation may pass through the product and impinge on a detector, the method comprising measuring a first amount of radiation passing through a first area of the product and impinging on the detector, deriving from said first amount a first value representative of the thickness of said first area of the product, measuring a second amount of radiation passing through a second area of the product and impinging on the detector, deriving from said second amount a second value representative of the thickness of said second area of the product; and adding said first value and second value. preferably, the detector comprises first and second sensors, and said steps of measuring said first and said second amounts comprise measuring radiation incident on each respective sensor. most preferably, the radiation is x-radiation. advantageously, the inspection method may include a calibration step wherein a test body is placed in the irradiation zone and a test amount of radiation impinging on the detector is measured and the test measurement stored. in a preferred development, a plurality of test bodies are placed in the irradiation zone sequentially during the calibration step, and a series of test measurements corresponding to respective test bodies is stored. most preferably, the derivation steps comprise comparing said first and second amounts with previously-stored test measurements. according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inspection apparatus comprising a radiation source, an irradiation zone wherein a product to be inspected may be placed , and a detector for detecting radiation from the source passing through the irradiation zone, the apparatus further comprising measuring means for measuring a first amount of radiation passing through a first area of the product and impinging on the detector, calculating means for deriving from said first amount a first value representative of the thickness of said first area of the product, measuring means for measuring a second amount of radiation passing through a second area of the product and impinging on the detector, calculating means for deriving from said second amount a second value representative of the thickness of said second area of the product, and addition means for adding said first value and said second value. in a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further includes comparing means for comparing the added first and second values with a threshold value, and providing an output based on the result of the comparison. most preferably, the inspection apparatus further includes means for moving a product through the irradiation zone. embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inspection installation; fig. 2 is a block diagran showing the operative connection of the electronic elements of the installation; figs. 3 a , 3 b and 3 c are perspective views of calibration elements used in setting up the installation; fig. 4 is a graph showing the variation in the output of a sensor as different calibration elements pass over it; fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an initial calibration sequence; fig. 6 is a schematic representation of the stored results of the calibration sequence of fig. 5 ; fig. 7 is a graphical illustration of the instantaneous outputs of the sensors of the inspection installation at two timing intervals; fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an automatic inspection operation; and fig. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a process for executing a step of the inspection operation of fig. 8 . detailed description of the invention referring to fig. 1 , an inspection installation is shown in which a conveyor 1 carries a series of products 2 at a known speed through the inspection installation in the direction of the arrow a. in the example shown, each product comprises a package 2 a containing three items 2 b , 2 c and 2 d . the items may be of indeterminate shape, such as flexible plastics pouches containing an agueous liquid such as a culinary sauce. alternatively, the items may be chilled or frozen meat or meat products, or packets of dried ingredients such as pasta, flour, powdered milk, etc. the product may be any radiation-permeable substance, and is not limited to food or pharmaceutical preparations. above the conveyor 1 is positioned a radiation source 4 and a pair of aperture plates 5 . the aperture plates 5 are opaque to the radiation from the radiation source 4 , and shape a radiation beam 6 from the source 4 so that it falls on the conveyor to define an irradiation zone 7 extending across the width of the conveyor. situated below the conveyor 1 and aligned with the irradiation zone 7 is a phosphorescent strip 8 , below which is disposed a linear array 9 of photodiodes 10 . the phosphorescent strip 8 is sensitive to the radiation beam 6 , and emits visible light toward the photodiodes 10 when radiation from the source 4 impinges on the strip 8 . the array 9 of photodiodes may be formed as a single module, or may comprise a number of modules arranged to form a linear array of photodiodes extending across the entire width of the conveyor 1 . each of the modules of the array 9 has associated with it a sensor module controller 9 a , which carries out initial processing of the analogue outputs from the photodiodes 10 of the array 9 . signals from the sensor module controllers 9 a are fed to a sensor controller 12 . the sensor controller 12 provides an output which is fed via a line 13 to a further processing apparatus (in this case a personal computer 14 ), and may optionally also provide a video output via a line 15 to a display terminal 16 to provide a real-time monochrome video image of the products passing along the conveyor. the sensor controller 12 may be a separate unit, as seen in fig. 1 , or may be a circuit board or card fitted internally in a larger processing apparatus such as the personal computer 14 . the personal computer 14 comprises a processing unit 17 , input devices such as keyboard 18 and mouse 19 , and a display 20 . fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the electronic elements of the installation. referring now to fig. 2 , each photodiode 10 provides an analogue signal over a period of time to a control unit 9 a , wherein an integration circuit adds the signals cumulatively, and stores an analogue signal for each photodiode 10 indicative of the radiation dose striking the corresponding part of the phosphorescent strip 8 during that time period. for each timing interval, a digital value representing the radiation falling on each of the photodiodes 10 of the module 9 is calculated, and is stored in a temporary memory. the sets of values are then supplied to the sensor controller 12 . the sensor controller 12 is connected to all of the sensor control units 9 a and preferably also to a temperature sensing element 11 . the sensor controller 12 comprises six main components. an address and timing control circuit 41 communicates with the sensor control units 9 a to request them in turn to send their stored radiation values for a particular timing interval, and also requests data from the temperature sensing element 11 corresponding to that timing interval. the temperature information may be used to correct the outputs of photodiodes 10 for variations of their performance with temperature as described in our copending uk patent applicatin no. 9920159.2. the signals are received in an input buffer 42 and are fed via a bus interface 43 to a double buffer ram 44 which can store two sets of temperature and radiation values corresponding to all of the photodiodes 10 in the entire array 9 . the stored signals correspond to the radiation values for all photodiodes 10 , gathered in the previous and in the current timing intervals. input to the ram 44 is controlled by the address and timing control circuit 41 . the values stored in the ram 44 may be used in a frame store 45 to construct video image frmaes which may be sent via a video output line 15 to a monitor 16 to display a video image of the products. in terms of the digital output of th diode array, it is desirable that the range of each diode be divided into the same number of steps, so that each diode output will correspond to one of a predetermined number of illumination levels. in a typical application, the range of each diode is divided into 256 steps and thus the diode output will correspond to a digital value between 0 and 255. it is, however, foreseen the range may be divided into a different number of steps, depending on the commodity under the inspection. the processing unit 17 is provided in a conventional manner with a display 20 and input devices such as keyboard 18 and mouse 19 . the processing unit 17 comprises a processor 50 , working memory (ram memory) 51 , rom memory 52 for storing executable programmes, mass storage 54 and a disk drive 53 for loading executable programmes and data, and for retrieving data from the mass storage 54 . the raw digital data stored in the ram 44 , and corresponding to the outputs from all the diodes in the linear array, is provided via an interface connection 13 to a processing unit 17 of a personal computer 14 , where it is stored in the working memory 51 . the processor 50 then operates on the line of data to derive a value corresponding to the thickness of the product at a point corresponding to each of the diode positions. by integrating the thickness values for each line of data, and repeating the integration for as many scanned lines as correspond to the footprint of the product on the conveyor belt, a value corresponding to the total volume of the product can be obtained. the first stage in the procedure is a calibration stage, wherein a correlation is derived between the output of each individual diode and the thickness of the product at a point corresponding to the position of that diode. in the present method, this calbration stage is achieved by first recording the diode outpuit when the irradiation zone 7 is clear of obstructions, and then placing one or more calibration blocks of known thickness and transmissivity to x-radiation between the source and the diodes, and noting the output of each diode for each block. in fig. 3 , fig. 3a shows a first test block of stepped construction. the test block comprises six steps, the thickness of the blcok varying from t to 6t in equal steps. the width w of each step may correspond to the width of the radiation zone 7 , or a part thereof. the length 1 of the block is sufficient to extend along the entire length of the diode array. in fig. 3b , a test block of stepped construction is made up of three blocks of equal thickness, and in fig. 3c , there is shown a set of blocks comprising three blocks of a first thickness t and a fourth block whose thickness is twice that of the other three. some or all of the blocks of figs. 3b or 3 c may be placed in the irradiation zone to form a test piece of a predetermined thickness varying from t to 5t. the objective of the calibration stage is to establish a relationship between the thickness of a test block placed in the radiation zone, and the corresponding output of each diode. a graphical representation of such a relationship is seen in fig. 4 , wherein the graduations in the test block thickness are arranged to be in steps of the millimetre. in fig. 4 , the diode output has a maximum value d 0 when the test block thickness is zero, i.e. when no test block is present in the radiation zone. a slightly lower value, d 1 , is returned when a first test block of for example 1 mm thickness is placed in the radiation zone. similarly, further output values d 2 , d 3 , d 4 etc. are established to correspond to further test blocks or combinations of blocks with thicknesses of for example 2, 3 and 4 mm, and the series of output values shown in fig. continues to d 13 . for any paticular product to be inspected, the sets of calibration blocks may be chosen to suit the thickness of the product, and the number of steps used in the calibration process can be chosen so that the output response range of the diodes is divided into a desired number of graduations. a number of test blocks may be passed through the irradiation zone to provide correlations at only selected block thicknesses, and interpolation between these points may be used. for example, test blocks having thicknesses of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10mm may be passed through the irradiation zone to provide correlated diode output readings for these thicknesses, and diode readings falling between the correlated points may be related to intermediate thicknesses by linear or other interpolation methods. the flow chart of fig. 5 illustrates the calibration process. at the start of the calibration process, the irradiation zone 7 is cleared and respective output levels d 0 . 1 to d 0 .n from each of the diodes 1 to n are stored in the ram memory 44 , and are then sent to the personal computer 17 , where the processor 50 stores this data as the first line of a table such as is shown in fig. 6. a first test block of known thickness is then placed in the irradiation zone 7 , and the respective outputs of the diodes 1 to n stored as corresponding output values d 1 . 1 to d 1 .n. a second test block is then placed in the irradiation zone 7 , and the respective outputs of the diodes 1 to n are stored as corresponding output values d 2 . 1 to d 2 .n. this procedure is then repeated with a number of test blocks of increasing thickness. the number of test blocks may correspond to the number n of the steps in the output range. alternatively, a stepped test block such as is shown in fig. 3a or combination of blocks such as are shown in figs. 3b and 3c may be placed on the conveyor 1 and advanced through the irradiation zone 7 in synchronism with the reading of the diode array. in such a method, the outputs from the diodes are read as each step of the test block passes between the diodes and the source, with each set of readings from the diode array forming a line of readings in the data table. the data stored in the table thus represents for each diode an output corresponding to a known thickness of test block. the number of steps in the thickness of the test block is chosen to provide a number of correlation points between diode output value and test block thickness. linear or other interpolation techniques may beused to derive thickness data from diode output values falling between the correlated points. the output from the diodes typically represnets a digital grey level value between 0 and 255, and the correlated reading and interpolated value allow thickness values corresponding to each of the 256 grey levels to be asigned. the transmissivity to x-rays of the test block material is preferably chosen so as to be substantially equal to the transmissivity to x-rays of the material of the products to be inspected. thus, during an inspection process when a product passes through the radiation zone, a direct comparison of the output of each diode with the stored values from the calibration stage can yield a value corresponding to the thickness of the product at a point corresponding to the diode position. it is however also foreseen that the transmissivity of the test block material may differ from that of the product to be inspected, and providing that the ratio of the two transmissivities is knowm a value corresponding to the thickness of the product can be derived from the stored values in the table. referring again to fig. 1 , the products 2 shown on the conveyor 1 each comprise an outer package 2 a , within which are contained three pouches or sachets 2 b , 2 c and 2 d containing liquid or powder products. the satchets may be arranged in the package in a single layer, as in the left-hand package shown in fig. 1 . however, in the package on the right as seen in fig. 1 the sachet 2 d partially overlies the two satchets 2 b and 2 c. fig. 7 is an illustration of three different sets of outputs from the diodes of the array 9 . the upper, and generally horizontal line shows the values of d 0 for each of the diodes 1 to n, these values being recorded when no product is in the irradiation zone 7 . the line s 1 shows a set of readings from the diodes taken as the first package (the left-hand package of fig. 1 ) passes through the irradiation zone 7 . the sachets 2 b , 2 c and 2 d are arranged in a single layer, and thus the readings from the diodes in scan s 1 are depressed by a substantially uniform amount from the d 0 outputs. the line s 2 shows a set of readings from the diodes taken as the second package (the right-hand package of fig. 1 ) passes through the irradiation zone 7 . the sachets 2 b and 2 c are arranged side by side on the base of the package, and the sachet 2 d rests on top of the other two satchets. the scan s 2 has a central zone where the diode outputs are lowest, and to side zones where the diode outputs are at a level between that of the central zone and the d 0 values. the vertical line in the mid-region of the graph (diode position i) illustrates the outputs from a diode i during the timing intervals in which the three sets of readings are taken. with the irradiation zone 7 clear, the reading from diode i is d 0 i. in the first scan s 1 , the reading from diode i is s 1 i, and similarly in the second scan s 2 the reading from diode i is s 2 i. the depression in the diode readings caused by alteration of the radiation forms the basis of measuring the volumes of the products. it can also be considered as corresponding to the cross-hatched and diagonally hatched areas of the graph of fig. 7 respectively. figs. 8 and 9 are flow charts showing an automatic method of inspecting products and accepting or rejecting them on the basis of the determined volume of the product. in fig. 8 , the calibration stage has already been carried out and the calibration values have been stored in a ram memory 51 . the product to be inspected is then advanced by the conveyor 1 to a first scan position, and the values of the diode outputs for the first scan s1.1 to s1.n are read and stored temporarily. the processor 50 , under control of a programme, then takes the output s 1 .i of each of the diodes in turn and compares it with the stored thickness values d 0 , d 1 , d 2 . . . dn for that diode, to find the two stored values between which the scanned value s 1 .i is situated. the lower of these two stored values is then written into the i-th position in a first line of a table of thickness measurements di, the number of thickness measurements in the line corresponding to the number of diodes in the array 9 . fig. 9 illustrates a routine for deriving the thickness measurements from the diode output values of each scan. when the output values have been read, the output value from the first diode s 1 . 1 is compared to the stored value d 1 for that diode, and if s 1 . 1 >d 1 then the value d 1 for that diode is written into the corresponding place in the first line of the table of thickness measurements. if s 1 . 1 <d 1 , then the routine compares s 1 . 1 with the stored value d 2 for that diode, and writes the value d 2 into the corresponding place in the table if s 1 . 1 >d 2 . the routine continues, comparing the diode output value with each of the stored thickness values in turn and writing into the table the thickness value immediately below the scan output value for each diode. the line of thickness measurements is completed when this routine has been executed for each of the diodes in the array 9 . the product is then advanced to the next scan position, by moving the conveyor 1 a predetermined distance in the transportation direction. the predetermined distance is preferably substantially equal to the width of the array of photodiodes, so that successive scans of the product are substantially contiguous. it is however foreseen that the conveyor 1 may move the product through the irradiation zone at a faster speed, so that a gap exists between successive scanned regions of the product. while a faster conveyor speed may enable more products to the inspected the unit time, it will be understood that the measurements made of the products may lose precision due to the reduced number of measurement sites on the product. when the product reaches the nest scan position, the outputs of the diodes s(next). 1 to s(next).n are read and stored temporarily, and as before each of the diode outputs is compared with the stored thickness values d 0 , d 1 , d 2 . . . dn for that diode. the stored thickness value immediately below the current diode output is found, and is written into the respective position in a second line of thickness measurements di. if the product is still in the irradiation zone, then successive lines of thickness values di are derived from successive sets of diode output data, and are at recorded to build up a complete table of thickness measurements, each line of the table corresponding to a single scan of the product, and the number of lines in the table corresponding to the number of scans required to cover the entire footprint of the product. in order to establish whether the product is still in the irradiation zone, each completed line of thickness measurements di may be compared to the stored values of d 0 , and if each of the diode outputs substantially corresponds to the d 0 value for the diode, it can be concluded that the product is no longer in the irradiation zone and the inspection of the particular product has been completed. the processor 50 then adds together all of the thickness measurements di stored in the table, to arrive at a total. this total is representative of the volume of the product, and is compared to an acceptable range of total values. if the total lies within the acceptable range, the product is accepted. if the total is outside the acceptable range, then the product is rejected as either being over-filled if the total is too high, or if the total is too low then the product is rejected as it is likely that one or more of the sachets is missing. in the processing methods described above, the diode outputs are compared with the corresponding thickness values, and the thickness values immediately below the diode output readings are recorded. in an allternative calibration and processing method, the calibration process is carried out using reference blocks of predetermined thickness to obtain a number of correlations between the diode output value and the test block thicknesses. when the diodes are subsequently read during a scan, each diode output is value is compared with the two stored calibration values between which it falls, and an interpolation technique is used to derive a thickness value corresponding to the diode output value. for example, if test blocks having thicknesses t 4 of 4 mm and t 7 of 7 mm produce digital output values d( 4 ) and d( 7 ) of 240 and 150 (out of the 256 grey scales) respectively from a diode during a calibration stage, then an output value d(i) of 195 from the diode during an inspection scan can be processed to derive a thickness value ti of 5.5 mm by linear interpolation using the formula: tit4(t7t4)(d4di)/(d4d7) or substituting, ti4(74)(240195)/(240150) in this alternative calibration and processing method, the number of calibration scans, and thus the number of test blocks of difering thicknesses, can be reduced as compared to the method previously described. this not only saves time, but also reduces the amount of calibration equipment necessaary. the interpolation may be carried out using the actual diode output values from each subsequent inspection scan, or alternatively a table based on the calibration scans may be produced to provide thickness values correspondence to each of the possible 256 diode output values for each diode as part of the calibration process, prior to the inspection scanning stage. during an inspection, each diode output value is simply compared with the previously calculated table to produce a thicknes value for that diode. as an alternative to building up a table of thickness measurements and subsequently adding all of the individual thickness measurements in the table, it is foreseen that as each thickness measurement is derived, it can be added to a culmative total which is then compared to an acceptable range when the programme determines that the product has left the irradiation zone. while such a method may save memory, the benefit of compiling the table of thickness measurements is lost, and the possibility of constructing a three-dimensional model of the product from the spatial information in the table of thicknessmeasurements is also lost. such a three-dimensional model may be constructed by representing each of the thickness measurements as a column of product whose height is represented by the thickness measurement and whose basic area corresponds to the area of a diode in the array 9 , and whose positioning corresponds to its position within the table. such a three-dimensional model is, however, dependent on the consistency in the speed of movement of the conveyor belt for its accuracy. the processing method in which only a cumulative total of the thickness measurements is derived and the spatial information relating to each measurement is ignored can thus not only reduce the amount of memory and processing power required to implement the method, but can also significantly reduce the hardware cost by imposing less rigorous requirements on the conveyor belt positioning control arrangements. the processing methods described herein may be implemented in hardware or software or combinations thereof. furthermore, the methods of processing the data from the diode array may be expressed as a set of processor-implementable instructions carried on a data carrier such as a magnetic or optical recording medium, or a signal transmissible over a network.
023-976-099-485-430	US	[ "US", "JP", "CN", "KR", "WO", "TW", "EP" ]	H04W4/44,H04W4/90,H04M11/04,H04W72/10,H04W60/04,H04W76/00,H04W60/00,H04W76/02,G08B25/10,H04W8/02	2011-05-11T00:00:00	2011	[ "H04", "G08" ]	priority registration for in-vehicle emergency call service	an ecall is an emergency call that may (i) be initiated automatically by a wireless terminal due to a trigger event (e.g., a vehicle involved in an accident) or manually by a user and (ii) include additional data sent automatically by the terminal to a recipient entity, e.g., a public safety answering point (psap). depending on the implementation, emergency setup signaling (e.g., an emergency setup message) or a location updating message is used to give high priority to registering an ecall-only mode in-vehicle system (ivs) on a mobile network. the ivs can get higher priority from the mobile network right after an ecall emergency is triggered at the ivs. when requesting a connection to the mobile network, the ws can use one or more fields of the location updating message in order to register on the network with a higher priority.	1 . a method of establishing an emergency call, comprising: triggering an emergency in a vehicle comprising an in-vehicle system (ivs) for making an emergency call via a mobile network; generating a location updating message for the emergency call at the ivs; transmitting the location updating message from the ws to the mobile network for registering the ivs on the mobile network; generating an emergency setup message at the ivs; and transmitting the emergency setup message from the ivs to the mobile network for establishing the emergency call. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a high priority for registration of the ivs on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the ivs is registered on the mobile network with the high priority. 4 . the method of claim 3 , further comprising initiating the emergency call by the ivs over the mobile network after the ivs is registered on the mobile network. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein the emergency call is initiated by the ivs using the emergency setup message. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the ivs is only operable to place a call in emergency mode. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the location updating message comprises an indicator indicating registration for an emergency call. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the indicator comprises a location updating type having a cause value for emergency call registration. 9 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the indicator comprises additional updating information containing a value for emergency call registration. 10 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency setup message comprises a service category information element having at least one bit used for an emergency call indicator. 11 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the ws is registered immediately on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the ivs is registered immediately on the mobile network regardless of whether the mobile network is a visited network or a home network. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile network is a visited network. 14 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile network is a home network. 15 . an apparatus for establishing an emergency call, comprising: means for triggering an emergency in a vehicle comprising an in-vehicle system (ivs) for making an emergency call via a mobile network; means for generating a location updating message for the emergency call at the ivs; means for transmitting the location updating message from the ivs to the mobile network for registering the ivs on the mobile network; means for generating an emergency setup message at the ivs; and means for transmitting the emergency setup message from the ivs to the mobile network for establishing the emergency call. 16 . the apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising means for receiving a high priority for registration of the ivs on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 17 . the apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the ivs is registered on the mobile network with the high priority. 18 . the apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising means for initiating the emergency call by the ivs over the mobile network after the ivs is registered on the mobile network. 19 . the apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the emergency call is initiated by the ivs using the emergency setup message. 20 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ivs is only operable to place a call in emergency mode. 21 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the location updating message comprises an indicator indicating registration for an emergency call. 22 . the apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the indicator comprises a location updating type having a cause value for emergency call registration. 23 . the apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the indicator comprises additional updating information containing a value for emergency call registration. 24 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the emergency setup message comprises a service category information element having at least one bit used for an emergency call indicator. 25 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ivs is registered immediately on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 26 . the apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the ivs is registered immediately on the mobile network regardless of whether the mobile network is a visited network or a home network. 27 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the mobile network is a visited network. 28 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the mobile network is a home network. 29 . a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a computer to: trigger an emergency in a vehicle comprising an in-vehicle system (ivs) for making an emergency call via a mobile network; generate a location updating message for the emergency call at the ivs; transmit the location updating message from the ivs to the mobile network for registering the ivs on the mobile network; generate an emergency setup message at the ivs; and transmit the emergency setup message from the ivs to the mobile network for establishing the emergency call. 30 . the computer-readable medium of claim 29 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to receive a high priority for registration of the ivs on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 31 . the computer-readable medium of claim 30 , wherein the ws is registered on the mobile network with the high priority. 32 . the computer-readable medium of claim 31 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to initiate the emergency call by the ivs over the mobile network after the ivs is registered on the mobile network. 33 . the computer-readable medium of claim 32 , wherein the emergency call is initiated by the ivs using the emergency setup message. 34 . the computer-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein the ivs is only operable to place a call in emergency mode. 35 . the computer-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein the location updating message comprises an indicator indicating registration for an emergency call. 36 . the computer-readable medium of claim 35 , wherein the indicator comprises a location updating type having a cause value for emergency call registration. 37 . the computer-readable medium of claim 35 , wherein the indicator comprises additional updating information containing a value for emergency call registration. 38 . the computer-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein the emergency setup message comprises a service category information element having at least one bit used for an emergency call indicator. 39 . the computer-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein the ws is registered immediately on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 40 . the computer-readable medium of claim 39 , wherein the ws is registered immediately on the mobile network regardless of whether the mobile network is a visited network or a home network. 41 . an apparatus for establishing an emergency call, comprising: at least one processor that triggers an emergency in a vehicle comprising an in-vehicle system (ivs) for making an emergency call via a mobile network, generates a location updating message for the emergency call at the ws, and generates an emergency setup message at the ivs; and a transmitter that transmits the location updating message from the ivs to the mobile network for registering the ivs on the mobile network, and transmits the emergency setup message from the ivs to the mobile network for establishing the emergency call. 42 . the apparatus of claim 41 , further comprising a receiver that receives a high priority for registration of the ivs on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network. 43 . the apparatus of claim 42 , wherein the at least one processor initiates the emergency call by the ivs over the mobile network after the ivs is registered on the mobile network. 44 . the apparatus of claim 43 , wherein the emergency call is initiated by the ivs using the emergency setup message. 45 . the apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the ivs is only operable to place a call in emergency mode. 46 . the apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the location updating message comprises an indicator indicating registration for an emergency call. 47 . the apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the indicator comprises a location updating type having a cause value for emergency call registration. 48 . the apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the indicator comprises additional updating information containing a value for emergency call registration. 49 . the apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the emergency setup message comprises a service category information element having at least one bit used for an emergency call indicator. 50 . the apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the ivs is registered immediately on the mobile network responsive to the location updating message being received at the mobile network.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation-in-part of pending u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/328,763, “priority registration for in-vehicle emergency call service,” filed dec. 16, 2011, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. this application claims priority under the benefit of 35 u.s.c. §119(e) to provisional patent application no. 61/485,076, filed on may 11, 2011, and to provisional patent application no. 61/555,293, filed on nov. 3, 2011. these provisional patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. background wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. these wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. examples of such multiple-access networks include code division multiple access (cdma) networks, time division multiple access (tdma) networks, frequency division multiple access (fdma) networks, orthogonal fdma (ofdma) networks, and single-carrier fdma (sc-fdma) networks. a wireless network may support communication for a number of terminals. a terminal may place an emergency call in response to an emergency event. an emergency call is a call for emergency services (e.g., police, fire, medical, or other emergency services) and may also be referred to as an emergency services call. an emergency call may be initiated by a user dialing a well-known emergency number such as “911” in north america or “112” in europe. it may be desirable to efficiently exchange signaling between the terminal and the wireless network for the emergency call. ecall refers to an in-vehicle emergency call service. in the event of a collision involving the vehicle, the ecall in-vehicle system (ivs) establishes an emergency call via a mobile network (also referred to as a wireless network or a cellular network) to emergency agencies, e.g., a public-safety answering point (psap). the ivs can be provisioned for “ecall-only” service or for “mixed-mode ecall” service. in “mixed-mode ecall” service, the system can be used to perform emergency ecalls as well as non-emergency, subscription-based calls. in “ecall-only” mode, the system can only be activated to make ecalls. more particularly, dedicated ecall devices, such as those associated with a vehicle and designed for the sole purpose to make emergency calls in the event of an accident, are generally referred to as devices that operate in “ecall-only mode.” that is, ecall-only mode requires at least that the device does not perform mobility management procedures, including registration on a public land mobile network (plmn), except when the device is attempting to initiate and during an emergency call, or when the device is attempting to initiate a test or reconfiguration connection. an ivs in ecall-only mode does not register on the mobile network before the ecall is triggered. in case of an ecall emergency trigger, two operations are performed: (1) the ivs has to register on the mobile network and then (2) the ivs initiates the ecall emergency call. conventionally, registration on the mobile network for an ecall is performed with the same priority as non-emergency calls. conventional registration of the ivs on the mobile network may lead to a delay in placing the emergency call. it is critical that an ivs in ecall-only mode be able to successfully register as fast as possible after an incident triggers an ecall. summary an ecall is an emergency call that may (i) be initiated automatically by a wireless terminal due to a trigger event (e.g., a vehicle involved in an accident) or manually by a user and (ii) include additional data sent automatically by the terminal to a recipient entity, e.g., a public safety answering point (psap). emergency call signaling (e.g., an emergency setup message or a location updating message) is used to give high priority to registering an ecall-only mode in-vehicle system (ivs) on a mobile network. the ivs can get higher priority from the mobile network right after an ecall emergency is triggered at the ivs. when requesting a connection to the mobile network, the ivs can use an “emergency access procedure” and/or an “emergency setup” message instead of a conventional “access procedure” and a conventional “registration” message in order to register on the network. in an implementation, an emergency is triggered in a vehicle comprising an ivs for making an emergency call via a mobile network. the mobile network may be a home network or a visited network, and the ivs is only operable to place a call in emergency mode. the ivs performs an “emergency access procedure” to request radio resources from the mobile network. in one implementation when radio resources are assigned, an emergency setup message is generated at the ivs, and the emergency setup message is transmitted from the ws to the mobile network for registering the ivs on the mobile network. the emergency setup message is different from a registration message for registering a device on the mobile network. a high priority is received for registration of the ws on the mobile network responsive to the emergency setup message being received at the mobile network. in another implementation when radio resources are assigned to the ivs, a registration message indicating registration due to an emergency is transmitted to the mobile network. a location updating message may be used to indicate an emergency call. in an implementation, the cause value of the location updating type field of the location updating message may be set to a value such as “11” to indicate that registration is for an emergency call. alternatively or additionally, the additional update parameters field of the location updating message may be used to indicate that registration is for an emergency call. the mobile network can then give a higher priority to this registration and once the registration is complete the ivs will transmit an emergency setup message to establish an emergency call. in an implementation, an emergency call by the ws is initiated over the mobile network after the ivs is registered on the mobile network. the emergency call is initiated by the ivs using the emergency access procedure and the emergency setup message. this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. brief description of the drawings the foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments, there are shown in the drawings example constructions of the embodiments; however, the embodiments are not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. in the drawings: fig. 1 shows an exemplary network deployment; fig. 2 shows a message flow for establishing an ecall by a terminal; fig. 3 shows an emergency setup message carrying an ecall indicator; fig. 4 shows a process performed by a terminal for ecall registration using an emergency setup message; fig. 5 shows a process performed by a network to support ecall registration using an emergency setup message; fig. 6 is an operational flow of a method of establishing an emergency call via a mobile network; fig. 7 shows a location updating message carrying an ecall indicator; fig. 8 shows an implementation of a message flow for registration by an ecall terminal using a location updating message followed by emergency call establishment; fig. 9 shows a process performed by a terminal for ecall registration using a location updating message with an ecall cause, followed by an emergency call establishment; fig. 10 shows a process performed by a network to support ecall registration using a location updating message followed by emergency call establishment; fig. 11 is a block diagram of an exemplary ivs wireless device or apparatus that may be provisioned to operate as an ecall-only capable device illustrative of various implementations disclosed herein; and fig. 12 shows a block diagram of a terminal, a base station, and a mobile switching center (msc). detailed description techniques for supporting ecalls are described herein. an ecall is an emergency call that may (i) be initiated automatically by a wireless terminal due to a trigger event (e.g., a vehicle involved in an accident) or manually by a user and (ii) include additional data sent automatically by the terminal to a recipient entity, e.g., a public safety answering point (psap). the additional data may include vehicle identification, vehicle location, trigger event, etc., and may be sent inband along a voice path or out-of-band via separate signaling or data/text transfer. a terminal that supports ecall may be (i) a normal wireless terminal that subscribes to normal services such as voice calls, packet data, text messages, video, etc. or (ii) a terminal that supports only ecalls, which is referred to as an ecall-only terminal. an ecall comprises an emergency call (similar to an emergency call initiated by a user dialing “911”) plus automatic sending of additional data to the recipient entity. as described further herein, in some implementations, “emergency setup” signaling (e.g., an “emergency setup message”) is used to give high priority to registering an ecall-only mode ivs on a mobile network. the ws can get higher priority from the mobile network right after an ecall emergency is triggered at the ivs. when requesting a connection to the mobile network, the ivs can use an “emergency setup” message instead of a conventional “registration” message in order to register on the network. alternatively, in some implementations, emergency access is performed using a location updating message to perform registration, with the cause value of the location updating message set to indicate that the cause is an ecall, and then emergency call setup is established. when the ivs is “roaming” and its home public land mobile network (hplmn) or “home network” is unavailable, the ws must register on a visitor public land mobile network (vplmn) or “roaming network” if one is available. before a roaming network can register the ivs, however, it must receive permission from the ivs's home network. however, it is not uncommon for such permission to be denied, especially in typical instances where the home network has a roaming registration management policy (rrmp) that only permits registrations (and subsequent call servicing) by preferred vplmn partners (“preferred partners”) with whom the home network has established favorable business arrangements. thus, in operation, the home network might automatically reject registrations from non-preferred roaming networks unless and until it receives and accepts a registration request through one of its preferred partners. as further described herein, the emergency setup message or the location updating message with cause ecall may be recognized by the home network (an hplmn) which in turn immediately accepts a registration request from an ecall-only subscriber attempting to register with any roaming network (a vplmn). the emergency setup message or the location updating message with cause ecall may be recognized by the visited network which in turn immediately accepts a registration request from an ecall-only subscriber. fig. 1 shows an exemplary network deployment 100 , which may include a visited network 102 , a home network 104 , and third party networks 106 . visited network 102 may also be referred to as a visited public land mobile network (v-plmn), a serving network, etc. home network 104 may also be referred to as a home plmn (h-plmn). visited network 102 may be a serving network for a terminal 110 , which may be roaming from its home network 104 . visited network 102 and home network 104 may be the same network if terminal 110 is not roaming. visited network 102 may include a radio access network (ran) 120 , a mobile switching center (msc)/visitor location register (vlr) 130 , and other network entities not shown in fig. 1 for simplicity. ran 120 may be a global system for mobile communications (gsm) network, a wideband code division multiple access (wcdma) network, a general packet radio service (gprs) access network, a long term evolution (lte) network, cdma 1x network, a high rate packet data (hrpd) network, an ultra mobile broadband (umb) network, etc. gsm, wcdma, gprs and lte are part of universal mobile telecommunication system (umts) and are described in documents from an organization named “3rd generation partnership project” (3gpp). cdma 1x and hrpd are part of cdma2000, and cdma2000 and umb are described in documents from an organization named “3rd generation partnership project 2” (3gpp2). the msc may perform switching functions for circuit-switched calls and may also route short message service (sms) messages. the vlr may store registration information for terminals that have registered with visited network 102 . home network 104 may include a home location register (hlr)/authentication center (ac) 140 and other network entities not shown in fig. 1 for simplicity. the hlr may store subscription information for terminals that have service subscription with home network 104 . the ac may perform authentication for terminals having service subscription with home network 104 . third party networks 106 may include a router or switch 150 (e.g., a psap selected router), a psap 160 , a public switched telephone network (pstn) 170 , and possibly other network entities not shown in fig. 1 . router or switch 150 may route calls between msc 130 and psap 160 . psap 160 may be responsible for answering emergency calls and may also be referred to as an emergency center (ec). psap 160 may be operated or owned by a government agency, e.g., a county or city. pstn 170 may provide telephone services for conventional wireline telephones, such as a telephone 180 . fig. 1 shows only some of the network entities that may be present in visited network 102 and home network 104 . for example, visited network 102 may include network entities supporting packet-switched calls and other services as well a location server to assist in obtaining terminal location. terminal 110 may be stationary or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (ms) in gsm and cdma 1x, a user equipment (ue) in wcdma and lte, an access terminal (at) in hrpd, a supl enabled terminal (set) in secure user plane location (supl), a subscriber unit, a station, etc. terminal 110 may be a device such as a cellular phone or other wireless communication device, personal communication system (pcs) device, personal navigation device (pnd), personal information manager (pim), personal digital assistant (pda), laptop or other suitable mobile device which is capable of receiving wireless communication and/or navigation signals. terminal 110 may also be devices which communicate with a personal navigation device (pnd), such as by short-range wireless, infrared, wireline connection, or other connection—regardless of whether satellite signal reception, assistance data reception, and/or position-related processing occurs at the device or at the pnd. also, terminal 110 is intended to include all devices, including wireless communication devices, computers, laptops, etc. which are capable of communication with a server, such as via the internet, wifi, or other network, and regardless of whether satellite signal reception, assistance data reception, and/or position-related processing occurs at the device, at a server, or at another device associated with the network. any operable combination of the above are also included. terminal 110 may also be a dedicated in-vehicle system (ivs), which may be permanently attached to (and possibly part of) a vehicle. terminal 110 may have a service subscription with home network 104 and may be roaming in visited network 102 , as shown in fig. 1 . terminal 110 may receive signals from ran 120 in visited network 102 or may communicate with the ran 120 to obtain communication services. terminal 110 may also communicate with home network 104 for communication services when not roaming (not shown in fig. 1 ). terminal 110 may also receive signals from one or more satellites 190 , which may be part of a satellite positioning system (sps). an sps typically includes a system of transmitters positioned to enable entities to determine their location on or above the earth based, at least in part, on signals received from the transmitters. such a transmitter typically transmits a signal marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (pn) code of a set number of chips and may be located on ground based control stations, user equipment and/or space vehicles. in a particular example, such transmitters may be located on earth orbiting satellite vehicles (svs). for example, a sv in a constellation of global navigation satellite system (gnss) such as global positioning system (gps), galileo, glonass or compass may transmit a signal marked with a pn code that is distinguishable from pn codes transmitted by other svs in the constellation (e.g., using different pn codes for each satellite as in gps or using the same code on different frequencies as in glonass). terminal 110 may measure signals from satellites 190 and obtain pseudo-range measurements for the satellites. terminal 110 may also measure signals from base stations in ran 120 and obtain timing and/or signal strength measurements for the base stations. the pseudo-range measurements, timing measurements and/or signal strength measurements may be used to derive a position estimate for terminal 110 . a position estimate may also be referred to as a location estimate, a position fix, etc. terminal 110 may have an international mobile equipment identity (imei), which is a unique number assigned to the terminal. terminal 110 may be used for a service subscription of a user. the service subscription may be associated with an international mobile subscriber identity (imsi), which is a unique number assigned to a subscription for gsm and umts networks. the service subscription may also be associated with a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (msisdn), which is a telephone number for the service subscription. the imsi may be used as a key for the service subscription in a subscriber database in the hlr. the msisdn may be dialed by other users to connect calls to terminal 110 used for the service subscription. the imsi, the msisdn, and other subscription information may be stored in a subscriber identity module (sim) or a universal subscriber identity module (usim), which may be inserted into terminal 110 . terminal 110 may also have no sim/usim, in which case terminal 110 may have only an imei but no imsi or msisdn. wireless networks may be required to support different types of emergency calls. one type may include “normal” emergency calls originated by users dialing well-known emergency numbers such as “911” in north america and “112” in europe. another type may include ecalls, which are emergency calls that may have the characteristics described above. support for ecalls may be required by the european union and by other world regions and/or countries. an ecall may be different from a normal emergency call in the manners in which the call is placed and the additional emergency related data that may be sent to establish the ecall and used to process the ecall. for example, the additional data may indicate how the ecall was initiated, a registration priority request, information pertaining to the ivs (e.g., ecall-only mode or mixed-mode), a vehicle type and vehicle identification number (vin), a timestamp, a position estimate and position confidence flag, the direction of travel, the number of passengers (e.g., with fastened seatbelts), a service provider for the terminal (if any), a trigger type (e.g., deployed airbags, bumper sensors, etc.), and possibly other information. the additional data may enable a higher priority registration as described further herein, and an accurate geographic location of the terminal to be provided to a psap. fig. 2 shows a design of a message flow 200 for establishing (e.g., registering and placing) an ecall by terminal 110 in fig. 1 . for simplicity, some network entities (e.g., ran 120 ) and some less pertinent signaling messages are not shown in fig. 2 . terminal 110 may generate an emergency setup message containing data and/or signaling to indicate that the terminal is an ecall-only ivs and is seeking registration on the mobile network. this registration request using an emergency setup message may be sent to the msc/vlr 130 to request registration for service (step 1 ). msc/vlr 130 may receive the message and may respond by registering the terminal 110 on the mobile network at a higher priority (step 2 ). in some implementations, the registration request may be immediately approved by either the ivs's home network or the network on which the ivs is seeking registration (e.g., the visited network) pursuant to receiving the emergency setup message. in this manner, to make an emergency call while roaming, an ecall-only ivs will not have to attempt registering with several available roaming networks before one is finally accepted by the ivs's home network (if at all). instead, registration will be accepted immediately. terminal 110 may then send an emergency setup message to place an ecall (step 3 ). the emergency setup message may be the same message as the emergency setup message that had been previously sent for registration of the terminal 110 , or may be a different or newly generated emergency setup message. msc/vlr 130 may receive the message and may send an initial address message to router or switch 150 to originate a call for terminal 110 (step 4 ). router or switch 150 may then send a call setup message to psap 160 to establish the call for terminal 110 (step 5 ). psap 160 may return a connect message to router or switch 150 (step 6 ), which may then return an answer message to msc/vlr 130 (step 7 ). msc/vlr 130 may then return a connect message to terminal 110 (step 8 ). terminal 110 may transfer additional data for the ecall to the network for possible forwarding to psap 160 (step 9 ). the transfer of additional data may also be performed in steps 3 , 4 and 5 or some other steps prior to step 9 . in any case, the ecall may be established for terminal 110 after steps 8 and 9 . terminal 110 may then communicate with psap 160 for the ecall. an ecall may be initiated automatically by terminal 110 (e.g., due to a vehicle collision) or manually by a user (e.g., a vehicle occupant). terminal 110 may be any device supporting ecall functionality such as a cellular phone, an ivs, etc. in one design, terminal 110 may provide an ecall indicator in the emergency call setup. the ecall indicator may convey one of the following: manually initiated ecall (miec) originated by the user, or automatically initiated ecall (aiec) originated by the terminal. the ecall indicator may be used by a wireless network to differentiate the ecall from normal emergency calls, to filter or route the ecall to an appropriate psap (e.g., a psap equipped to receive ecalls), and/or for other purposes such as to identify the terminal as an ecall-only ivs. the ecall indicator may be conveyed by terminal 110 in various manners during emergency call setup. the ecall indicator may be sent in a service request message, an emergency setup message, a setup message, a location updating message, or some other message sent by terminal 110 . fig. 3 shows a design of an emergency setup message 300 that may carry one or more indicators requesting higher priority registration for an ecall-only ivs. the emergency setup message may include various information elements (ies), one of which may be a service category ie used to provide a wireless network with information about services being invoked by a terminal. for an ecall, the service category ie may include (i) a service category ie identifier (iei) that may be set to a specific value assigned to the service category ie, (ii) a length of service category field that may indicate the length of the service category ie, and (iii) an emergency service category value field that may provide information for an ecall. in the design shown in fig. 3 , a higher priority registration for an ecall-only ivs indicator may be implemented with two bits in the emergency service category value field. one bit (labeled as bit x) may be set to “1” to convey a high priority registration request or to “0” otherwise. the other bit (labeled as bit y) may be set to “1” to convey an ecall-only ivs or to “0” otherwise. in another design, a higher priority registration for an ecall-only ivs indicator may be implemented with a single bit that may be set to “1” to indicate a high priority registration request for an ecall-only ivs or to “0” otherwise. the ecall indicator may also be implemented in other manners in the service category ie or elsewhere in the emergency setup message. in another design, a new ie may be defined to carry the higher priority registration for an ecall-only ivs indicator. this new ie may be assigned a separate iei and may convey the indicator with one or two bits, which may be set as described above for the service category ie. fig. 4 shows an implementation of a design of a process 400 performed by a terminal for ecall registration. at 410 , the terminal may generate an emergency setup message comprising an indicator that the terminal is an ecall-only ivs and a high priority registration is sought. at 420 , the terminal may send the message to register the terminal for an ecall. the registration may allow the network to learn of the terminal's presence. in a first design, the emergency setup message may comprise a service category information element having at least one bit used for the ecall indicator, e.g., as shown in fig. 3 . in one design, the at least one bit used for the ecall indicator may comprise (i) a first bit indicating a high priority registration request and (ii) a second bit indicating an ecall-only ivs. in another design, the at least one bit used for the indicator may comprise a single bit indicating a high priority registration request for an ecall-only ivs. the indicator provides an indication to the network, which may be the visited network or the home network, that the ivs is in an emergency. in this manner, the home network does not need to separately determine (e.g., using a lookup table (lut) or by subsequent messaging, probing, or signaling) that the ivs is in an emergency and is an ecall-only ivs. in an implementation, the visited network (or the home network) may immediately register the ivs on the network pursuant to receiving the emergency setup message with the high priority registration request. thus, conventional roaming registration of the ivs on the mobile network is avoided. fig. 5 shows an implementation of a design of a process 500 performed by a wireless network to support ecall registration. at 510 , the network may receive a message to register an ecall from a terminal. the message may be an emergency setup message instead of a typical or conventional registration message. at 520 , the network may obtain an indicator from the message. the indicator may comprise information that the terminal is an ecall-only ivs and requests a high priority registration. at 530 , based on the indicator in the message, the network may register the terminal with the network at a high priority for a subsequent call for emergency services. after the terminal is registered, then an emergency call may be placed. the emergency setup signaling conventionally is used only to initiate the ecall emergency call after registration of the ivs on the mobile network. here, in an implementation, the emergency setup signaling (e.g., the emergency setup message) is used to give high priority to registering an ecall-only mode ivs on a mobile network. thus, the ivs can get higher priority from the mobile network right after an ecall emergency is triggered at the ivs. when requesting a connection to the mobile network, the ivs can use “emergency setup” instead of “registration” in order to register on the network. with “emergency setup” used in the establishment of a connection, the ivs will have higher priority to register and this assures that the emergency victims will get the fastest connection to the rescue or emergency services team. it is noted that even after the ivs is registered using the emergency setup, the emergency call itself must be initialized and placed. fig. 6 is an operational flow of a method 600 of establishing an emergency call via a mobile network. at 610 , an ecall emergency is triggered (e.g., by a collision involving the vehicle on which the ecall-only mode ivs is deployed). at 620 , an emergency setup message is generated by the ivs and sent from the ivs to the local mobile network. an example emergency setup message is described above with respect to fig. 3 . at 630 , the mobile network recognizes the emergency setup message and provides high priority registration to the ivs. at 640 , after the ivs is registered on the mobile network, the ivs initiates the ecall emergency call using the emergency setup message (or a different message, depending on the implementation). a location updating message is a message that is generated and sent by a terminal when it performs location updating, in order to indicate its current location, e.g., when it moves to a new location area or a different plmn. this location updating message is sent to the new msc/vlr, which gives the location information to the subscriber's hlr. more particularly, when a terminal is powered on, it performs a location update procedure by indicating its international mobile subscriber identity (imsi) to the network. the first location update procedure is called the imsi attach procedure. the terminal also performs location updating, in order to indicate its current location, when it moves to a new location area or a different plmn. this location updating message is sent to the new msc/vlr, which gives the location information to the subscriber's hlr. a location updating is also performed periodically. the location updating message has a location updating type field. two of the bits in the location updating type field are used to indicate the cause of the location update. this value is referred to as the “cause” value, and has values corresponding to well known causes such as normal location updating (e.g., value=00), periodic updating (e.g., value=01), and imsi attach (e.g., value=10). in an implementation, a cause value may be set that indicates registration is to be performed with high priority and followed with an emergency call setup. for example, a cause value=11 of the location updating message may be used to indicate high priority (i.e., emergency) registration followed with emergency call setup. the location updating message also has an additional update parameters field. in an implementation, at least one bit of the additional update parameters field may be set to indicate that registration is to be performed with high priority and followed with an emergency call setup. thus, in an implementation, when radio resources are assigned to the ivs, a registration message indicating registration due to an emergency is transmitted to the mobile network. the mobile network can then give a higher priority to this registration and once the registration is complete the ivs will transmit an emergency setup message to establish an emergency call. fig. 7 shows a location updating message 700 carrying an ecall indicator. in fig. 7 , the location updating message 700 comprises a location updating type field 705 . the location updating type field 705 comprises a plurality of bits (e.g., 8 bits) that may be used in the location updating. one or more of the bits may be used to indicate registration requested for an ecall, resulting in a higher priority registration followed by an emergency call setup. in an implementation, two bits of the location updating type field 705 may be used, e.g., the lut 708 bits, corresponding to the cause value bits. these cause value bits may be set to a value that indicates registration requested for an ecall. for example, a cause value of 11 (meaning the two bits are each set to 1) may indicate that registration requested for an ecall, while other cause values retain their conventional meanings (e.g., 00 is normal location updating, 01 is periodic updating, and 10 is imsi attach). alternatively or additionally, one or more bits (e.g., the spare bits) of the additional update parameters field 706 of the location updating message may be used to carry an ecall indicator. the additional update parameters field 706 comprises a plurality of bits (e.g., 8 bits) that may be used in the location updating. one or more of the bits may be used to indicate registration requested for an ecall, resulting in a higher priority registration followed by an emergency call setup. in an implementation, one bit of the additional update parameters field 706 may be used, e.g., the additional update parameters 709 bits, corresponding to the spare bits. these spare bits may be set to a value that indicates registration requested for an ecall. for example, the third bit set to 1 may indicate registration requested for an ecall, while this third bit set to 0 may indicate registration for a normal service. furthermore, if the entire additional update parameters field 706 is omitted, then registration request is for a normal service (i.e., not for an ecall). any one or more of these techniques could be used to indicate that registration is for an ecall. fig. 8 shows an implementation of a message flow 800 for registration by an ecall terminal (e.g., terminal 110 in fig. 1 ) using a location updating message followed by emergency call establishment. for simplicity, some network entities and some less pertinent signaling messages are not shown in fig. 8 . at 801 , terminal 110 uses a random access channel (rach), with cause set to emergency call, to access the radio access network (ran) 120 . this allows ran 120 to give priority to terminal 110 . rach is used in mobile phones or other wireless devices when it needs to get the attention of a base station in order to initially synchronize its transmission with the base station. rach is a shared channel that is used by wireless access terminals to access the access network (e.g., tdma/fdma, and cdma based network) especially for initial access data transmission. ran 120 may be a geran, which is an abbreviation for gsm edge radio access network. at 802 , upon receiving the emergency call signal via the rach, ran 120 sends an immediate assignment to terminal 110 . the immediate assignment is provided pursuant to the high priority indicated by the emergency call cause in the rach. thus, 801 and 802 establish a radio connection for emergency procedures. once a radio connection is established, registration for emergency purposes may be performed. at 803 , the terminal 110 generates and sends to the msc/vlr 130 a location updating message with an ecall indicator (i.e., to register for an emergency call). thus, the ecall indicator will indicate that the location update is for an emergency call, to give the terminal 110 and its call a higher priority for registration. this allows the msc/vlr 130 (and an hlr such as an hlr 140 ) to avoid delay in registering the terminal 110 (e.g., not perform steering, roaming, etc.). after the terminal 110 and the msc/vlr 130 perform identification and authentication procedures, at 804 , in which the terminal 110 is identified and authenticated to the msc/vlr 130 , the msc/vlr 130 at 805 sends a location updating accept message to the terminal 110 . in some implementations, the registration request may be immediately approved by either the ivs's home network or the network on which the ivs is seeking registration (e.g., the visited network) pursuant to receiving the location updating message with ecall indicator for higher priority registration. in this manner, to make an emergency call while roaming, an ecall-only ivs will not have to attempt registering with several available roaming networks before one is finally accepted by the ivs's home network (if at all). instead, registration will be accepted immediately. call setup may then be performed for emergency purposes using the existing radio connection. at 806 , a call setup is initiated by terminal 110 generating and sending to msc/vlr 130 an emergency setup message (such as a legacy emergency setup message or an emergency setup message described further herein) to place an ecall. at 807 , msc/vlr 130 may receive the message and may send an initial address message to router or switch 150 to originate a call for terminal 110 . router or switch 150 may then send a call setup message to psap 160 to establish the call for terminal 110 at 808 . at 809 , psap 160 may return a connect message to router or switch 150 , which may then return an answer message to msc/vlr 130 at 810 . msc/vlr 130 may then return a connect message to terminal 110 at 811 . terminal 110 may transfer additional data for the ecall to the network for possible forwarding to psap 160 , at 812 . the transfer of additional data may also be performed in 806 , 807 , or 808 or some other steps prior to 812 . in any case, the ecall may be established for terminal 110 after 811 and 812 . terminal 110 may then communicate with psap 160 for the ecall. fig. 9 shows a process 900 performed by a terminal for ecall registration using a location updating message with an ecall indication, followed by an emergency call establishment via a mobile network. at 910 , an ecall emergency is triggered (e.g., by a collision involving the vehicle on which the ecall-only mode ivs is deployed). at 920 , a location updating message with ecall indication is generated by the ivs and sent from the ivs to the mobile network after having made access for emergency service at 930 . the registration completes at 940 . at 950 , an emergency setup message is generated by the ivs and sent from the ivs to the mobile network. an example location updating message is described above with respect to fig. 8 , for example. an example emergency setup message is described above with respect to fig. 3 , for example. fig. 10 shows a process 1000 performed by a network to support ecall registration using a location updating message followed by emergency call establishment. at 1001 , a location updating message is received at msc/vlr 130 from terminal 110 . the location updating message has an ecall indicator set to indicate registration is for an emergency call for terminal 110 . at 1002 , the registration process for the terminal seeking registration for an emergency call is performed and completed with high priority. at 1003 , an emergency setup message is received at msc/vlr 130 from terminal 110 . at 1004 , the emergency call setup process is performed and completed. fig. 11 is a block diagram of an exemplary ivs (e.g., terminal 110 ) wireless device or apparatus that may be provisioned to operate as an ecall-only capable device illustrative of various implementations disclosed herein. the ivs or terminal 110 may include a processor module 1102 coupled to a plurality of wireless modules that enable the ivs 110 to communicate wirelessly. for example, the wireless modules may include a wireless voice/data module 1104 , an other data module 1106 (e.g., bluetooth module), and a positioning module 1108 (e.g., gps module), although the ivs 110 is not limited to the illustrated wireless modules. each of the illustrated wireless modules is coupled to an antenna 1110 , 1112 , and 1114 , respectively. although the antennas 1110 , 1112 , and 1114 are shown as separate antennas, a single unitary antenna may also be used and coupled to the modules 1104 - 1108 . the processor module 1102 may also be coupled to a speaker/microphone module 1116 , an ecall button 1118 , a vehicle sensors interface 1120 , and a display screen module 1122 . furthermore, the processor module 1102 may be coupled to a storage module 1124 that may include information that provisions the ivs 110 as an ecall-only capable device. the ecall button 1118 may be used to manually initiate an emergency call in the event of an accident or other situation requiring attention or assistance from emergency services. the vehicle sensors interface 1120 may be coupled to sensors (not illustrated) deployed in a vehicle and designed to detect an accident condition that may require attention or assistance from emergency services. such vehicle sensors may be attached to an airbag deployment mechanism, vehicle body integrity sensors, or the like. the ivs 110 may be configured to transmit and receive voice and data communications to and from the msc 130 via the ran 120 during emergency calls (following registration). the msc 130 enables emergency information from the ivs 110 to be communicated to the psap 160 via the router or switch 150 or the pstn 170 . such emergency information may be communicated to the psap 160 once the ivs initiates an emergency call using the appropriate emergency number (e.g., 112, 911, 000, etc.) stored in the device. the emergency information may include voice communications directly from a user and via the speaker/microphone module 1116 , data generated from sensors coupled to the vehicle sensors interface 1120 , and positioning information from the positioning module 1108 . as mentioned earlier, the ivs 110 may be provisioned as an ecall-only device, and such provisioning information may be stored in the storage module 1124 . the storage module 1124 may be a nonvolatile storage, volatile storage, a subscriber identity module (sim), a universal subscriber identity module (usim), or any other suitable storage capable element. the speaker/microphone module 1116 may be used during voice calls between the ivs 110 and the psap 160 . telematics application specific buttons, such as the ecall button 1118 , may be used to activate the ecall-only ivs or otherwise initiate the generation and transmittal of specific emergency data messages and/or emergency voice communications to the psap 160 via the ecall system. furthermore, initiation of data communication may also be accomplished automatically via vehicle sensors, such as sensors coupled to the airbag deployment mechanism. each of the wireless modules 1104 - 1108 includes a transmitter to transmit and encode voice and data messages using antennas 1110 - 1114 , respectively, via an over-the-air protocol such as cdma, wcdma, gsm, tdma, or the like. the wireless modules 1104 - 1108 may also be configured to transmit by other wireless communications, such as satellite communications. each of the wireless modules 1104 - 1108 also includes a receiver to receive and decode voice and data messages from the cell site, the msc 130 , and the psap 160 , or any other component associated with the communications network 100 . such received voice and data messages may be received via an over-the-air protocol such as cdma, wcdma, gsm, tdma, or the like. the wireless modules 1104 - 1108 may also be configured to receive other wireless communications, such as satellite communications. the transmitters and receivers may be integrated transceiver devices. these elements are discussed in more detail in fig. 12 . fig. 12 shows a block diagram of a design of wireless voice/data module 1104 (of terminal 110 ), base station/ran 120 , and msc/vlr 130 in figs. 1 and 11 . at wireless voice/data module 1104 , an encoder 1212 may receive data and messages to be sent by wireless voice/data module 1104 . the messages may be for registration, location updating, call establishment, etc. encoder 1212 may process (e.g., encode and interleave) the data and messages and provide coded data and coded signaling. a modulator (mod) 1214 may further process (e.g., modulate, channelize, and scramble) the coded data and signaling and provide output samples. a transmitter (tmtr) 1222 may condition (e.g., convert to analog, filter, amplify, and frequency upconvert) the output samples and generate an uplink signal, which may be transmitted to one or more base stations in ran 120 . wireless voice/data module 1104 may also receive downlink signals transmitted by one or more base stations. a receiver (rcvr) 1226 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, frequency downconvert, and digitize) a received signal and provide input samples. a demodulator (demod) 1216 may process (e.g., descramble, channelize, and demodulate) the input samples and provide symbol estimates. a decoder 1218 may process (e.g., deinterleave and decode) the symbol estimates and provide decoded data and messages sent to wireless voice/data module 1104 . encoder 1212 , modulator 1214 , demodulator 1216 , and decoder 1218 may be implemented by a modem processor 1210 . these units may perform processing in accordance with the radio technology (e.g., gsm, wcdma, lte, etc.) used by the wireless network with which wireless voice/data module 1104 is in communication. a controller/processor 1230 may direct the operation of various units at wireless voice/data module 1104 . processor 1230 and/or other modules at wireless voice/data module 1104 may perform or direct the process 400 in fig. 4 , the process 900 in fig. 9 , and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. memory 1232 may store program codes and data for wireless voice/data module 1104 . a sim/usim 1234 may store subscription information for a service subscription used for wireless voice/data module 1104 . at base station/ran 120 , a transmitter/receiver 1238 may support radio communication with wireless voice/data module 1104 and other terminals. a controller/processor 1240 may perform various functions for communication with the terminals. for the uplink, the uplink signal from wireless voice/data module 1104 may be received and conditioned by receiver 1238 and further processed by controller/processor 1240 to recover the data and messages sent by wireless voice/data module 1104 . for the downlink, data and messages may be processed by controller/processor 1240 and conditioned by transmitter 1238 to generate a downlink signal, which may be transmitted to wireless voice/data module 1104 and other terminals. memory 1242 may store program codes and data for base station/ran 120 . a communication (comm) unit 1244 may support communication with msc/vlr 130 and other network entities. at msc/vlr 130 , a controller/processor 1250 may perform various functions to support communication services for the terminals. memory 1252 may store program codes and data for msc/vlr 130 . a communication unit 1254 may support communication with base station/ran 120 and other network entities. controller/processor 1250 and/or other modules at msc/vlr 130 may perform or direct all or part of the process 500 in fig. 5 , the process 1000 in fig. 10 , and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. for example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. the methodologies described herein may be implemented by various means depending upon the application. for example, these methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. for a hardware implementation, the processing units may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (asics), digital signal processors (dsps), digital signal processing devices (dspds), programmable logic devices (plds), field programmable gate arrays (fpgas), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. for a firmware and/or software implementation, the methodologies may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methodologies described herein. for example, software codes may be stored in a memory and executed by a processing unit. memory may be implemented within the processing unit or external to the processing unit. as used herein the term “memory” refers to any type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other memory and is not to be limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored. if implemented in firmware and/or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. examples include computer-readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program. computer-readable media includes physical computer storage media. a storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. by way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise ram, rom, eeprom, cd-rom or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (cd), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (dvd), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. in addition to storage on computer-readable medium, instructions and/or data may be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communication apparatus. for example, a communication apparatus may include a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions and data. the instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. that is, the communication apparatus includes transmission media with signals indicative of information to perform disclosed functions. at a first time, the transmission media included in the communication apparatus may include a first portion of the information to perform the disclosed functions, while at a second time the transmission media included in the communication apparatus may include a second portion of the information to perform the disclosed functions. call registration techniques may be implemented in conjunction with various wireless communication networks such as a wireless wide area network (wwan), a wireless local area network (wlan), a wireless personal area network (wpan), and so on. the term “network” and “system” are often used interchangeably. a wwan may be a code division multiple access (cdma) network, a time division multiple access (tdma) network, a frequency division multiple access (fdma) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (ofdma) network, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (sc-fdma) network, long term evolution (lte), and so on. a cdma network may implement one or more radio access technologies (rats) such as cdma2000, wideband-cdma (w-cdma), and so on. cdma2000 includes is-95, is-2000, and is-856 standards. a tdma network may implement global system for mobile communications (gsm), digital advanced mobile phone system (d-amps), or some other rat. gsm and w-cdma are described in documents from a consortium named “3rd generation partnership project” (3gpp). cdma2000 is described in documents from a consortium named “3rd generation partnership project 2” (3gpp2). 3gpp and 3gpp2 documents are publicly available. a wlan may be an ieee 802.11x network, and a wpan may be a bluetooth network, an ieee 802.15x, or some other type of network. the techniques may also be implemented in conjunction with any combination of wwan, wlan and/or wpan. the previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. although exemplary implementations may refer to utilizing aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or more stand-alone computer systems, the subject matter is not so limited, but rather may be implemented in connection with any computing environment, such as a network or distributed computing environment. still further, aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented in or across a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage may similarly be effected across a plurality of devices. such devices might include pcs, network servers, and handheld devices, for example. although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
025-563-768-063-33X	US	[ "US" ]	G06F15/00,G06F17/30,G06F40/00,G06F40/189,G06F40/191,G06F17/00,G06F17/21,G06F17/22,G06F17/24,G06F17/27,G06F17/28	2006-07-07T00:00:00	2006	[ "G06" ]	relevant term extraction and classification for wiki content	a method for programmatically extracting terms from a page is provided. a request to extract terms from a current page is received from a client browser. responsive to receiving the request to extract terms from the current page, a command to extract terms from the current page is executed. a response is sent to the client browser. the response includes a result of the command to extract terms from the current page.	1 . a computer implemented method for processing terms from a page, the computer implemented method comprising: receiving a request from a client browser to extract terms from a current page; responsive to receiving the request to extract terms from the current page, executing a command to extract terms from the current page; and sending a response to the client browser, wherein the response includes a result of the command to extract terms from the current page. 2 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the command to extract terms from a current page further comprises: retrieving the current page; retrieving content for the current page; and sending a request to a term extraction web service, wherein the request comprises the content of the current page and wherein the request invokes the term extraction web service. 3 . the computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the term extraction web service performs the steps of: extracting terms from the content of the current page. 4 . the computer implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the terms extracted from the content of the current page serve to define a page category to which the current page belongs. 5 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the page is a set of pages. 6 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the page is a page in a collaborative web environment that allows single or multiple users to efficiently integrate static and interactive content. 7 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the command is a command used to implement a function or process of a collaborative web environment that allows single or multiple users to efficiently integrate static and interactive content. 8 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a request to update a list of tags. 9 . the computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the client browser includes a text input area in which specific tags associated with the current page are displayed in an editable format. 10 . the computer implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the text input area displays the result of the command to extract terms from the current page. 11 . the computer implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the text input area is used to generate the request to extract terms from the current page. 12 . a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for processing terms from a page, the computer program product comprising: computer usable program code for receiving a request from a client browser to extract terms from a current page; computer usable program code, responsive to receiving the request to extract terms from the current page, for executing a command to extract terms from the current page; and computer usable program code for sending a response to the client browser, wherein the response includes a result of the command to extract terms from the current page. 13 . the computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the computer usable program code for the command to extract terms from a current page, further comprises: computer usable program code for retrieving the current page; computer usable program code for retrieving content for the current page; and computer usable program code for sending a request to a term extraction web service, wherein the request comprises the content of the current page wherein the request invokes the term extraction web service. 14 . the computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the term extraction web service comprises: computer usable program code for extracting terms from the content of the current page; and computer usable program code for categorizing the terms extracted from the content of the current page. 15 . the computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the page is a set of pages. 16 . the computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the page is a page in a collaborative web environment that allows single or multiple users to efficiently integrate static and interactive content. 17 . the computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the computer usable program code for the command is computer usable program code for a command used to implement a function or process of a collaborative web environment that allows single or multiple users to efficiently integrate static and interactive content. 18 . the computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the client browser includes a text input area in which specific tags associated with the current page are displayed in an editable format. 19 . the computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the text input area is used to generate the request to extract and categorize terms from the current page. 20 . a data processing system for processing terms from a page, the data processing system comprising: a storage device, wherein the storage device stores computer usable program code; and a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code to receive a request from a client browser to extract terms from a current page; responsive to receiving the request to extract terms from the current page, execute a command to extract terms from the current page; and send a response to the client browser, wherein the response includes a result of the command to extract terms from the current page.	cross-reference to related applications the present invention is related to the following applications entitled method and apparatus for data hub objects, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060516us1, serial no. ______; method for defining a wiki page layout using a wiki page, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060517us1, serial no. ______; method for extending the capabilities of a wiki environment, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060518us1, serial no. ______; method for programmatically hiding and displaying wiki page layout sections, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060519us1, serial no. ______; method for inheriting a wiki page layout for a wiki page, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060520us1, serial no. ______; method for processing a web page for display in a wiki environment, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060521us1, serial no. ______; processing model of an application wiki, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060522us1, serial no. ______; generic frequency weighted visualization component, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060523us1, serial no. ______; method and apparatus for client wiring model, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060525us1, serial no. ______; method and apparatus for server wiring model, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060526us1, serial no. ______; method and apparatus for client and server interaction, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060527us1, serial no. ______; and method and apparatus for argument detection for event firing, curtis et al., attorney docket aus920060528us1, serial no. ______; all filed even date hereof, all assigned to a common assignee, and all of which are incorporated herein by reference. background 1. technical invention the present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for a programming model. still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for manipulating content using a browser. 2. description of the related art the internet is a global network of computers and networks joined together by gateways that handle data transfer in the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol of the receiving network. on the internet, any computer may communicate with any other computer in which information travels over the internet through a variety of languages referred to as protocols. the set of protocols most commonly used on the internet is called transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip). the internet has revolutionized communications and commerce as well as being a source of both information and entertainment. one type of software that has become more frequently used is wiki software. wiki software is a type of collaborative software that runs a wiki environment. this software is in a shared environment that may be accessed through an interface by a group of users. a wiki application is a type of website that allows users to manipulate content. users may add, remove, or otherwise edit and change content very quickly and easily. wiki applications are often used as an effective tool for collaborative writing. the current use of wiki applications is directed towards collaborative content creation, such as online encyclopedias or other knowledge bases. users typically can create content in a shared environment. in this environment, revisions of pages are saved to allow previous versions to be restored. further, mark-up shortcuts are provided for creating inter-page links. further, a “what you see is what you get” (wysiwyg) is often present. brief summary exemplary embodiments describe a computer implemented method, a computer program product and a data processing system for programmatically extracting terms from a page. a request to extract from a current page is received from a client browser. responsive to receiving the request to extract terms from the current page, a command to extract terms from the current page is executed. a response is sent to the client browser. the response includes a result of the command to extract terms from the current page. brief description of the drawings the novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. the invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be implemented; fig. 2 is a block diagram of a data processing system in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be implemented; fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating components for use in generating and using wiki applications in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating wiki architecture in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating dataflow in rendering a page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating components on a client for a wiki application in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a block diagram of a wiki tags area in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a block diagram of components for implementing a programmatic term extraction and categorization technique in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of programmatically extracting relevant terms from a wiki page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a client browser programmatically extracting relevant terms from a wiki page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of an illustrative embodiment with reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to figs. 1-2 , exemplary diagrams of data processing environments are provided in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. it should be appreciated that figs. 1-2 are only exemplary and are not intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. many modifications to the depicted environments may be made. with reference now to the figures, fig. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. network data processing system 100 is a network of computers in which embodiments may be implemented. network data processing system 100 contains network 102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system 100 . network 102 may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables. in the depicted example, server 104 and server 106 connect to network 102 along with storage unit 108 . in addition, clients 110 , 112 , and 114 connect to network 102 . these clients 110 , 112 , and 114 may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. in the depicted example, server 104 provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients 110 , 112 , and 114 . clients 110 , 112 , and 114 are clients to server 104 in this example. network data processing system 100 may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. in the depicted example, network data processing system 100 is the internet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip) suite of protocols to communicate with one another. at the heart of the internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, governmental, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. of course, network data processing system 100 also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (lan), or a wide area network (wan). fig. 1 is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for different embodiments. with reference now to fig. 2 , a block diagram of a data processing system is shown in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. data processing system 200 is an example of a computer, such as server 104 or client 110 in fig. 1 , in which computer usable code or instructions implementing the processes may be located for the illustrative embodiments of the present invention. in the depicted example, data processing system 200 employs a hub architecture including a north bridge and memory controller hub (mch) 202 and a south bridge and input/output (i/o) controller hub (ich) 204 . processor 206 , main memory 208 , and graphics processor 210 are coupled to north bridge and memory controller hub 202 . graphics processor 210 may be coupled to the mch through an accelerated graphics port (agp), for example. in the depicted example, local area network (lan) adapter 212 is coupled to south bridge and i/o controller hub 204 and audio adapter 216 , keyboard and mouse adapter 220 , modem 222 , read only memory (rom) 224 , universal serial bus (usb) ports and other communications ports 232 , and pci/pcie devices 234 are coupled to south bridge and i/o controller hub 204 through bus 238 , and hard disk drive (hdd) 226 and cd-rom drive 230 are coupled to south bridge and i/o controller hub 204 through bus 240 . pci/pcie devices may include, for example, ethernet adapters, add-in cards, and pc cards for notebook computers. pci uses a card bus controller, while pcie does not. rom 224 may be, for example, a flash binary input/output system (bios). hard disk drive 226 and cd-rom drive 230 may use, for example, an integrated drive electronics (ide) or serial advanced technology attachment (sata) interface. a super i/o (sio) device 236 may be coupled to south bridge and i/o controller hub 204 . an operating system runs on processor 206 and coordinates and provides control of various components within data processing system 200 in fig. 2 . the operating system may be a commercially available operating system such as microsoft® windows® xp (microsoft and windows are trademarks of microsoft corporation in the united states, other countries, or both). an object oriented programming system, such as the java™ programming system, may run in conjunction with the operating system and provides calls to the operating system from java programs or applications executing on data processing system 200 (java and all java-based trademarks are trademarks of sun microsystems, inc. in the united states, other countries, or both). instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented programming system, and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive 226 , and may be loaded into main memory 208 for execution by processor 206 . the processes of the illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be performed by processor 206 using computer implemented instructions, which may be located in a memory such as, for example, main memory 208 , read only memory 224 , or in one or more peripheral devices. the hardware in figs. 1-2 may vary depending on the implementation. other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash memory, equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in figs. 1-2 . also, the processes of the illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system. in some illustrative examples, data processing system 200 may be a personal digital assistant (pda), which is generally configured with flash memory to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data. a bus system may be comprised of one or more buses, such as a system bus, an i/o bus and a pci bus. of course the bus system may be implemented using any type of communications fabric or architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different components or devices attached to the fabric or architecture. a communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmit and receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter. a memory may be, for example, main memory 208 or a cache such as found in north bridge and memory controller hub 202 . a processing unit may include one or more processors or cpus. the depicted examples in figs. 1-2 and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations. for example, data processing system 200 also may be a tablet computer, laptop computer, or telephone device in addition to taking the form of a pda. in the illustrative examples, server 104 may host a wiki application. the environment at server 104 allows clients, such as clients 110 , 112 , and 114 to collaborate and develop applications in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. these applications may include, for example, weather related applications, registrations and rosters for schools, e-mail applications, and other types of business oriented applications. the different embodiments may include processes at the server side, client side, or both sides in providing a collaborative environment to develop wiki applications in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. the illustrative embodiments of the present invention recognize that current wiki applications are not suited for collaborative development of applications beyond collaboration of text and files as a knowledgebase or document. thus, illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide for a programmatic extraction of terms form the content of a wiki application. these terms may be used as tags for a given page or set of pages. the tags can be used to search the wiki in a more meaningful way, locating and better understanding and managing the information within the wiki. turning now to fig. 3 , a diagram illustrating components for use in generating and using wiki applications is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. in this example, a user may interact with client environment 300 to generate and use applications supported by wiki environment 302 . client environment 300 is a software application or environment executing on a client, such as client 110 in fig. 1 . wiki environment 302 executes on a data processing system, such as server 104 in fig. 1 . in these examples, a user at client environment 300 may send a request to wiki environment 302 for the page. wiki environment 302 returns a page. in these illustrative examples, the page includes javascript that enables the user to manipulate and select content for the page. in the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, these pages are collaborative web pages that provide user access to applications. these applications are collaborative applications that may be used and modified by users at client computers. in particular, the different illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for a user to generate an application with functionality beyond functioning as a collaborative writing tool. many of the features in these examples are provided through php. depending on the particular implementation, the different features provided in the illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be facilitated through the use of a virtual machine, such as a java virtual machine (jvm). also, other scripting languages other than javascript may be used to implement these processes, depending on the particular embodiment. the user makes the request through a browser within client environment 300 in these examples. turning now to fig. 4 , a diagram illustrating wiki architecture is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. in these particular examples, this architecture is a quite easily done (qed) wiki architecture. as illustrated, wiki environment 400 contains wiki engine 402 . this engine includes request handler 404 , command processor 406 , and page composer 408 . request handler 404 receives requests from clients. for example, a user may send a universal resource identifier (uri) in the form of a universal resource locator (url) to wiki system 400 . this request is received by request handler 404 for processing. in these examples, one page is generated for each request handled by request handler 404 . command processor 406 processes different commands to build a page in response to a request received by request handler 404 . additionally, command processor 406 renders the page when processing of commands and text fragments has completed. page composer 408 also is involved in generating the page request by the user. in these examples, page composer 408 is employed in layouts, page body content, and script collection for a page. wiki environment 400 also includes ancillary functions 410 . in this example, ancillary functions 410 contains lists 412 , comments 414 , email 416 , and attachments 418 . with lists 412 , a user may generate lists for other users to see. further, using comments 414 , the user may add commentary or other text to different pages. further, attachments 418 allows a user to attach files to a particular page. email 416 allows for users to be notified when pages have been updated or modified. additionally, wiki environment 400 contains wiki commands 420 . wiki commands 420 contain two types of commands, built-in commands 422 and custom commands 424 . built-in commands 422 are commands or services that are present within wiki system 400 . custom commands 424 reference commands that are provided through exterior sources. basically, these commands allow a user to include and process data for a page. typically, wiki commands 420 involve the use of service oriented architecture (soa). these commands allow a user to include services with a page. in these examples, the commands reference services with well defined interfaces that are independent of the applications and the competing platforms in which they run. in the depicted examples, the services are software modules. these types of services are typically based on a standard-compliant interface, such as web service description language (wsdl). of course, the services referenced by wiki commands 420 may involve any type of interface. these commands may take various forms. for example, the commands may be for financial, weather, mapping, news and events, searching, government, or international information. database 426 , contains information, such as the pages requested and created by users. further, revisions of pages, attachments, comments, and other information are stored within database 426 . information is typically stored in the form of tables 428 within database 426 in the illustrative embodiments of the present invention. turning now to fig. 5 , a diagram illustrating dataflow in rendering a page is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. in these examples, a page is rendered on a server when processing of the page is completed and the page is ready for transmission to a client. the different components illustrated in fig. 5 are manipulated through a wiki engine, such as wiki engine 402 in fig. 4 . the programming architecture and model illustrated in these illustrative embodiments of the present invention allow for visual assembly of wiki content using a browser on a client. everything requested by a client is conceptually a page. for example, a variable is referenced using a universal resource identifier model, such as including a page and variable name. further, pages are used as data structures in these examples. variables are stored for later use. these variables include session variables, request variables, and persistent variables. in the illustrative examples, users create structured data through lists. these lists may be queried, searched, and/or combined. in manipulating lists, the users employ a create, retrieve, update, and delete (crud) process. these illustrative embodiments of the present invention also provide simple decorative and automatic wiring models based on metadata. wiki controller 500 receives universal resource identifier 506 from a user. wiki controller 500 contains router 502 and object variables 504 . router 502 delegates request processing to the appropriate request handler. object variables 504 provide interconnection between the processing components. for example, wiki controller 500 has object variable 504 “wiki” which is a pointer to wiki object 508 . each object in fig. 5 has object variables that are references to other resources required for object interaction. wiki controller 500 is handled by a request handler, such as request handler 404 in fig. 4 . in response to receiving universal resource identifier 506 , wiki controller 500 instantiates an instance of wiki object 508 . as illustrated, wiki object 508 contains object variables 510 , variables 512 , php security 514 , email check 516 , user 518 and page 520 . wiki object 508 is an instance that is always instantiated whenever a request is received. this object acts as a repository for all of the objects used to generate content for page 520 . in these examples, object variable 510 contains the information needed to process page 520 . variables 512 contain session information stored in session 522 . this session information is information used only during user interaction with a page or during the generation of a page in these examples. more persistent data in object variables 510 are stored in database 524 . database 524 stores any information that may be used to generate the page or to store changes made by a user in the depicted examples. php security 514 is a function used to determine whether code identified by a client may be run as well as initiating running the code. php is an open source programming language that is mainly employed on server side applications. in these illustrative examples, php code may be executed by different objects within the wiki environment. in these examples, a user may run php code from the client side. email check 516 is provided in wiki object 508 to check for email messages that may be displayed on page 520 when page 520 is rendered and sent to a user. user 518 contains information about the user. for example, privilege levels, the identification of a user, and log of the session may be stored in user 518 within wiki object 508 . page 526 is a more detailed example of page 520 contained within wiki object 508 . in this example, page 526 contains object variables 528 , attachments 530 , process 532 , access 534 , layout 536 , scripts 538 and content 540 . in these examples, object variables 528 contain an instance of variables for page data structures. for example, a section array may be present to provide for layout information. a context pointer may point to a root wiki command. an instance id may be present in object variables 528 to point to an internal page id. these different variables contain information needed to render page 526 to be sent to a user. attachments 530 are identifications of attachments that may be presented on a page. if the user selects an attachment, the attachment can then be downloaded to the user at that time. process 532 contains the code used to generate the page to be delivered to the user. in these examples, the process is a method, for example, to identify content for the page, identify any attachments and identify any scripts that may be included in the page to be sent to the user. access 534 is used to determine what access the user has to content to be placed on the page. this access is identified through access control lists (acls) 542 . the content may vary for page 526 depending on the access that the particular user has. this user is the user requesting page 526 . in generating content for page 526 , object variable 528 references wiki command context 544 . this command context contains object variables 546 and content 548 . object variables 546 represent the in-memory version of a page's contents. these variables include a list of the commands and a list of text fragments that comprise the current page. content 548 represents the object methods used to manipulate the page content. in executing process 532 in page 526 , a set of commands from commands 550 are identified through wiki command context 544 . wiki command context 544 generates a set of command instances from commands 550 . wiki command context 544 parses the page content 540 and loads the commands to create a tree structure of fragments, such as fragment 552 . fragment 552 also contains object variables 554 and content 556 . fragment 552 is a portion of page 526 in its raw un-rendered form. in this example, wiki command context 544 contains fragments that represent the structure of the commands that are to be included in the page. these are commands that may be manipulated by the user. when process 532 is complete, page 526 is sent down to the user. data hub 558 is saved for later in the interaction. also, in this example, data hub 558 is restored when a user interacts with a component within page 526 . the data hub contains processes and a data structure. the processes are used to identify what commands for a page within fragment 552 are consumers of any data or commands that may be received by data hub 558 . additionally, data hub 558 will return results to the client. these results are sent to a data hub located on the client. turning now to fig. 6 , a diagram illustrating components on a client for a wiki application is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. in this example, client environment 600 is a more detailed illustration of client environment 300 in fig. 3 . client environment 600 in these illustrative embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a browser or some other application that has connectivity to a network such as the internet. as depicted, client environment 600 has received page 602 . this page is rendered using a wiki environment, such as wiki environment 400 in fig. 4 . page 602 has a number of different components in this example. these components include header 604 , footer 606 , left margin 608 , right margin 610 , menu 612 , and body 614 . header 604 , footer, 606 , left margin 608 , and right margin 610 are areas that are typically used for laying out pages. these sections may include various content, such as hypertext markup language (html). menu 612 is used to provide access to actions a user can perform on/with the page. for example, a menu item may be present in menu 612 , which when clicked, sends a request to the server to allow the user to edit page content in the wysiwyg editor. in this example, different types of content are found within body 614 . in this example, body 614 contains html content 616 , date information 618 , and variable 620 . additionally, body 614 also contains commands 622 , 624 , 626 , 628 , 630 , and 632 . these commands are commands for a wiki application presented through page 602 . additionally, body 614 also includes data hub 634 . data hub 634 is similar to the data hub in a wiki environment, such as data hub 558 in fig. 5 . this data hub also includes processes and a data structure used to send and receive data in requests between the commands in page 602 and those in a wiki environment. commands 622 , 624 , 626 , 628 , 630 , and 632 along with data hub 634 provide for dynamic content within page 602 . the illustration of the different types of content within page 602 is presented for purposes of illustrating the manner in which a wiki application may be presented to a user. this illustration, however, is not meant to imply limitations as to the type and scope of content that may be used in a wiki application. a user may manipulate content within page 602 to use the wiki application. further, the user may manipulate the content to change the manner in which the wiki application performs. in other words, the user may add content, such as additional commands or remove commands from page 602 through manipulating graphical representation of these commands to generate or modify content and/or functionality for page 602 . frequently, when using a wiki application to aggregate and define content, information becomes lost within the wiki application. the users are no longer able to find necessary data, simple text searches do not work and the wiki application quickly spirals out of control. even in an active, established wiki application with many pages, users may experience difficulty in getting a sense of what a page or set of pages is about. illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide a programmatic term extraction and categorization technique. programmatic means performed by a computer program. the technique is programmatic in that the terms are extracted from the content by a computer program rather than by a human. a term is a word or expression that has a precise meaning in a given context. the terms in turn, serve to categorize the content of the wiki page or set of pages. for example, if the term football appeared on a page, that page would be categorized as relating to football. the technique both gives a user a sense of what a wiki page or set of wiki pages is about and suggests likely and appropriate tag candidates. a wiki page is a page in a wiki application. tags are labels that are used to categorize content of a wiki. some examples of tags could be football, radio, television, models, and so forth. the wiki application is scanned and the relevant terms discussed in each page of the wiki application are identified. the identified terms are used as tags for a given page or set of pages. the tags can be used to search the wiki in a more meaningful way, locating and better understanding and managing the information within the wiki. also, the tags can be used as the starting point for a “folksonomy” of information for the wiki application. a “folksonomy” is a collaboratively generated, open-ended labeling system that enables internet users to categorize content such as web pages, online photographs, and web links. the freely chosen labels, called tags, help to improve the effectiveness of search engines because content is categorized using a familiar, accessible, and shared vocabulary. the labeling process is called tagging. two widely cited examples of websites using folksonomic tagging are flickr and del.icio.us. fig. 7 is a block diagram of a wiki tags area in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 depicts a wiki tags area, wiki tags 702 , as it would appear in a wiki page on a client browser. a wiki tags area is a text input area in which specific tags associated with the current page are displayed in a user-editable format. users may also add new tags in the text input area. when a wiki page is created, such as wiki page 602 in fig. 6 , wiki tags 702 is content of component left margin 608 in fig. 6 . wiki tags 702 comprises tag area 704 , apply button 706 and reset button 708 . already defined tags for a wiki page would be displayed in tag area 704 . also, a user may enter a term to be used as a tag into tag area 704 . the user may select the term and click on apply button 706 , which sends the tag in a request to the server to update the tag list to include the selected term. alternatively, a user could click reset button 708 which would erase the currently defined tags. in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a user has the ability to extract and categorize relevant terms using wiki tags 702 . a user may mouse click on an empty area in tag area 704 . a mouse click means to move the mouse pointer over an object and press and release a mouse button once. however a user may click on an empty area by moving any pointer to the area by other means, such as arrow keys, or trac ball, or other means and pressing the equivalent of an enter key once. this type of user input begins the process of automatically extracting and categorizing terms from the current wiki page or set of sub-pages. a set of pages or sub-pages may be one or more pages or sub-pages. in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a wiki command called termextraction, which is an example of a specific wiki command 420 in fig. 4 , is used to cause programmatic extraction of terms for the current wiki page or set of sub-pages. a wiki command is a command used to implement a function and/or process of a wiki application. fig. 8 is a block diagram of components for implementing a programmatic term extraction and categorization technique in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. server 804 may be implemented as a data processing system such as data processing system 200 in fig. 2 . server 804 contains a wiki engine, such as wiki engine 402 in fig. 4 . this engine includes a request handler, such as request handler 404 in fig. 4 . the request handler receives requests from clients, such as client browser 802 . for example, a user may send a universal resource identifier (uri) in the form of a universal resource locator (url) to server 804 . wiki controller 806 , such as wiki controller 500 in fig. 5 , receives a universal resource identifier from client browser 802 . wiki controller 806 is handled by a request handler. in response to receiving a universal resource identifier, wiki controller 806 creates wiki command context 808 , such as wiki command context 544 in fig. 5 , which instantiates an instance of a wiki object. a wiki object contains wiki page 810 , such as wiki page 602 in fig. 6 . wiki page 810 contains page components as described in fig. 6 , including body 614 . wiki command context 808 invokes a command that causes the content of the body component of wiki page 810 to be packed in a request, which is sent to term extraction web service 812 . the request also invokes term extraction web service 812 . a term extraction web service is a web service that is used to extract terms from content. a term extraction web service returns a list of significant words or phrases extracted from a larger content. only those terms that a content analysis algorithm categorizes as salient are extracted. in some illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a query is used to define and refine what constitutes salient terms. the terms extracted by the term extraction web service serve to define page categories to which the current page belongs. some examples of categories, include, sports, football, espn, news, moon, stars, and so forth. an example of a term extraction web service is yahoo term extraction. the result of the term extraction is returned to server 804 . then the result of the term extraction is returned to client browser 802 by wiki controller 806 via a request handler in the wiki engine. fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of programmatically extracting relevant terms from a wiki page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. the operation of fig. 9 may be implemented by a wiki engine, such as wiki engine 402 in fig. 4 , and more specifically a request handler, a command processor, a wiki controller, and a wiki command context, such as request handler 404 and command processor 406 of fig. 4 and wiki controller 500 and wiki command context 544 of fig. 5 . the operation begins when a wiki controller on the server receives a request to extract terms for the current wiki page (process block 902 ). the wiki controller on the server handles the request and delegates the request to a request handler, which is a specific instantiation of request handler 404 in fig. 4 . one example of a specific request handler would be an ajax request handler. ajax is an acronym meaning asynchronous javascript and xml. ajax is a programming model for creating interactive web applications. similar processing or requests can be handled using other mechanisms, such as using java applets or windows activex controls. ajax is used to illustrate one manner in which requests may be handled and is not intended to limit the manner in which requests are handled. the request handler creates the wiki command context for the current requested wiki page. the request handler calls the “loadplugin” method on the wiki command context object. the loadplugin method loads the wiki command subclass that implements the wiki command that is invoked to achieve the automatic extraction of terms for the current wiki page or set of sub-pages. the loadplugin method searches a set of directories on the file system looking for a php file named the same as the wiki command class that the loadplugin method is asked to load. the loadplugin method finds the file and uses the php “include” language feature to load the file. loading the file causes the file to be interpreted thus defining the php class for the wiki command. the command context can then create instances of the loaded class. in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention the wiki command is called the termextraction command. the tetxextraction command calls the “draw” method of the termextraction command (process block 904 ). the termextraction command calls the “getpage” method of the wiki object to get the current wiki page or set of sub-pages (process block 906 ). a getpage method returns the wiki page currently in process. the termextraction command then retrieves the body field from the wiki page object of the current wiki page (process block 908 ). a body field is an object variable, such as object variable 528 in fig. 5 , of the wiki page object. the body field contains the raw, unrendered content of the wiki page. terms are extracted from the content of a page. the content of a page is stored in the body field. the body field is what is sent to the web term extraction service in order to have the terms extracted from the content. the termextraction command packages the body field from the wiki page object in a request to a term extraction web service, such as yahoo term extraction, and invokes the term extraction web service (process block 910 ). the web term extraction service extracts terms from the body field containing the content of the page currently in process. the termextraction command receives the result of the term extraction from the term extraction web service call (process block 912 ), packages the result and returns the result to the request handler (process block 914 ). the request handler, in turn, sends a response to the client browser (process block 916 ). the server receives a request from the client browser to update the tags for the current page (process block 918 ). the server stores the tags in a database table, such as database 524 in fig. 5 , for the current wiki page (process block 920 ) and the operation ends. in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention the database table is known as the “wiki_tags” database table. fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a client browser programmatically extracting relevant terms from a wiki page in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. the operation of fig. 10 may be implemented by a client browser, such as client browser 802 in fig. 8 . the operation begins when a user views a wiki page, such as wiki page 602 in fig. 6 , in a client browser (process block 1002 ). a wiki tags area, such as wiki tags 702 in fig. 7 , is displayed to the user in the client browser. the user clicks in the tag area, such as tag area 704 of fig. 7 , which causes a javascript function to be invoked (process block 1004 ). the javascript function sends a request to the server, such as server 804 in fig. 8 , requesting tag suggestions for the current page (process block 1006 ). next the results of the request are received from the server (process block 1008 ). the candidate tags are displayed in a dialog in the client browser for selection by the user (process block 1010 ). a dialog is an html <select> control with <option> elements for each suggested tag. the user selects tags, which places the candidate tag in the tag area of the wiki tags area (process block 1012 ). clicking the “apply” button sends a request to the server to update the tags database table for the current page (process block 1014 ). then the operation ends thus, illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide a programmatic term extraction and categorization technique. the technique both gives a user a sense of what a wiki page or set of wiki pages is about and suggests likely and appropriate tag candidates. the wiki application is scanned, and the relevant terms discussed in each page of the wiki application are identified. the identified terms are used as tags for a given page or set of pages. the tags can be used to search the wiki in a more meaningful way, locating and better understanding and managing the information within the wiki application. programmatic term extraction can be used to analyze the contents of any type of web page or any document that is loaded on a data processing system, as well as for wiki applications. it should be noted that although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention detailed above were described in terms of a wiki application in a wiki environment, the above described illustrative embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a wiki application in a wiki environment. the use of a wiki application in a wiki environment as an example in the descriptions was not intended to in anyway limit the scope of the present invention. it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the above described illustrative embodiments of the present invention apply equally well to any shared environment that may be accessed through an interface by a group of users. furthermore, while certain aspects of the illustrative embodiments of the present invention described above were explained in terms of javascript language, the use of the javascript language as an example in the descriptions was not intended to in anyway limit the scope of the present invention. those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the illustrative embodiments of the present invention described above may be implemented using any object oriented scripting language. the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. in a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. for the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any tangible apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. current examples of optical disks include compact disk - read only memory (cd-rom), compact disk—read/write (cd-r/w) and dvd. a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. the memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. input/output or i/o devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening i/o controllers. network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. modems, cable modems and ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
026-676-446-937-521	US	[ "US", "SG", "JP", "CN", "KR", "WO", "EP" ]	A63F13/525,A63F13/213,A63F13/26,A63F13/28,A63F13/5255,A63F13/65,A63F13/803,G06F3/01,G06T15/20,G06T19/00,G09B9/04,G09B9/05,A63F13/00,A63F9/24,G06T15/60,H04Q9/00,A63F13/25,A63F13/30,A63F13/5252,A63F13/53,A63F13/54,A63F13/57,A63F13/86,G09B9/042,A63F13/52	2017-07-07T00:00:00	2017	[ "A63", "G06", "G09", "H04" ]	reality vs virtual reality racing	a method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes: calculating a virtual world comprising the virtual vehicle and a representation of a physical object at a virtual position; calculating a virtual position of a point of view within the virtual world based on a position of the point of view at the racecourse; and calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical object at the virtual position of the physical object.	1 . a method for displaying a virtual vehicle comprising: calculating a virtual world comprising the virtual vehicle and a representation of a physical object at a virtual position; calculating a virtual position of a point of view within the virtual world based on a position of the point of view at the racecourse; and calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical object at the virtual position of the physical object.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/517,919, filed on jul. 22, 2019, which is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/813,662, filed on nov. 15, 2017 and which issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,357,715 on jul. 23, 2019, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 62/530,037, filed on jul. 7, 2017, entitled “racing simulation,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. field the present disclosure relates generally to vehicle simulation, and more specifically to combining real world and virtual world automobile racing. background for almost every automobile, there is a racing competition. our media is full of car races, bike races, and truck races on racecourses. each race produces a champion and, racing series produce season champions. automobile racing is not limited to the real world. recently, virtual automobile racing has gained popularity. virtual racing champions can win hundreds of thousands of dollars per race. season virtual champions can win millions of dollars. summary in some embodiments, a method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and providing, to a display system, a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view calculated within a virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse. as an exemplary advantage, embodiments described herein may allow a physical vehicle operator to compete with a virtual vehicle operator. further, by displaying a representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, the competition between the physical and virtual vehicle operators may appear more realistic. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the method further includes simulating, by the simulation system, an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle, and identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse includes detecting, at a sensor, the point of view of the operator of the physical vehicle, the method further including: identifying a position of a physical object; receiving kinematics information of the virtual vehicle; generating, at a display system, a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object, the position of the point of view at the racecourse, and the kinematics information; and displaying the representation of the virtual vehicle such that the virtual vehicle is aligned with the physical object from the perspective of the position of the point of view at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the method further includes generating, at a display system, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the method further includes displaying, by the display system, a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, the series of representations includes the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible form the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, a predicted trajectory of the virtual vehicle is displayed. the prediction may be based on current trajectory, acceleration, current vehicle parameters, etc. this may allow an audience member to anticipate if a virtual vehicle is likely to overtake a physical vehicle. the predicted trajectory may be presented as a line, such as a yellow line. other displays may also be included, such as “going to pass!” or “going to crash!” in some embodiments, the method further includes storing, by the display system, a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes detecting one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes detecting a spatial position of a head of an operator of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by a telemetry system coupled to the physical vehicle, the spatial position to a simulator system; receiving, at the telemetry system, information related to the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and displaying, to the operator of the physical vehicle, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle based on the information. in some embodiments, the method further includes displaying the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle includes: translating the information into a set of graphical elements, displaying the representation of the portion includes displaying the set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the method further includes computing, at the simulation system, the information related to the portion visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representation on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is a transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) display that allows light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to the operator. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is an lcd display, the method further including: capturing, by a camera coupled to the physical vehicle, an image representing the field of view of the physical world as seen by the operator on the display in the physical vehicle; and outputting the image on a side of the lcd display to display the field of view to the operator, the series of representations are overlaid on the image displayed by the lcd display. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display includes a front windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side windows of the physical vehicle, a rear windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side mirrors, a rearview mirror, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of a headset worn by the operator. in some embodiments, the headset is a helmet. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes detecting one or more of a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes. in some embodiments, the method further includes: providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse to a simulation system; calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; and calculating, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, and providing, to a display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes outputting, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes receiving a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes receiving a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes receiving gyroscope data. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes at least one of measuring a point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, tracking head position, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, or identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes measuring the point of gaze of the eyes and the measuring includes measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes wireless transmitting at least one position. in some embodiments, calculating a virtual world includes transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, calculating the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes: calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the position of the virtual point of view includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle visible within the field of view. in some embodiments, a method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes means for identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, means for identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and means for providing, to a display system, a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view calculated within a virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse. as an exemplary advantage, embodiments described herein may allow a physical vehicle operator to compete with a virtual vehicle operator. further, by displaying a representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, the competition between the physical and virtual vehicle operators may appear more realistic. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for simulating, by the simulation system, an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle, and means for identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting, at a sensor, the point of view of the operator of the physical vehicle, the method further including: means for identifying a position of a physical object; means for receiving kinematics information of the virtual vehicle; means for generating, at a display system, a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object, the position of the point of view at the racecourse, and the kinematics information; and means for displaying the representation of the virtual vehicle such that the virtual vehicle is aligned with the physical object from the perspective of the position of the point of view at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for generating, at a display system, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for displaying, by the display system, a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, the series of representations includes the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible form the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, a predicted trajectory of the virtual vehicle is displayed. the prediction may be based on current trajectory, acceleration, current vehicle parameters, etc. this may allow an audience member to anticipate if a virtual vehicle is likely to overtake a physical vehicle. the predicted trajectory may be presented as a line, such as a yellow line. other displays may also be included, such as “going to pass!” or “going to crash!” in some embodiments, the method further includes means for storing, by the display system, a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for receiving a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for detecting one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting a spatial position of a head of an operator of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for transmitting, by a telemetry system coupled to the physical vehicle, the spatial position to a simulator system; means for receiving, at the telemetry system, information related to the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and means for displaying, to the operator of the physical vehicle, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle based on the information. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for displaying the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle includes: means for translating the information into a set of graphical elements, means for displaying the representation of the portion includes means for displaying the set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for computing, at the simulation system, the information related to the portion visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representation on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is a transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) display that allows light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to the operator. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is an lcd display, the method further including: means for capturing, by a camera coupled to the physical vehicle, an image representing the field of view of the physical world as seen by the operator on the display in the physical vehicle; and means for outputting the image on a side of the lcd display to display the field of view to the operator, the series of representations are overlaid on the image displayed by the lcd display. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display includes a front windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side windows of the physical vehicle, a rear windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side mirrors, a rearview mirror, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of a headset worn by the operator. in some embodiments, the headset is a helmet. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting one or more of a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes. in some embodiments, the method further includes: means for providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse to a simulation system; means for calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; means for calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; and means for calculating, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, and means for providing, to a display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes means for outputting, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for receiving a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for receiving a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, means for receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes means for receiving gyroscope data. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and the method further includes means for imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes at least one of means for measuring a point of gaze of eyes, means for tracking eye movement, means for tracking head position, means for identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, means for identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, means for identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, or means for identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for measuring the point of gaze of the eyes and the means for measuring includes means for measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, means for providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for wireless transmitting at least one position. in some embodiments, means for calculating a virtual world includes means for transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, means for calculating the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes: means for calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, means for calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and means for extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. in some embodiments, means for extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include means for determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, means for extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include means for setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, means for calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes means for accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes means for calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and means for providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, means for calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the position of the virtual point of view includes means for calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and means for providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of means for displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle visible within the field of view. in some embodiments, a system for displaying virtual vehicles includes a first sensor detecting a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, a second sensor detecting a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and a simulation system outputting a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view. as an exemplary advantage, embodiments described herein may allow a physical vehicle operator to compete with a virtual vehicle operator. further, by displaying a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse, the competition between the physical and virtual vehicle operators may appear more realistic. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the system further includes a simulation system configured to simulate an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the system further includes the first sensor is coupled to the physical vehicle, the second sensor is configured to detect eye position of an operator of the physical vehicle, and the display system is coupled to the physical vehicle and configured to: receive kinematics information of a virtual vehicle; identify a position of a physical object in the field of view of the operator, generate a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object, the point of view, and the kinematics information; and display the representation of the virtual vehicle such that the virtual vehicle is aligned with the physical object from the perspective of the point of view. in some embodiments, the system further includes a display system configured to generate the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, displaying the representation of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the representation on a display screen of the physical vehicle, and the display system is further configured to: display, on the display screen, a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, the series of representations includes the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible form the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, a predicted trajectory of the virtual vehicle is be displayed. the prediction may be based on current trajectory, acceleration, current vehicle parameters, etc. this may allow an audience member to anticipate if a virtual vehicle is likely to overtake a physical vehicle. the predicted trajectory may be presented as a line, such as a yellow line. other displays may also be included, such as “going to pass!” or “going to crash!” in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display system is further configured to: store a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the display system is further configured to receive a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the first sensor is configured to detect the position of the physical vehicle by detecting one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the first sensor is configured to detect the point of view of the operator by: detecting a spatial position of a head of the operator. in some embodiments, the display system is further configured to: transmit the spatial position to a simulation system; receive information related to the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and display, to the operator of the physical vehicle, the portion of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the display system is further configured to display the series of representations of the virtual vehicle by: translating the information into a set of graphical elements, displaying the representation of the portion includes displaying the set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the information related to the portion visible from the virtual position of the point of view is computed at the simulation system. in some embodiments, the system further includes: a transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) display that allows light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to the operator, and the display system is configured to display the series of representations on the t-oled display to display the representation of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the system further includes an lcd display; a camera coupled to the physical vehicle and configured to capture an image representing the field of view of the physical world as seen by the operator on the lcd display in the physical vehicle, and the display system is configured to: output the image on a side of the lcd display to display the field of view to the operator, and overlay the series of representations on the image displayed by the lcd display. in some embodiments, the system further includes a display that includes a windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side windows of the physical vehicle, a rear windshield of the physical vehicle, or a combination thereof, and the display system is configured to display the representation of the virtual vehicle on the display. in some embodiments, the system includes a headset worn by the operator, the headset including a display, and the display system is configured to display the series of representations of the virtual vehicle on the display. in some embodiments, the headset is a helmet. in some embodiments, the second sensor detects one or more of a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes. in some embodiments, the system includes a simulation system configured to: receive the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse; calculate a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; calculate a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; calculate the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and output, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the first sensor receives a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, the first sensor receives a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes receiving gyroscope data. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, the second sensor is configured to detect the position of the point of view at the racecourse by at least one of measuring the point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, tracking head position, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, or identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes measuring the point of gaze of the eyes and the measuring includes measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, receiving the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes wireless receiving at least one position. in some embodiments, calculating a virtual world includes transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes: calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the system further includes the simulation system configured to calculate a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view by calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, the system further includes the simulation system configured to calculate a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view by calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle visible within the field of view. description of the figures fig. 1 is a diagram of a physical vehicle, according to some embodiments. figs. 2a-c are diagrams showing how one or more virtual vehicles are displayed on one or more displays, according to some embodiments. figs. 3a-d are diagrams showing how visible portions of virtual vehicles are displayed on a display, according to some embodiments. figs. 4a-d are diagrams showing how visible portions of virtual vehicles are displayed on a display, according to some embodiments. fig. 5 is a system for simulating a virtual race between a live system and a simulated system, according to some embodiments. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying virtual vehicles on displays, according to some embodiments. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing two-way interactions between a virtual vehicle and a physical vehicle to an operator of the physical vehicle, according to some embodiments. fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for simulating a race between a virtual vehicle and a physical vehicle to provide two-way interactions, according to some embodiments. fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a simulation system to enable display of virtual vehicles, according to some embodiments. fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method to enable display of virtual vehicles, according to some embodiments. fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of a computer in accordance with some embodiments. detailed description embodiments described herein merge real world and virtual world racing competitions. for example, real world racing champions and virtual world racing champions can compete to determine an overall champion. advantageously, each champion can stay within their respective “world” and still compete with a champion from another “world.” in effect, embodiments described herein enable live participants to compete against virtual participants. the terms “physical” and “real-world” are used interchangeably herein and to contrast with “virtual world.” for example, a “physical vehicle” or “real-world vehicle” can be physically present on or at a racecourse. a “virtual vehicle” cannot be physically present on the same racecourse. for example, a “virtual vehicle” may be a graphically generated vehicle that is shown on a display. in some embodiments, a “virtual vehicle” is a representation in a software-based environment. in some embodiments, a method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and providing, to a display system, a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include overcoming the lack of realism experienced by users of prior solutions. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle to the user increases the realism experienced by the user. the increased realism provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the visible portion of the virtual vehicle is calculated based on a virtual position of the physical vehicle in a virtual world, a virtual position of the point of view in the virtual world, and a virtual position of the virtual vehicle in the virtual world. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to provide a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle through a virtual calculation of the visible portion increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the method further includes simulating, by the simulation system, an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle, and identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse includes detecting, at a sensor, the point of view of the operator of the physical vehicle, the method further including: identifying a position of a physical object; receiving kinematics information of the virtual vehicle; generating, at a display system, a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object, the position of the point of view at the racecourse, and the kinematics information; and displaying the representation of the virtual vehicle such that the virtual vehicle is aligned with the physical object from the perspective of the position of the point of view at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the method further includes generating, at a display system, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the method further includes displaying, by the display system, a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, the series of representations includes the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible form the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, a predicted trajectory of the virtual vehicle is displayed. the prediction may be based on current trajectory, acceleration, current vehicle parameters, etc. this may allow an audience member to anticipate if a virtual vehicle is likely to overtake a physical vehicle. the predicted trajectory may be presented as a line, such as a yellow line. other displays may also be included, such as “going to pass!” or “going to crash!” in some embodiments, the method further includes storing, by the display system, a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes detecting one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes detecting a spatial position of a head of an operator of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by a telemetry system coupled to the physical vehicle, the spatial position to a simulator system; receiving, at the telemetry system, information related to the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and displaying, to the operator of the physical vehicle, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle based on the information. in some embodiments, the method further includes displaying the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle includes: translating the information into a set of graphical elements, displaying the representation of the portion includes displaying the set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the method further includes computing, at the simulation system, the information related to the portion visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representation on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is a transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) display that allows light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to the operator. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is an lcd display, the method further including: capturing, by a camera coupled to the physical vehicle, an image representing the field of view of the physical world as seen by the operator on the display in the physical vehicle; and outputting the image on a side of the lcd display to display the field of view to the operator, the series of representations are overlaid on the image displayed by the lcd display. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display includes a front windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side windows of the physical vehicle, a rear windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side mirrors, a rearview mirror, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes displaying the series of representations on a display of a headset worn by the operator. in some embodiments, the headset is a helmet. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes detecting one or more of a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes. in some embodiments, the method further includes: providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse to a simulation system; calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; and calculating, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, and providing, to a display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes outputting, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion of the virtual vehicle in a virtual world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes receiving a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes receiving a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes receiving gyroscope data. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to correctly position a physical vehicle in a virtual world for determining a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, using a measure of orientation provides for accurate placement of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. the increased accuracy provides for a more faithful display of the visible portions of the vehicle, thereby improving the user experience. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes at least one of measuring a point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, tracking head position, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, or identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes measuring the point of gaze of the eyes and the measuring includes measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes wireless transmitting at least one position. in some embodiments, calculating a virtual world includes transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, calculating the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes: calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle, including more than just the portion that is not obscured by the physical vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion in a virtual world that includes physical objects in the real world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the position of the virtual point of view includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle visible within the field of view. in some embodiments, the method may facilitate a competition between two virtual vehicles on a physical racecourse. in a scenario where two virtual vehicles compete on a physical racecourse without any physical vehicles, then the step of “identifying a position of a physical vehicle” would be unnecessary. the method could include identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse and providing, to a display system, a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse. all aspects of the foregoing methods not concerning to the position of the physical vehicle could be applied in such embodiment. in some embodiments, the virtual vehicles are given special properties and a video game appearance. in some embodiments, video game attributes (i.e., virtual objects) can be similarly applied to physical vehicles by overlaying those video game attributes on top of the physical vehicles. for example, cars can be given boosts, machine guns, missiles (other graphical virtual objects put into the real world view), virtual jumps, etc. viewers at the racecourse and at home could view the virtual competitors on the physical racecourse as if competing in the real-world. in some embodiments, a method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes means for identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, means for identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and means for providing, to a display system, a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view calculated within a virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include overcoming the lack of realism experienced by users of prior solutions. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle to the user increases the realism experienced by the user. the increased realism provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to provide a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle through a virtual calculation of the visible portion increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for simulating, by the simulation system, an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle, and means for identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting, at a sensor, the point of view of the operator of the physical vehicle, the method further including: means for identifying a position of a physical object; means for receiving kinematics information of the virtual vehicle; means for generating, at a display system, a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object, the position of the point of view at the racecourse, and the kinematics information; and means for displaying the representation of the virtual vehicle such that the virtual vehicle is aligned with the physical object from the perspective of the position of the point of view at the racecourse. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion of the virtual vehicle in a virtual world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for generating, at a display system, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for displaying, by the display system, a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, the series of representations includes the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible form the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, a predicted trajectory of the virtual vehicle is displayed. the prediction may be based on current trajectory, acceleration, current vehicle parameters, etc. this may allow an audience member to anticipate if a virtual vehicle is likely to overtake a physical vehicle. the predicted trajectory may be presented as a line, such as a yellow line. other displays may also be included, such as “going to pass!” or “going to crash!” in some embodiments, the method further includes means for storing, by the display system, a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for receiving a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle used to generate each representation from the series of representations, each representation is generated by the display system based on the digital 3-d model. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for detecting one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting a spatial position of a head of an operator of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for transmitting, by a telemetry system coupled to the physical vehicle, the spatial position to a simulator system; means for receiving, at the telemetry system, information related to the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and means for displaying, to the operator of the physical vehicle, the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle based on the information. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for displaying the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle includes: means for translating the information into a set of graphical elements, means for displaying the representation of the portion includes means for displaying the set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the method further includes means for computing, at the simulation system, the information related to the portion visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representation on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is a transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) display that allows light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to the operator. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display is an lcd display, the method further including: means for capturing, by a camera coupled to the physical vehicle, an image representing the field of view of the physical world as seen by the operator on the display in the physical vehicle; and means for outputting the image on a side of the lcd display to display the field of view to the operator, the series of representations are overlaid on the image displayed by the lcd display. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of the physical vehicle, and the display includes a front windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side windows of the physical vehicle, a rear windshield of the physical vehicle, one or more side mirrors, a rearview mirror, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, means for displaying the series of representations of the virtual vehicle includes means for displaying the series of representations on a display of a headset worn by the operator. in some embodiments, the headset is a helmet. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for detecting one or more of a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes. in some embodiments, the method further includes: means for providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse to a simulation system; means for calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; means for calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; and means for calculating, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, and means for providing, to a display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes means for outputting, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for receiving a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the physical vehicle includes means for receiving a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, means for receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes means for receiving gyroscope data. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to correctly position a physical vehicle in a virtual world for determining a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, using a measure of orientation provides for accurate placement of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. the increased accuracy provides for a more faithful display of the visible portions of the vehicle, thereby improving the user experience. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and the method further includes means for imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes at least one of means for measuring a point of gaze of eyes, means for tracking eye movement, means for tracking head position, means for identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, means for identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, means for identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, means for identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, or means for identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, means for identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for measuring the point of gaze of the eyes and the means for measuring includes means for measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, means for providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes means for wireless transmitting at least one position. in some embodiments, means for calculating a virtual world includes means for transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, means for calculating the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes: means for calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, means for calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and means for extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle, including more than just the portion that is not obscured by the physical vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion in a virtual world that includes physical objects in the real world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, means for extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include means for determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, means for extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include means for setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, means for calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes means for accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, means for calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes means for calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and means for providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, means for calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the position of the virtual point of view includes means for calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and means for providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of means for displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, a system for displaying virtual vehicles includes a first sensor detecting a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, a second sensor detecting a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and a simulation system outputting a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include overcoming the lack of realism experienced by users of prior solutions. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle to the user increases the realism experienced by the user. the increased realism provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the simulation system determines the visible portion of the virtual vehicle based on a virtual position of the physical vehicle in a virtual world, a virtual position of the point of view in the virtual world, and a virtual position of the virtual vehicle in the virtual world. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to provide a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions of the virtual vehicle through a virtual calculation of the visible portion increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle at the virtual position of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the system further includes the simulation system configured to simulate an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction. in some embodiments, the system includes a simulation system configured to: receive the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse; calculate a virtual world including the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle; calculate a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse; calculate the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and output, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion of the virtual vehicle in a virtual world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, the first sensor receives a location of each of two portions of the vehicle. in some embodiments, the first sensor receives a location of one portion of the vehicle and an orientation of the vehicle. in some embodiments, receiving the orientation of the vehicle includes receiving gyroscope data. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to correctly position a physical vehicle in a virtual world for determining a visible portion of a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, using a measure of orientation provides for accurate placement of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. the increased accuracy provides for a more faithful display of the visible portions of the vehicle, thereby improving the user experience. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the camera images a portion of the racecourse on which the physical vehicle is racing. when the physical vehicle is travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may capture the physical vehicle in its video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, the second sensor is configured to detect the position of the point of view at the racecourse by at least one of measuring the point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, tracking head position, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in the venue, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear to a fixed point in the venue, or identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, second sensor is configured to detect the position of the point of view at the racecourse by measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in some embodiments, receiving the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes wireless receiving at least one position. in some embodiments, calculating a virtual world includes transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and the virtual position of the physical vehicle includes the virtual coordinates. in some embodiments, calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes: calculating a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and extracting a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes the unobscured portion. problems solved by embodiments disclosed herein can include how to calculate a visible portion of a virtual vehicle, including more than just the portion that is not obscured by the physical vehicle. in some embodiments herein, calculating the visible portion in a virtual world that includes physical objects in the real world increases the accuracy of the visible portion determination. the increased accuracy provides a reliable and re-producible user experience by providing a real-world race that includes a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments herein, providing visible portions through a virtual calculation increases the efficiency of the calculation. the increased efficiency reduces power usage and improves representation speed for a more seamless user experience. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include determining which pixels are obstructed by other representations, and only displaying pixels that are not obstructed by other representations. in some embodiments, extracting the portions of the virtual vehicle may include setting a pixel alpha value of zero percent (in rgba space) for all pixels obstructed by other representations. for example, portions of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by other virtual representations, e.g., another virtual vehicle, or representations of physical objects, e.g., objects within a physical vehicle or the physical vehicle itself. any observed (from the virtual position of the point of view) pixel values can be used to provide the portions of the virtual vehicle that are visible from the virtual position of the point of view. in some embodiments, the pixels of unobscured and observed portions of the virtual vehicle can each be set to include an alpha value greater than zero percent (in rgba space) to indicate that those unobscured pixels can be seen and should be displayed. in contrast, pixels set to an alpha value of zero percent indicate that those pixels are fully transparent, i.e., invisible, and would not be displayed. in some embodiments, calculating the representation of the physical object between the virtual position of the point of view and the representation of the physical vehicle includes accessing a database of representations to obtain a virtual position of the physical object. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured by other representations in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual shadow in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual shadow is at least one of a shadow projected by the virtual vehicle and a shadow projected onto the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes a virtual reflection. in some embodiments, the virtual reflection is at least one of a reflection of the virtual vehicle and a reflection on the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view includes displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view. in some embodiments, calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of displaying the portion of the virtual vehicle visible within the field of view. in some embodiments, the system may facilitate a competition between two virtual vehicles on a physical racecourse. in a scenario where two virtual vehicles compete on a physical racecourse without any physical vehicles, then the first sensor detecting a position of a physical vehicle would unnecessary. the system in such an embodiment could include a sensor detecting a position of a point of view at the racecourse and a display system providing a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view at the racecourse. all aspects of the foregoing systems not concerning to the position of the physical vehicle could be applied in such embodiment. in some embodiments, the virtual vehicles are given special properties and a video game appearance. for example, cars can be given boosts, machine guns, missiles (other graphical virtual objects put into the real world view), virtual jumps, etc. in some embodiments, the physical vehicles can be given similar video game attributes. for example, graphic virtual objects such as machine guns or missiles etc. may be rendered and overlaid on the physical vehicles as observed on a display. viewers at the racecourse and at home could view the virtual competitors on the physical racecourse as if competing in the real-world. as used herein, “point of view” can be understood to be a real world position from which the virtual vehicle will be viewed. for example, an operator of a physical vehicle (e.g., a driver in the physical vehicle) viewing his surroundings. a display may be used to augmenting the operator's view by introducing the virtual vehicle in the view. because the virtual vehicle is added to the real world point of view, if the display system was not provided or discontinued, the real world point of view would not see a virtual vehicle. fig. 1 is a diagram 100 of a physical vehicle 101 , according to some embodiments. fig. 1 provides an example of a point of view of an operator (e.g., driver) of physical vehicle 101 . thus, the position of the point of the view of the operator is the position and direction (gaze) of the operator's eyes (or some approximation of the operator's eye position and direction). although fig. 1 is provided with reference to the point of view of the operator of a physical vehicle, the teachings apply equally to other points of view, such as audience member at a racecourse on which physical vehicle is driving or a camera at the racecourse. physical vehicle 101 includes a display system 102 (including rendering component 107 ), a simulation component 106 , a telemetry system 104 (including sensors 108 ), rf circuitry 105 , and a force controller 112 . physical vehicle 101 also includes eye-position detector 110 , front windshield 120 , rear-view mirror 122 , rear windshield 124 , side windows 126 a and 126 b, side mirrors 128 a and 128 b, seat and head brace 130 , speakers 132 , and brakes 134 . fig. 1 also includes a vehicle operator 114 . in fig. 1 , vehicle operator 114 is illustrated wearing a helmet 116 , a visor over eyes 117 , and a haptic suit 118 . in some embodiments, the visor worn over eyes 117 is a component of helmet 116 . as shown in fig. 1 , physical vehicle 101 is an automobile. in some embodiments, devices within physical vehicle 101 communicate with a simulation system 140 to simulate one or more virtual vehicles within a field of view of vehicle operator 114 . simulation system 140 may be on-board physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, as illustrated in diagram 100 , simulation system 140 may be remote from physical vehicle 101 , also described elsewhere herein. in some embodiments, the functionality performed by simulation system 140 may be distributed across both systems that are on-board physical vehicle 101 and remote from physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, simulation system 140 generates and maintains a racing simulation 141 between one or more live participants (i.e., vehicle operator 114 operating physical vehicle 101 ) and one or more remote participants (not shown). simulating virtual vehicles in real-time enhances the racing experience of vehicle operator 114 . implementing simulation capabilities within physical vehicle 101 allows vehicle operator 114 , who is a live participant, to compete against a remote participant operating a virtual vehicle within racing simulation 141 . the field of view of vehicle operator 114 is the observable world seen by vehicle operator 114 augmented with a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the augmentation can be provided by a display, e.g., displays housed in or combined with one or more of front windshield 120 , rear-view mirror 122 , rear windshield 124 , side windows 126 a and 126 b, and side mirrors 128 a and 128 b. in some embodiments, the augmentation can be provided by a hologram device or 3-d display system. in these embodiments, front windshield 120 , rear-view mirror 122 , rear windshield 124 , side windows 126 a and 126 b, or side mirrors 128 a and 128 b can be t-oled displays that enable 3-d images to be displayed, utilizing cameras to capture the surroundings displayed with 3-d images overlaid on non-transparent displays. in some embodiments, the augmentation can be provided by a head-mounted display (hmd) worn by vehicle operator 114 over eyes 117 . the hmd may be worn as part of helmet 116 . in some embodiments, the hmd is imbedded in visors, glasses, goggles, or other devices worn in front of the eyes of vehicle operator 114 . like the display described above, the hmd may operate to augment the field of view of vehicle operator 114 by rendering one or more virtual vehicles on one or more displays in the hmd. in other embodiments, the hmd implements retinal projection techniques to simulate one or more virtual vehicles. for examples, the hmd may include a virtual retinal display (vrd) that projects images onto the left and right eyes of vehicle operator 114 to create a three-dimensional (3d) image of one or more virtual vehicles in the field of view of vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, the augmentation can be provided by one or more displays housed in physical vehicle 101 as described above (e.g., front windshield 120 and rear-view mirror 122 ), a display worn by vehicle operator 114 as described above (e.g., an hmd), a hologram device as described above, or a combination thereof. an advantage of simulating virtual vehicles on multiple types of displays (e.g., on a display housed in physical vehicle 101 and an hmd worn by vehicle operator 114 ) is that an augmented-reality experience can be maintained when vehicle operator 114 takes off his hmd. additionally, multiple participants in physical vehicle 101 can share the augmented-reality experience regardless of whether each participant is wearing an hmd. in some embodiments, multiple virtual vehicles are simulated for vehicle operator 114 . for example, multiple virtual vehicles are displayed in front and/or behind and/or beside the operator. for example, one or more virtual vehicles may be displayed on front windshield 120 (an example display) and one or more virtual vehicles may be displayed on rear-view mirror 122 (an example display). in addition, one or more virtual vehicles may be displayed on the hmd. similarly, physical vehicle 101 may be one of a plurality of physical vehicles in proximity to each other. in some embodiments, a virtual vehicle being simulated for vehicle operator 114 can be another physical vehicle running on a physical racecourse at a different physical location than that being run by vehicle operator 114 . for example, one driver could operate a vehicle on a racecourse in monaco and another driver could operate a vehicle on replica-racecourse in los angeles. embodiments herein contemplate presenting one or both of the monaco and los angeles driver with a virtual vehicle representing the other driver. returning to simulation system 140 and as described above, simulation system 140 may include racing simulation 141 , which simulates a competition between physical vehicle 101 and one or more virtual vehicles on a virtual racecourse. in some embodiments, the virtual racecourse is generated and stored by simulation system 140 to correspond to the physical racecourse in which vehicle operator 114 is operating, e.g., driving, physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, the virtual racecourse is generated using 360 degree laser scan video recording or similar technology. therefore, as vehicle operator 114 controls physical vehicle 101 on the physical racecourse in real-time, the virtual trajectory of physical vehicle 101 within racing simulation 141 is simulated by simulation system 140 to emulate the physical, real-world trajectory of physical vehicle 101 on the physical racecourse. in some embodiments, to enable simulation system 140 to simulate physical vehicle 101 on the virtual racecourse in racing simulation 141 , physical vehicle 101 includes telemetry system 104 . telemetry system 104 includes sensors 108 that detect data associated with physical vehicle 101 . sensors 108 include one or more devices that detect kinematics information of physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, an orientation, a global positioning system (gps) location, or a combination thereof. for example, a vector of motion may include a velocity, a position vector, or an acceleration. for example, a scalar of motion may include a speed. accordingly, sensors 108 may include one or more accelerometers to detect acceleration, one or more gps (or glonass or other global navigation system) receiver to detect the gps location, one or more motion sensors, one or more orientation sensors, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, the real-time data collected by sensors 108 are transmitted to simulation system 140 . other real-time data may include measurements of the car, heat, tire temperature, etc. in some embodiments, one or more of the kinematics information and car measurements are used for simulation predictability. for example, some embodiments may include predictive simulation engines that pre build scenes based on these other measurements and the velocity and acceleration information. in some embodiments, physical vehicle 101 includes radio frequency (rf) circuitry 105 for transmitting data, e.g., telemetric information generated by telemetry system 104 , to simulation system 140 . rf circuitry 105 receives and sends rf signals, also called electromagnetic signals. rf circuitry 105 converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. rf circuitry 105 may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an rf transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a subscriber identity module (sim) card, memory, and so forth. rf circuitry 105 may communicate with networks, such as the internet, also referred to as the world wide web (www), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (lan) and/or a metropolitan area network (man), and other devices by wireless communication. the wireless communication optionally uses any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to global system for mobile communications (gsm), enhanced data gsm environment (edge), high-speed downlink packet access (hsdpa), high-speed uplink packet access (hsdpa), evolution, data-only (ev-do), hspa, hspa+, dual-cell hspa (dc-hspda), long term evolution (lte), near field communication (nfc), wideband code division multiple access (w-cdma), code division multiple access (cdma), time division multiple access (tdma), bluetooth, bluetooth low energy (btle), wireless fidelity (wi-fi) (e.g., ieee 802.11a, ieee 802.11b, ieee 802.11g and/or ieee 802.11n), wi-max, a protocol for e-mail (e.g., internet message access protocol (imap) and/or post office protocol (pop)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (xmpp), session initiation protocol for instant messaging and presence leveraging extensions (simple), instant messaging and presence service (imps)), and/or short message service (sms), or any other suitable communication protocol. in some embodiments, simulation system 140 includes rf circuitry, similar to rf circuitry 105 , for receiving data from physical vehicle 101 . based on the telemetric information received from physical vehicle 101 , simulation system 140 simulates physical vehicle 101 as an avatar within racing simulation 141 . in some embodiments, as will be further described with respect to fig. 5 , simulation system 140 receives inputs for controlling and simulating one or more virtual vehicles within racing simulation. in some embodiments, simulation system 140 calculates kinematics information of the virtual vehicle based on the received inputs and a current state of the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse in racing simulation 141 . for example, the current state may refer to a coordinate, a position, a speed, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, etc., of the virtual vehicle being simulated on the virtual racecourse. to replicate the virtual race between a live participant, i.e., vehicle operator 114 , and a virtual participant operating a virtual vehicle for vehicle operator 114 , simulation system 140 transmits kinematics information of the virtual vehicle to components (e.g., display system 102 or simulation component 106 ) in physical vehicle 101 via rf circuitry. as described elsewhere in this disclosure, it is to be understood that depending on the type of context being simulated, the display system 102 and other components shown in physical vehicle 101 may be housed in other types of devices. in some embodiments, to enable two-way interactive racing where interactions simulated in racing simulation 141 can be reproduced for vehicle operator 114 driving physical vehicle 101 , simulation system 140 determines whether the avatar of physical vehicle 101 within racing simulation 141 is in contact with obstacles, such as the virtual vehicle, being simulated within racing simulation 141 . upon determining a contact, simulation system 140 calculates force information, audio information, or a combination thereof associated with the contact. in some embodiments, simulation system 140 transmits the force or audio information to physical vehicle 101 where the force or audio information is reproduced at physical vehicle 101 to enhance the virtual reality racing experience for vehicle operator 114 . returning to physical vehicle 101 , physical vehicle 101 includes a display system 102 for generating a representation of a virtual vehicle based on information, e.g., kinematics information of the virtual vehicle, received from simulation system 140 via rf circuitry 105 . in some embodiments, display system 102 is coupled to a simulation component 106 that generates a virtual representation of the virtual vehicle based on the kinematics information of the virtual vehicle received from simulation system 140 . in some embodiments, simulation component 106 generates the virtual representation based on the kinematics information and eyes measurements (e.g., a spatial position) of the eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 . to further enhance the realism of the virtual representation, i.e., a graphically generated vehicle, simulation component 106 generates the virtual representation based on the kinematics information, a spatial position of eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 , a gaze direction of eyes 117 , and a focus point of eyes 117 , according to some embodiments. as described herein, eyes measurements may include a spatial position of eyes 117 , a gaze direction of eyes 117 , a focus point of eyes 117 , or a combination thereof of the left eye, the right eye, or both left and right eyes. in some embodiments, physical vehicle 101 includes eye-position detector 110 , e.g., a camera or light (e.g., infrared) reflection detector, to detect eyes measurements (e.g., spatial position, gaze direction, focus point, or a combination thereof of eyes 117 ) of eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, eye-position detector 110 detects a spatial position of the head of vehicle operator 114 to estimate the measurements of eyes 117 . for example, eye-position detector 110 may detect helmet 116 or a visor on helmet 116 to estimate the measurements of eyes 117 . detecting eye measurements and/or head position may also include detecting at least one of a position and an orientation of helmet 116 worn by vehicle operator 114 . the position of the eyes may be calculated directly (e.g., from a fixed sensor, such as a track-side sensor) or based on a combination of the sensor in the car and a position of the car. in some embodiments, eye-position detector 110 includes a camera that can record a real-time video sequence or capture a series of images of the face of vehicle operator 114 . then, eye-position detector 110 may track and detect the measurements of eyes 117 by analyzing the real-time video sequence or the series of images. in some embodiments, eye-position detector 110 implements one or more algorithms for tracking a head movement or orientation of vehicle operator 114 to aid in eye tracking, detection, and measurement. as shown in diagram 100 , eye-position detector 110 may be coupled to rear-view mirror 122 . however, as long as eye-position detector 110 is implemented in proximity to physical vehicle, eye-position detector 110 can be placed in other locations, e.g., on the dashboard, inside or outside physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, to increase accuracy in detection, eye-position detector 110 can be implemented within helmet 116 or other head-mounted displays (hmds), e.g., visors or goggles, worn by vehicle operator 114 over eyes 117 . in some embodiments, eye-position detector 110 implemented within a hmd further includes one or more focus-tunable lenses, one or more mechanically actuated displays, and mobile gaze-tracking technology reproduced scenes can be drawn that actually correct common refractive errors in the vr world as the eyes are continually monitored based on where a user looks in a virtual scene. an advantage of the above techniques is that vehicle operator 114 would not need to wear contact lenses or corrective glasses while wearing a hmd implanting eye-position detector 110 . in some embodiments, simulation component 106 generates the virtual representation of the virtual vehicle based on a 3-d model of the virtual vehicle. for example, the virtual representation may represent a perspective of the 3-d model as viewed from eyes 117 . in some embodiments, by generating the virtual representation from the perspective of eyes 117 whose measurements are detected or estimated by eye-position detector 110 , the virtual representation can be simulated in accurate dimensions and scaling for vehicle operator 114 to increase the reality of racing against the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the 3-d model may be pre-stored on simulation component 106 or received from simulation system 140 . in some embodiments, rendering component 107 within display system 102 displays the generated virtual representation on one or more displays of physical vehicle 101 . as discussed above, the virtual representation may be generated by simulation component 106 in some embodiments or simulation system 140 in some embodiments. the one or more displays may include windows of physical vehicle 101 , e.g., front windshield 120 or side windows 126 a-b, or mirrors of physical vehicle 101 , e.g., rear-view mirror 122 or side mirrors 128 a-b. in some embodiments, the one or more displays may be components in helmet 116 . helmet 116 may include a helmet, visors, glasses, or a goggle system worn by vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, one or more displays (e.g., front windshield 120 ) can be transparent organic light-emitting diode (t-oled) displays that allow light to pass through the t-oled to display the field of view to vehicle operator 114 . in these embodiments, rendering component 107 renders the virtual representation of the virtual vehicle as a layer of pixels on the one or more displays. the t-oled displays may allow vehicle operator 114 to see both the simulated virtual vehicle and the physical, un-simulated world in his field of view. in other embodiments, one or more displays (e.g., front windshield 120 ) can be non-transparent liquid crystal displays (lcds). in these embodiments, unlike the t-oled displays, the lcd cannot allow light to pass through to enable vehicle operator 114 to see the physical, un-simulated world in his field of view. instead, in these embodiments, a camera (e.g., a pinhole camera) facing outwards with respect to the lcd and coupled to physical vehicle 101 can record a live video feed of the physical, un-simulated world and representing the field of view of the physical world as would be seen from eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 if the lcd were to be transparent (e.g., an t-oled display). then, rendering component 107 may display the live video feed on the interior side of the lcd to display the field of view to vehicle operator 114 . further, rendering component 107 may overlay the generated virtual representation on the live video feed being displayed by the lcd to enable vehicle operator 114 to see the simulated, virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the non-transparent lcd cannot by itself display images or live video feeds in 3d. accordingly, the camera used to record the live video feed may include one or more cameras that are part of a stereoscopic camera system to record the physical world in color and in 3d. in some embodiments, to further enhance the 3d effect of the live video feed being displayed, the non-transparent lcd is a multi-view autostereoscopic 3d display, i.e., an automultiscopic display, that enables vehicle operator 114 to view the displayed 3d video feed from different angles as vehicle operator 114 moves his head and as a result, his eyes 117 . in high speed racing events, the head of vehicle operator 114 moves very little. therefore, in some embodiments, eye-position detector 110 for tracking a position of the head or eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 may be omitted from physical vehicle 101 to reduce a number of components and complexity in simulating virtual vehicles at physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, to enable vehicle operator 114 to freely move his head, eye-position detector 110 is implemented to track a position of the head or eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 . in embodiments where the display is a non-transparent display, an angle of one or more cameras, e.g., cameras in a stereoscopic camera system, can be adjusted to correspond to the tracked position of the head or eyes 117 of vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, to enable two-way interactive racing where interactions simulated on the virtual racecourse in racing simulation 141 can be replicated for vehicle operator 114 driving physical vehicle 101 , simulation component 106 determines a proximity of the virtual vehicle with physical vehicle 101 based on the kinematics information of the virtual vehicle received from simulation system 140 . in some embodiments, upon determining a contact between the virtual vehicle and physical vehicle 101 based on the determined proximity, simulation system 140 calculates force information, audio information, or a combination thereof associated with the contact. then, simulation component 106 may transmit the force information to force controller 112 and/or the audio information to speakers 132 . in some embodiments, playing the audio information via speakers 132 may emulate the sound of the engine, brakes, tires, and collision between physical vehicle 101 and the virtual vehicle being simulated by simulation system 140 . in some embodiments, the audio information may include a volume that is calculated based on a distance calculated between physical vehicle 101 and the virtual vehicle on the simulated racecourse, and may take into account the directional position of the head and orientation of the ears of vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, speakers 132 may include audio devices equipped in physical vehicle 101 (e.g., a loudspeaker or speaker system) or audio devices worn by vehicle operator 114 (e.g., headphones or earpieces). in embodiments where speakers 132 are worn by vehicle operator 114 , speakers 132 may be implemented within a head-mounted display such as helmet 116 . for sound reproduced for observers not in the physical vehicle (e.g., an audience member at a racecourse or watching at home), speakers can be placed around the track or through the headgear or audience member or point of view of camera. in the virtual world, microphone position can be set, just like with camera position. similarly, sound generations positions can be set. in some embodiments, when the virtual car with a sound generation position is further from the microphone the noise it makes would be less. in some embodiments, force controller 112 controls one or more actuators based on the force information to emulate the contact simulated between physical vehicle 101 and the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse simulated by simulation system 140 . for example, force controller 112 may control one or more force actuators built into seat and head brace 130 to emulate how vehicle operator 114 would feel, e.g., a sensation of being bumped in the head, in a collision. similarly, in some embodiments, force controller 112 may communicate via wired or wireless communications with a haptic suit 118 worn by vehicle operator 114 to emulate the sensation of vehicle operator 114 contacting a real physical vehicle. force controller 112 may also control one or more force actuators built into the physical vehicle 101 to emulate the physical vehicle 101 making contact with a virtual object. in some embodiments, force controller 112 controls one or more mechanical systems that affect the actual functioning of physical vehicle 101 . for example, force controller 112 may control one or more brakes 134 , a steering column, or a power of physical vehicle 101 among other mechanical and/or electrical systems to emulate the effects of contact between physical vehicle 101 and the virtual vehicle or virtual object were the virtual object, such as a virtual vehicle, actually a physical object on the same racecourse as physical vehicle 101 . as described above, in some embodiments, the virtual object being simulated can be a physical vehicle in the real world on a racecourse at a different physical location. therefore, the present disclosure also enables two vehicle operators running on different racecourses to feel as if they are competing on the same racecourse since their counterpart physical vehicles can be simulated as virtual vehicles. in some embodiments involving electric cars, emulating effects may include control over the power generated to the axels, and in some cases to each specific wheel in a car with four electric motors (one for each wheel). this may advantageously allow a bump to be simulated by a small spike down in the motor of the wheel. this can be controlled based on the duration of the impact and other factors. in some embodiments, as described with respect to fig. 5 , some or all of the functionality of simulation component 106 described above may be performed remotely by, for example, simulation system 140 . in these embodiments, display system 102 receives a virtual representation generated by simulation system 140 . relatedly, in these embodiments, force controller 112 and speakers 132 may receive force and audio information, respectively, that is calculated by simulation system 140 . figs. 2a-c are diagrams showing how multiple virtual vehicles are displayed on one or more displays, respectively, according to some embodiments. for ease of explanation, figs. 2a-c will be described with respect to the elements, e.g., display system 102 and vehicle operator 114 , of fig. 1 . according to some embodiments, the virtual vehicles can be displayed according to an augmented reality embodiment or a full-rendering embodiment, each of which will be further described below. in the augmented reality embodiment, view 202 a and 204 a of fig. 2a can be augmented with virtual vehicles 228 and 230 being output on respective displays 220 and 222 of fig. 2c to enable vehicle operator 114 to see portions of virtual vehicles 212 and 214 shown in respective views 202 b and 204 b of fig. 2b . in some embodiments, display 220 and display 222 may correspond to front windshield 120 and rear-view mirror 122 as described with respect to fig. 1 as shown in fig. 2a , view 202 a shows the field of view of vehicle operator 114 who may see, via displays 220 and 222 , a physical vehicle 206 a on the physical racecourse. similarly, view 204 a shows empty space as there are no real vehicles on the physical racecourse viewable by vehicle operator 114 via display 222 . in some embodiments, to simulate one or more virtual vehicles for display on display 220 and 222 , display system 102 identifies one or more positions 224 and 226 on displays 220 and 222 , respectively. in some embodiments, position 224 may correspond to a physical position 208 a in the field of view of vehicle operator 114 . for example, position 224 on display 220 may correspond to a portion of the physical racecourse or a portion of a building or landmark viewable by vehicle operator 114 (shown as position 208 a in view 202 a) and simulated in the virtual racecourse within racing simulation 141 of simulation system 140 . similarly, position 26 may correspond to a different portion of the physical racecourse or a portion of a building or landmark viewable by vehicle operator 114 (shown as position 210 a in view 202 a). in some embodiments, as described with respect to fig. 1 , simulation component 106 may generate a first virtual vehicle 228 as a first representation and a second virtual vehicle 230 as a second representation. in some embodiments, simulation component 106 may generate the first virtual vehicle 228 based on position 224 , measurements of eyes 117 (as described with respect to eye-position detector 110 ), and the kinematics of the first virtual, competitor vehicle. as shown in display 220 , rendering component 107 displays first virtual vehicle 228 to align with position 224 . similarly, rendering component 107 may display second virtual vehicle 230 to align with position 226 on display 222 . as a result, vehicle operator 114 may see physical objects and virtual objects as shown in views 202 b and 204 b. for example, similar to view 202 a, view 202 b shows that vehicle operator 114 may continue to see physical vehicle 206 b. however, view 202 b shows that vehicle operator 114 may see virtual objects such as virtual vehicle 212 displayed as virtual vehicle 228 on display 220 . similarly, view 204 b shows that vehicle operator 114 may see virtual objects such as virtual vehicle 214 displayed as virtual vehicle 230 on display 222 . further embodiments are described with respect to fig. 10 . in the full rendering embodiment, displays 220 and 222 can be configured to render both physical and virtual objects for display to enable vehicle operator 114 to see virtual vehicles alongside physical vehicles. in this embodiment, rendering component 107 can render and display physical objects such as roads and physical vehicle 206 a as shown in views 202 a and 204 a of fig. 2a . as described above with respect to the augmented reality embodiment, simulation component 106 may generate a first virtual vehicle 228 as a first representation and a second virtual vehicle 230 as a second representation for display. in the full rendering embodiment, displays 220 and 222 can be configured to display virtual vehicles 228 and 230 , respectively, alongside physical objects as shown in views 202 b and 204 b seen by vehicle operator 114 . for example, view 202 b shows the road, physical vehicle 206 b, and virtual vehicle 212 being rendered and displayed. similarly, view 204 b shows virtual vehicle 214 being rendered and displayed. in some embodiments, in the full rendering embodiment, an outward facing camera (with respect to displays 220 and/or 222 ) can capture a live video feed of the surroundings. in these embodiments, displays 220 and 222 can be configured to display the physical objects by displaying each frame of the live video feed. further, displays 220 and 222 can be configured to display virtual objects by overlaying virtual vehicles onto each displayed frame. figs. 3a-d are diagrams showing how visible portions of virtual vehicle 322 and visible portions of virtual vehicle 324 are displayed on a display 320 , according to some embodiments. for ease of explanation, diagram 300 will be described with respect to the elements, (e.g., display system 102 , vehicle operator 114 , and simulation system 140 ) of fig. 1 . fig. 3a shows an example real-world view 302 a that may be observed by vehicle operator 114 through conventional displays. fig. 3b shows an example virtual rendering 332 of real-world view 302 a to include virtual vehicles 343 and 344 . fig. 3c shows an example of display 320 for displaying visible portions 322 and 324 of virtual vehicles 343 and 344 , respectively. display 320 may correspond to a display implemented within a visor, a helmet (e.g., helmet 116 ), or other headgear worn by an operator (e.g., vehicle operator 114 ) sitting within and driving a physical vehicle (e.g., physical vehicle 101 ). fig. 3d shows an example augmented view 302 b that may be observed by vehicle operator 114 through display 320 . as shown in fig. 3a , real-world view 302 a shows the field of view of vehicle operator 114 if virtual vehicles were not displayed, i.e., via conventional displays. as shown in real-world view 302 a, vehicle operator 114 may see, through display 320 , other physical vehicles such as physical vehicle 310 a on a physical racecourse as well as physical objects within physical vehicle 101 . for example, such physical objects may include, without limitation, rearview mirror 304 a, vehicle frame 306 a, windshield wipers 308 a, dashboard 312 a, etc. in some embodiments, physical objects may include the hands or arms of vehicle operator 114 . additionally, as shown in real-world view 302 a, vehicle operator 114 may see a shadow of physical vehicle 310 a. in some embodiments, vehicle operator 114 may see physical vehicles and physical objects through display 320 because display 320 can be a transparent or semi-transparent display. as discussed above with respect to fig. 1 , kinematics information of physical vehicle 101 (e.g., position information) and a position of the operator's point of view may be transmitted to simulation system 140 configured to provide visible portions of virtual vehicles 313 and 314 . in some embodiments, based on the kinematics information and the position of the operator's point of view, simulation system 140 can calculate a virtual world to include virtual vehicles and a representation of physical vehicle 101 racing against each other on a virtual racecourse corresponding to the physical racecourse seen by operator 114 . in some embodiments, simulation system 140 can calculate representations of the various physical objects within the virtual world. in some embodiments, to enable simulation system 140 to track and calculate representations of the hands or arms of vehicle operator 114 , vehicle operator 114 can wear gloves that embed one or more sensors (e.g., accelerometers, position sensors, etc.) that transmit position-related measurements to simulation system 140 . based on sensor measurements, e.g., position or acceleration information, simulation system 140 can calculate corresponding representations of arms or hands (not shown) in the virtual world. in some embodiments, to enable simulation system 140 to track and calculate representations of the hands or arms of vehicle operator 114 , one or more cameras can be mounted in the physical vehicle being operated by vehicle operator 114 . the one or more cameras may track positions of the arms and hands based on markers embedded in or displayed on gloves or tracksuit worn by vehicle operator 114 . for example, markers may include specific colors, patterns, materials, etc. in these embodiments, the one or more camera may transmit the captured information to simulation system 140 that calculates the corresponding representations of arms or hands (not shown) in the virtual world. as shown in fig. 3b , simulation system 140 may calculate, within the virtual world, a virtual rendering 332 of real-world view 302 a. in virtual rendering 332 , simulation system 140 can calculate a representation 340 of physical vehicle 310 a and virtual vehicles 343 and 344 . additionally, simulation system 140 can calculate representations 334 , 336 , 338 , and 342 of corresponding physical objects: rearview mirror 304 a, vehicle frame 306 a, windshield wipers 308 a, and dashboard 312 a. as shown in virtual rendering 332 , simulation system 140 can exclude calculating representations of physical objects that do not obstruct view of virtual vehicles 343 and 344 . for example, the speedometer and steering wheel as seen by vehicle operator 114 in real-world view 302 a may not be calculated by simulation system 140 in virtual rending 332 . in some embodiments, as shown in virtual rendering 332 , simulation system 140 can calculate shadows of physical vehicle 340 and virtual vehicles 343 and 344 . in some embodiments, simulation system 140 can calculate portions of virtual vehicles 322 and 324 to display on display 320 of fig. 3c to enable vehicle operator 114 to compete against virtual drivers in the real world. in some embodiments, a visible portion of a virtual vehicle from the position of the point of view of vehicle operator 114 is that portion of the virtual vehicle that is not obstructed by objects in the virtual world from a virtual position in the virtual world corresponding to the position of the point of view in physical vehicle 101 . in some embodiments, the simulation system can convert the position of the point of view of vehicle operator 114 to virtual coordinates within the virtual world. for example, from the point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle, the corresponding virtual position in the virtual world would be inside a representation of physical vehicle 101 in the virtual world. from the corresponding virtual position of the point of view of physical operator 114 in the virtual world, a view of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by the simulated physical vehicle (for example, representations of vehicle frame 306 a or windshield wipers 308 a), other simulated physical vehicles (e.g., a representation of physical vehicle 310 a), shadows, simulated trees and other stationary objects, the simulated racecourse (e.g., when the virtual vehicle is in a dip and partially obstructed by the course itself, etc.) the visible portion of the virtual vehicle is then the unobstructed view of the virtual vehicle. further embodiments are described with respect to figs. 6 and 9 . for example, as shown in virtual rendering 332 in fig. 3b , the simulated view of virtual vehicle 343 shows that portions of virtual vehicle 343 are obstructed by a representation 336 of vehicle frame 306 a. similarly, in virtual rendering 332 , the simulated view of virtual vehicle 343 shows that portions of virtual vehicle 344 are obstructed by a representation 340 of physical vehicle 310 a and a representation 338 of windshield wiper 308 a. in some embodiments, simulation system 140 may calculate visible portions of a virtual vehicle 322 to be portions of virtual vehicle 343 in virtual rendering 332 that are not obscured by a representation of car frame 336 in the virtual world. similarly, simulation system 140 may calculate visible portions of a virtual vehicle 324 to be portions of virtual vehicle 344 in virtual rendering 332 that are not obscured by representations 340 and 338 of physical vehicle 310 a and windshield wiper 308 a, respectively. in some embodiments, information related to these calculated visible portions 322 and 324 can be transmitted to components within physical vehicle 101 and displayed by display 320 . in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3c , components within physical vehicle 101 , such as display system 102 , can display visible portions 322 and 324 of virtual vehicles 343 and 344 , respectively, on display 320 . in some embodiments, visible portions 322 and 324 can include shadows of virtual vehicles 343 and 344 as calculated and shown in virtual rendering 332 of fig. 3b . in some embodiments, by augmenting real-world view 302 a with visible portions 322 and 324 being displayed on display 320 , display system 102 enables vehicle operator 114 to see both physical vehicles in the real world and virtual vehicles. in some embodiments, augmented view 302 b in fig. 3d shows the field of view of vehicle operator 114 once display 320 displays (e.g., as rendered by display system 102 ) visible portions of virtual vehicles 322 and 324 . for example, similar to view 302 a, vehicle operator 114 may still see, via display 320 , various physical objects on the racecourse in the real world. for example, as shown in augmented view 302 b, vehicle operator 114 may still see rearview mirror 304 b, vehicle frame 306 b, windshield wiper 308 b, physical vehicle 310 b, and dashboard 312 b. additionally, vehicle operator 114 may see virtual vehicles 313 and 314 being displayed. in some embodiments, virtual vehicles 313 and 314 seen by vehicle operator 114 respectively correspond to visible portions of virtual vehicles 322 and 324 being displayed on display 320 , as described above. in some embodiments, the techniques described with respect to figs. 2a-c can be combined with the techniques described with respect to figs. 3a-d . figs. 4a-d are diagrams showing how visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 are displayed on a display 420 , according to some embodiments. fig. 4a shows an example real-world view 402 a that may be observed by a spectator or imaged by a video camera. fig. 4b shows an example virtual rendering 430 of real-world view 402 a to include virtual vehicle 434 . fig. 4c shows an example of display 420 for displaying visible portions 422 of virtual vehicle 434 . display 420 may correspond to a display implemented within a visor, a helmet (e.g., helmet 116 ), or other headgear worn by a viewer (e.g., an audience member) present at a physical racecourse. fig. 4d shows an example augmented view 402 b that may be observed by an audience member or imaged by a video camera through display 420 . as shown in fig. 4a , real-world view 402 a shows the field of view of the viewer if virtual vehicles were not displayed, i.e., via conventional displays. as shown in real-world view 402 a, the viewer may see, via display 420 , other viewers 404 a and various physical objects in the real world. for example, such physical objects may include fence 406 a, public announcement (pa) horn speakers 408 a, and physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a, and shadows 411 a and 413 a of respective physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a. in some embodiments, the viewer may see physical vehicles and physical objects through display 420 because display 420 can be a transparent or semi-transparent display. in some embodiments, in addition to fixed objects like fences or walls, the physical objects discussed above that may obstruct the viewer's field of view of the racecourse can include non-stationary objects whose positions may change over time. for example, such non-stationary objects may include the heads of audience members or the bodies of audience members when they stand. in some embodiments, to enable simulation system 140 to accurately calculate representations of both fixed and non-stationary objects, the viewer's headset can include a camera facing the racecourse and capturing a portion of the racecourse. the lines and borders of the racecourse or other markers placed on the racecourse can be detected by the camera to determine whether one or more physical objects are obstructing the viewer's view of the racecourse. for example, the camera can detect omitted portions or breaks in the edges, lines, or markers of the racecourse. in some embodiments, information about the breaks or omitted portions can be transmitted to simulation system 140 . in some embodiments, simulation system 140 can determine which portions of the virtual vehicle are obstructed by physical objects by determining an overlapping portion of the virtual vehicle with the one or more breaks. since a break indicates that the viewer's view is being blocked by a physical object, the simulation system 140 can set the alpha values of pixels in the overlapping portion to “zero percent” (in rgba) to make these overlapping portions transparent. in some embodiments, information related to the viewer's point of view may be transmitted to a simulation system (e.g., simulation system 140 or simulation system 540 of fig. 5 ) configured to provide visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 to the viewer. for example, such information may include a position of the viewer's point of view. as described with respect to fig. 6 , the simulation system can calculate a virtual world to include virtual vehicles and representations of physical vehicles racing against each other on a virtual racecourse. in some embodiments, simulation system 140 can calculate representations of the various physical objects (e.g., pa speakers 408 a) within the virtual world. as shown in fig. 4b , the simulation system may calculate, within the virtual world, a virtual rendering 430 of real-world view 402 a. in virtual rendering 430 , the simulation system can calculate virtual vehicle 434 and representations 440 and 432 of physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a. in some embodiments, virtual vehicle 434 as calculated by the simulation system can include a calculated shadow 435 . similarly, representations 440 and 432 of physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a can be calculated to include respective shadows 441 and 433 . in some embodiments, the simulation system calculates shadows 441 and 433 in the virtual world to correspond to respective shadows 411 a and 413 a as seen by the viewer in real-world view 402 a. additionally, the simulation system can calculate representations 436 and 438 of corresponding physical objects: fence 406 a and pa speakers 408 a. as shown in virtual rendering 430 , the simulation system can exclude calculating representations of physical objects that do not obstruct view of virtual vehicle 422 . for example, audience (e.g., viewers 404 a) in real-world view 402 a may not be calculated by the simulation system in virtual rending 430 . in some embodiments, the simulation system can calculate portions of virtual vehicle 422 to display on display 420 of fig. 4c to enable the viewer to see a race between physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a and virtual vehicles such as virtual vehicle 434 being simulated in the virtual world. in some embodiments, a visible portion of a virtual vehicle from the position of the viewer's point of view is that portion of the virtual vehicle that is not obstructed by objects in the virtual world from a virtual position in the virtual world corresponding to the position of the viewer's point of view. in some embodiments, the simulation system can convert the position of the viewer's point of view to virtual coordinates within the virtual world. from the corresponding virtual position of the viewer's point of view in the virtual world, a view of the virtual vehicle may be obstructed by simulated physical vehicles (for example, representations of physical vehicles 410 a and 412 a) and other simulated objects (e.g., representations of fence 406 a and horn speakers 408 a), simulated trees, the simulated racecourse (e.g., when the virtual vehicle is in a dip and partially obstructed by the course itself, etc.). the visible portion of the virtual vehicle is then the unobstructed view of the virtual vehicle. further embodiments are described with respect to figs. 6 and 9 . for example, as shown in virtual rendering 432 in fig. 4b , the simulated view of virtual vehicle 434 shows that portions of virtual vehicle 434 are obstructed by a representation 438 of pa speaker 408 a and a representation 432 of physical vehicle 412 a. in some embodiments, the simulation system may calculate visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 to be portions of virtual vehicle 434 that are not obscured by representation of pa horn speakers 438 in virtual rendering 430 and that are not obscured by representation of physical vehicle 432 in the virtual world. in some embodiments, information related to the calculated visible portions 422 can be transmitted to the viewer and displayed by display 420 . in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4c , components worn by the viewer, such as display system 592 of fig. 5 , can display visible portions 422 of virtual vehicle 434 on display 420 . as shown in fig. 4c , visible portions 422 can include car frame and details 424 and a shadow 426 of virtual vehicle 434 . in some embodiments, visible portions 422 can include a shadow 428 being cast on virtual vehicle 434 as calculated in virtual rendering 430 . for example, shadow 428 may be a shadow cast by representation 432 of physical vehicle 412 a being calculated in virtual rendering 430 . in some embodiments, by augmenting real-world view 402 a with visible portion 422 being displayed on display 420 , a display system (e.g., display system 592 ) enables the viewer to see both physical vehicles in the real world and virtual vehicles. in some embodiments, augmented view 402 b in fig. 4d shows the field of view of the viewer once display 420 displays (e.g., as rendered by display system 592 ) visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 . for example, similar to view 402 a, the viewer may still see, via display 420 , various physical objects on the racecourse in the real world. for example, as shown in augmented view 402 b, the viewer may still see other viewers 404 b, fence 406 b, public announcement (pa) horn speakers 408 b, and physical vehicles 410 b and 412 b as well as their respective shadows 411 b and 413 b. additionally, the viewer may see virtual vehicle 414 and shadow 415 of virtual vehicle 414 being displayed. in some embodiments, virtual vehicle 414 seen by the viewer can correspond to visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 being displayed on display 420 , as described above. in the example of augmented view 402 b, virtual vehicle 414 seen by the viewer is obstructed by pa horn speakers 408 b and physical vehicle 412 b. in some embodiments, virtual vehicle 414 being displayed can overlap portions of shadow 413 a as may be seen by the viewer in real-world view 402 a. as a result and as shown by shadow 413 b in augmented view 402 b, portions of shadow 413 a may be obscured by visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 . in some embodiments, visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 can include shadow 428 of physical vehicle 412 a. in these embodiments and as shown in augmented view 402 b, the viewer can see shadow 416 being cast on virtual vehicle 414 . in some embodiments, augmented view 402 b can be provided to viewer via a non-transparent display based on a full rendering technique as described with respect to figs. 2a-c . in these embodiments, a camera coupled to a viewer's headset can capture one or more video frames of the viewer's field of view as seen in real-world view 402 a. the simulation system can similarly calculate virtual vehicle 434 within virtual rendering 430 . however, in these embodiments, instead of displaying only visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 on display 420 , a display implemented in the viewer's headset can be configured to output the one or more captured video frames with visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 overlaid thereon. in some embodiments, physical objects (e.g., fences, beams, infrastructure, etc.) may block the viewer's view of the racecourse. because augmented view 402 b may be fully rendered views, the display may overlay both visible vehicles and representations of physical vehicles (as calculated by the simulation system) on top of the captured video frames such that large physical objects do not block the viewer's view of the race for extended periods of time. in some embodiments, as will be further described with respect to figs. 5, 6, and 9 , real-world view 402 a may correspond to a live video feed captured by a camera (e.g., video camera 580 of fig. 5 ) installed at a physical racecourse. in these embodiments, information related to a point of view of the camera may be transmitted to the simulation system. for example, such information may include one or more of the camera's position, orientation, tilt, or degree of rotation. based on the information of the camera's point of view, the simulation system may calculate a virtual world to include virtual rendering 430 to include virtual vehicle, representations of physical vehicles, and representations of physical objects, as described with respect to fig. 4b . in some embodiments, based on virtual rendering 430 , the simulation system can calculate visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 as would be viewable at the position of the camera's point of view. as described with respect to fig. 4c , visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 may include car frame and details 424 , shadow 426 of the virtual vehicle, or shadow 428 being cast by other objects in virtual rendering 430 . in some embodiments, visible portions of virtual vehicle 422 may be overlaid on the live video feed of real-world view 402 a to display a race between physical vehicles and virtual vehicles, as shown in augmented view 402 b and as described above with respect to fig. 4d . fig. 5 is a system 500 for simulating a virtual race between a physical vehicle 510 and a simulated entity 530 , according to some embodiments. in some embodiments, a network 502 communicatively couples various components: physical vehicle 510 , simulated entity 530 , simulation system 540 , viewing devices 560 , content-delivery system 570 , camera 580 , and viewer 590 . in some embodiments, camera 580 can be coupled to content-delivery system 570 . as shown in system 500 , network 502 may be a conduit for data flows between the various components. network 502 can be a wired and/or wireless network that includes any combination of local area networks (lans), wide area networks (wans), the internet, and the like. in some embodiments, simulation system 540 include a number of engines 552 that operate on models 542 and information received from physical vehicle 510 and simulated entity 530 to simulate the virtual race, represented as racing simulation 550 . further, simulation system 540 includes rf circuitry 548 , which may include similar components as rf circuitry 105 described with respect to fig. 1 , for communicating data (e.g., graphics data, kinematics information, force information, audio information, etc.) with physical vehicle 510 , viewer 590 , and simulated entity 530 . in some embodiments, models 542 include vehicle models 544 and racecourse models 546 . vehicle models 544 may include 3-d models of animate or inanimate objects in the virtual environment of racing simulation 550 . for example, vehicle models 544 may include a 3-d model of physical vehicle 510 as well as a 3-d model of a virtual vehicle corresponding to simulated entity 530 . racecourse models 546 may include 2-d or 3-d models of the physical racecourse on which physical vehicle 510 is operating. in some embodiment, the 2-d or 3-d models may include information related to terrains, boundaries, or topological features and the like. racecourse models 546 may include a racecourse and related characteristics (e.g., terrain, material type, length, etc.), stands for an audience, etc. in some embodiments, to generate and maintain racing simulation 550 , engines 552 include a physics engine 554 , a graphics engine 556 , and an audio engine 558 . physics engine 554 may include algorithms for emulating the laws of physics realistically within racing simulation 550 . in particular, physics engine 554 includes algorithms to control how components, e.g., simulated physical vehicles or simulated virtual vehicles, interact with each other and a virtual racecourse in racing simulation 550 . in some embodiments, as described elsewhere herein, physics engine 554 generates and maintains racing simulation 550 based on kinematics information received from physical vehicle 510 and based on inputs received from simulated entity 530 . as will be further described with respect to figs. 6 and 9 , the kinematics information can include position information of physical vehicle 510 , according to some embodiments. for example, physics engine 554 may generate an avatar of physical vehicle 510 within racing simulation 550 based on a corresponding model in vehicle models 544 where a position of the avatar in racing simulation 550 may be calculated based on the received kinematics information. additionally, physics engine 554 may generate kinematics information of a virtual vehicle corresponding to simulated entity 530 based on the inputs received from simulated entity 530 . using the generated kinematics information and vehicle models 544 , physics engine 554 may simulate the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse within racing simulation 550 . in some embodiments, to enable physical vehicle 510 to simulate one or more virtual vehicles on display 512 , simulation system 540 transmits the kinematics information of the virtual vehicle to simulation component 522 or display system 514 . in some embodiments, as described with respect to simulation system 140 of fig. 1 , physics engine 554 (within simulation system 540 ) further calculates force information based on an interaction simulated between the physical vehicle and the virtual vehicle in racing simulation 550 . in some embodiments, physics engine 554 calculates force information for physical vehicle 510 and force information for simulated entity 530 . then, simulation system 540 may transmit the calculated force information to physical vehicle 510 , simulated entity 530 , or both via rf circuitry 548 . in some embodiments, to enhance the realism of the race experienced at physical vehicle 510 and simulated entity 530 , audio engine 558 (within simulation system) include algorithms for calculating sounds within racing simulation 550 . audio engine 558 may include sound files related to engines, brakes, tires, explosions, as well as collisions between vehicles. in some embodiments, audio engine 558 calculates a volume of a generated sound based on a distance between vehicles as calculated by physics engine 554 to generate racing simulation 550 . then, audio engine 558 may transmit audio information to physical vehicle 510 , simulated entity 530 , or both. in some embodiments, graphics engine 556 generates 3-d animated graphics for racing simulation 550 . for example, graphics engine 556 may utilize specialized hardware for rendering vehicles (e.g., an avatar of physical vehicle 510 or a virtual vehicle corresponding to simulated entity 530 ) based on vehicle models 544 and computations from physics engine 554 . further, graphics engine 556 may render a virtual racecourse within racing simulation 550 based on racecourse models 546 . in some embodiments, the graphics information (e.g., vehicles and racecourse) generated by graphics engine 556 can be transmitted to physical vehicle 510 , simulated entity 530 , or a combination thereof via rf circuitry 548 . graphics engine 556 may utilize techniques such as rasterization or ray-tracing for generating the 3-d animated graphics. in some embodiments, graphics engine 556 includes computer software applications that are programmed and compiled to be executed on one or more processors of simulation system 540 . in other embodiments, graphics engine 556 can be built upon graphics application programming interfaces (apis) such as direct3d or open gl. in some embodiments, physical vehicle 510 corresponds to physical vehicle 101 described with respect to fig. 1 . to simulate a virtual vehicle, corresponding to simulated entity 530 , at physical vehicle 510 , physical vehicle 510 includes one or more of the following components: display 512 , display system 514 , telemetry system 520 (which may include sensors 516 ), force controller 518 , and simulation component 522 . these components may correspond to the similarly named components described with respect to fig. 1 . in general, telemetry system 520 can be two-way telemetry systems that receive and transmit data. for example, telemetry system 520 may transmit data, e.g., kinematics information of physical vehicle 510 , monitored by sensors 516 to simulation system 540 via network 502 . in some embodiments, the data includes a position of physical vehicle 510 on a physical racecourse. in some embodiments, the data captured by sensors 516 may include a position of a point of view of an operator of physical vehicle 510 , as will be further described with respect to figs. 6 and 9 . in some embodiments, telemetry system 520 can receive kinematics information of the virtual vehicle from simulation system 540 as described above. telemetry system 520 may route the received kinematics information to display system 514 . based on the received kinematics information, display system 514 may generate a virtual representation of the virtual vehicle that is processed by display system 514 for display on display 512 . by simulating the virtual vehicle within a field of view of the operator of physical vehicle 510 , system 500 enables the operator to feel as if the simulated vehicle is in physical proximity to the operator. as described above, the processing for generating the virtual representation of the virtual vehicle may be performed remotely, e.g., offloaded to simulation system 540 . in these embodiments, the virtual representation can be generated and transmitted by simulation system 540 to display system 514 . display system 514 may then display the virtual representation on display 512 to simulate the virtual vehicle within the field of view of the operator. in some embodiments, as will be further described with respect to figs. 6 and 9 , to enhance the realism of the virtual representation, the generated virtual representation can include a portion of the virtual vehicle that is visible from the position of the point of view of the operator. in some embodiments, simulation system 540 can generate the visible portion. in some embodiments, simulation component 522 onboard physical vehicle 510 can generate the visible portion. in some embodiments, to further enhance the realism of the race as experienced by the operator of physical vehicle 510 , force controller 518 receives force information to control one or more mechanical elements in physical vehicle 510 . in some embodiments, as described above, the force information as calculated by physics engine 554 is received from simulation system 540 . in other embodiments, the force calculation may be performed on-board physical vehicle 510 . in some embodiments, viewer 590 may correspond to an audience member watching the race between physical vehicle 510 and simulated entity 530 . to simulate a virtual vehicle for display to viewer 590 , viewer 590 may wear or operate one or more devices that implement one or more of the following components: display 594 , display system 592 , telemetry system 596 (which may include sensors 598 ), and simulation component 599 . these components may correspond to the similarly named components described with respect to physical vehicle 510 . in general, telemetry system 596 transmits limited kinematics information of viewer 590 as detected by sensors 598 . for example, the limited kinematics information may include a position (e.g., gps position) of viewer 590 . as viewer 590 is likely associated with limited motion, other types of kinematics information related to motion may not need to be captured by sensors 598 , according to some embodiments. in some embodiments, like sensors 516 , sensors 598 may include cameras for capturing a position of a point of view of viewer 590 . in some embodiments, display 594 can be implemented in one or more devices worn by viewer 590 . for example, display 594 may be implemented in a headset (e.g., a helmet) or a visor worn by viewer 590 . in some embodiments, viewer 590 may wear or operate a device that implements simulation component 599 . similar to the functionality of simulation component 522 , simulation component 599 may process some of the computations performed by simulation system 540 . in some embodiments, simulation system 540 communicates with content-delivery system 570 to display the competition between live and simulated participants, e.g., physical vehicles and virtual vehicles, to an audience via viewing devices 560 . for example, the virtual vehicle may be overlaid onto a real video footage from the perspective of a video camera 580 at the physical racecourse, and the combined video footage may be shown on one or more viewing devices 560 such that the audience which would see the physical vehicle and virtual vehicle on the same racecourse in competition. in some embodiments, content-delivery system 570 includes: video server 572 for broadcasting video content via a cable or television network; and web server 574 for transmitting video content on-demand or via live streaming via network 502 , e.g., the internet. as discussed above, video server 572 can broadcast video content obtained via video camera 580 . in some embodiments, a plurality of video cameras may be present at the physical racecourse to record live video footage of the race from different points of views. in these embodiments, video server 572 can select live video footage captured by one video camera (e.g., video camera 580 ) from the plurality of video cameras. in some embodiments, each video camera comprises its own point of view, and each point of view is used to determine the visible portion of the virtual vehicle for combining with the live image feed from each video camera. though video server 572 and web server 574 are shown as being implemented by content-delivery system 570 , one or more of these servers (e.g., video server 572 and web server 574 ) may be implemented by separate entities or by simulation system 540 . in some embodiments, viewing devices 560 include a variety of electronic devices with displays for presenting video data. for example, audiences attending a live event/competition may watch the competition on viewing devices 560 that include television (tv) screens, jumbotrons, or the like. in another example, audiences at home may operate viewing devices 560 such as tvs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, desktop computers, among other types of mobile devices. further, in some embodiments, audiences both at home and at the live competition may wear viewing devices 560 such as hmds or goggles that would display the combined scene (e.g., including live and virtual participants) from the perspective of the audience member based on location-based information of where the audience member is located, as well as head and eye spatial and directional measurements to accurately recreate the scene using processors built into the hmds, on portable computers or mobile devices with the audience, or from remote servers with camera and audience member positional locations registered in them and which stream the display information to the audience member's hmd or portable computer/mobile device. in some embodiments, simulated entity 530 includes a simulation device 532 coupled to a display 534 and an input controller 536 for controlling the virtual vehicle in a virtual race. in some embodiments, simulation device 532 includes force controller 538 and display system 539 . simulation device 532 may be a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer such as a videogame console. in some embodiments, input controller 536 may include a keyboard, a videogame controller, a joystick, a steering wheel and pedals, a force pad, a treadmill, a steering wheel, among other types of input devices for controlling the virtual vehicle in a virtual race. in some embodiments, simulation device 532 receives inputs from the input controller 536 and transmits the received inputs to simulation system 540 . in some embodiments, simulation system 540 simulates the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse based on the inputs. then, simulation system 540 may transmit display information corresponding to a position of the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse. display system 539 within simulation device 532 may receive the display information and render the virtual race as computer-generated imagery (cgi) on display 534 . in some embodiments, display system 539 projects the virtual race on display 534 . as shown in system 500 , display 534 may include a television screen, a monitor, a projector, or other devices for displaying graphics data. in some embodiments, as described with respect to displays of fig. 1 , display 534 may include a head-mounted display (hmd) worn by a user of input controller 536 . for example, the hmd may be include a visor, a headset (e.g., a helmet), glasses, goggles, or other devices worn in front of the user's eyes. in other embodiments, the hmd implements retinal projection techniques to simulate one or more virtual vehicles. for examples, the hmd may include a virtual retinal display (vrd) that projects images onto the left and right eyes of vehicle operator 114 to create a three-dimensional (3d) image of one or more virtual vehicles in the field of view of vehicle operator 114 . in some embodiments, force controller 538 receives force information from simulation system 540 . the force information may be associated with an interaction, e.g., a collision, simulated by simulation system 540 between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse. to enhance the virtual racing experience for simulated entity, force controller 538 may provide feedback to input controller 536 by, for example, by vibrating input controller 536 . in some embodiments, a user operating input controller 536 may wear a haptic suit including one or more actuators controlled by force controller 538 to emulate the physical sensations that would be felt by the user in a real collision. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for displaying virtual vehicles on displays, according to some embodiments. in some embodiments, method 600 includes steps performed at a physical vehicle 602 , a simulation system 604 , and a viewer 606 . for example, steps performed at physical vehicle 602 may be implemented by components within a physical vehicle such as physical vehicle 101 of fig. 1 or physical vehicle 510 of fig. 5 . for example, steps performed at simulation system 604 may be implemented by simulation system 140 of fig. 1 or simulation system 540 of fig. 5 . for example, steps performed at viewer 606 may be performed by devices (e.g., components shown in viewer 590 of fig. 5 ) worn by an audience member watching a race between physical vehicle 602 and a virtual vehicle on a physical racecourse. in step 610 , physical vehicle 602 identifies a position of physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, physical vehicle 602 can identify the position of physical vehicle 602 by detecting kinematics information of physical vehicle 602 via one or more sensors (e.g., sensors 108 of fig. 1 or sensors 516 of fig. 5 ) on board physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, the position of physical vehicle 602 includes location information for each of two portions of physical vehicle 602 . for example, the location information for a first portion of physical vehicle 602 may be detected by a gps sensor placed at the first portion. in some embodiments, the position of physical vehicle 602 includes a location of one portion of physical vehicle 602 and an orientation of physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, the orientation of physical vehicle 602 can include gyroscope data detected by a sensor (e.g., a gyroscope) on-board physical vehicle 602 . in step 611 , physical vehicle 602 provides the position of physical vehicle 602 to simulation system 604 . in step 620 , simulation system 604 receives inputs controlling a virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the inputs can be received from input controller 536 as described with respect to fig. 5 . in step 621 , simulation system 604 calculates a virtual world for simulating a race on a virtual racecourse between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle based on inputs from physical vehicle 602 and inputs controlling the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the virtual world can be implemented in a racing simulation (e.g., racing simulation 141 of fig. 1 or racing simulation 550 of fig. 5 ). in some embodiments, the inputs from physical vehicle 602 can include the position of physical vehicle 602 provided in step 611 . in some embodiments, to generate the racing simulation, simulation system 604 can calculate a representation of the physical vehicle to add to the virtual racecourse in the racing simulation based, in part, on the position provided in step 611 . in some embodiments, to generate the racing simulation, simulation system 604 can calculate the virtual vehicle to add to the virtual racecourse in the racing simulation based on the inputs of step 620 . in some embodiments, simulation system 604 can use the inputs to update kinematics information associated with the virtual vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the kinematics information includes one or more vectors of motion, one or more scalars of motion, a position vector, a gps location, a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, or a combination thereof of the virtual vehicle. based on the updated kinematics information, simulation system 604 can update a simulation of the virtual vehicle in the virtual world, according to some embodiments. in step 612 , physical vehicle 602 identifies a position of a point of view of an operator of physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, the position of the point of view of the operator can be determined with respect to a head of the operator as detected by a sensor (e.g., a camera) in physical vehicle 602 . for example, the position of the point of view can include detecting a spatial position of the operator's head. for example, in some embodiments, the position of the operator's point of view can be determined by at least one of the following: tracking head position, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in a venue, or identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, the venue may include the physical racecourse, the stands, or other infrastructure at the physical racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view of the operator can be determined with respect to eyes of the operator as detected by a sensor (e.g., a camera) in physical vehicle 602 . for example, the position of the point of view can include detecting a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes where the user is the operator. for example, in some embodiments, the position of the operator's point of view can be determined by at least one of the following: measuring a point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the physical vehicle, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear (e.g., a visor) to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point on the racecourse, or identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, the venue may include the physical racecourse, the stands, or other infrastructure at the physical racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the point of view of the operator can be identified by measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes. in step 613 , physical vehicle 602 provides a position of the point of view of the operator to simulation system 604 . in some embodiments, physical vehicle 602 wirelessly transmits the position of the point of view to simulation system 604 . in some embodiments, a telemetry system (e.g., telemetry system 104 of fig. 1 ) coupled to physical vehicle 602 can perform the transmitting. in step 622 , simulation system 604 calculates a first portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view of the operator. in some embodiments, as will be further described with respect to fig. 9 , simulation system 604 calculates the first portion by determining which portions of the virtual vehicle are unobscured by the representation of the physical vehicle (with respect to a virtual position within the racing simulation generated in step 621 ). in particular, the simulation system 604 can determine the virtual position to correspond to the position of the point of view provided by physical vehicle 602 as described in step 613 . in some embodiments, the simulation system 604 calculates the first portion by determining which portions of the virtual vehicle are unobscured by the representation of physical objects in the racing simulation. in some embodiments, as described above with respect to figs. 3a-d , portions of the virtual vehicle within the racing simulation may be obstructed by representations of other physical or virtual vehicles with respect to the virtual position of the point of view of the operator. for example, a representation of a physical object may obscure a portion of the virtual vehicle from a virtual position of the point of view when the representation of the physical object is positioned on a straight line between the virtual position of the point of view and the obscured portion of the representation of the physical object. in some embodiments, the first portion calculated by simulation system 604 can include the unobstructed portion of the virtual vehicle, as described above. in some embodiments, the first portion can exclude the obstructed portions of the virtual vehicle, as described above. in some embodiments, the first portion of the virtual vehicle can include one or more virtual shadows being generated within the virtual world. in some embodiments, the one or more virtual shadows can include a virtual shadow of the virtual vehicle, a virtual shadow being cast on the virtual vehicle, or both the virtual shadow of the virtual vehicle and the virtual shadow being cast on the virtual vehicle. for example, the virtual shadow being cast on the virtual vehicle may include a virtual shadow of another virtual vehicle, a virtual shadow of a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, or a virtual shadow of other virtual objects being generated in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the first portion of the virtual vehicle can include a virtual representation as generated by simulation system 604 (e.g., graphics engine 556 ). in some embodiments, the virtual representation includes a set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the virtual representation can be generated by simulation system 604 based on a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle stored in a database of models (e.g., vehicle models 544 ). in step 623 , simulation system 604 outputs the first portion calculated in step 622 to physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, simulation system 604 wirelessly transmits (e.g., via rf circuitry 548 of fig. 5 ) the first portion to physical vehicle 602 . in step 614 , physical vehicle 602 provides the first portion to a display system (e.g., display system 102 of fig. 1 or display system 514 of fig. 5 ). in some embodiments, the first portion received from simulation system 604 can include kinematics information calculated by simulation system 604 . in some embodiments, the first portion received from simulation system 604 can include graphical information. in some embodiments, the telemetry system (e.g., telemetry system 104 of fig. 1 ) coupled to physical vehicle 602 can receive information related to the first portion of the virtual vehicle. in step 615 , physical vehicle 602 displays the first portion of the virtual vehicle on a display (e.g., display 512 of fig. 5 ) proximate to physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, the display system (e.g., rendering component 107 of fig. 1 ) renders the first portion of the virtual vehicle on the display. in some embodiments, a rendering component (e.g., rendering component 107 of fig. 1 ) in the display system translates the first portion of the virtual vehicle into a virtual representation for displaying on the display. in some embodiments, the virtual representation includes a set of graphical elements. in some embodiments, the display system displays a series of representations of the virtual vehicle (each representation including a visible portion of the virtual vehicle output in step 623 ) over a period of time by repeating one or more steps (e.g., steps 610 - 615 and 620 - 623 ) of method 600 to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse in the field of view of the operator. in some embodiments, the display system includes a simulation component (e.g., simulation component 106 ) that generates the virtual representation. in some embodiments, the virtual representation is generated based on a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the digital 3-d model is stored in memory of the display system. the digital 3-d model may be received from, for example, the simulation system. in some embodiments, the display includes one or more windows of physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, the display can include one or more windows or mirrors of physical vehicle 602 such as any of the following displays as described with respect to fig. 1 : front windshield 120 , rear-view mirror 122 , rear windshield 124 , side windows 126 a and 126 b, side mirrors 128 a and 128 b. in some embodiments, the display can be implemented within a visor or a headset (e.g., helmet 116 of fig. 1 ) worn by the operator physical vehicle 602 . in some embodiments, simulation system 604 performs steps similar to steps 622 and 623 to enable other viewers such as viewer 606 to view the virtual vehicle from other points of view. in some embodiments, viewer 606 can be an audience member at a live racing event and watching a race between physical vehicle 602 on a physical racecourse and the virtual vehicle not physical present on the physical racecourse. although illustrated together in one system, in some embodiments one of the first visible portion and second visible portion are calculated and output without calculating and output the other portion. in step 630 , a display system of viewer 606 receives a selection for a second point of view. in some embodiments, the selection can be a point of view of viewer 606 . for example, viewer 606 may be an audience member present at the physical racecourse and observing physical vehicle 602 on the racecourse. in some embodiments, the selection can be a point of view of a video camera present at the physical racecourse and imaging a portion of the racecourse on which physical vehicle 602 is racing. when physical vehicle 602 is traveling on the portion of the racecourse being captured by the video camera, the video camera may image physical vehicle 602 on a video feed. when the physical vehicle is not travelling across the portion of the racecourse being captured by the camera, the camera may still capture the portion of the racecourse. in some embodiments, the selection for the second point of view can default to the point of view of viewer 606 or a video camera. in step 631 , the display system of viewer 606 identifies a position of the second point of view. in some embodiments where the second point of view is the point of view of viewer 606 , the position of the second point of view can be determined with respect to the head of viewer 606 as detected by a sensor (e.g., sensors 598 ) proximate to viewer 606 . for example, in some embodiments, the position of the second point of view can be determined by at least one of the following: tracking head position of viewer 600 , identifying a vector from a point on the head to a fixed point in a venue, identifying a vector from a point on a head gear to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, the venue may include the physical racecourse, the stands, or other infrastructure at the physical racecourse. in some embodiments where the second point of view is the point of view of viewer 606 , the position of the second point of view can be determined with respect to eyes of viewer 606 as detected by a sensor (e.g., sensors 598 ) proximate to viewer 606 . for example, the position of the second point of view can include detecting a spatial position of a user's eyes, a gaze direction of the user's eyes, or a focus point of the user's eyes where the user is viewer 606 . for example, in some embodiments, the position of the second point of view can be determined by at least one of the following: measuring a point of gaze of eyes, tracking eye movement, identifying a vector from a point on eye-wear (e.g., a visor) to a fixed point in a venue, or identifying a vector from one or both eyes to a fixed point in the venue. in some embodiments, the venue may include the physical racecourse, the stands, or other infrastructure at the physical racecourse. in some embodiments, the position of the second point of view can be identified by measuring light reflection or refraction from the eyes of viewer 606 . in step 632 , the display system of viewer 606 provides the position of the second point of view to simulation system 604 . in step 624 , simulation system 604 calculates a second portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the second point of view. in some embodiments, as will be further described with respect to fig. 9 , simulation system 604 calculates the second portion by determining which portions of the virtual vehicle are unobscured by the representation of the physical vehicle with respect to a virtual position within the racing simulation generated in step 621 . in particular, the simulation system 604 can determine the virtual position to correspond to the position of the second point of view provided by the display system of viewer 606 as described in step 632 . in step 625 , simulation system 604 outputs the second portion calculated in step 624 to the display system of viewer 606 . in some embodiments, simulation system 604 wirelessly transmits (e.g., via rf circuitry 548 of fig. 5 ) the second portion to the display system of viewer 606 . in step 633 , a wireless interface proximate to viewer 606 provides the second portion to the display system of viewer 606 . in some embodiments, the second portion received from simulation system 604 can include kinematics information calculated by simulation system 604 . in some embodiments, the first portion received from simulation system 604 can include graphical information. in some embodiments where the display system of viewer 606 includes the wireless interface, the display system of viewer 606 can directly receive the second portion. in step 634 , the display system of viewer 606 the second portion of the virtual vehicle on a display proximate to viewer 606 . in some embodiments, the display system of viewer 606 renders the second portion of the virtual vehicle on the display. in some embodiments, the display proximate to viewer 606 can be implemented in a visor or a helmet worn by viewer 606 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 6 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps described above with respect to fig. 6 . in some embodiments, a system comprises at least one of foregoing non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium(s). in some embodiments, a device comprises one or more processors configured to perform any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 6 . fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for providing two-way interactions between a virtual vehicle and a physical vehicle to an operator of the physical vehicle, according to some embodiments. method 700 may, for example, be implemented by components within a physical vehicle such as physical vehicle 101 of fig. 1 . in some embodiments, method 700 enhances method 600 to provide tactile and audio feedback in addition to the visual feedback displayed and described with respect to method 600 . in step 702 , a telemetry system (e.g., telemetry system 104 ) monitors kinematics information of the physical vehicle (e.g., physical vehicle 101 ). in some embodiments the telemetry system includes one or more sensors to detect the kinematics information. for example, the one or more sensors may include a gps receiver, an accelerometer, a speedometer, an orientation sensor, a gyroscope, among other types of sensors. in step 704 , the telemetry system transmits the kinematics information to a simulation system (e.g., simulation system 140 ). in some embodiments, the kinematics information is transmitted via rf circuitry (e.g., rf circuitry 105 ). in some embodiments, the simulation system simulates a virtual race between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle in a virtual world based on the telemetered kinematics information. in some embodiments, the virtual world includes a virtual racecourse where the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle are simulated on the virtual racecourse. in some embodiments, the simulation system calculates a distance between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse. based on the calculated distance, the simulation system determines whether a contact (e.g., a collision) exists between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse. then, the simulation system calculates force information that corresponds to the determined contact. in some embodiments, the simulation system calculates audio information based on the calculated distance and whether the contact exists. in some embodiments, the audio information includes one or more of the sounds of engines, brakes, tires, explosions, or explosions as well as the volume level of the one or more sounds. for example, the simulation system may calculate the volume of the one or more sounds to be inversely proportional to the calculated distance between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse. in step 706 , a force controller (e.g., force controller 112 ) receives force information from the simulation system. for example, a display system (e.g., display system 102 ) may receive and forward the force information to the force controller. in some embodiments, some or all of the functionality of calculating the force information may be performed at the physical vehicle in a simulation component (e.g., simulation component 106 ). in these embodiments, the simulation component receives kinematics information of the virtual vehicle or other virtual objects, as will be described with respect to step 816 of fig. 8 . then, the simulation component may perform the force calculations to generate the force information. in step 708 , the display component receives audio information from the simulation system. in some embodiments, some or all of the functionality of calculating the audio information may be performed at the physical vehicle in the simulation component. in these embodiments, the simulation component receives kinematics information of the virtual vehicle or other virtual objects, as will be described with respect to step 816 of fig. 8 . then, the simulation component may perform the audio calculations to generate the audio information. in step 710 , the force controller controls one or more mechanical elements implemented in the physical vehicle based on the received force information. in some embodiments, the force controller transmits instructions to one or more force actuators (i.e., examples of mechanical elements) to emulate the physical sensations that would be felt by the operator of the physical vehicle should there be real physical contact between the physical vehicle and another vehicle, displayed as a virtual representation of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the one or more force actuators may be implemented within a seat and head brace (e.g., seat and head brace 130 ) or within a haptic suit (e.g., haptic suit 118 ) worn by the operator. in some embodiments, the mechanical elements may include parts that affect the functionality of the physical vehicle. for example, the mechanical elements may include a steering wheel column, brakes, airbags, etc. based on the received force information, the force controller may, for example, lock the brakes, deploy the airbags, vibrate the steering wheel column, create a bumping force on a section of the vehicle, slow the car by reducing power, or control other mechanical and/or electrical elements within the physical vehicle. in step 712 , the display system can control one or more speakers of the physical vehicle (e.g., speakers 132 ) to output the audio information. in some embodiments, the display system can control one or more speakers within a helmet worn by the operator (e.g., helmet 116 ) to output the audio information. in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 7 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps described above with respect to fig. 7 . in some embodiments, a system comprises at least one of foregoing non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium(s). in some embodiments, a device comprises one or more processors configured to perform any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 7 . fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method 800 for simulating a race between a virtual vehicle and a physical vehicle to provide two-way interactions, according to some embodiments. method 800 may, for example, be implemented by a simulation system such as simulation system 140 described with respect to fig. 1 or simulation system 540 described with respect to fig. 5 . as described with respect to figs. 1 and 5 , the simulation system simulates a virtual race between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on a virtual racecourse in a virtual world where the virtual racecourse is simulated to correspond to a physical racecourse. in step 802 , the simulation system receives input from a controller (e.g., input controller 536 ) to control a virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse. in some embodiments, the controller may be a keyboard, a mouse, a video game controller, a joystick, a steering wheel and pedals, a gesture on a touch screen, or a combination thereof among other types of input devices. in step 804 , the simulation system receives kinematics information for the physical vehicle (e.g., physical vehicle 101 of fig. 1 ). in some embodiments, the kinematics information is received from the physical vehicle as described with respect to fig. 1 . in step 806 , the simulation system simulates the virtual race between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse. in some embodiments, the simulation system simulates the virtual race according to one or more of steps 808 - 812 . in step 808 , the simulation system determines kinematics information of the virtual vehicle based on the input received in step 802 . for example, the input may include an amount of force applied to a videogame controller that is translated by the simulation system into an acceleration amount. in step 810 , the simulation system determines an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle on the virtual racecourse by comparing the kinematics information between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the simulation system determines a distance between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle simulated on the virtual racecourse to determine whether a contact (e.g., a collision) occurs. in step 812 , the simulation system generates force information based on the interaction determined in step 810 . in step 813 , the simulation system generates audio information based on the interaction determined in step 810 . in step 816 , the simulation system transmits the kinematics information of the virtual vehicle to the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the physical vehicle uses the kinematics information of the virtual vehicle to generate and display the virtual vehicle on a display of the physical vehicle. in step 818 , the simulation system transmits the force information to the physical vehicle as described with respect to step 706 of fig. 7 . in some embodiments, the physical vehicle controls one or more mechanical or electrical elements of the physical vehicle based on the force information to emulate the physical sensations that would be felt by an operator of the physical vehicle in a real collision. in step 820 , the simulation system transmits generated audio information to the physical vehicle as described with respect to step 708 of fig. 7 . in some embodiments, the physical vehicle controls one or more speakers of the physical vehicle based on the audio information to emulate the auditory experience that would be felt by the operator of the physical vehicle should the virtual vehicle be physically present on the physical racecourse. for example, the one or more speakers may include vehicle speakers or speakers implemented within a headset worn by the operator. in step 814 , the simulation system renders the virtual race on a simulation display (e.g., display 534 of fig. 5 ). in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 8 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps described above with respect to fig. 8 . in some embodiments, a system comprises at least one of foregoing non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium(s). in some embodiments, a device comprises one or more processors configured to perform any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 8 . fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method 900 performed by a simulation system to enable display of virtual vehicles, according to some embodiments. method 900 may, for example, be implemented by simulation system 140 described with respect to fig. 1 or simulation system 540 described with respect to fig. 5 . in some embodiments, one or more steps of method 900 may correspond to one or more steps performed by simulation system 604 as described with respect to fig. 6 . in step 902 , the simulation system receives inputs controlling a virtual vehicle. for example, the inputs may be received from input controller 536 as described with respect to fig. 5 . in some embodiments, step 902 corresponds to step 620 of fig. 6 . in step 904 , the simulation system receives a position of a physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the position of the physical vehicle can be provided by the physical vehicle, e.g., as described with respect to step 611 of fig. 6 . in step 906 , the simulation system calculates a virtual world for simulating a race on a virtual racecourse between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the virtual world can be a racing simulation stored in racing simulation 550 as described in fig. 5 . in some embodiments, step 906 corresponds to step 621 of fig. 6 . in some embodiments, to calculate the virtual world, method 900 performs steps 908 - 912 . in step 908 , the simulation system simulates the virtual vehicle on the virtual racecourse in the virtual world based on the inputs received in step 902 . in some embodiments, the inputs control kinematic characteristics that define how the virtual vehicle moves on the virtual racecourse in the virtual world. in step 910 , the simulation system calculates a representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world based on the position of the physical vehicle received in step 904 . in some embodiments, the simulation system can simulate the race between the physical vehicle and the virtual vehicle by adding the representation of the physical vehicle to the virtual world. in some embodiments, to calculate the representation of the physical vehicle, the simulation system transforms physical coordinates associated with the position of the physical vehicle to virtual coordinates within the virtual world. in step 912 , the simulation system calculates a plurality of representations of objects in the virtual world. in some embodiments, a representation of an object (from the plurality of representations) corresponds to a physical object that is present in a physical racecourse being modeled in the virtual world. for example, the virtual racecourse in the virtual world may be simulated based on the physical racecourse, which may include physical objects such as trees, banners, pit stops, etc. in some embodiments, a representation of an object (from the plurality of representations) corresponds to a virtual object that is present on the virtual racecourse being simulated in the virtual world and that is not present on the physical racecourse. for example, the virtual object may include, without limitation, simulated obstacles, smoke, walls, explosions, or debris resulting from a collision between the virtual vehicle and the physical vehicle being simulated in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the virtual world simulated by the simulation system can include the plurality of calculated representations of physical objects. in some embodiments, the simulation system can calculate the plurality of representations of physical objects by accessing a database of representations. in step 914 , the simulation system receives a position of a point of view at the racecourse. in some embodiments, the position can be received from a physical vehicle as described with respect to step 613 of fig. 6 . in these embodiments, the position represents a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle. in some embodiments, the position can be received from a viewer as described with respect to step 632 of fig. 6 . in these embodiments, the position represents a position of a point of view selected by the viewer. in step 916 , the simulation system calculates a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the position of the point of view received in step 914 . in some embodiments, step 916 corresponds to steps 622 or 621 as described with respect to fig. 6 based on a source of the position of the point of view received in step 914 . in some embodiments, calculating the portion includes calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view. in these embodiments, the calculated portion can be within the calculated field of view. in some embodiments, to calculate the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the point of view, method 900 performs steps 918 - 926 . in step 918 , the simulation system calculates a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view received in step 914 . in some embodiments, to calculate the virtual position, the simulation system transforms the physical coordinates of the position of the point of view to virtual coordinates within the virtual world. in step 920 , the simulation system determines whether one or more representations of objects exist between the virtual position and the virtual vehicle in the virtual world. in some embodiments, the one or more representations of physical objects are selected from the plurality of representations of physical objects calculated in step 912 . as described above with respect to step 912 , the one or more representations of objects can include virtual representations of physical objects that are present on the physical racecourse. in some embodiments, the one or more representations of objects can include virtual objects that are simulated in the virtual world are not present on the physical racecourse. in step 922 , if one or more representations of the objects exist, method 900 proceeds to step 926 . otherwise, method 900 proceeds to step 924 . in step 924 , the simulation system extracts portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured, from the virtual position, by the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world. in step 926 , the simulation system extracts portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured, from the virtual position, by the representation of the physical vehicle and the one or more representations of objects determined in step 920 . in step 928 , the simulation system provides a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view to include one or more of the extracted portions. in some embodiments, the portion being output includes only the extracted portions. in some embodiments, as discussed above, the simulation system can calculate the field of view from the virtual position of the point of view. in these embodiments, the portion calculated by the simulation system can include: a non-excluded portion representing parts of the portion that are visible within the calculated field of view; and an excluded portion representing parts of the portion that are excluded (i.e., not visible) within the calculated field of view. in some embodiments where the field of view is calculated by the simulation system, the simulation system can calculate the portion to include only the non-excluded portion representing parts of the portion that are visible within the calculated field of view. in some embodiments, the simulation system provides the portion of the virtual vehicle to the source originating the position of the point of view as described with respect to step 914 . for example, step 928 may correspond to steps 623 or 625 as described with respect to fig. 6 depending on a source of the point of view as described with respect to step 914 . in this example, if the position of the point of view is received from the physical vehicle, the simulation system may provide the portion of the virtual vehicle to the physical vehicle as described with respect to step 623 of fig. 6 . in some embodiments, the virtual world can be a racing simulation stored in racing simulation 550 as described in fig. 5 . in some embodiments, step 906 corresponds to step 621 of fig. 6 . in some embodiments, to calculate the virtual world, method 600 performs steps 908 - 912 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 9 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps described above with respect to fig. 9 . in some embodiments, a system comprises at least one of foregoing non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium(s). in some embodiments, a device comprises one or more processors configured to perform any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 9 . fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1000 to enable display of virtual vehicles, according to some embodiments. method 1000 may, for example, be implemented by components within a physical vehicle such as physical vehicle 101 of fig. 1 or physical vehicle 510 of fig. 5 . in some embodiments, by simulating the virtual vehicle within a field of view of an operator of the physical vehicle on a racecourse, method 1000 enhances the realism of the interaction between the physical vehicle and the virtual vehicle as experienced by the operator against the virtual vehicle. in step 1002 , a sensor in the physical vehicle (e.g., eye-position detector 110 ) detects eyes measurements of an operator (e.g., vehicle operator 114 ) of the physical system (e.g., physical vehicle 101 ). in some embodiments, the sensor estimates the eyes measurements of the eyes based on detecting the operator's head or a device worn on the head of the operator (e.g., helmet 116 , visor over eyes 117 , or a head-mounted display (hmd)). for example, the sensor may estimate the eyes measurements of the operator's eyes based on detecting a position and/or an orientation of the device worn on the operator's head. in step 1004 , a display system in the physical vehicle (e.g., rendering component 107 ) identifies a position (e.g., position 208 a from fig. 2 ) of a physical object in the field of view of the operator. in some embodiments, the position corresponds to a location on a display (e.g., display 220 from fig. 2 ) in proximity to the physical system. in step 1006 , the display system receives kinematics information of the virtual vehicle representing a competitor vehicle not physically on the racecourse. further, the display system may receive information from a simulation system (e.g., simulation system 140 ) related to virtual objects within racing simulation 550 or racing simulation 141 that are not physically present on the racecourse. in some embodiments, as described with respect to fig. 1 , the kinematics information may include gps coordinates, spatial position, orientation, velocity, acceleration, or a combination thereof associated with the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the kinematics information can be received from a simulation system (e.g., simulation system 140 ) that simulates a race between the physical vehicle and the virtual vehicle on a simulated racecourse. in step 1008 , the display system generates a representation of the virtual vehicle based on the position of the physical object identified in step 1004 , the eyes measurements detected in step 1002 , and the kinematics information received in step 1006 . in some embodiment, the display system includes a simulation component (e.g., simulation component 106 ) that generates the representation. further, in embodiments where the display system receives information for other virtual objects as described in step 1006 , the display system similarly generates graphical, representations for these virtual objects. for example, virtual objects may include a wall, debris from a virtual car, or objects on a virtual racecourse being simulated in racing simulation 550 . in some embodiments, the virtual representation is generated based on a digital 3-d model of the virtual vehicle. in some embodiments, the digital 3-d model is stored in memory of the display system. the digital 3-d model may be received from, for example, the simulation system. in step 1010 , the display system (e.g., rendering component 107 ) displays the representation of the virtual vehicle on the display to align with the physical object represented by the identified position of step 1004 . in some embodiments, a rendering component (e.g., rendering component 107 of fig. 1 ) in the display system translates the representation into a set of graphical elements for displaying on the display. in some embodiments, the display system displays a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time by repeating one or more steps (e.g., steps 1002 - 1010 ) of method 1000 to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse in the field of view of the operator. in some embodiments, the representation can be generated remotely by, for example, the simulation system. in these embodiments, the display system receives information related to the representation as generated by the simulation system. further, the rendering component may translate this received information into a set of graphical elements for displaying on the display. in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 10 . in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps described above with respect to fig. 10 . in some embodiments, a system comprises at least one of foregoing non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium(s). in some embodiments, a device comprises one or more processors configured to perform any of the steps described above with respect to fig. 10 . fig. 11 illustrates an example of a computer in accordance with one embodiment. computer 1100 can be a component of a system for simulating virtual vehicles on a display according to the systems and methods described above, such as the devices in physical vehicle 101 or simulation system 140 described with respect to fig. 1 , or can include the entire system itself. in some embodiments, computer 1100 is configured to execute a method for enhancing a virtual race between a physical vehicle and a virtual vehicle, such as each of methods 600 , 700 , 800 , 900 , and 1000 of figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 , respectively. computer 1100 can be a host computer connected to a network. computer 1100 can be a client computer or a server. as shown in fig. 11 , computer 1100 can be any suitable type of microprocessor-based device, such as a personal computer, workstation, server, videogame console, or handheld computing device, such as a phone or tablet. the computer can include, for example, one or more of processor 1110 , input device 1120 , output device 1130 , storage 1140 , and communication device 1160 . input device 1120 and output device 1130 can generally correspond to those described above and can either be connectable or integrated with the computer. input device 1120 can be any suitable device that provides input, such as a touch screen or monitor, keyboard, mouse, or voice-recognition device. output device 1130 can be any suitable device that provides output, such as a touch screen, monitor, printer, disk drive, or speaker. storage 1140 can be any suitable device that provides storage, such as an electrical, magnetic, or optical memory, including a ram, cache, hard drive, cd-rom drive, tape drive, or removable storage disk. communication device 1160 can include any suitable device capable of transmitting and receiving signals over a network, such as a network interface chip or card. the components of the computer can be connected in any suitable manner, such as via a physical bus or wirelessly. storage 1140 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programs, which, when executed by one or more processors, such as processor 1110 , cause the one or more processors to execute methods described herein, such as each of methods 600 , 700 , 800 , 900 , and 1000 of figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 , respectively. software 1150 , which can be stored in storage 1140 and executed by processor 1110 , can include, for example, the programming that embodies the functionality of the present disclosure (e.g., as embodied in the systems, computers, servers, and/or devices as described above). in some embodiments, software 1150 can be implemented and executed on a combination of servers such as application servers and database servers. software 1150 , or part thereof, can also be stored and/or transported within any computer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as those described above, that can fetch and execute instructions associated with the software from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. in the context of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium can be any medium, such as storage 1140 , that can contain or store programming for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. software 1150 can also be propagated within any transport medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as those described above, that can fetch and execute instructions associated with the software from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. in the context of this disclosure, a transport medium can be any medium that can communicate, propagate, or transport programming for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the transport-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or infrared wired or wireless propagation medium. computer 1100 may be connected to a network, which can be any suitable type of interconnected communication system. the network can implement any suitable communications protocol and can be secured by any suitable security protocol. the network can comprise network links of any suitable arrangement that can implement the transmission and reception of network signals, such as wireless network connections, t1 or t3 lines, cable networks, dsl, or telephone lines. computer 1100 can implement any operating system suitable for operating on the network. software 1150 can be written in any suitable programming language, such as c, c++, java, or python. in various embodiments, application software embodying the functionality of the present disclosure can be deployed in different configurations, such as in a client/server arrangement or through a web browser as a web-based application or web service, for example. the foregoing description sets forth exemplary methods, parameters and the like. it should be recognized, however, that such description is not intended as a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure but is instead provided as a description of exemplary embodiments. the illustrative embodiments described above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. the embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the disclosed techniques and their practical applications. others skilled in the art are thereby enabled to best utilize the techniques and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. although the disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying figures, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the disclosure and examples as defined by the claims. in the foregoing description of the disclosure and embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments that can be practiced. it is to be understood that other embodiments and examples can be practiced, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. although the foregoing description uses terms first, second, etc. to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by the terms. these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. for example, a first virtual vehicle could be termed a second virtual vehicle, and, similarly, a second virtual vehicle could be termed a first touch, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. in addition, it is also to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used in the foregoing description are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. it is also to be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. it is further to be understood that the terms “includes, “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or units but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, units, and/or groups thereof. the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context. in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display, the one or more programs including instructions for implementing any of the steps described or claimed herein. the present disclosure also relates to a device for performing the operations herein. this device may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may include a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, cd-roms, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (roms), random access memories (rams), eproms, eeproms, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (asics), or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. furthermore, the computers referenced in this disclosure may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability. the methods, devices, and systems described herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. the required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. in addition, the present disclosure is not described with reference to any particular programming language. it will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the present disclosure as described herein.
027-343-058-135-026	DK	[ "ES", "US", "BR", "EP", "WO", "DK", "CN" ]	B66C1/10,F03D13/10,F03D80/50	2018-09-13T00:00:00	2018	[ "B66", "F03" ]	rotor blade hoisting system and method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade	a hoisting system includes an upper cable support system to be mounted on a top end of a wind turbine, a lower cable support system at a lower end of the wind turbine, and left and right cables extended between the cable support systems. a clamping yoke arranged approximately at the centre of gravity of a rotor blade includes left and right climbing systems adapted to climb on the cables with first and second rollers spaced in a longitudinal direction of the blade whereby the first rollers are nearer a root end of the blade than the second rollers. a position at least in the longitudinal direction of the blade of the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is adjustable by an actuator.	1 . a rotor blade hoisting system for installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade on a hub of a wind turbine, the rotor blade hoisting system including an upper cable support system adapted to be mounted on a top end of the wind turbine, a lower cable support system adapted to be arranged at a lower end of the wind turbine at a distance from the wind turbine, at least a left and a right cable both adapted to be extended, in spaced relationship, between the upper cable support system and the lower cable support system, a clamping system adapted to be clamped onto a rotor blade of the wind turbine, the clamping system including a left climbing system adapted to climb on the left cable and a right climbing system adapted to climb on the right cable, each of the left and the right climbing systems including at least a first and a second roller adapted to roll on the respective cable and adapted to, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, be spaced in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade so that the first rollers are placed nearer a root end of the rotor blade than the second rollers, and wherein at least one of the first and second rollers of each of the left and the right climbing systems is a motor driven roller, wherein the clamping system includes a clamping yoke adapted to be arranged approximately at the position of the centre of gravity of the rotor blade, at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, in that the left and the right climbing systems are mounted on the clamping yoke, and in that, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a position at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is adjustable by means of an actuator. 2 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a position of the first roller of each of the left and the right climbing systems is individually adjustable by means of an actuator at least in a specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, and wherein said specific direction preferably extends at least substantially in the direction of a chord of the rotor blade. 3 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is freely variable within certain limits. 4 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is individually adjustable by means of at least one actuator. 5 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 1 , wherein the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is arranged on a swing arm being arranged on the clamping system, and wherein a swing arm actuator is arranged to swing said swing arm in relation to the clamping system. 6 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 5 , wherein the swing arm is arranged pivotally on the clamping system generally about a main pivot axis extending transversely in relation to the rotor blade, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, and wherein the swing arm actuator is arranged to pivot said swing arm generally about said main pivot axis. 7 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 5 , wherein said swing arm is composed by a first section and a second section being pivotally linked. 8 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 6 , wherein said swing arm is composed by a first section and a second section being pivotally linked together about an auxiliary pivot axis extending transversely to the main pivot axis. 9 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 7 , wherein an auxiliary swing arm actuator is arranged to pivot the first section and the second section in relation to each other. 10 . a method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade on a hub of a wind turbine, the method including the following steps: mounting an upper cable support system on a top end of the wind turbine, arranging a lower cable support system at a lower end of the wind turbine at a distance from the wind turbine, extending, in spaced relationship, at least a left and a right cable between the upper cable support system and the lower cable support system, clamping a clamping system onto a rotor blade, arranging a left climbing system of the clamping system on the left cable and a right climbing system of the clamping system on the right cable, each of the left and the right climbing systems including at least a first and a second roller rolling on the respective cable and being spaced in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, the first rollers being placed nearer a root end of the rotor blade than the second rollers, driving at least one of the first and second rollers of each of the left and the right climbing systems by means of a motor, thereby hoisting the rotor blade upward or downward, wherein arranging a clamping yoke of the clamping system approximately at the position of the centre of gravity of the rotor blade, at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, the left and the right climbing systems being mounted on the clamping yoke, and by, when the rotor blade is at a first intermediate hoisting position between the lower end of the wind turbine and the top end of the wind turbine, adjusting a position at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems by means of an actuator in such a way that the rotor blade yaws about a vertical axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade and/or tilts about a horizontal axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade. 11 . a method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade according to claim 10 , whereby, when the rotor blade is at a second intermediate hoisting position being above the first intermediate hoisting position, a position at least in a specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of each of the left and the right climbing systems is individually adjusted by means of an actuator in such a way that the rotor blade tilts about a horizontal axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade. 12 . a method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade according to claim 10 , whereby a relative position between the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems and the clamping yoke is adjusted by adapting the position of a swing arm arranged on the clamping yoke and carrying said first roller. 13 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 2 , wherein, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is freely variable within certain limits. 14 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 2 , wherein, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is individually adjustable by means of at least one actuator. 15 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 2 , wherein the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is arranged on a swing arm being arranged on the clamping system, and wherein a swing arm actuator is arranged to swing said swing arm in relation to the clamping system. 16 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 3 , wherein the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is arranged on a swing arm being arranged on the clamping system, and wherein a swing arm actuator is arranged to swing said swing arm in relation to the clamping system. 17 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 4 , wherein the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is arranged on a swing arm being arranged on the clamping system, and wherein a swing arm actuator is arranged to swing said swing arm in relation to the clamping system. 18 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 6 , wherein said swing arm is composed by a first section and a second section being pivotally linked. 19 . a rotor blade hoisting system according to claim 8 , wherein an auxiliary swing arm actuator is arranged to pivot the first section and the second section in relation to each other. 20 . a method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade according to claim 11 , whereby a relative position between the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems and the clamping yoke is adjusted by adapting the position of a swing arm arranged on the clamping yoke and carrying said first roller.	the present invention relates to a rotor blade hoisting system for installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade on a hub of a wind turbine, the rotor blade hoisting system including an upper cable support system adapted to be mounted on a top end of the wind turbine, a lower cable support system adapted to be arranged at a lower end of the wind turbine at a distance from the wind turbine, at least a left and a right cable both adapted to be extended, in spaced relationship, between the upper cable support system and the lower cable support system, a clamping system adapted to be clamped onto a rotor blade of the wind turbine, the clamping system including a left climbing system adapted to climb on the left cable and a right climbing system adapted to climb on the right cable, each of the left and the right climbing systems including at least a first and a second roller adapted to roll on the respective cable and adapted to, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, be spaced in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade so that the first rollers are placed nearer a root end of the rotor blade than the second rollers, and wherein at least one of the first and second rollers of each of the left and the right climbing systems is a motor driven roller. dk 2014 00575 a1 (liftra) discloses a method of replacement of a rotor blade on a wind turbine, wherein wires are extended between a lower land based wire support system and an upper wire support system being mounted on the wind turbine rotor. a first clamp is mounted on the root end of the rotor blade and a second clamp is mounted on the tip end of the rotor blade. each clamp runs on the wires by means of trolleys and at least one motor driven wire climbing hoist is associated with each wire and a respective clamp. by means of this system, a conventional land based crane higher than the wind turbine may be dispensed with. however, it may be difficult manoeuvring the rotor blade next to the ground, and therefore a relatively small land based crane is employed for carrying the blade tip end as long as the rotor blade is close to the ground. wo 2018/054440 a1 (liftra) discloses a further development of the above-mentioned method of replacement of a rotor blade on a wind turbine, wherein the clamping system and hoisting system has been improved. however, in these prior art systems employing separate clamps arranged at the tip end and at the root end, respectively, during hoisting of the blade, the blade transfers torque, depending on the load on the clamps. in some situations, the size of the torque transferred by the blade may be unacceptable. furthermore, in order to handle the blade during hoisting, it is necessary to arrange the lower land based wire support system at a certain distance from the tower of the wind turbine. in some situations, this may present a problem due to limiting structures in the surroundings. furthermore, the blade may be difficult manoeuvring during hoisting, especially in windy conditions, whereby high wire tensions may be experienced as a result of uneven load distribution. as a result, the entire hoisting system may have to be designed to higher load requirements than that of a system having a more even load distribution. us 2011/0185571 a1 discloses a method of installing wind turbine blades utilizing a clamp which is adapted to be removably connected to each of the blades and which in turn may be connected to a hook of a crane which may be installed near the tower of the wind turbine. in particular, the clamp may be adapted to rotate a clamped blade around a transverse axis of the blade and/or to rotate a clamped blade around a longitudinal axis of the clamped blade. the object of the present invention is to provide a rotor blade hoisting system of the type mentioned by way of introduction, whereby the torque transferred by the blade during installation may be effectively reduced compared to prior art systems, and whereby manoeuvring of the rotor blade may be facilitated. in view of this object, the clamping system includes a clamping yoke adapted to be arranged approximately at the position of the centre of gravity of the rotor blade, at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, the left and the right climbing systems are mounted on the clamping yoke, and, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a position at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is adjustable by means of an actuator. in this way, the rotor blade may be carried by means of a single clamping yoke incorporating both first and second rollers of the left and right climbing systems, and it may thereby be avoided that torque is transferred by the rotor blade from one yoke to another. at the same time, by adjusting the longitudinal position of a first roller of one of the climbing systems by means of an actuator, the manoeuvring of the rotor blade during hoisting may be improved compared to prior art systems, even if the yoke construction is made very compact. in particular, by adjusting said longitudinal position of a first roller, the rotor blade may, when oriented horizontally, be rotated about a vertical axis, so that the blade may be positioned on the ground in an oblique angle to a line between the wind turbine tower and the lower cable support system, thereby requiring less space on the ground. because such rotation of the wind turbine blade during hoisting may be obtained without pulling the cables, strength requirements of the system may be reduced. although by adjusting said longitudinal position of only a single one of the first rollers, the rotor blade may be rotated about a vertical axis, more flexibility may be obtained by adjusting said longitudinal position of both a left and a right first roller and this may therefore be preferred. in an embodiment, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a position of the first roller of each of the left and the right climbing systems is individually adjustable by means of an actuator at least in a specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade. said specific direction preferably extends at least substantially in the direction of a chord of the rotor blade. thereby, during hoisting of the rotor blade, by adjusting said position of the first rollers, it may be possible to tilt the rotor blade about a horizontal axis extending at right angles to said specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade. this may be obtained as a result of the position of the first rollers being displaced in relation to the centre of gravity of the rotor blade. thus, in this way, the orientation of the rotor blade may, during hoisting, be adapted to the required orientation for mounting on the hub of the wind turbine, i.e. an orientation wherein the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade extends at least substantially in vertical direction. as this orientation of the rotor blade may be performed by means of said actuator or actuators, it may not be necessary pulling the left and/or right cable forcefully during hoisting. as a result, manoeuvring of the rotor blade may indeed be facilitated, and furthermore, strength requirements of the entire hoisting system may be reduced. in particular, the upper cable support system adapted to be mounted on a top end of the wind turbine and the left and right cables may be designed to carry reduced loads as compared to prior art systems. in an embodiment, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is freely variable within certain limits. thereby, the distance between the first rollers may more or less adapt automatically to a distance between the left and right cables being suspended from the upper cable support system. in an embodiment, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, a direct distance between the first rollers of the left and the right climbing systems, respectively, is individually adjustable by means of at least one actuator. thereby, the distance between the first rollers may be controlled independently of a distance between the left and right cables being suspended from the upper cable support system. as a result, even more precise control of the hoisting process may be obtained. in a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems is arranged on a swing arm being arranged on the clamping system, and a swing arm actuator is arranged to swing said swing arm in relation to the clamping system. thereby, in a simple way, by swinging said swing arm, the position of the first roller may be adjusted both in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade and in said specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade. in a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the swing arm is arranged pivotally on the clamping system generally about a main pivot axis extending transversely in relation to the rotor blade, when the clamping system is clamped onto the rotor blade, and the swing arm actuator is arranged to pivot said swing arm generally about said main pivot axis. in an embodiment, said swing arm is composed by a first section and a second section being pivotally linked. thereby, a further possibility of adjustment of the position of the first roller may be obtained. in an embodiment, said swing arm is composed by a first section and a second section being pivotally linked together about an auxiliary pivot axis extending transversely to the main pivot axis. thereby, the distance between the first rollers may more or less adapt to a distance between the left and right cables being suspended from the upper cable support system. in an embodiment, an auxiliary swing arm actuator is arranged to pivot the first section and the second section in relation to each other. thereby, the distance between the first rollers may be controlled independently of a distance between the left and right cables being suspended from the upper cable support system. as a result, even more precise control of the hoisting process may be obtained. the present invention further relates to a method of installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade on a hub of a wind turbine, the method including the following steps: mounting an upper cable support system on a top end of the wind turbine, arranging a lower cable support system at a lower end of the wind turbine at a distance from the wind turbine, extending, in spaced relationship, at least a left and a right cable between the upper cable support system and the lower cable support system, clamping a clamping system onto a rotor blade, arranging a left climbing system of the clamping system on the left cable and a right climbing system of the clamping system on the right cable, each of the left and the right climbing systems including at least a first and a second roller rolling on the respective cable and being spaced in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, the first rollers being placed nearer a root end of the rotor blade than the second rollers, driving at least one of the first and second rollers of each of the left and the right climbing systems by means of a motor, thereby hoisting the rotor blade upward or downward. the method is characterised by arranging a clamping yoke of the clamping system approximately at the position of the centre of gravity of the rotor blade, at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, the left and the right climbing systems being mounted on the clamping yoke, and by, when the rotor blade is at a first intermediate hoisting position between the lower end of the wind turbine and the top end of the wind turbine, adjusting a position at least in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems by means of an actuator in such a way that the rotor blade yaws about a vertical axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade and/or tilts about a horizontal axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade. thereby, the above-mentioned features may be obtained. in an embodiment, when the rotor blade is at a second intermediate hoisting position being above the first intermediate hoisting position, a position at least in a specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade of the first roller of each of the left and the right climbing systems is individually adjusted by means of an actuator in such a way that the rotor blade tilts about a horizontal axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade. thereby, the above-mentioned features may be obtained. in an embodiment, a relative position between the first roller of at least one of the left and the right climbing systems and the clamping yoke is adjusted by adapting the position of a swing arm arranged on the clamping yoke and carrying said first roller. thereby, the above-mentioned features may be obtained. the invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which fig. 1 is a perspective view of a land based wind turbine and a rotor blade hoisting system according to the invention, during installation of a rotor blade, whereby the rotor blade is at a position near the ground level, fig. 2 is a partial view, seen from above, of the land based wind turbine and rotor blade hoisting system of fig. 1 , fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the land based wind turbine and rotor blade hoisting system of fig. 1 , during installation of a rotor blade, whereby the rotor blade has been lifted further upward, but is still extending horizontally, fig. 4 is view corresponding to that of fig. 3 , but seen from the side, fig. 5 is a partial view of the detail v of fig. 3 , seen on a larger scale, fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of the land based wind turbine and rotor blade hoisting system of fig. 1 , during installation of a rotor blade, whereby the rotor blade has been lifted even further upward and is now hanging at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal, fig. 7 is a partial view of the detail vii of fig. 6 , seen on a larger scale, fig. 8 is a partial perspective view of the land based wind turbine and rotor blade hoisting system of fig. 1 , during installation of a rotor blade, whereby the rotor blade has been lifted to a position with its root end hanging near the hub of the wind turbine, and whereby the rotor blade extends nearly vertically, fig. 9 is a partial view of the detail ix of fig. 8 , seen on a larger scale, fig. 10 is a perspective view of a clamping yoke of a rotor blade hoisting system according to the invention, fig. 11 is a side view of the clamping yoke of fig. 10 , fig. 12 is a vertical section through the clamping yoke of fig. 10 in a plane extending just through a foremost hydraulic actuator, and fig. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a clamping yoke of a rotor blade hoisting system according to the invention. fig. 1 shows a rotor blade hoisting system 1 according to the present invention for installation and/or deinstallation of a rotor blade 2 on a hub 3 of a horizontal axis wind turbine 4 well known in the art. the rotor blade hoisting system 1 includes an upper cable support system 5 mounted on a top end 6 of the wind turbine 4 and a lower cable support system 7 arranged at a lower end 8 of the wind turbine 4 at a distance from the wind turbine. the upper cable support system 5 is indicated only in fig. 2 and includes a spacer element well known in the art which is positioned between two fixed rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″. the spacer element includes a centre section and two guide sections arranged at either fixed rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″. the spacer element may be arranged on the fixed rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″ for instance by means of slings around the root end of the rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″ and may further be secured to a nacelle of the wind turbine for instance by means of separate cables. the two guide sections are designed to interact with a left cable 9 and a right cable 10 , respectively. by means of the spacer element with the guide sections the cables 9 , 10 are prevented from sliding down the slope of the rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″ that they are mounted on. the lower cable support system 7 may the form of winch system arranged in a land based container 35 well known in the art. the left and right cables 9 , 10 are typically metal wires, but any suitable cables may be used. the left and a right cables 9 , 10 are extended, in spaced relationship, between the upper cable support system 5 arranged between two fixed rotor blades 2 ′, 2 ″ and the lower cable support system 7 based on the ground. a rotor blade 2 intended to be mounted on the hub 3 of the wind turbine 4 has been provided with a clamping system 11 when the rotor blade 2 was situated on the ground or very near the ground. the clamping system 11 includes a left climbing system 12 arranged to climb on the left cable 9 and a right climbing system 13 arranged to climb on the right cable 10 . each of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 includes a first roller 14 , 16 and a second roller 15 , 17 arranged to roll on the respective cable 9 , 10 and being spaced in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 so that the first rollers 14 , 16 are placed nearer a root end 18 of the rotor blade 2 than the second rollers 15 , 17 . as seen in the figures, in addition to the left and right first and second rollers 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 includes further auxiliary rollers 43 , 44 . as seen particularly well in fig. 5 , the second roller 15 , 17 of each of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 is a remotely controlled motor driven roller adapted to climb on the respective cable 9 , 10 . the motor may be an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. a climbing hoist of this type is well known in the art and may typically function so that the cable is winded several times around the roller 15 , 17 , thereby providing friction between the cable and the roller. however, alternatively, an end of a lower cable running to the lower cable support system 7 may be fixed on a second motor driven roller 15 , 17 so that the cable is rolled up on the second roller. in addition, an end of an upper cable running to the upper cable support system may be fixed on another motor driven roller, for instance a first roller 14 , 16 , so that the corresponding cable is rolled up on that roller. in this alternative embodiment, the lower cable and the upper cable may together form the left cable 9 or the right cable 10 . as seen for instance in fig. 5 , the clamping system 11 includes a clamping yoke 19 which has been arranged approximately at the centre of gravity of the rotor blade 2 . the clamping yoke 19 includes two left clamping devices 36 abutting a first side 38 of the rotor blade 2 and two right clamping devices 37 abutting a second side 39 of the rotor blade. in the illustrated embodiment, the first and second sides 38 , 39 of the rotor blade 2 represent the pressure side and the suction side, respectively. in the embodiment of fig. 5 , the left clamping devices 36 and the right clamping devices 37 are arranged pivotally 42 in relation to each other and so that they may be pressed against the first and second sides 38 , 39 , respectively, of the rotor blade 2 by means of hydraulic actuators 40 , 41 . as further seen, the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 are mounted on the clamping yoke 19 . referring to fig. 3 , when the rotor blade 2 is at a first intermediate hoisting position 31 between the lower end 8 of the wind turbine 4 and the top end 6 of the wind turbine 4 , the rotor blade 2 may be brought to yaw about a vertical axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade 2 , and preferably more or less at the centre of gravity of the rotor blade 2 , by adjusting a position along the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 of the first rollers 14 , 16 of each of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 by means of respective hydraulic actuators 20 , 21 . according to the present invention, however, it may be sufficient to adjust a position along the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 of only a single one of the first rollers 14 , 16 of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 . because according to the present invention, the rotor blade 2 may be rotated about a vertical axis as explained above, the rotor blade 2 intended to be mounted on the hub 3 of the wind turbine 4 may initially be positioned on the ground extending in an oblique angle to a line between the wind turbine tower 34 and the lower cable support system 7 , thereby requiring less space on the ground. furthermore, because such rotation of the wind turbine blade 2 during hoisting may be obtained without pulling the left and right cables 9 , 10 , strength requirements of the entire rotor blade hoisting system 1 may be reduced. referring to figs. 6 and 7 , when the rotor blade 2 is at a second intermediate hoisting 32 position being above the first intermediate hoisting position 31 , the rotor blade 2 may be brought to tilt about a horizontal axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade 2 , and preferably more or less at the centre of gravity of the rotor blade 2 , by individually adjusting a position in a specific direction extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 of the first roller 14 , 16 of each of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 by means of the respective hydraulic actuators 20 , 21 . this tilting operation is obtained as a result of the position of the first rollers 14 , 16 being displaced in relation to the centre of gravity of the rotor blade 2 . thus, in this way, the orientation of the rotor blade 2 may, during hoisting, be adapted to the required orientation for mounting on the hub 3 of the wind turbine 4 , i.e. an orientation wherein the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 extends at least substantially in vertical direction. this orientation is illustrated as the third intermediate hoisting position 33 of rotor blade 2 in figs. 8 and 9 . as this adaptation of the orientation of the rotor blade 2 may be performed by means of said hydraulic actuators 20 , 21 , it may not be necessary pulling the left and right cables 9 , 10 forcefully during hoisting. as a result, manoeuvring of the rotor blade 2 may indeed be facilitated, and furthermore, strength requirements of the entire rotor blade hoisting system 1 may be reduced. in particular, the upper cable support system 5 adapted to be mounted on a top end 6 of the wind turbine 4 and the left and right cables 9 , 10 may be designed to carry reduced loads as compared to prior art systems. according to the embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the figures, the first rollers 14 , 16 of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 is arranged on a left and right swing arm 22 , 23 arranged on the clamping system 11 , i.e. the clamping yoke 19 , and the hydraulic actuators 20 , 21 have the form of swing arm actuators 20 , 21 arranged to swing said swing arms 22 , 23 in relation to the clamping system 11 . as further seen, the swing arms 22 , 23 are arranged pivotally on the clamping system 11 about main pivot axes 24 , 25 extending transversely in relation to the rotor blade 2 , when the clamping system 11 is clamped onto the rotor blade 2 , and the swing arm actuators 20 , 21 are arranged to pivot said swing arms 22 , 23 about said main pivot axes 24 , 25 . according to the embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the figures, a direct distance measured between the first rollers 14 , 16 of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 , respectively, is freely variable within certain limits, i.e. between a minimum distance and a maximum distance. thereby, the distance between the first rollers 14 , 16 may somewhat adapt automatically to a distance between the left and right cables 9 , 10 being suspended from the upper cable support system 5 . in the illustrated embodiments, this is achieved in that said respective swing arms 22 , 23 are composed by a first section 26 and a second section 27 being pivotally linked together about an auxiliary pivot axis 28 extending transversely to the main pivot axis 24 , 25 . according to an embodiment of the invention, in order to yaw the rotor blade 2 about a vertical axis extending in a transverse direction of the rotor blade 2 , as described above, the position along the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 of the first rollers 14 , 16 of each of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 is able to be adjusted so that the distance in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 between said first rollers 14 , 16 is at least the above-mentioned minimum distance measured between the first rollers 14 , 16 , preferably at least 1.5 times said minimum distance and more preferred at least about the double of said minimum distance. however, according to an embodiment of the invention, a direct distance measured between the first rollers 14 , 16 of the left and the right climbing systems 12 , 13 , respectively, may be individually adjustable by means of at least one actuator. this may be achieved in that a not shown auxiliary swing arm actuator may be arranged to pivot the first section 26 and the second section 27 in relation to each other. figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate the embodiment of the clamping yoke 19 seen in figs. 1 to 9 in more detail. the clamping yoke 19 has a fixed frame composed by two longitudinal rods 45 maintained in spaced relation by means of a spacer rod 46 at either end thereof. at each spacer rod 46 , two opposed clamping arms 47 are arranged pivotally on the fixed frame about the pivot joint 42 having its pivot axis extending in parallel to the two longitudinal rods 45 . each clamping arm 47 carries a respective left or right clamping device 36 , 37 . each longitudinal rod 45 carries a swing arm mounting rod 48 fixed thereto and extending at right angles to the longitudinal rod 45 and being arranged slightly nearer to a first end 49 than to a second end 50 of the fixed frame. the swing arm mounting rod 48 protrudes downward from the longitudinal rods 45 in the figures just as the clamping arms 47 . a swing arm base rod 51 is fixed to the swing arm mounting rod 48 at a slightly oblique angle pointing upwards in the direction of the first end 49 of the fixed frame. on a front end of the swing arm base rod 51 , a first end of the respective left or right swing arm 22 , 23 , made up by the second section 27 of the swing arm, is mounted pivotally about the main pivot axis 24 , 25 of the left or right swing arm. the main pivot axes 24 , 25 extend at right angles to the longitudinal rods 45 of the fixed frame of the clamping yoke 19 and in parallel to the spacer rods 46 of the fixed frame. therefore, when the clamping yoke 19 is mounted on a rotor blade 2 , the main pivot axes 24 , 25 extend at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade. however, according to the present invention, the main pivot axes 24 , 25 just extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 , but preferably at least substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade. as seen in fig. 10 , the respective swing arms 22 , 23 are composed by the first section 26 and the second section 27 which are pivotally linked together about the auxiliary pivot axis 28 extending at right angles to the main pivot axis 24 , 25 . the first section 26 and the second section 27 are freely pivotal within certain limits about the auxiliary pivot axis 28 . the second section 27 of the left or right swing arm 22 , 23 and therefore also the left or right swing arm 22 , 23 are arranged to swing about the main pivot axis 24 , 25 of the left or right swing arm by means activation of the left and right swing arm actuators 20 , 21 , respectively. referring to figs. 11 and 12 , it is seen that the second section 27 of the left swing arm 22 is connected to the swing arm base rod 51 by means of a link mechanism composed by a first link rod 52 having its first end pivotally connected to the second section 27 and its second end pivotally connected to a first leg of an l-link 53 , the other leg of which is pivotally connected to the swing arm base rod 51 . the left swing arm actuator 20 which is a hydraulic actuator has its actuator rod connected pivotally to the middle of the l-link 53 and its actuator cylinder connected pivotally to the swing arm base rod 51 . fig. 13 illustrates another embodiment of the clamping yoke 19 seen in figs. 1 to 9 . in this embodiment, the fixed frame of the clamping yoke 19 is formed by a single c-bracket 54 having a first leg 55 on which the left clamping device 36 is fixed and a second leg 56 on which the right clamping device 37 is arranged pivotally about a pivot joint 42 which is not visible in the figure and which has a pivot axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the rotor blade 2 on which the clamping yoke 19 is mounted. each of the first and second legs 55 , 56 of the c-bracket 54 carries a swing arm mounting rod 48 fixed thereto and extending in continuation thereof in the longitudinal direction of the respective leg 55 , 56 . the swing arm mounting rod 48 protrudes downward from the respective left or right clamping device 36 , 37 and carries the respective left or right swing arm 22 , 23 in the same way as explained above referring to the embodiment in figs. 10 to 12 . as it is further seen, the left and right second rollers 15 , 17 are mounted directly on a central part of the c-bracket 54 . list of reference numbers 1 rotor blade hoisting system2 , 2 ′, 2 ″ rotor blade3 hub of wind turbine4 wind turbine5 upper cable support system6 top end of wind turbine7 lower cable support system8 lower end of wind turbine9 left cable10 right cable11 clamping system12 left climbing system13 right climbing system14 left first roller15 left second roller16 right first roller17 right second roller18 root end of rotor blade19 clamping yoke20 left swing arm actuator21 right swing arm actuator22 left swing arm23 right swing arm24 main pivot axis of left swing arm25 main pivot axis of right swing arm26 first section of swing arm27 second section of swing arm28 auxiliary pivot axis of swing arm29 motor of left climbing system30 motor of right climbing system31 first intermediate hoisting position of rotor blade32 second intermediate hoisting position of rotor blade33 third intermediate hoisting position of rotor blade34 tower of wind turbine35 land based container36 left clamping device37 right clamping device38 first side of rotor blade39 second side of rotor blade40 , 41 hydraulic actuator42 pivot joint between left and right clamping devices43 left auxiliary roller44 right auxiliary roller45 longitudinal rod of fixed frame of clamping yoke46 spacer rod of fixed frame of clamping yoke47 clamping arm48 swing arm mounting rod49 first end of fixed frame50 second end of fixed frame51 swing arm base rod52 first link rod53 l-link54 c-bracket of frame of clamping yoke55 first leg of c-bracket56 second leg of c-bracket
028-187-048-799-528	KR	[ "KR", "US" ]	G06Q50/10,G16H20/30,G16H30/40,A63B24/00,G06K9/00,G06K9/62	2015-03-25T00:00:00	2015	[ "G06", "G16", "A63" ]	personalized sports service providing method and apparatus thereof	embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and an apparatus for providing a customized exercise service. according to one embodiment, an apparatus for providing a customized exercise service comprises: a user class identification unit checking a user class corresponding to a user; an exercise data acquisition unit acquiring exercise data of the user; and a model generation unit generating a customized exercise model corresponding to the user based on a reference exercise model corresponding to the identified user class and the acquired exercise data of the user. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the most effective exercise model is provided to a corresponding user through user identification.	1 . a personalized exercise service providing apparatus comprising: a user class identifier configured to identify user class of a user; an exercise data acquisitor configured to acquire exercise data of the user; and a model generator configured to generate a personalized exercise model of the user based on a standard exercise model corresponding to the determined user class and the acquired exercise data of the user. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user class is classified based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of the user. 3 . the apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an image processor configured to recognize an image that is obtained by a visual sensor, wherein the user class identifier identifies the user class based on image recognition result received from the image processor and pre-established database. 4 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pre-established database comprises at least one of feature vector for each user class and information of body feature points for each user class. 5 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the image processor detects a face region of the user from an image that is obtained by a first visual sensor, extracts at least one of feature vector for sex identification and feature vector for age identification from the detected face region, and provides the extracted feature vector to the user class identifier as image recognition result, wherein the user class identifier identifies at least one of sex and age of the user based on the image recognition result received from the image processor. 6 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the image processor detects a body region of the user from an image that is obtained by a second visual sensor, extracts body feature points from the detected body region, and provides information of the extracted body feature points to the user class identifier as image recognition result, wherein the user class identifier identifies body type of the user based on the image recognition result received from the image processor. 7 . the apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising an equipment controller configured to control exercise equipment based on the identified body type of the user or provide exercise equipment information to the user. 8 . the apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an image processor configured to recognize an image that is obtained by a visual sensor, wherein the exercise data acquisitor acquires the exercise data of the user by analyzing the image recognition result received from the image processor. 9 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the model generator compares exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class with the acquired exercise data to generate the personalized exercise model comprising the difference thereof. 10 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the model generator builds database for generating exercise models corresponding to each user class by using exercise data of users and generates the standard exercise model corresponding to each user class based on the built database for generating exercise models. 11 . a personalized exercise service providing method comprising determining a user class of a user; acquiring exercise data of the user; and generating a personalized exercise model of the user based on a standard exercise model corresponding to the determined user class and the acquired exercise data of the user. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the user class is classified based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of the user. 13 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising: acquiring an image of the user; recognizing the image; and identifying the user class based on the image recognition result and pre-established database. 14 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the pre-established database comprises at least one of feature vector for each user class and information of body feature points for each user class. 15 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the recognizing the image comprises detecting a face region of the user from an image that is obtained by a first visual sensor and extracting at least one of feature vector for sex identification and feature vector for age identification from the detected face region, and wherein the identifying the user class comprises identifying at least one of sex and age of the user based on the extracted feature vector. 16 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the recognizing the image comprising detecting a body region of the user from an image that is obtained by a second visual sensor and extracting body feature points from the detected body region, wherein the identifying the user class comprises identifying body type of the user based on information of the extracted body feature points. 17 . the method of claim 16 , further comprising controlling exercise equipment based on the identified body type of the user or providing exercise equipment information to the user. 18 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the acquiring exercise data of the user comprises: acquiring an image of the user; recognizing the image of the user; and acquiring the exercise data of the user by analyzing the image recognition result. 19 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the generating a personalized exercise model comprises comparing exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class with the acquired exercise data to generate the personalized exercise model comprising the difference thereof. 20 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising: building database for generating exercise models corresponding to each user class by using exercise data of users; and generating the standard exercise model corresponding to each user class based on the built database for generating exercise models.	cross reference to related application(s) this application claims the benefit under 35 usc §119(a) of korean patent application no. 10-2015-0041599 filed on mar. 25, 2015 in the korean intellectual property office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. background 1. field the following description relates to a personalized exercise service providing method and an apparatus thereof. 2. description of related art recently, outdoor exercises have changed to indoor exercises in accordance with development of exercise equipment. technologies have been also developed to correct exercise postures by analyzing exercise motions of users in an outdoor environment-reflected virtual reality space and/or provide personalized exercises by determining users' biological properties. a personalized service has been applied on sports fields in addition to entertainment fields, for example, such as music and advertisement to provide personalized contents. interests in health and more particularly, demands on personalized exercise services have been increased in an aging society. however, technologies to satisfy such demands are practically not developed much. summary this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. a personalized exercise service providing apparatus according to an example may be provided. a personalized exercise service providing apparatus according to an example may provide a proper personalized exercise model based on sex, age, and body type of a user. a personalized exercise service providing apparatus according to an example may provide exercise equipment information proper to a user's body type. according to one general aspect, a personalized exercise service providing apparatus may include a user class identifier configured to identify user class of a user; an exercise data acquisitor configured to acquire exercise data of the user; and a model generator configured to generate a personalized exercise model of the user based on a standard exercise model corresponding to the determined user class and the acquired exercise data of the user. the user class may be classified based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of the user. the apparatus may further include an image processor configured to recognize an image that is obtained by a visual sensor, wherein the user class identifier may identify the user class based on image recognition result received from the image processor and pre-established database. the pre-established database may include at least one of feature vector for each user class and information of body feature points for each user class. the image processor may detect a face region of the user from an image that is obtained by a first visual sensor, extract at least one of feature vector for sex identification and feature vector for age identification from the detected face region, and provide the extracted feature vector to the user class identifier as the image recognition result. the user class identifier may identify at least one of sex and age of the user based on the image recognition result received from the image processor. the image processor may detect a body region of the user from an image that is obtained by a second visual sensor, extract body feature points from the detected body region, and provide information of the extracted body feature points to the user class identifier as the image recognition result. the user class identifier may identify body type of the user based on the image recognition result received from the image processor. the apparatus may further include an equipment controller configured to control exercise equipment based on the identified body type of the user or provide exercise equipment information to the user. the apparatus may further include an image processor configured to recognize an image that is obtained by a visual sensor, wherein the exercise data acquisitor may acquire the exercise data of the user by analyzing the image recognition result received from the image processor. the model generator may compare exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class with the acquired exercise data to generate the personalized exercise model comprising the difference thereof. the model generator may build database for generating exercise models corresponding to each user class by using exercise data of users and generate the standard exercise model corresponding to each user class based on the built database for generating exercise models. according to another general aspect, a personalized exercise service providing method may include determining a user class of a user; acquiring exercise data of the user; and generating a personalized exercise model of the user based on a standard exercise model corresponding to the determined user class and the acquired exercise data of the user. the method may further include acquiring an image of the user; recognizing the image; and identifying the user class based on the image recognition result and pre-established database. the recognizing the image may include detecting a face region of the user from an image that is obtained by a first visual sensor and extracting at least one of feature vector for sex identification and feature vector for age identification from the detected face region. here, the identifying the user class may include identifying at least one of sex and age of the user based on the extracted feature vector. the recognizing the image may include detecting a body region of the user from an image that is obtained by a second visual sensor and extracting body feature points from the detected body region. here, the identifying the user class may include identifying body type of the user based on information of the extracted body feature points. the method may further include controlling exercise equipment based on the identified body type of the user or providing exercise equipment information to the user. the acquiring exercise data of the user may include acquiring an image of the user; recognizing the image of the user; and acquiring the exercise data of the user by analyzing the image recognition result. the generating a personalized exercise model may include comparing exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class with the acquired exercise data to generate the personalized exercise model comprising the difference thereof. the method may further include building database for generating exercise models corresponding to each user class by using exercise data of users; and generating the standard exercise model corresponding to each user class based on the built database for generating exercise models. the personalized exercise service providing method and apparatus according to an example may provide the most effective exercise model to user through user recognition to optimize exercise effect of users. other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for generating a standard exercise model. fig. 2 is an example of a standard exercise model. fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of environment for identifying a user class and acquiring exercise data. fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for identifying sex and age of a user. fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for identifying body type of a user. fig. 6 is diagrams illustrating examples of body feature points. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for generating a standard exercise model. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a personalized exercise service providing apparatus. throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described or provided, the same drawing reference numerals refer to the same elements, features, and structures. the drawings may not be to scale, and the relative size, proportions, and depiction of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience. detailed description the following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein. however, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. the sequences of operations described herein are merely examples, and are not limited to those set forth herein, but may be changed as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, with the exception of operations necessarily occurring in a certain order. also, descriptions of functions and constructions that are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness. the features described herein may be embodied in different forms, and are not to be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. rather, the examples described herein have been provided so that this disclosure is thorough, complete, and conveys the full scope of the disclosure to one of ordinary skill in the art. it will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. for example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. similarly, when it is described that a method includes series of steps, a sequence of the steps is not a sequence in which the steps should be performed in the sequence, an arbitrary technical step may be omitted and/or another arbitrary step, which is not disclosed herein, may be added to the method. disclosed is to provide personalized exercise services based on sex, age and body type. it is assumed that a standard exercise model is generated for each user class which is classified based on sex, age and body type. when a user in a particular user class exercises, a personalized exercise model of the user may be provided based on the standard exercise model of that particular user class and exercise data acquired from the user. a method for generating a standard exercise model will be explained with reference to fig. 1 to fig. 6 and a personalized exercise model providing method will be explained with reference to fig. 7 . fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for generating a standard exercise model. at least one step of the method in fig. 1 can be omitted. in step 101 , a personalized exercise service providing apparatus according to an example may determine a user class of a user. the user class may be determined based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of the user. the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may include a user class list including at least one identification item of sex, age and body type. the user class list may be generated automatically or inputted by a user or an operator during identifying the user. in step 103 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may acquire exercise data of the user, for example, such as exercise posture, the exercise pattern, the exercise environment, the exercise time and types of exercise. the exercise data may be acquired continuously or periodically. in step 105 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may establish database for generating exercise models corresponding to the user class. the database for generating exercise models corresponding to the user class may be established by mapping the user's exercise data acquired in step 103 to the user class to which the user belongs and storing the result. when the database for generating exercise models corresponding to the user class is already established, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may update the database for generating exercise models of the corresponding user class using the user's exercise data acquired in step 103 . the database for generating exercise models may be updated continuously or periodically. in step 107 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may generate a standard exercise model corresponding to each user class. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may generate a standard exercise model for each class based on the database for generating exercise models established for each user class. the standard exercise model may include an average value of the exercise data for each class. the standard exercise model may be updated when the database for generating exercise models is updated. fig. 2 is an example of a standard exercise model. fig. 2 is an example of a standard exercise model of each user class which is based on sex, age and body type. the example of the standard exercise model includes data of exercise time for convenience of description. here, the exercise time may be average exercise time of users in each user class. fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of environment for identifying a user class and acquiring exercise data. a user 100 may be positioned in front of exercise equipment and one or more visual sensors 812 , 814 , 816 may be arranged around the user 100 . the visual sensors 812 , 814 , 816 may take photos of the user to generate images. the images may be used for image recognition to determine a user class based thereon. the user class may be determined based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of a user. a method for identifying sex and age of a user will be explained with reference to fig. 4 and a method for identifying body type of a user will be explained with reference to fig. 5 . fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for identifying sex and age of a user. at least one step of the method in fig. 4 can be omitted. in step 401 , a personalized exercise service providing apparatus may acquire an image of a user. for example, a face image of the user may be obtained by the first visual sensor 812 illustrated in fig. 2 . the first visual sensor 812 may be arranged in front of the user. in step 403 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may pre-process the face image. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may pre-process the face image to minimize impact from background and lighting. in step 405 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may detect a face region from the pre-processed image using various face region detection algorithms. the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may normalize size of the face region into a predetermined size. in step 407 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may extract feature vector for identifying sex/age from the detected face region. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may extract face feature points proper for sex and age recognition and acquire face feature vector from each extracted face feature points. the face feature points may be detected from, for example, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and facial contour. the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may generate new face feature points from the extracted face feature points through interpolation. new face feature vector may be acquired from the generated new face feature points. the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may compare the acquired face feature vector(or new face feature vector) with pre-learned face feature vector to identify sex and age of the user. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may identify sex and age of a current user based on the database which stores pre-learned face feature vector corresponding to sex and age. fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for identifying body type of a user. at least one step of the method in fig. 5 can be omitted. in step 501 , a personalized exercise service providing apparatus may acquire a body image of a user. for example, the body image of a user may be obtained by the second visual sensor 814 illustrated in fig. 3 . the second visual sensor 814 may be arranged in front of the user. the second visual sensor 814 may be more than one. in this case, the second visual sensors 814 may be arranged evenly around the user. in step 503 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may pre-process the body image. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may pre-process the body image to minimize impact from background and lighting. in step 505 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may detect body silhouette and edge information from the pre-processed image. in step 507 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may detect a body region from the detected body silhouette and edge information to detect body feature points. for example, the body feature points may be detected from at least one of shoulders, arms, legs and joints of a user. examples of the body feature points are illustrated in fig. 6 . referring to fig. 6 , one or more body feature points 602 may be detected from the user. in step 509 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may identify a body type of the user based on the detected body feature points. identifying a body type of the user may be identifying physical features, for example, such as height, arm length and leg length. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for generating a standard exercise model. at least one step of the method in fig. 7 can be omitted. in step 701 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may determine a user class of a user. the user class may be determined based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of a user as in the description above explained with reference to fig. 1 to fig. 6 . the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may extract information to identify at least one of sex, age and body type and identify a class of the user based on the extracted information. description of a method for determining a user class will be omitted since it is the same as in the description above explained with reference to fig. 1 to fig. 6 . in step 703 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may control exercise equipment to be proper to the body type of the user or provide exercise equipment information to set exercise equipment properly based on body type of the user. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may control exercise equipment to fix with the user's body by considering arm length and leg length of the user. for example, the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may also provide exercise equipment information for the user to control exercise equipment to fit to his/her body. thus, the user may select desired exercises and equipment and do exercise in a right posture based on the exercise equipment information. in step 705 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may acquire user's exercise data. as described with reference to fig. 1 , the exercise data may include at least one exercise posture, the exercise pattern, the exercise environment, the exercise time and types of exercise. the exercise data may be acquired continuously or periodically. the user's exercise data may be acquired from the image that is obtained by the third visual sensor 816 illustrated in fig. 3 . the third visual sensor 816 may be arranged in front of the user. one or more of the third visual sensors 816 may be used. in this case, these third visual sensors 816 may be arranged evenly around the user. the exercise data acquired in step 705 may be used to establish or update the database for generating exercise model corresponding to each user class. in step 707 , the personalized exercise service providing apparatus may generate a personalized exercise model of the user based on a standard exercise model corresponding to the user class to which the user belongs and the user's exercise data. the personalized exercise model may include information about difference between the exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class to which the user belongs and the exercise data acquired from the current user. for example, when exercise time in the exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class to which a current user belongs is 2 hours and exercise time in exercise data acquired from the current user is 1.5 hours, information for requiring 30 more minutes of exercise may be included in the personalized exercise model. for example, when exercise posture in the exercise data of the standard exercise model corresponding to the user class to which a current user belongs is not identical to exercise posture in exercise data acquired from the current user, information for requiring a corrected exercise posture may be included in the personalized exercise model. the personalized exercise model may include information about at least one of exercise posture, the exercise pattern, the exercise environment, the exercise time, types of exercise and exercise equipment. the personalized exercise model may be used to educate a corresponding user or other users or to provide exercise models proper to other users. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a personalized exercise service providing apparatus. referring to fig. 8 , a personalized exercise service providing apparatus may include an image acquisitor 810 , an image processor 820 , a user class identifier 830 , an equipment controller 840 , an exercise data acquisitor 850 , a model generator 860 , an outputter 870 , a database for identifying class 880 and a database for generating exercise models 890 . at least one of the elements can be omitted. the image acquisitor 810 may include at least one visual sensor. the image acquisitor 810 may include a first visual sensor to take a user's face and a second visual sensor and a third visual sensor to take a user's body. the image processor 820 may perform image recognition of the image received from the image acquisitor. the image processor 820 may detect a user's face region from the image that is obtained by the first visual sensor. the image processor 820 may extract at least one of feature vector for sex identification and feature vector for age identification from the detected face region and provide the extracted feature vector to the user class identifier 830 as image recognition result. the image processor 820 may detect a user's body region from the image that is obtained by the second visual sensor. the image processor 820 may extract body feature points from the detected body region and provide information of the extracted body feature points to the user class identifier 830 as image recognition result. the image processor 820 may detect a user's body region from the image that is obtained by the third visual sensor. the image processor 820 may extract body feature points from the detected body region and provide information of the extracted body feature points to the exercise data acquisitor 850 as image recognition result. the user class identifier 830 may determine a user class of the user. the user class identifier 830 may determine a user class of the user based on the image recognition result received from the image processor 820 and information stored in the database for identifying class 880 . the user class may be classified based on at least one of sex, age, and body type of a user. the image recognition result may include at least one of feature vector and information of body feature points of the user. the database for identifying class 880 may include at least one of feature vector for each user class and information of body feature points for each user class. the equipment controller 840 may control exercise equipment based on body type information of the user received from the user class identifier 830 or provide exercise equipment information to the user through the outputter 870 . the exercise data acquisitor 850 may acquire user's exercise data based on the image recognition result received from the image processor 820 . for example, the exercise data acquisitor 850 may acquire information of user's exercise posture based on information of the body feature points received from the image processor 820 . for example, the exercise data acquisitor 850 may receive exercise environment information, for example, such as media contents information from an external device. the exercise environment information may be used to analyze how environment factors affect to user's exercise. the exercise environment information may be used to provide optimal exercise environment to the user. the model generator 860 may build the database for generating exercise models 890 for each user class by utilizing exercise data of at least one user. the model generator 860 may generate standard exercise model corresponding to each user class based on the database for generating exercise models 890 . the standard exercise model may include average values of the exercise data acquired from users in the corresponding class. the model generator 860 may generate a personalized exercise model of the user based on the standard exercise model of the user class and the user's exercise data. for example, the model generator 860 may compare the standard exercise model of the user class and the user's exercise data to generate a personalized exercise model including the difference value thereof. the exemplary embodiment of this disclosure can be implemented by various methods. for example, the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented by using hardware, software or its combination. when they are implemented by software, they may be implemented as software executing in more than one processors using various operating systems or platforms. in addition, the software may be created by using any language among various appropriate programming languages or be compiled in machine language codes or intermediate codes executable in a framework or virtual machine. in addition, when the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is executed in more than one processors, the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented by processor readable media such as a memory, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a compact disk (cd), an optical disk or a magnetic tape, or the like in which more than one programs are recorded to conduct the implementation of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
029-702-285-154-520	US	[ "US" ]	A01H5/10,C12N15/82	2010-05-05T00:00:00	2010	[ "A01", "C12" ]	soybean variety xbp49005	a novel soybean variety, designated xbp49005 is provided. also provided are the seeds of soybean variety xbp49005, cells from soybean variety xbp49005, plants of soybean xbp49005, and plant parts of soybean variety xbp49005. methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety xbp49005 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic, mutant trait, and/or native trait into soybean variety xbp49005, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety xbp49005. soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety xbp49005 are further provided.	1. soybean variety xbp49005, representative seed of said soybean variety xbp49005 having been deposited under atcc accession pta-12497. 2. a seed of the soybean variety of claim 1 . 3. the seed of claim 2 , further comprising a transgene. 4. the seed of claim 3 , wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, site-specific recombination, abiotic stress tolerance, altered phosphorus, altered antioxidants, altered fatty acids, altered essential amino acids, altered carbohydrates, herbicide resistance, insect resistance and disease resistance. 5. a soybean plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim 2 . 6. a tissue culture produced from the soybean variety of claim 1 . 7. a method for developing a second soybean plant comprising applying plant breeding techniques to a first soybean plant, or parts thereof, wherein said first soybean plant is the soybean plant of claim 5 , and wherein application of said techniques results in development of said second soybean plant. 8. a method for producing soybean seed comprising crossing two soybean plants and harvesting the resultant soybean seed, wherein at least one soybean plant is the soybean plant of claim 5 . 9. the soybean seed produced by the method of claim 8 . 10. a soybean plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing said seed of claim 9 . 11. a method for developing a second soybean plant in a soybean plant breeding program comprising applying plant breeding techniques to a first soybean plant, or parts thereof, wherein said first soybean plant is the soybean plant of claim 10 , and wherein application of said techniques results in development of said second soybean plant. 12. a method of producing a soybean plant comprising a locus conversion, the method comprising introducing a locus conversion into the plant of claim 5 , wherein said locus conversion provides a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, site-specific recombination, abiotic stress tolerance, altered phosphorus, altered antioxidants, altered fatty acids, altered essential amino acids, altered carbohydrates, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and disease resistance. 13. a herbicide resistant soybean plant produced by the method of claim 12 . 14. a disease resistant soybean plant produced by the method of claim 12 . 15. an insect resistant soybean plant produced by the method of claim 12 . 16. the soybean plant of claim 15 , wherein the locus conversion comprises a transgene encoding a bacillus thuringiensis (bt) endotoxin. 17. the plant of claim 5 , further comprising a transgene. 18. the plant of claim 17 , wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, site-specific recombination, abiotic stress tolerance, altered phosphorus, altered antioxidants, altered fatty acids, altered essential amino acids, altered carbohydrates, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and disease resistance. 19. a method for developing a second soybean plant comprising applying plant breeding techniques to a first soybean plant, or parts thereof, wherein said first soybean plant is the soybean plant of claim 17 , and wherein application of said techniques results in development of said second soybean plant. 20. a soybean plant, or a part thereof, expressing all the physiological and morphological characteristics of soybean variety xbp49005, representative seed of said soybean variety xbp49005 having been deposited under atcc accession number pta-12497.	field of invention this invention relates generally to the field of soybean breeding, specifically relating to a soybean variety designated xbp49005. background the present invention relates to a new and distinctive soybean variety designated xbp49005, which has been the result of years of careful breeding and selection in a comprehensive soybean breeding program. there are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirable soybean variety. plant breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. the next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the program goals. the breeder's goal is to combine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. these important traits may include but are not limited to: higher seed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to drought and heat, altered fatty acid profile, abiotic stress tolerance, improvements in compositional traits and better agronomic characteristics. these product development processes, which lead to the final step of marketing and distribution, can take from six to twelve years from the time the first cross is made until the finished seed is delivered to the farmer for planting. therefore, development of new varieties is a time-consuming process that requires precise planning, efficient use of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction. soybean ( glycine max ), is an important and valuable field crop. thus, a continuing goal of soybean breeders is to develop stable, high yielding soybean varieties that are agronomically sound. the reasons for this goal are to maximize the amount of grain produced on the land used and to supply food for both animals and humans. to accomplish this goal, the soybean breeder must select and develop soybean plants that have the traits that result in superior varieties. the soybean is the world's leading source of vegetable oil and protein meal. the oil extracted from soybeans is used for cooking oil, margarine, and salad dressings. soybean oil is composed of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. it has a typical composition of 11% palmitic, 4% stearic, 25% oleic, 50% linoleic and 9% linolenic fatty acid content (“economic implications of modified soybean traits summary report”, iowa soybean promotion board & american soybean association special report 92s, may 1990). changes in fatty acid composition for improved oxidative stability and nutrition are also important traits. industrial uses for processed soybean oil include ingredients for paints, plastics, fibers, detergents, cosmetics, and lubricants. soybean oil may be split, inter-esterified, sulfurized, epoxidized, polymerized, ethoxylated, or cleaved. designing and producing soybean oil derivatives with improved functionality, oliochemistry, is a rapidly growing field. the typical mixture of triglycerides is usually split and separated into pure fatty acids, which are then combined with petroleum-derived alcohols or acids, nitrogen, sulfonates, chlorine, or with fatty alcohols derived from fats and oils. soybean is also used as a food source for both animals and humans. soybean is widely used as a source of protein for animal feeds for poultry, swine and cattle. during processing of whole soybeans, the fibrous hull is removed and the oil is extracted. the remaining soybean meal is a combination of carbohydrates and approximately 50% protein. for human consumption soybean meal is made into soybean flour which is processed to protein concentrates used for meat extenders or specialty pet foods. production of edible protein ingredients from soybean offers a healthy, less expensive replacement for animal protein in meats as well as dairy-type products. summary a novel soybean variety, designated xbp49005 is provided. also provided are the seeds of soybean variety xbp49005, cells from soybean variety xbp49005, plants of soybean xbp49005, and plant parts of soybean variety xbp49005. methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety xbp49005 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic, a mutant trait, and/or a native trait into soybean variety xbp49005, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety xbp49005. soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety xbp49005 are further provided. definitions certain definitions used in the specification are provided below. also in the examples which follow, a number of terms are used. in order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, the following definitions are provided: aerial web blight. aerial blight is caused by the fungus rhizoctonia solani , which can also cause seedling blight and root rot. stems, flowers, pods, petioles, and leaves are susceptible to formation of lesions. tolerance to aerial web blight is rated on a scale of 1 to 9, with a score of 1 being very susceptible, ranging up to a score of 9 being tolerant. allele. any of one or more alternative forms of a genetic sequence. in a diploid cell or organism, the two alleles of a given sequence typically occupy corresponding loci on a pair of homologous chromosomes. anthesis. the time of a flower's opening. aphid antibiosis. aphid antibiosis is the ability of a variety to reduce the survival, growth, or reproduction of aphids that feed on it. screening scores are based on the ability of the plant to decrease the rate of aphid reproduction. plants are compared to resistant and susceptible check plants grown in the same experiment. scores of 1=susceptible, 3=below average, 5=average, 7=above average, and 9=exceptional tolerance. backcrossing. process in which a breeder crosses a donor parent variety possessing a desired trait or traits to a recurrent parent variety (which is agronomically superior but lacks the desired level or presence of one or more traits) and then crosses the resultant progeny back to the recurrent parent one or more times. backcrossing can be used to introduce one or more desired traits from one genetic background into another background that is lacking the desired traits. breeding. the genetic manipulation of living organisms. bu/a=bushels per acre. the seed yield in bushels/acre is the actual yield of the grain at harvest. brown stem rot=bsr=brown stem rot tolerance. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given test. the score is based on leaf symptoms of yellowing, necrosis and on inner stem rotting caused by phialophora gregata . a score of 1 indicates severe symptoms of leaf yellowing and necrosis. increasing visual scores from 2 to 8 indicate additional levels of tolerance, while a score of 9 indicates no symptoms. bsrlf=brown stem rot disease rating based solely on leaf disease symptoms. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given test. a score of 1 indicates severe leaf yellowing and necrosis increasing visual scores from 2 to 8 indicate additional levels of tolerance, while a score of 9 indicates no leaf symptoms bsrstm=brown stem rot disease rating based solely on stem disease symptoms. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given test. a score of 1 indicates severe necrosis on the inner stem tissues. increasing visual scores from 2 to 8 indicate additional levels of tolerance, while a score of 9 indicates no inner stem symptoms cell. cell as used herein includes a plant cell, whether isolated, in tissue culture, or incorporated in a plant or plant part. charcoal rot disease. a fungal disease caused by macrophomina phaseolina that is enhanced by hot and dry conditions, especially during reproductive growth stages. tolerance score is based on observations of the comparative ability to tolerate drought and limit losses from charcoal rot infection among various soybean varieties. a score of 1 indicates severe charcoal rot on the roots and dark microsclerotia on the lower stem. increasing visual scores from 2 to 8 indicate additional levels of tolerance, while a score of 9 indicates no lower stem and/or root rot. chloride sensitivity. this is a measure of the chloride concentration in the plant tissue from 1 to 9. the higher the score the lower the concentration of chloride in the tissue measured. cw or canopy width. this is a visual observation of the canopy width which is scored from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given test. a score of 1=very narrow, while a score of 9=very bushy. cnkr or stem canker tolerance. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given field test. the score is based upon field reaction to the disease. a score of 1 indicates susceptibility to the disease, whereas a score of 9 indicates the line is resistant to the disease. stem canker gene. resistance based on a specific gene that infers specific resistance or susceptibility to a specific race of stem canker. the score is based upon a reaction of tooth pick inoculation with a race of stem canker. a score of 1 indicates severe stem canker lesions, similar to a known susceptible check variety, whereas a score of 9 indicates no disease symptoms, consistent with a known resistant check variety cotyledon. a cotyledon is a type of seed leaf. the cotyledon contains the food storage tissues of the seed. cross-pollination. fertilization by the union of two gametes from different plants. diploid. a cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes. elite variety. a variety that is sufficiently homozygous and homogeneous to be used for commercial grain production. an elite variety may also be used in further breeding. embryo. the embryo is the small plant contained within a mature seed. emgsc=field emergence=emergence score. a score based upon speed and strength of emergence at sub-optimal conditions. rating is done at the unifoliate to first trifoliate stages of growth. a score using a 1 to 9 scale is given, with 1 being the poorest and 9 the best. scores of 1, 2, and 3=degrees of unacceptable stands; slow growth and poor plant health. scores of 4, 5, 6=degrees of less than optimal stands; moderate growth and plant health. scores of 7, 8, 9,=degrees of optimal stands; vigorous growth and plant health. fec=iron-deficiency chlorosis=iron chlorosis. plants are scored 1 to 9 based on visual observations. a score of 1 indicates the plants are dead or dying from iron-deficiency chlorosis, a score of 5 means plants have intermediate health with some leaf yellowing, and a score of 9 means no stunting of the plants or yellowing of the leaves. plots are usually scored in mid july. fecl=iron-deficiency chlorosis—late. plants are scored 1 to 9 based on visual observations. a score of 1 indicates the plants are dead or dying from iron-deficiency chlorosis, a score of 5 means plants have intermediate health with some leaf yellowing and a score of 9 means no stunting of the plants or yellowing of the leaves. plots are scored later in the growing season, typically around mid august. fey or frogeye leaf spot. this is a visual fungal disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given experiment. the score is based upon the number and size of leaf lesions. a score of 1 indicates severe leaf necrosis spotting, whereas a score of 9 indicates no lesions. flower color. data values include: p=purple and w=white. gene silencing. the interruption or suppression of the expression of a nucleic acid sequence at the level of transcription or translation. genotype. refers to the genetic constitution of a cell or organism. plant habit. this refers to the physical appearance of a plant. it can be determinate (det), semi-determinate, intermediate, or indeterminate (ind). in soybeans, indeterminate varieties are those in which stem growth is not limited by formation of a reproductive structure (i.e., flowers, pods and seeds) and hence growth continues throughout flowering and during part of pod filling. the main stem will develop and set pods over a prolonged period under favorable conditions. in soybeans, determinate varieties are those in which stem growth ceases at flowering time. most flowers develop simultaneously, and most pods fill at approximately the same time. the terms semi-determinate and intermediate are also used to describe plant habit and are defined in bernard, r. l. 1972. “two genes affecting stem termination in soybeans.” crop science 12:235-239; woodworth, c. m. 1932. “genetics and breeding in the improvement of the soybean.” bull. agric. exp. stn. (illinois) 384:297-404; woodworth, c. m. 1933. “genetics of the soybean.” j. am. soc. agron. 25:36-51. haploid. a cell or organism having one set of the two sets of chromosomes in a diploid cell or organism. herbres=herbicide resistance. this indicates that the plant is more tolerant to the herbicide shown than the level of herbicide tolerance exhibited by wild type plants. a designation of rr indicates tolerance to glyphosate and a designation of sts indicates tolerance to sulfonylurea herbicides. hgt=plant height. plant height is taken from the top of the soil to the top pod of the plant and is measured in inches. hilum. this refers to the scar left on the seed which marks the place where the seed was attached to the pod prior to harvest. hila color data values include: br=brown; tn=tan; y=yellow; bl=black; ib=imperfect black; bf=buff. hypl=hypocotyl length=hypocotyl elongation. this score indicates the ability of the seed to emerge when planted 3″ deep in sand pots and with a controlled temperature of 25° c. the number of plants that emerge each day are counted. based on this data, each genotype is given a score from 1 to 9 based on its rate of emergence and the percent of emergence. a score of 1 indicates a very poor rate and percent of emergence, an intermediate score of 5 indicates average ratings, and a score of 9 indicates an excellent rate and percent of emergence hypocotyl. a hypocotyl is the portion of an embryo or seedling between the cotyledons and the root. ldgsev=lodging resistance=harvest standability. lodging is rated on a scale of 1 to 9. a score of 1 indicates plants that are laying on the ground, a score of 5 indicates plants are leaning at a 45° angle in relation to the ground, and a score of 9 indicates erect plants. leaflets. these are part of the plant shoot, and they manufacture food for the plant by the process of photosynthesis. linkage. refers to a phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend to segregate together more often than expected by chance if their transmission was independent. linkage disequilibrium. refers to a phenomenon wherein alleles tend to remain together in linkage groups when segregating from parents to offspring, with a greater frequency than expected from their individual frequencies. llc=oil with three percent or less linolenic acid is classified as low linolenic oil. linolenic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. lle=linoleic acid percent. linoleic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. lln=linolenic acid percent. linolenic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. locus. a defined segment of dna. prm predicted relative maturity or relative maturity. soybean maturities are divided into relative maturity groups (00, 0, i, ii, iii, iv . . . x or 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . 10). within a maturity group are sub-groups. a sub-group is a tenth of a relative maturity group (for example 1.3 would indicate a group 1 and subgroup 3). mat abs=absolute maturity. this term is defined as the length of time from planting to complete physiological development (maturity). the period from planting until maturity is reached is measured in days, usually in comparison to one or more standard varieties. plants are considered mature when 95% of the pods have reached their mature color. maturity group. this refers to an agreed-on industry division of groups of varieties, based on the zones in which they are adapted primarily according to day length or latitude. they consist of very long day length varieties (groups 000, 00, 0), and extend to very short day length varieties (groups vii, viii, ix, x). narrow rows. term indicates 7″ and 15″ row spacing. nei distance. a quantitative measure of percent similarity between two lines. nei's distance between lines a and b can be defined as 1−((2*number alleles in common)/(number alleles in a+number alleles in b)). for example, if lines a and b are the same for 95 out of 100 alleles, the nei distance would be 0.05. if lines a and b are the same for 98 out of 100 alleles, the nei distance would be 0.02. free software for calculating nei distance is available on the internet at multiple locations such as, for example, at: evolution.genetics.washington.edu/phylip.html. see nei & li (1979) proc natl acad sci usa 76:5269-5273, which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. nucleic acid. an acidic, chainlike biological macromolecule consisting of multiple repeat units of phosphoric acid, sugar and purine and pyrimidine bases. oil=oil percent. soybean seeds contain a considerable amount of oil. oil is measured by nir spectrophotometry, and is reported as a percentage basis. oil/meal type: designates varieties specially developed with the following oil traits: hlc=high oleic oil; llc=low linolenic (3% linolenic content); ulc=ultra low linolenic oil (1% linolenic oil content); hsc=high sucrose meal; lpa=low phytic acid; lst=low saturate oil; blank=conventional variety/oil composition. olc=oleic acid percent. oleic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. pedigree distance. relationship among generations based on their ancestral links as evidenced in pedigrees. may be measured by the distance of the pedigree from a given starting point in the ancestry. percent identity. percent identity as used herein refers to the comparison of the homozygous alleles of two soybean varieties. percent identity is determined by comparing a statistically significant number of the homozygous alleles of two developed varieties. for example, a percent identity of 90% between soybean variety 1 and soybean variety 2 means that the two varieties have the same allele at 90% of the loci used in the comparison. percent similarity. percent similarity as used herein refers to the comparison of the homozygous alleles of a soybean variety such as xbp49005 with another plant, and if the homozygous allele of xbp49005 matches at least one of the alleles from the other plant then they are scored as similar. percent similarity is determined by comparing a statistically significant number of loci and recording the number of loci with similar alleles as a percentage. a percent similarity of 90% between xbp49005 and another plant means that xbp49005 matches at least one of the alleles of the other plant at 90% of the loci used in the comparison. plant. as used herein, the term “plant” includes reference to an immature or mature whole plant, including a plant from which seed or grain or anthers have been removed. seed or embryo that will produce the plant is also considered to be the plant. plant parts. as used herein, the term “plant parts” includes leaves, stems, roots, root tips, anthers, seed, grain, embryo, pollen, ovules, flowers, cotyledon, hypocotyl, pod, flower, shoot, stalk, tissue, cells and the like. plm or palmitic acid percent. palmitic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. pmg infested soils: soils containing phytophthora sojae. pod. this refers to the fruit of a soybean plant. it consists of the hull or shell (pericarp) and the soybean seeds. pod color data values include: br=brown; tn=tan. prt or phytophthora field tolerance. tolerance to phytophthora root rot is rated on a scale of 1 to 9, with a score of 1 indicating the plants have no tolerance to phytophthora , ranging to a score of 9 being the best or highest tolerance. phytophthora resistance gene (rps). various phytophthora resistance genes are known and include: rps1a=resistance to races 1-2, 10-11, 13-8, 24; rps1c=resistance to races 1-3, 6-11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28-30, 32, 34, 36; rps1k=resistance to races 1-11, 13-15, 17, 18, 21-24, 26, 36, 37; rps6=resistance to races 1-4, 10, 12, 14-16, 18-21, 25, 28, 33-35; and (−) indicates no specific gene for resistance is detected. prmmat or predicted relative maturity. soybean maturities are divided into relative maturity groups. in the united states the most common maturity groups are 00 through viii. within maturity groups 00 through v are sub-groups. a sub-group is a tenth of a relative maturity group. within narrow comparisons, the difference of a tenth of a relative maturity group equates very roughly to a day difference in maturity at harvest. pro or protein percent. soybean seeds contain a considerable amount of protein. protein is generally measured by nir spectrophotometry, and is reported on a dry weight basis. pubescence. this refers to a covering of very fine hairs closely arranged on the leaves, stems and pods of the soybean plant. pubescence color-data values include: l=light tawny; t=tawny; g=gray. r160 or palmitic acid percentage. percentage of palmitic acid as determined using methods described in reske, et al., triacylglycerol composition and structure in genetically modified sunflower and soybean oils. jaocs 74:8, 989-998 (1997), which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. r180 or stearic acid percentage. percentage of stearic acid as determined using methods described in reske, et al., triacylglycerol composition and structure in genetically modified sunflower and soybean oils. jaocs 74:8, 989-998 (1997), which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. r181 or oleic acid percentage. percentage of oleic acid as determined using methods described in reske, et al., triacylglycerol composition and structure in genetically modified sunflower and soybean oils. jaocs 74:8, 989-998 (1997), which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. r182 or linoleic acid percentage. percentage of linoleic acid as determined using methods described in reske, et al., triacylglycerol composition and structure in genetically modified sunflower and soybean oils. jaocs 74:8, 989-998 (1997), which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. r183 or linolenic acid percentage. percentage of linolenic acid as determined using methods described in reske, et al., triacylglycerol composition and structure in genetically modified sunflower and soybean oils. jaocs 74:8, 989-998 (1997), which is incorporated by reference for this purpose. resistance. synonymous with tolerance. the ability of a plant to withstand exposure to an insect, disease, herbicide, environmental stress, or other condition. a resistant plant variety will be able to better withstand the insect, disease pathogen, herbicide, environmental stress, or other condition as compared to a non-resistant or wild-type variety. rki or root-knot nematode, southern. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given experiment. the score is determined by digging plants to visually score the roots for presence or absence of galling. a score of 1 indicates large severe galling covering most of the root system which results in pre-mature death from decomposition of the root system. a score of 9 indicates that there is no galling of the roots. rka or root-knot nematode, peanut. this is a visual disease score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes in a given experiment. the score is determined by digging plants to score the roots for presence or absence of galling. a score of 1 indicates large severe galling covering most of the root system which results in pre-mature death from decomposition of the root system. a score of 9 indicates that there is no galling of the roots. scn=soybean cyst nematode resistance=cyst nematode resistance. the score is based on resistance to a particular race of soybean cyst nematode, such as race 1, 2, 3, 5 or 14. scores are from 1 to 9 and indicate visual observations of resistance as compared to other genotypes in the test. a score of 1 indicates nematodes are able to infect the plant and cause yield loss, while a score of 9 indicates scn resistance. scn resistance source. there are three typical sources of genetic resistance to scn: pi88788, pi548402 (also known as peking), and pi437654 (also known as hartwig). scn infected soils: soils containing soybean cyst nematode. sd vig or seedling vigor. the score is based on the speed of emergence of the plants within a plot relative to other plots within an experiment. a score of 1 indicates no plants have expanded first leaves, while a score of 9 indicates that 90% of plants growing have expanded first leaves. sds or sudden death syndrome is caused by the fungal pathogen fusarium solani f.sp. glycines. tolerance to sudden death syndrome is rated on a scale of 1 to 9, with a score of 1 being very susceptible ranging up to a score of 9 being tolerant. seed coat luster. data values include d=dull; s=shiny. seed size score. this is a measure of the seed size from 1 to 9. the higher the score the smaller the seed size measured. splb=s/lb=seeds per pound. soybean seeds vary in seed size, therefore, the number of seeds required to make up one pound also varies. this affects the pounds of seed required to plant a given area, and can also impact end uses. shattr or shattering. this refers to the amount of pod dehiscence prior to harvest. pod dehiscence involves seeds falling from the pods to the soil. this is a visual score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes within a given test. a score of 1 indicates 100% of the pods are opened, while a score of 9 means pods have not opened and no seeds have fallen out. shoots. these are a portion of the body of the plant. they consist of stems, petioles and leaves. stc or stearic acid percent. stearic acid is one of the five most abundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. it is measured by gas chromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content. subline. although xbp49005 contains substantially fixed genetics, and is phenotypically uniform and with no off-types expected, there still remains a small proportion of segregating loci either within individuals or within the population as a whole. whmd or white mold tolerance. this is a fungal disease caused by sclerotinia sclerotiorum that creates mycelial growth and death of plants. tolerance to white mold is scored from 1 to 9 by visually comparing all genotypes in a given test. a score of 1 indicates complete death of the experimental unit while a score of 9 indicates no symptoms. variety. a substantially homozygous soybean line and minor modifications thereof that retain the overall genetics of the soybean line including but not limited to a subline, a locus conversion, a mutation, a transgenic, or a somaclonal variant. high yield environments. areas which lack normal stress, typically having sufficient rainfall, water drainage, low disease pressure, and low weed pressure tough environments. areas which have stress challenges, opposite of a high yield environment detailed description the variety has shown uniformity and stability for all traits, as described in the following variety description information. it has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations, with careful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensure a sufficient level of homozygosity and phenotypic stability. the variety has been increased with continued observation for uniformity. no variant traits have been observed or are expected. a variety description of soybean variety xbp49005 is provided in table 1. traits reported are average values for all locations and years or samples measured. soybean variety xbp49005, being substantially homozygous, can be reproduced by planting seeds of the variety, growing the resulting soybean plants under self-pollinating or sib-pollinating conditions, and harvesting the resulting seed, using techniques familiar to the agricultural arts. performance examples of xbp49005 as shown in table 2, the traits and characteristics of soybean variety xbp49005 are given in paired comparisons with other varieties. traits reported are mean values for all locations and years where paired comparison data was obtained. genetic marker profile in addition to phenotypic observations, a plant can also be identified by its genotype. the genotype of a plant can be characterized through a genetic marker profile which can identify plants of the same variety or a related variety, or which can be used to determine or validate a pedigree. genetic marker profiles can be obtained by techniques such as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (rflps), randomly amplified polymorphic dnas (rapds), arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (ap-pcr), dna amplification fingerprinting (daf), sequence characterized amplified regions (scars), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (aflps), simple sequence repeats (ssrs) also referred to as microsatellites, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps). for example, see cregan et al, “an integrated genetic linkage map of the soybean genome” crop science 39:1464-1490 (1999), and berry et al., assessing probability of ancestry using simple sequence repeat profiles: applications to maize inbred lines and soybean varieties” genetics 165:331-342 (2003), each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. particular markers used for these purposes are not limited to any particular set of markers, but are envisioned to include any type of marker and marker profile which provides a means of distinguishing varieties. one method of comparison is to use only homozygous loci for xbp49005. for example, one set of publicly available markers which could be used to screen and identify variety xbp49005 is disclosed in table 3. primers and pcr protocols for assaying these and other markers are disclosed in soybase (sponsored by the usda agricultural research service and iowa state university) located at the world wide web at 129.186.26.94/ssr.html. in addition to being used for identification of soybean variety xbp49005 and plant parts and plant cells of variety xbp49005, the genetic profile may be used to identify a soybean plant produced through the use of xbp49005 or to verify a pedigree for progeny plants produced through the use of xbp49005. the genetic marker profile is also useful in breeding and developing backcross conversions. the present invention comprises a soybean plant characterized by molecular and physiological data obtained from the representative sample of said variety deposited with the atcc. further provided is a soybean plant formed by the combination of the disclosed soybean plant or plant cell with another soybean plant or cell and comprising the homozygous alleles of the variety. means of performing genetic marker profiles using ssr polymorphisms are well known in the art. a marker system based on ssrs can be highly informative in linkage analysis relative to other marker systems in that multiple alleles may be present. another advantage of this type of marker is that, through use of flanking primers, detection of ssrs can be achieved, for example, by using the polymerase chain reaction (pcr), thereby eliminating the need for labor-intensive southern hybridization. pcr detection is done using two oligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic segment of repetitive dna to amplify the ssr region. following amplification, markers can be scored by electrophoresis of the amplification products. scoring of marker genotype is based on the size of the amplified fragment, which correlates to the number of base pairs of the fragment. while variation in the primer used or in laboratory procedures can affect the reported fragment size, relative values should remain constant regardless of the specific primer or laboratory used. when comparing varieties it is preferable if all ssr profiles are performed in the same lab. primers used are publicly available and may be found in soybase or cregan (1999 crop science 39:1464-1490). see also, wo 99/31964 nucleotide polymorphisms in soybean, u.s. pat. no. 6,162,967 positional cloning of soybean cyst nematode resistance genes, and u.s. pat. no. 7,288,386 soybean sudden death syndrome resistant soybeans and methods of breeding and identifying resistant plants, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. the ssr profile of soybean plant xbp49005 can be used to identify plants comprising xbp49005 as a parent, since such plants will comprise the same homozygous alleles as xbp49005. because the soybean variety is essentially homozygous at all relevant loci, most loci should have only one type of allele present. in contrast, a genetic marker profile of an f1 progeny should be the sum of those parents, e.g., if one parent was homozygous for allele x at a particular locus, and the other parent homozygous for allele y at that locus, then the f1 progeny will be xy (heterozygous) at that locus. subsequent generations of progeny produced by selection and breeding are expected to be of genotype xx (homozygous), yy (homozygous), or xy (heterozygous) for that locus position. when the f1 plant is selfed or sibbed for successive filial generations, the locus should be either x or y for that position. in addition, plants and plant parts substantially benefiting from the use of xbp49005 in their development, such as xbp49005 comprising a backcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterility factor, may be identified by having a molecular marker profile with a high percent identity to xbp49005. such a percent identity might be 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5% or 99.9% identical to xbp49005. the ssr profile of xbp49005 also can be used to identify essentially derived varieties and other progeny varieties developed from the use of xbp49005, as well as cells and other plant parts thereof. such plants may be developed using the markers identified in wo 00/31964, u.s. pat. no. 6,162,967 and u.s. pat. no. 7,288,386. progeny plants and plant parts produced using xbp49005 may be identified by having a molecular marker profile of at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 99.5% genetic contribution from soybean variety, as measured by either percent identity or percent similarity. such progeny may be further characterized as being within a pedigree distance of xbp49005, such as within 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 or less cross-pollinations to a soybean plant other than xbp49005, or a plant that has xbp49005 as a progenitor. unique molecular profiles may be identified with other molecular tools such as snps and rflps. introduction of a new trait or locus into xbp49005 variety xbp49005 represents a new base genetic variety into which a new locus or trait may be introgressed. direct transformation and backcrossing represent two important methods that can be used to accomplish such an introgression. a backcross conversion of xbp49005 occurs when dna sequences are introduced through backcrossing (hallauer et al. in corn and corn improvement, sprague and dudley, third ed. 1998), with xbp49005 utilized as the recurrent parent. both naturally occurring and transgenic dna sequences may be introduced through backcrossing techniques. a backcross conversion may produce a plant with a trait or locus conversion in at least two or more backcrosses, including at least 2 backcrosses, at least 3 backcrosses, at least 4 backcrosses, at least 5 backcrosses, or more. molecular marker assisted breeding or selection may be utilized to reduce the number of backcrosses necessary to achieve the backcross conversion. for example, see openshaw, s. j. et al., marker-assisted selection in backcross breeding. in: proceedings symposium of the analysis of molecular data, august 1994, crop science society of america, corvallis, oreg., where it is demonstrated that a backcross conversion can be made in as few as two backcrosses. the complexity of the backcross conversion method depends on the type of trait being transferred (a single gene or closely linked genes compared to unlinked genes), the level of expression of the trait, the type of inheritance (cytoplasmic or nuclear), dominant or recessive trait expression, and the types of parents included in the cross. it is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that for single gene traits that are relatively easy to classify, the backcross method is effective and relatively easy to manage. (see hallauer et al. in corn and corn improvement, sprague and dudley, third ed. 1998). desired traits that may be transferred through backcross conversion include, but are not limited to, sterility (nuclear and cytoplasmic), fertility restoration, nutritional enhancements, drought tolerance, nitrogen utilization, altered fatty acid profile, low phytate, industrial enhancements, disease resistance (bacterial, fungal or viral), insect resistance, and herbicide resistance. in addition, a recombination site itself, such as an frt site, lox site or other site specific integration site, may be inserted by backcrossing and utilized for direct insertion of one or more genes of interest into a specific plant variety. a single locus may contain several transgenes, such as a transgene for disease resistance that also contains a transgene for herbicide resistance. the gene for herbicide resistance may be used as a selectable marker and/or as a phenotypic trait. a single locus conversion of site specific integration system allows for the integration of multiple genes at a known recombination site in the genome. the backcross conversion may result from either the transfer of a dominant allele or a recessive allele. selection of progeny containing the trait of interest is accomplished by direct selection for a trait associated with a dominant allele. transgenes transferred via backcrossing typically function as a dominant single gene trait and are relatively easy to classify. selection of progeny for a trait that is transferred via a recessive allele requires growing and selfing the first backcross generation to determine which plants carry the recessive alleles. recessive traits may require additional progeny testing in successive backcross generations to determine the presence of the locus of interest. the last backcross generation is usually selfed to give pure breeding progeny for the trait(s) being transferred, although a backcross conversion with a stably introgressed trait may also be maintained by further backcrossing to the recurrent parent with subsequent selection for the trait. along with selection for the trait of interest, progeny are selected for the phenotype of the recurrent parent. the backcross is a form of inbreeding, and the features of the recurrent parent are automatically recovered after successive backcrosses. poehlman suggests from one to four or more backcrosses, but as noted above, the number of backcrosses necessary can be reduced with the use of molecular markers (poehlman et al (1995) breeding field crops, 4th ed., iowa state university press, ames, iowa). other factors, such as a genetically similar donor parent, may also reduce the number of backcrosses necessary. as noted by poehlman, backcrossing is easiest for simply inherited, dominant and easily recognized traits. one process for adding or modifying a trait or locus in soybean variety xbp49005 comprises crossing xbp49005 plants grown from xbp49005 seed with plants of another soybean plant that comprises a desired trait lacking in xbp49005, selecting f1 progeny plants that possess the desired trait or locus to produce selected f1 progeny plants, crossing the selected progeny plants back to xbp49005 plants to produce backcross) (bc1) progeny plants. the bc1f1 progeny plants that have the desired trait and the morphological characteristics of soybean variety xbp49005 are selected and backcrossed to xbp49005 to generate bc2f1 progeny plants. additional backcrossing and selection of progeny plants with the desired trait will produce bc3f1, bc4f1, bc5f1, . . . bcxf1 generations of plants. the backcross populations of xbp49005 may be further characterized as having the physiological and morphological characteristics of soybean variety xbp49005 listed in table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions and/or may be characterized by percent similarity or identity to xbp49005 as determined by ssr or other molecular markers. the above method may be utilized with fewer backcrosses in appropriate situations, such as when the donor parent is highly related or molecular markers are used in the selection step. desired traits that may be used include those nucleic acids known in the art, some of which are listed herein, that will affect traits through nucleic acid expression or inhibition. desired loci also include the introgression of frt, lox and/or other recombination sites for site specific integration. desired loci further include qtls, which may also affect a desired trait. in addition, the above process and other similar processes described herein may be used to produce first generation progeny soybean seed by adding a step at the end of the process that comprises crossing xbp49005 with the introgressed trait or locus with a different soybean plant and harvesting the resultant first generation progeny soybean seed. transgenes and transformation methods provide means to engineer the genome of plants to contain and express foreign genetic elements, additional copies of endogenous elements, and/or modified versions of native or endogenous genetic elements in order to alter the traits of a plant in a specific manner that would be difficult or impossible to obtain with traditional plant breeding alone. any heterologous dna sequence(s), whether from a different species or from the same species, which are inserted into the genome using transformation, backcrossing or other methods known to one of skill in the art are referred to herein collectively as transgenes. the sequences are heterologous based on sequence source, location of integration, operably linked elements, or any combination thereof. transgenic variants of soybean variety xbp49005, seeds, cells, and parts thereof or derived therefrom are provided. in one example a process for modifying soybean variety xbp49005 with the addition of a desired trait, said process comprising transforming a soybean plant of variety xbp49005 with a transgene that confers a desired trait is provided. therefore, transgenic xbp49005 soybean cells, plants, plant parts, and seeds produced from this process are provided. in some examples, the desired trait may be one or more of herbicide resistance, insect resistance, disease resistance, decreased phytate, modified fatty acid profile, modified fatty acid content, or carbohydrate metabolism. the specific gene may be any known in the art or listed herein, including but not limited to a polynucleotide conferring resistance to imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, glyphosate, glufosinate, triazine or benzonitrile herbicides; a polynucleotide encoding a bacillus thuringiensis polypeptide, a polynucleotide encoding a phytase, a fatty acid desaturase (e.g., fad-2, fad-3), galactinol synthase, a raffinose synthetic enzyme; or a polynucleotide conferring resistance to soybean cyst nematode, brown stem rot, phytophthora root rot, soybean mosaic virus, sudden death syndrome, or other plant pathogen. numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, including biological and physical plant transformation protocols. see, for example, miki et al., “procedures for introducing foreign dna into plants” in methods in plant molecular biology and biotechnology , glick, b. r. and thompson, j. e. eds. (crc press, inc., boca raton, 1993) pages 67-88; and armstrong, “the first decade of maize transformation: a review and future perspective” (maydica 44:101-109, 1999). in addition, expression vectors and in vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissue transformation and regeneration of plants are available. see, for example, gruber et al., “vectors for plant transformation” in methods in plant molecular biology and biotechnology , glick, b. r. and thompson, j. e. eds. (crc press, inc., boca raton, 1993) pages 89-119. the most prevalent types of plant transformation involve the construction of an expression vector. such a vector comprises a dna sequence that contains a gene under the control of or operatively linked to a regulatory element, for example a promoter. the vector may contain one or more genes and one or more regulatory elements. a genetic trait which has been engineered into the genome of a particular soybean plant may then be moved into the genome of another variety using traditional breeding techniques that are well known in the plant breeding arts. for example, a backcrossing approach is commonly used to move a transgene from a transformed soybean variety into an elite soybean variety, and the resulting backcross conversion plant would then contain the transgene(s). various genetic elements can be introduced into the plant genome using transformation. these elements include, but are not limited to genes; coding sequences; inducible, constitutive, and tissue specific promoters; enhancing sequences; and signal and targeting sequences. transgenic plants can be used to produce commercial quantities of a foreign protein. thus, techniques for the selection and propagation of transformed plants, which are well understood in the art, yield a plurality of transgenic plants that are harvested in a conventional manner, and a foreign protein then can be extracted from a tissue of interest or from total biomass. protein extraction from plant biomass can be accomplished by known methods which are discussed, for example, by heney and orr, anal. biochem. 114:92-6 (1981). a genetic map can be generated, primarily via conventional restriction fragment length polymorphisms (rflp), polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis, simple sequence repeats (ssr) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (snp) that identifies the approximate chromosomal location of the integrated dna molecule. for exemplary methodologies in this regard, see glick and thompson, methods in plant molecular biology and biotechnology, pp. 269-284 (crc press, boca raton, 1993). wang et al. discuss “large scale identification, mapping and genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the human genome”, science, 280:1077-1082, 1998, and similar capabilities are becoming increasingly available for the soybean genome. map information concerning chromosomal location is useful for proprietary protection of a subject transgenic plant. if unauthorized propagation is undertaken and crosses made with other germplasm, the map of the integration region can be compared to similar maps for suspect plants to determine if the latter have a common parentage with the subject plant. map comparisons could involve hybridizations, rflp, pcr, ssr, sequencing or combinations thereof, all of which are conventional techniques. snps may also be used alone or in combination with other techniques. likewise, plants can be genetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomic interest. through the transformation of soybean the expression of genes can be altered to enhance disease resistance, insect resistance, herbicide resistance, agronomic, grain quality and other traits. transformation can also be used to insert dna sequences which control or help control male-sterility. dna sequences native to soybean as well as non-native dna sequences can be transformed into soybean and used to alter levels of native or non-native proteins. various promoters, targeting sequences, enhancing sequences, and other dna sequences can be inserted into the genome for the purpose of altering the expression of proteins. reduction of the activity of specific genes (also known as gene silencing, or gene suppression) is desirable for several aspects of genetic engineering in plants. many techniques for gene silencing are well known to one of skill in the art, including but not limited to knock-outs (such as by insertion of a transposable element such as mu (vicki chandler, the maize handbook ch. 118 (springer-verlag 1994) antisense technology (see, e.g., sheehy et al. (1988) pnas usa 85:8805-8809; and u.s. pat. nos. 5,107,065; 5,453,566; and 5,759,829); co-suppression (e.g., taylor (1997) plant cell 9:1245; jorgensen (1990) trends biotech. 8(12):340-344; flavell (1994) pnas usa 91:3490-3496; finnegan et al. (1994) bio/technology 12:883-888; and neuhuber et al. (1994) mol. gen. genet. 244:230-241); rna interference (napoli et al. (1990) plant cell 2:279-289; u.s. pat. no. 5,034,323; sharp (1999) genes dev. 13:139-141; zamore et al. (2000) cell 101:25-33; and montgomery et al. (1998) pnas usa 95:15502-15507), virus-induced gene silencing (burton, et al. (2000) plant cell 12:691-705; and baulcombe (1999) curr. op. plant biol. 2:109-113); target-rna-specific ribozymes (haseloff et al. (1988) nature 334: 585-591); hairpin structures (smith et al. (2000) nature 407:319-320; wo 99/53050; and wo 98/53083); microrna (aukerman & sakai (2003) plant cell 15:2730-2741); ribozymes (steinecke et al. (1992) embo j. 11:1525; and perriman et al. (1993) antisense res. dev. 3:253); oligonucleotide mediated targeted modification (e.g., wo 03/076574 and wo 99/25853); zn-finger targeted molecules (e.g., wo 01/52620; wo 03/048345; and wo 00/42219); and other methods or combinations of the above methods known to those of skill in the art. exemplary nucleotide sequences that may be altered by genetic engineering include, but are not limited to, those categorized below. 1. transgenes that confer resistance to insects or disease and that encode: (a) plant disease resistance genes. plant defenses are often activated by specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene (r) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (avr) gene in the pathogen. a plant variety can be transformed with cloned resistance gene to engineer plants that are resistant to specific pathogen strains. see, for example jones et al., science 266: 789 (1994) (cloning of the tomato cf-9 gene for resistance to cladosporium fulvum ); martin et al., science 262:1432 (1993) (tomato pto gene for resistance to pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato encodes a protein kinase); mindrinos et al., cell 78:1089 (1994) ( arabidopsis rps2 gene for resistance to pseudomonas syringae ), mcdowell & woffenden, (2003) trends biotechnol. 21:178-83 and toyoda et al., (2002) transgenic res. 11:567-82. a plant resistant to a disease is one that is more resistant to a pathogen as compared to the wild type plant. (b) a bacillus thuringiensis (bt) protein, a derivative thereof or a synthetic polypeptide modeled thereon. see, for example, geiser et al., gene 48:109 (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide sequence of a bt delta-endotoxin gene. moreover, dna molecules encoding delta-endotoxin genes can be purchased from american type culture collection (rockville, md.), for example, under atcc accession nos. 40098, 67136, 31995 and 31998. other non-limiting examples of bacillus thuringiensis transgenes being genetically engineered are given in the following patents and patent applications and hereby are incorporated by reference for this purpose: u.s. pat. nos. 5,188,960; 5,689,052; 5,880,275; 5,986,177; 7,105,332; 7,208,474; wo 91/14778; wo 99/31248; wo 01/12731; wo 99/24581; wo 97/40162; us2002/0151709; us2003/0177528; us2005/0138685; us/0070245427; us2007/0245428; us2006/0241042; us2008/0020966; us2008/0020968; us2008/0020967; us2008/0172762; us2008/0172762; and us2009/0005306. (c) an insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid or juvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or an antagonist or agonist thereof. see, for example, the disclosure by hammock et al., nature 344:458 (1990), of baculovirus expression of cloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile hormone. (d) an insect-specific peptide which, upon expression, disrupts the physiology of the affected pest. for example, see the disclosures of regan, j. biol. chem. 269:9 (1994) (expression cloning yields dna coding for insect diuretic hormone receptor); pratt et al., biochem. biophys. res. comm. 163:1243 (1989) (an allostatin is identified in diploptera puntata ); chattopadhyay et al. (2004) critical reviews in microbiology 30(1): 33-54 2004; zjawiony (2004) j nat prod 67(2): 300-310; carlini & grossi-de-sa (2002) toxicon, 40(11): 1515-1539; ussuf et al. (2001) curr sci. 80(7): 847-853; and vasconcelos & oliveira (2004) toxicon 44(4):385-403. see also u.s. pat. no. 5,266,317 to tomalski et al., who disclose genes encoding insect-specific toxins. (e) an enzyme responsible for a hyperaccumulation of a monoterpene, a sesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivative or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity. (f) an enzyme involved in the modification, including the post-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule; for example, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme, a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, a phosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, a chitinase and a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic. see wo 93/02197,which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a callase gene. dna molecules which contain chitinase-encoding sequences can be obtained, for example, from the atcc under accession nos. 39637 and 67152. see also kramer et al., insect biochem. molec. biol. 23:691 (1993), who teach the nucleotide sequence of a cdna encoding tobacco hookworm chitinase, and kawalleck et al., plant mol. biol. 21:673 (1993), who provide the nucleotide sequence of the parsley ubi-4-2 polyubiquitin gene, and u.s. pat. nos. 6,563,020; 7,145,060 and 7,087,810. (g) a molecule that stimulates signal transduction. for example, see the disclosure by botella et al., plant mol. biol. 24:757 (1994), of nucleotide sequences for mung bean calmodulin cdna clones, and griess et al., plant physiol. 104:1467 (1994), who provide the nucleotide sequence of a maize calmodulin cdna clone. (h) a hydrophobic moment peptide. see wo 95/16776 and u.s. pat. no. 5,580,852 disclosure of peptide derivatives of tachyplesin which inhibit fungal plant pathogens, and wo 95/18855 and u.s. pat. no. 5,607,914 which teach synthetic antimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance. (i) a membrane permease, a channel former, or a channel blocker. for example, see the disclosure by jaynes et al., plant sci. 89:43 (1993), of heterologous expression of a cecropin-beta lytic peptide analog to render transgenic tobacco plants resistant to pseudomonas solanacearum. (j) a viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. for example, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plant cells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease development effected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, as well as by related viruses. see beachy et al., ann. rev. phytopathol. 28:451 (1990). coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upon transformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco streak virus, potato virus x, potato virus y, tobacco etch virus, tobacco rattle virus and tobacco mosaic virus. (k) an insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom. thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in the insect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect. cf. taylor et al., abstract #497, seventh intl symposium on molecular plant-microbe interactions (edinburgh, scotland, 1994) (enzymatic inactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of single-chain antibody fragments). (l) a virus-specific antibody. see, for example, tavladoraki et al., nature 366:469 (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressing recombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack. (m) a developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogen or a parasite. thus, fungal endo alpha-1,4-d-polygalacturonases facilitate fungal colonization and plant nutrient release by solubilizing plant cell wall homo-alpha-1,4-d-galacturonase. see lamb et al., bio/technology 10:1436 (1992). the cloning and characterization of a gene which encodes a bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein is described by toubart et al., plant j. 2:367 (1992). (n) a developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant. for example, logemann et al., bio/technology 10:305 (1992), have shown that transgenic plants expressing the barley ribosome-inactivating gene have an increased resistance to fungal disease. (o) genes involved in the systemic acquired resistance (sar) response and/or the pathogenesis related genes. briggs current biology, 5:128-131 (1995), pieterse & van loon (2004) curr. opin. plant bio. 7:456-64; and somssich (2003) cell 113:815-6. (p) antifungal genes (cornelissen and melchers, plant physiol. 101:709-712, (1993); parijs et al., planta 183:258-264, (1991); bushnell et al., can. j. plant path. 20:137-149 (1998). also see us2002/0166141; us2007/0274972; us2007/0192899; us20080022426; and u.s. pat. nos. 6,891,085; 7,306,946; and 7,598,346. (o) detoxification genes, such as for fumonisin, beauvericin, moniliformin and zearalenone and their structurally related derivatives. for example, see u.s. pat. nos. 5,716,820; 5,792,931; 5,798,255; 5,846,812; 6,083,736; 6,538,177; 6,388,171 and 6,812,380. (r) cystatin and cysteine proteinase inhibitors. see u.s. pat. no. 7,205,453. (s) defensin genes. see wo 03/000863 and u.s. pat. nos. 6,911,577; 6,855,865; 6,777,592 and 7,238,781. (t) genes conferring resistance to nematodes. see e.g. wo 96/30517; wo 93/19181, wo 03/033651; and urwin et al., planta 204:472-479 (1998); williamson (1999) curr opin plant bio. 2:327-31; and u.s. pat. nos. 6,284,948 and 7,301,069. (u) genes that confer resistance to phytophthora root rot, such as the rps 1, rps 1-a, rps 1-b, rps 1-c, rps 1-d, rps 1-e, rps 1-k, rps 2, rps 3-a, rps 3-b, rps 3-c, rps 4, rps 5, rps 6, rps 7 and other rps genes. see, for example, shoemaker et al, phytophthora root rot resistance gene mapping in soybean, plant genome iv conference, san diego, calif. (1995). (v) genes that confer resistance to brown stem rot, such as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,689,035 and incorporated by reference for this purpose. 2. transgenes that confer resistance to a herbicide, for example: (a) a herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as an imidazolinone or a sulfonylurea. exemplary genes in this category code for mutant als and ahas enzyme as described, for example, by lee et al., embo j. 7:1241 (1988); and miki et al., theor. appl. genet. 80:449 (1990), respectively. see also, u.s. pat. nos. 5,605,011; 5,013,659; 5,141,870; 5,767,361; 5,731,180; 5,304,732; 4,761,373; 5,331,107; 5,928,937; and 5,378,824; us2007/0214515; and wo 96/33270. (b) glyphosate (resistance imparted by mutant 5-enolpyruvl-3-phosphikimate synthase (epsp) and aroa genes, respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate (phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (pat) and streptomyces hygroscopicus phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (bar) genes), and pyridinoxy or phenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones (accase inhibitor-encoding genes). see, for example, u.s. pat. no. 4,940,835 to shah et al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a form of epsps which can confer glyphosate resistance. u.s. pat. no. 5,627,061 to barry et al. also describes genes encoding epsps enzymes. see also u.s. pat. nos. 6,566,587; 6,338,961; 6,248,876; 6,040,497; 5,804,425; 5,633,435; 5,145,783; 4,971,908; 5,312,910; 5,188,642; 4,940,835; 5,866,775; 6,225,114; 6,130,366; 5,310,667; 4,535,060; 4,769,061; 5,633,448; 5,510,471; re. 36,449; re 37,287 e; and 5,491,288; and international publications ep1173580; wo 01/66704; ep1173581 and ep1173582, which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose. glyphosate resistance is also imparted to plants that express a gene that encodes a glyphosate oxido-reductase enzyme as described more fully in u.s. pat. nos. 5,776,760 and 5,463,175, which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose. in addition glyphosate resistance can be imparted to plants by the over expression of genes encoding glyphosate n-acetyltransferase. see, for example, u.s. application serial nos. us2004/0082770; us2005/0246798; and us2008/0234130. a dna molecule encoding a mutant aroa gene can be obtained under atcc accession no. 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 4,769,061 to comai. european patent application no. 0 333 033 to kumada et al. and u.s. pat. no. 4,975,374 to goodman et al. disclose nucleotide sequences of glutamine synthetase genes which confer resistance to herbicides such as l-phosphinothricin. the nucleotide sequence of a phosphinothricin-acetyl-transferase gene is provided in european patent no. 0 242 246 and 0 242 236 to leemans et al. de greef et al., bio/technology 7:61 (1989), describe the production of transgenic plants that express chimeric bar genes coding for phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity. see also, u.s. pat. nos. 5,969,213; 5,489,520; 5,550,318; 5,874,265; 5,919,675; 5,561,236; 5,648,477; 5,646,024; 6,177,616; and 5,879,903, which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose. exemplary genes conferring resistance to phenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones, such as sethoxydim and haloxyfop, are the acc1-s1, acc1-s2 and acc1-s3 genes described by marshall et al., theor. appl. genet. 83:435 (1992). (c) a herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psba and gs+ genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). przibilla et al., plant cell 3:169 (1991), describe the transformation of chlamydomonas with plasmids encoding mutant psba genes. nucleotide sequences for nitrilase genes are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 4,810,648 to stalker, and dna molecules containing these genes are available under atcc accession nos. 53435, 67441 and 67442. cloning and expression of dna coding for a glutathione s-transferase is described by hayes et al., biochem. j. 285:173 (1992). (d) acetohydroxy acid synthase, which has been found to make plants that express this enzyme resistant to multiple types of herbicides, has been introduced into a variety of plants (see, e.g., hattori et al. (1995) mol gen genet. 246:419). other genes that confer resistance to herbicides include: a gene encoding a chimeric protein of rat cytochrome p4507a1 and yeast nadph-cytochrome p450 oxidoreductase (shiota et al. (1994) plant physiol 106:17), genes for glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (aono et al. (1995) plant cell physiol 36:1687, and genes for various phosphotransferases (datta et al. (1992) plant mol biol 20:619). (e) protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox) is necessary for the production of chlorophyll, which is necessary for all plant survival. the protox enzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidal compounds. these herbicides also inhibit growth of all the different species of plants present, causing their total destruction. the development of plants containing altered protox activity which are resistant to these herbicides are described in u.s. pat. nos. 6,288,306; 6,282,837; and 5,767,373; and wo 01/12825. 3. transgenes that confer or contribute to an altered grain characteristic, such as: (a) altered fatty acids, for example, by (1) down-regulation of stearoyl-acp desaturase to increase stearic acid content of the plant. see knultzon et al., proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 89:2624 (1992) and wo 99/64579 (genes for desaturases to alter lipid profiles in corn),(2) elevating oleic acid via fad-2 gene modification and/or decreasing linolenic acid via fad-3 gene modification (see u.s. pat. nos. 6,063,947; 6,323,392; 6,372,965; and wo 93/11245),(3) altering conjugated linolenic or linoleic acid content, such as in wo 01/12800,(4) altering lec1, agp, dek1, superal1, mi1ps, various ipa genes such as ipa1, ipa3, hpt or hggt. for example, see wo 02/42424; wo 98/22604; wo 03/011015; u.s. pat. no. 6,423,886; u.s. pat. no. 6,197,561; u.s. pat. no. 6,825,397; us2003/0079247; us2003/0204870; wo 02/057439; wo 03/011015; and rivera-madrid, r. et al. proc. natl. acad. sci. 92:5620-5624 (1995). b) altered phosphorus content, for example, by the (1) introduction of a phytase-encoding gene would enhance breakdown of phytate, adding more free phosphate to the transformed plant. for example, see van hartingsveldt et al., gene 127:87 (1993), for a disclosure of the nucleotide sequence of an aspergillus niger phytase gene.(2) modulating a gene that reduces phytate content. in maize, this, for example, could be accomplished, by cloning and then re-introducing dna associated with one or more of the alleles, such as the lpa alleles, identified in maize mutants characterized by low levels of phytic acid, such as in wo 05/113778 and/or by altering inositol kinase activity as in wo 02/059324, u.s. pat. no. 7,067,720, wo 03/027243, us2003/0079247, wo 99/05298, u.s. pat. no. 6,197,561, u.s. pat. no. 6,291,224, u.s. pat. no. 6,391,348, wo 98/45448, wo 99/55882, wo 01/04147. (c) altered carbohydrates, for example, by altering a gene for an enzyme that affects the branching pattern of starch or, a gene altering thioredoxin such as ntr and/or trx (see u.s. pat. no. 6,531,648 which is incorporated by reference for this purpose) and/or a gamma zein knock out or mutant such as cs27 or tusc27 or en27 (see u.s. pat. no. 6,858,778; us2005/0160488; and us2005/0204418; which are incorporated by reference for this purpose). see shiroza et al., j. bacteriol. 170:810 (1988) (nucleotide sequence of streptococcus mutans fructosyltransferase gene), steinmetz et al., mol. gen. genet. 200:220 (1985) (nucleotide sequence of bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene), pen et al., bio/technology 10:292 (1992) (production of transgenic plants that express bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase), elliot et al., plant mol. biol. 21:515 (1993) (nucleotide sequences of tomato invertase genes), søgaard et al., j. biol. chem. 268:22480 (1993) (site-directed mutagenesis of barley alpha-amylase gene), and fisher et al., plant physiol. 102:1045 (1993) (maize endosperm starch branching enzyme ii), wo 99/10498 (improved digestibility and/or starch extraction through modification of udp-d-xylose 4-epimerase, fragile 1 and 2, ref1, hchl, c4h), u.s. pat. no. 6,232,529 (method of producing high oil seed by modification of starch levels (agp)). the fatty acid modification genes mentioned herein may also be used to affect starch content and/or composition through the interrelationship of the starch and oil pathways. (d) altered antioxidant content or composition, such as alteration of tocopherol or tocotrienols. for example, see u.s. pat. no. 6,787,683; u.s. pat. no. 7,154,029; and wo 00/68393 involving the manipulation of antioxidant levels, and wo 03/082899 through alteration of a homogentisate geranyl geranyl transferase (hggt). (e) altered essential seed amino acids. for example, see u.s. pat. no. 6,127,600 (method of increasing accumulation of essential amino acids in seeds), u.s. pat. no. 6,080,913 (binary methods of increasing accumulation of essential amino acids in seeds), u.s. pat. no. 5,990,389 (high lysine), wo 99/40209 (alteration of amino acid compositions in seeds), wo 99/29882 (methods for altering amino acid content of proteins), u.s. pat. no. 5,850,016 (alteration of amino acid compositions in seeds), wo 98/20133 (proteins with enhanced levels of essential amino acids), u.s. pat. no. 5,885,802 (high methionine), u.s. pat. no. 5,885,801 (high threonine), u.s. pat. no. 6,664,445 (plant amino acid biosynthetic enzymes), u.s. pat. no. 6,459,019 (increased lysine and threonine), u.s. pat. no. 6,441,274 (plant tryptophan synthase beta subunit), u.s. pat. no. 6,346,403 (methionine metabolic enzymes), u.s. pat. no. 5,939,599 (high sulfur), u.s. pat. no. 5,912,414 (increased methionine), wo 98/56935 (plant amino acid biosynthetic enzymes), wo 98/45458 (engineered seed protein having higher percentage of essential amino acids), wo 98/42831 (increased lysine), u.s. pat. no. 5,633,436 (increasing sulfur amino acid content), u.s. pat. no. 5,559,223 (synthetic storage proteins with defined structure containing programmable levels of essential amino acids for improvement of the nutritional value of plants), wo 96/01905 (increased threonine), wo 95/15392 (increased lysine), u.s. pat. no. 6,930,225, u.s. pat. no. 7,179,955, us2004/0068767, u.s. pat. no. 6,803,498, wo 01/79516. 4. genes that control male-sterility there are several methods of conferring genetic male sterility available, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations within the genome that confer male sterility, as disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 4,654,465 and 4,727,219 to brar et al. and chromosomal translocations as described by patterson in u.s. pat. nos. 3,861,709 and 3,710,511. in addition to these methods, albertsen et al., u.s. pat. no. 5,432,068, describe a system of nuclear male sterility which includes: identifying a gene which is critical to male fertility; silencing this native gene which is critical to male fertility; removing the native promoter from the essential male fertility gene and replacing it with an inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineered gene back into the plant; and thus creating a plant that is male sterile because the inducible promoter is not “on” resulting in the male fertility gene not being transcribed. fertility is restored by inducing, or turning “on”, the promoter, which in turn allows the gene that confers male fertility to be transcribed. male sterile soybean lines and characterization are discussed in palmer (2000) crop sci 40:78-83, and jin et al. (1997) sex plant reprod 10:13-21. (a) introduction of a deacetylase gene under the control of a tapetum-specific promoter and with the application of the chemical n-ac-ppt (wo 01/29237). (b) introduction of various stamen-specific promoters (wo 92/13956, wo 92/13957). (c) introduction of the barnase and the barstar gene (paul et al. plant mol. biol. 19:611-622, 1992). for additional examples of nuclear male and female sterility systems and genes, see also, u.s. pat. nos. 5,859,341; 6,297,426; 5,478,369; 5,824,524; 5,850,014; and 6,265,640; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 5. polynucleotides that create a site for site specific dna integration. this includes the introduction of at least one frt site that may be used in the flp/frt system and/or a lox site that may be used in the cre/lox system. for example, see lyznik et al., site-specific recombination for genetic engineering in plants, plant cell rep (2003) 21:925-932 and wo 99/25821, which are hereby incorporated by reference. other systems that may be used include the gin recombinase of phage mu (maeser et al. (1991) mol gen genet. 230:170-176); the pin recombinase of e. coli (enomoto et al. (1983) j bacteriol 156:663-668); and the r/rs system of the psri plasmid (araki et al. (1992) j mol biol 182:191-203). 6. genes that affect abiotic stress resistance (including but not limited to flowering, ear and seed development, enhancement of nitrogen utilization efficiency, altered nitrogen responsiveness, drought resistance or tolerance, cold resistance or tolerance, and salt resistance or tolerance) and increased yield under stress. for example, see: wo 00/73475 where water use efficiency is altered through alteration of malate; u.s. pat. nos. 5,892,009, 5,965,705, 5,929,305, 5,891,859, 6,417,428, 6,664,446, 6,706,866, 6,717,034, 6,801,104, wo 00/060089, wo 01/026459, wo 00/1035725, wo 01/034726, wo 01/035727, wo 00/1036444, wo 01/036597, wo 01/036598, wo 00/2015675, wo 02/017430, wo 02/077185, wo 02/079403, wo 03/013227, wo 03/013228, wo 03/014327, wo 04/031349, wo 04/076638, wo 98/09521, and wo 99/38977 describing genes, including cbf genes and transcription factors effective in mitigating the negative effects of freezing, high salinity, and drought on plants, as well as conferring other positive effects on plant phenotype; us2004/0148654 and wo 01/36596 where abscisic acid is altered in plants resulting in improved plant phenotype such as increased yield and/or increased tolerance to abiotic stress; wo 00/006341, wo 04/090143, u.s. pat. no. 7,531,723 and u.s. pat. no. 6,992,237 where cytokinin expression is modified resulting in plants with increased stress tolerance, such as drought tolerance, and/or increased yield. also see wo 02/02776, wo 03/052063, jp2002281975, u.s. pat. no. 6,084,153, wo 01/64898, u.s. pat. no. 6,177,275, and u.s. pat. no. 6,107,547 (enhancement of nitrogen utilization and altered nitrogen responsiveness). for ethylene alteration, see us2004/0128719, us2003/0166197, and wo 00/32761. for plant transcription factors or transcriptional regulators of abiotic stress, see e.g. us2004/0098764 or us2004/0078852. other genes and transcription factors that affect plant growth and agronomic traits such as yield, flowering, plant growth and/or plant structure, can be introduced or introgressed into plants, see e.g., wo 97/49811 (lhy), wo 98/56918 (esd4), wo 97/10339 and u.s. pat. no. 6,573,430 (tfl), u.s. pat. no. 6,713,663 (ft), wo 96/14414 (con), wo 96/38560, wo 01/21822 (vrn1), wo 00/44918 (vrn2), wo 99/49064 (gi), wo 00/46358 (fr1), wo 97/29123, u.s. pat. no. 6,794,560, u.s. pat. no. 6,307,126 (gai), wo 99/09174 (d8 and rht), and wo 04/076638 and wo 04/031349 (transcription factors). development of soybean sublines sublines of xbp49005 may also be developed. although xbp49005 contains substantially fixed genetics and is phenotypically uniform with no off-types expected, there still remains a small proportion of segregating loci either within individuals or within the population as a whole. sublining provides the ability to select for these loci, which have no apparent morphological or phenotypic effect on the plant characteristics, but may have an affect on overall yield. for example, the methods described in u.s. pat. no. 5,437,697 and us2005/0071901 may be utilized by a breeder of ordinary skill in the art to identify genetic loci that are associated with yield potential to further purify the variety in order to increase its yield (both of which are herein incorporated by reference). based on these teachings, a breeder of ordinary skill in the art may fix agronomically important loci by making them homozygous in order to optimize the performance of the variety. no crosses to a different variety are made, and so a new genetic variety is not created and the overall genetic composition of the variety remains essentially the same. the development of soybean sublines and the use of accelerated yield technology is a plant breeding technique. soybean varieties such as xbp49005 are typically developed for use in seed and grain production. however, soybean varieties such as xbp49005 also provide a source of breeding material that may be used to develop new soybean varieties. plant breeding techniques known in the art and used in a soybean plant breeding program include, but are not limited to, recurrent selection, mass selection, bulk selection, backcrossing, pedigree breeding, open pollination breeding, restriction fragment length polymorphism enhanced selection, genetic marker enhanced selection, making double haploids, and transformation. often combinations of these techniques are used. the development of soybean varieties in a plant breeding program requires, in general, the development and evaluation of homozygous varieties. there are many analytical methods available to evaluate a new variety. the oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation of phenotypic traits but genotypic analysis may also be used. methods for producing a soybean plant by crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parent soybean plant wherein the first and/or second parent soybean plant is variety xbp49005 are provided. the other parent may be any soybean plant, such as a soybean plant that is part of a synthetic or natural population. any such methods using soybean variety xbp49005 include but are not limited to: selfing, sibbing, backcrossing, mass selection, pedigree breeding, bulk selection, hybrid production, crossing to populations, and the like. these methods are well known in the art and some of the more commonly used breeding methods are described below. descriptions of breeding methods can be found in one of several reference books (e.g., allard, principles of plant breeding, 1960; simmonds, principles of crop improvement, 1979; sneep et al., 1979; fehr, “breeding methods for cultivar development”, chapter 7 , soybean improvement, production and uses, 2 nd ed., wilcox editor, 1987). pedigree breeding starts with the crossing of two genotypes, such as xbp49005 and another soybean variety having one or more desirable characteristics that is lacking or which complements xbp49005. if the two original parents do not provide all the desired characteristics, other sources can be included in the breeding population. in the pedigree method, superior plants are selfed and selected in successive filial generations. in the succeeding filial generations, the heterozygous allele condition gives way to the homozygous allele condition as a result of inbreeding. typically in the pedigree method of breeding, five or more successive filial generations of selfing and selection is practiced: f1→f2; f2→f3; f3→f4; f4→f5, etc. after a sufficient amount of inbreeding, successive filial generations will serve to increase seed of the developed variety. typically, the developed variety comprises homozygous alleles at about 95% or more of its loci. in addition to being used to create backcross conversion populations, backcrossing can also be used in combination with pedigree breeding. as discussed previously, backcrossing can be used to transfer one or more specifically desirable traits from one variety (the donor parent) to a developed variety (the recurrent parent), which has overall good agronomic characteristics yet lacks that desirable trait or traits. however, the same procedure can be used to move the progeny toward the genotype of the recurrent parent but at the same time retain many components of the non-recurrent parent by stopping the backcrossing at an early stage and proceeding with selfing and selection. for example, a soybean variety may be crossed with another variety to produce a first generation progeny plant. the first generation progeny plant may then be backcrossed to one of its parent varieties to create a bc1f1. progeny are selfed and selected so that the newly developed variety has many of the attributes of the recurrent parent and yet several of the desired attributes of the donor parent. this approach leverages the value and strengths of the recurrent parent for use in new soybean varieties. therefore, in some examples a method of making a backcross conversion of soybean variety xbp49005, comprising the steps of crossing a plant of soybean variety xbp49005 with a donor plant possessing a desired trait, selecting an f1 progeny plant containing the desired trait, and backcrossing the selected f1 progeny plant to a plant of soybean variety xbp49005 are provided. this method may further comprise the step of obtaining a molecular marker profile of soybean variety xbp49005 and using the molecular marker profile to select for a progeny plant with the desired trait and the molecular marker profile of xbp49005. in one example the desired trait is a mutant gene or transgene present in the donor parent. recurrent selection is a method used in a plant breeding program to improve a population of plants. xbp49005 is suitable for use in a recurrent selection program. the method entails individual plants cross pollinating with each other to form progeny. the progeny are grown and the superior progeny selected by any number of selection methods, which include individual plant, half-sib progeny, full-sib progeny and selfed progeny. the selected progeny are cross pollinated with each other to form progeny for another population. this population is planted and again superior plants are selected to cross pollinate with each other. recurrent selection is a cyclical process and therefore can be repeated as many times as desired. the objective of recurrent selection is to improve the traits of a population. the improved population can then be used as a source of breeding material to obtain new varieties for commercial or breeding use, including the production of a synthetic cultivar. a synthetic cultivar is the resultant progeny formed by the intercrossing of several selected varieties. mass selection is a useful technique when used in conjunction with molecular marker enhanced selection. in mass selection seeds from individuals are selected based on phenotype or genotype. these selected seeds are then bulked and used to grow the next generation. bulk selection requires growing a population of plants in a bulk plot, allowing the plants to self-pollinate, harvesting the seed in bulk and then using a sample of the seed harvested in bulk to plant the next generation. also, instead of self pollination, directed pollination could be used as part of the breeding program. mutation breeding is another method of introducing new traits into soybean variety xbp49005. mutations that occur spontaneously or are artificially induced can be useful sources of variability for a plant breeder. the goal of artificial mutagenesis is to increase the rate of mutation for a desired characteristic. mutation rates can be increased by many different means including temperature, long-term seed storage, tissue culture conditions, radiation; such as x-rays, gamma rays (e.g., cobalt 60 or cesium 137), neutrons, (product of nuclear fission by uranium 235 in an atomic reactor), beta radiation (emitted from radioisotopes such as phosphorus 32 or carbon 14), ultraviolet radiation (preferably from 2500 to 2900 nm), or chemical mutagens such as base analogues (5-bromo-uracil), related compounds (8-ethoxy caffeine), antibiotics (streptonigrin), alkylating agents (sulfur mustards, nitrogen mustards, epoxides, ethylenamines, sulfates, sulfonates, sulfones, lactones), azide, hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, or acridines. once a desired trait is observed through mutagenesis, the trait may then be incorporated into existing germplasm by traditional breeding techniques. details of mutation breeding can be found in “principles of cultivar development” fehr, 1993 macmillan publishing company. in addition, mutations created in other soybean plants may be used to produce a backcross conversion of xbp49005 that comprises such mutation. molecular markers, which includes markers identified through the use of techniques such as isozyme electrophoresis, restriction fragment length polymorphisms (rflps), randomly amplified polymorphic dnas (rapds), arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (ap-pcr), dna amplification fingerprinting (daf), sequence characterized amplified regions (scars), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (aflps), simple sequence repeats (ssrs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps), may be used in plant breeding methods utilizing xbp49005. isozyme electrophoresis and rflps have been widely used to determine genetic composition. shoemaker and olsen, ((1993) molecular linkage map of soybean ( glycine max l. merr.). p. 6.131-6.138. in s. j. o'brien (ed.) genetic maps: locus maps of complex genomes. cold spring harbor laboratory press. cold spring harbor, n.y.), developed a molecular genetic linkage map that consisted of 25 linkage groups with about 365 rflp, 11 rapd (random amplified polymorphic dna), three classical markers, and four isozyme loci. see also, shoemaker r. c. 1994 rflp map of soybean. p. 299-309 in r. l. phillips and i. k. vasil (ed.) dna-based markers in plants. kluwer academic press dordrecht, the netherlands. ssr technology is an efficient and practical marker technology; more marker loci can be routinely used and more alleles per marker locus can be found using ssrs in comparison to rflps. for example diwan and cregan, described a highly polymorphic microsatellite loci in soybean with as many as 26 alleles. (diwan, n., and p. b. cregan 1997 automated sizing of fluorescent-labeled simple sequence repeat (ssr) markers to assay genetic variation in soybean theor. appl. genet. 95:220-225). single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) may also be used to identify the unique genetic composition of the xbp49005 and progeny varieties retaining or derived from that unique genetic composition. various molecular marker techniques may be used in combination to enhance overall resolution. soybean dna molecular marker linkage maps have been rapidly constructed and widely implemented in genetic studies. one such study is described in cregan et. al, “an integrated genetic linkage map of the soybean genome” crop science 39:1464-1490 (1999). sequences and pcr conditions of ssr loci in soybean as well as the most current genetic map may be found in soybase on the world wide web. one use of molecular markers is quantitative trait loci (qtl) mapping. qtl mapping is the use of markers, which are known to be closely linked to alleles that have measurable effects on a quantitative trait. selection in the breeding process is based upon the accumulation of markers linked to the positive effecting alleles and/or the elimination of the markers linked to the negative effecting alleles from the plant genome. molecular markers can also be used during the breeding process for the selection of qualitative traits. for example, markers closely linked to alleles or markers containing sequences within the actual alleles of interest can be used to select plants that contain the alleles of interest during a backcrossing breeding program. the markers can also be used to select for the genome of the recurrent parent and against the genome of the donor parent. using this procedure can minimize the amount of genome from the donor parent that remains in the selected plants. it can also be used to reduce the number of crosses back to the recurrent parent needed in a backcrossing program. the use of molecular markers in the selection process is often called genetic marker enhanced selection. production of double haploids the production of double haploids can also be used for the development of plants with a homozygous phenotype in the breeding program. for example, a soybean plant for which xbp49005 is a parent can be used to produce double haploid plants. double haploids are produced by the doubling of a set of chromosomes (1n) from a heterozygous plant to produce a completely homozygous individual. for example, see wan et al., “efficient production of doubled haploid plants through colchicine treatment of anther-derived maize callus”, theoretical and applied genetics, 77:889-892, 1989 and us2003/0005479. this can be advantageous because the process omits the generations of selfing needed to obtain a homozygous plant from a heterozygous source. methods for obtaining haploid plants are disclosed in kobayashi, m. et al., heredity 71:9-14, 1980, pollacsek, m., agronomie (paris) 12:247-251, 1992; cho-un-haing et al., j plant biol., 1996, 39:185-188; verdoodt, l., et al., 1998, 96:294-300; genetic manipulation in plant breeding, proceedings international symposium organized by eucarpia, sep. 8-13, 1985, berlin, germany; chalyk et al., 1994, maize genet coop. newsletter 68:47. double haploid technology in soybean is discussed in croser et al. (2006) crit rev plant sci 25:139-157; and rodrigues et al. (2006) brazilian arc biol tech 49:537-545. in some examples a process for making a substantially homozygous xbp49005 progeny plant by producing or obtaining a seed from the cross of xbp49005 and another soybean plant and applying double haploid methods to the f1 seed or f1 plant or to any successive filial generation is provided. based on studies in maize and currently being conducted in soybean, such methods would decrease the number of generations required to produce a variety with similar genetics or characteristics to xbp49005. see bernardo, r. and kahler, a. l., theor. appl. genet. 102:986-992, 2001. in particular, a process of making seed retaining the molecular marker profile of soybean variety xbp49005 is contemplated, such process comprising obtaining or producing f1 seed for which soybean variety xbp49005 is a parent, inducing doubled haploids to create progeny without the occurrence of meiotic segregation, obtaining the molecular marker profile of soybean variety xbp49005, and selecting progeny that retain the molecular marker profile of xbp49005. methods using seeds, plants, cells, or plant parts of variety xbp49005 in tissue culture are provided, as are the cultures, plants, parts, cells, and/or seeds derived therefrom. tissue culture of various tissues of soybeans and regeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. for example, see komatsuda, t. et al., “genotype x sucrose interactions for somatic embryogenesis in soybean,” crop sci. 31:333-337 (1991); stephens, p. a. et al., “agronomic evaluation of tissue-culture-derived soybean plants,” theor. appl. genet. (1991) 82:633-635; komatsuda, t. et al., “maturation and germination of somatic embryos as affected by sucrose and plant growth regulators in soybeans glycine gracilis skvortz and glycine max (l.) merr.,” plant cell, tissue and organ culture, 28:103-113 (1992); dhir, s. et al., “regeneration of fertile plants from protoplasts of soybean ( glycine max l. merr.): genotypic differences in culture response,” plant cell reports (1992) 11:285-289; pandey, p. et al., “plant regeneration from leaf and hypocotyl explants of glycine wightii (w. and a.) verdc. var. iongicauda ,” japan j. breed. 42:1-5 (1992); and shetty, k., et al., “stimulation of in vitro shoot organogenesis in glycine max (merrill.) by allantoin and amides,” plant science 81:(1992) 245-251; as well as u.s. pat. no. 5,024,944, issued jun. 18, 1991 to collins et al. and u.s. pat. no. 5,008,200, issued apr. 16, 1991 to ranch et al., the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. thus, another aspect is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce soybean plants having the physiological and morphological characteristics of soybean variety xbp49005. references aukerman, m. j. et al. (2003) “regulation of flowering time and floral organ identity by a microrna and its apetala2-like target genes” the plant cell 15:2730-2741berry et al., assessing probability of ancestry using simple sequence repeat profiles: applications to maize inbred lines and soybean varieties” genetics 165:331-342 (2003)boppenmaier, et al., “comparisons among strains of inbreds for rflps”, maize genetics cooperative newsletter, 65:1991, p. 90conger, b. v., et al. (1987) “somatic embryogenesis from cultured leaf segments of zea mays ”, plant cell reports, 6:345-347cregan et al, “an integrated genetic linkage map of the soybean genome” crop science 39:1464-1490 (1999).diwan et al., “automated sizing of fluorescent-labeled simple sequence repeat (ssr) markers to assay genetic variation in soybean” theor. appl. genet. 95:220-225. (1997).duncan, d. r., et al. (1985) “the production of callus capable of plant regeneration from immature embryos of numerous zea mays genotypes”, planta, 165:322-332edallo, et al. (1981) “chromosomal variation and frequency of spontaneous mutation associated with in vitro culture and plant regeneration in maize”, maydica , xxvi:39-56fehr, walt, principles of cultivar development, pp. 261-286 (1987)green, et al. (1975) “plant regeneration from tissue cultures of maize”, crop science, vol. 15, pp. 417-421green, c. e., et al. (1982) “plant regeneration in tissue cultures of maize” maize for biological research , pp. 367-372hallauer, a. r. et al. (1988) “corn breeding” corn and corn improvement , no. 18, pp. 463-481lee, michael (1994) “inbred lines of maize and their molecular markers”, the maize handbook , ch. 65:423-432meghji, m. r., et al. (1984) “inbreeding depression, inbred & hybrid grain yields, and other traits of maize genotypes representing three eras”, crop science, vol. 24, pp. 545-549openshaw, s. j., et al. (1994) “marker-assisted selection in backcross breeding”. pp. 41-43. in proceedings of the symposium analysis of molecular marker data. 5-7 aug. 1994. corvallis, oreg., american society for horticultural science/crop science society of americaphillips, et al. (1988) “cell/tissue culture and in vitro manipulation”, corn & corn improvement, 3rd ed., asa publication, no. 18, pp. 345-387poehlman et al (1995) breeding field crops, 4th ed., iowa state university press, ames, iowa., pp. 132-155 and 321-344rao, k. v., et al., (1986) “somatic embryogenesis in glume callus cultures”, maize genetics cooperative newsletter , no. 60, pp. 64-65sass, john f. (1977) “morphology”, corn & corn improvement , asa publication, madison, wis. pp. 89-109smith, j. s. c., et al., “the identification of female selfs in hybrid maize: a comparison using electrophoresis and morphology”, seed science and technology 14, 1-8songstad, d. d. et al. (1988) “effect of acc(1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboyclic acid), silver nitrate & norbonadiene on plant regeneration from maize callus cultures”, plant cell reports, 7:262-265tomes, et al. (1985) “the effect of parental genotype on initiation of embryogenic callus from elite maize ( zea mays l.) germplasm”, theor. appl. genet., vol. 70, p. 505-509troyer, et al. (1985) “selection for early flowering in corn: 10 late synthetics”, crop science, vol. 25, pp. 695-697umbeck, et al. (1983) “reversion of male-sterile t-cytoplasm maize to male fertility in tissue culture”, crop science, vol. 23, pp. 584-588wan et al., “efficient production of doubled haploid plants through colchicine treatment of anther-derived maize callus”, theoretical and applied genetics, 77:889-892, 1989wright, harold (1980) “commercial hybrid seed production”, hybridization of crop plants , ch. 8:161-176wych, robert d. (1988) “production of hybrid seed”, corn and corn improvement , ch. 9, pp. 565-607 deposits applicant made a deposit of seeds of soybean variety xbp49005 with the american type culture collection (atcc), manassas, va. 20110 usa, atcc deposit no. pta-12497. the seeds deposited with the atcc on feb. 6, 2012 were taken from the seed stock maintained by pioneer hi-bred international, inc., 7250 nw 62 nd avenue, johnston, iowa 50131 since prior to the filing date of this application. access to this seed stock will be available during the pendency of the application to the commissioner of patents and trademarks and persons determined by the commissioner to be entitled thereto upon request. upon allowance of any claims in the application, the applicant will make the deposit available to the public pursuant to 37 c.f.r. §1.808. this deposit of soybean variety xbp49005 will be maintained in the atcc depository, which is a public depository, for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the most recent request, or for the enforceable life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period. additionally, applicant has or will satisfy all the requirements of 37c.f.r. §§1.801-1.809, including providing an indication of the viability of the sample upon deposit. applicant has no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce. applicant does not waive any infringement of their rights granted under this patent or under the plant variety protection act (7 usc 2321 et seq.). table 1variety description information for xbp49005current variety namexbp49005relative maturity49herbicide resistancerrharvest standability6field emergencehypocotyl lengthphytophthora gene1kphytophthora race 5phytophthora race 7phytophthora race 25phytophthora fieldtolerancebrown stem rotiron chlorosis6white mold tolerancesudden death syndrome7cyst nematode race 1cyst nematode race 2cyst nematode race 38cyst nematode race 5cyst nematode race 149aphid antibiosisroot-knot nematode - southernroot-knot nematode - peanutstem canker genetic1stem canker tolerancefrogeye leaf spotaerial web blightchloride sensitivity2canopy width8shatteringplant habitindoil/meal typeseed protein (% @ 13% h2o)34.9seed oil (% @ 13% h2o)19.3seed size score3flower colorppubescence colorlhila colorblpod colorbrseed coat luster table 2variety comparison datayieldmatabshgtldgsevsplbprotnoilpctbu/acountinscorecountpctpctvariety1variety2statistic60# absabsabsabsabsabsabsxbp4900594y71mean158134.6366231734.3219.39xbp4900594y71mean259.2132.237.38250035.2617.94xbp4900594y71# locs19444333xbp4900594y71# reps54975533xbp4900594y71# years1111111xbp4900594y71% wins47.4100750033.33100xbp4900594y71diff−1.22.51.3−3−183−0.941.45xbp4900594y71se diff1.360.211.031.375.70.7220.368xbp4900594y71prob0.39280.00130.3120.11520.13650.32430.0591xbp49005rjs49001mean158134.6366229734.3219.39xbp49005rjs49001mean259.3131.632.78255636.5118.75xbp49005rjs49001# locs19444433xbp49005rjs49001# reps55975733xbp49005rjs49001# years1111111xbp49005rjs49001% wins52.6100250250100xbp49005rjs49001diff−1.33−3.4−3−259−2.190.64xbp49005rjs49001se diff1.820.491.181.3124.10.4970.263xbp49005rjs49001prob0.47030.00880.06450.11520.12790.04770.1366xbp49005rjs49003mean158134.6366229734.3219.39xbp49005rjs49003mean257.1137.135.64297534.5819.31xbp49005rjs49003# locs19444433xbp49005rjs49003# reps53775633xbp49005rjs49003# years1111111xbp49005rjs49003% wins57.9025100033.3366.67xbp49005rjs49003diff0.9−2.5−0.42−679−0.260.08xbp49005rjs49003se diff1.891.541.930.360.60.4770.089xbp49005rjs49003prob0.65120.20350.8430.0060.00150.63590.4709xbp49005rjs51001mean158.9135.7366231734.9719.62xbp49005rjs51001mean253.8141.143.65285535.518.64xbp49005rjs51001# locs18344322xbp49005rjs51001# reps53675522xbp49005rjs51001# years1111111xbp49005rjs51001% wins77.801005000100xbp49005rjs51001diff5.1−5.37.61−538−0.530.99xbp49005rjs51001se diff1.841.762.86182.50.3740.441xbp49005rjs51001prob0.01270.09420.07680.63760.02270.39120.2672 table 3soybean ssr marker setsac1006satt129satt243satt334sac1611satt130satt247satt335sac1634satt131satt249satt336sac1677satt133satt250satt338sac1699satt142satt251satt339sac1701satt144satt255satt343sac1724satt146satt256satt346sat_084satt147satt257satt347sat_090satt150satt258satt348sat_104satt151satt259satt352sat_117satt153satt262satt353sat_142-dbsatt155satt263satt355sat_189satt156satt264satt356sat_222-dbsatt165satt265satt357sat_261satt166satt266satt358sat_270satt168satt267satt359sat_271-dbsatt172satt270satt361sat_273-dbsatt175satt272satt364sat_275-dbsatt181satt274satt367sat_299satt183satt279satt369sat_301satt186satt280satt373sat_311-dbsatt190satt282satt378sat_317satt191satt284satt380sat_319-dbsatt193satt285satt383sat_330-dbsatt195satt287satt385sat_331-dbsatt196satt292satt387sat_343satt197satt295satt389sat_351satt199satt299satt390sat_366satt202satt300satt391sat_381satt203satt307satt393satt040satt204satt314satt398satt042satt212satt319satt399satt050satt213satt321satt406satt092satt216satt322satt409satt102satt219satt326satt411satt108satt221satt327satt412satt109satt225satt328satt413satt111satt227satt330satt414satt115satt228satt331satt415satt122satt230satt332satt417satt127satt233satt333satt418satt420satt508satt583satt701satt421satt509satt584satt708-tbsatt422satt510satt586satt712satt423satt511satt587satt234satt429satt512satt590satt240satt431satt513satt591satt242satt432satt514satt594satt433satt515satt595satt436satt517satt596satt440satt519satt597satt441satt522satt598satt442satt523satt601satt444satt524satt602satt448satt526satt608satt451satt529satt613satt452satt533satt614satt454satt534satt617satt455satt536satt618satt457satt537satt628satt460satt540satt629satt461satt544satt630satt464satt545satt631satt466satt546satt632-tbsatt467satt548satt633satt469satt549satt634satt470satt550satt636satt471satt551satt640-tbsatt473satt552satt651satt475satt555satt654satt476satt556satt655-tbsatt477satt557satt656satt478satt558satt660satt479satt565satt661-tbsatt480satt566satt662satt487satt567satt665satt488satt568satt666satt491satt569satt667satt492satt570satt672satt493satt572satt675satt495satt573satt677satt497satt576satt678satt503satt578satt680satt506satt581satt684satt507satt582satt685 breeding history variety xbp49005 evolved from a cross of 94m70×xb49k04 as shown in table 4. table 4phasemethodologycrossingbi-parental crossf1grow out of individual f1 plants to create f2 seedf2modified single seed descentf3modified single seed descentf4single plant selection for progeny row yield testf4:f5progeny row yield testr0preliminary yield testr1 yield testretest at multiple locationsr1 purificationsingle plant purificationr2 purificationplant row purificationr2 yield testwide area testingr2.5 increase0.25 acre bulk purification increaser3 yield testwide area testingr3 increase7.9 acre foundation seed equivalent increaser4 yield testwide area testing all publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. all such publications, patents and patent applications are incorporated by reference herein for the purpose cited to the same extent as if each was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein. the foregoing invention has been described in detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding. as is readily apparent to one skilled in the art, the foregoing are only some of the methods and compositions that illustrate the embodiments of the foregoing invention. it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations, changes, modifications and alterations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods described herein without departing from the true spirit, concept and scope of the invention.
030-054-158-449-37X	US	[ "US" ]	E04H9/14,E04B1/35,E04B1/68,E06B7/16,E06B9/00,E06B3/00,E06B1/04,E06B7/098,E06B1/36,E04C2/20,E04B5/00	2009-04-21T00:00:00	2009	[ "E04", "E06" ]	system forflood proofing residential and light commercial buildings	flood proofing of buildings built on a slab is provided. water having a depth less than a selected distance h above the slab is excluded from the building by windows, doors and panels that are sealed to prevent water entry. the panels may be applied over a variety of existing veneer materials or may be used in new construction.	1 . a building on a concrete slab having a building frame, the building frame having at least one window opening and one door opening, comprising: each window extending below a selected height h above the slab having glazing within a window frame sealed to at least height h, the frame having a glazing backstop; each exterior door extending below a selected height h above the slab being sealed to at least height h and hinged to open outwardly and having gaskets disposed to seal to at least height h when the door is closed; a water-impervious seal between each window frame and door frame and the building frame to at least height h; and an exterior panel impervious to water sealed to the concrete slab on a lower edge and extending upward to at least height h. 2 . the building of claim 1 wherein the glazing to at least height h is sealed within the window frame by a glazing backstop and sealants. 3 . the building of claim 1 wherein the water-impervious seal to at least height h between each window frame and each door frame and the building frame is formed by a waterproof caulk and an adhesive flashing strip. 4 . the building of claim 1 wherein the exterior panel is formed of a moisture- and mold-resistant wall board. 5 . a method for flood proofing a building on a concrete slab to a selected height h above the slab, the building having a frame, the frame having at least one window opening and one door opening, comprising: fastening a window in each window opening, the window having a window frame, the window frame having a glazing backstop and having glazing sealed to the frame to at least the height h when placed in the window opening; fastening a door in each door opening, the door being sealed to at least height h and having a door frame and being hinged on the door frame to open outwardly and having gaskets disposed to seal to at least to height h when the door is closed; placing a water-impervious seal to at least height h between each window frame and each door frame and the building frame; and placing an exterior panel impervious to water outside the frame, the panel extending upward to at least height h; and sealing the panel to the concrete slab. 6 . the method of claim 5 further comprising the step of filling an air space between a masonry veneer substrate and an underlayment before placing the exterior panel. 7 . the method of claim 5 wherein the water-impervious seal between each window frame and each door frame and the building frame is placed by applying a silicone caulk and an elastomeric acrylic caulk. 7 . the method of claim 6 further comprising the step of applying an adhesive flashing strip, a fabric membrane and an elastomeric bonding primer. 8 . a flood proof window, comprising: a frame assembly, the frame assembly having a glazing backstop to support a glazing in the frame assembly when pressure is applied from outside the window; a glazing and a tape between the glazing and the glazing backstop; and a glazing sealant for the glazing. 9 . the window of claim 8 further comprising an exterior glazing trim. 10 . a flood proof door assembly, comprising: a door, the door being watertight to at least a selected distance h above a lower end and having an exterior surface; a door jamb frame having an interior and an exterior surface when placed in a frame of a building; a plurality of hinges supporting the door in the door jamb frame, the hinges being disposed to provide opening of the door toward the exterior surface of the door flange frame; a door flange frame attached around the perimeter of the door and flush with the exterior surface of the door, the flange frame having an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a gasket extending around the interior surface of the door flange frame to at least the distance h above the lower end of the door, the gasket being disposed so as to press against the exterior surface of the doorjamb frame when the door is closed.	background of invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to protecting wood frame and light gauge steel frame buildings from damage by flood water intrusion into the interior of the building. more particularly, method and materials for preventing water from passing through walls, windows and window openings and doors and door openings of buildings are provided. 2. description of related art according to the federal emergency management administration of the u.s. government (fema) and the national flood insurance program (nfip), flash flooding is the most common natural disaster in the u.s. one-third of flood loss claims paid are in “low-risk” areas, and the average flood loss claim payment is $42,000. for many years, flood protection methods have been developed and used in protection of commercial, institutional and high-rise multi-family residential buildings. temporary flood barriers and gates have been developed as an improvement to sand bags to keep rising surface water out of buildings, but there is a need for a “passive” method and corresponding materials for flood proofing wood frame and light-gauge steel frame buildings. a passive method of flood protection is defined as one that does not require human intervention to prevent interior flooding of a building during an unexpected flood event—one that prevents intrusion of rising water into an exterior building envelope. such method and materials should be applicable to retrofit existing residences, small commercial buildings and other types of structures that are built on concrete slabs and that utilize wood structural framing or light-gauge steel framing in exterior walls. in addition, such method and materials should be applicable to various veneer wall finish materials, i.e. masonry, stucco, and wood or composite siding materials or to new construction. brief summary of the invention method and materials are provided for sealing the exterior of a building built on a concrete slab to a selected height above the slab. window frames are sealed and special construction of windows extending below the selected height is provided. door frames are sealed and special construction of doors extending below the selected height is provided. doors open outwardly from the building walls. walls are sealed by waterproof panels that are sealed to the slab. brief description of the several views of the drawing(s) fig. 1 is a typical front elevation view of a house having a masonry veneer substrate that has been flood protected using method and materials disclosed herein. fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wall and window, with a cut-away view of the wall over a masonry veneer substrate. fig. 3 is a detailed cross-section view of a window and frame disclosed herein. fig. 4 is an elevation view of the exterior door disclosed herein. fig. 5a is a lower cross-section view of the exterior door and frame disclosed herein. fig. 5b is an enlarged cross-section view of the exterior door showing gasket seals. fig. 6 is a perspective view of a masonry veneer substrate wall with flood proofing wainscot and an exterior door. fig. 7 is a perspective cut-away view of a masonry veneer wall substrate made flood proof according to one embodiment of method and materials disclosed herein. fig. 8 is a perspective cut-away view of a horizontal siding wall substrate made flood proof according to one embodiment of method and materials disclosed herein. fig. 9 is a perspective cut-away view of a stucco wall substrate made flood proof according to one embodiment of method and materials disclosed herein. fig. 10 is a perspective view of a newly constructed wood framed wall with new cementitious wet-board wall surface installed and exposed, prior to future masonry veneer installation, made flood proof according to one embodiment of method and materials disclosed herein. detailed description of the invention fig. 1 shows the typical front elevation of a house with masonry veneer substrate protected from flood waters by the method and materials disclosed herein. house 10 has windows 12 , door 14 , exterior masonry veneer substrate 16 , which may also be stone, siding, or stucco, for example, and concrete slab 19 . methods and materials disclosed herein allow the windows 12 , door 14 and exterior veneer finish 16 of house 10 to be made impervious to rising water to a selected height h, above concrete slab 19 by installing flood proof sections of windows 12 and flood doors 14 to the height h and by forming flood proof wainscot 18 exterior to veneer 16 to height h. a system for flood proofing a structure such as a house must include flood proofing the exterior veneer 16 and all openings in the structure to height h. a residential structure is illustrated in fig. 1 , but the structure may also be a warehouse, office structure, shopping center, church, or any other structure built on a concrete slab. the height h of the wall surface to be flood-protected is preferably selected according to anticipated flood conditions that may be experienced and the load-bearing capacity of the frame of the building. the height to be flood protected will usually not be greater than 3 feet above the concrete slab 19 on wood frame and light-gauge steel frame buildings, because of the limited strength of the structural frame. strength enhancement options for increased flood height requirements may be installed, allowing an increase in height h. the order of application of the materials disclosed here may vary; the method and materials will be described here beginning with the installation of replacement flood windows in an existing structure. new construction methods will also be described in fig. 10 to the extent that they diverge from procedures for retrofitting an existing structure. referring to fig. 2 , replacement window assembly 20 is shown, which is a custom flood window unit having glazing 22 , which is preferably laminated high impact-resistant safety glazing, with hydro-sealing of the glazing into the vinyl frame segment 27 a, as will be described in more detail below. frame segment 27 b may be a conventional frame structure with standard residential glazing features. replacement window assembly 20 is installed after an existing window has been removed from the rough opening. glazing 22 extends from the bottom sill of window 20 to height h. horizontal mullion 24 divides glazing 22 from conventional window structure 26 . frame 27 a and b may be formed from fusion-welded vinyl material, which is standard in the residential window industry. fig. 3 shows a horizontal detailed cross-section view of a window and frame assembly and of the hydro-sealing structure for glazing 22 . the frame may be fastened into the existing rough window opening with 3-inch side-mounted coated wood screws 39 . the perimeter of replacement window assembly 20 is caulked, preferably with 100% silicone glass block caulking 35 a between rough framing members and vinyl frame segment 27 a and b, and then surface caulked with an elastomeric acrylic waterproof caulk and sealant 35 b, such as permapatch, available from nationwide coating mfrs., inc. of sarasota, fla. (herein “nationwide”). to provide further sealing, a 2-inch adhesive flashing strip 36 , such as grace vycor flashing, quick roof flashing, available from cofair products, inc., or equal, is heat applied and overlaid by a continuous filament, spun-laced fabric membrane 37 , such as permatape, available from nationwide. fabric membrane 37 is saturated and sealed with an elastomeric waterproofing adhesive bonding primer, such as acryloprime sealer (available from nationwide), overlapping the outer edge of the vinyl window frame and the adjacent wall substrate surface, preferably a minimum of ½ inch on the window frame and 1 inch on the adjacent wall substrate. the above process should be repeated for all window elements extending below height h until the window retrofit procedure has been completed. window frame segment 34 is an extruded portion of the frame assembly, designated the “glazing backstop,” against which glazing 22 is sealed and compressed when pressure is applied from the window exterior. double-stick glazing silicone base tape 35 c is applied continuously to backstop 34 to prevent movement of the glazing once it is attached to frame 27 a. premium glazing silicone sealant 32 is applied to backstop 34 to further seal the glazing into place and to prevent water leakage. exterior glazing trim 33 may be clipped into place and sealed with silicone sealant 32 . special care is taken so as not to soil glazing 22 with silicone sealant. fig. 4 illustrates replacement door assembly 40 , which may be a new or existing retrofitted door installed after an existing door and door jamb have been removed from the rough opening of a structure. door 42 is preferably supported in door jamb frame 49 by three (3) ball-bearing surface mounted hinges 46 a. all steel surfaces are primed and painted with rust preventative products. door 42 may contain raised panels 47 top and bottom or bottom raised-panels. door 42 may be insulated metal clad construction, insulated fiberglass clad construction, or solid wood construction with urethane applied as a surface coating (to wood doors only). in all cases, the lower door panel extending to height h, is watertight and preferably has strength to resist impact from a floating object. the door is hinged to open outwardly. standard new or existing door lockset device 46 b may be utilized as a door locking mechanism. referring to figs. 5a and 5b , door flange frame 43 , which may be about 11/2-inches wide, extends around the perimeter of the door and is mounted flush with the exterior surface of door 42 with the flange facing the interior. door 42 is mounted into door flange frame 43 using premium polyurethane construction adhesive between the frame and door surface edge and 2-inch coated wood screws 45 at 16-inch intervals. a continuous twin strand of ⅜-inch by ⅜-inch rubber weatherseal gasket 48 ( fig. 5b ), thermal blend, inc. or equal, is glued with premium polyurethane construction adhesive to the interior side of door flange frame 43 so that the gasket compresses against the exterior surface of door jamb frame 44 (a part of door jam frame 49 in fig. 5a ) when door 42 is in the closed position. a single or more strand of weatherseal gasket may also be glued to the interior surface of door flange frame 43 , as shown in fig. 5b . fig. 5a shows a lower cross-section view of door assembly 40 when the door is in the closed position. door assembly 40 is fastened to existing house structure 50 . fig. 5b shows an enlarged cross-section view of door 42 with enhanced details of the gasket 48 features. surface 49 of door jamb frame 44 may be an existing surface of door jamb frame 44 or may be provided by a metal or other material glued to door jamb frame 44 . door assembly 40 is set into the rough-opening frame 50 , plumbed and leveled utilizing wood shims if necessary, and anchored into place using 3-inch coated wood screws 51 ( a ) side mounted into door jamb frame 49 and existing wood frame 50 . fig. 5c shows a detail of the hinged side of door 42 , with gasket 48 applied to this side also and inside flange 43 . the void between door jamb frame 49 and the existing opening framing members can be sealed with silicone sealant. all exterior surface perimeter joints around the door jamb frame 49 should be sealed with an elastomeric acrylic waterproof caulk and sealant compound 53 such as permapatch. to provide further sealing, a minimum 2-inch adhesive flashing strip 54 , such as grace vycor flashing, quick roof flashing by cofair products, inc., or equal, is preferably heat applied and overlaid by a continuous filament, spun-laced fabric membrane 55 , such as permatape, available from nationwide. fabric membrane 55 is thoroughly saturated and sealed with an elastomeric waterproofing adhesive bonding primer, such as acryloprime sealer, overlapping the outer edge of the door jamb frame 49 and the adjacent wall substrate surface, preferably a minimum of 1-inch on the door frame and 1-inch on the adjacent wall substrate. the concrete slab area where the existing door sill was removed should be thoroughly cleaned and silicone sealant should be applied immediately before installing replacement door assembly 40 . the door sill is firmly set onto previously applied silcone sealant. the front edge of door jamb frame 49 at the sill-to concrete slab joint should be sealed to concrete slab 19 with silicone glass block caulking, taking care not to overlap any elastomeric acrylic caulk and sealant with the silicone. the above installation process should be repeated for all exterior door elements extending below height h until the door retrofit procedure has been completed. fig. 6 illustrates the position of a rubber weatherseal gasket 45 (which may be same as gasket 48 shown in fig. 5 ) located on the interior surface of door flange frame 43 , thus providing for compression against the surface face of door jamb frame 49 when the door is in the closed position. the illustration shows masonry veneer substrate with flood proof wainscot 18 applied thereon. referring to fig. 7 , method and material for flood proofing masonry (brick) veneer substrate 70 is shown. in preparation for flood proofing a building having a concrete slab and any veneer substrate material on the exterior walls, the following steps are taken: if less than 6 inches of concrete slab surface area is exposed above existing grade, excavate as required to expose several inches, preferably about 6 inches, of concrete. then power-wash the exposed slab and preferably the wall surface areas to be flood-protected, using normal procedures. other steps to be taken before flood proofing a building using any of the methods and materials disclosed herein are to: relocate exterior electrical receptacles and other electrical apparatus which may be located within the established flood zone wall surface area defined by height h, temporarily remove other exterior wall surface mounted devices for reconnection after exterior wall coatings have been applied, and seal all remaining wall penetrations, preferably with an elastomeric acrylic waterproof caulk and sealant such as permapatch. before beginning flood proofing of masonry veneer substrate 70 , it is preferable to saw-cut all protruding masonry window sills and raised accent appointments flush with the wall substrate surface within the flood zone area to insure a smooth and level finished surface area. an exterior masonry veneer substrate typically possesses a 1-inch air-space 77 between the backside of the masonry substrate 70 and the wall board underlayment 78 attached to the wood frame structure. this air space must be filled solid with mold-resistant material 79 , which may be a slurry admixture of sodium silicate and cement grout, up to height h prior to the application of the flood protective materials. all existing masonry weep holes 70 a located at the base of the existing masonry substrate should be filled to within 1-inch of the outer surface with 100% silicone caulking sealant. the balance of the opening will preferably be smoothed over with masonry grout to match the existing mortar material and allowed to dry prior to pumping cement admixture 79 into air-space cavity 77 through new weep holes 70 b drilled into the existing mortar joints and located above height h. this procedure seals off potentially trapped moisture from the inner wall cavity and allows air and moisture to circulate within the remaining portion of unsealed air-space to prevent mold growth. moisture- and mold-resistant cementitious wall board 72 , which may be ¼-inch or ½-inch hardiboard wet area cement board, may be installed over the entire wall surface area to be flood-protected, including an area extending 3 inches below the intersection of wall substrate 70 and concrete slab 19 , referred to as base joint 75 . board 72 is then preferably attached to slab 19 using 2-inch masonry anchors 71 . a 6-inch continuous strip of adhesive flashing 73 , which may be grace vycor flashing, quick roof flashing by cofair products, inc., or equal, is applied to slab 19 and board 72 , preferably in a 50/50 percentage of coverage of each above and below base joint 75 . a strip of permatape 74 , saturated and sealed with acryloprime, should be the applied, overlapping the top and bottom of the flashing. all masonry door and window jamb and sill returns should be wrapped with wall board 72 , fitting board 72 flush with door jamb frame 49 and window sills/jambs, as shown in fig. 5 and fig. 2 , and then the perimeter joint should be caulked with an elastomeric acrylic waterproof caulk and sealant 35 b and 54 , such as permapatch. decorative styrofoam stucco molding 76 may be installed across the top edge of cementitious wall board 72 as a transition piece between old and flood-proofed substrates. prior to the installation of flood protective coatings, all masonry anchor screws 71 should be sealed with permapatch. a coat of elastomeric waterproofing bonding primer such as acryloprime sealer should preferably be applied evenly over cementitious wall board 72 . then a decorative waterproof acrylic sand/knock-down/swirl texture coating may be applied (by trowel or spray), such as acrylosand or acrylostuk (available from nationwide), in a selected pattern and texture. then a single coat of elastomeric adhesive waterproofing and bonding primer sealer, such as permabond should be applied. finally, two coats of elastomeric acrylic ceramic polyurea finish-coat topping, such as permakote super plus, color-matched as selected, should be applied. normally, a minimum 12-hour curing time is allowed before all chemical coating applications referring to fig. 8 , concrete slab 19 of a building has existing structural framing 91 supporting horizontal siding substrate 80 . the same procedure and materials may be used for flood proofing as described above. a 6-inch continuous strip of adhesive flashing 85 is applied evenly to slab 19 and board 82 intersection, over base joint 83 . base-joint flashing is then sealed with a strip of membrane 86 saturated and sealed with sealer, overlapped top and bottom. other coating and sealers may be applied as described above. decorative molding 87 may be added. if a building has concrete exterior siding, it may be flood proofed by caulking, sealing, and coating of the existing substrate without the installation of the cement board underlayment and decorative textured coating finish disclosed above. referring to fig. 9 , concrete slab 19 of a building has existing structural framing 91 supporting existing stucco substrate 92 . a strip of adhesive flashing 94 is applied evenly to slab 19 and existing stucco substrate 92 as described above. flashing 94 is covered with permatape 95 saturated and sealed with sealer overlapped top and bottom as described above. molding 96 may be added as a decorative transition piece between existing textured stucco substrate 18 (above) and newly applied base-joint materials 95 (below). if not existing, styrofoam stucco molding 97 may be added as a transition agent at the top edge at height h. a coat of elastomeric waterproofing bonding primer may be applied, followed by two coats of elastomeric acrylic ceramic polyurea finish-coat topping, as described above. referring to fig. 10 , concrete slab 19 of a new residence under construction has new structural framing exposed with no wall veneer materials yet installed. one-half inch or 1-inch cementitious wall board 101 may be attached directly to new wood framing members 100 with 2-inch coated wood screws 102 . it is preferable that the building design assures placement of all windows above height h and therefore flood windows will not be required. should new flood windows be required for the building design, steps illustrated in fig. 2 and fig. 3 for windows and installation procedures should be followed. in addition, steps illustrated in fig. 4 for the installation of new flood doors should be followed. for base joint 103 flood protection, the following application is preferred: a 6-inch continuous strip of adhesive flashing 104 is applied evenly to slab 19 and cement wall board substrate 101 over new framing 100 , preferably in a 50/50 percentage of coverage of each above and below base joint 103 . flashing 104 is then sealed with a strip of membrane 105 saturated and sealed with sealer overlapped top and bottom, as described above. horizontal brick ledge 106 may exist in lieu of a vertical concrete slab 19 surface, in which case the above procedure may encompass horizontal brick ledge 106 in addition to the vertical slab surface as part of the flood protection procedure. masonry elements will be installed on top of flood protected horizontal brick ledge 106 . all wall board substrate 101 joints are sealed with a strip of membrane 105 saturated and sealed with sealer. a coat of elastomeric waterproofing bonding primer, followed by two coats of elastomeric acrylic ceramic polyurea finish-coat topping, such as permakote super plus (available from nationwide), should be applied, as described above. in all installations using the method and materials disclosed herein, plumbing modifications are preferred. a 4-inch backflow prevention device with before/aft clean-out capability should be installed in the main sanitary sewer line between the house structure and the street. an individual anti-siphon back-flow prevention device should be installed on each exterior hose bib located within the flood zone. also, all thru-wall penetrations for gas and plumbing should be sealed with permapatch caulk and sealant material prior to coating application procedures and silicone caulking after completion of industrial coatings application. examples a model building was constructed according to the methods and materials described herein and tested under real-flood test conditions as follows: prototype i. a concrete slab-on-grade residential foundation was constructed, 8 ft×8 ft in dimension, with an exposed foundation 12 inches above the existing grade. thereafter, a wood-frame structure was constructed thereon using standard 2 x 4 stud framing at 16 -inch on center, with a single base-plate attached to the concrete foundation with standard anchor bolts at 4 ft on center, standard metal cross-bracing strips, a single 2×4 plate as a header at the top of the 4 ft wall height, and exterior foil-faced particle board sheathing applied to the exterior face of the stud wall—all materials typically used in a wood framed residential structure. wall finishes typical to residential construction and additional special features were included in the prototype for testing as follows: standard masonry face-brick veneer was applied to the exterior surface of one wall with a 1-inch air space between the brick and the exterior wall sheathing and typical masonry ties and weep holes included in the masonry installation.metal lath with a 1-inch stucco finish was applied as the surface material on one wall.standard siding materials, hardiplank in 4 ft×8 ft solid sheets cut to size appropriate to the wall conditions were installed on two separate walls.one standard 3-ft wide door opening was provided for the testing of various door samples.one standard 4-ft wide window opening was provided for the testing of various window samples.a continuous 3-ft wide by 3-ft high waterproof moat was constructed around the perimeter of the residential prototype with the floor level of the moat 4 inches below the finish floor level of the concrete foundation of the prototype in order to accommodate foundation/wall base joint flood protection requirements. flood protection methodologies were implemented and tested as follows: the installation of one layer of fiber reinforced polymer (frp) applied to the exterior wall surfaces of the prototype was tested initially and although 100% successful under real-flood test conditions to a flood height 3 ft above the foundation level, the process was deemed too labor intensive, too climate restrictive in the installation process, and too expensive due to the requirement of extensive architectural finishing of the flood protected area. the complete protection of wall-to-window and wall-to-door joints also proved insufficient to prevent 100% leakage due to the potential of minor shrinkage of the frp product during curing. environmental-related issues also created some concern due to the required use of epoxy products in the procedure.once the above flood protective application procedures were completed, the enclosed moat surrounding the prototype was flooded to a height of 3 ft and sustained at that level for a 24-hour duration. there was zero leakage in the protective wall finishes; however, various methodology adjustments were required to prevent leakage around the door and window. various door and window components were installed within the prescribed prototype openings. surprisingly, in subsequent tests a 100% leak-free structure was achieved using the methods and materials disclosed herein.the installation of the multi-stage protective coating system disclosed here proved to be an excellent remedy as a durable, environment friendly, easily applied, exterior wall surface protective finish. the architectural finish is accomplished within the water proof coating system itself, thus eliminating the need for a separate surface finish process. the use of linen mesh in sealing the foundation to wall base joint and the door and window units into place in conjunction with the appropriate coating materials provided a 100% leak-free solution. prototype ii. an existing free-standing concrete slab-on-grade garage structure with a ½-inch×8-inch horizontal lap-and-gap hardiplank siding exterior was utilized as the second prototype for real-flood simulations. as with prototype i, a 3-ft×3-ft continuous moat was constructed across an 8-ft section of the rear wall of the existing building with the floor level of the moat constructed 4 inches below the finished concrete floor level of the existing garage. there was an existing troublesome base joint condition to contend with; the concrete slab having a 2-inch bow in it due to poor concrete forming when the building was originally constructed. this condition served to enhance our testing of flood protection at the base joint utilizing the multi-stage coating system, and it provided a critical real-life condition that could reasonably be encountered in field conditions. the existing siding material was tested in two ways: (1) the existing horizontal hardiplank siding, the foundation/wall base joint, and all other joints and wall penetrations were sealed and coated utilizing the system disclosed herein without the installation of the wet board underlayment product and the subsequent application of a stucco wainscot architectural finish. this test proved that existing hardiplank siding can be flood-protected without the additional cost of the architectural stucco wainscot application. this represents a considerable cost savings for buildings with existing hardiplank siding on the exterior walls.(2) the existing horizontal hardiplank siding was covered with ½-inch wet board underlayment and then covered with the multistage coating system and textured with a stucco finish utilizing the system disclosed herein, including the installation of decorative molding at the header of the new stucco wainscot.both of the above applications were flooded to a height of 3 ft for a 24-hour time period without any leakage into the interior garage space. in addition, flood conditions to a height of 12 inches above the slab level were maintained for several months without flooding at the critical base joint or through the walls. in addition to the above test, an existing 3 ft×6 ft−8 inches pedestrian door providing entry into the garage area was retrofitted according to the disclosure and tested independently by constructing a 4 ft×3 ft×3 ft moat across the front of the retro-fitted door assembly after the completed installation. the door assembly was tested for a 24-hour period without leakage. this test proved that an existing door can be properly modified and retro-fitted for use in the disclosed flood protection system in addition to the use of a new flood door assembly. it should be noted that several independent tests of door and window assemblies were repeatedly tested utilizing the same procedures, each test documenting points of weakness and/or failure, until the disclosed door and window systems were found to be waterproof. although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention, except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims.
031-822-654-916-403	US	[ "WO", "US" ]	C05C9/00,C05G3/90,A01C21/00,C05C1/00	2016-05-12T00:00:00	2016	[ "C05", "A01" ]	compositions for controlling enzyme-induced urea decomposition	improved urease inhibitors comprise one or more polymers containing alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, which may be applied to or mixed with a variety of urea-containing fertilizers in order to substantially prevent urea decomposition when applied to soil. the inhibitors may be in the form of homopolymers such as polystyrene sulfonate, or as copolymers containing alkenylphenyl sulfonate and other, different repeat units. the inhibitor polymers may be in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt forms, and are water soluble.	we claim: 1 . a fertilizer composition including urea and a water soluble polymer having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, said polymer present in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. 2. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 3. the composition of claim 1 , at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 4. the composition of claim 1 , said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 5. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 6. the composition of claim 5, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 7. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 8. the composition of claim 7, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 9. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1500-200,000. 10. the composition of claim 9, said molecular weight being from about 15,000- 150,000. 1 1 . the composition of claim 1 , said polymer being a homopolymer. 12. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 13. the composition of claim 12, said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 14. the composition of claim 12, one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 15. the composition of claim 12, at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 16. the composition of claim 15, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 17. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 18. the composition of claim 17, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 19. the composition of claim 1 , including at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of polymers different than said alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer, other urease inhibitors, other fertilizers, solvents, colorants, film formers, and mixtures thereof. 20. the composition of claim 1 , said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 21 . the composition of claim 20, said urea being present in the composition at a level of from about 1 -12 moles/l. 22. the composition of claim 21 , said level being from about 2-10 moles/l. 23. the composition of claim 1 , said composition comprising one or more solid fertilizers, including solid urea, said polymer applied to the surfaces of said solid fertilizers. 24. the composition of claim 23, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 25. the composition of claim 1 , including manure as a source of said urea. 26. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 27. the composition of claim 26, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 28. the composition of claim 1 , said fertilizer comprising uan. 29. a method of fertilizing soil comprising the step of applying to the soil a composition in accordance with claim 1 . 30. a method of preparing a fertilizer composition comprising the step of adding to a fertilizer comprising urea an alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer urease inhibitor in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of urease enzyme, said polymer being water soluble. 31 . the method of claim 30, said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 32. the method of claim 30, at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 33. the method of claim 30, said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 34. the method of claim 30, said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 35. the method of claim 34, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 36. the method of claim 30, said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 37. the method of claim 36, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammona, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 38. the method of claim 30, said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1500-200,000. 39. the method of claim 38, said molecular weight being from about 15,000- 150,000. 40. the method of claim 30, said polymer being a homopolymer. 41 . the method of claim 30, said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 42. the method of claim 41 , said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 43. the method of claim 41 , one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 44. the method of claim 41 , at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 45. the method of claim 44, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 46. the method of claim 30, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 47. the method of claim 46, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 48. the method of claim 30, including at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of polymers different than said alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer, other urease inhibitors, other fertilizers, solvents, colorants, film formers, and mixtures thereof. 49. the method of claim 30, said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 50. the method of claim 49, said urea being present in the composition at a level of from about 1 -12 moles/l. 51 . the method of claim 50, said level being from about 2-10 moles/l. 52. the method of claim 30, said composition comprising one or more solid fertilizers, including solid urea, said polymer applied to the surfaces of said solid fertilizers. 53. the method of claim 52, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 54. the method of claim 30, including manure as a source of said urea. 55. the method of claim 30, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 56. the method of claim 55, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 57. the method of claim 30, said fertilizer comprising uan. 58. a method of inhibiting soil-borne urease enzyme comprising the step of applying to the soil a water soluble polymer having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, said polymer present in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. 59. the method of claim 58, said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 60. the method of claim 58, at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 61 . the method of claim 58, said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 62. the method of claim 58, said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 63. the method of claim 62, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 64. the method of claim 58, said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 65. the method of claim 64, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 66. the method of claim 58, said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1500-200,000. 67. the method of claim 66, said molecular weight being from about 15,000- 150,000. 68. the method of claim 58, said polymer being a homopolymer. 69. the method of claim 58, said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 70. the method of claim 69, said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 71 . the method of claim 69, one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 72. the method of claim 69, at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 73. the method of claim 72, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 74. the method of claim 58, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weigt. 75. the method of claim 74, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 76 the method of claim 58, said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 77. the method of claim 58, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 78. the method of claim 77, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 79. the composition of claim 1 , said polymer providing at least about 25% inhibition of the decomposition of said urea, using the urea decomposition test.	compositions for controlling enzyme-induced urea decomposition field of the invention the present invention is directed to fertilizer compositions including urea and a water soluble alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer which serves to inhibit the decomposition of urea by the action of urease enzyme. more particularly, the invention is concerned with such compositions, methods of fertilizing soils using the compositions, methods of preparing fertilizer compositions, and methods of inhibiting soil-borne urease through use of an alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer, such as polystyrene sulfonate. background urea is the most widely used form of nitrogenous fertilizer, and is formulated as dry granules, prills, or as fluids made up of urea alone or mixed with ammonium nitrate as uan (a mixture containing urea, ammonium nitrate, and water). urea is also present in animal manures. these forms of urea have a significant disadvantage in that they undergo rapid decomposition and generate ammonia gas when applied to soil. this is due to the presence of urease enzyme in soils, which reacts with urea to produce ammonium bicarbonate and ammonia. this general set of processes is known in the art as volatilization. volatilization results in decreased efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use, lower yields, plant symptoms of nitrogen deficiency, undesirable odors, and potentially harmful ammonia gas concentrations. in response to these problems, considerable research has been done towards the development of urease enzyme inhibitors. for example, catechol, benzoquinone, and related compounds have been shown to be effective urease inhibitors; however, problems relating to cost, safety, convenience, and stability have limited the use of these types of inhibitors. a number of phosphoramide compounds have also long been known to act as effective urease inhibitors. one such compound, n-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nbpt) has achieved substantial commercial use in products such as the agrotain ® family of inhibitors. however, nbpt products require storage at temperatures that do not exceed 36-38°c, which can be problematical for some distributors and users. moreover, these products may be subjected to temperature conditions during transport or storage, unbeknownst to the ultimate user; in such cases, the products may be substantially below label strengths in terms of active ingredients. research has also shown that up to 40% of the nbpt content of commercial fertilizer products including nbpt may be lost after storage at 25°c for three months and, after six months, over 99% of the nbpt content was lost. another very important problem related to nbpt urease inhibition is that while it is effective for inhibiting soil-borne urease, it also inhibits urease in plants causing urea to accumulate in plant tissues. this phenomenon is harmful to plants and can result severe tissue necrosis. nbpt can also negatively affect modes of urea uptake and assimilation by plant roots, corn in particular. as such, even when nbpt is successfully used for soil-borne urease inhibition, this may cause a significant decrease in plant yield. in some cases, nbpt inhibitors are not cost effective, in that the expense of purchasing and applying the inhibitors does not result in sufficiently increased yields to justify the usage. a number of polymeric materials can serve as urease inhibitors. for example, as disclosed in us patent publication no. 2008/0173053, carboxylate polymers in partial salt form, and especially maleic-itaconic copolymer salts, may be employed as useful inhibitors. it is believed that these polymers interact with nickel atoms urease enzyme to generate an inhibitory response. background references include: us patents nos. 9,249,102, 8,980,893, 8,969,554, 8,951 ,636, 8,946,270, 8,864,867, 8,841 ,100, 8,642,636, 8,618,126, 8,575,067, 8,568,505, 8,461 ,176, 8,426,460, 8,361 ,184, 8,198,214, 8,197,572, 8,1 10,017, 5,489,370, and 5,405,509; and us patent publications nos. 2016/0045841 , 2015/0366186, 2015/0359221 , 2015/0319945, 2015/0203457, 2015/0183785, 2015/0174255, 2015/0158776, 2015/0126/23, 2014/0349375, 2014/0315794, 2014/0179746, 2014/01421 14, 2014/0076012, 2013/01 1 1960, 2013/0108872, 2013/0102468, 2013/0065967, 2012/0220667, 2012/0198899, 201 1/0269920, 201 1 /0269919, 201 1 /0245157, 201 1 /0226028, 201 1 /0152312, 201 1/0136210, 201 1 /0105623, 2010/0144859, 2010/0125089, 2009/0229331 , 2007/0066487, and 2006/0154824. focused searching has developed the following references: us patents nos. 8,241 ,387, 7,666,241 , 7,494,525, 6,489,438, 5,190,797, 4,832,728, 4,789,391 , 4,756,738, 4,752,317, 3,565,599, and 2,689,173; us patent publications no. 2002/0042346; foreign publication nos. wo 1987006575, wo 198900381 1 , wo2015031521 , wo2015179552; and non-patent literature references ambrose et al., "inhibition of urease by sulfur compounds" jacs, 1950, vol. 72, pp 317 - 321 ; lukowska et al,. "preparation of sulfonated polysulfone membrane for enzymes immobilisation" biocybernetics and biomedical engineering, 2012, vol. 32, pp 77 - 86; and upadhyay, "urease inhibitors: a review" indian journal of biotechnology, 2012, vol. 1 1 , pp 381 - 388. pct publication wo 89/0381 1 describes sulfonated polymer coatings used for the preparation of controlled release fertilizer products, such as urea and ammonium sulfate fertilizers. one goal is to reduce nitrogen losses by controlling the release of nitrogen from the coated fertilizers. in order to obtain such controlled or slow-release fertilizer products, it is essential that the applied polymers be essentially water insoluble. as set forth on p. 12, ii. 15- 29 of the '81 1 reference, the controlled release coatings include a water insoluble sulfonated polymer dissolved in an organic solvent system. the polymers include a maximum of about 200 milliequivalents (meq.) of pendant sulfonate groups per 100 g of polymer. this translates to a maximum of 25 mole% of pendant sulfonate groups. usable polymers in accordance with the '81 1 reference may also include substantial amounts of hydrocarbon (aliphatic and/or aromatic) repeat units, such as butyl, ethylene, propylene, isobutylene, and vinyl repeat units (p. 13, ii. 1 -20 and pp. 15-16). there is accordingly a need in the art for improved urease inhibitors which are more effective, are less expensive, and do not have the problems associated with prior products of this type. summary of the invention the present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides urease inhibitors which can be used in conjunction with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, e.g., urea fertilizers in order to significantly reduce fertilizer urea decomposition. the inhibitor compositions include one or more water soluble polymers having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of urea by the action of soil- borne urease enzyme. it has been found that the inhibitors of the invention provide substantially greater urease inhibition at substantially smaller rates of use, as compared with prior art inhibitors, such as nbpt. the inhibitor polymers may be in the form of homopolymers such as polystyrene sulfonate, or as copolymers including other sulfonated or non-sulfonated repeat units; the latter would advantageously be carboxylate or dicarboxylate repeat units. moreover, the polymers may be used in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt forms. the amounts of inhibitor polymers used are very small, owing to the very high urease inhibition properties thereof. the inhibitors may be directly applied to soil, or mixed with solid or liquid urea- containing fertilizers, and applied using conventional techniques. in either case, the inhibitors serve to substantially prevent decomposition of urea. polystyrene sulfonate polymers in the free acid or salt (typically sodium or calcium salt) form are highly suitable for use in the invention. such polymers are commercially available from a number of sources, or can be synthesized using well-known methods. the useful polymers of the invention have two properties: first, the polymers contain sufficient alkenylphenyl repeat units to provide enhanced inhibition of soil-borne enzyme- induced urea decomposition; and second, the polymers, whatever their repeat unit makeup apart from the necessary presence of alkenylphenyl repeat units, must be sufficiently water soluble. in embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to fertilizer compositions comprising one or more water soluble polymers having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of urea by the action of soil- borne urease enzyme. in embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to methods of inhibiting urease activity in soil comprising contacting the soil with one or more water soluble polymers having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. the polymers can be admixed with a fertilizer prior to use, such as contacting with the soil. in embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to methods of preparing a nitrogen-containing fertilizer composition comprising one or more water soluble polymers having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. still other embodiments are described herein. brief description of the figures figure 1 depicts uv-vis experiments for the residual activity (%) of urease in the presence of polystyrenesulfonate (pss) as a function of pre-incubation time. experimental conditions: 2 mm mes buffer, ph 5.00, 30 mg l 1 methyl red (mr) solution and 1 % (v/v) dmso; pss 250 g l 1 (stock solution); edta 250 mm (stock solution). sample preparation: 12 test tubes (50 ml final volume) were prepared as follows: ref (reference) - mr solution, used as enzyme control; edta - mr solution containing 1 or 10 mm as final concentration of edta; pss - mr solution containing 100, 300 or 600 μg l 1 as final concentration of pss. -1 100 μg l of pss appears to have no effects on urease activity. at higher concentrations (300 -1 or 600 μg l ), pss clearly shows an inhibitory effect on urease activity. figure 2 depicts a ph-stat experiment for edta. pre-incubation experiment in the presence of 10 mm edta. experimental conditions: 2 mm mes buffer, ph 5.00; pss 250 g l 1 . sample preparation: ref (reference) - mes buffer, used as enzyme control; pss - ref also containing 100, 300 or 600 g l 1 as final concentration of pss. experiment: the measurements were performed after a 0, 5, 10 or 20 min pre-incubation (at room temperature) of urease at increasing concentrations of the polymers. ph-stat experiments have been performed by using 10 mm edta as a positive control for urease inhibition. 10 mm edta determines a time-dependent decrease of urease activity. these results are consistent with those of uv-vis experiments, where a 40 min pre-incubation yields in a 40-50 % inhibition. figure 3 depicts a ph-stat experiment for polystyrenesulfonate (pss). preincubation experiment in the presence of pss polymer. experimental conditions: 2 mm mes buffer, ph 5.00; pss 250 g l 1 . sample preparation: ref (reference) - mes buffer, used as enzyme control; pss - ref also containing 100, 300 or 600 g l 1 as final concentration of pss. experiment: the measurements were performed after a 0, 5, 10 or 20 min pre-incubation (at room temperature) of urease at increasing concentrations of the polymers. ph-stat experiments have been performed by using 10 mm edta as a positive control for urease inhibition. the data show pss polymer provides a concentration-dependent decrease of -1 urease activity. at the highest concentration of pss (600 μg l ), a 50 % inhibition is observable after 20 min of pre-incubation. detailed description the presently disclosed subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter. however, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions. therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. in other words, the subject matter described herein covers all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. in the event that one or more of the incorporated literature, patents, and similar materials differs from or contradicts this application, including but not limited to defined terms, term usage, described techniques, or the like, this application controls. unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in this field. all publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. definitions as used herein, the term "water soluble" refers to a polymer that is dissolves in water at a desirable percentage as disclosed elsewhere herein at ambient temperature and pressure. for example, a water soluble polymer will form a stable solution in water at concentrations of 1 % w/w or more. as used herein, the term "free acid" refers to the state of the polymer wherein the acidic groups on the polymer are fully protonated or in aqueous solution each acidic group may yield a solvated proton. as used herein, the term "partial acid" refers to the state of the polymer wherein a portion of the acidic groups on the polymer are in the salt form. as used herein, the term "complete salt" refers to the state of the polymer wherein all of the acidic groups on the polymer are in the salt form. as used herein, the term "urease inhibition," "inhibition" or "inhibit" herein is meant to decrease the activity of the urease enzyme, as compared to the activity of that enzyme in the absence of the inhibitor. in some embodiments, the term "inhibit" means a decrease in urease activity of at least about 5%, at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about 25%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%, at least about 90%, or at least about 95%. in other embodiments, inhibit means a decrease in urease activity of about 5% to about 25%, about 25% to about 50%, about 50% to about 75%, or about 75% to 100%. in some embodiments, inhibit means a decrease in urease activity of about 95% to 100%, e.g., a decrease in activity of 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100%. such decreases can be measured using a variety of techniques that would be recognizable by one of skill in the art, including in vitro urease activity assays, such as the urease decomposition test. the term "inhibitor polymer" means a polymer or property of a polymer that inhibits activity of urease, and is used to distinguish from a small molecule inhibitor. the term "fertilizers" is to be understood as chemical compounds applied to promote plant and fruit growth. fertilizers are typically applied either through the soil (for uptake by plant roots) or by foliar feeding (for uptake through leaves). fertilizers can be subdivided into two major categories: a) organic fertilizers (composed of decayed plant/animal matter) and b) inorganic fertilizers (composed of chemicals and minerals). organic fertilizers include slurry, worm castings, peat, seaweed, sewage, and guano. manufactured organic fertilizers include compost, blood meal, bone meal and seaweed extracts. further examples are enzymatically digested proteins, fish meal, and feather meal. the decomposing crop residue from prior years is another source of fertility. in addition, naturally occurring minerals such as mine rock phosphate, sulfate of potash and limestone are also considered inorganic fertilizers. inorganic fertilizers are usually manufactured through chemical processes (such as the haber-bosch process), also using naturally occurring deposits, while chemically altering them (e.g. concentrated triple superphosphate). naturally occurring inorganic fertilizers include chilean sodium nitrate, mine rock phosphate, and limestone. the term "nitrogen-containing fertilizer" or "fertilizer comprising urea" (urea fertilizers) is defined as synthetic fertilizers comprising urea. examples of fertilizers comprising urea are urea ammonium nitrate (uan), isobutylidene diurea (ibdu), crotonylidene diurea (cdu) and urea formaldehyde (uf). urea is usually made as granulated material or prills. urea fertilizers can be produced by dropping the liquid urea from a prill tower while drying the product. urea can also be obtained as a liquid formulation, which may be used for foliar application, e.g. on potatoes, wheat, vegetables and soybeans as well as liquid application to the field. it is commonly mixed with ammonium nitrate to form uan with 28% n. the term "locus" (plant habitat) is to be understood as any type of environment, soil, area or material where the plant is growing or intended to grow. by "contact" or "contacting" it is intended to bring the composition within close enough proximity to the target urease such that the inhibitor is able to interact with the urease. soil can contacted with the compositions by placing, dropping, spreading, spraying, broadcasting, deep or sub-surface placement, localized placement, contact, band, hill, and row placement, knife-in, etc. and any other method. the soil may be in a locus, such as the area near or adjacent to a plant of interest, such as a crop plant. the term "plant" or "crop plant" is to be understood as plants of economic importance and/or men-grown plants. as used herein, "crop plant" includes cereals (wheat, rice), maize, soya, potatoes, cotton, oilseed rape and fruit species (with the fruits apples, pears, citrus fruit and grapes). plants of interest include plant species grown for the purposes of providing animal nutrition, including but not limited to various grasses and leguminous plants known to the art of animal nutrition. such plants may either be harvested in various ways known to the art and subsequently used for animal nutrition, or the plants may be consumed (in whole or in part) by animals while the plants are still growing, or while they are still attached to soil. plants of interest also include any plant used in productive agriculture and needing a nitrogen nutrient supply as these plants would benefit from the compositions described herein. plants are preferably selected from agricultural, silvicultural, ornamental and horticultural plants, each in its natural or genetically modified form. the term "plant" or "crop plant" as used herein includes all parts of a plant such as germinating seeds, emerging seedlings, herbaceous vegetation as well as established woody plants including all belowground portions (such as the roots) and aboveground portions. preferred agricultural plants are field crops selected from the group consisting of potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, barley, rye, oat, sorghum, rice, maize, cotton, rapeseed, oilseed rape, canola, soybeans, peas, field beans, sunflowers, sugar cane; cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, leeks, lettuce, squashes; even more preferably the plant is selected from the group consisting of wheat, barley, oat, rye, soybean, maize, oilseed rape, cotton, sugar cane, rice and sorghum. in embodiments, the plant to be treated is selected from the group consisting of tomato, potato, wheat, barley, oat, rye, soybean, maize, oilseed rape, canola, sunflower, cotton, sugar cane, sugar beet, rice, sorghum, pasture grass and grassland. in another embodiment, the plant to be treated is selected from the group consisting of tomato, potato, wheat, barley, oat, rye, soybean, maize, oilseed rape, canola, sunflower, cotton, sugar cane, sugar beet, rice and sorghum. in an embodiment, the plants to be treated are selected from the group consisting of tomato, wheat, barley, oat, rye, maize, oilseed rape, canola, sugar cane, and rice. in one embodiment, the plant to be treated is an agricultural plant. "agricultural plants" are plants of which a part (e.g. seeds) or all is harvested or cultivated on a commercial scale or which serve as an important source of feed, food, fibres (e.g. cotton, linen), combustibles (e.g. wood, bioethanol, biodiesel, biomass) or other chemical compounds. preferred agricultural plants are for example cereals, e.g. wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, sorghum or rice, beet, e.g. sugar beet or fodder beet; fruits, such as pomes, stone fruits or soft fruits, e.g. apples, pears, plums, peaches, almonds, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or gooseberries; leguminous plants, such as lentils, peas, alfalfa or soybeans; oil plants, such as rapeseed, oilseed rape, canola, linseed, mustard, olives, sunflowers, coconut, cocoa beans, castor oil plants, oil palms, ground nuts or soybeans; cucurbits, such as squashes, cucumber or melons; fiber plants, such as cotton, flax, hemp or jute; citrus fruit, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits or mandarins; vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, asparagus, cabbages, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, cucurbits or paprika; lauraceous plants, such as avocados, cinnamon or camphor; energy and raw material plants, such as maize, soybean, rapeseed, canola, sugar cane or oil palm; tobacco; nuts; coffee; tea; bananas; vines (table grapes and grape juice grape vines); hop; turf; natural rubber plants. pasture grass and grassland are composed of grass or grass mixtures comprising for example bluegrass (poa spp.), bentgrass (agrostis spp.), ryegrasses (lolium spp.), fescues (festuca spp., hybrids, and cultivars), zoysiagrass (zoysia spp.), bermudagrass (cynodon spp.), st. augustine grass, bahiagrass (paspalum), centipedegrass (eremachloa), carpetgrass (axonopus), buffalograss and grama grass. pastures may be also composed of mixtures comprising afore mentioned grasses, for example ryegrass, and trifolium species, for example trifolium pratensis and trifolium repens, medicago species like medicago sativa, lotus species like lotus corniculatus, and melilotus species, for example melilotus albus. in one embodiment, the plant to be treated according to the method of the invention is a horticultural plant. the term "horticultural plants" are to be understood as plants which are commonly used in horticulture— e.g. the cultivation of ornamentals, vegetables and/or fruits. examples for ornamentals are turf, geranium, pelargonia, petunia, begonia and fuchsia. examples for vegetables are potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucurbits, cucumbers, melons, watermelons, garlic, onions, carrots, cabbage, beans, peas and lettuce and more preferably from tomatoes, onions, peas and lettuce. examples for fruits are apples, pears, cherries, strawberry, citrus, peaches, apricots and blueberries. in one embodiment, the plant to be treated is an ornamental plant. ornamental plants" are plants which are commonly used in gardening, e.g. in parks, gardens and on balconies. examples are turf, geranium, pelargonia, petunia, begonia and fuchsia. in one embodiment, the plant to be treated is a silvicultural plant. the term "silvicultural plant" is to be understood as trees, more specifically trees used in reforestation or industrial plantations. industrial plantations generally serve for the commercial production of forest products, such as wood, pulp, paper, rubber tree, christmas trees, or young trees for gardening purposes. examples for silvicultural plants are conifers, like pines, in particular pinus spec, fir and spruce, eucalyptus, tropical trees like teak, rubber tree, oil palm, willow (salix), in particular salix spec, poplar (cottonwood), in particular populus spec, beech, in particular fagus spec, birch, oil palm, and oak. the term "genetically modified plants" is to be understood as plants, which genetic material has been modified by the use of recombinant dna techniques in a way that under natural circumstances it cannot readily be obtained by cross breeding, mutations or natural recombination. the term "plant propagation material" is to be understood to denote all the generative parts of the plant such as seeds and vegetative plant material such as cuttings and tubers (e.g. potatoes), which can be used for the multiplication of the plant. this includes seeds, grains, roots, fruits, tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, cuttings, spores, offshoots, shoots, sprouts and other parts of plants, including seedlings and young plants, which are to be transplanted after germination or after emergence from soil, meristem tissues, single and multiple plant cells and any other plant tissue from which a complete plant can be obtained. the term "propagules" or "plant propagules" is to be understood to denote any structure with the capacity to give rise to a new plant, e.g. a seed, a spore, or a part of the vegetative body capable of independent growth if detached from the parent. in a preferred embodiment, the term "propagules" or "plant propagules" denotes for seed. the term "soil" is to be understood as a natural body comprised of living (e.g. microorganisms (such as bacteria and fungi), animals and plants) and non-living matter (e.g. minerals and organic matter (e.g. organic compounds in varying degrees of decomposition), liquid, and gases) that occurs on the land surface, and is characterized by soil horizons that are distinguishable from the initial material as a result of various physical, chemical, biological, and anthropogenic processes. from an agricultural point of view, soils are predominantly regarded as the anchor and primary nutrient base for plants (plant habitat). an "effective amount" of a urease-inhibiting polymer is the amount that provides the above-mentioned level of inhibition. in embodiments, this can be described in terms of the percentage of polymer in the composition or the ppm of polymer in the material that is to be contacted with the soil. more exemplary information about amounts, ways of application and suitable ratios to be used is given below. the skilled artisan is well aware of the fact that such an amount can vary in a broad range and is dependent on various factors, e.g. the current condition of the treated soil and the type of plant. the urease inhibitor polymers the present invention is predicated upon the unexpected discovery that water soluble alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymers have extraordinary capacities to inhibit urease enzyme, to thus largely prevent the decomposition of fertilizer urea via volatilization in the soil; at the same time, the polymers do not substantially interfere with the activity of internal urease within plants. to this end, a variety of such sulfonate polymers may be used, for example, homopolymers made up of alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, or copolymers containing two or more different repeat units of this type, such as maleic-styrene sulfonate copolymers; mixtures of such polymers may also be used. further, the polymers may be in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt forms. the urease inhibitors of the invention have been shown to be markedly superior as compared with conventional small molecule inhibitors, such as nbpt in some embodiments, polymers in accordance with the invention can have the following idealized general structure: where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500, more preferably from about 70-900. in some embodiments, the -s03-x substituent is bonded at the 4 position (i.e., in the para position relative to the bond between the hydrocarbon backbone and the phenyl ring), and all of r1 through r8 are h. as is evident from the foregoing formula, the -s03-x and r1 - r5 substituents may be bonded at any of the ring positions 2-6; depending upon the method of synthesis of the polymers, the ring positions of the substituents may vary from repeat unit to repeat unit. it will also be understood that while the inhibitor polymers are denominated as alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymers, the reference to alkenyl (i.e., olefin) groups therein is based upon the fact that the starting monomers used to synthesize the polymers contain alkenyl moieties. however, these double bonds are eliminated during the polymerization reaction, so that the final polymers do not contain the original alkenyl moieties. this naming convention is common, e.g., polyethylene contains no ethylene groups, and polystyrene contains no styrene groups. the most useful polymers of the invention should have a weight average molecular weight of from about 1 ,500-200,000, more preferably from about 15,000-150,000, and most preferably from about 60,000-90,000. if the molecular weights substantially exceed 200,000, or are well below 1 ,500, urease inhibition performance is significantly lessened. particular molecular weights include 60k, 61 k, 62k, 63k, 64k, 65k, 66k, 67k, 68k, 69k, 70k, 71 k, 72k, 73k, 74k, 75k, 76k, 77k, 78k, 79k, 80k, 81 k, 82k, 83k, 84k, 85k, 86k, 87k, 88k, 89k and 90k. table 1 shows data on the molecular weight of polystyrene sulfate (weight averaged molecular weights), neutral sodium salt and the corresponding percentage of urease inhibition. tab!e 1 all materials listed in table 1 are poly(styrene sulfonate) with molecular weights (mw) listed as supplied by the manufacturer, and were used as neutral na salts. concentrations were listed on free acid basis. monomeric styrene sulfonate is "0.2k." further details are provided in example 9 below. in certain embodiments, the polymers should have at least about 25 mole% of alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, preferably where the phenyl groups are pendant to the alkenyl groups, and with a single sulfonated phenyl ring per repeat unit. each such phenyl ring should have at least one sulfonate substituent group, although multiple sulfonate substituents may also be present. additionally, other functional substituents or groups may be used on the polymer backbone or on the pendant aromatic rings (e.g., polyanethole sulfonic acid and various salts thereof). in other embodiments, the mole% of alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units may be greater than 25%, e.g., at least about 35 mole%, more preferably at least about 50 mole%, and still more preferably at least about 75 mole%. of course, useful polymers may be made up to consist essentially of, or to consist of, alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. advantageously, the polymers should exhibit at least about 25% inhibition of urea decomposition, as determined by the urea decomposition test described below. the polymers of the invention, whatever their specific repeat unit makeup may be apart from alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, should be substantially soluble in water. at a minimum, the polymers should be soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight based upon the total weight of the solution taken as 100% by weight, more preferably a solids concentration of at least about 5.0% by weight, still more preferably a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight, and most preferably a solids concentration of at least about 20.0% by weight. in embodiments, the solids concentration is from about 15% to about 60%, or from about 25% to about 50%, or from about 35% to about 45%. suitable polymers are commercially available, e.g., the sodium p-styrenesulfonate/styrene copolymer st-6001 (cas #31619-79-1 ) sold by tosoh organic chemical co., ltd., having a water solubility of about 20-22% w/w. thus, while use may be made of alkenylphenyl sulfonate homopolymers such as defined in the above structural formula i, e.g., polystyrene sulfonate, the invention is not so limited. for example, copolymers synthesized using repeat units of formula ia below may be used, alone or in combination with other alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units and/or a variety of other repeat units (e.g., carboxylate, dicarboxylate, alkyl, alkenyl, and vinyl). specific examples of dicarboxylate repeat units would be maleic and itaconic repeat units, which may be in the form of acids or anhydrides. in such copolymers, the non-sulfonated repeat units may be present at various mole percentage levels, and/or higher order copolymers may be used, such as ter- or tetrapolymers. where r1 through r8 and x are defined as set forth with respect to formula i. polymer salts may be produced in any suitable manner known in the art. the types of salt-forming cations are not critical, and the x substituent of the above structure may be selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. the salts may be partial or complete, at the discretion of the user. by way of illustration, the following structures depict representative free acid (x=h), sodium salt (x=na), and amine salt (x=nh 4 ) polymers in accordance with the invention, where n is defined above. however, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the below representations may represent a mole % of the polymer, depending on whether the polymer is a free acid, partial salt, or com lete salt. other polymers can be used in combination with alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymers. for example, maleic-itaconic copolymers such as those described in u.s. patent no. 6,515,090, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and tetra-polymers comprising itaconic, maleic, and sulfonic moieties other than alkenyl sulfonate, such as those described in u.s. patent no. 8,647,406, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. these polymers can be combined in various ratios of alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymers to co-polymer or tetra- polymer of from 1 :100 to 100:1 ; 1 :90 to 90:1 ; 1 :80 to 80:1 ; 1 :70 to 70:1 ; 1 :60 to 60:1 ; 1 :50 to 50:1 ; 1 :40 to 40:1 ; 1 :30 to 30:1 ; 1 :20 to 20:1 ; 1 :10 to 10:1 ; 1 :5 to 5:1 ; 1 :4 or 4:1 ; 1 :3 to 3:1 ; 1 :2 or 2:1 ; or 1 :1 . the total amount of inhibitory polymer present in such combination compositions is as described elsewhere herein. thus, compositions can contain from about 1 % to about 99% of a polystyrene sulfonate as described herein, from about 1 % to about 99% of an additional urease-inhibiting polymer (e.g., itaconic-maleic; or tetra-polymer) and additional components, such as, water, colorants, extenders, binders, biocides, biostats, solvents, acceptable excipients, etc. the compositions can be in the forms described elsewhere herein. an exemplary composition comprises about 45% tetra-polymer, about 5% polystyrene sulfonate, and the balance being made up of about 50% water, and optionally other components. these compositions can be contacted with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer to prepare a fertilizer composition or directly to soil. fertilizer compositions containing the urease inhibitor polymers and uses thereof the inhibitor polymers are typically used in conjunction with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, e.g., fertilizers containing urea, either in direct combination or in situations where the nitrogen-containing fertilizers, e.g., urea fertilizers and inhibitor polymers are applied separately. in either case, the polymers provide a substantial degree of urease inhibition to prevent urea volatilization in soil. the fertilizer compositions may be in solid or liquid form. the inhibitor polymer and the fertilizer and other components may be co-formulated or formulated separately. if formulated separately, the components are applied in a temporal relationship, i.e. simultaneously or subsequently, whereas the subsequent application is carried out within a time interval which allows the combined action of the components. the subsequent application is carried out with a time interval which allows a combined action of the applied components. preferably, the time interval for a subsequent application of a first component and a second component ranges from a few seconds up to 1 month, preferably, from a few seconds up to 3 weeks, more preferably from a few seconds up to 1 week, even more preferably from a few seconds up to 3 days and in particular from 1 second up to 24 hours; provided that the time interval allows a combined action of the components. in one embodiment, the components are formulated separately but applied simultaneously or subsequently, whereas the subsequent application is carried out within a time interval which allows a combined action of the individual components. in one embodiment, the components are co-formulated and applied simultaneously or subsequently. in one embodiment, the components are co-formulated and applied simultaneously. furthermore, the individual active components of the compositions are provided in a kit, such that the user admixes the components in a spray tank and further auxiliaries may be added, if appropriate (tank mix). the most straightforward urea/polymer compositions include urea per se and/or urea- containing materials, and one or more of the inhibitor polymers in intimate contact with the urea or materials. the urea may be in solid or semi-solid form (e.g., granules, prills, or manures) and, in such instances, the inhibitor polymers may be applied to the surfaces of the urea-containing materials or otherwise intermixed therewith. this may be accomplished by creating liquid dispersions of the inhibitor polymers, which are then sprayed onto the urea- containing materials. in the case of liquid urea products, such as uan, the inhibitor polymers are usually mixed with the fertilizer liquid in appropriate quantities. in the liquid urea products, the urea is usually present at a level of from about 1 -12 moles/l, more preferably from about 2-10 moles/l. another alternative would be to impregnate urea or urea-containing materials with inhibitor polymer(s) during manufacture of such products. generally, in urea/inhibitor polymer compositions, the polymer should be present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, more preferably from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight, or from about 0.001 -0.3% by weight, or from about 0.01 -0.1 % by weight based upon the total weight of the compositions taken as 100% by weight. while the compositions should contain urea in some form, other types of fertilizers may be used in the compositions, such as any of the well-known npk fertilizers. generally, the amount of such secondary fertilizers would be less than that of the urea fraction. the urea/inhibitor compositions of the invention may be used in exactly the same fashion, and in the same quantities, as the corresponding urea products. in the case of solids, the products may be applied by broadcast, deep or sub-surface placement, localized placement, contact, band, hill, and row placement, before, during, or after planting. liquid compositions would typically be applied by incorporating the liquid into the soil by knife-in or other conventional methods. the fertilizer compositions of the invention, as well as the alkenylphenyl sulfonate inhibitor polymers, may also be used with additional active ingredients, such as nitrification/denitrification inhibitors, plant growth regulators, or any other compatible actives. as mentioned above, it would be possible to separately apply urea fertilizers and the inhibitor polymers of the invention, either simultaneously or in sequential order. in this fashion, the polymers directly inhibit soil-borne urease enzyme. in these types of uses, the inhibitor polymers would be applied at levels sufficient to provide the requisite degree of enzyme inhibition. in embodiments, the ph of the fertilizer composition is below about 7.0. in embodiments, the ph is below about 6.5, or below about 6.0, or below about 5.75, or below about 5.5. in all of these embodiments having an identified maximum ph, it is preferred that the minimum ph is no less than 1 .0, or no less than 2.0, or no less than 3.0, or no less than 4.0, or no less than 4.25, or no less than 4.5, or no less than 4.75, or no less than 4.95, or about 5.0. in embodiments, the ph of the composition is within a range above 4.0 and at or below 5.75, e.g., about 4.75 to about 5.75, or about 5.0 to about 5.75. the ph may be adjusted by either adjusting the ph of the polymer prior to mixing with the nitrogen-containing fertilizer or by adjusting the ph of an admixture of polymer and nitrogen-containing fertilizer. adjusting the ph of the polymer and/or admixture is accomplished by any conventional means. the compositions can be in the form of customary types of agrochemical compositions, e.g. solutions, emulsions, suspensions, dusts, powders, pastes, prills and granules. the composition type depends on the particular intended purpose; in each case, it should ensure a fine and uniform distribution of the compounds or the agrochemical mixture according to the invention. the agrochemical compositions may also comprise auxiliaries which are customary in agrochemical compositions. the auxiliaries used depend on the particular application form and active substance, respectively. examples for suitable auxiliaries are solvents, solid carriers, dispersants or emulsifiers (such as further solubilizers, protective colloids, surfactants and adhesion agents), organic and anorganic thickeners, bactericides, anti-freezing agents, anti-foaming agents, if appropriate colorants and tackifiers or binders (e.g. for seed treatment formulations). the compositions can be used as such or in the form of directly sprayable solutions, powders, suspensions, dispersions, emulsions, oil dispersions, pastes, dustable products, materials for spreading, or granules, by means of spraying, atomizing, dusting, spreading, brushing, immersing or pouring. the application forms depend entirely on the intended purposes; it is intended to ensure in each case the finest possible distribution of the active substances according to the invention. aqueous application forms can be prepared from emulsion concentrates, pastes or wettable powders (sprayable powders, oil dispersions) by adding water. to prepare emulsions, pastes or oil dispersions, the substances, as such or dissolved in an oil or solvent, can be homogenized in water by means of a wetter, tackifier, dispersant or emulsifier. alternatively, it is possible to prepare concentrates composed of active substance, wetter, tackifier, dispersant or emulsifier and, if appropriate, solvent or oil, and such concentrates are suitable for dilution with water. the concentrations in the ready- to-use preparations can be varied within relatively wide ranges. inhibition of soil-borne urease enzymes by direct application of polymer the subject matter described herein is directed to a method of inhibiting urease in a soil comprising contacting the soil with an effective amount of a urease inhibiting polymer as described herein. while use of the polymers hereof in conjunction with urea-containing fertilizers is a primary utility of the polymers, it is also possible to directly apply the polymers to soil, in the absence of urea fertilizers. in this fashion, the action of the polymers will inhibit the urease enzymes, allowing later use of urea fertilizers. in this utility, the polymers are typically used at minor levels consistent with the enzyme-inhibiting properties of the polymers, in aqueous dispersion or solution. thus, the polymers may be applied directly to soil by any convenient technique using aqueous polymer compositions containing from about 0.0002-1 % by weight polymer, based upon the total weight of the aqueous composition taken as 100% by weight, and more preferably from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. in this embodiment, the contacting of the polymer(s) with the soil is in the vicinity of a target plant, such as a crop plant. the method further comprises subsequently contacting the same soil with a nitrogen- containing fertilizer. the method further comprises contacting the soil with a nitrogen- containing fertilizer at the same time as contacting the soil with the polymer(s). in embodiments, the soil can be first contacted with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer and then subsequently with a polymer(s). in this embodiment, the polymer(s) are preferably contacted with the soil within 24 hours of contacting the soil with a fertilizer, or within 12 hours of contacting the soil with a fertilizer, or within 8 hours of contacting the soil with a fertilizer, or within 4 hours of contacting the soil with a fertilizer, or within 2 hours of contacting the soil with a fertilizer. the inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 1 hour of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 30 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 20 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 15 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 10 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 5 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 1 -4 minutes of contact with urease. in embodiments, inhibitor polymer compositions described herein inhibit urease activity by at least 30% within about 1 minute of contact with urease. in embodiments, the level of urease activity at all time periods is from about 30% to about 50%. in an embodiment, the compositions described herein are useful in hydroponic hydroculture systems. the composition can be added to a hydroponic growth media at concentrations described elsewhere herein. the methods also include contacting a composition comprising an inhibitor polymer as described herein with a root of a plant. the application of an inhibitor polymer and compositions comprising an inhibitor polymer according to the methods described herein provides significant ecological and economic advantages. the reduction of ammonia and/or n 2 0 emissions significantly reduces the impact of modern agriculture on the environment as well as on global warming. in addition, losses of nitrogen to the groundwater, risk of eutrophication of lakes and streams are also minimized due to the reduced loss of soil nitrogen. in embodiments, the inhibitor polymer composition and at least one fertilizer comprising urea is applied before and at sowing, before emergence, and until harvest. in another embodiment, the application is repeatedly carried out. in one embodiment, the application is repeated two to ten times, preferably, two to five times; most preferably two times. application rates can be determined by the skilled artisan. exemplary rates include 0.1 g and 2 kg of inhibitor polymer per hectare, or between 1 g and 0.75 kg of inhibitor polymer per hectare, or between between 2 g and 0.3 kg of inhibitor polymer per hectare. however, the amount per hectare depends on different parameters such as the specific active ingredient applied and the plant species treated. the subject matter described herein includes the following embodiments: 1 . a fertilizer composition including urea and a water soluble polymer having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, said polymer present in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. 2. the composition of embodiment 1 , said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 3. the composition of any above embodiment, at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 4. the composition of any above embodiment, said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 5. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 6. the composition of any above embodiment, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 7. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 8. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 9. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1 ,500-200,000. 10. the composition of any above embodiment, said molecular weight being from about 15,000-150,000 or from about 60,000 to about 90,000. 1 1 . the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being a homopolymer. 12. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 13. the composition of any above embodiment, said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 14. the composition of any above embodiment, one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 15. the composition of any above embodiment, at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 16. the composition of any above embodiment, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 17. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 18. the composition of any above embodiment, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 19. the composition of any above embodiment, including at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of polymers different than said alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer, other urease inhibitors, other fertilizers, solvents, colorants, film formers, and mixtures thereof. 20. the composition of any above embodiment, said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 21 . the composition of any above embodiment, said urea being present in the composition at a level of from about 1 -12 moles/l. 22. the composition of any above embodiment, said level being from about 2-10 moles/l. 23. the composition of any above embodiment, said composition comprising one or more solid fertilizers, including solid urea, said polymer applied to the surfaces of said solid fertilizers. 24. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 25. the composition of any above embodiment, including manure as a source of said urea. 26. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 27. the composition of any above embodiment, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 28. the composition of any above embodiment, said fertilizer comprising uan. 29. a method of fertilizing soil comprising the step of applying to the soil a composition in accordance with claim 1 . 30. a method of preparing a fertilizer composition comprising the step of adding to a fertilizer comprising urea an alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer urease inhibitor in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of urease enzyme, said polymer being water soluble. 31 . any above method wherein, said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 32. any above method wherein, at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 33. any above method wherein, said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 34. any above method wherein, said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 35. any above method wherein, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 36. any above method wherein, said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 37. any above method wherein, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 38. any above method wherein, said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1 ,500-200,000. 39. any above method wherein, said molecular weight being from about 15,000-150,000, or from about 60,000-90,000. 40. any above method wherein, said polymer being a homopolymer. 41 . any above method wherein, said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 42. any above method wherein, said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 43. any above method wherein, one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 44. any above method wherein, at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 45. any above method wherein, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 46. any above method wherein, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 47. any above method wherein, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 48. any above method wherein, including at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of polymers different than said alkenylphenyl sulfonate polymer, other urease inhibitors, other fertilizers, solvents, colorants, film formers, and mixtures thereof. 49. any above method wherein, said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 50. any above method wherein, said urea being present in the composition at a level of from about 1 -12 moles/l. 51 . any above method wherein, said level being from about 2-10 moles/l. 52. any above method wherein, said composition comprising one or more solid fertilizers, including solid urea, said polymer applied to the surfaces of said solid fertilizers. 53. any above method wherein, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 54. any above method, including manure as a source of said urea. 55. any above method wherein, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 56. any above method wherein, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 57. any above method wherein, said fertilizer comprising uan. 58. a method of inhibiting soil-borne urease enzyme comprising the step of applying to the soil a water soluble polymer having alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units, said polymer present in a quantity sufficient to inhibit the decomposition of said urea by the action of soil-borne urease enzyme. 59. any above method wherein, said polymer having at least about 25 mole% of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 60. any above method wherein, at least some of said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units having a single pendant phenyl group substituted with one or more sulfonate groups. 61 . any above method wherein, said alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units including styrene sulfonate repeat units. 62. any above method wherein, said polymer having the general formula where r1 through r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c1 -c4 alkyl groups, c1 -c4 alkoxy groups, and -s03-x groups, x is selected from the group consisting of h and salt-forming cations, at least two of r1 through r5, inclusive, are h, and at least one of r6, r7, and r8 is h, and n is from about 5-1500. 63. any above method wherein, wherein the -s03-x group is bonded at the 4 position and r1 through r8 are h. 64. any above method wherein, said polymer being in free acid, partial salt, or complete salt form. 65. any above method wherein, said polymer being in partial or complete salt form, said salt-forming cations selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, quaternary amines, ammonia, ammonium ion, and mixtures thereof. 66. any above method wherein, said polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from about 1 ,500-200,000. 67. any above method wherein, said molecular weight being from about 15,000-150,000, or 60,000 to 90,000. 68. any above method wherein, said polymer being a homopolymer. 69. any above method wherein, said polymer being a copolymer containing at least two different repeat units. 70. any above method wherein, said repeat units selected from the group consisting of alkenylphenyl sulfonate, carboxylate, and vinyl repeat units. 71 . any above method wherein, one of said repeat units being styrene sulfonate, and another of said repeat units being a dicarboxylate repeat unit. 72. any above method wherein, at least about 25 mole% of the repeat units of said polymer being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 73. any above method wherein, at least about 50 mole% of said repeat units being alkenylphenyl sulfonate repeat units. 74. any above method wherein, said polymer being present at a level of from about 0.0002-1 % by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. 75. any above method wherein, said level being from about 0.0005-0.5% by weight. 76 any above method wherein, said composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion. 77. any above method wherein, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 1 .0% by weight. 78. any above method wherein, said polymer being soluble in water at room temperature to give a true solution having a solids concentration of at least about 15.0% by weight. 79. the composition of any above embodiemnt, said polymer providing at least about 25% inhibition of the decomposition of said urea, using the urea decomposition test. examples the following examples set forth uses of the inhibitor polymers in accordance with the present invention. it is to be understood, however, that these examples are provided by way of illustration only, and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention. example 1 a solution was prepared by adjusting an aqueous solution containing 0.105 moles/l of monosodium phosphate with sodium hydroxide to give a ph of 5.0. 19 ml aliquots of this solution were then placed in each of three glass containers, a, b, and c. container a was supplemented with 10.0 microliters of a 1 .0% aqueous solution of a commercially available sodium polystyrene sulfonate polymer having a weight average molecular weight of about 70,000, to give a concentration of 5.0 ppm of the polymer. thereafter, an aliquot of commercially available jack bean urease enzyme solution was added to the container in order to add 40 units of enzyme. this container was covered and allowed to stand for 5 hours at 20°c, whereupon 1 .0 ml of freshly prepared urea solution in water (2.0 moles/l) was added, to give an overall reaction concentration of 0.100 moles/l for both urea and phosphate. container b was supplemented with urea and enzyme in the same amounts as container a, but with no polymer, and the container was covered and allowed to stand for 5 hours at 20°c. container c was supplemented with urea only in the same amount as container a, but with no polymer or enzyme, and again was covered and allowed to stand for 5 hours at 20°c. thus, the three containers had: • container a - phosphate, polymer, urea, enzyme • container b - phosphate, urea, enzyme • container c - phosphate, urea solution urea concentrations were measured accurately in each of the three solutions in containers a, b, and c, immediately after preparation of the solutions and after a 60-minute interval upon standing at 20°c. the urea concentration in the enzyme-free solution of container c was unchanged (less than 1 .0% change from the original reading) after 60 minutes. the concentration of urea in the enzyme-containing solution of container b dropped by about 60%. the concentration in the solution containing the polymer of container a was also unchanged, again less than 1 .0% from the original reading after 60 minutes. the urea concentrations in containers a, b, and c were again tested after 24 hours of standing at 20°c, with the result that the concentration in containers a and c were substantially identical, less than 2.25% change from the original readings; however, the urea concentration in container b was less than 0.1 % of the original concentration, as expected. this example illustrates that the addition of polymer essentially completely prevents decomposition of urea, in that the urea-only container c had essentially the same decomposition as container a containing the polymer, urea, and enzyme. example 2 an aqueous composition was prepared composed of: (1 ) a substantially equimolar maleic-itaconic copolymer in acid form and having a weight average molecular weight of about 3,000 da; and (2) the polystyrene sulfonate polymer of example 1 in acid form having a weight average molecular weight of about 70,000 da. these polymers were present at a level of 5.0% w/w each in water (90% w/w). the polymer solution was reacted with sufficient calcium hydroxide in room temperature with stirring in an open vessel to yield a partial salt mixture having a ph of 2.0. this solution was then concentrated by evaporation to a total solids concentration of 15% w/w. example 3 the partial salt composition of example 2 was used to treat a urea-ammonium nitrate liquid fertilizer (uan or 32-0-0), by adding 0.5 ml of the example 3 product to 99.5 ml of uan with stirring to give a clear solution. this treated uan may be applied to soil as a nitrogen source for plants. example 4 in this test, the identical solutions of container a, b, and c of example 1 were prepared, along with a comparative container d having the same contents as container a except that a solution of nbpt was added to give a concentration of 50 ppm nbpt on an actives basis, in lieu of the polystyrene sulfonate polymer of container a. accordingly, the concentration of nbpt in container d was ten times greater than the amount of polymer in container a. all containers were then covered and allowed to stand for 24 hours at 20°c. thereupon, a 1 .0 ml aliquot of freshly prepared urea solution (2.0 moles/l) was added to each container to give an overall reaction concentration of 0.10 moles/l for both urea and phosphate in all containers. solution urea concentrations in containers a and d were measured immediately and after a 180-minute interval of covered standing at 20°c, giving the following urea concentrations: • container a - essentially unchanged, less than 1 % change from the original reading • container d - substantially the same, less than 3% change from the original reading. after 120 hours of covered standing at 20°c, the urea concentrations of all four containers were measured, giving the following urea concentrations: • container a - substantially the same, less than 3% change from the original reading • container b - less than 0.1 % of the original concentration • container c - substantially the same, less than 3% change from the original reading • container d - 73% of the original concentration. example 5 this test is very similar to that of example 4 except that the stand time was increased to 260 hours, and an additional container e was prepared, which was identical to container d except that it contained only 5 ppm nbpt on an actives basis. the following results were observed. • container a - substantially unchanged, less than 4% change from original reading, after 260 hours • container b - less than 0.1 % of the original concentration at 3 hours into the stand time • container c - substantially unchanged after 260 hours • container d - 38% of the original concentration after 260 hours • container e - 1 % of the original concentration after 260 hours the example 4 and 5 tests confirm that the use of polymers in accordance with the invention is substantially superior to the prior art nbpt material in terms of preventing urea decomposition over extended periods, even when the polymers of the invention are employed at substantially smaller concentrations as compared with nbpt. that is, use of the polymer is approximately 10 times better than the prior art nbpt material, even when the latter is used at a level 10 times greater than that of the polymer. example 6 an aqueous composition was prepared composed of: (1 ) tetrapolymer t5 as described in u.s. patent no. 8,647,406, without any additional neutralization following the polymerization process described therein and having a weight averaged molecular weight of about 3,000 da and (2) the polystyrene sulfonate polymer of example 1 in acid form having a weight average molecular weight of about 70,000 da. 69.2 g of tetrapolymer t5 solution (about 65% w/w, aqueous) was mixed with 27.8 g of polystyrene sulfonate solution (about 18% w/w, aqueous), and the mixture was diluted with deionized water to a total weight of 100.0 g to give a dark yellow, slightly viscous solution. the composition of this solution was as follows: 45% t5 tetrapolymer, 5% polystyrene sulfonate, balance water. example 7 the composition of example 6 was used to treat a urea-ammonium nitrate liquid fertilizer (uan or 32-0-0), by adding 1 .0 ml of the example 6 product to 99.0 ml of uan with stirring to give a clear solution. this treated uan may be applied to soil as a nitrogen source for plants. uan ph during this procedure decreased from about 7.5 (untreated uan) to about 4.0 (treated uan). example 8 the composition of example 6 was used to treat commercial granular urea fertilizer by coating about 0.25 ml of the composition onto about 100 g of urea granules. this treated urea may be applied to soil as a nitrogen source for plants. example 9 the experiments were conducted in the same general manner as shown in example 1 , with the following changes: -incubation time of urease enzyme with polymer prior to urea addition: 18 hours. -treatment (pss) concentration in test solution: as indicated in table, in ppb. -urea concentration readings were taken as described in example 1 , but only the immediate and the first 60 minute interval one, after which the experiment was terminated; this allowed calculation of urea loss rate per hour. -% inhibition (as listed in table) was measured by comparing urea loss rates for the samples listed, with 0% inhibition urea loss rate being that produced by urease enzyme without inhibitor, and 100% inhibition urea loss rate being that produced by urea solution lacking enzyme -results for all the materials tested at each of the concentrations listed were tabulated, see table 1 . -ppb is parts per billion. those skilled in the art will appreciate that the utility of polymer-supplemented urea compositions in accordance with the invention, at dosage rates far lower than heretofore deemed necessary with prior art products, can be exploited in a number of ways. for example, costs can be substantially reduced by using only very minor amounts of the polymers, or alternately much greater inhibition of urea decomposition can be achieved with similar amounts as compared with the prior art. importantly, the extended stand times of example 5 versus example 4 confirms that the compositions of the invention are capable of acting over periods much greater than those of the prior art. as demonstrated by the above examples, the polymers of the invention provide unexpected degrees of inhibition of enzyme-induced urea decomposition, when used with urea-containing fertilizer. in some embodiments, the polymers give at least about 25% inhibition of urea decomposition, more preferably at least about 50% inhibition, and still more preferably at least about 70% inhibition, as compared with the decomposition of the urea- containing fertilizer in the absence of the polymer. the degree of this inhibition for a particular polymer in accordance with the invention can readily be determined by the following test: (1 ) a solution is prepared by adjusting an aqueous solution containing 0.105 moles/l of monosodium phosphate, using sodium hydroxide to give the solution a ph of 5.0. (2) a 19 ml aliquot of this solution is placed in each of two glass containers a and b. (3) 10.0 microliters of a 1 % by weight aqueous solution of the polymer to be tested is added to container a, to give a concentration of 5.0 ppm of polymer. (4) an aliquot of jack bean urease enzyme solution is added to containers a and b at a level of 40 units of enzyme. (5) containers a and b are covered and allowed to stand for 24 hours at an ambient temperature of 20°c. (6) at the end of the 24-hour standing period, urea concentrations of containers a and b are measured, and the extent of inhibition of urea decomposition provided by the polymer in container a, versus the urea decomposition in container b, is calculated as a percentage of non-degraded urea present in container a minus the percentage of non-degraded urea in container b. for example, if container a contains 90% of the original amount of urea and container b contains 5% of the original amount of urea, the extent of inhibition of urea decomposition provided by the test polymer is 90% minus 5%, or 85%. the above test is referred to herein as the "urea decomposition test." all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning. efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers used (e.g. amounts, temperature, etc.) but some experimental errors and deviations should be accounted for. throughout this specification and the claims, the words "comprise," "comprises," and "comprising" are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. it is understood that embodiments described herein include "consisting of" and/or "consisting essentially of" embodiments. as used herein, the term "about," when referring to a value is meant to encompass variations of, in some embodiments ± 50%, in some embodiments ± 20%, in some embodiments ± 10%, in some embodiments ± 5%, in some embodiments ± 1 %, in some embodiments ± 0.5%, and in some embodiments ± 0.1 % from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods or employ the disclosed compositions. where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of the range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed. the upper and lower limits of these small ranges which may independently be included in the smaller rangers is also encompassed, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included. many modifications and other embodiments set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. therefore, it is to be understood that the subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
032-089-854-606-220	DE	[ "GB", "DE", "FR", "US" ]	B01D53/047,B01D53/04,B01D53/30,B64D13/00,C01B13/02,B01D53/02	2004-06-01T00:00:00	2004	[ "B01", "B64", "C01" ]	method for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft	the method serves for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft, with at least two molecular sieve chambers. a part mass flow of the oxygen obtained in the respective adsorbing molecular sieve chamber is supplied for flushing a desorbing molecular sieve chamber. the quantity of the flushing oxygen led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is controlled by way of this.	1. a method for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft, with at least two molecular sieve chambers, the method comprising: providing a throttle valve located in a feed conduit; feeding a part mass flow of oxygen obtained in a respective adsorbing molecular sieve chamber for flushing a desorbing molecular sieve chamber, said adsorbing molecular sieve chamber being connected to said desorbing molecular sieve chamber via said feed conduit; and controlling a feed cross section of said throttle valve located in said feed conduit such that a quantity of the flushing oxygen fed to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is based on an oxygen concentration and on the mass flow of product gas delivered from said adsorbing molecular sieve chamber. 2. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 1 , wherein the quantity control of the flushing oxygen fed to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is additionally controlled by changing a plurality of feed times. 3. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 2 , wherein said control means determines an opening time of said throttle valve such that said throttle valve is closed upon reaching a flushing oxygen gas quantity desorption threshold. 4. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 1 , wherein said product gas is delivered to an oxygen supply of an aircraft. 5. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 1 , wherein said feed cross section is reduced to a minimum feed cross section throughput when said oxygen concentration is a maximum oxygen concentration value, said feed cross section being varied such that a maximum feed cross section throughput is associated with a minimum oxygen concentration value. 6. an aircraft air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft, the air fractionization installation comprising: a first molecular sieve chamber; a second molecular sieve chamber, said first molecular sieve chamber and said second molecular sieve chamber defining an air fractionization structure; a conduit supplying gas to said air fractionization structure and receiving product gas exiting from said air fractionization structure; a feed conduit connecting said first molecular sieve chamber to said second molecular sieve chamber such that one of said chambers, as a desorbing molecular sieve chamber, is flushed with oxygen of product gas of another of said chambers, as an absorbing molecular sieve chamber; a sensing means located downstream of said air fractionization structure for sensing oxygen concentration and mass flow of said product gas exiting from said air fractionization structure; a throttle valve located in said feed conduit and having a throughput cross section that may be varied from a minimum to a maximum throughput; a control means for controlling said throughput cross section to continuously vary said throughput cross section corresponding to variations in oxygen concentration and in mass flow of the product gas sensed by said sensing means, said control means controlling an amount of said product gas supplied to said desorbing molecular sieve chamber from said adsorbing molecular sieve chamber. 7. an air fractionization installation according to claim 6 , wherein said control means comprises a time control by way of which the opening time of the feed valve is controlled. 8. an air fractionization installation according to claim 7 , wherein said control means determines an opening time of said throttle valve such that said throttle valve is closed upon reaching a flushing oxygen gas quantity desorption threshold. 9. an air fractionization installation according to claim 6 , wherein said product gas is delivered to an oxygen supply of an aircraft. 10. an air fractionization installation according to claim 6 , wherein said minimum throughput is associated with a maximum oxygen concentration value, said maximum throughput being associated with a minimum oxygen concentration value. 11. a method for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft, the method comprising: providing a bypass conduit; providing a throttle valve located in said bypass conduit having a variable feed cross section; providing an air fractionization installation with a first molecular sieve chamber and a second molecular sieve chamber, said first molecular sieve chamber being in communication with said second molecular sieve chamber via said bypass conduit; delivering gas to said air fractionization installation and providing product gas exiting from said air fractionization installation; sensing oxygen concentration and mass flow of said product gas exiting said air fractionization installation with a sensor located downstream of said air fractionization installation; continuously varying said feed cross section of said throttle valve based on a variation of said oxygen concentration and a variation of mass flow detected via said sensor such that one of said molecular sieve chambers as a desorbing molecular sieve chamber is flushed with oxygen of product gas of another of said chambers as an adsorbing molecular sieve chamber, whereby said feed cross section of said throttle valve controls an amount of said product gas supplied to one of said molecular sieve chambers functioning as a desorbing molecular sieve chamber from another of said chambers functioning as an adsorbing molecular sieve chamber. 12. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 11 , wherein the quantity control of the flushing oxygen fed to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is controlled by changing a plurality of feed times. 13. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 11 , wherein said control means comprises at least one throttle valve with a controlled throughput cross section. 14. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 12 , wherein said control means comprises a time control by way of which the opening time of the feed valve is controlled. 15. a method for operation an air fractionization installation according to claim 13 , wherein said control means determines an opening time of said throttle valve such that said throttle valve is closed upon reaching a flushing oxygen gas quantity desorption threshold. 16. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 11 , wherein said product gas is delivered to an oxygen supply of an aircraft. 17. a method for operating an air fractionization installation according to claim 11 , wherein said throughput cross section is varied from a minimum to a maximum throughput, said minimum throughput being associated with a maximum oxygen concentration value, said maximum throughput being associated with a minimum oxygen concentration value.	cross reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of priority under 35 u.s.c. §119 of german application de 10 2004 026 650.6 filed jun. 1, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. field of the invention the invention relates to a method for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft with at least two molecular sieve chambers, as well as to an air fractionization installation for carrying out this method. background of the invention for obtaining oxygen on board aircraft, usually air fractionization installations are applied which separate the air constituents of nitrogen and oxygen from one another according to the principle of pressure swing adsorption. with this, the air fractionization is effected such that air is led through a molecular sieve at an increased pressure, wherein the easily adsorbable nitrogen accumulates on the surface of a molecular sieve whist the oxygen which may not be adsorbed on account of its low molecular size passes the molecular sieve. the loading of the molecular sieve may be effected until achieving the condition of equilibrium. its adsorption capacity is exhausted after this. in order to be able to carry out the process of air fractionization again, the regeneration of the loaded adsorber is required, i.e. a desorption of the adsorber, which is effected by a pressure reduction and subsequent flushing. in order to be able to ensure an air fractionization with a quasi-continuous extraction of oxygen, one requires at least two molecular sieve chambers which are operated in parallel, of which in each case one is in the adsorption cycle whilst the other simultaneously regenerates. for flushing the molecular sieve chamber to be regenerated, usually a part gas flow is taken from the product gas flow of the adsorbing molecular sieve chamber and led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber. a method for producing a product gas, in particular oxygen, from a feed gas mixture by way of pressure swing adsorption with which a part mass flow of the product gas is led to the desorbing molecular gas chamber for flushing is known from de 693 23 481 t2. with this, the quantity of the supplied flushing gas is controlled in that the product gas concentration of the flushing gas is measured after the flushing of the desorbing molecular sieve chamber and the supply of flushing gas is stopped after achieving a certain product gas concentration. the flushing of the desorbing molecular sieve chamber with known air fractionization installations on board aircraft is effected in that a part of the product gas flow is taken from the adsorbing molecular sieve chambers during their complete adsorption cycles and is led as a flushing gas to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber. at the same time the limitation of the flushing gas quantity is effected via a fixed throttle device. with air fractionization for example at large flight altitudes in which the adsorption cycles are extended on account of the low air pressure prevailing there, this procedural manner leads to the fact that the flushing gas quantity which is made available for flushing the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is greater than is actually required. this reduces the efficiency of the air fractionization installation and has a negative effect on its energy requirement, size and weight. summary of the invention it is the object of the invention to modify the method for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board aircraft such that the above cited disadvantages do not occur, and the economic efficiency of the method is improved. moreover, a corresponding air fractionization installation is to be provided. according to the invention, a method for operating an air fractionization installation is provided for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft, with at least two molecular sieve chambers. a part mass flow of the oxygen obtained in the respective adsorbing molecular sieve chamber is fed for flushing a desorbing molecular sieve chamber, wherein the quantity of the flushing oxygen fed to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is controlled in dependence on the oxygen concentration and on the mass flow of the product gas. according to another aspect of the invention, an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft is provided with at least two alternately adsorbing and desorbing molecular sieve chambers, wherein the respective desorbing molecular sieve chamber is flushed with oxygen of the adsorbing molecular sieve chamber. a control means is provided for controlling the flushing oxygen quantity in dependence on the oxygen concentration and on the mass flow of the product gas. with the method according to the invention for operating an air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft with at least two molecular sieve chambers, a part mass flow of the oxygen extracted in the respective adsorbing molecular sieve chamber is led to a desorbing molecular sieve chamber for flushing. at the same time the quantity of the flushing oxygen which is supplied to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is controlled in dependence on the oxygen concentration and on the mass flow of the product gas, in order to divert only as much oxygen as is required for desorption. as is usual with the operation of air fractionization installations with several, at least two molecular sieve chambers connected in parallel, a part of the product gas produced by the adsorbing molecular sieve chambers is diverted and led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber as a flushing gas. during the adsorption of one molecular sieve chamber, the oxygen concentration and the mass flow of the extracted product gas is measured and on reaching minimal permissible values, one switches over from adsorption to desorption, i.e. the previously adsorbing molecular sieve chamber is regenerated. departing from the state of the art, with regard to the method according to the invention for operating an air fractionization installation, one does away with providing the desorbing molecular sieve chamber with a flushing gas mass flow which is always the same during the complete adsorption phase. instead of this, the flushing gas mass flow led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is controlled in a manner such that only the quantity of flushing oxygen or flushing gas required for regeneration of the molecular sieve is taken from the product gas flow. in this manner the efficiency of the air fractionization installation, i.e. the ratio of the product gas which is supplied to the oxygen supply of the aircraft and of the product gas which as a flushing gas is led back again into the air fractionization installation is significantly improved on applying the method according to the invention, at all flight, deployment and operating conditions. thus the greatest possible oxygen quantity is always made available to the oxygen supply of the aircraft by the air fractionization installation. this also has a positive effect on the energy requirement of the air fractionization installation. furthermore the size and the weight of the air fractionization installations on board aircraft may be reduced with respect to the known air fractionization installations. the quantity control of the flushing oxygen led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is effected with the method according to the invention advantageously by way of controlling the feed cross section, thus for example by way of a proportional valve. here the cross section of the feed conduit to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber and thus as a consequence, the flushing gas mass flow is changed according to the flight and operating conditions. the size of the feed cross section is set such that only the flushing gas quantity required for regenerating the molecular sieve chamber is led to the respective molecular sieve chamber. thus for example the feed cross section may be reduced at a great flight altitude. since the adsorption phases are extended with an increasing flight altitude, the time duration in which flushing gas is led to a desorbing molecular sieve chamber also increases. this longer flushing phase is compensated by the reduction of the flushing gas mass flow resulting from the reduction of the feed cross section, so that only the quantity of flushing gas required for flushing is removed from the product gas. it may however often be useful to carry out the quantity control of the flushing oxygen which is supplied to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber by way of changing the feed times. in this case the flushing gas mass flow diverted from the product gas flow for flushing the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is determined and the feed conduit to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber is closed on reaching the flushing gas quantity required for regeneration of the molecular sieve. in order to improve the efficiency of the air fractionization installation, it may also be advantageous to carry out the above described quantity control of the flushing gas by way of a combined controlling of the cross section of the feed conduit and of the feed time. for carrying out the method described above, means for controlling the flushing oxygen quantity in dependence on the oxygen concentration and on the mass flow of the product gas are provided on the air fractionization installation for obtaining oxygen on board an aircraft. belonging to these means, apart from a sensor device which determines the oxygen concentration and the mass flow of the product gas, are an evaluation unit which processes the measurement results of the sensor device, and a control unit connected to this evaluation unit, which activates a throttle device arranged in the flushing gas feed on the basis of the evaluation. for variably throttling the flushing gas supply, the means for controlling the flushing oxygen quantity usefully comprise at least one valve whose throughput cross section is controllable. the valve, with which it may for example be the case of a proportional valve or a digital valve, is activated by the control unit, wherein the throughput cross section may be enlarged or reduced by way of suitable control impulses, according to the flushing gas mass flow required for regenerating the desorbing molecular sieve chamber. in a further advantageous embodiment of the air fractionization installation according to the invention, the means for controlling the flushing oxygen quantity comprise a time control by way of which the opening time of the supplying valve may be controlled. the time control controls the opening time of the valve arranged in the feed in dependence on the flushing gas mass flow which is available and is measured by the sensor device. the time control causes the closure of the feed conduit after the completion of an evaluated throughput time. the invention is hereinafter explained by way of one embodiment example represented in the drawing. the various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. for a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. brief description of the drawings in the drawings: the only figure is a block diagram of an air fractionization installation according to the invention for obtaining oxygen on board aircraft. description of the preferred embodiments referring to the drawings in particular, air which is suctioned in the vicinity of the aircraft is supplied to an air fractionization installation 2 via a supply conduit 8 . the air fractionization installation 2 functions according to the principle of pressure swing adsorption and comprises at least two molecular sieve chambers 4 and 6 which alternately extract oxygen from the suctioned air or are regenerated. the represented molecular sieve chamber 4 is situated in an adsorption phase whilst the molecular sieve chamber 6 is regenerated. the suctioned air is compacted in the oxygen-extracting, i.e. adsorbing molecular sieve chamber 4 and flows under pressure through a molecular sieve. the nitrogen contained in the air is bonded in an adsorptive manner on this molecular sieve whilst the product gas with which it is mainly the case of oxygen passes through the molecular sieve and is made available to the oxygen supply of the aircraft which is not shown, via a supply conduit 10 . during the extraction of oxygen, in the adsorbing molecular sieve chamber 4 more and more nitrogen molecules settle on the molecular sieve so that its adsorption capacity is exhausted after a certain time. these molecules must be regenerated, i.e. desorbed, in order to be able to fractionize air again. the desorption of the loaded molecular sieve is effected by a pressure reduction and a subsequent flushing of the molecular sieve chamber 6 with product gas. the product gas which is required for the flushing is made available to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber 6 by the molecular sieve chamber 4 which at this point in time produces the product gas. for this, a part of the product gas mass flow of the adsorbing molecular sieve chamber 4 is diverted from this and led to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber 6 via a feed conduit 12 . the oxygen concentration and the mass flow of the product gas are determined at the output side of the air fractionization installation 2 with the help of a sensor device 14 . the sensor device 14 is connected to an evaluation and control means 16 for processing the readings of the sensor device 14 . the evaluation and control unit 16 controls the flushing gas flow which is supplied to the desorbing molecular sieve chamber 6 from the adsorbing molecular sieve chamber 4 via the feed conduit 12 , on the basis of the readings supplied by the sensor device 14 . for this, a variable throttle valve 18 is arranged in the feed conduit 12 , and the evaluation and control unit 16 may activate this valve via a control lead 20 . with regard to the throttle valve 18 it is the case of an adjustable proportional valve, but alternatively one may also apply a digital valve or another suitable valve. the evaluation and control unit 16 in dependence on the values for the oxygen concentration and the mass flow of the product gas recorded by the sensor device 14 , and via the control lead 20 , causes an enlargement or reduction of the feed cross section of the feed conduit 12 or the closure of this feed conduit 12 , by way of the throttle valve 18 . the closure of the feed conduit 12 may also be effected in a time-controlled manner. in dependence on the throttle cross section of the throttle valve 18 , the evaluation and control unit 16 determines the opening time of the throttle valve 18 so that this throttle valve 18 is closed on reaching the flushing gas quantity required for the desorption. at the same time apart from the throttle cross section of the throttle valve 18 , the product gas flow leaving the adsorbing molecular sieve chambers 4 as well as the flight, deployment and operating variables such as for example the flight altitude are taken into account in the evaluation and control unit 16 on determining the valve opening time. in this manner the evaluation and control unit 16 may provide an optimal time window for the supply of flushing gas which is adapted to the operating conditions. while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. appendix list of reference numerals 2 —air fractionization installation4 —molecular sieve6 —molecular sieve8 —feed conduit10 —supply conduit12 —feed conduit14 —sensor device16 —evaluation and control unit18 —throttle valve20 —control lead
034-062-887-246-56X	DE	[ "US" ]	B60R11/02,B60R11/00	2017-09-04T00:00:00	2017	[ "B60" ]	method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit, telematics unit and module of a vehicle	the invention relates to a method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit ( 1 ) in relation to a vehicle body ( 101 ), the telematics unit ( 1 ) comprising a telematics box ( 2 ) and a holding frame ( 3 ), according to which the telematics box ( 2 ) is inserted into an opening of the holding frame ( 3 ), in a pre-mounting step, and locked to the holding frame ( 3 ), and for mounting from the outside, the telematics unit ( 1 ) formed from the holding frame ( 3 ) and the telematics box ( 2 ) is inserted into a recess ( 102 ) of the vehicle body ( 101 ), adapted to the holding frame ( 3 ), and locked to the vehicle body ( 101 ). for dismounting out of the interior ( 106 ) of the vehicle body ( 101 ), the telematics box ( 2 ) is unlocked from the holding frame ( 3 ) and removed from the holding frame ( 3 ) in the interior ( 106 ).	1. a method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit on a vehicle body, wherein the telematics unit comprises a telematics box and a holding frame, wherein the telematics box comprises an individual mating coupling means, and wherein the holding frame comprises an individual coupling means, the method comprising: inserting the telematics box into an opening of the holding frame in a pre-mounting step, and locking the telematics box to the holding frame; for mounting from an outside, inserting the telematics unit formed from the holding frame and the telematics box into a cut-out of the vehicle body that is matched to the holding frame, wherein the telematics unit is locked to the vehicle body; and for dismounting from an interior of the vehicle body, unlocking the telematics box from the holding frame by an unlocking means formed by the individual mating coupling means and the individual coupling means with a pivoting movement of a lever and removing the telematics box from the holding frame into the interior. 2. the method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the holding frame of the telematics unit is locked to the vehicle body so that said holding frame can be separated from the vehicle body again only by a tool. 3. the method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dismounting of the telematics box is carried out so that unlocking of the telematics box to the holding frame is firstly released by hand and without any tools, wherein a force vector of force exerted for the unlocking is oriented parallel to a plane defined by the vehicle body in an area of the cut-out, wherein the telematics box is unlocked by a sliding movement or by a folding movement. 4. the method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein following the unlocking, the telematics box is firstly tilted with respect to the holding frame so that during a tilting movement, the telematics box remains in contact with the holding frame with an edge located opposite the unlocking means. 5. a telematics unit comprising: a telematics box for accommodation and for connection of components for the communication and data link of a vehicle; and a holding frame, wherein the holding frame comprises an opening, wherein the telematics box and the holding frame are matched to each other in such a way that, in a mounted state, the telematics box is accommodated in the opening and locked to the holding frame, so that the telematics box is carried by the holding frame and is removable by unlocking, wherein the holding frame comprises at least two coupling means for the opening, wherein the telematics box comprises at least two mating coupling means between an upper side and an underside, wherein, in the mounted state, the telematics box sits in the opening of the holding frame in such a way that individual coupling means and individual mating coupling means form coupling pairs, by which the telematics box is captively fixed in the holding frame, wherein the telematics box further comprises at least one unlocking means formed by the individual mating coupling means and the individual coupling means, wherein, by the unlocking means, with a pivoting movement of a lever, the individual coupling means or the individual mating coupling means is moved so that a connection formed by one of the coupling pairs is released to remove the telematics box from the holding frame. 6. the telematics unit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the holding frame is formed as a circumferentially closed holding frame. 7. the telematics unit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the holding frame comprises at least two clamping means on an outer side pointing away from its opening, wherein, in the mounted state, the holding frame is fixed by a form fit in a cut-out of a vehicle body. 8. the telematics unit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the unlocking means is formed as the lever. 9. the telematics unit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the unlocking means is formed as an actuating means comprising the lever and wherein the actuating means is pivotable about a pivot axis. 10. a module of a vehicle, wherein the module comprises: a vehicle body having a cut-out; a telematics box; and a holding frame, wherein the holding frame is matched to the cut-out in the vehicle body in such a way that the holding frame is accommodated in the cut-out in a mounted state and is locked to the vehicle body, so that the holding frame is carried by the vehicle body, and wherein the holding frame and the telematics box are matched to each other in such a way that the telematics box is accommodated in an opening of the holding frame in the mounted state and is detachably locked to the holding frame, so that the telematics box is carried by the holding frame and is configured to be removed from the holding frame by unlocking, wherein the holding frame comprises at least two coupling means for the opening, wherein the telematics box comprises at least two mating coupling means between an upper side and an underside, wherein, in the mounted state, the telematics box sits in the opening of the holding frame in such a way that individual coupling means and individual mating coupling means form coupling pairs, by which the telematics box is captively fixed in the holding frame, wherein the telematics box further comprises at least one unlocking means formed by the individual mating coupling means and the individual coupling means, wherein, by the unlocking means, with a pivoting movement of a lever, the individual coupling means or the individual mating coupling means is moved so that a connection formed by one of the coupling pairs is released to remove the telematics box from the holding frame.	the invention relates to a method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit, a telematics unit and a module of a vehicle. gb 2 123 758 a discloses an insert for a vehicle roof, which fits into a cut-out for a sunroof. the invention is based on the object of developing a method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit and a telematics unit and a module of a vehicle, by means of which a mounting and dismounting process on a vehicle body is made easier and the risk of theft is reduced. the inventive method for mounting and dismounting a telematics unit on a vehicle body, in particular a vehicle roof, provides the steps named below: to produce the telematics unit, which comprises a telematics box and a holding frame, the telematics box is inserted into an opening of the holding frame in a pre-mounting step, and locked to the holding frame,for mounting from the outside, the telematics unit formed from the holding frame and the telematics box is inserted into a cut-out in the vehicle body that is matched to the holding frame, and is locked to the vehicle body,for dismounting from an interior of the vehicle body, the telematics box is unlocked from the holding frame and removed from the holding frame into the interior. despite a subsequent ability to dismount the telematics box from an interior of the vehicle, mounting of the telematics unit from outside is possible. in this way, the mounting is made easier, since this can be carried out exclusively from the outside without any regard having to be paid to the restricted space in an interior of the vehicle. furthermore, the dismounting is also made easier, since, in the event of service, this can be carried out from the interior, so that this can be carried out at a location at which access can also be made to the cable guidance, so that having to have the worker work on the vehicle body from the inside and from the outside is avoided. accordingly, theft is also prevented in this way, since separating the telematics box from the holding frame is possible only in such a way that the telematics box is removed into the interior of the vehicle. provision is also made for the holding frame of the telematics unit to be locked to the vehicle body in such a way that said holding frame can be separated from the vehicle body again only by means of a tool. in particular, connecting the holding frame to the vehicle body by means of snap-in hooks and expanding rivets is provided. in this way, the holding frame is connected to the vehicle body in a theft-proof manner. provision is also made for the dismounting of the telematics box to be carried out in such a way that the locking of the telematics box to the holding frame is firstly released by hand and without any tools, wherein a force vector of a force exerted for the unlocking is oriented parallel to a plane defined by the vehicle body in the area of the cut-out, wherein the telematics box is in particular unlocked by a sliding movement or by a folding movement. in this way, during dismounting, damage to the vehicle body and in particular the vehicle roof is avoided, since it is not necessary for the dismounting to apply any transverse forces, as a result of which there is a danger that the vehicle body is bent and experiences permanently visible damage. in addition, renewed mounting of the telematics box can be carried out from the inside without there being any danger of damaging the vehicle body as a result of the exertion of a force required for the mounting. provision is also made that, following the unlocking, the telematics box is firstly tilted with respect to the holding frame in such a way that during the tilting movement, the telematics box remains in contact with the holding frame with an edge located opposite an unlocking means. in this way, unlocking performed on one side is sufficient to remove the telematics box into the interior of the vehicle. this makes the unlocking process considerably easier for the worker and also makes it possible to perform the unlocking and the removal with one hand. the telematics unit according to the invention, which comprises a telematics box for the accommodation and for the connection of components for the communication and data link of a vehicle, also comprises a holding frame besides the telematics box, wherein the holding frame comprises an opening, wherein the telematics box and the holding frame are matched to each other in such a way that, in the mounted state, the telematics box is accommodated in the opening and locked to the holding frame, so that the telematics box is carried by the holding frame and is removable by unlocking. such a unit, designated as a telematics unit, makes it possible to connect the telematics box and the holding frame to the vehicle body in one mounting step and to insert the same into a cut-out formed in the vehicle body. furthermore, provision is made to form the holding frame as a circumferentially closed holding frame. by means of such a holding frame, a durable and secure connection between the holding frame and the vehicle body and also between the holding frame and the telematics box can be produced. provision is also made for the holding frame to comprise at least two coupling means for its opening, for the telematics box to comprise at least two mating coupling means between an upper side and an underside, wherein, in the mounted state, the telematics box sits in the opening of the holding frame in such a way that the individual coupling means and the individual mating coupling means form coupling pairs, by means of which the telematics box is captively fixed in the holding frame. in this way, a reliable mounting of the telematics box in the holding frame is ensured and at the same time the precondition is created that the telematics box can be detached from the holding frame with one simple action. provision is also made for the holding frame to comprise at least two clamping means on an outer side pointing away from its opening, wherein, in the mounted state, the holding frame is fixed by a form fit in a cut-out of a vehicle body. here, the clamping means are preferably formed as snap-in hooks and/or expanding rivets. as a result of such a fixing of the holding frame, the latter can be mounted easily and quickly by pressing in. furthermore, in this way, given an appropriate design and arrangement of the clamping means, dismounting the holding frame from outside is made more difficult or impossible, so that theft is also prevented. furthermore, provision is made for the telematics box to comprise at least one unlocking means, wherein, by means of the unlocking means, by means of a linear movement or a pivoting movement, one of the coupling means or one of the mating coupling means can be moved in such a way that a connection formed by one of the coupling pairs is released. in this way, it is possible for a worker to unlock and dismount the telematics box quickly and gently from the holding frame from the interior of the vehicle. provision is also made for the unlocking means to be formed by one of the mating coupling means or by one of the coupling means, and for the unlocking means to be formed in particular as a lever, wherein the lever is preferably pivotable about a pivot axis. in this way it is possible for a worker to unlock and dismount the telematics box quickly and gently from the holding frame from the interior of the vehicle. alternatively, provision is also made for the unlocking means to be formed as an actuating means, in particular a lever, by means of which the mating coupling means or the coupling means can be moved, and for the actuating means in particular to be pivotable about a pivot axis. in this way, it is possible for a worker to unlock and dismount the telematics box quickly and gently from the holding frame from the interior of the vehicle. in the inventive module of a vehicle, which comprises a vehicle body having a cut-out and a telematics box, provision is made for the module to comprise a holding frame, for the holding frame to be matched to the cut-out in the vehicle body in such a way that the holding frame is accommodated in the cut-out in the mounted state and is locked to the vehicle body, so that the holding frame is carried by the vehicle body and for the holding frame and the telematics box to be matched to each other in such a way that the telematics box is accommodated in an opening of the holding frame in the mounted state and is detachably locked to the holding frame, so that the telematics box is carried by the holding frame and can be removed from the holding frame by unlocking. by means of such a module, the mounting is made easier, since it can be carried out exclusively from the outside without any regard having to be paid to the restricted space in an interior of the vehicle. furthermore, the dismounting is also made easier, since, in the event of service, this can be carried out from the interior, so that this can be carried out at a location at which access can also be made to the cable guidance, so that having to have the worker work from the inside and from the outside is avoided. accordingly, theft is also prevented in this way, since separating the telematics box from the holding frame is possible only in such a way that the telematics box is removed into the interior of the vehicle. in the sense of the invention, a telematics box is understood to mean a structural unit which combines components of communications technology and information technology in itself and which can be connected in a wired and/or wire-free manner to further components of communications technology and information technology such as optionally, for example, active antennas and/or passive antennas and/or amplifiers and/or terminals. further details of the invention will be described in the drawings by using schematically illustrated exemplary embodiments. in the drawings: fig. 1 : shows a perspective view of a vehicle body and a telematics unit; fig. 2 : shows a cross section through the illustration of fig. 1 according to the section line ii-ii; fig. 3 : shows a perspective view of the telematics unit mounted in the vehicle body, wherein the telematics box is already shown during the dismounting process; fig. 4 : shows a bottom view of the telematics unit; fig. 5 : shows a detailed view relating to fig. 4 ; fig. 6 : shows a perspective view of a second telematics unit in a closed position of a sliding lock, and fig. 7 shows a further perspective view of the second telematics unit, wherein the sliding lock is in an open position. fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle body 101 and a telematics unit 1 . the vehicle body 101 comprises a cut-out 102 , into which the telematics unit 1 can be inserted, wherein the vehicle body 101 is formed as a vehicle roof 103 . in the perspective view, an outer side 104 of the vehicle body 101 or the vehicle roof 103 is visible. an underside 105 of the vehicle body 101 or the vehicle roof 103 is opposite the outer side 104 and points toward an interior 106 , not specifically shown, of a vehicle 107 , not specifically shown, to which the vehicle body 101 belongs. the telematics unit 1 is provided to be inserted into the cut-out 102 in a direction of the arrow y′ from an environment u surrounding the vehicle 107 . the telematics unit 1 comprises a telematics box 2 and a holding frame 3 , wherein the holding frame 3 surrounds the telematics box 2 in the manner of a ring. the telematics box 2 is fixed in the holding frame 3 , so that, during handling of the holding frame 3 , said telematics box maintains its alignment relative to the holding frame 3 . fig. 2 shows the illustration of fig. 1 in a section according to the section line ii-ii. in this view, it can be seen that the holding frame 3 comprises clamping means 4 , 5 on opposite transverse sides 3 a , 3 c (see also fig. 1 ), which, as the telematics unit 1 is pressed into the cut-out 102 of the vehicle body 101 , lock with a web 108 running around the cut-out 102 (see fig. 1 ), so that the telematics unit 1 is fixed to the vehicle body 101 and can be detached from the latter only if the clamping means 4 , 5 are actuated by means of a tool. here—in order to prevent undesired dismounting—provision is made that the clamping means 4 , 5 can be actuated only from the interior 106 of the vehicle 107 . the transverse sides 3 a , 3 c and longitudinal sides 3 b , 3 d (see fig. 1 ) form a circumferential outer side a 3 of the holding frame 3 which points away from an opening 3 e of the holding frame 3 (see fig. 3 ), the telematics box 2 being accommodated in the opening 3 e. the assembly of the telematics box 2 and the holding frame 3 is carried out in a pre-mounting step, so that in the mounting step shown, only the telematics unit 1 has to be installed as a unit. fig. 3 shows how the telematics unit 1 is fixed in the vehicle body 101 in a further perspective view, wherein in this illustration it has also already been shown how the telematics box 2 is already partly unlocked from the holding frame 3 and has been pivoted into the interior 106 of the vehicle 107 for complete dismounting. fig. 4 shows a bottom view of the telematics unit 1 , wherein the telematics unit appears here to be square because of the selected perspective. for simplification, illustration of the vehicle body and of the clamping means has been omitted. arranged on a transverse side 2 a of the telematics unit 2 that extends parallel to the transverse side 3 a of the holding frame 3 is a lock 6 . this lock 6 is illustrated as closed in fig. 4 . in fig. 5 , which shows an enlarged view of a detail v of the telematics box 1 , the lock 6 is illustrated as open. in order to form the lock 6 , the holding frame 3 comprises coupling means 7 , 8 and 9 (see also fig. 4 ) and encloses the telematics box 2 between an upper side 2 - 1 and an underside 2 - 2 of mating coupling means 10 , 11 and 12 (see also fig. 4 ). the coupling means 7 , 8 , 9 and the mating coupling means 10 , 11 , 12 form coupling pairs k 1 , k 2 , k 3 . the mating coupling means 10 is formed as an unlocking means 13 and forms a lever 14 , which is pivotable about a pivot axis s and is unlocked when pivoted by the coupling means 7 , so that, as shown in fig. 3 , the telematics box 2 can be folded downward about a folding axis k (see fig. 4 ) formed by the coupling means 8 , 9 and the mating coupling means 11 , 12 into the interior 106 of the vehicle 107 , in order then to be able to be taken off the coupling means 8 , 9 . from the interior 106 of the vehicle 107 , the telematics box 2 can be fixed in the holding frame 3 again in a manner reversed relative to the preceding description. a force vector kv of a force generated while pivoting the lever 14 about the pivot axis s is oriented parallel to a plane defined by the vehicle body 101 in the region of the cut-out. the telematics box 2 , the holding frame 3 and the vehicle body 101 form a module b of the vehicle 107 (see fig. 1 ). fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a second telematics unit 201 . the telematics unit 201 likewise comprises a telematics box 202 which is accommodated in a holding frame 203 , wherein a vehicle body, on which the holding frame 203 is fixed, is not illustrated. on the holding frame 203 it is possible to see clamping means 204 , which are formed as snap-in hooks or expanding rivets and are used for the fixing to the vehicle body, not illustrated. from an interior 306 , it is possible to see a lock 206 , which can be actuated by a slider 220 . the lock 206 comprises teeth 221 , designated by way of example, which are displaced by the slider 220 by sliding the slider 220 to the left from a closed position, shown in fig. 6 , into an open position shown in fig. 7 . here, in the position shown in fig. 6 , the teeth 221 guided on the telematics box 202 engage in the holding frame 203 in such a way that the telematics box 202 is fixed to the holding frame 203 , wherein the telematics box 202 opposite to the lock 206 is connected to the holding frame 203 in a manner analogous to the first design variant, so that said telematics box 202 can be pivoted downward into the interior 306 from the open position shown in fig. 7 and can be taken off. list of designations 1 telematics unit2 telematics box2 a transverse side of 22 - 1 upper side of 22 - 2 underside of 23 holding frame3 a , 3 c transverse side of 33 b , 3 d longitudinal side of 33 e opening of 3 to accommodate 24 , 5 clamping means of 36 lock of 2 on 37 , 8 , 9 coupling means10 , 11 , 12 mating coupling means13 unlocking means14 levera 3 outer side of 3b modulek folding axisk 1 -k 3 coupling pairskv force vectors pivot axis of 14u environmenty′ arrow direction101 vehicle body102 cut-out103 vehicle roof104 outer side105 underside106 interior107 vehicle201 telematics unit202 telematics box203 holding frame206 lock220 slider221 tooth306 interior
034-219-231-919-584	US	[ "US" ]	G03B21/60,G03B21/56	2007-04-30T00:00:00	2007	[ "G03" ]	woven projection screen	a woven projection screen includes a viewing portion having a front side facing toward a viewing zone. the viewing portion includes a plurality of first filaments having asymmetric geometries in cross-section and having reflective surfaces for primarily reflecting an image signal light and a plurality of second filaments. the plurality of first filaments are interwoven with the plurality of second filaments, such that, the plurality of second filaments are configured to support the plurality of first filaments in a manner that causes the reflective surfaces to be positioned to redirect the image signal light into a range of angles toward the viewing zone.	1. a woven projection screen comprising: a viewing portion having a front side facing toward a viewing zone, a plurality of first filaments having asymmetric geometries in cross-section and reflective surfaces for primarily reflecting an image signal light; and a plurality of second filaments, wherein the plurality of first filaments are interwoven with the plurality of second filaments, and wherein the plurality of second filaments are configured to support the plurality of first filaments such that the reflective surfaces are positioned to redirect the image signal light into a range of angles toward the viewing zone. 2. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first filaments extend in a substantially horizontal direction and wherein the plurality of second filaments extend in a substantially vertical direction. 3. the woven projection screen according to claim 2 , wherein the viewing portion includes gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of first filaments extending in the substantially horizontal direction and gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of second filaments extending in the substantially vertical direction, such that light is visible through the viewing portion. 4. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first filaments comprises an absorptive surface for primarily absorbing ambient light. 5. the woven projection screen according to claim 4 , further comprising: at least one of a reflective material applied to the reflective surface and an absorptive material applied to the absorptive surface. 6. the woven projection screen according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of first filaments are interwoven with the plurality of second filaments in a manner that substantially causes the absorptive surfaces to be oriented in a second predefined direction. 7. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second filaments are substantially more rigid than the plurality of first filaments to thereby cause the plurality of first filaments to bend around the plurality of second filaments when they are woven together. 8. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of second filaments comprises one of a primarily light reflective color and a primarily light absorptive color. 9. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of second filaments comprises a substantially braided configuration. 10. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second filaments are coated with a reflective material. 11. the woven projection screen according to claim 1 , wherein the asymmetric geometries of the plurality of first filaments and the plurality of second filaments substantially prevent the plurality of first filaments from twisting, thereby enabling the reflective surfaces to be positioned to direct the image signal light into a range of angles toward the viewing zone. 12. a method of forming a projection screen, said method comprising: forming a plurality of first filaments, said plurality of first filaments comprising asymmetric geometries in cross-section and a reflective surface for primarily reflecting an image signal light; forming a plurality of second filaments, said plurality of second filaments being substantially more rigid than the plurality of first filaments; and weaving the plurality of first filaments with the plurality of second filaments such that the reflective surfaces of the plurality of first filaments are caused to be oriented in a predefined direction. 13. the method according to claim 12 , wherein weaving further comprises weaving the plurality of first filaments with the plurality of second filaments such that the plurality of first filaments extend in a substantially horizontal direction and the plurality of second filaments extend in a substantially vertical direction. 14. the method according to claim 12 , wherein forming the plurality of first filaments further comprises one of extruding and molding the plurality of first filaments from a base material, said base material comprising one of a primarily light reflective material and a primarily light absorptive material. 15. the method according to claim 12 , further comprising: applying a light reflective material onto the reflective surfaces of the plurality of first filaments prior to the step of weaving. 16. the method according to claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of first filaments comprises an absorptive surface for primarily absorbing ambient light, and wherein the method further comprises: applying a light absorptive material onto the absorptive surfaces of the plurality of first filaments prior to the step of weaving. 17. the method according to claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of first filaments comprises an absorptive surface for primarily absorbing ambient light, and wherein the method further comprises: applying at least one of a reflective material onto the reflective surfaces and applying at least one of an absorptive material onto the absorptive surfaces following the step of weaving. 18. the method according to claim 12 , wherein forming the plurality of second filaments further comprise forming each of the plurality of second filaments from one of a primarily light reflective material and a primarily light absorptive material. 19. the method according to claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of second filaments further comprises forming each of the plurality of second filaments to have a braided structure having surfaces that face multiple directions. 20. a projection system comprising: means for displaying an image, said means for displaying including, a plurality of first filaments having asymmetric geometries in cross-section, said plurality of first filaments comprising means for primarily reflecting an image signal light and means for primarily reflecting ambient light; and a plurality of second filaments interwoven with the plurality of first filaments, wherein the plurality of second filaments are configured to support the plurality of first filaments in a manner that causes the means for primarily reflecting to redirect the image signal light toward a desired direction.	background projection screens are often employed to enhance the display of light projected from projectors by reflecting the light to be viewable by one or more people. conventional projection screens, however, are particularly susceptible to contrast ratio degradation because typical projection screens reflect ambient light as readily as the image projected from projectors. the contrast ratio is the ratio of the brightness of a white pixel to the brightness of a black pixel. a black pixel is generally as white as the ambient lighting because conventional projection screens are typically highly reflective. as such, ambient light incident upon the projection screen is often reflected back to the viewer, thereby reducing the contrast ratio of the image projected from projectors. prior approaches to reducing the effects of ambient light have been to use gray screens to improve the contrast level. however, this technique also reduces the overall brightness of the intended image. accordingly, conventional gray screens require the use of relatively more expensive projectors having substantially higher-powered light sources capable of casting more light to compensate for the reduction in overall brightness. other conventional techniques involve various techniques that have the effect of focusing more of the reflected projector light into a limited viewing cone, which is called “screen gain”. outside of this viewing cone, the picture quality drops, while inside the viewing cone, the brightness is increased with limited effect on improving the contrast ratio, as the ambient light is also affected by the screen gain. some high-gain projection screens have utilized an array of lenses over a reflective background to direct projected light back to a viewer. although these screens preferentially reject ambient light with respect to projected light, they suffer from a severely limited viewing angle and are associated with relatively high costs. brief description of the drawings features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description with reference to the figures, in which: fig. 1 shows a woven projection screen, according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2a shows an enlarged frontal view of part of the woven projection screen depicted in fig. 1 , according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2b shows a cross-sectional top view taken along lines iib-iib in fig. 2a , according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2c shows a cross-sectional side view taken along lines iic-iic in fig. 2a , according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2d shows an enlarged cross-sectional side view of a horizontally extending filament depicted in figs. 2a-2c , according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 3 illustrates a simplified perspective view illustration of a fabrication technique that may be employed to create the horizontally extending filaments depicted in figs. 2a-2d , according to an embodiment of the invention; figs. 4a-4c , respectively, illustrate various cross-sectional shapes of the horizontally extending filaments, according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 5 shows a flow diagram of a method for fabricating a projection screen analyzing and visualizing a thermal profile of a room, according to an embodiment of the invention; and fig. 6 illustrates a section of a viewing portion having vertically extending filaments that have surfaces facing multiple directions, according to an embodiment of the invention. detailed description for simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present invention is described by referring mainly to an exemplary embodiment thereof. in the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. it will be apparent however, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. in other instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention. disclosed herein are a woven projection screen and a method for fabricating the woven projection screen. generally speaking, the woven projection screen is structured and configured to substantially discriminate between an image signal light projected onto the screen by a projector and ambient light, to thereby improve contrast and brightness of the image signal light. in addition, the woven projection screen, and its component parts, are structured and configured to be fabricated in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner. the projection screen includes a viewing portion formed of a plurality of horizontally extending filaments interwoven with a plurality of vertically extending filaments. the horizontally extending filaments are each provided with a reflective surface and the vertically extending filaments support the horizontally extending filaments in a manner that causes the reflective surfaces to redirect image signal light toward a viewing zone. in one regard, the horizontally extending filaments may be preprocessed to include the reflective surfaces, for instance, through directional deposition of reflective material, prior to being interweaved with the plurality of vertically extending filaments. the horizontally extending filaments and the vertically extending filaments may be interweaved in a manner that creates gaps in the projection screen. the gaps may be formed to enable a substantial portion of the light falling onto the projection screen to pass therethrough and enable a camera or an observer positioned behind the projection screen to obtain a reasonably clear image of the objects or persons positioned in front of the projection screen. although particular reference is made throughout the present disclosure of projectors being positioned beneath or below a central horizontal axis of the projection screen, it should readily be understood that the projection screens disclosed herein may alternatively be configured to receive image signal lighting from projectors located above the central horizontal axis of the projection screens without departing from a scope of the projection screens disclosed herein. with reference first to fig. 1 , there is shown a woven projection screen 100 , according to an example. it should be understood that the following description of the projection screen 100 is but one manner of a variety of different manners in which the projection screen 100 may be configured. in addition, it should be understood that the projection screen 100 may include additional features and that some of the features described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing from a scope of the projection screen 100 . to facilitate the description of the projection screen 100 , the orientations with respect to the projection screen 100 are referenced to the coordinate system with three axes that are depicted in fig. 1 as being orthogonal to each other. the coordinate system is chosen to be fixed to the screen projection screen 100 . the projection screen 100 may be extended across a vertical wall for viewing by observers facing the projection screen 100 . in this implementation, the x-axis is selected to be pointing in the vertical direction, the y-axis is selected to be pointing in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the viewing surface of the projection screen 100 , and the z-axis is selected to be pointing in the plane of the viewing side surface of the projection screen 100 . regardless of the actual orientation of the projection screen 100 , the x-axis may be referred to as the vertical axis and the direction along the x-axis may be referred to as the vertical direction or the x-direction. likewise, the y-axis may be referred to as the horizontal-normal axis and the direction along the y-axis as the horizontal-normal direction or the y-direction. in addition, the z-axis may be referred to as the horizontal-in-plane axis and the direction along the z-axis as the horizontal-in-plane direction or the z-direction. as shown in fig. 1 , the projection screen 100 includes a viewing portion 102 supported by a support 104 . generally speaking, the viewing portion 102 is structured and configured to substantially discriminate an image signal light 110 (shown as dashed lines) from ambient light 120 (shown as dotted lines), to thereby improve the brightness and the contrast ratio of the image signal light 110 reflected from the viewing portion 102 . more particularly, the viewing portion 102 is structured and configured to primarily reflect the image signal light 110 from the projection screen 100 in a direction toward a viewing zone 130 located at a range of nominal viewing distances from the projection screen 100 . the viewing portion 102 is also structured and configured to primarily absorb the ambient light 120 , which impinges on the viewing portion 102 from a direction and angle that differs from the direction and angle of the image signal light 110 . the projection screen 100 therefore enables the viewing of relatively high contrast images from an image signal light source 112 , which may comprise, for instance, a dlp projector, an lcd projector, combination projector devices, etc., in an environment containing ambient light 120 . the ambient light 120 may originate from at least one ambient light source (not shown), such as, ceiling or wall mounted light sources, sunlight through a window, indirect light, etc. as also shown in fig. 1 , the viewing portion 102 is composed of a plurality of relatively long and narrow members, such as, filaments, which have been interwoven as discussed below to enable the projection screen 100 to substantially discriminate between the image signal light 110 and the ambient light 120 . although the viewing portion 102 is described herein as being formed of filaments, the components forming the viewing portion 102 may also be described as fibers, wires, cords, strands, etc. in this respect, the term “filament” is not meant to limit the viewing portion 102 in any respect. the interwoven structure of the viewing portion 102 is depicted in greater detail in figs. 2a-2c . with reference first to fig. 2a , there is shown an enlarged frontal view of part of the viewing portion 102 depicted in fig. 1 , according to an example. as shown, the viewing portion 102 is formed of a plurality of interwoven first and second filaments 202 and 204 . more particularly, the first filaments 202 comprise a plurality of horizontally extending filaments, which are interwoven with the second filaments 204 , which comprise a plurality of vertically extending filaments. although the first filaments 202 are described as being “horizontally extending” and the second filaments 204 are described as being “vertically extending”, it should be understood that these terms are to include reasonable deviations from the horizontal and vertical planes, respectively, while still being considered as extending “horizontally” or “vertically”. as shown in fig. 2a , the viewing portion 102 is formed into a grid structure by the interweaving of the horizontally extending filaments 202 and the vertically extending filaments 204 . the grid structure of the viewing portion 102 includes a plurality of gaps 210 formed between adjacent horizontally extending filaments 202 and adjacent vertically extending filaments 204 . the gaps 210 may be provided to generally enable light to pass through the viewing portion 102 . thus, for instance, a camera or a person positioned behind the viewing portion 102 may capture images of a viewer in the viewing zone 130 through a perspective of images displayed on the viewing portion 102 , as may be implemented in a teleconferencing system. the gaps 210 may, however, be optional because the horizontally extending filaments 202 and the vertically extending filaments 204 may be interweaved in manners to substantially prevent formation of the gaps 210 . as discussed above, the viewing portion 102 is configured to substantially discriminate between image signal light 110 and ambient light 120 . in this regard, each of the horizontally extending filaments 202 includes a plurality of surfaces configured to direct light impinging on the surfaces either toward or away from a viewing zone 130 , depending upon the angle at which the light impinges on the horizontally extending filaments 202 . more particularly, the surfaces are configured to primarily direct light originating from a first direction (the image signal light 110 ) toward the viewing zone 130 and to primarily direct light emanating from a second direction (the ambient light 120 ) away from the viewing zone 130 . each of the horizontally extending filaments 202 includes a light reflective surface 220 configured to primarily reflect the image signal light 110 toward the viewing zone 130 and to reflect the ambient light 120 away from the viewing zone 130 . the light reflective surfaces 220 may be provided with relatively thin films of material, such as, aluminum, or other suitable reflective materials. in addition, the reflective material may comprise a conglomerate of reflective particles, each with a linear dimension of about one to one hundred μm. alternatively, however, the light reflective surfaces 220 may comprise relatively smooth sections of the horizontally extending filaments 202 , and may therefore comprise the materials from which the horizontally extending filaments 202 are fabricated. as discussed in greater detail herein below, reflective material, such as those described above, may be applied onto the horizontally extending filaments 202 prior to weaving of the horizontally extending filaments 202 with the vertically extending filaments 204 . in one regard, the reflective material may be applied onto the horizontally extending filaments 202 during a fabrication process of the horizontally extending filaments 202 . in addition, or alternatively, the reflective materials may be deposited following weaving of the horizontally extending filaments 202 with the vertically extending filaments 204 . in either example, the reflective materials may be deposited at an oblique angle with respect to the vertical axis of the horizontally extending section 202 , such that, substantially only the light reflective surfaces 202 receive the reflective material. thus, for instance, the reflective materials may be deposited at an angle that is similar to the angle that the image signal light 110 is configured to impinge on the viewing portion 102 . as further shown in fig. 2a , each of the horizontally extending filaments 202 includes a light absorptive surface 230 . the light absorptive surfaces 230 are structured and configured to primarily absorb light not originating from the projector 112 , such as ambient light 120 . in this regard, the light absorptive surfaces 230 may be positioned at one or more angles, with respect to the vertical axis, that substantially differ from the angles at which the light reflective surfaces 220 are positioned. in addition, the light absorptive surfaces 230 may be provided with a relatively thin film of dark material, such as, relatively small, dark colored particles, relatively dark paint or ink, etc. in any event, the dark material may be deposited at various angles that are substantially perpendicular to the angles of the light absorptive surfaces 230 . in addition, or alternatively, the horizontally absorptive surface 230 may be formed of a light absorptive material or color, which may obviate the need for light absorbing material deposition. in any regard, the light absorptive surfaces 230 are generally configured to absorb a substantial portion of ambient light 120 and therefore substantially prevent the ambient light 120 from being reflected toward the viewing zone 130 . the vertically extending filaments 204 may comprise materials that are relatively more rigid than the horizontally extending filaments 202 , in one example. in another example, the vertically extending filaments 202 and the horizontally extending filaments 204 may comprise the same or similar materials; however, the vertically extending filaments 204 may comprise relatively larger cross-sectional areas as compared with the cross-sectional areas of the horizontally extending filaments 202 , to thereby cause the vertically extending filaments 204 to be relatively stiffer. in either example, the horizontally extending filaments 202 may be deflected around the vertically extending filaments 204 , as shown in fig. 2b , which shows a cross-sectional top view taken along lines iib-iib in fig. 2a . the deflection of the horizontally extending filaments 202 around the vertically extending filaments 204 generally causes the light reflective surfaces 220 to have curved surfaces 222 . the curved surfaces 222 of the light reflective surfaces 220 generally increase the spread of the image signal light 110 across the viewing zone 130 , as also depicted in fig. 2b . in addition, as shown in fig. 2c , which depicts a cross-sectional side view taken along lines iic-iic in fig. 2a , the horizontally extending filaments 202 are interwoven with vertically extending filaments 204 in a manner that causes the reflective surfaces 220 to face toward the viewing zone 130 , regardless of whether the horizontally extending filaments 202 are located in front of or behind the vertically extending filaments 204 . as such, the horizontally extending filaments 202 may be maintained in place such that the reflective surfaces face toward the viewing zone 130 , for instance, due to the asymmetric cross-sectional shape of the horizontally extending filaments 202 . in addition, the manner in which the horizontally extending filaments 202 are interweaved with the vertically extending filaments 204 may also be controlled to substantially ensure that the horizontally extending filaments 202 do not become twisted and are held in the desired arrangement by the vertically extending filaments 204 . with reference now to fig. 2d , there is shown an enlarged cross-sectional side view of a horizontally extending filament 202 , according to an example. as shown in fig. 2d , the reflective surface 220 of the horizontally extending filament 202 is configured to redirect image signal light 110 originating from a projector 112 toward a viewer 140 located in the viewing zone 130 . in addition, the reflective surface 220 is configured to primarily redirect ambient light 120 impinging thereon toward a direction away from the viewing zone 130 , such as, a rejected ambient light zone 150 . the absorptive surface 230 of the horizontally extending filament 202 is further configured to primarily absorb ambient light 120 . although not explicitly shown in figs. 2a-2d , the reflective surfaces 220 of the horizontally extending filaments 202 may be formed at different angles with respect to each other depending upon the locations of the horizontally extending filaments 202 along the x-direction. in one respect, the angles of the reflective surfaces 220 may be varied along the x-direction to keep the reflected image signal light 110 centered about the viewing zone 130 , since the image signal light source 112 may not be centrally located with respect to the viewing portion 102 . various manners in which the horizontally extending filaments 202 and the vertically extending filaments 204 may be fabricated are described in the following figures. it should be understood that in the following descriptions of various fabrication methods, some of the steps may be removed and/or modified and that additional steps may be added. in addition, it should be understood that various parts of the fabrication methods disclosed below may be implemented by a computerized controller. for instance, the tools used to form the filaments 202 and 204 may be computer-controlled. with reference first to fig. 3 , there is shown a simplified perspective view illustration of a fabrication technique 300 that may be employed to create the horizontally extending filaments 202 depicted in figs. 2a-2d , according to an example. as shown therein, a base material 310 may be extruded, as indicated at element 320 , by drawing the horizontally extending filament 202 through a shaped die (not shown) in the direction of the arrow 330 . alternatively, however, the base material 310 may be molded, cut, etc., to have the shape depicted in fig. 3 . in any regard, the horizontally extending filament 202 may comprise cloth-like materials, polyvinyl chloride (pvc), polypropylene (pp) and polyethylene terephthalate (pet), combinations thereof, metals, etc. in addition, although the horizontally extending filament 202 has been depicted as having a substantially solid cross-section, the horizontally extending filament 202 may also be substantially hollow. in the example shown in fig. 3 , a reflective material 340 is applied to the reflective surface 220 after the horizontally extending filament 202 has been formed, but prior to weaving with the vertically extending filament 204 . in addition, an absorptive material 350 is applied to the absorptive surface 230 after the horizontally extending filament 202 has been formed, but prior to weaving with the vertically extending filament 204 . either or both of the reflective material 340 and the absorptive material 350 may be applied through directional evaporation, roller coating, etc. however, the base material 310 may be formed of an absorptive material, such as a black or other relatively dark material. in this example, only the reflective material 340 is provided on the reflective surface 220 . in a further example, the base material 310 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material, where the reflective surfaces 220 are coated with a reflective material. as used herein, the term “transparent” is generally defined to include the definitions of “capable of transmitting light so that objects or images can be seen if there were no intervening material,” and “easily seen through.” the base material 310 may be described as translucent; in that the base material 310 may be colored, polarized, and/or intentionally diffused. although the reflective surface 220 of the horizontally extending filament 202 has been depicted in figs. 2a-2d and 3 as being relatively flat, the reflective surface 220 may have various other shapes 400 , 410 , and 420 as depicted in figs. 4a-4c . more particularly, as respectively shown in figs. 4a-4c , the reflective surface 402 , 412 , 422 may comprise a relatively concave or a relatively convex configuration, which may be capable of increasing a spread of the image signal light 110 , for instance in the vertical direction. as also shown in fig. 4c , the absorptive surface 424 may also have a relatively convex configuration, which may, for instance, ease fabrication of the horizontally extending filament 202 . with reference now to fig. 5 , there is shown a flow diagram of a method 500 for fabricating a projection screen 100 having a viewing portion 102 formed of woven materials 202 , 204 , according to an example. it should be understood that the method 500 may include additional steps and that some of the steps described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing from a scope of the method 500 . at step 502 , a plurality of first filaments 202 (horizontally extending filaments) are formed such that they each have reflective surfaces 220 . as discussed above, the first filaments 202 may be formed through a variety of different processes, such as, extrusion, molding, cutting, etc. at step 504 , at least one of a reflective material 340 and an absorptive material 350 is applied to a surface of the first filaments 202 . the reflective material 340 may be applied to the reflective surface 220 in instances where the first filaments 202 are formed of a non-reflective material, such as a light absorptive material. the absorptive material 350 may be applied to the absorptive surface 230 in instances where the first filaments 220 are formed of a reflective material. both the reflective material 340 and the absorptive material 350 may be applied to the first filaments 202 in instances where the first filaments 202 have insufficient light reflective and light absorptive qualities. alternatively, however, in various instances, either or both of the reflective material 340 and the absorptive material 350 may be applied following weaving of the first filaments 202 and the second filaments 204 . in this example, the materials 340 and/or 350 may be directionally applied to therefore substantially maximize discrimination of the image signal light 110 from the ambient light 120 . in any regard, the reflective material 340 may be applied onto the reflective surface 220 from angles that are substantially equivalent to a range of angles at which image signal light 110 is designed to impinge on the viewing portion 102 , 102 ′, 402 , 402 ′. in addition, light absorbing material 350 may also be applied from angles that are substantially equivalent to a range of angles at which the viewing portion 102 is configured to receive ambient light 120 . at step 506 , a plurality of second filaments 204 (vertically extending filaments) are formed. the second filaments 204 may be fabricated in any of the manners discussed above with respect to the first filaments 202 . alternatively, however, the second filaments 204 may be fabricated in various other manners and may be formed from various other types of materials. in any of these examples, the second filaments 204 may be relatively more rigid or stiffer than the first filaments 202 . in one example, the second filaments 204 may comprise a black or relatively dark color, which provides for a relatively high level of contrast. in a second example, the second filaments 204 may be transparent, which provides for a relatively higher brightness. in either of the examples above, the second filaments 204 may comprise a structure having surfaces that face multiple directions, such as, the second filaments 204 ′ having a braided structure depicted in fig. 6 , which shows a section of a viewing portion 602 , according to another example. the second filaments 204 ′ (vertically extending filaments) may be employed to also primarily redirect image signal light 110 impinging thereon toward the viewing zone 130 . the second filaments 204 ′ may be made reflective by forming the second filaments 204 ′ from a reflective material. alternatively, a directional reflective material deposition process may be implemented to make various surfaces 610 the second filaments 204 ′ directionally reflective. more particularly, for instance, a directional reflective material deposition process may be performed to create reflective surfaces 610 to thereby substantially cause the image signal light 110 impinging on the reflective surfaces 610 to primarily be redirected toward the viewing zone 130 , without substantially causing the ambient light 120 to also be redirected toward the viewing zone 130 . at step 508 , the first filaments 202 and the second filaments 204 are woven together to form the viewing portion 102 of the projection screen 100 . as discussed above, the first filaments 202 may be interwoven with the second filaments 204 , through a weaving process that causes the reflective surfaces 220 of the first filaments 202 to face a desired direction. in addition, the weaving process at step 508 may be performed to control the sizes of the gaps 210 . according to an example, a highly automated weaving machine, such as, a high speed loom (not shown), may be implemented to weave the first filaments 202 and the second filaments 204 together. the viewing portion 102 may therefore be fabricated through a relatively simple and inexpensive manner, as compared with conventional projection screen fabrication techniques. at step 510 , the viewing portion 510 may optionally be supported by a support 104 . the support 510 may be implemented to provide tension on the viewing portion 102 to thereby maintain its shape. step 510 is considered optional because in various instances the support 104 may be unnecessary, such as, when the first and second filaments 202 , 204 have sufficient rigidity maintain a woven configuration. what has been described and illustrated herein is a preferred embodiment of the invention along with some of its variations. the terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the following claims—and their equivalents—in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.
035-740-451-510-442	null	[ "US" ]	G01P15/00,A61B5/11,A63B24/00,G01C22/00,G06F3/0346	null	null	[ "G01", "A61", "A63", "G06" ]	program setting adjustments based on activity identification	an electronic device monitors accelerations using a motion sensor. the electronic device determines a current motion state based on the accelerations. the electronic device identifies a plurality of applications that subscribe to a motion state identification service and notifies a subset of the applications of the current motion state, the subset meeting notification criteria associated with the current motion state.	1. a method for processing motion information, implemented by an electronic device, the method comprising: obtaining acceleration data from a sensor; determining that a periodic motion has occurred based on the obtained acceleration data; incrementing a buffered count corresponding to the periodic motion based on the determination of an occurrence of the periodic motion; and in response to the buffered count reaching a threshold value, adding the buffered count to a motion log, wherein the motion log tracks a total count corresponding to the periodic motion, and outputting the total count of the motion log to a user. 2. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the periodic motion comprises a motion cycle including at least two states, wherein at least one of the at least two states recurs. 3. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the buffered count is stored in a count buffer. 4. the method according to claim 3 , wherein the count buffer storing the buffered count is one a plurality of count buffers, wherein each count buffer of the plurality of count buffers is associated with a different activity. 5. the method according to claim 3 , wherein the count buffer stores buffered counts of periodic motions corresponding to two or more different activities. 6. the method according to claim 1 , wherein based on the periodic motion corresponding to criteria for multiple activities, multiple buffered counts corresponding to multiple count buffers are incremented; and wherein in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, buffered counts other than the buffered count which reached the threshold value are discarded. 7. the method according to claim 1 , further comprising: based on the buffered count being added to the motion log, resetting the buffered count to zero. 8. the method according to claim 1 , further comprising: in response to recognizing a negative event which is a contraindication relative to the periodic motion, resetting the buffered count to zero. 9. the method according to claim 1 , further comprising: in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, initiating an active mode for an activity type corresponding to the periodic motion. 10. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the motion log comprises separate data sets for multiple types of periodic motion. 11. an electronic device for processing motion information, comprising: a sensor configured to generate acceleration data; and a processor configured to: obtain the acceleration data from the sensor; determine that a periodic motion has occurred based on the obtained acceleration data; increment a buffered count corresponding to the periodic motion based on the determination of an occurrence of the periodic motion; and in response to the buffered count reaching a threshold value, add the buffered count to a motion log, wherein the motion log tracks a total count corresponding to the periodic motion, and output the total count of the motion log to a user. 12. the electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the periodic motion corresponding to criteria for multiple activities, increment multiple buffered counts corresponding to multiple count buffers; and in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, discard buffered counts other than the buffered count which reached the threshold value. 13. the electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the buffered count being added to the motion log, reset the buffered count to zero. 14. the electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to recognizing a negative event which is a contraindication relative to the periodic motion, reset the buffered count to zero. 15. the electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, initiate an active mode for an activity type corresponding to the periodic motion. 16. a non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for processing motion information, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, facilitate: obtaining acceleration data from a sensor; determining that a periodic motion has occurred based on the obtained acceleration data; incrementing a buffered count corresponding to the periodic motion based on the determination of an occurrence of the periodic motion; and in response to the buffered count reaching a threshold value, adding the buffered count to a motion log, wherein the motion log tracks a total count corresponding to the periodic motion, and outputting the total count of the motion log to a user. 17. the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate: based on the periodic motion corresponding to criteria for multiple activities, incrementing multiple buffered counts corresponding to multiple count buffers; and in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, discarding buffered counts other than the buffered count which reached the threshold value. 18. the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate: based on the buffered count being added to the motion log, resetting the buffered count to zero. 19. the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate: in response to recognizing a negative event which is a contraindication relative to the periodic motion, resetting the buffered count to zero. 20. the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate: in response to the buffered count reaching the threshold value, initiating an active mode for an activity type corresponding to the periodic motion.	cross-reference related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/791,398, filed on oct. 23, 2017, which is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/673,761 filed on mar. 30, 2015, now u.s. pat. no. 9,797,920, which is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/490,304, filed jun. 23, 2009, now u.s. pat. no. 8,996,332, which claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) of u.s. provisional application no. 61/075,330, filed jun. 24, 2008, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. field of the invention this invention relates to a method of monitoring human activity, and more particularly to identifying user motion states and adjusting program settings based on the user motion state. background the development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (mems) technology has enabled manufacturers to produce inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers) of sufficiently small size, cost, and power consumption to fit into portable electronic devices. such inertial sensors can be found in a limited number of commercial electronic devices such as cellular phones, portable music players, pedometers, game controllers, and portable computers. step counting devices (e.g., pedometers) are used to monitor an individual's daily activity by keeping track of the number of steps that he or she takes. steps are counted by sensing accelerations caused by user motion. step counting devices are not able to detect or count motions other than steps. nor are step counting devices capable of differentiating between different user activities. some step counting devices may be attached to and receive input from external sensors (e.g., a bike cadence sensor) to detect a motion other than a step. however, such step counting devices rely on external sensors for such monitoring capability. these devices are not capable of detecting or counting motions other than steps without the input from external sensors. brief description of the drawings the present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, and can be more fully understood with reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the following figures: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a motion identification system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3a illustrates a first exemplary motion cycle graph that shows a user engaged in a first user activity; fig. 3b illustrates a second exemplary motion cycle graph 350 that shows a user engaged in a second user activity; fig. 4a illustrates a flow diagram for a method of monitoring user motion state with an inertial sensor, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4b illustrates a flow diagram for a method of recording a motion state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 shows a state diagram for the behavior of a system for monitoring user motion state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of operating an electronic device in sleep mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7a illustrates a flow diagram for a method of operating an electronic device in entry mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7b illustrates a flow diagram for a method of operating an electronic device in entry mode, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of operating an electronic device in an active mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of operating an electronic device in an exit mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 10 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of recognizing a user motion state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 11 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of monitoring user motion state using an inertial sensor, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 12 illustrates a flow diagram for a method of using user motion state related information to modify program settings; and fig. 13 illustrates a block diagram of a machine in the exemplary form of a computer system within which a set of instructions may be executed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description embodiments of the present invention are designed to monitor a user's motion state using an inertial sensor. in one embodiment, accelerations are monitored, and a current user motion state is identified from multiple recognizable user motion states based on the accelerations. these motion states include any activities based on periodic human motions, including, for example: walking, running, inline skating, bicycling, exercising on an elliptical machine, exercising on a rowing machine, and cross country skiing, as well as other types of motions such as riding in a car, on a train, on an escalator, etc. in one embodiment, periodic human motions that are appropriate to the current user activity are counted. in one embodiment, the system provides user data on each of the activities that were performed. in this way, a user can monitor his or her overall activity level throughout the day, as well individual activities. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a particular machine or electronic apparatus 100 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, the electronic device 100 is a portable electronic device that includes one or more inertial sensors. the inertial sensors may measure accelerations along a single axis or multiple axes. the inertial sensors may measure linear as well as rotational (angular) accelerations. in one embodiment, the inertial sensors may be two axis or three axis accelerometers. in one embodiment, the inertial sensors may be gyroscopes, or other sensors. the electronic device 100 may be used to identify user motion states and count periodic human motions appropriate to identified user activities. in one embodiment, electronic device 100 operates in conjunction with a server (not shown) to identify user motion states and count periodic human motions. in one embodiment, periodic human motions may be accurately counted regardless of the placement and/or orientation of the device 100 on a user. for example, the electronic device 100 may be carried in a backpack, pocket, purse, hand, or elsewhere, and accurate motion state may be identified. furthermore, the periodic human motions may still be accurately counted. in one embodiment, the device 100 is optimally placed in a particular one of multiple locations on a human for a particular type of motion, to facilitate detection of user motion state and counting of periodic motions. for example, the electronic device 100 may be optimally placed in a pocket while bicycling to ensure the greatest accuracy in counting pedal motions. however, the electronic device 100 may be placed elsewhere and still correctly detect user motion state and count periodic motions. periodic human motions may be accurately counted whether the electronic device 100 maintains a fixed orientation or changes orientation during use. the electronic device 100 in one embodiment comprises an acceleration measuring logic 105 , a motion state identification engine 110 , a motion processor 120 , and a motion log 125 . the acceleration measuring logic 105 may be an inertial sensor or other acceleration sensitive instrument. the acceleration measuring logic 105 may continuously take measurements of acceleration data. the measurements of acceleration data are taken at a sampling rate that may be fixed or variable. in one embodiment, the acceleration measuring logic 105 receives a timing signal from a timer (not shown) in order to take measurements at the sampling rate. in one embodiment, the acceleration measuring logic 105 is coupled to the activity identification engine 110 and to the motion processor 120 , and acceleration measurement data is sent to the activity identification engine 110 and to the motion processor 120 for processing. in one embodiment, measurement data is processed by the motion state identification engine 110 to identify a user's motion state. the motion state identification engine 110 uses the motion data to identify the user motion state from a plurality of identifiable motion states. the motion state identification engine 110 may identify a motion state by monitoring for different events, each event indicative of a type of motion state. in one embodiment, when enough events indicative of a particular motion state are detected without contraindication, the motion state identification engine 110 notifies the motion processor 120 that the user is in the identified motion state. for example, if a number of running steps are detected, without intervening stops or other motion types, the motion state identification engine 110 identifies the user as being in a running motion state. the motion processor 120 may process acceleration measurement data to detect periodic human motions. in one embodiment, a series of motion criteria are applied to the acceleration measurement data. if each of the motion criteria is satisfied, a periodic human motion may be identified, and counted. in one embodiment, a different set of motion criteria may apply for each user activity. in one embodiment, criteria may include positive criteria (ones that must be met to classify a motion in a certain way) and negative criteria (ones that cannot be met to classify a motion in a certain way). once the motion state identification engine 110 has identified a user activity, the motion processor 120 may apply the set of motion criteria specific to the identified activity to detect appropriate periodic human motions for that activity. when an appropriate periodic human motion is detected, it may be recorded in the motion log 125 . in one embodiment, the method described in u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/069,267, entitled “human activity monitoring device with activity identification,” filed on feb. 8, 2008, is utilized to identify activities. that application is herein incorporated by reference. if no motion state has been identified by the motion state identification engine 110 , in one embodiment possible periodic human motions are buffered by the motion processor 120 in a memory (not shown). once the motion state identification engine 110 identifies the user motion state, these buffered periodic human motions may be recorded in the motion log 125 as periodic human motions appropriate to the identified user motion state. for example, if the user starts to jog, the first few step counts may be buffered to ensure that the system identifies jogging. once the user's motion state—jogging—is positively identified, the buffered step counts are added to the step counter. this ensures that even if positive identification of the user motion state takes time, activity performed during the identification period is still tracked. the motion log 125 may maintain separate data sets for each type of periodic human motion. for example, the motion log 125 may have a first record of the number of steps walked in a day and a second record of the number of strides a user has inline skated in a day. the motion log 125 may also include additional statistics for different periodic human motions, for example the average walking speed, the length of time and time in a day during which a particular activity was performed, etc. in one embodiment, the user may be provided with a total activity level evaluation as well, based on the various activities performed. in one embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes one or more programs or modules 130 , which may include applications, system managers, etc. the applications may include applications that use acceleration measurement data (e.g., a pedometer application, a gesture recognition application, a motion sensitive game, etc.) and/or applications that do not directly use acceleration measurement data (e.g., a telephony application, a music player application, a video application, etc.). the system managers may include power managers, screen controllers, volume controllers, and other systems. the programs 130 may receive an identification of a current user motion state from the motion state identification engine 110 . in one embodiment, a program 130 receives an identification of a current user motion state when the program is initially activated. in one embodiment, the program 130 receives user motion state updates periodically (e.g., once every second, once every 10 seconds, once every minute, etc.) or continuously. in one embodiment, the program 130 receives a user motion state update when the motion state changes. the program 130 may then modify one or more settings based on the motion state. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a motion state identification system 200 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the motion state identification system 200 in one embodiment includes an electronic device. in one embodiment, the electronic device is a portable electronic device that includes one or more inertial sensors. in another embodiment, the motion state identification system 200 includes an electronic device coupled to a server. the distribution of the functionality between the portable device and the server may vary. in one embodiment, data acquisition is handled by the portable device, while the server and the portable device share processing of the data. in one embodiment, temporary data storage is handled by the portable device, but historical data is stored on the server. in one embodiment, the motion state identification system 200 comprises a filter 220 , a cadence logic 232 , a rolling average logic 235 , a dominant axis logic 227 , a motion state identification engine 280 , a motion processor 230 and a motion log 275 . the acceleration measuring logic 205 may be an inertial sensor or other acceleration sensitive instrument. the acceleration measuring logic 205 may continuously take measurements of acceleration data at a sampling rate that may be fixed or variable. in one embodiment, the acceleration measuring logic 205 receives a timing signal from a timer (not shown) in order to take measurements at the sampling rate. in one embodiment, the acceleration measuring logic 205 is a 3-dimensional accelerometer. in one embodiment, the sampling rate of the acceleration measuring logic 205 may be based on a level of activity detected. in one embodiment, for slower motions, the sampling rate is decreased. in one embodiment, the acceleration measuring logic 205 is coupled to the filter 220 . measurement data may be processed by the filter 220 to remove noise. the filter 220 may be implemented in hardware, software, or both hardware and software. in one embodiment, the filter 220 includes multiple filters, and a determination of which filters to apply to the measurement data is made based upon the type of user activity detected. for example, a low pass filter may be used to remove high frequency noise that would interfere with step counting when a user is walking. in contrast, a high pass filter may be used when quick motions are to be monitored. the filters may, in one embodiment, include one or more of high pass filters, low pass filters, bandpass filters, and band gap filters. in one embodiment, the filters have adjustable frequency ranges. in one embodiment, one or more filters may be applied to different data sets. for example, a low pass filter may be used to remove jitter data from the inertial data, while the user is jogging. at the same time, in one embodiment, a low pass filter may be applied to the audio stream being played to the user. many types of motions that are useful to keep track of have a periodic set of movements. specific periodic human motions may be characteristic of different types of user activity. for example, to walk, an individual must lift a first leg, move it forward, plant it, and then repeat the same series of motions with a second leg. in contrast, a person inline skating performs a repeated sequence of pushing, coasting and liftoff for each leg. for a particular individual, the sequence of walking motions will usually occur in about the same amount of time, and the sequence of skating motions will usually occur in about the same amount of time. the repeated set of motions can be considered a unit, and defines a motion cycle. the amount of time that it takes to complete one motion cycle defines the motion cycle's period, and the number of motion cycles that occur in a given unit of time define the motion cycle's frequency, or cadence. in one embodiment, filtered measurement data may be passed on to the cadence logic 232 . the cadence logic 232 may determine a period and/or cadence of a motion cycle. the period and/or cadence of the motion cycle are based upon user activity (e.g. inline skating, biking, running, walking, etc). in one embodiment, the motion cycle's period is verified or updated after each periodic human motion. the current motion cycle period in one embodiment is a rolling average of the motion cycle periods, based on a recent set of motions of the same activity type. this rolling average data may be received from the rolling average logic 235 , as discussed in more detail below. in one embodiment, the cadence logic 232 maintains one or more cadence windows. a cadence window is a window of time since a last periodic human motion was counted that is looked at to detect a new periodic human motion. when motion criteria (e.g., threshold conditions) are met within a cadence window, a periodic human motion is detected, whereas when motion criteria are met outside of the cadence windows no periodic human motion is detected. a cadence window may be used to facilitate accurate measurement of a periodic human motion (e.g., a step, inline skating stride, bicycle pedal, rowing stroke, etc.). a cadence window may be set based on the period and/or cadence of the actual motion cycle (e.g., a stepping period), on set limits, and/or on other factors. in one embodiment, the cadence window is determined by using the period of the current periodic human motion. in one embodiment, the cadence window may be a multiple of the current period (e.g. if the user is jogging at 180 steps per minute, e.g. three steps per second, the cadence window may be 0.66 seconds, e.g. twice the expected period between steps). in one embodiment, the cadence window is a dynamic cadence window that continuously updates as a user's cadence changes during a particular activity. for example, using a dynamic cadence window, the cadence window length may be verified or adjusted after each periodic human motion. if no previous periodic human motions have been detected, or if less than a set number of periodic human motions to determine a dynamic cadence window have been detected, a default cadence window may be used. once enough periodic human motions have been detected to determine a dynamic motion cycle cadence or period, the cadence window may be set to the determined motion cycle period plus or minus an error factor. in one embodiment, a count of between about two to about ten periodic human motions is sufficient to set a dynamic cadence window. in one embodiment, a separate default cadence window may be maintained for each identifiable user activity. in one embodiment, a separate default cadence window may be maintained for each user, for each identifiable user activity. each identifiable user activity may have, for example, a unique default cadence window. when no specific current user activity has yet been identified, these separate cadence windows may be maintained concurrently for each of the possible user activities, in order to correctly identify the actual user motion state. periodic human motions that occur outside of a default cadence window may indicate that the user motion state has changed. once the motion cycle's period is detected, the cadence logic 232 may set one or more sample periods for the rolling average logic 235 to use based upon the motion cycle's period. a sample period can include a specified time frame over which obtained measurements are used to perform a calculation. in one embodiment, the sample period(s) is approximately the length of the motion cycle's period. in one embodiment, a sample period is set such that it is a multiple of the motion cycle's period. in one embodiment, the rolling average logic 235 may receive filtered measurement data from the filter 220 and one or more sample periods from the cadence logic 232 . the rolling average logic 235 creates one or more rolling averages of accelerations as measured by the inertial sensor(s) over the sample period(s) set by the cadence logic 232 . the rolling averages of accelerations may be used for determining an orientation of the electronic device, for determining thresholds to compare acceleration measurements against, and/or for other purposes. in one embodiment, the rolling average logic 235 creates one or more rolling averages of accelerations for determining an orientation of the electronic device 200 , at least one rolling average having a period that is at least the motion cycle's period. in one embodiment, the rolling average logic 235 creates a rolling average of accelerations for determining a lower threshold to compare acceleration measurements against, the rolling average having a sample period that is at least twice the stepping period. the rolling average logic 235 may create one or more rolling averages of data other than accelerations. in one embodiment, the rolling average logic 235 creates a rolling average of motion cycle periods, where the rolling average is the rolling average of the periodic human motions. in one embodiment, the rolling average of motion cycle periods is calculated over the past four counted periodic human motions. the rolling average of the motion cycle periods may be used by the cadence logic 232 to dynamically determine a cadence window and a current motion cycle cadence. in one embodiment, rolling averages may be maintained in memory registries that keep track of rolling average values and the number of samples that were used to calculate current rolling average values. when a new measurement is taken, it can be incorporated into the rolling average value, and the registry can than be updated with a new rolling average value. alternatively, the rolling averages may be maintained by buffering the measurements used to calculate the rolling averages. in one embodiment fifo buffers may be used, such that as the buffers fill, oldest measurement data is discarded and replaced by new measurement data. the measurements in the buffer can be averaged after each measurement to determine a new rolling average. in one embodiment, the dominant axis logic 227 receives at least filtered acceleration data from the filter 220 , and rolling averages of accelerations from the rolling average logic 235 . in one embodiment, the dominant axis logic 227 receives only rolling averages of accelerations from the rolling average logic 235 . the dominant axis logic 227 may assign a dominant axis based on the received information. in one embodiment, the dominant axis logic 227 determines an orientation of the electronic device and/or the inertial sensor(s) within the motion identification system 200 . the orientation may be determined based upon the rolling averages of accelerations created by the rolling average logic 235 . in one embodiment, once the orientation is determined, a dominant axis is assigned based upon the orientation. determining an orientation of the electronic device may include identifying a gravitational influence. the axis with the largest absolute rolling average may be the axis most influenced by gravity, which may change over time (e.g. as the electronic device is rotated). therefore, a new dominant axis may be assigned when the orientation of the electronic device and/or the inertial sensor(s) attached to or embedded in the electronic device changes. in one embodiment, the axis with the largest absolute rolling average over the sample period is assigned as the dominant axis. in one embodiment, the dominant axis does not correspond to one of the actual axes of the inertial sensor(s) in a current orientation, but rather to an axis that is defined as approximately aligned to gravity. in one embodiment, the dominant axis corresponds to a virtual axis that is a component of a virtual coordinate system. in one embodiment, the dominant axis setting logic 240 assigns the dominant axis by performing a true gravity assessment, such as by doing trigonometric calculations on the actual axes based on the gravitational influence. in one embodiment, the dominant axis setting logic 240 assigns the dominant axis by comparing the gravitational influence to a data structure such as a lookup table, associative array, hash table, adjacency matrix, etc. in one embodiment, the dominant axis is determined based on criteria other than a device orientation in relation to gravity. for example, the dominant axis may be determined based on an axis that has a greatest peak to peak variation within a motion cycle. in one embodiment, multiple dominant axes are assigned, each dominant axis being associated with a different user activity. the dominant axis may be assigned based on criteria specific to an associated user activity. for example, a first dominant axis may be assigned to the user activity of walking based on an axis that is most influenced by gravity, and a second dominant axis may be assigned to the user activity of bicycling based on an axis that has the greatest peak to peak variance. the motion state identification engine 280 may receive as an input filtered acceleration measurement data from the filter 220 . the motion state identification engine 280 may also receive a cadence and/or period of a current motion cycle and a current cadence window from the cadence logic 232 , rolling averages (e.g., of accelerations) from the rolling average logic 235 , and one or more dominant axes from the dominant axis logic 227 . in one embodiment, the motion state identification engine 280 includes multiple motion state identification logics 285 . in one embodiment, each of the motion state identification logics 285 is set up to determine whether the current acceleration data defines a particular activity, movement, or other type of motion state. alternatively, motion state identification logic 285 may be capable of identifying two or more possible motion states. in one embodiment, the motion state identification engine 280 includes only a single motion state identification logic 285 , which is used to identify all identifiable user motion states. alternatively, there may be separate motion state identification logic 285 for each activity, there may be separate motion state identification logics 285 for each activity type, or there may be separate motion state identification logics 285 based on some other criteria. in one embodiment, there is a separate motion state identification logic 285 for motion states associated with periodic human motion (e.g. walking, running, bicycling, etc.) and motion states not associated with such motions (e.g. riding in a car, escalator, elevator, etc.) motion state identification logic 285 identifies a specific user motion state by monitoring for acceleration data indicative of that type of motion state. the acceleration data is analyzed, and the motion state identification logic 285 may make its determination based on one or more of the received acceleration data, motion cycle cadence, motion cycle period, cadence windows, rolling averages, and dominant axes. in one embodiment, when enough events indicative of a particular user motion state are detected by motion state identification logic 285 , the motion state identification engine 280 notifies the motion processor 230 that the user is in the identified motion state. in one embodiment, each time motion state identification logic 285 detects an event indicative of a particular type of motion, that event is forwarded to the motion processor 230 . the motion processor 230 may then determine whether the user is performing an activity associated with the received event or received events. in one embodiment, the motion state identification logic 285 also monitor for negative events that indicate that a user is not performing a particular user activity, or is not in a particular motion state. these negative events may also be used by the motion state identification engine 280 and/or the motion processor 230 to identify a current user motion state. in one embodiment, the motion state identification engine 280 determines the probability that a user is in a particular motion state. for example, the motion state identification engine 280 may determine that there is a 95% confidence that the user is running. at the same time, the motion state identification engine 280 may also determine that there is a 25% confidence that the user is bicycling. in one embodiment, this indicates that 19 out of 20 indicators suggest that the user's motion state is running, while 1 out of 4 indicators suggest the user's motion is bicycling. there may be one counter indicator, or one other motion state identification engine 280 that has identified the activity as something other than running. the confidence/probability that a user is in a particular motion state may be determined based on a number of positive and/or negative events that are satisfied for that user motion state. the confidence/probability may also be determined based on the how close an acceleration measurement is to a threshold of a positive or negative event. for example, if a walking positive event includes an upper acceleration threshold of 3 m/s 2 , and the positive event was satisfied with a reading of 2.99 m/s 2 , then a confidence rating may be lower than if the positive event was satisfied with a reading of 2.6 m/s 2 . figs. 3a and 3b illustrate examples of motion data which may be used by a motion state identification logic that identifies bicycling by monitoring for positive and negative motion events associated with bicycling, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. fig. 3a illustrates a first exemplary motion cycle graph 300 that shows a user engaged in a first user activity as analyzed by a motion state identification logic that identifies bicycling, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the exemplary motion-cycle graph 300 shows acceleration data taken with a single tri-axis inertial sensor. the acceleration at a given period of time is represented for a first axis 303 , a second axis 305 , and a third axis 307 . the motion state identification engine associated with identifying bicycling, which can be referred to as the bicycling identification logic, monitors for positive events and negative events that occur when certain motion criteria are satisfied. in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic uses a dominant axis that is defined by measuring the axis with the largest peak to peak difference. this is because in bicycling the user's leg moves in a circle around the axis of the pedal with the downward motion displaying a largest peak to peak difference. in the illustrated figure, the first axis 303 is the dominant axis, because it has the greatest peak to peak difference. in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic only examines acceleration data along the dominant axis. in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic uses a rolling average of accelerations 310 for the dominant axis to set a first threshold 315 and a second threshold 320 . the first threshold 315 and second threshold 320 may be set based on offsets from the rolling average of accelerations 310 . alternatively, the first threshold 315 and second threshold 320 may be set based on a percentage of the peak to peak difference, on a percentage of the average of the peak to peak difference, on a percentage of half of the peak to peak difference, or on other criteria. for example, the first threshold 315 may be set at 25% of the peak to peak difference, and the second threshold 320 may be set at 75% of the peak to peak difference. a first periodic human motion may be detected when the first threshold 315 is first crossed 325 (moving away from zero). this may trigger a positive bicycling event. a second periodic human motion may be detected when the first threshold 315 is crossed a second time 330 (moving away from zero). in one embodiment, if the first threshold 315 is crossed a second time 330 while within a cadence window 345 , a positive bicycling event may be triggered. if the first threshold 315 is not crossed 330 while within the cadence window 345 , a negative bicycling event may be triggered. the cadence window 345 has a cadence window minimum 343 that opens the cadence window 345 some period of time after the first threshold 315 is first crossed 325 , and a cadence window maximum 347 that closes the cadence window 345 some period of time thereafter. in the illustrated example, the first threshold 315 is crossed within the cadence window 345 , triggering a positive bicycling event. the second threshold 320 may be used by the bicycling identification logic to determine a peak shape for the acceleration measurements along the first axis 303 . in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic notes each time the second threshold 320 is crossed. in one embodiment, if the time between when the second threshold 320 is first crossed 335 and second crossed 340 is less than a peak window 350 , then a negative bicycling event may be triggered. in one embodiment, unless the time between when the second threshold 320 is first crossed 335 and crossed the second time 340 is greater than or equal to the peak window 350 , then a negative bicycling event is triggered. in one embodiment, if the second threshold 320 is crossed within 25-35% or 65-75% of the average of the motion cycle's period, the peak is too steep, and a negative event is triggered. in one embodiment, if the second threshold 320 is crossed within certain percentages of the average of the motion cycle's cadence, a negative event is triggered. in the illustrated example, no negative bicycling events are triggered. moreover, the illustrated example shows an embodiment in which a sufficient number of positive events are triggered to identify the current user activity as bicycling. fig. 3b illustrates a second exemplary motion cycle graph 350 that shows a user engaged in a second user activity as analyzed by a motion state identification logic that identifies bicycling, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the exemplary motion-cycle graph 350 shows acceleration data taken with a single tri-axis inertial sensor. the acceleration at a given period of time is represented for a first axis 353 , a second axis 355 , and a third axis 357 . the bicycling identification logic monitors for positive events and negative events that occur when certain motion criteria are satisfied. in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic uses a dominant axis that is defined by measuring the axis with the largest peak to peak difference. in the illustrated figure, the second axis 355 is the dominant axis, because it has the greatest peak to peak difference. in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic uses a rolling average of accelerations 360 for the dominant axis to set a first threshold 365 and a second threshold 370 . a first periodic human motion may be detected when the first threshold 365 is first crossed 375 (moving away from zero). this may trigger a positive bicycling event. a second periodic human motion may be detected when the first threshold 365 is crossed a second time 380 (moving away from zero). in one embodiment, if the first threshold 320 is crossed a second time 380 while within a cadence window 398 , a positive bicycling event may be triggered. if the first threshold 365 is not crossed 380 while within the cadence window 398 , a negative bicycling event may be triggered. in the illustrated example, the first threshold 365 is crossed within the cadence window 398 , triggering a positive bicycling event. the second threshold 370 may be used by the bicycling identification logic to determine a peak shape for the acceleration measurements along the second axis 355 . in one embodiment, the bicycling identification logic notes each time the second threshold 370 is crossed. the time between when the second threshold 370 is first crossed 385 and second crossed 388 is less than a peak window 390 , triggering a negative bicycling event. the negative bicycling event may reset a counter that counts a number of positive bicycling events. each illustrated peak would trigger a negative bicycling event. therefore, not enough positive bicycling events are triggered to identify the current user activity as bicycling. figs. 3a and 3b illustrate the analysis performed by the bicycle identification logic. similar analysis is performed for other types of motions. returning to fig. 2 , the motion processor 230 may receive positive and negative events from the motion state identification logics 285 of the motion state identification engine 280 . the motion processor 230 may also receive dominant axis data from the dominant axis logic 227 , rolling average data from the rolling average logic 235 , a cadence and period for a current motion cycle from the cadence logic 232 , cadence windows from the cadence logic 232 , and filtered acceleration data from the filter 220 . the motion processor 230 may include a counting logic 260 , mode logic 255 , and one or more count buffers 265 . in one embodiment, the mode logic 255 receives positive and negative events from the motion state identification logics 285 . the mode logic 255 may then determine an appropriate mode for the counting logic 260 based on the received events. the mode logic 255 may also use count buffers 265 in making this determination. count buffers track periodic human motions, to ensure that the count is maintained while the motion state is correctly identified. in one embodiment, each motion state which is potentially being identified has a separate count buffer. in one embodiment, while in an entry mode, the first count buffer to reach a predetermined value determines which active mode to initiate. in one embodiment, the mode logic 255 includes a plurality of active modes, each active mode corresponding to a different activity. in one embodiment, the mode logic 255 includes an entry mode, an exit mode and a sleep mode. operating modes are discussed in greater detail below in reference to fig. 5 . the counting logic 260 may receive data from the dominant axis logic 227 , rolling average logic 235 , cadence logic 232 , and filter 220 . the counting logic 260 may use this data to count periodic human motions. in one embodiment, the behavior of the counting logic 260 is determined by its current operating mode. the counting logic 260 may determine which measurements to use to determine if a periodic human motion has occurred. in one embodiment, the counting logic 260 may monitor accelerations relative to the dominant axis, and select only those measurements with specific relations to the dominant axis for measurement. for example, only accelerations that are along the dominant axis may be selected (e.g., in walking active mode), or alternatively, only accelerations that are approximately perpendicular to the dominant axis may be selected (e.g., in rowing active mode). in one embodiment, the counting logic 260 uses only measurements of acceleration data along the dominant axis. in alternative embodiments, measurements of acceleration data along other axes may also be used. selected measurements may be compared to motion criteria to determine whether a periodic human motion has occurred, and to determine what type of periodic human motion has occurred. examples of motion criteria include comparisons of current measurements to previous measurements, comparisons of current measurements to threshold values, slope analysis, curve fitting analysis, peak analysis, etc. in one embodiment, the same criteria that are used to identify events by the activity identification logics are also used to count periodic human motions. alternatively, different criteria may be used. in one embodiment, crossing threshold(s) in a motion is used to count. in one embodiment, the motion criteria used are dependent on a current operating mode of the counting logic 260 . the count buffers 265 keep track of a probable count of periodic human motions. in one embodiment, the motion processor 230 includes a plurality of count buffers 265 , each associated with a different user activity. alternatively, a single count buffer may be used to buffer periodic human motions for two or more user activities. in one embodiment, a single count buffer 265 maintains buffers for all user activities. the behavior of the count buffers 265 may depend on the operating mode of the counting logic 260 . for example, in entry mode, a separate count buffer may be maintained for each possible user activity. when the system identifies a periodic human motion that meets the criteria of a particular user activity, the count buffer corresponding to that user activity may be incremented. a detected periodic human motion may meet the criteria for a number of different user activities. until a current user activity is identified, in one embodiment such motion would be counted by each of the corresponding count buffers 265 . depending on the current mode, when one of the count buffers 265 reaches a certain number, the motion log 275 may be updated the count from the count buffer. this may also cause the motion logic 255 to place the counting logic 260 in an active mode, for the user motion state associated with the count buffer. in one embodiment, all count buffers 265 are then reset. thus, the “false motions” counted by the other count buffers 265 are discarded. the number of periodic human motions that are counted by the count buffer before they are moved to the motion log 275 may vary from two to ten or more, depending on the current operating mode. moreover, in one embodiment count buffers corresponding to different user activities may have different count requirements. the motion log 275 keeps track of the total number of periodic human motions that have occurred, and the associated activities. in one embodiment, this data is transmitted to a server or remote database. the output of the motion log 275 , in one embodiment, is made available to the user. in one embodiment, the user can view the various activities, and associated data through a web page. in one embodiment, the user can see an overall activity level on a per hour, per day, per week, or other basis, in addition to being able to see the individual activities comprising the overall activity level. in one embodiment, one or more programs 290 are coupled to the motion state identification system 200 . the one or more programs 290 may receive an identification of a current user motion state from the motion state identification system 200 . in one embodiment, the programs 290 receive motion state identification information from the motion state identification engine 280 . in another embodiment, the programs 290 receive motion state identification information from the motion processor 230 . in one embodiment, the identification of the current user motion state is received along with a confidence rating for the current user motion state. for example, a program may receive information indicating that there is a 98% chance that the user is walking. in another embodiment, the identification of multiple possible current user motion states is received along with confidence ratings for each possible user motion state. for example, a program may receive an indication that there is a 70% confidence that the user is running and a 30% confidence that the user is bicycling. in one embodiment, the programs 290 receive additional information from the motion identification system 200 . the additional information may be information that is derived from the acceleration measurements (hereinafter referred to as motion related information). for example, the programs 290 may receive information on a user's current cadence, a user's current rolling average, a current dominant axis, counted periodic human motions, etc. in one embodiment, the programs 290 poll the motion identification system 200 to determine a current user motion state and/or additional user motion related information. the programs 290 may poll the motion identification system 200 continuously, periodically, or upon occurrence of predefined events (e.g., when a music player application begins to play a new song). alternatively, current motion related information may be posted to a current motion related information cache (not shown). in one embodiment, the motion related information cache may be maintained with current up-to-date information by motion identification system 200 . programs 290 may then obtain data from the cache to determine a current user motion state, including current cadence, current dominant axis, etc. in one embodiment, the programs subscribe to one or more motion related information services through subscription logic 292 . each subscription entry may identify what types of motion related information that the subscription logic 292 of motion identification system 200 is to send to the programs 290 . each subscription entry may also identify when to send updated motion related information to the programs 290 . for example, a subscription may cause the motion state identification system 200 to send cadence updates every 10 seconds and user activity updates every 5 seconds. alternatively, a subscription may cause the subscription system 292 to send a current user activity update whenever a current user motion state changes. in one embodiment, a program 290 uses the received user motion state information to adjust settings of the program 290 . for example, if the program 290 is a music player application, it may adjust a volume level and/or the music tempo based on the detected user motion state. if, for example, a user is detected to be running, the volume and/or music tempo may be increased. in another example, if the program is a telephony application, the ringer and/or speaking volume may be increased or decreased based on the detected user motion state. other settings, such as what user gestures are used as commands may also be adjusted based on the detected user motion state. in another embodiment, the program uses the received motion state information to adjust settings of the program 290 . for example, a music player application may adjust a music tempo to match a detected user cadence. in another example, the music application may generate a playlist of songs that match a user's current cadence. this makes it easier for the user to maintain a cadence by matching the music tempo. moreover, the music application may be integrated with a user fitness application that indicates for the user to speed up or slow down by selecting songs that are faster or slower in tempo than the user's current cadence. fig. 4a illustrates a flow diagram for a method 400 of determining a motion state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the method may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. in one embodiment, method 400 is performed by the electronic device 100 of fig. 1 . in one embodiment, method 400 is performed by the motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . referring to fig. 4a , method 400 begins with monitoring accelerations (block 405 ). accelerations may be monitored with an inertial sensor, or other acceleration monitoring device. the monitored acceleration may include filtered and processed acceleration data, as described above. at block 410 , the motion is identified as corresponding to one of a plurality of motion states based on the accelerations. the motion states may include user activities involving periodic human motions, or other motion states which do not require a user to be performing periodic human motions. at block 415 , the process determines whether the motion state corresponds to an activity that includes periodic human motions. if so, at block 420 , periodic human motions are counted appropriate to the identified activity. examples of identifiable user activities include, walking, running, inline skating, rowing, exercising on an elliptical machine, and bicycling. other user activities may also be identified. the process then returns to block 410 , to continue monitoring accelerations. if the motion state does not correspond to an activity with periodic motions, the process returns to block 410 , to continue monitoring accelerations. periodic human motions corresponding to multiple different predetermined user activities may be identified in embodiments of the present invention. moreover, in one embodiment, new user activities may be added to the list of recognized periodic human motions. to add such periodic human motions to the predetermined user activities, a user may record a new user activity. fig. 4b illustrates a flow diagram for a method 450 of recording a motion profile, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. method 450 may be used to record new user motion states or activities, or to calibrate existing activities to a particular user. calibration of existing user activities may improve counting accuracy. calibration may be useful when the user's activity is performed in an unusual way. for example, if the user is riding a recumbent bicycle, the motions will not match the traditional “bicycling” motion cycle graph. the method 450 may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. method 450 may be performed by the electronic device 100 of fig. 1 , and by the motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . referring to fig. 4b , the method 450 begins by receiving a command to record a motion profile (block 455 ). at block 460 , input is received that indicates the user activity for which the motion profile will be recorded. in one embodiment, the system may enable the user to select one of a displayed list of existing user activities. in one embodiment, the user may select one of the displayed user activities or may choose to identify a new user activity to be associated with the motion profile. if a motion profile is to be recorded for a new user activity, the user may be prompted to enter a name for the new user activity. at block 465 , a command is received to begin recording. at block 470 , measurements of accelerations are recorded. the measurements of accelerations are recorded while a user performs the user activity for which a motion profile is to be recorded. at block 475 , the process determines whether the recorded measurements define a unique pattern. in one embodiment, measurements of accelerations are recorded until a unique pattern can be determined. a unique pattern differentiates the recorded pattern from other motion profiles. if a unique pattern has not yet been identified, the process determines if the user has stopped the recording and/or motion, at block 480 . in one embodiment, if the user stops recording before such a unique pattern is identified, the system prompts the user to continue recording, at block 485 . the process then returns to block 470 to continue recording motion data. if the user has not stopped the recording, the process continues directly to block 470 . the time to determine a pattern may range from recording a single motion cycle, to recording many motion cycles, which may occur over a single second to minutes or even longer. in one embodiment, user input may be received to specify the period of a current motion cycle. for example, a user may push a button, make a certain movement, make a loud noise, etc. each time a new periodic human motion ends (e.g., each time a step is completed). this may reduce the number of motion cycles that need to be recorded in order to determine a pattern from the recorded measurements. alternatively, the period of the motion cycle is determined without user input. in one embodiment, the system utilizes at least two full motion cycles to identify the pattern. without any user input as to the period or motion type, it is likely that more than two motion cycles would be needed to identify the pattern. if at block 475 , a unique pattern has been identified, the process continues to block 490 . in one embodiment, the user is notified that the new activity pattern has been successfully identified. at block 490 , in on embodiment a motion cycle average may be determined for the activity. once a unique pattern of accelerations is determined for the activity, at block 495 , the motion profile may be added to either an existing user activity or to a new user activity. the unique pattern of accelerations may also be used to determine (set) positive and/or negative events for the activity. for example, if the unique pattern of accelerations shows a repeated sharp acceleration peak along a dominant axis, a sharp acceleration peak along the dominant axis may be added as a new positive event and/or a gradual peak along the dominant axis may be added as a new negative event. if method 450 was initiated to calibrate an existing user profile, the calibration may include adding new positive and/or negative events to the existing positive and/or negative events. if method 450 was initiated to record a new activity, new positive and/or negative events may be assigned to facilitate future identification of the new activity. it is possible that the motion recording does not define a unique pattern even after a considerable time. in one embodiment, after a period the system may indicate to the user that the motion cycle matches an existing activity. the user may concur that the existing activity does match the attempted new motion cycle pattern. in that case, the motion cycle pattern may be used to adjust the motion cycle associated with the identified activity. alternatively, in one embodiment the recording process may fail. fig. 5 shows a state diagram for the behavior 500 of a system for monitoring user motion states, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the system may have multiple operating modes (states) that are navigated between by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. in one embodiment, behavior 500 is the behavior of the electronic device 100 or a subset of the device shown in fig. 1 . in one embodiment, behavior 500 is the behavior of the electronic device or inertial sensor(s) within motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . the behavior 500 may include multiple operating modes for monitoring human activity: a sleep mode, an entry mode, one or more active modes, and an exit mode. in alternative embodiments, more or fewer modes may be used. in one embodiment, only two modes are used: active mode and non-active mode. the active mode is entered once periodic human motions are detected, while the non-active mode is used for all other states. in alternative embodiments, multiple inactive modes and/or active modes are used. to navigate between modes, certain conditions must be met. the conditions may include exit conditions for terminating an active mode and entry conditions for initiating inactive modes. each mode has one or more exit and entry conditions. use of different conditions for different operating modes increases the reliability of the device that is monitoring the human activity. for example, once an object (e.g., a person) is moving, they are more likely to remain moving than to stop. likewise, if a person is not moving, they are more likely not to move than to begin moving. moreover, if a person is running, he is more likely to continue running than to begin bicycling. these principles can be applied by requiring more stringent conditions to be met for a device to initiate an active mode than to continue the active mode. the different modes may each have rules that reflect what is more likely to happen for subsequent measurements. this may reduce or eliminate the number of uncounted periodic human motions and/or false periodic human motion counts. referring to fig. 5 , operating modes in one embodiment include a sleep mode 505 , an entry mode 515 , an active mode 525 , and an exit mode 535 . in one embodiment, the power level of the system or device is linked to these modes. the first mode is the sleep mode 505 . when no activity (acceleration) is detected, the system remains in sleep mode 505 . when acceleration is detected, an entry mode 515 is initiated. in one embodiment, in sleep mode 505 the inertial sensor has a slow sample rate, thereby reducing power consumption of the system. in one embodiment, in sleep mode 505 only those portions of the processor needed to monitor the accelerometer are awake, and the remaining parts of the processor are placed in a sleep mode. once in entry mode 515 , in one embodiment the sampling rate of the inertial sensor is increased to ensure that acceleration is monitored to detect periodic human motions. in entry mode 515 , periodic human motions appropriate to all identifiable user activities may be monitored. therefore, in one embodiment, the sampling rate is sufficiently high to properly detect the fastest possible activity. in another embodiment, the sampling rate is adjusted based on the actual observed motion level. for example, when the user is strolling, the sampling rate need not be as fast as when the user is utilizing gesture commands or riding a bicycle. when entry conditions are satisfied for a particular user activity, an appropriate active mode 525 is initiated. the sampling rate is then adjusted to be appropriate for the activity being detected, in one embodiment. in one embodiment, if no entry conditions for any of the identifiable user activities are detected in a period of time, sleep mode 505 is reinitiated. in another embodiment, sleep mode 505 is only initiated if no motion is detected. once in the appropriate active mode 525 , acceleration data is monitored to count periodic human motions according to a predefined set of rules or motion criteria as discussed above. according to one of these criteria, periodic human motions are expected to occur within a set interval (e.g., within a cadence window). when a periodic human motion is counted within the set interval, then the current active mode 525 is continued. when a periodic human motion is not detected within the set interval, an expected periodic human motion has not occurred, and an exit mode 535 is initiated. in exit mode 535 , processing logic determines whether re-entry conditions are met. reentry conditions are met when subsequent periodic human motions consistent with the last active mode are observed. by using an exit mode to verify that the activity has ceased, the system reduces the chances that a single stumble by the user triggers a full re-analysis of the motion. when the re-entry conditions are met, the appropriate active mode 525 is reinitiated. if the re-entry conditions are not met within a certain time frame, the process initiates entry mode 515 again. from entry mode 515 , any appropriate active mode 525 may again be entered into if certain entry conditions are satisfied, or the process may return to sleep mode 505 . fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 600 of operating an electronic device in sleep mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, method 600 corresponds to the sleep mode 505 of fig. 5 . in one embodiment, the method 600 may begin when no relevant acceleration has been detected for a predetermined time interval, or when no periodic human motions have been detected for a predetermined time interval. in one embodiment, when no acceleration above a threshold value is detected for a set period of time, the sleep function is initiated. in another embodiment, when only motion signatures indicative of an activity that does not need to be monitored is detected, the sleep function is initiated. for example, when the motion signature of driving is detected, the sleep function may be initiated. the time period that elapses before the sleep mode is initiated may be fixed, or it may be adjusted automatically by processing logic or based on user input (e.g. in response to a user selection of desired battery longevity versus desired performance, or based on the last measured cadence window). referring to fig. 6 , method 600 begins with setting a sleep mode sampling rate (block 605 ). in one embodiment, a low sampling rate is set. this reduces power consumption and prolongs battery life. in one embodiment, the sleep mode sampling rate is a fixed value. in alternative embodiments, the sleep mode sampling rate can be modified automatically by processing logic based on certain criteria such as time of day, user behavior patterns, etc., or based on user input. in one embodiment, a sampling function is periodically executed in sleep mode, wherein the sampling function samples acceleration data at a set sampling rate for a set time period. for example, the sampling function may be executed every ten seconds for the duration of one second, and a sampling rate of fifty measurements per second may be set for that one second of operation. in one embodiment, the sampling function repeats at a relatively slow rate (e.g., once every 10 seconds), and the sampling rate within the sampling function is relatively high (e.g., 50 hz). the sampling function may be used to detect unwanted motion signatures, or to maintain a device in low power sleep mode, for example, while a user is driving in a car. in one embodiment, the sleep mode sampling rate is set to zero. the sleep mode sampling rate may be set to zero, for example, when an inertial sensor has ‘inertial wakeup’ functionality. inertial wakeup functionality enables processing logic to switch from sleep mode to entry mode when an acceleration exceeding a set threshold is detected. the inertial wakeup may be used to simultaneously exit sleep mode and power-up additional functionality. at block 610 , measurements of acceleration data are taken. at block 615 , processing logic determines whether or not relevant acceleration is detected. relevant acceleration includes acceleration that meets certain criteria. in one embodiment, the criteria include a lower threshold and an upper threshold. in alternative embodiments, other criteria may also be used, such as a requirement that acceleration be continuously measured for a preset time period. when no relevant acceleration is detected, or when the ‘inertial wakeup’ pin has not triggered (for inertial sensors having ‘inertial wakeup functionality’), sleep mode continues, and further measurements of acceleration data are taken at the set sleep mode sampling rate (block 610 ). when acceleration is detected, sleep mode is terminated and entry mode is initiated (block 620 ). in one embodiment, the acceleration that is detected and its rate of change must meet certain criteria to terminate sleep mode. fig. 7a illustrates a flow diagram for a method 700 of operating an electronic device in entry mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, method 700 corresponds to the entry mode 515 of fig. 5 . the entry mode may be initiated when a user first begins an activity in which periodic human motions may be detected. in one embodiment, the method 700 begins when any relevant acceleration is detected. in one embodiment, entry mode is initiated when a measurement of acceleration that meets certain criteria has been detected. in one embodiment, method 700 is initiated when a sleep mode is terminated. in one embodiment, method 700 is performed concurrently by each of the activity identification logics 285 of fig. 2 when the motion identification system 200 and/or the counting logic 260 of the electronic device are in entry mode. referring to fig. 7a , method 700 begins by setting the sampling rate to an active sampling rate (block 704 ). the active sampling rate is set to facilitate accurate measurements of motion states, and periodic human motions, and may be a fixed or a dynamically variable rate. a variable sampling rate may automatically adjust depending on detected motion frequency/level, a period of a detected motion cycle's cadence, may be user adjusted, may adjust based on applications being run by processing logic, or other aspects of the motion data or device state. the active sampling rate may be set to anywhere between about 10 and about 200 hz in one embodiment. in one embodiment, the active sampling rate is set to about 15 to 40 hz. at block 710 , a first periodic human motion is recognized. a periodic human motion, in one embodiment, is a motion cycle which includes at least two recognized states, at least one of which recurs. for example, the motion cycle may be motion a, b, c, repeating. a periodic human motion is recognized, in one embodiment, when motions a, b, c, a (or b, c, a, b) are identified. since no previous periodic human motions have been measured, and there is no cadence window, the first periodic human motion may be recognized at any time. once a first periodic human motion is recognized, a default cadence window is set (block 714 ). the default cadence window may have a minimum and maximum such that periodic human motions will be counted for most or all possible motion cycle cadences. a different default cadence window may be set for each activity. in one embodiment, a separate instance of method 700 is run for each instance of activity identification logic. in one embodiment, an initial default value for the cadence window is set wide enough to accommodate all users. in one embodiment, the default cadence window is then dynamically adjusted to match the specific user. processing logic may ‘learn’ (adapt to) a particular user, and may become more accurate as periodic human motions are counted. processing logic that has the ability to learn or adapt to different users may create an individualized profile for each user. multiple profiles may also be created for each user, the different profiles reflecting different user activities. for example, a first profile might be created for a user's running and a second profile may be created for a user's walking. processing logic may switch between different profiles automatically or manually based on user input. in one embodiment, processing logic compares a current cadence and/or motion cycle pattern to stored profiles. when a current cadence or motion cycle pattern matches that of a stored profile, that profile may be activated. at block 720 , a buffered count is set to one. at block 724 , processing logic determines whether an additional periodic human motion is recognized. an additional periodic human motion may be recognized if the motion cycle meets all the necessary criteria. different criteria may be used for each of the different user activities. one embodiment of these criteria is discussed below with reference to fig. 10 . returning to fig. 7a , if an additional periodic human motion is recognized, method 700 continues to block 744 . if no additional periodic human motions are recognized, then processing logic determines whether the time is still within the cadence window (block 730 ). if there is still time within the cadence window, the process returns to block 724 to determine whether an additional periodic human motion is recognized. if the cadence window has closed, then the buffered count is reset to zero (block 734 ). the process then continues to block 740 . at block 740 , processing logic determines whether any relevant acceleration is detected. if no relevant acceleration is detected, then sleep mode is initiated (block 742 ). if some relevant acceleration is detected, then processing logic returns to block 710 to monitor acceleration data and attempt to identify a periodic human motion. if at block 724 an additional periodic human motion was recognized, the process continues to block 744 . at block 744 , an additional periodic human motion is added to the buffered count. processing logic then checks whether any negative events have been recognized (block 745 ). a negative event is an indicator that the motion does not belong the activity category being tested. if a negative event is recognized, then the process continues to block 734 , and the buffered count is reset to zero. if no negative events are recognized, then the process continues to block 746 . at block 746 the process determines whether another user activity associated with a different instance of method 700 has been identified. that is, it determines whether another activity has been conclusively identified. if another user activity has been identified, then the buffer is emptied and the process ends. if no other user activity has been identified yet, then the process continues to block 748 . at block 748 , processing logic checks whether there are n periodic human motions in the buffered count. n may be preset, or may be based on a confidence interval detected. if not, the process returns to block 724 to continue in entry mode. when the number of periodic human motions in the buffered count reaches n, the buffered periodic human motions are added to a motion log, and an appropriate active mode is entered into (block 749 ). the entry mode then terminates, and all buffers are reset to zero. fig. 7b illustrates a flow diagram for a method 750 of operating an electronic device in entry mode, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, method 750 corresponds to the entry mode 515 of fig. 5 . the entry mode may be initiated when a user first begins an activity in which periodic human motions may be detected. in one embodiment, the method 750 begins when any relevant acceleration is detected. in one embodiment, entry mode is initiated when a measurement of acceleration that meets certain criteria has been detected. in one embodiment, method 750 is initiated when a sleep mode is terminated. referring to fig. 7b , method 750 begins by setting the sampling rate to an active sampling rate (block 754 ). the sampling rate, in one embodiment, depends on the highest sampling rate required by a potentially recognizable activity. at block 757 , a first periodic human motion is recognized for each identifiable user activity. since no previous periodic human motions have been measured, and there is no cadence window, the first periodic human motion may be recognized at any time. once a first periodic human motion is recognized, default cadence windows are set (block 760 ). default cadence windows may be set for each type of identifiable user activity. at block 763 , a buffered count is set to one for each of the identifiable user activities. at block 765 , processing logic determines whether additional periodic human motions are recognized for each of the identifiable user activities. different criteria may be used to separately determine whether an additional periodic human motion is recognized for each of the user activities. for user activities for which an additional periodic human motion is recognized, method 750 continues to block 783 . concurrently, for user activities for which no additional periodic human motion is recognized, the process continues to block 770 . at block 770 , the process determines whether the time is still within the appropriate cadence window for each appropriate user activity. if there is still time within the appropriate cadence window, the process returns to block 765 for that user activity. if the cadence window has closed, then the appropriate buffered count is reset to zero (block 775 ). the process then continues to block 777 . at block 777 , processing logic determines whether any relevant acceleration is detected. if no relevant acceleration is detected for any of the user activities, then sleep mode is initiated (block 779 ). if some relevant acceleration is detected for any user activity, then processing logic returns to block 757 to await recognition of another first periodic human motion for the appropriate user activity. if at block 765 an additional periodic human motion was recognized, the process continues to block 783 for the appropriate user activity, and an appropriate periodic human motion is added to an appropriate buffer count. at block 788 , processing logic checks whether any negative events have been recognized for each appropriate user activity. for user activities for which a negative event is recognized, the process continues to block 775 , and the appropriate buffered count is reset to zero. for user activities for which no negative event is recognized, the process continues to block 790 . at block 790 the process determines whether sufficient periodic human motions have been recognized to identify a current user activity. if sufficient periodic human motions have been recognized for a particular user activity, the process continues to block 795 . at block 795 , the entries in the appropriate buffered count are added to the motion log, and an active mode is initiated for the identified activity. fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 800 of operating an electronic device in an active mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. in one embodiment, method 800 corresponds to the appropriate active mode 525 of fig. 5 . the active mode may be initiated when a particular motion state has been identified. in one embodiment, method 800 is initiated when an entry mode is terminated, and/or when an exit mode is terminated. referring to fig. 8 , method 800 begins by setting a cadence window (block 810 ). the cadence window may be set based on previous measurement data. in one embodiment, the cadence window is set based on a rolling average of motion cycle periods. in one embodiment, the cadence window may be identical to an appropriate cadence window used during entry mode. once the cadence window is set, measurement data is checked to determine whether an additional periodic human motion is recognized (block 815 ). if an additional periodic human motion is recognized, then it is added to the motion log (block 820 ). if no additional periodic human motion is recognized, then the process determines whether a negative event has been recognized 822 . if a negative event has been recognized, the process continues to block 830 , and exit mode is initiated. if no negative event has been recognized, the process continues to block 825 . at block 825 , the process determines whether the current measurement was taken within the cadence window. if the cadence window is still open, the process returns to block 815 . if the cadence window has elapsed, then an expected periodic human motion was not identified, and an exit mode is initiated (block 830 ). fig. 9 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 900 of operating an electronic device in exit mode, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, method 900 corresponds to the exit mode 535 of fig. 5 . the exit mode may be entered into when an expected periodic human motion is not identified in an active mode. in one embodiment, the requirement(s) for changing from exit mode to an active mode are less strict than the requirement(s) for switching from entry mode to an active mode. processing logic may assume that when a user has recently performed a periodic human motion, the user is most likely repeat the same periodic human motion. for example, a user who is inline skating is much more likely to continue skating movements than to break into a jog. furthermore, momentary interruptions of activities occur when people stumble, or miss a step, or otherwise do something unexpected while continuing the underlying activity. processing logic may also assume that if a user is currently inactive, it is most likely that the user will remain inactive. these assumptions may be implemented by imposing more stringent requirements to switch from entry mode to an active mode than to change from exit mode to an active mode. the requirements to remain in an active mode may be even less stringent than the requirements to initiate the active mode, whether from the entry mode or from the exit mode. an expected periodic human motion may not be identified, for example, when a user stops moving, when extraneous movements such as gestures are made that interfere with the periodic human motion count, or when a device orientation is changed as a periodic human motion occurs. in one embodiment, the exit mode assumes that a periodic human motion has been missed, so that if the exit mode determines that a user is still continuing the same activity, the originally uncounted periodic human motion is not missed. the process begins by initiating a timer (block 905 ). the timer measures the amount of time that has passed since a periodic human motion has been identified. in one embodiment, the timer is a countdown timer that terminates exit mode when the timer reaches zero. in one embodiment, the timer starts counting when a cadence window minimum is reached, and stops counting when a cadence window maximum is reached. in an alternative embodiment, the timer starts counting as soon as the exit mode is initiated, and stops counting when a cadence window maximum is reached. at block 910 , a periodic human motion is added to a buffered count. at block 915 , processing logic determines whether the buffered count is equal to x, where x is the number of identified periodic human motions that, when reached, return processing logic to an appropriate active mode. in one embodiment, x is between 3 and 8. in one embodiment, the value of x is dependent upon the specific active mode that exit mode was initiated from. if the buffered count is equal to x, then the buffered periodic human motions are added to motion log and the previous (appropriate) active mode is reinitiated (block 920 ). if the buffered count is not equal to x, then processing logic proceeds to block 925 . at block 925 , processing logic determines whether the timer has timed out (allotted time has elapsed). in one embodiment, the timer times out when no periodic human motions are counted within a cadence window. in one embodiment, the timer times out when no periodic human motions are counted in two or more cadence windows. if the allotted time has elapsed, then the buffered count is cleared, and entry mode is initiated (block 930 ). if the allotted time has not elapsed, then processing logic determines whether a negative event has occurred (block 932 ). if a negative event has occurred, the method returns to block 930 . if no negative event has occurred, the method proceeds to block 935 . at block 935 , processing logic determines whether an additional periodic human motion is recognized. if an additional periodic human motion is recognized, then the timer is reset (block 905 ), the buffered count is incremented by one (block 910 ), and on the process continues to block 915 . if a periodic human motion is not recognized, then processing logic returns to block 925 to determine whether the timer has elapsed. fig. 10 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 1000 of recognizing a periodic human motion, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. in one embodiment, method 1000 may be executed by one or more of blocks 710 and 724 of fig. 7a , blocks 757 and 765 of fig. 7b , block 815 of fig. 8 and block 935 of fig. 9 . in one embodiment, method 1000 is performed by electronic device 100 of fig. 1 , or the motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . referring to fig. 10 , the process begins with measurements of acceleration data being received (block 1005 ). measurements are taken according to a sampling rate, which may vary. in one embodiment, the sampling rate may range from one measurement per second to many measurements a second, depending on the operating mode being used. at processing block 1010 , in one embodiment measurements are filtered. measurements can be filtered to remove high frequency data and/or low frequency data. in one embodiment, what data to filter depends on the type of user activity being detected. at processing block 1012 , in one embodiment the inertial sensor is oriented by assigning a dominant axis. assigning a dominant axis may include calculating rolling averages of acceleration and assigning the dominant axis based on the rolling averages of acceleration. assigning the dominant axis may also include determining which axis has the largest peak to peak difference. in one embodiment, filtering may simply remove acceleration data not along the dominant axis. at block 1015 , processing logic determines whether a measurement is within a cadence window. if the measurement is not within a cadence window, then no periodic human motion may be recognized or counted for that measurement (block 1040 ). if the measurement is within the cadence window, the process continues to block 1017 . at block 1017 , processing logic determines whether motion criteria are met. for example, in one embodiment the process may determine whether acceleration along the dominant axis is greater than a lower threshold. in one embodiment, the process may determine whether the measurement exceeds the rolling average by a set margin. in one embodiment, processing logic may determine whether acceleration along the dominant axis is greater than previous measurements. other criteria than those mentioned herein may also be used. if all required motion criteria are met, then the appropriate periodic human motions are counted (block 1035 ). in one embodiment, the data from the detected motion is also added to the rolling averages, as described above. furthermore, as noted above, this process continues while the device is monitoring for periodic human motions. fig. 11 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 1100 of determining and utilizing a motion state using an inertial sensor, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. the method may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. in one embodiment, method 1100 is performed by the electronic device 100 of fig. 1 . in one embodiment, method 1100 is performed by the motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . referring to fig. 11 , method 1100 begins with monitoring accelerations (block 1105 ). accelerations may be monitored with an inertial sensor, or other acceleration monitoring device. the monitored acceleration may include filtered and processed acceleration data, as described above. at block 1110 , the motion is identified as corresponding to one or more of a plurality of possible motion states based on the accelerations. in one embodiment, a single motion state is identified. in another embodiment, multiple possible motion states are identified, each with an accompanying confidence rating. for example, it may be determined that there is a 90% confidence that a user is walking and a 10% confidence that the user is hopping. the motion states include user activities (e.g. walking, bicycling, inline skating, using an elliptical machine, using a rowing machine, running, hopping, walking up stairs, etc.) as well as non-active motion states (e.g. standing, sitting, riding in a vehicle, being in an elevator, going on an escalator, etc.) at block 1115 , a user motion state identification service subscription list is scanned to determine whether any programs are subscribed to a motion related information service. if one or more programs are subscribed to the service, the method continues to block 1120 . otherwise the method returns to block 1105 to continue monitoring motion states. at block 1120 , entries in the user motion state service subscription list are scanned to determine notification criteria. examples of notification criteria include, a change in user motion state, a predetermined time interval, etc. if the criteria in an entry are satisfied, the method continues to block 1125 . otherwise the method returns to block 1105 . at block 1125 , the program corresponding to the entry in the user motion state subscription list is notified of the identified user motion state. the method then returns to block 1105 . fig. 12 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 1200 of using motion related information to modify program settings. the method may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. in one embodiment, method 1200 is performed by the electronic device 100 of fig. 1 . in one embodiment, method 1200 is performed by a program 290 that is coupled to the motion identification system 200 of fig. 2 . referring to fig. 12 , method 1200 begins with a program receiving current user motion state information (block 1205 ). in one embodiment, the program polls a motion identification system and/or a cache to receive the motion state data. in another embodiment, the motion state identification system sends the motion state data to the program without being polled. in one embodiment, the program subscribes to a user motion state identification service or other motion related information service. the motion identification system may send the user motion state identification to all programs that subscribe to the service when predefined conditions are satisfied. for example, the motion identification system may send updates of a current user motion state whenever the current user motion state changes, or may send updates based on other subscription criteria. in one embodiment, a single user motion state is identified. in another embodiment, multiple different possible user motion states are identified, each with an accompanying confidence rating. for example, it may be determined that there is a 90% confidence that a user is walking and a 10% confidence that the user is riding in a car. in one embodiment, additional motion related information is received from the motion identification system. for example, the program may receive cadence information, dominant axis information, etc. at block 1215 , the program determines whether the motion state has changed. if the current motion state has not changed, then the method ends. if the current motion state has changed, the method continues to block 1220 . at block 1220 , the program determines whether to modify one or more of its settings based on the current motion state. one or more of the settings may also be adjusted based on the additional motion related information. the settings that are modified may depend on the type of program, and the change in motion state. for example, a music application or telephony application may adjust volume based on the identified motion state, a gesture application may alter the motions available, a screen may be turned off, a noise reduction system may be enabled, etc. if the new motion state leads to a change in settings, at block 1230 , the appropriate settings are altered in the program. the process then ends. if no change in settings is applicable, the method ends. fig. 13 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a specific machine in the exemplary form of a computer system 1300 that may implement the present invention. the exemplary computer system 1300 includes a processing device (processor) 1305 , a memory 1310 (e.g., read-only memory (rom), flash memory, a storage device, a static memory, etc.), and an input/output 1315 , which communicate with each other via a bus 1320 . embodiments of the present invention may be performed by the computer system 1300 , and/or by additional hardware components (not shown), or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause processor 1305 , when programmed with the instructions, to perform the method described above. alternatively, the method may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. processor 1305 represents one or more general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. more particularly, the processor 1305 may be a complex instruction set computing (cisc) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (risc) microprocessor, very long instruction word (vliw) microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. the processor 1305 may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a field programmable gate array (fpga), a digital signal processor (dsp), network processor, or the like. the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, or software, that may be stored in memory 1310 . memory 1310 may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program exemplary computer system 1300 (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the present invention. other machine-readable mediums which may have instruction stored thereon to program exemplary computer system 1300 (or other electronic devices) include, but are not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, cd-roms, and magneto-optical disks, roms, rams, eproms, eeproms, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of media or machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions. input/output 1315 may provide communication with additional devices and/or components. in one embodiment, input/output 1315 may transmit data to and receive data from, for example, networked computers, servers, mobile devices, etc. input/output 1315 may include a screen, speaker, or other mechanism to communicate with the user, as well as buttons, keys, touch sensitive areas or other means of enabling the user to provide input to the device. in one embodiment, the device further includes networking 1320 , which enables device to communicate with a server (not shown) or another computer. in one embodiment, the device does not include any user interface features, and the input/output 1315 is designed to interact with a computer system, local or remote, to which the device can be connected. for example, the user may perform configuration and interactions with the device via a web interface, or a local computer program. in the foregoing description, numerous specific details have been set forth such as examples of specific systems, languages, components, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. it will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. in other instances, well known materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. it will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. the specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
038-942-346-052-907	AU	[ "WO", "ES", "CA", "DE", "EP", "AU", "JP", "US", "NZ" ]	C07D249/20,A41D13/00,C07C233/09,C07C233/30,C07C309/45,C07C311/15,C07C317/14,C07C323/31,C07C323/64,C07D239/40,C07D239/42,C07D251/14,C07D251/42,C07D251/44,C07D303/34,C07D303/36,C07D403/12,C07D407/12,D06M13/127,D06M13/256,D06M13/262,D06M13/268,D06M13/278,D06M13/355,D06M13/358,D06M13/382,D06M13/385,D06M13/41,D06M13/438,D06P1/642,D06M13/00	1992-08-12T00:00:00	1992	[ "C07", "A41", "D06" ]	method of increasing the spf rating and compounds suitable for increasing the spf rating of fibre or fabric	a method of increasing the spf rating of a fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of providing a uvr absorber, applying the uvr absorber to a fabric having a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, whereby the uvr absorber is attached to the fibre and an application of less thant 3 % uvr absorber on weight of fibre produces an spf rating of greater than 20 for the uvr absorber and fabric combination.	1. a method of increasing the spf rating of a fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of providing a uvr absorber, applying the uvr absorber to a fabric having a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, whereby the uvr absorber is attached to the fibre and an application of less than 3% uvr absorber on weight of fibre produces an spf rating of greater than 20 for the uvr absorber and fabric combination. a method according to claim 1 where an application of less than 2% uvr absorber on weight of fibre produces an spf rating of greater than 20 for the uvr absorber and fabric combination. a method of increasing the spf rating of cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric, comprising applying to cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric one or more compounds of formula (i) - (iv) : s ubstitutesheet a- β wherein a is -nh- or -s0 2 - and when a is -nh- , b is selected from a compound of formula (i) - (vii) as follows: y o / \ (iii) ■ ch 2 -ch-ch 2 x substitute sheet (vi) ■ co-c=ch, i l (vii) -co-ch=ch 2 and where a is -s0 2 -, b is selected from a compound of formulae (viii) - (x) as follows: (viii) -ch=ch-0s0 3 h (ix) •ch 2 -ch 2 -0s0 3 h -nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -os0 3 h wherein r is independently selected from -oh,-nh 2 ,- s0 3 " m + , -s0 3 h, alkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, alkylcarboxylate, -s-alkyl, -cf 3 , -n-di-alkyl; n = 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 m + = cation x = h, or cl, f, br and is independently selected y = x or r. a compound of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) or (iv) substitute sheet a - β wherein a, b, r and n are as defined in claim 3 ; but excluding the compound of formula (iii) where a is -nh-, b is a compound of formula (ii) , x is cl, n is 2 and one r is in the 3-position of the phenyl ring and is ch 3 and the other r is in the 4- position and is -so na + . a process of preparing a compound of formula (i) - (iv) as defined in claim 4 which comprises: 1) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -nh- and b is a compound of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) , (iv) or (v) : reacting the appropriate amine of formula (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) with a chloro derivative of a compound of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) , (iv) or (v) ; 2) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) wherein a is -nh- and b is a compound of formula (vi) or (vii) : (i) reacting the appropriate amine of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) or (iv) with -ch 2 brchbrcocl to provide the dibromopropionyl derivative; (ii) debromination with potassium hydroxide or the like to provide the nromoacrylamido derivative of formula (vi) ; and (iii) further debromination with potassium hydroxide or the like to provide the acrylamido derivative of formula (vii) ; substitut1sheet 3) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -s0 2 - and b is a compound of formula (viii) or (ix) : (i) esterification of the appropriate β- hydroxethyl sulphone derivatives of the compounds of formulae (i) to (iv) with sulphuric acid or the like to provide compounds of formula (i) to (iv) where b is a compound of formula (viii) and; (ii) dehydration in the presence of a base to form the vinyl compound of formula (ix) ; 4) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -s0 2 - and b is a compound of formula (x) : esterification of the appropriate β- hydroxyethyl aminosulphone derivative of the compounds of formulae (i) - (iv) with sulphuric acid or the like (as in 3(i) above) to provide compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where b is a compound of formula (x) . 6. a method of increasing the spf rating of cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of applying a compound of formula (i) - (iv) to cellulosic or protein fibres or fabric having a density of less than 200g/m 2 whereby an application of less than 3% of a compound of formula (i) -(iv) on weight of fibre or fabric produces an spf rating of greater than 20. 7. a method according to claim 6 where an application of less than 2% of a compound of formula (i) - (iv) on weight of fibre or fabric produces an spf rating of greater than 20. 8. an article of clothing comprising a plurality of fibres and a uvr absorber, wherein the plurality of fibres have a density of less than 200 grams per substitute sheet square metre and the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 3% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. 9. an article of clothing according to claim 8, wherein the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 2% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. 10. an article of clothing comprising a plurality of fibres and a uvr absorber compound of formula (i) - (iv) . 11. a formulation suitable for application to cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric comprising a compound of formula (i) - (iv) in a suitable carrier. 12. a method according to claim 1 wherein the fabric is polyester and the uvr absorber is fadex f. 13. a method according to claim 2 for increasing the spf rating of cotton which comprises applying a compound of formula (iii) where a is -nh-, b is a compound of formula (ii) , x is cl, n is 2 and one r is in the 3-position of the phenyl ring and is -ch 3 and the other r is in the 4-position and is -s0 3 " na + . 14. clothing or fabric in which the spf rating has been increased to 20 or more by a method according to claim 1 or 3. 15. a compound of formula (i), (ii) , (iii) or (iv) according to claim 4 which is a compound of formula p-q and is a combination of p as defined below with any q as defined below: substitutesheet -nh-co-c=ch 2 7. ■ nh-co-ch=ch- 8. -sθ2-ch=ch-os0 3 h 9. -s0 2 -ch 2 -ch 2 -os0 3 h 10. -s0 2 -nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -os0 3 h substitute sheet 16. a method according to claim 3 wherein the one or more compounds of formula (i) - (iv) is a compound of formula p-q which is a combination of p as defined below with any q as defined below: 6. -nh-co-c=ch 2 7. -nh-co-ch=ch 2 8. -s0 2 -ch=ch-os0 3 h 9 . - s0 2 - ch 2 - ch 2 - os0 3 h substitute sheet " . -so 2 -nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -oso 3	method of increasing the spf rating and compounds suitable for increasing the spf rating of fibre or fabric technical field the present invention relates to a method of increasing the sun protection factor (spf) rating and compounds suitable for increasing the spf rating of fibre or fabric. background of the invention last year over 1,000 australians died of skin cancer while two thirds of the australian population will develop some form of skin cancer at some stage in their lives. this year it is anticipated that 150,000 australians will go to their doctors for the examination and treatment of some form of sun induced skin cancer. it is interesting to note that, in spite of public education campaigns and the widespread use of "sun-block" creams, skin cancer rates have not changed in recent years. even though there has been various sun protection aids in the market for many years, the present inventors have found that most consumers do not fully understand what an spf rating means. a typical fair skinned person, on a summers day in australia, at noon (1:00pm eastern summer time), would "burn" in approximately 15 minutes (ie 0.25 hours). if this person applied "sun block" cream (or textile) of spf 4 (if available) , then this person would burn in 4 times 15 minutes, viz 1 hour. it is important to note, however, that this person would have received the same total uvr dose either way. a common way of avoiding sunburn when performing activities in a sunny environment is to apply a sunburn cream to skin. the problem with such a solution however is that most sunburn creams only provide uvr protection up to an spf rating of 15+ and therefore prolonged exposure to the sun can still cause damage to a persons skin despite the use of a sunburn cream. in addition, avoiding exposure of skin to the sun by wearing clothing, for example a t-shirt, does not necessarily provide adequate uvr protection for the wearer, when the wearer is exposed to the sun for prolonged period" . this problem is compounded by the fact that in hot ..imates it is desirable to have light weight clothing, which typically has a low spf rating. for example, for materials having a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, nylon has an spf rating of between 10 and 15, polyester has an spf rating of between 13 and 17, wool has an spf rating of 10-20 and cotton has an spf rating of between 5 and 15. it follows therefore that a person wearing a shirt made of light weight fabric such as cotton or wool, if exposed to the sun for prolonged periods can still be subjected to significant doses of uvr radiation. thus, over an extended period of time, a person working in the sun and wearing a cotton t-shirt can still be exposed to a significant cumulative dose of uvr radiation. essentially, the spf protection of a fabric depends on the "cover factor" of the fabric. the cover factor may be defined as the percentage of the fabric surface that is covered by the yarns of the fabric. if one assumes that the yarns employed to weave or knit the fabric are completely opaque to uvr radiation (which is not the case in reality) then the fabric spf would be simply related to cover factor by the following formula: fabric spf = 100 100 - cover factor disclosure of the invention in one aspect, the present invention provides a method of increasing the spf rating of a fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of providing a uvr absorber, applying the uvr absorber to a fabric having a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, whereby the uvr absorber is attached to the fibre and an application of less than 3% uvr absorber on weight of fibre produces an spf rating of greater than 20 for the uvr absorber and fabric combination. in one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of increasing the spf rating of a fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of providing a uvr absorber, applying the uvr absorber to a fabric having a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, whereby the uvr absorber is attached to the fibre and an application of less than 2% uvr absorber on weight of fibre produces an spf rating of greater than 20 for the uvr absorber and fabric combination. preferably the uvr absorber enters the fibre and fixes itself to the fibre. it is preferred that the combination of fabric and uvr absorber is water-fast so that washing of the fabric after its spf rating has been increased by the addition of the uvr absorber, does not cause any significant drop in the spf rating of the fibre. preferably the uvr absorber comprises a substituted benzotriazole. the fibre may be wool, nylon, polyester, cotton or any other synthetic fibre or composite thereof. it is preferred that when the fibre is nylon the uvr absorber is fadex f (registered trade name of sandoz) . it is preferred that when the fibre is polyester, the uvr absorber is fadex f (registered trade name of sandoz) . preferably the spf rating is increased by greater than 30 for non-composite fabrics and by greater than 9 for composite fabrics. it is preferred that when the fibre is wool the uvr absorber is cibafast w (registered trade name of ciba- geigy) . it is preferred that when the fibre is a secondary cellulose acetate or triacetate, the uvr absorber is fadex f (registered trade name of sandoz) . in a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of increasing the spf rating of cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric, comprising applying to cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric one or more compounds of formula (i) - (iv) a- β wherein a is -nh- or -s0 2 - and when a is • nh- , b is selected from a compound of formula (i) (vii) as follows: n) (i) // \ kj n y substitute sheet o / \ (iii ) chn-ch-ch-. (vij (vii) and where a is -s0 2 -, b is selected from a compound of formulae (viii) - (x) as follows: (viii) -ch=ch-os0 3 h (ix) ■ ch 2 -ch 2 -os0 3 h (x) ■ nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -os0 3 h wherein r is independently selected from -oh, -nh 2 , -s0 3 ' mt i' ,-s0 3 h, alkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, alkylcarboxylate, -s- alkyl, -cf 3 , -n-di-alkyl; n = 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 m " " = cation x = h, or cl, f, br and is independently selected y = x or r. in a third aspect, the present invention provides a compound of formula (i) ,. (ii) , (iii) or (iv) a- β wherein a, b, r and n are as defined above; but excluding the compound of formula (iii) where a is -nh- b is a compound of formula (ii) , x is cl, n is 2 and one r is in the 3-position of the phenyl ring and is -ch 3 and the other r is in the 4- position and is -s0 3 " na + . in a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a process of preparing a compound of formula (i) - (iv) which comprises: 1) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -nh- and b is a compound of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) , (iv) or (v) : reacting the appropriate amine of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) or (iv) with a chloro derivative of a compound of formula (i) , (ii) , (iii) , (iv) or (v) ; 2) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) wherein a is -nh- and b is a compound of formula (vi) or (vii) : (i) reacting the appropriate amine of formula (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) with -ch 2 brchbrc0cl to provide the dibromopropionyl derivative; (ii) debromination with potassium hydroxide or the like to provide the bromoacrylamido derivative of formula (vi) ; and (iii) further debromination with potassium hydroxide or the like to provide the acrylamido derivative of formula (vii) ; 3) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -s0 2 - and b is a compound of formula (viii) or (ix) : (i) esterification of the appropriate β- hydroxethyl sulphone derivatives of the compounds of formulae (i) to (iv) with sulphuric acid or the like to provide compounds of formula (i) to (iv) where b is a compound of formula (viii) and; (ii) dehydration in the presence of a base to form the vinyl compound of formula (ix) ; 4) for preparing compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where a is -s0 2 - and b is a compound of formula (x) : esterification of the appropriate β- hydroxyethyl aminosulphone derivative of the compounds of formulae (i) - (iv) with sulphuric acid or the like (as in 3(i) above) to provide compounds of formula (i) - (iv) where b is a compound of formula (x) . preferred compounds of formula (i) - (iv) , designated as p-q for convenience is a combination of p with any q as follows: 6. -nh-c0-c=ch 2 7. -nh-c0-ch=ch, 8. -s0,-ch=ch-0s0,h 9. -s0 2 -ch 2 -ch 2 -0s0 3 h 10. -s0 2 -nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -0s0 3 h the starting materials for the above processes 1 to 4 are known compounds and are readily available. given the compounds to be reacted, the skilled addressee would be able to readily determine the reaction conditions. compounds of formulae (i) - (iv) are useful as uvr absorber compounds and can be applied to fabrics of any weight. typically, they are suitable for application to light weight summer fabrics and to heavier fabric up to and including industrial weight fabrics. in a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method of increasing the spf rating of cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of applying a compound of formula (i) -(iv) to cellulosic or protein fibres or fabric having a density of less than 200g/m 2 whereby an application of less than 3% of a compound of formula (i) - (iv) on weight of fibre or fabric produces an spf rating of greater than 20. in another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of increasing the spf rating of cellulosic or protein fibre or fabric, comprising the steps of applying a compound of formula (i) - (iv) to cellulosic or protein fibres or fabric having a density of less than 200g/m 2 whereby an application of less than 2% of a compound of formula (i) - (iv) on weight of fibre or fabric produces an spf rating of greater than 20. cellulosic fibres may be any fibres of plant origin such as cotton, viscose, flax, linen, rayon or the like or composites thereof. also, composites can be with polyester, polyamides, polyacrylonitriles or the like. protein fibres may be any fibres of animal origin such as wool, mohair, silk, cashmere, angora or the like or composites thereof. also, composites can be with polyester, polyamide or the like. it is preferred that when the fibre is protein, a compound of formula (i) - (iv) where b is (ii) , (iv) , (v) , (vi) , (vii) , (viii) or (ix) is applied. it is preferred that when the fibre is cellulosic, a compound of formula (i) - (iv) where b is (i) , (ii) , (iii) or (iv) is applied. preferably, the cellulosic fibre is cotton and the protein fibre is wool. typically, a 2% on weight of fibre application of compound of formula (iii) will increase the spf rating of a 120g/m 2 100% cotton fabric from 15+ to 30+. typically, a compound of formula (i) - (iv) enters the fibre and fixes itself to the fibre with the reactive group b of compounds of formula (i) - (iv) reacting with the fibre. typically, for composite fabrics, sequential application of uvr absorber relevant for each component of the composite increases the spf rating of the composite fabric by greater than 30. for example, for cotton/polyester fabric, sequential application of uvr absorber for cotton followed by the application of uvr absorber for polyester or vice versa, increases the spf rating of the fabric by greater than 30. in a sixth aspect, the present invention provides an article of clothing comprising a plurality of fibres and a uvr absorber, wherein the plurality of fibres have a density of less than 200 grams per square metre and the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 3% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. preferably, in the article of clothing comprising a plurality of fibres and a uvr absorber, wherein the plurality of fibres have a density of less than 200 grams per square metre, the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 2% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article of clothing comprising a plurality of fibres and a uvr absorber of compound of formula (i) - (iv) . preferably, in the article of clothing with the uvr absorber of compounds of formula (i) - (iv) , the plurality of fibres has a density of less than 200g/m 2 . preferably, in the article of clothing with the uvr absorber compound of formula (i) - (iv) wherein the plurality of fibres have a density of less than 200g/m 2 , the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 3% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. more preferably, in the article of clothing with the uvr absorber compound of formula (i) - (iv) wherein the plurality of fibres have a density of less than 200g/m 2 , the spf rating of the article has been increased to at least 20 by the addition of less than 2% uvr absorber on weight of fibre. preferably, the fibre comprising the uvr absorber is colour-fast and light-fast. typically, the uvr absorber is bonded to the fibre by virtue of the reaction of compounds of formula (i) - (iv) with the fibre. the present invention also provides a formulation suitable for application to cellulosic or protein fibres or fabrics comprising a compound of formula (i) - (iv) in a suitable carrier. preferably, the spf rating is increased to greater than 30. it is preferred that the combination of fibre or fabric and uvr absorber is water-fast so that washing of the fabric after its spf rating has been increased by the addition of the uvr absorber compounds of formula (i) - (iv) , does not cause any significant drop in the spf rating of the fibre or fabric. the fibre or fabric may also comprise a dye or pigment or other coatings or finishes known in the industry. it is preferred that the uvr absorber be transparent to visible radiation when applied to the fibre or fabric. typically, once applied the original colour of the fabric or fibre is substantially unaffected. the combination of fabric and uvr absorber is preferably light-fast. the fibre or fabric treated with the uvr absorber is preferably colour-fast to washing. the fibre may be wool, nylon, polyester, cotton or any other synthetic fibre or composite thereof. preferably the uvr absorber is bonded to the fibres by virtue of an affinity the uvr absorber has for the fibres. preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying experimental results. best modes for carrying out the invention synthesis methods example 1. synthesis via 1,3,5-s- riazine (cyanuric chloride) the selected amine compound (1 mole as a slurry in 100 ml water [ice cold] ) is added slowly to cyanuric chloride (1 mole as a slurry in 200ml acetone [ice cold] ) , whilst maintaining the ph of the solution at 7 by the addition of 2ν sodium hydroxide. the reaction mixture is stirred for 1.5-2.0 hours (whilst maintaining the temperature below 5°c) after which time the reaction is judged to be complete once the ph stabilises at 7 and the test for free amine (tlc) is negative. the product is then filtered off, washed thoroughly with acetone and then oven dried. example 2. synthesis via 2,4,6-trifluoro-5-chloro-pyrimidine the selected amine compound (1 mole as a slurry in 100 ml water [ice cold]) is added slowly to 2,4,6- trifluoro-5-chloro-pyrimidine (1 mole dissolved in 300ml acetone [ice cold] ) , whilst maintaining the ph of the solution at 7 by the addition of a saturated aqueous solution of sodium carbonate. the reaction mixture is stirred for 1.5-2.0 hours (whilst maintaining the temperature below 5°c) after which time the reaction is judged to be complete once the ph stabilises at 7 and the test for free amine (tlc) is negative. the product is then filtered off, washed thoroughly with acetone and then oven dried. example 3. synthesis via eoichlorohydrin the selected amine compound (1 mole as a slurry in 100 ml ethanol [ice cold] ) is added slowly to epichlorohydrin (1 mole dissolved in 100ml ethanol [ice cold] ) , whilst maintaining the ph of the solution at 7 by the addition of a saturated aqueous solution of sodium carbonate. the reaction mixture is stirred for 1.5-2.0 hours (whilst maintaining the temperature below 5°c) after which time the reaction is judged to be complete once the ph stabilises at 7 and the test for free amine (tlc) is negative. the product is then filtered off, washed thoroughly with acetone and then oven dried. example 4. synthesis via 2.3-dibromopropionic acid chloride 2,3-dibromopropionic acid chloride (1 mole) is added dropwise to a solution of the selected amine (1 mole as a slurry in 100 ml acetone containing 0.5 mole pyridine) at 30-45°c. the reaction mixture is then stirred for 14 hours at room temperature. the pyridine and acetone solvents are then removed by vacuum evaporation. the intermediate 2,3-dibromopropionamide compound: [a] -nhco-chbrch 2 br is then treated as follows: 1 mole of the 2,3- ibromopropionamide compound is charged into 500ml ethanol and heated to 60°c. then add dropwise a solution consisting of 1.6 mole of potassium hydroxide in 250 ml ethanol. the temperature of the reaction vessel is then raised from 60 to 68°c. upon completion of the addition, the reaction mixture is heated under reflux for 4 hours. example 5. synthesis of 2 , 4-dichloro-s-triazin-6-yl-p-aminophenyl- sulphonic acid sodium salt (dihydrate) p-aminophenyl-sulphonic acid (sulphanilic acid) (26g as a slurry in water) was added slowly to cyanuric chloride (28g as a slurry in 200ml acetone containing circa loog ice) , whilst maintaining the ph of the solution at 7 by the addition of 2n sodium hydroxide. the reaction mixture was stirred for 1.5-2.0 hours after which time the reaction was judged to be complete once the ph had stabilised at 7 and the test for free amine (tlc) was negative. the product was filtered off, washed thoroughly with acetone and then oven dried. the yield was 92%. tlc showed that the product was free of starting materials . the ir spectrum and elemental analysis results confirmed the authenticity of the product. the elemental analysis results are given in the following table. example 6. synthesis of 2.4-dichloro-s-triazin-6-yl-amino-8- naphthol-3.6-disulphonic acid sodium salt (dihydrate) 38g l-amino-8-naphthol-3, 6-disulphonic acid was dissolved in in sodium bicarbonate solution, the solution was diluted to 500 ml and neutralised with acetic acid. this solution and 2n sodium bicarbonate solution were dropped simultaneously into a well stirred suspension of cyanuric chloride (20.2g) in acetone and ice water (100ml 1:1) at 0°c over 3 hours. the reaction was judged to be complete when the ph stabilised at 7 and the test for free amine (tlc) was negative. the reaction solution was rotary evaporated (at 40°c) to reduce solvents. the product was then filtered off and vacuum dried at room temperature. the yield was 70%. tlc showed that the product was free of starting materials. the ir spectrum and elemental analysis results confirmed the authenticity of the product. the elemental analysis results are given in the following table. characterisation of products the products were characterised using a combination of melting points, infra-red [ir] spectra, elemental analyses and thin layer chromatography [tlc] . melting points were determined on a gallenkamp melting point apparatus. ir spectra were recorded on a hitachi model 260-10 infrared spectrophotometer and referred to nujol mulls. elemental analyses were conducted (under contract) by the school of chemistry, university of new south wales. tlc was carried out using merck 60f 254 silica gel tlc foils. a variety of eluents including acetone, water-saturated butanol and ethanol were used. the chromatograms were visualised at 254nm with a universal uv lamp (camag muttenz schweiz) . application methods 1. di-chloro-s-triazine uv absorber derivatives on cotton example 7. these compounds may be applied to cotton by either exhaustion or pad methods a suitable exhaustion method is as follows: apply 2% owf absorber compound, 10% owf sodium chloride and 0.1% owf wetting agent (e.g. a nonylphenyl polyethoxylate) ; lr 30:1; for 30 minutes at 30°c. then add 5% owf sodium carbonate and run for 30 minutes. finally wash off and dry. the title compounds fix to the cotton via covalent bonds and hence provide a permanent increase in the spf of the treated cotton fabric. example 8. a suitable pad-batch method is as follows: apply a solution containing 2% owf absorber compound, 5% owf sodium carbonate and 0,1% owf wetting agent (e.g. a nonylphenyl polyethoxylate) by padding to achieve a pick-up of 100%. the padded fabric is then batched (cold) overnight in a sealed plastic wrap. finally wash off and dry. the title compounds fix to the cotton via covalent bonds and hence provide a permanent increase in the spf of the treated cotton fabric. example 9. a suitable alternative pad-batch method is as follows: apply a solution containing 2% owf absorber compound, 5% owf sodium carbonate and 0.1% owf wetting agent (e.g. a nonylphenyl polyethoxylate) by padding to achieve a pick-up of 100%. the padded fabric is then steamed for 30 minutes at 100-105°c to achieve fixation. finally wash off and dry. the title compounds fix to the cotton via covalent bonds and hence provide a permanent increase in the spf of the treated cotton fabric. 2. di-fluoro-mono-chloro-pyrimidine uv absorber derivatives on wool example 10. these compounds may be applied to wool by either exhaustion or pad methods. a suitable exhaustion method is as follows: apply 2% owf absorber compound, 10% owf sodium sulphate, 1.0% owf acetic acid and 0.1% owf wetting agent (e.g. a nonylphenyl polyethoxylate); lr 30:1. start at 40°c, raise to 70°c over 20 minutes, hold at 70°c for 30 minutes; then raise the temperature to the boil and boil for 15 minutes. finally wash off and dry. the title compounds fix to the wool via covalent bonds and hence provide a permanent increase in the spf of the treated wool fabric. example 11. a suitable alternative pad-batch method is as follows: apply a solution containing 2% owf absorber compound, 5% owf urea and 0.1% owf wetting agent (e.g. a nonylphenyl polyethoxylate) by padding to achieve a pick¬ up of 100%. the padded fabric is then steamed for 30 minutes at 100-105°c to achieve fixation. finally wash off and dry. the title compounds fix to the wool via covalent bonds and hence provide a permanent increase in the spf of the treated wool fabric. in each of the following examples, a substance was applied to a fabric of less than 200g/m 2 and the resultant combination was tested to obtain measurements on the change in spf, whether the combination exhibited colourfastness to washing and whether the combination exhibited colourfastness to light. uvr and spf measurement methods the ultra-violet transmission (direct and diffuse) of the sample was measured over the uvr spectral range of 290 to 380nm using a cary 3 uvr-visible spectrophotometer fitted with an integrating sphere attachment. a schott ug#11 filter was used to eliminate the effects of fluorescence from the fluorescent whitening agents (fwa) (if any) in the sample. the spf's (sun protection factors) were estimated for 2mm "off skin" by a method developed in a research project initiated by the lidcombe hospital dermatology center. the method is fully described in the publication entitled: "a comparative study of fabric protection against ultraviolet-induced erythema determined by spectrophotometric and human skin measurements", by s w menzies, p b lukins, g e greenoak, p j walker, m t pailthorpe, j m martin, s k david and k e georgouras, journal of photodermatology, photoimmunology and photomedicine, 1992: 8(4), 157-163. the ultra-violet transmission data, and the calculated spf's, were measured on the fabric in a dry relaxed state (i.e. not stretched) . the predicted spf's are indicative of the spf's to be found on human skin. colourfastness to washing the colourfastness to washing of the untreated fabrics and uvr absorber treated fabrics was determined by the methods described in as 2001.4.15 "determination of colourfastness to washing: test a: colourfastness to simulated hand laundering in the presence of soap". colourfastness to light the colourfastness to light of the untreated and uvr absorber treated fabrics was determined by the methods described in as 2001.4.21 "determination of colourfastness to light using an artificial light source (mercury vapour, tungsten filament, internally phosphor- coated lamp) ". exposures were conducted for a total of 858 hours (circa 35 days) for which the iso blue standard rating was 7. details of all the chemicals mentioned in the specification are available from the indicated proprietor. and extensive search of the literature and enquires made of textile chemical suppliers in australia showed that there a very few water-soluble (or water- dispersable) uv absorbers commercially available. there are no uv absorbers commercially available for cotton. ciba-geigy market two uv absorbers: cibafast n, which is described as "an agent to protect polyamide fibres against detrimental effects of light and heat and to improve the light fastness of dyeings of these fibres. cibafast w, which is described as "an agent to protect wool against detrimental effects of light and heat " . sandoz market one uv absorber for polyester: fadex f liquid, which is used to improve the light fastness of dyeings of polyester, particularly those used in automobile upholstery. neither manufacturer makes any claim in their technical literature regarding the use of these products to increase the spf of fibre or fabric. example 12 cibafast w (cfw) on wool. cibafast w is applied according to the exhaustion method. firstly, it is dissolved in a bath and the product (fabric/fibre) has a wetting agent applied to it before it is inserted into the bath. the bath is boiled for approximately 1 hour to enable the cibafast w to enter the fabric/fibre. utilising the above method, it is noted that cibafast w is not glued to the fabric but instead enters the fibres of fabric and in effect is bonded to the fibres due to the affinity between cibafast w and the wool fibres. in all the following examples, the "blank dyed" samples referred to are samples that have been put through the identical application process used for the relevant uvr absorber, but without the active agent (uvr absorber) . the "blank dyed" sample often exhibits an improved spf due primarily to shrinkage effects incurred in the process. using the application method described above, the following results were obtained. the stated "suggested spf" is the mean spf less the 95% confidence limit rounded down to the nearest multiple of five. thus the suggested spf is conservative. table 1 from table 1 it is apparent that cibafast w has caused a significant improvement in the spf ratings for this wool fabric. an application of 1% cfw is sufficient to double the blank dyed spf value. the fastness of cibafast w on wool to washing and light is given in the following table 2. table 2 from table 2 it iε apparent that the improved spf ratings obtained by using cibafast w are "fast" to both washing and to light. example 13 fadex f on polyester method of application fadex f was first applied to polyester at 100°c in a goodbrand - jeffries dyemaster machine (s/n 13011) laboratory dyeing machine. however, it was noted that polyester required an increased temperature in order to effectively be impregnated with fadex f. accordingly, fadex f was applied at 130°c in the labortex "rapid" dyeing machine model #8. a person skilled in the art would be familiar with such a method. the results of impregnating polyester with fadex f are provided in table 3. table 3 from table 3 it is apparent that fadex f causes a significant improvement in the spf ratings of polyester fabric. fadex f was then tested for fastness to washing and light. from the data given in table 4, it is apparent that the improved spf ratings endowed by fadex f on polyester are fast to both washing and exposure to light. example 14 fadex f on nylon because a temperature of 130°c was required for the application of fadex f to polyester, fadex f was applied to nylon at 130°c centigrade in the labortex "rapid" dyeing machine. the results of the application of fadex f to nylon at 130°c centigrade indicated that the colour of the nylon was effected and accordingly, a temperature of 100°c was then adopted. the fadex f was thus applied to nylon at 100°c centigrade in the dyemaster dyeing machine and was applied at 1% and 2% treatment levels. the treated nylon samples were only slightly yellowish in hue after the treatment. the results of the treatment of nylon with fadex f are given in table 5. table 5 from table 5 it can be seen that fadex f significantly improves the spf ratings of the nylon fabric employed. in addition, the results indicate that the improvement in spf ratings caused by the addition of fadex f is fast to both washing and exposure to light. example 15 fadex f on 65/35 fadex f was applied to 65/35 polyester/cotton fabric at 130°c in the labortex "rapid" dyeing machine. the results are given in table 6. table 6 from table 6 it is apparent that fadex f causes a significant improvement in the spf ratings of this polyester/cotton fabric. the fadex f treated fabric, were then assessed for fastness to washing and to light. the results are given in table 7. table 7 from table 7 it is apparent that fadex f when applied to 65/35 polyester/cotton improves the spf ratings and the spf ratings are fast to washing. additional experimentation also indicates that the spf ratings are fast to exposure to light with the spf after 858 hours exposure being maintained at 20+. example 16 fadex f was also applied to secondary cellulose acetate and triacetate and as with nylon provided increases in spf ratings similar to those provided for nylon. the dyemaster dyeing machine method of application was also found to be suitable. from the above experiments it is apparent that light weight materials of less than 200 grams per square metre, such as nylon, wool and polyester can be provided with significantly increased values of spf protection by the addition of either cibafast w or fadex f as previously outlined. the resultant and combination of fibre material and uvr absorber is both fast to washing and to exposure to light. both cibafast w and fadex f are uvr absorbers and have previously been used to protect particular fibres against detrimental effects of light and heat. from a vast number of different chemical substances it has been found that cibafast w and fadex f increased the spf rating of the previously mentioned fibres to which they were applied, and at the same time avoided deleterious effects to the fibres. other chemical substances used, for example, cibafast n (a registered trade name of ciba-geigy) not only failed to increase the spf rating of the treated fabric but in many cases adversely affected the colour of the fabric so that it would be unsuitable for use commercially. table 8 table 8 provides the results of applying cibafast n to nylon using the dyemaster laboratory dyeing machine. from table 8 it is apparent that cibafast n did not significantly increase the spf rating of the treated fabric and experiments also revealed that the cibafast n induced a "greenish" colour into the white nylon fabric. example 17 application of compound 1 on cotton (compound 1 is 2,4-difluoro-5-chloro-6-phenylamino pyrimidine) compound l was prepared by the condensation of aniline (fluka) and 2,4,6-trifluoro-5-chloropyrimidine (sandoz) by the method of example 2. 17(a) compound 1 was applied to 3g samples of a woven plain weave cotton fabric (145 g/m 2 : charles parsons, sydney) by exhaustion from ethanol . the formulation was as follows: 90°c; 15 wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: fan forced oven; 60°c; 30 minutes . the results are summarized in the table 9. table 9 : spf results for woven fabric these preliminary small scale experiments show that compound 1 has the capability of significantly increasing the spf of this 100% cotton woven fabric. 17 (b) compound 1 was applied to 3g samples of a woven plain weave cotton fabric (145 g/m 2 charles parsons, sydney) by exhaustion from aqueous emulsion. the formulation was as follows: 1% o.w.f. compound 1 (emulsion) lr: 40:1 temp : start at 40°c, raise to 65°c over 30 minutes; hold 30 minutes; raise to 98°c, hold 30 minutes. wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: fan forced oven; 60°c; 30 minutes. the results are summarized in the table 10. _table 10 : spf results for woven fabric these small scale experiments show that compound 1 has the capability of significantly increase the spf of this 100% cotton woven fabric. u -transmission the uv-transmission of a 5g/l ethanolic solution of compound 1 was measured in a 5mm quartz cell using a cary 3 uv-visible spectrophotometer. the results are given in figure 1. it can be readily seen that compound 1 begins to absorb strongly below 340nm; ie in the uvb region. thus this type of compound absorbs the very harmful uvb rays yet will not significantly interfere with the function of fluorescent whitening agents (fwa) . thus the treated cotton remains a full white. on the basis of these results it can be seen that 1% o.w.f. compound 1 gives a very significant increase in the spf of this 100% cotton fabric. example 18 application of compound 2 on cotton (compound 2 is p- (2.4-dichloro-s-triazine-6-ylamino) -o- methyl-phenyl sulphonic acid sodium salt) in the following application recipe it has been assumed that compound 2 has been formulated as 100% reactive compound. in the determination of wash-fastness of the treated fabric, soap was replace by lg/1 of omo (omo is a trade mark of unilever pic) . 18 (a) compound 2 was applied to 5g samples of woven plain weave 100% cotton fabric (145g/m 2 : charles parsons, sydney) by exhaustion in a goodbrand-jeffries laboratory dyeing machine. the formulation was as follows: 50 g/1 sodium chloride (nacl) x% o.w.f. compound 2 lr 40:1 temp: 50°c time: 30 minutes then: add 5 g/1 sodium carbonate run: 30 minutes of 50°c wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: fan forced over; 60°c; 60 minutes. the results are summarized in the table 11, table 11 : spf results for woven fabric substituteshcct these preliminary small scale experiments show that compound 2 has the capability of significantly increasing the spf of this 100% cotton woven fabric. 18 (b) winch application 3% compound 2 was applied to 600g of a woven plain weave 100% cotton fabric (charles parsons, sydney) by exhaustion in a laboratory scale winch dyeing machine. the formulation was as follows: 50 g/1 sodium chloride (nacl) 3% o.w.f. compound 2 lr 30:1 temp: 50°c time: 30 minutes then: add 5 g/1 sodium carbonate run: 30 minutes of 50°c wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: tumble dry: 60°c; 60 minutes. the results are summarized in the table 12 table 12 : spf results for woven fabric these which dyeing experiments show that compound 2 has significantly increased the spf of this 100% cotton woven fabric. the fastness to washing and to light of the compound 2 (winch) treated 100% cotton was then evaluated and the results are given in table 13. substitutesheet table 13 : fastness results 18(c) pad-batch application to knitted fabric 3% compound 2 was applied to circa 35g of a knitted 100% cotton fabric (avon 100% cotton; size xxl; sunsafe 30+ : this fabric would have a weight of 180-190 g/cm 2 ) by padding using a laboratory scale padding machine. the formulation was as follows: 3% w/w compound 2 5 g/1 sodium carbonate add-on: 90% temp: room temperature batch: 6 hours (cold) in sealed plastic bags wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: tumble dry: 60°c; 60 minutes. the results are summarized in the tabl 14. substitutesheet table 14 : pa -batch results on knitted fabric the "blank" padded sample has shrunk, giving rise to the higher spf of this specimen. the compound 2 treated sample has a greatly improved spf over both the control and blank samples. these pad-batch dyeing experiments show that compound 2 has significantly increased the spf of the 100% cotton knitted fabric. 18 (d) pad-batch application to woven fabric 3% compound 2 was applied to circa 25g of a woven 100% cotton fabric (charles parsons) by padding using a laboratory scale padding machine. the formulation was as follows: 3% w/w compound 2 5 g/1 sodium carbonate add-on: 90% (hence 2.7% applied) temp: room temperature batch: 6 hours (cold) in sealed plastic bags wash: thorough cold rinse; then hot rinse (60°c) dry: tumble dry: 60°c: 60 minutes. the results are summarized in the table 15. substitutesheet table 15 : spf results for padded woven fabric these pad-batch dyeing experiments show that compound 2 has significantly increased to spf of this 100% cotton woven fabric. on the basis of these results it can be seen that compound 2 can be conveniently applied to cotton fabrics (either knitted or woven) by both "exhaustion" and "pad- batch" methods. the treated fabrics are fast to both washing and to light. the treated fabrics have significantly higher spfs than the control fabrics (and blank treated fabrics) . compound 2 beings to absorb strongly below 359nm, ie in the uvb region. uvb is most damaging to the skin and the principal cause of skin cancer. by not absorbing significantly above 350nm, compound 2 does not inhibit the function of fluorescent whitening agents (fwa) and hence the fabric remains a •bright white yet has a high spf. substitutesheet
039-934-923-754-498	US	[ "US" ]	A61M5/172,A61B5/00,A61B5/145,G16H10/60,G16H20/17,G16H15/00,G16H70/40	2019-02-06T00:00:00	2019	[ "A61", "G16" ]	patient monitoring systems and related presentation methods	medical devices and related patient management systems and methods are provided. a method of monitoring a plurality of patients involves a computing device obtaining measurement data for the plurality of patients from a database, obtaining one or more prioritization rules from the database, generating a prioritized list of the plurality of patients based on the measurement data in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules, and providing a dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display including the prioritized list. the prioritized list on the dashboard gui display is dynamically updated in accordance with the prioritization rule(s) in response to updated measurement data in the database.	1 . a method of monitoring a plurality of patients, the method comprising: obtaining, by a computing device, measurement data for the plurality of patients from a database; obtaining, by the computing device, one or more prioritization rules from the database; generating, by the computing device, a prioritized list of the plurality of patients based on the measurement data in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules; and providing, by the computing device, a dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display including the prioritized list. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising dynamically updating, by the computing device, the prioritized list in response to updated measurement data in the database, resulting in an updated prioritized list of the plurality of patients, wherein the dashboard gui display is dynamically updated to reflect the updated prioritized list. 3 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, for each patient of the plurality of patients, a respective value for a metric indicative of a state of a physiological condition of the respective patient based at least in part on a respective subset of the measurement data associated with the respective patient, wherein generating the prioritized list comprises ordering at least some of the plurality of patients in the prioritized list according to the respective values for the metric. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein determining the respective value for the metric comprises determining a time in range value for each patient of the plurality of patients based at least in part on the respective subset of the measurement data associated with the respective patient, wherein generating the prioritized list comprises ordering at least some of the plurality of patients in the prioritized list in ascending order according to the respective time in range values. 5 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting, by the computing device, an adverse event associated with a first patient of the plurality of patients in response to updated measurement data associated with the first patient, wherein: the first patient is reprioritized in the prioritized list based on the adverse event in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules, resulting in a reprioritized list; and the dashboard gui display is dynamically updated to reflect the reprioritized list. 6 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising dynamically updating, by the computing device, a graphical indication of a status of a physiological condition of the first patient in response to detecting the adverse event, wherein the dashboard gui display includes the graphical indication of the status of the physiological condition of the first patient in a row associated with the first patient. 7 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising: determining, by the computing device, a reason associated with reprioritization of the first patient in response to detecting the adverse event; and providing, by the computing device, a graphical indication of the reason on the dashboard gui display in a row associated with the first patient. 8 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising: obtaining, by the computing device, electronic medical records data associated with the first patient from the database; and providing, by the computing device, a graphical representation of the electronic medical records data on the dashboard gui display in a row associated with the first patient. 9 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising automatically generating, by the computing device, a message to the first patient in response to selection of a graphical user interface element on the dashboard gui display in a row associated with the first patient. 10 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising automatically generating, by the computing device, a report gui display corresponding to the first patient in response to selection of a graphical user interface element on the dashboard gui display in a row associated with the first patient. 11 . a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system of the computing device, cause the processing system to perform the method of claim 1 . 12 . a system comprising a display device having rendered thereon a patient monitoring dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display for concurrently monitoring a plurality of patients, the patient monitoring dashboard gui display comprising a patient list region comprising a patient identification column, a patient status column, and a plurality of rows corresponding to the plurality of patients, wherein: each row of the plurality of rows is associated with a respective patient of the plurality of patients and includes a graphical representation of respective identification information associated with the respective patient in the patient identification column of the respective row and a graphical representation of a current status of a physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row; for each row of the plurality of rows, the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row is determined based at least in part on respective measurement data associated with the respective patient obtained from a database; and each row of the plurality of rows is ordered within the patient list region based at least in part on the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in accordance with one or more prioritization rules. 13 . the system of claim 12 , wherein for each row of the plurality of rows, the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row is dynamically determined in real-time in response to updates to the respective measurement data associated with the respective patient. 14 . the system of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the plurality of rows is dynamically reordered within the patient list region in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules in response to updates to the respective measurement data associated with the respective patient associated with the at least one of the plurality of rows. 15 . the system of claim 12 , wherein each row of the plurality of rows includes at least one graphical user interface element that is selectable to initiate communication with the respective patient associated with the respective row. 16 . the system of claim 12 , wherein each row of the plurality of rows includes a graphical user interface element that is selectable to initiate presentation of a report graphical user interface display associated with the respective patient associated with the respective row. 17 . the system of claim 12 , wherein: a visually distinguishable characteristic of the graphical representation of the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of a first row of the plurality of rows is influenced by an adverse event associated with the respective patient; the adverse event is detected based at least in part on the respective measurement data associated with the respective patient associated with the first row; and a rank of the first row within the patient list region is influenced by the adverse event. 18 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more prioritization rules are associated with a user of a client device that is authenticated by a remote server providing the patient monitoring dashboard gui display on the display device associated with the client device, wherein the client device is communicatively coupled to the remote server over a communications network. 19 . a system comprising: a database to maintain one or more prioritization rules and to maintain measurement data for a physiological condition of a plurality of patients, wherein respective measurement data associated with a respective patient of the plurality of patients is obtained from a respective medical device associated with the respective patient; and a computing device coupled to the database to obtain the measurement data for the plurality of patients from the database, obtain the one or more prioritization rules from the database, generate a prioritized list of the plurality of patients based on the measurement data in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules, and provide a patient monitoring dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display including a graphical representation of the prioritized list. 20 . the system of claim 19 , wherein: the patient monitoring dashboard gui display is provided on a client device coupled to the computing device over a communications network; the one or more prioritization rules are associated with a user of the client device; the computing device dynamically updates the prioritized list in response to updates to the measurement data; and the patient monitoring dashboard gui display comprises a patient list region comprising a patient identification column, a patient status column, and a plurality of rows corresponding to the plurality of patients, wherein: each row of the plurality of rows is associated with a respective patient of the plurality of patients and includes a graphical representation of respective identification information associated with the respective patient in the patient identification column of the respective row and a graphical representation of a current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row; for each row of the plurality of rows, the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row is determined by the computing device based at least in part on respective measurement data associated with the respective patient obtained from the database; and each row of the plurality of rows is ordered within the patient list region based at least in part on the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules.	technical field embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate generally to medical devices and related patient monitoring systems, and more particularly, embodiments of the subject matter relate to patient monitoring systems providing automatically prioritized patient lists. background infusion pump devices and systems are relatively well known in the medical arts, for use in delivering or dispensing an agent, such as insulin or another prescribed medication, to a patient. a typical infusion pump includes a pump drive system which typically includes a small motor and drive train components that convert rotational motor motion to a translational displacement of a plunger (or stopper) in a reservoir that delivers medication from the reservoir to the body of a user via a fluid path created between the reservoir and the body of a user. use of infusion pump therapy has been increasing, especially for delivering insulin for diabetics. managing a diabetic's blood glucose level is complicated by variations in a user's daily activities (e.g., exercise, carbohydrate consumption, and the like) in addition to variations in the user's individual insulin response and potentially other factors. physicians have recognized that continuous monitoring provides a greater understanding of a patient's glycemic profile, and accordingly, continuous glucose monitoring (cgm) has recently been employed to gain insight into a patient's condition and make appropriate therapy and lifestyle recommendations to achieve improved glucose control. in practice, physicians or other healthcare providers may devote time and resources on patients who are asymptomatic or who otherwise do not require therapy or lifestyle modifications, for example, during routine or regularly scheduled appointments. often, such time and resources could be better spent on patients who are more symptomatic or otherwise require higher maintenance. however, physicians and other healthcare providers lack insight into which patients are or are not symptomatic or who may otherwise benefit from intervention at any point in time. accordingly, there is a need improve awareness of symptomatic patients to facilitate improved outcomes and improve efficiency while minimizing the burdens physicians or other healthcare providers. brief summary medical devices and related systems and operating methods are provided. an embodiment of a method of monitoring a plurality of patients involves a computing device obtaining measurement data for the plurality of patients from a database, obtaining one or more prioritization rules from the database, generating a prioritized list of the plurality of patients based on the measurement data in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules, and providing a dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display including the prioritized list. in exemplary embodiments, the method continues by dynamically updating the prioritized list in response to updated measurement data in the database, resulting in an updated prioritized list of the plurality of patients, wherein the dashboard gui display is dynamically updated to reflect the updated prioritized list. in another embodiment, a system is provided that includes a display device having rendered thereon a patient monitoring dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display for concurrently monitoring a plurality of patients. the patient monitoring dashboard gui display includes a patient list region having a patient identification column, a patient status column, and a plurality of rows corresponding to the plurality of patients. each row of the plurality of rows is associated with a respective patient of the plurality of patients and includes a graphical representation of respective identification information associated with the respective patient in the patient identification column of the respective row and a graphical representation of a current status of a physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row. for each row of the plurality of rows, the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in the patient status column of the respective row is determined based at least in part on respective measurement data associated with the respective patient obtained from a database, and each row of the plurality of rows is ordered within the patient list region based at least in part on the current status of the physiological condition of the respective patient in accordance with one or more prioritization rules. in another embodiment, a system includes a database and a computing device coupled to the database. the database maintains one or more prioritization rules along with maintain measurement data for a physiological condition of a plurality of patients, wherein respective measurement data associated with a respective patient of the plurality of patients is obtained from a respective medical device associated with the respective patient. the computing device obtains the measurement data for the plurality of patients from the database, obtains the one or more prioritization rules from the database, generates a prioritized list of the plurality of patients based on the measurement data in accordance with the one or more prioritization rules, and provides a patient monitoring dashboard graphical user interface (gui) display including a graphical representation of the prioritized list. this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. brief description of the drawings a more complete understanding of the subject matter may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the figures, which may be illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. fig. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a patient data management system; figs. 2-4 depict exemplary embodiments of patient monitoring dashboard graphical user interface (gui) displays that may be presented on a display device associated with a computing device in one or more embodiments; fig. 5 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a report gui display that may be presented on a display device associated with a computing device in one or more embodiments; fig. 6 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an email editor gui display that may be presented on a display device associated with a computing device in one or more embodiments; fig. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary patient presentation process suitable for use with the patient data management system of fig. 1 to generate a patient monitoring dashboard gui display in one or more exemplary embodiments; fig. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary patient monitoring system suitable for supporting or implementing the patient presentation process of fig. 7 to generate a patient monitoring dashboard gui display in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments; fig. 9 depicts an embodiment of a computing device for a diabetes data management system in accordance with one or more embodiments; fig. 10 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an infusion system; fig. 11 depicts a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a fluid infusion device suitable for use in the infusion system of fig. 10 ; fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the fluid infusion device of fig. 11 ; fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the fluid infusion device of figs. 11-12 as viewed along line 13 - 13 in fig. 12 when assembled with a reservoir inserted in the infusion device; fig. 14 is a block diagram of an exemplary control system suitable for use in a fluid infusion device, such as the fluid infusion device of fig. 10 or 11 ; fig. 15 is a block diagram of an exemplary pump control system suitable for use in the control system of fig. 14 ; and fig. 16 is a block diagram of a closed-loop control system that may be implemented or otherwise supported by the pump control system in the fluid infusion device of fig. 14 in one or more exemplary embodiments. detailed description the following detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or the application and uses of such embodiments. as used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein are implemented in conjunction with medical devices, such as portable electronic medical devices. although many different applications are possible, the following description focuses on embodiments that incorporate a fluid infusion device (or infusion pump) as part of an infusion system deployment. that said, the subject matter may be implemented in an equivalent manner in the context of other medical devices, such as continuous glucose monitoring (cgm) devices, injection pens (e.g., smart injection pens), and the like. for the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to infusion system operation, insulin pump and/or infusion set operation, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail here. examples of infusion pumps may be of the type described in, but not limited to, u.s. pat. nos. 4,562,751; 4,685,903; 5,080,653; 5,505,709; 5,097,122; 6,485,465; 6,554,798; 6,558,320; 6,558,351; 6,641,533; 6,659,980; 6,752,787; 6,817,990; 6,932,584; and 7,621,893; each of which are herein incorporated by reference. that said, the subject matter described herein can be utilized more generally in the context of overall diabetes management or other physiological conditions independent of or without the use of an infusion device or other medical device (e.g., when oral medication is utilized), and the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular type of medication. generally, a fluid infusion device includes a motor or other actuation arrangement that is operable to linearly displace a plunger (or stopper) of a reservoir provided within the fluid infusion device to deliver a dosage of fluid, such as insulin, to the body of a user. dosage commands that govern operation of the motor may be generated in an automated manner in accordance with the delivery control scheme associated with a particular operating mode, and the dosage commands may be generated in a manner that is influenced by a current (or most recent) measurement of a physiological condition in the body of the user. for example, in a closed-loop operating mode, dosage commands may be generated based on a difference between a current (or most recent) measurement of the interstitial fluid glucose level in the body of the user and a target (or reference) glucose value. in this regard, the rate of infusion may vary as the difference between a current measurement value and the target measurement value fluctuates. for purposes of explanation, the subject matter is described herein in the context of the infused fluid being insulin for regulating a glucose level of a user (or patient); however, it should be appreciated that many other fluids may be administered through infusion, and the subject matter described herein is not necessarily limited to use with insulin. exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein generally relate to systems for presenting information pertaining to the real-time physiological condition of multiple patients concurrently for monitoring by a physician or other healthcare provider. operation of the infusion device delivering fluid to a body of a user. in exemplary embodiments, a dashboard graphical user interface (gui) is presented on an electronic device, and the dashboard gui display includes or otherwise provides a listing of patients with graphical representations or other graphical indicia of various aspects of the physiological condition of each respective patient. for example, the dashboard gui display may include graphical representations of a diabetic patient's glucose level or one or more other metric(s) indicative of or correlative to the patient's glucose level, along with other indicia pertaining to the patient's physiological condition. in exemplary embodiments, the listing of patients on the dashboard gui display is prioritized in accordance with one or more prioritization rules and dynamically updated in real-time in response to changes to the physiological condition to one or more patients. in this regard, infusion devices, continuous glucose monitoring (cgm) devices, or other medical devices associated with the patients may periodically or continually obtain new measurements of a respective patient's glucose level and upload the measurement data to a remote server or database substantially in real-time. as the glycemic state of different patients change, they move up or down in the prioritized list according to the prioritization rules. in this regard, symptomatic patients or patients experiencing adverse events may be ordered or prioritized towards the top of the list on the dashboard gui display, while patients who are not symptomatic or are otherwise exhibiting normal glycemic levels may be deprioritized below those patients who are more likely to be in need of attention or intervention. fig. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a patient data management system 100 that includes, without limitation, a computing device 102 coupled to a database 104 that is also communicatively coupled to one or more electronic devices 106 over a communications network 108 , such as, for example, the internet, a cellular network, a wide area network (wan), or the like. it should be appreciated that fig. 1 depicts a simplified representation of a patient data management system 100 for purposes of explanation and is not intended to limit the subject matter described herein in any way. in exemplary embodiments, the electronic devices 106 include one or more medical devices, such as, for example, an infusion device, a sensing device, a monitoring device, a cgm device, and/or the like. additionally, the electronic devices 106 may include any number of non-medical client electronic devices, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, or other similar mobile electronic device, or any sort of electronic device capable of communicating with the computing device 102 via the network 108 , such as a laptop or notebook computer, a desktop computer, or the like. one or more of the electronic devices 106 may include or be coupled to a display device, such as a monitor, screen, or another conventional electronic display, capable of graphically presenting data and/or information pertaining to the physiological condition of a patient. additionally, one or more of the electronic devices 106 also includes or is otherwise associated with a user input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, a microphone, or the like, capable of receiving input data and/or other information from a user of the electronic device 106 . in exemplary embodiments, one or more of the electronic devices 106 transmits, uploads, or otherwise provides data or information to the computing device 102 for processing at the computing device 102 and/or storage in the database 104 . for example, when an electronic device 106 is realized as a sensing device, monitoring device, or other device that includes sensing element is inserted into the body of a patient or otherwise worn by the patient to obtain measurement data indicative of a physiological condition in the body of the patient, the electronic device 106 may periodically upload or otherwise transmit the measurement data to the computing device 102 . in other embodiments, the measurement data from a sensing device 106 may be provided to an infusion device or another intermediary device 106 , which, in turn periodically uploads or transmits the measurement data to the computing device 102 . when the electronic device 106 is realized as an infusion device or similar device capable of delivering a fluid or medicament to a patient, the electronic device 106 may also periodically upload or otherwise transmit delivery data indicating the timing and amounts of the fluid or medicament being delivered to the patient. in yet other embodiments, client electronic device 106 may be utilized by a patient to manually define, input or otherwise log meals, activities, or other events experienced by the patient and then transmit, upload, or otherwise provide such event log data to the computing device 102 . the computing device 102 generally represents a server or other remote device configured to receive data or other information from the electronic devices 106 , store or otherwise manage data in the database 104 , and analyze or otherwise monitor measurement data received from the electronic devices 106 and/or stored in the database 104 and provide a patient monitoring dashboard gui display, as described in greater detail below. in practice, the computing device 102 may reside at a location that is physically distinct and/or separate from the electronic devices 106 , such as, for example, at a facility that is owned and/or operated by or otherwise affiliated with a manufacturer of one or more medical devices utilized in connection with the patient data management system 100 . for purposes of explanation, but without limitation, the computing device 102 may alternatively be referred to herein as a server, a remote server, or variants thereof. the server 102 generally includes a processing system and a data storage element (or memory) capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the processing system, that, when read and executed, cause processing system to create, generate, or otherwise facilitate the applications or software modules configured to perform or otherwise support the processes, tasks, operations, and/or functions described herein. depending on the embodiment, the processing system may be implemented using any suitable processing system and/or device, such as, for example, one or more processors, central processing units (cpus), controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, processing cores and/or other hardware computing resources configured to support the operation of the processing system described herein. similarly, the data storage element or memory may be realized as a random-access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), flash memory, magnetic or optical mass storage, or any other suitable non-transitory short or long-term data storage or other computer-readable media, and/or any suitable combination thereof. in exemplary embodiments, the database 104 is utilized to store or otherwise maintain historical observational patient data 120 (e.g., measurement data, event log data, and the like) and electronic medical records data 122 for a plurality of different patients. in this regard, a subset of patients having associated data in one of the data sets 120 , 122 , may also have associated data in another one of the data sets 120 , 122 . that is, some but not necessarily all of the patients having associated with one of the data sets 120 , 122 may be common to another of the data sets 120 , 122 . in exemplary embodiments, the database 104 also stores or maintains monitoring settings data 124 utilized to analyze or monitor the data 120 , 122 maintained in the database 104 and generate gui displays or initiate other actions based on the data 120 , 122 , as described in greater detail below. in this regard, the setting data 124 may include prioritization rules or other thresholds, criteria or logic for ordering or prioritizing the presentation of patients on a dashboard gui display and/or initiating actions substantially in real-time in response to updated patient measurement data 120 in the database 104 , as described in greater detail below. in the illustrated embodiment, the server 102 implements or otherwise executes a patient monitoring application 110 that receives or otherwise obtains patient data 120 , 122 and monitoring settings data 124 from the database 104 and generates or otherwise provides a dashboard gui display using the patient data 120 , 122 in accordance with the monitoring settings data 124 . the dashboard gui display may be presented at the server 102 or provided by the server 102 to another electronic device 106 via the network 108 for presentation at the electronic device 106 . still referring to fig. 1 , in exemplary embodiments, the historical observational data 120 maintained in the database 104 includes, in association with a particular patient (or patient identifier), one or more of: historical measurement data indicative of the patient's physiological condition (e.g., historical blood glucose values, historical interstitial glucose values, and/or the like) with respect to time, historical delivery data indicative of dosages of fluid or medicament delivered to the patient (e.g., historical meal or correction boluses, basal dosages or other automated delivery amounts, and the like) with respect to time, historical meal data and/or other event log data associated with the patient, historical contextual data pertaining to the measurement data, the delivery data, the event log data, and the like. for example, the server 102 may receive, from a medical device via the network 108 , measurement data values associated with a particular patient (e.g., sensor glucose measurements, acceleration measurements, and the like) that were obtained using a sensing element, and the server 102 stores or otherwise maintains the historical measurement data as patient data 120 in the database 104 in association with the patient (e.g., using one or more unique patient identifiers). additionally, the server 102 may also receive, from or via a client device 106 , meal data or other event log data that may be input or otherwise provided by the patient (e.g., via a client application at the client device 106 ) and store or otherwise maintain historical meal data and other historical event or activity data associated with the patient in the database 104 . in this regard, the meal data include, for example, a time or timestamp associated with a particular meal event, a meal type or other information indicative of the content or nutritional characteristics of the meal, and an indication of the size associated with the meal. in exemplary embodiments, the server 102 also receives historical fluid delivery data (e.g., insulin delivery dosage amounts and corresponding timestamps) corresponding to basal or bolus dosages of fluid delivered to the patient by an infusion device 106 . the server 102 may also receive geolocation data and potentially other contextual data associated with an electronic device 106 providing the patient data 120 , and store or otherwise maintain the historical operational context data in association with the particular patient. in this regard, one or more of the devices 106 may include a global positioning system (gps) receiver or similar modules, components or circuitry capable of outputting or otherwise providing data characterizing the geographic location of the respective device 106 in real-time. the electronic medical records (emr) data 122 generally includes, in association with one or more identifiers for a given patient within the emr data set, information indicative of medical diagnoses or medical conditions the patient has been diagnosed with, drugs or medications that have been administered or taken by the patient, prescription information, therapy changes for the patient, laboratory results or measurements for physiological conditions of the patient, immunization records for the patient, microbiology results or other observations pertaining to the patient, healthcare utilization information (e.g., hospitalizations, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, etc.), x demographic information associated with the patient (e.g., age, income, education, location, gender), past medical procedures, clinical observations or other habitual behavior information (e.g., smoking, alcohol usage, etc.), family medical history, physician notes and care plans, and/or the like. the emr data 122 may also include data about the healthcare provider(s) associated with various aspects of a patient's medical records, the patient's insurance information, and/or the like. in various embodiments, the emr data 122 could be received or obtained by the server 102 from another server computing device, another database different from database 104 (e.g., by replication from another database), individual computing devices associated with healthcare providers, patients, and/or the like. fig. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 that may be presented on a display device associated with an electronic device, such as, for example, a computing device, a portable medical device, a sensor device, or the like. in one or more exemplary embodiments, data, code, or other information for generating the patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 is provided by the remote server 102 to a computing device 106 that is communicatively coupled to the server 102 over the network 108 . the dashboard gui display 200 is a tabbed gui display that includes a patient list tab 202 that is selectable to present a patient list region 204 below the patient list tab 202 . the patient list region 204 includes a listing of patients associated with the doctor or other healthcare provider utilizing the electronic device viewing the dashboard gui display 200 . in this regard, in one or more embodiments, the patient list tab 202 is selected or otherwise activated by default, with the patient list region 204 being populated with a listing of patients associated with the user of the electronic device in response to authenticating the user of the electronic device (e.g., upon a doctor or other healthcare provider logging in to the patient monitoring application 110 provided by the server 102 ). as described in greater detail below, in exemplary embodiments, the listing of patients presented within the patient list region 204 is prioritized or otherwise ordered in accordance with one or more prioritization rules associated with the particular doctor or healthcare provider. in exemplary embodiments, the patient list region 204 includes a number of horizontal rows, where each row is associated with an individual patient associated with the doctor or healthcare provider viewing the patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 . the illustrated patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 includes a drop-down menu 203 or similar gui element that may be manipulated by a user to control or otherwise configure the number of patients to be depicted in the patient list region 204 . the patient list region 204 also includes a number of vertical columns corresponding to different fields of data or information associated with the patients presented in the patient list region 204 . in the illustrated embodiment, the patient list region 204 includes a first column 210 for a patient photograph, a second column 212 for a patient identification number, and a third column 214 for the patient name. a patient status column 216 corresponds to a metric indicative of a physiological condition of the displayed patients. in exemplary embodiments, the remote server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 calculates or otherwise determines, for each patient, a respective value for the metric substantially in real-time based on the most recently available measurement data associated with the respective patient. for example, in the illustrated embodiment, the patient status column 216 corresponds to a time in range metric, where the remote server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 calculates or otherwise determines, for each patient, a percentage of preceding monitoring time period during which the patient's measured glucose was within a target range of values above a lower glucose threshold but below an upper glucose threshold. in this regard, the time in range percentage may be graphically indicated using a progress bar, status bar, or similar gui element where a ratio of a filled portion of the gui element to an unfilled portion of the gui elements corresponds to the time in range percentage. it should be noted that the upper and lower glucose values defining the target glucose range may vary from one patient to another, that is, the time in range metric values may be determined for each patient using patient-specific target range thresholds, which may be stored or otherwise maintained in association with the patient in the database 104 . in response to a new or updated glucose measurement value for a patient being pushed or otherwise provided to the database 104 , the remote server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may dynamically update that patient's time in range value in real-time to reflect the patient's most recently obtained glucose measurement. in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 2 , another column 218 adjacent to the patient status column 216 corresponds to notifications or other graphical indicia pertaining to the patient's current physiological condition. as described in greater detail below in the context of figs. 3-4 , in exemplary embodiments, the listing of patients in the patient region 204 are prioritized or otherwise ordered in accordance with one or more prioritization rules, where the column 218 may utilized to provide a notification pertaining to the patient's physiological condition or other indication of the underlying reason that dictated or otherwise influenced the respective patient's ranking in the list. still referring to fig. 2 , exemplary embodiments of the patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 include an action column 220 that includes gui elements 222 , 224 , 226 , 228 that are selectable to initiate or otherwise perform an action with respect to a particular patient. for example, in the illustrated embodiment, the action column 220 includes a phone call button 222 for initiating a phone call with the patient associated with a particular row in the patient list region 204 (e.g., using a phone number stored in the database 104 in association with the patient), a text message button 224 to initiate sending a text message to the respective patient, an email button 226 to initiate sending an email to the respective patient, and a report button 228 to initiate presentation of a report associated with the respective patient. additionally, the illustrated patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 includes a patient notes column 230 that includes the most recent physician notes associated with a respective patient that are obtained from the electronic medical records data 122 maintained in the database 104 . referring now to fig. 3 with continued reference to figs. 1-2 , in response to selection of a patient monitoring settings tab 240 , an updated patient monitoring dashboard gui display 300 may be generated or otherwise provided that includes a region 302 that lists prioritization criteria that have been created or otherwise defined for ordering patients in the patient list region 204 . in this regard, the vertical columns 310 , 312 , 314 , 316 across the prioritization rules region 302 define the fields or parameters for the respective prioritization rules or criteria to be applied when generating the patient list region 304 . in exemplary embodiments, a first column 310 is utilized to define a type of adverse event to be utilized for prioritization, a second column 312 is utilized to define a duration of the adverse event to be utilized for prioritization, a third column 314 is utilized to define a measurement value for the adverse event, and a fourth column 316 is utilized to assign a ranking or priority to the respective adverse event being utilized for prioritization. in this regard, patient's exhibiting adverse events assigned higher levels of priority may be ordered in the patient list region 204 ahead of other patient's that are asymptomatic or exhibiting adverse events assigned relatively lower levels of priority. in situations where multiple patients may be exhibiting multiple different prioritizable adverse events concurrently, the subset of patients exhibiting the highest priority events may be ordered first, with those patients being ordered within that respective subset being ordered in accordance with their relative number or severity of adverse events, with the subset of patients exhibiting medium priority events being ordered after the highest priority subset, with those patients being ordered within that respective subset being ordered in accordance with their relative number or severity of adverse events, and so on. the prioritization rules region 302 in fig. 3 depicts prioritization rules for assigning the highest level of priority to patients exhibiting a hypoglycemic event with a measured glucose level below 55 mg/dl for more than 10 minutes or a hyperglycemic event with a measured glucose level above 300 mg/dl for more than 20 minutes. the prioritization rules depicted in fig. 3 also assign a medium level of priority to patients exhibiting a hypoglycemic event with a measured glucose level below 80 mg/dl for more than 20 minutes, a hyperglycemic event with a measured glucose level above 260 mg/dl for more than 20 minutes, or a time in range percentage of less than 60%. lastly, the lowest level or priority may be assigned to patients exhibiting a time in range of less than 80%. it should be appreciated that fig. 3 is merely one exemplary set of prioritization rules for purposes of explanation, and the subject matter described herein is not intended to be limited to any particular type or number of prioritization rules or any particular scheme or manner for prioritizing patients. in this regard, any number of different prioritization rules or schemes may be utilized. additionally, although not illustrated in fig. 3 , in some embodiments, prioritization rules region 302 may also include additional columns for defining automated actions to be performed in response to detecting certain types of adverse events. in this regard, for each adverse event defined by the user for prioritization, the user may also define one or more notification rules that may be stored in association with the prioritization rules in the monitoring settings data 124 in the database 104 , which, in turn, may be utilized to automatically provide notifications on behalf of the user to the particular patient exhibiting the adverse event. for example, user may specify that the patient should automatically receive a text message, an email, a push notification, or the like in response to detecting a particular adverse event. the body or content of the automated communication may also be configured or otherwise defined by the user. for example, a doctor or other healthcare provider may create a template message requesting the patient schedule an appointment or perform some other action, when the time in range falls below 60% and then create a notification rule associated with the time in range below 60% adverse event that results in the remote server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 automatically initiating the desired type of communication with the autopopulated content to a particular patient in real-time in response to that patient's time in range falling below 60%. in this regard, automated notifications may be configured by the doctor or other healthcare provider to reduce the amount of time he or she spends on otherwise routine communications, thereby allowing the doctor or other healthcare provider to maintain focus on monitoring or assessing patients. referring again to fig. 2 with reference to fig. 3 , when generating the patient list region 204 , the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 analyzes the measurement data 120 associated with the user's associated patients to identify whether any of those patients are exhibiting a prioritizable adverse event, and then prioritizes those identified patients according to the relative priorities assigned to those adverse events. in this regard, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 identifies patients kevin adams and tom smith as exhibiting the low priority adverse event of a time in range value below 80%. accordingly, the initial rows of the patient list region 204 are populated with the data or information associated with kevin adams and tom smith, followed by the remaining patients that are asymptomatic or otherwise not exhibiting an adverse event. in the illustrated embodiment, the prioritized patients are ordered in ascending order according to their respective time in range values in the status column 216 . additionally, in exemplary embodiments, the graphical indicia 217 , 219 in the status column 216 for kevin adams and tom smith may be rendered using a visually distinguishable characteristic (e.g., a yellow color) to indicate that they have a low priority adverse event associated therewith, while the status indicia for the remaining patients may be rendered with another visually distinguishable characteristic (e.g., a green color) to indicate they are asymptomatic or not exhibiting any prioritizable adverse events. the prioritization reason column 218 may also be populated with information that summarizes or otherwise characterizes their respective statuses or the reasons that each respective patient is prioritized above other patients. for example, for patient kevin adams, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may calculate or otherwise determine that his time in range value has decreased by more than 10% since the user most recently viewed the patient monitoring gui display 200 and provide indication of the drop in kevin adam's time in range as the reason kevin adams has been prioritized in the patient list region 204 . based on the information depicted in the status, reason, and notes columns 216 , 218 , 230 associated with kevin adams, a doctor or other healthcare provider may determine an action to be performed with respect to kevin adams and select the appropriate gui element 222 , 224 , 226 , 228 in the action column 220 . for example, the user may select the email button 226 to open an email editor that may be utilized to compose an email to kevin adams to suggest potential therapy modifications, schedule an appointment, or the like. it should be noted that in various embodiments, the headers associated with one or more columns 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , 218 , 230 may be selectable to re-sort or otherwise re-order the listing of patients and override the automated prioritization of the patient list region 204 . for example, selecting the header for the status column 216 may result in the patient list region 204 being re-ordered in ascending or descending order according to the time in range metric values independently of any adverse events that may have been detected with respect to one or more of the patients. referring to fig. 4 with continued reference to figs. 1-3 , in exemplary embodiments, the patient monitoring gui display 200 is dynamically updated substantially in real-time in response to new or updated data being uploaded to the database 104 from the individual medical devices associated with the doctor's various patients. in this regard, fig. 4 depicts an example where in response to updated glucose measurement data for patient bob evans, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 determines the glucose measurements for bob evans have been below 55 mg/dl for greater than 10 minutes, and therefore, that bob evans is exhibiting a high priority hypoglycemic event. in response, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 reorders or otherwise reprioritizes the patient list region 204 to rank or order bob evans ahead of patients exhibiting lower priority events, which, in turn, are ranked ahead of asymptomatic patients. the status indicia 402 associated with bob evans may also be rendered using a visually distinguishable characteristic (e.g., a red color) to indicate that a high priority adverse event, with indication of the type of adverse event depicted in the reason column 218 of the row associated with bob evans. a doctor or healthcare provider reviewing patients using the patient monitoring gui display 200 may readily identify that patient bob evans may be in need of more immediate attention or intervention relative to other patients to mitigate the hypoglycemic event and select one of the phone call or text message gui elements 222 , 224 and attempt to expeditiously establish communications with bob evans to mitigate the hypoglycemic event before moving on to other patients who are currently less symptomatic. fig. 5 depicts an exemplary report gui display 500 that may be generated or otherwise provided by the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 in response to selection of the report gui element 228 associated with patient kevin adams. in this regard, in response to the user selecting the report button 228 for kevin adams, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may query the database 104 for the historical measurement data, historical event log data, and/or other historical observational data 120 associated with kevin adams and then generate the report gui display 500 that includes graph regions 502 , 504 depicting graphical representations of the recent glucose measurement data for kevin adams with respect to time along with marker regions 506 , 508 that include markers or other indicia associated with meals, boluses, or other events from the event log data associated with kevin adams at the appropriate times relative to the glucose measurement data. in exemplary embodiments, the report gui display 500 includes a recommendation region 510 that depicts recommended therapeutic modifications for kevin adams that may be automatically determined by the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 based on the historical data 120 associated with kevin adams using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and/or the like. in one or more embodiments, the recommendation region 510 includes selectable gui elements 512 that may be selected or otherwise manipulated to perform actions to facilitate the recommendations. for example, selection of a gui element 512 may cause the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 to automatically generate a text message, push notification, or the like that transmits or otherwise provides information pertaining to the recommended action to a device associated with kevin adams, thereby allowing the doctor or healthcare provider to provide recommended actions to the patient substantially in real-time in an automated manner that reduces the burden on the doctor or healthcare provider. fig. 6 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an email editor gui display 600 that may be generated or otherwise provided by the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 in response to selection of the email gui element 226 associated with patient kevin adams. in this regard, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may autopopulate the to: field of the email with a stored email address associated with kevin adams that is maintained in the database 104 , and the subject: field may be autopopulated with text that characterizes the adverse event that triggered the doctor or healthcare provider contacting the patient. additionally, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may autopopulate the body of the email with a default template message, thereby allowing the doctor or healthcare provider to simply send the email without devoting any further time to editing or drafting the message. in this regard, in some embodiments, the template messages or subject used to autopopulate the email may be configurable or otherwise defined by the doctor or healthcare provider, thereby allowing the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 to autopopulate the email in the desired manner. in a similar manner, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may automatically generate the text messages to be transmitted in response to selecting the text message button 224 . for example, referring to fig. 4 , in response to selecting the text message button 224 associated with bob evans, the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may automatically generate a text message configured to notify bob evans that he is currently experiencing a hypoglycemic event and should consume rescue carbohydrates or take other action, and the server 102 and/or the monitoring application 110 may automatically configure the text message to be sent to a stored phone number associated with bob evans in the database 104 . the doctor or healthcare provider may then briefly review the text message and modify it as desired before sending it to the patient. that said, as described above, in other embodiments, notification rules may be created in conjunction with the prioritization rules to automatically generate messages or notifications to be provided to a symptomatic patient without requiring action by the doctor or healthcare provider, thereby allowing the doctor or healthcare provider to forego routine communications and continue analyzing or assessing the symptomatic patient's condition. fig. 7 depicts an exemplary patient presentation process 700 suitable for implementation by a patient management system to provide a patient monitoring dashboard gui display. the various tasks performed in connection with the patient presentation process 700 may be performed by hardware, firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or any combination thereof. for illustrative purposes, the following description refers to elements mentioned above in connection with fig. 1 . in practice, portions of the patient presentation process 700 may be performed by different elements of the patient management system 100 , such as, for example, the server 102 , the database 104 , the client devices 106 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 . it should be appreciated that the patient presentation process 700 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, the tasks need not be performed in the illustrated order and/or the tasks may be performed concurrently, and/or the patient presentation process 700 may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality not described in detail herein. moreover, one or more of the tasks shown and described in the context of fig. 7 could be omitted from a practical embodiment of the patient presentation process 700 as long as the intended overall functionality remains intact. in one or more exemplary embodiments, the patient presentation process 700 is performed in response to authenticating a user logging in to the patient monitoring application 110 executing on a computing device 102 , 106 . the illustrated patient presentation process 700 identifies or otherwise obtains the prioritization rules associated with the user (task 702 ). for example, in response to authenticating a user of a client electronic device 106 as a particular doctor or healthcare provider, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 may query the database 104 using the authentication information or other identification information associated with that particular doctor or healthcare provider to obtain the prioritization rules associated with that doctor or provider from the monitoring settings data 124 maintained by the database 104 . the patient presentation process 700 also retrieves or otherwise obtains measurement data pertaining to patients associated with the user from the database (task 704 ). in this regard, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 may query the database 104 using the authentication information or other identification information associated with a particular doctor or healthcare provider to identify patients associated therewith and retrieve measurement data for those patients from the patient data 120 maintained by the database 104 . the measurement data may include, for each individual patient associated with the doctor or provider, measurement data samples for the physiological condition of the respective patient and/or one or more metrics indicative of the physiological condition of the respective patient that may be calculated based on the measurement data samples, such as, for example, an average measurement value, a median measurement value, percentile measurement values, a time in range percentage value, an amount of time above or below a threshold value, and/or the like. based on the patient measurement data, the patient presentation process 700 prioritizes or otherwise orders the patients associated with the user using the obtained prioritization rules (task 706 ). in this regard, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 prioritizes, ranks, sorts, or otherwise orders patients in accordance with the respective priorities assigned to the respective adverse events that may be exhibited by those patients. for example, patients exhibiting one or more adverse events assigned a high priority may be classified or otherwise prioritized into a high priority patient subset, patients exhibiting one or more adverse events assigned a medium priority may be classified or otherwise prioritized into a medium priority patient subset, patients exhibiting one or more adverse events assigned a low priority may be classified or otherwise prioritized into a low priority patient subset, and patients that are not exhibiting any adverse events may be classified or otherwise prioritized into an asymptomatic patient subset. the high priority patient subset of patients may be prioritized above the medium priority patient subset, which is prioritized above the low priority patient subset, which, in turn, is prioritized above the asymptomatic patient subset. within each subset, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 may further prioritize patients within the respective subset based on the number, type, priority and/or severity of the adverse events exhibited by the respective patients and/or the measurement data associated with the respective patients within the subset. for example, within the high priority patient subset, any patients exhibiting two high priority adverse events may be ranked ahead of those exhibiting only one high priority adverse event, while any patient exhibiting one high priority adverse event and one lower priority adverse event may be ranked ahead of those not exhibiting any other adverse events. patients may then be secondarily ranked or ordered based on their respective measurement data or metric values (e.g., in ascending order according to time in range percentage) or other factors. still referring to fig. 7 , in exemplary embodiments, after prioritizing the patients in accordance with the prioritization rules, the patient presentation process 700 continues by filtering the prioritized patient list based on a display threshold number of patients selected for presentation on the dashboard gui display to thereby select or retain only a limited number of the highest priority patients for presentation on the dashboard gui display (task 708 ). for example, referring to figs. 2-4 , when the display number drop-down menu 203 sets the display threshold number equal to eight, any patients after the first eight patients in the prioritized list are removed or otherwise excluded, resulting in a filtered prioritized patient list that includes only the eight highest priority patients associated with the doctor or care provider. that said, it should be noted that the display threshold number may be customizable or otherwise configurable on a per-user basis, so that the number of patients presented within the patient list region 204 of the dashboard gui display 200 may vary depending on the user. thereafter, the patient presentation process 700 continues by generating or otherwise providing a prioritized listing of patients associated with the user within the patient list region of the dashboard gui display (task 710 ). in this regard, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 populates the rows of the patient list region 204 with data or information associated with the respective patients of the filtered prioritized patient list according to their respective rankings. as described above, for each patient, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 may query the database 104 for the patient's photograph, name, and/or other identifying information for populating patient identification columns 210 , 212 , 214 of the respective row associated with the patient. the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 may also query the database 104 for the electronic medical records associated with the patient for populating the patient notes column 230 . the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 generates or otherwise provides a graphical representation of the physiological condition of the respective patient within the patient status column 216 that is rendered with a visually distinguishable characteristic corresponding to the relative priority or severity of the patient's associated symptoms, and the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 populates the prioritization reason column 218 with text or other indicia characterizing or summarizing the rationale (if any) for the patient's ranking within the patient list region 204 . as described above in the context of figs. 2-4 , the loop defined by tasks 706 , 708 and 710 may periodically or continually repeat during presentation of the patient monitoring dashboard gui display to dynamically update the patient list region in real-time in response to changes in the measurement data associated with one or more patients. for example, in response to an updated sensor glucose measurement below 55 mg/dl for patient bob evans that indicates a hypoglycemic event below 55 mg/dl for a duration that exceeds 10 minutes, the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 dynamically updates the prioritized patient list to rank bob evans first among the doctor or care provider's associated patients since bob evans is currently exhibiting a higher priority adverse event than any of the doctor or care provider's other patients. the server 102 and/or the patient monitoring application 110 then updates the patient list region 204 in a corresponding manner to repopulate the first row in the patient list region 204 with values for the fields or columns corresponding to the newly highest priority patient bob evans, while repopulating the second row in the patient list region 204 with values for the fields or columns corresponding to the previous highest priority patient kevin adams, and so on until reaching the display threshold. thus, the doctor or care provider may be readily apprised of the change in the status of the physiological condition of bob evans substantially in real-time. it will be appreciated that by virtue of the patient presentation process 700 and the patient monitoring gui displays described herein, a doctor or other healthcare provider may monitor the physiological condition of multiple patients substantially in real-time, with the patients being ordered or otherwise prioritized in a manner that facilitates the doctor or care provider quickly identifying those patients most in need of attention, thereby saving time while also alleviating the burdens associated with manually analyzing data for multiple patients. the doctor or care provider may then direct his or her to patients most in need of attention rather than devoting time or resources to patients that are asymptomatic or otherwise exhibiting normal physiology. in embodiments where a doctor or care provider has multiple patients with infusion devices utilizing closed-loop glucose control or otherwise using cgm devices, the doctor or care provider may utilize the patient monitoring dashboard gui displays to more quickly identify which patients would most benefit from therapy modifications or other interventions, and then quickly navigate to view reports associated with those patients. for example, a doctor may identify patient kevin adams has having a relatively low time in range percentage than other patients, select the report button 228 to navigate directly to the report gui display 500 for kevin adams from a patient monitoring gui display 200 , 400 . the doctor may review the report gui display 500 utilize gui elements 512 provided on the report gui display 500 to contact kevin adams to provide recommendations or therapy modifications to improve his time in range, and/or navigate back to the patient monitoring gui display 200 , 400 to utilize other gui elements 222 , 224 , 226 to contact kevin adams. thus, not only may the doctor's time may be more effectively devoted to patients most in need of attention, but the patient monitoring gui display 200 , 400 also facilitates expeditious analysis and/or intervention with those patients, thereby reducing the amount of time required for dealing with those patients, which, in turn, further increases the available time for attending to additional patients. fig. 8 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a patient monitoring system 800 suitable for use with implementing the patient presentation process 700 of fig. 7 to provide a prioritized patient list within a patient monitoring dashboard gui display, as described above. the patient monitoring system 800 includes a medical device 802 that is communicatively coupled to a sensing element 804 that is inserted into the body of a patient or otherwise worn by the patient to obtain measurement data indicative of a physiological condition in the body of the patient, such as a sensed glucose level. the medical device 802 is communicatively coupled to a client device 806 via a communications network 810 , with the client device 806 being communicatively coupled to a remote device 814 via another communications network 812 . in this regard, the client device 806 may function as an intermediary for uploading or otherwise providing measurement data from the medical device 802 to the remote device 814 . it should be appreciated that fig. 8 depicts a simplified representation of a patient monitoring system 800 for purposes of explanation and is not intended to limit the subject matter described herein in any way. in exemplary embodiments, the client device 806 is realized as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or other similar mobile electronic device; however, in other embodiments, the client device 806 may be realized as any sort of electronic device capable of communicating with the medical device 802 via network 810 , such as a laptop or notebook computer, a desktop computer, or the like. in exemplary embodiments, the network 810 is realized as a bluetooth network, a zigbee network, or another suitable personal area network. that said, in other embodiments, the network 810 could be realized as a wireless ad hoc network, a wireless local area network (wlan), or local area network (lan). the client device 806 includes or is coupled to a display device, such as a monitor, screen, or another conventional electronic display, capable of graphically presenting data and/or information pertaining to the physiological condition of the patient. the client device 806 also includes or is otherwise associated with a user input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or the like, capable of receiving input data and/or other information from the user of the client device 806 . in exemplary embodiments, a user, such as the patient, the patient's doctor or another healthcare provider, or the like, manipulates the client device 806 to execute a client application 808 that supports communicating with the medical device 802 via the network 810 . in this regard, the client application 808 supports establishing a communications session with the medical device 802 on the network 810 and receiving data and/or information from the medical device 802 via the communications session. the medical device 802 may similarly execute or otherwise implement a corresponding application or process that supports establishing the communications session with the client application 808 . the client application 808 generally represents a software module or another feature that is generated or otherwise implemented by the client device 806 to support the processes described herein. accordingly, the client device 806 generally includes a processing system and a data storage element (or memory) capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the processing system, that, when read and executed, cause processing system to create, generate, or otherwise facilitate the client application 808 and perform or otherwise support the processes, tasks, operations, and/or functions described herein. depending on the embodiment, the processing system may be implemented using any suitable processing system and/or device, such as, for example, one or more processors, central processing units (cpus), controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, processing cores and/or other hardware computing resources configured to support the operation of the processing system described herein. similarly, the data storage element or memory may be realized as a random-access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), flash memory, magnetic or optical mass storage, or any other suitable non-transitory short or long-term data storage or other computer-readable media, and/or any suitable combination thereof. in one or more embodiments, the client device 806 and the medical device 802 establish an association (or pairing) with one another over the network 810 to support subsequently establishing a point-to-point or peer-to-peer communications session between the medical device 802 and the client device 806 via the network 810 . for example, in accordance with one embodiment, the network 810 is realized as a bluetooth network, wherein the medical device 802 and the client device 806 are paired with one another (e.g., by obtaining and storing network identification information for one another) by performing a discovery procedure or another suitable pairing procedure. the pairing information obtained during the discovery procedure allows either of the medical device 802 or the client device 806 to initiate the establishment of a secure communications session via the network 810 . in one or more exemplary embodiments, the client application 808 is also configured to store or otherwise maintain an address and/or other identification information for the remote device 814 on the second network 812 . in this regard, the second network 812 may be physically and/or logically distinct from the network 810 , such as, for example, the internet, a cellular network, a wide area network (wan), or the like. the remote device 814 generally represents a server or other computing device configured to receive and analyze or otherwise monitor measurement data, event log data, and potentially other information obtained for the patient associated with the medical device 802 . in exemplary embodiments, the remote device 814 is coupled to a database 816 configured to store or otherwise maintain data associated with individual patients. in practice, the remote device 814 may reside at a location that is physically distinct and/or separate from the medical device 802 and the client device 806 , such as, for example, at a facility that is owned and/or operated by or otherwise affiliated with a manufacturer of the medical device 802 . for purposes of explanation, but without limitation, the remote device 814 may alternatively be referred to herein as a server. still referring to fig. 8 , the sensing element 804 generally represents the component of the patient monitoring system 800 that is configured to generate, produce, or otherwise output one or more electrical signals indicative of a physiological condition that is sensed, measured, or otherwise quantified by the sensing element 804 . in this regard, the physiological condition of a user influences a characteristic of the electrical signal output by the sensing element 804 , such that the characteristic of the output signal corresponds to or is otherwise correlative to the physiological condition that the sensing element 804 is sensitive to. in exemplary embodiments, the sensing element 804 is realized as an interstitial glucose sensing element inserted at a location on the body of the patient that generates an output electrical signal having a current (or voltage) associated therewith that is correlative to the interstitial fluid glucose level that is sensed or otherwise measured in the body of the patient by the sensing element 804 . the medical device 802 generally represents the component of the patient monitoring system 800 that is communicatively coupled to the output of the sensing element 804 to receive or otherwise obtain the measurement data samples from the sensing element 804 (e.g., the measured glucose and characteristic impedance values), store or otherwise maintain the measurement data samples, and upload or otherwise transmit the measurement data to the server 814 via the client device 806 . in one or more embodiments, the medical device 802 is realized as an infusion device configured to deliver a fluid, such as insulin, to the body of the patient. that said, in other embodiments, the medical device 802 could be a standalone sensing or monitoring device separate and independent from an infusion device, such as, for example, a continuous glucose monitor (cgm), an interstitial glucose sensing arrangement, or similar device. it should be noted that although fig. 8 depicts the medical device 802 and the sensing element 804 as separate components, in practice, the medical device 802 and the sensing element 804 may be integrated or otherwise combined to provide a unitary device that can be worn by the patient. in exemplary embodiments, the medical device 802 includes a control module 822 , a data storage element 824 (or memory), and a communications interface 826 . the control module 822 generally represents the hardware, circuitry, logic, firmware and/or other component(s) of the medical device 802 that is coupled to the sensing element 804 to receive the electrical signals output by the sensing element 804 and perform or otherwise support various additional tasks, operations, functions and/or processes described herein. depending on the embodiment, the control module 822 may be implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, a content addressable memory, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. in some embodiments, the control module 822 includes an analog-to-digital converter (adc) or another similar sampling arrangement that samples or otherwise converts an output electrical signal received from the sensing element 804 into corresponding digital measurement data value. in other embodiments, the sensing element 804 may incorporate an adc and output a digital measurement value. the communications interface 826 generally represents the hardware, circuitry, logic, firmware and/or other components of the medical device 802 that are coupled to the control module 822 for outputting data and/or information from/to the medical device 802 to/from the client device 806 . for example, the communications interface 826 may include or otherwise be coupled to one or more transceiver modules capable of supporting wireless communications between the medical device 802 and the client device 806 . in exemplary embodiments, the communications interface 826 is realized as a bluetooth transceiver or adapter configured to support bluetooth low energy (ble) communications. in exemplary embodiments, the remote device 814 receives, from the client device 806 , measurement data values associated with a particular patient (e.g., sensor glucose measurements, acceleration measurements, and the like) that were obtained using the sensing element 804 , and the remote device 814 stores or otherwise maintains the historical measurement data in the database 816 in association with the patient (e.g., using one or more unique patient identifiers). additionally, the remote device 814 may also receive, from or via the client device 806 , meal data or other event log data that may be input or otherwise provided by the patient (e.g., via client application 808 ) and store or otherwise maintain historical meal data and other historical event or activity data associated with the patient in the database 816 . in this regard, the meal data include, for example, a time or timestamp associated with a particular meal event, a meal type or other information indicative of the content or nutritional characteristics of the meal, and an indication of the size associated with the meal. when the medical device 802 is realized as an infusion device, the remote device 814 may also receive historical fluid delivery data corresponding to basal or bolus dosages of fluid delivered to the patient by the infusion device. for example, the client application 808 may communicate with an infusion device 802 to obtain insulin delivery dosage amounts and corresponding timestamps from the infusion device 802 , and then upload the insulin delivery data to the remote device 814 for storage in association with the particular patient. referring to fig. 8 with reference to figs. 1-4 and fig. 7 , multiple instances of devices 802 , 804 , 806 associated with different patients may continually upload measurement data, delivery data, event log data, and the like to the server 814 for storage in the database 816 . concurrently, a doctor or healthcare provider may utilize an instance of a client device 806 to login to the patient monitoring application 110 via the client application 808 to view a patient monitoring dashboard gui display generated based on data associated with that doctor or healthcare provider's patients in the database 816 . for example, the client application 808 may be realized as a web browser or similar local client application executed by the client device 806 that contacts the application server 102 using a networking protocol, such as the hypertext transport protocol (http) or the like, to access or otherwise initiate an instance of the patient monitoring application 110 presented or otherwise provided within the client application 808 on the client device 806 . the doctor or healthcare provider may utilize the patient monitoring dashboard gui display to monitor his or her patients while the patient monitoring dashboard gui display is dynamically updated or refreshed in real-time as the various devices 802 , 804 , 806 associated with the doctor or healthcare provider's patients concurrently upload new or updated data to the database 816 . diabetes data management system overview fig. 9 illustrates a computing device 900 including a display 933 suitable for presenting a patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 , 400 as part of a diabetes data management system in conjunction with the patient presentation process 700 of fig. 7 described above. the diabetes data management system (ddms) may be referred to as the medtronic minimed carelink™ system or as a medical data management system (mdms) in some embodiments. the ddms may be housed on a server or a plurality of servers which a user or a health care professional may access via a communications network via the internet or the world wide web. some models of the ddms, which is described as an mdms, are described in u.s. patent application publication nos. 2006/0031094 and 2013/0338630, which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. while description of embodiments may be made in regard to monitoring medical or biological conditions for subjects having diabetes, the systems and processes herein are applicable to monitoring medical or biological conditions for cardiac subjects, cancer subjects, hiv subjects, subjects with other disease, infection, or controllable conditions, or various combinations thereof. in embodiments of the invention, the ddms may be installed in a computing device in a health care provider's office, such as a doctor's office, a nurse's office, a clinic, an emergency room, an urgent care office. health care providers may be reluctant to utilize a system where their confidential patient data is to be stored in a computing device such as a server on the internet. the ddms may be installed on a computing device 900 . the computing device 900 may be coupled to a display 933 . in some embodiments, the computing device 900 may be in a physical device separate from the display (such as in a personal computer, a mini-computer, etc.) in some embodiments, the computing device 900 may be in a single physical enclosure or device with the display 933 such as a laptop where the display 933 is integrated into the computing device. in embodiments of the invention, the computing device 900 hosting the ddms may be, but is not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server, a network computer, a personal digital assistant (pda), a portable telephone including computer functions, a pager with a large visible display, an insulin pump including a display, a glucose sensor including a display, a glucose meter including a display, and/or a combination insulin pump/glucose sensor having a display. the computing device may also be an insulin pump coupled to a display, a glucose meter coupled to a display, or a glucose sensor coupled to a display. the computing device 900 may also be a server located on the internet that is accessible via a browser installed on a laptop computer, desktop computer, a network computer, or a pda. the computing device 900 may also be a server located in a doctor's office that is accessible via a browser installed on a portable computing device, e.g., laptop, pda, network computer, portable phone, which has wireless capabilities and can communicate via one of the wireless communication protocols such as bluetooth and ieee 802.11 protocols. in the embodiment shown in fig. 9 , the data management system 916 comprises a group of interrelated software modules or layers that specialize in different tasks. the system software includes a device communication layer 924 , a data parsing layer 926 , a database layer 928 , database storage devices 929 , a reporting layer 930 , a graph display layer 931 , and a user interface layer 932 . the diabetes data management system may communicate with a plurality of subject support devices 912 , two of which are illustrated in fig. 9 . although the different reference numerals refer to a number of layers, (e.g., a device communication layer, a data parsing layer, a database layer), each layer may include a single software module or a plurality of software modules. for example, the device communications layer 924 may include a number of interacting software modules, libraries, etc. in embodiments of the invention, the data management system 916 may be installed onto a non-volatile storage area (memory such as flash memory, hard disk, removable hard, dvd-rw, cd-rw) of the computing device 900 . if the data management system 916 is selected or initiated, the system 916 may be loaded into a volatile storage (memory such as dram, sram, ram, ddram) for execution. the device communication layer 924 is responsible for interfacing with at least one, and, in further embodiments, to a plurality of different types of subject support devices 912 , such as, for example, blood glucose meters, glucose sensors/monitors, or an infusion pump. in one embodiment, the device communication layer 924 may be configured to communicate with a single type of subject support device 912 . however, in more comprehensive embodiments, the device communication layer 924 is configured to communicate with multiple different types of subject support devices 912 , such as devices made from multiple different manufacturers, multiple different models from a particular manufacturer and/or multiple different devices that provide different functions (such as infusion functions, sensing functions, metering functions, communication functions, user interface functions, or combinations thereof). by providing an ability to interface with multiple different types of subject support devices 912 , the diabetes data management system 916 may collect data from a significantly greater number of discrete sources. such embodiments may provide expanded and improved data analysis capabilities by including a greater number of subjects and groups of subjects in statistical or other forms of analysis that can benefit from larger amounts of sample data and/or greater diversity in sample data, and, thereby, improve capabilities of determining appropriate treatment parameters, diagnostics, or the like. the device communication layer 924 allows the ddms 916 to receive information from and transmit information to or from each subject support device 912 in the system 916 . depending upon the embodiment and context of use, the type of information that may be communicated between the system 916 and device 912 may include, but is not limited to, data, programs, updated software, education materials, warning messages, notifications, device settings, therapy parameters, or the like. the device communication layer 924 may include suitable routines for detecting the type of subject support device 912 in communication with the system 916 and implementing appropriate communication protocols for that type of device 912 . alternatively, or in addition, the subject support device 912 may communicate information in packets or other data arrangements, where the communication includes a preamble or other portion that includes device identification information for identifying the type of the subject support device. alternatively, or in addition, the subject support device 912 may include suitable user-operable interfaces for allowing a user to enter information, such as by selecting an optional icon or text or other device identifier that corresponds to the type of subject support device used by that user. such information may be communicated to the system 916 , through a network connection. in yet further embodiments, the system 916 may detect the type of subject support device 912 it is communicating with in the manner described above and then may send a message requiring the user to verify that the system 916 properly detected the type of subject support device being used by the user. for systems 916 that are capable of communicating with multiple different types of subject support devices 912 , the device communication layer 924 may be capable of implementing multiple different communication protocols and selects a protocol that is appropriate for the detected type of subject support device. the data-parsing layer 926 is responsible for validating the integrity of device data received and for inputting it correctly into a database 929 . a cyclic redundancy check (crc) process for checking the integrity of the received data may be employed. alternatively, or in addition, data may be received in packets or other data arrangements, where preambles or other portions of the data include device type identification information. such preambles or other portions of the received data may further include device serial numbers or other identification information that may be used for validating the authenticity of the received information. in such embodiments, the system 916 may compare received identification information with pre-stored information to evaluate whether the received information is from a valid source. the database layer 928 may include a centralized database repository that is responsible for warehousing and archiving stored data in an organized format for later access, and retrieval. the database layer 928 operates with one or more data storage device(s) 929 suitable for storing and providing access to data in the manner described herein. such data storage device(s) 929 may comprise, for example, one or more hard discs, optical discs, tapes, digital libraries or other suitable digital or analog storage media and associated drive devices, drive arrays or the like. data may be stored and archived for various purposes, depending upon the embodiment and environment of use. information regarding specific subjects and patient support devices may be stored and archived and made available to those specific subjects, their authorized healthcare providers and/or authorized healthcare payor entities for analyzing the subject's condition. also, certain information regarding groups of subjects or groups of subject support devices may be made available more generally for healthcare providers, subjects, personnel of the entity administering the system 916 or other entities, for analyzing group data or other forms of conglomerate data. embodiments of the database layer 928 and other components of the system 916 may employ suitable data security measures for securing personal medical information of subjects, while also allowing non-personal medical information to be more generally available for analysis. embodiments may be configured for compliance with suitable government regulations, industry standards, policies or the like, including, but not limited to the health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996 (hipaa). the database layer 928 may be configured to limit access of each user to types of information pre-authorized for that user. for example, a subject may be allowed access to his or her individual medical information (with individual identifiers) stored by the database layer 928 , but not allowed access to other subject's individual medical information (with individual identifiers). similarly, a subject's authorized healthcare provider or payor entity may be provided access to some or all of the subject's individual medical information (with individual identifiers) stored by the database layer 928 , but not allowed access to another individual's personal information. also, an operator or administrator-user (on a separate computer communicating with the computing device 900 ) may be provided access to some or all subject information, depending upon the role of the operator or administrator. on the other hand, a subject, healthcare provider, operator, administrator or other entity, may be authorized to access general information of unidentified individuals, groups or conglomerates (without individual identifiers) stored by the database layer 928 in the data storage devices 929 . in embodiments of the invention, the database layer 928 may store preference profiles. in the database layer 928 , for example, each user may store information regarding specific parameters that correspond to the user. illustratively, these parameters could include target blood glucose or sensor glucose levels, what type of equipment the users utilize (insulin pump, glucose sensor, blood glucose meter, etc.) and could be stored in a record, a file, or a memory location in the data storage device(s) 929 in the database layer. as described above, preference profiles may include various threshold values, monitoring period values, prioritization criteria, filtering criteria, and/or other user-specific values for parameters utilized by the patient presentation process 700 described above to generate a patient monitoring dashboard gui display, such as patient monitoring dashboard gui display 200 , on the display 933 or a support device 912 in a personalized manner. the ddms 916 may measure, analyze, and track either blood glucose (bg) or sensor glucose (sg) readings for a user. in embodiments of the invention, the medical data management system may measure, track, or analyze both bg and sg readings for the user. accordingly, although certain reports may mention or illustrate bg or sg only, the reports may monitor and display results for the other one of the glucose readings or for both of the glucose readings. the reporting layer 930 may include a report wizard program that pulls data from selected locations in the database 929 and generates report information from the desired parameters of interest. the reporting layer 930 may be configured to generate multiple different types of reports, each having different information and/or showing information in different formats (arrangements or styles), where the type of report may be selectable by the user. a plurality of pre-set types of report (with pre-defined types of content and format) may be available and selectable by a user. at least some of the pre-set types of reports may be common, industry standard report types with which many healthcare providers should be familiar. in exemplary embodiments described herein, the reporting layer 930 also facilitates generation of a report, such as report gui display 500 of fig. 5 . in embodiments of the invention, the database layer 928 may calculate values for various medical information that is to be displayed on the reports generated by the report or reporting layer 930 . for example, the database layer 928 may calculate average blood glucose or sensor glucose readings for specified timeframes. in embodiments of the invention, the reporting layer 930 may calculate values for medical or physical information that is to be displayed on the reports. for example, a user may select parameters which are then utilized by the reporting layer 930 to generate medical information values corresponding to the selected parameters. in other embodiments of the invention, the user may select a parameter profile that previously existed in the database layer 928 . alternatively, or in addition, the report wizard may allow a user to design a custom type of report. for example, the report wizard may allow a user to define and input parameters (such as parameters specifying the type of content data, the time period of such data, the format of the report, or the like) and may select data from the database and arrange the data in a printable or displayable arrangement, based on the user-defined parameters. in further embodiments, the report wizard may interface with or provide data for use by other programs that may be available to users, such as common report generating, formatting or statistical analysis programs. in this manner, users may import data from the system 916 into further reporting tools familiar to the user. the reporting layer 930 may generate reports in displayable form to allow a user to view reports on a standard display device, printable form to allow a user to print reports on standard printers, or other suitable forms for access by a user. embodiments may operate with conventional file format schemes for simplifying storing, printing and transmitting functions, including, but not limited to pdf, jpeg, or the like. illustratively, a user may select a type of report and parameters for the report and the reporting layer 930 may create the report in a pdf format. a pdf plug-in may be initiated to help create the report and also to allow the user to view the report. under these operating conditions, the user may print the report utilizing the pdf plug-in. in certain embodiments in which security measures are implemented, for example, to meet government regulations, industry standards or policies that restrict communication of subject's personal information, some or all reports may be generated in a form (or with suitable software controls) to inhibit printing, or electronic transfer (such as a non-printable and/or non-capable format). in yet further embodiments, the system 916 may allow a user generating a report to designate the report as non-printable and/or non-transferable, whereby the system 916 will provide the report in a form that inhibits printing and/or electronic transfer. the reporting layer 930 may transfer selected reports to the graph display layer 931 . the graph display layer 931 receives information regarding the selected reports and converts the data into a format that can be displayed or shown on a display 933 . in embodiments of the invention, the reporting layer 930 may store a number of the user's parameters. illustratively, the reporting layer 930 may store the type of carbohydrate units, a blood glucose movement or sensor glucose reading, a carbohydrate conversion factor, and timeframes for specific types of reports. these examples are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. data analysis and presentations of the reported information may be employed to develop and support diagnostic and therapeutic parameters. where information on the report relates to an individual subject, the diagnostic and therapeutic parameters may be used to assess the health status and relative well-being of that subject, assess the subject's compliance to a therapy, as well as to develop or modify treatment for the subject and assess the subject's behaviors that affect his/her therapy. where information on the report relates to groups of subjects or conglomerates of data, the diagnostic and therapeutic parameters may be used to assess the health status and relative well-being of groups of subjects with similar medical conditions, such as, but not limited to, diabetic subjects, cardiac subjects, diabetic subjects having a particular type of diabetes or cardiac condition, subjects of a particular age, sex or other demographic group, subjects with conditions that influence therapeutic decisions such as but not limited to pregnancy, obesity, hypoglycemic unawareness, learning disorders, limited ability to care for self, various levels of insulin resistance, combinations thereof, or the like. the user interface layer 932 supports interactions with the end user, for example, for user login and data access, software navigation, data input, user selection of desired report types and the display of selected information. users may also input parameters to be utilized in the selected reports via the user interface layer 932 . examples of users include but are not limited to: healthcare providers, healthcare payer entities, system operators or administrators, researchers, business entities, healthcare institutions and organizations, or the like, depending upon the service being provided by the system and depending upon the invention embodiment. more comprehensive embodiments are capable of interacting with some or all of the above-noted types of users, wherein different types of users have access to different services or data or different levels of services or data. in an example embodiment, the user interface layer 932 provides one or more websites accessible by users on the internet. the user interface layer may include or operate with at least one (or multiple) suitable network server(s) to provide the website(s) over the internet and to allow access, world-wide, from internet-connected computers using standard internet browser software. the website(s) may be accessed by various types of users, including but not limited to subjects, healthcare providers, researchers, business entities, healthcare institutions and organizations, payor entities, pharmaceutical partners or other sources of pharmaceuticals or medical equipment, and/or support personnel or other personnel running the system 916 , depending upon the embodiment of use. in another example embodiment, where the ddms 916 is located on one computing device 900 , the user interface layer 932 provides a number of menus to the user to navigate through the ddms. these menus may be created utilizing any menu format, including but not limited to html, xml, or active server pages. a user may access the ddms 916 to perform one or more of a variety of tasks, such as accessing general information made available on a website to all subjects or groups of subjects. the user interface layer 932 of the ddms 916 may allow a user to access specific information or to generate reports regarding that subject's medical condition or that subject's medical device(s) 912 , to transfer data or other information from that subject's support device(s) 912 to the system 916 , to transfer data, programs, program updates or other information from the system 916 to the subject's support device(s) 912 , to manually enter information into the system 916 , to engage in a remote consultation exchange with a healthcare provider, or to modify the custom settings in a subject's supported device and/or in a subject's ddms/mdms data file. the system 916 may provide access to different optional resources or activities (including accessing different information items and services) to different users and to different types or groups of users, such that each user may have a customized experience and/or each type or group of users (e.g., all users, diabetic users, cardio users, healthcare provider-user or payor-user, or the like) may have a different set of information items or services available on the system. the system 916 may include or employ one or more suitable resource provisioning program or system for allocating appropriate resources to each user or type of user, based on a pre-defined authorization plan. resource provisioning systems are well known in connection with provisioning of electronic office resources (email, software programs under license, sensitive data, etc.) in an office environment, for example, in a local area network lan for an office, company or firm. in one example embodiment, such resource provisioning systems is adapted to control access to medical information and services on the ddms 916 , based on the type of user and/or the identity of the user. upon entering successful verification of the user's identification information and password, the user may be provided access to secure, personalized information stored on the ddms 916 . for example, the user may be provided access to a secure, personalized location in the ddms 916 which has been assigned to the subject. this personalized location may be referred to as a personalized screen, a home screen, a home menu, a personalized page, etc. the personalized location may provide a personalized home screen to the subject, including selectable icons or menu items for selecting optional activities, including, for example, an option to transfer device data from a subject's supported device 912 to the system 916 , manually enter additional data into the system 916 , modify the subject's custom settings, and/or view and print reports. reports may include data specific to the subject's condition, including but not limited to, data obtained from the subject's support device(s) 912 , data manually entered, data from medical libraries or other networked therapy management systems, data from the subjects or groups of subjects, or the like. where the reports include subject-specific information and subject identification information, the reports may be generated from some or all subject data stored in a secure storage area (e.g., storage devices 929 ) employed by the database layer 928 . the user may select an option to transfer (send) device data to the medical data management system 916 . if the system 916 receives a user's request to transfer device data to the system, the system 916 may provide the user with step-by-step instructions on how to transfer data from the subject's supported device(s) 912 . for example, the ddms 916 may have a plurality of different stored instruction sets for instructing users how to download data from different types of subject support devices, where each instruction set relates to a particular type of subject supported device (e.g., pump, sensor, meter, or the like), a particular manufacturer's version of a type of subject support device, or the like. registration information received from the user during registration may include information regarding the type of subject support device(s) 912 used by the subject. the system 916 employs that information to select the stored instruction set(s) associated with the particular subject's support device(s) 912 for display to the user. other activities or resources available to the user on the system 916 may include an option for manually entering information to the ddms/mdms 916 . for example, from the user's personalized menu or location, the user may select an option to manually enter additional information into the system 916 . further optional activities or resources may be available to the user on the ddms 916 . for example, from the user's personalized menu, the user may select an option to receive data, software, software updates, treatment recommendations or other information from the system 916 on the subject's support device(s) 912 . if the system 916 receives a request from a user to receive data, software, software updates, treatment recommendations or other information, the system 916 may provide the user with a list or other arrangement of multiple selectable icons or other indicia representing available data, software, software updates or other information available to the user. yet further optional activities or resources may be available to the user on the medical data management system 916 including, for example, an option for the user to customize or otherwise further personalize the user's personalized location or menu. in particular, from the user's personalized location, the user may select an option to customize parameters for the user. in addition, the user may create profiles of customizable parameters. when the system 916 receives such a request from a user, the system 916 may provide the user with a list or other arrangement of multiple selectable icons or other indicia representing parameters that may be modified to accommodate the user's preferences. when a user selects one or more of the icons or other indicia, the system 916 may receive the user's request and makes the requested modification. infusion system overview fig. 10 depicts one exemplary embodiment of an infusion system 1000 that includes, without limitation, a fluid infusion device (or infusion pump) 1002 , a sensing arrangement 1004 , a command control device (ccd) 1006 , and a computer 1008 , which could be realized as any one of the computing devices 102 , 106 , 806 , 812 , 900 , 912 described above. the components of an infusion system 1000 may be realized using different platforms, designs, and configurations, and the embodiment shown in fig. 10 is not exhaustive or limiting. in practice, the infusion device 1002 and the sensing arrangement 1004 are secured at desired locations on the body of a user (or patient), as illustrated in fig. 10 . in this regard, the locations at which the infusion device 1002 and the sensing arrangement 1004 are secured to the body of the user in fig. 10 are provided only as a representative, non-limiting, example. in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 10 , the infusion device 1002 is designed as a portable medical device suitable for infusing a fluid, a liquid, a gel, or other agent into the body of a user. in exemplary embodiments, the infused fluid is insulin, although many other fluids may be administered through infusion such as, but not limited to, hiv drugs, drugs to treat pulmonary hypertension, iron chelation drugs, pain medications, anti-cancer treatments, medications, vitamins, hormones, or the like. in some embodiments, the fluid may include a nutritional supplement, a dye, a tracing medium, a saline medium, a hydration medium, or the like. the sensing arrangement 1004 generally represents the components of the infusion system 1000 configured to sense, detect, measure or otherwise quantify a condition of the user, and may include a sensor, a monitor, or the like, for providing data indicative of the condition that is sensed, detected, measured or otherwise monitored by the sensing arrangement. in this regard, the sensing arrangement 1004 may include electronics and enzymes reactive to a biological or physiological condition of the user, such as a blood glucose level, or the like, and provide data indicative of the blood glucose level to the infusion device 1002 , the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 . for example, the infusion device 1002 , the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 may include a display for presenting information or data to the user based on the sensor data received from the sensing arrangement 1004 , such as, for example, a current glucose level of the user, a graph or chart of the user's glucose level versus time, device status indicators, alert messages, or the like. in other embodiments, the infusion device 1002 , the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 may include electronics and software that are configured to analyze sensor data and operate the infusion device 1002 to deliver fluid to the body of the user based on the sensor data and/or preprogrammed delivery routines. thus, in exemplary embodiments, one or more of the infusion device 1002 , the sensing arrangement 1004 , the ccd 1006 , and/or the computer 1008 includes a transmitter, a receiver, and/or other transceiver electronics that allow for communication with other components of the infusion system 1000 , so that the sensing arrangement 1004 may transmit sensor data or monitor data to one or more of the infusion device 1002 , the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 . still referring to fig. 10 , in various embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 may be secured to the body of the user or embedded in the body of the user at a location that is remote from the location at which the infusion device 1002 is secured to the body of the user. in various other embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 may be incorporated within the infusion device 1002 . in other embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 may be separate and apart from the infusion device 1002 , and may be, for example, part of the ccd 1006 . in such embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 may be configured to receive a biological sample, analyte, or the like, to measure a condition of the user. in various embodiments, the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 may include electronics and other components configured to perform processing, delivery routine storage, and to control the infusion device 1002 in a manner that is influenced by sensor data measured by and/or received from the sensing arrangement 1004 . by including control functions in the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 , the infusion device 1002 may be made with more simplified electronics. however, in other embodiments, the infusion device 1002 may include all control functions, and may operate without the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 . in various embodiments, the ccd 1006 may be a portable electronic device. in addition, in various embodiments, the infusion device 1002 and/or the sensing arrangement 1004 may be configured to transmit data to the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 for display or processing of the data by the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 . in some embodiments, the ccd 1006 and/or the computer 1008 may provide information to the user that facilitates the user's subsequent use of the infusion device 1002 . for example, the ccd 1006 may provide information to the user to allow the user to determine the rate or dose of medication to be administered into the user's body. in other embodiments, the ccd 1006 may provide information to the infusion device 1002 to autonomously control the rate or dose of medication administered into the body of the user. in some embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 may be integrated into the ccd 1006 . such embodiments may allow the user to monitor a condition by providing, for example, a sample of his or her blood to the sensing arrangement 1004 to assess his or her condition. in some embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 and the ccd 1006 may be used for determining glucose levels in the blood and/or body fluids of the user without the use of, or necessity of, a wire or cable connection between the infusion device 1002 and the sensing arrangement 1004 and/or the ccd 1006 . in one or more exemplary embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 and/or the infusion device 1002 are cooperatively configured to utilize a closed-loop system for delivering fluid to the user. in such embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 is configured to sense or measure a condition of the user, such as, blood glucose level or the like. the infusion device 1002 is configured to deliver fluid in response to the condition sensed by the sensing arrangement 1004 . in turn, the sensing arrangement 1004 continues to sense or otherwise quantify a current condition of the user, thereby allowing the infusion device 1002 to deliver fluid continuously in response to the condition currently (or most recently) sensed by the sensing arrangement 1004 indefinitely. in some embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1004 and/or the infusion device 1002 may be configured to utilize the closed-loop system only for a portion of the day, for example only when the user is asleep or awake. figs. 11-13 depict one exemplary embodiment of a fluid infusion device 1100 (or alternatively, infusion pump) suitable for use in an infusion system, such as, for example, as infusion device 1002 in the infusion system 1000 of fig. 10 . the fluid infusion device 1100 is a portable medical device designed to be carried or worn by a patient (or user), and the fluid infusion device 1100 may leverage any number of conventional features, components, elements, and characteristics of existing fluid infusion devices. it should be appreciated that figs. 11-13 depict some aspects of the infusion device 1100 in a simplified manner; in practice, the infusion device 1100 could include additional elements, features, or components that are not shown or described in detail herein. as best illustrated in figs. 11-12 , the illustrated embodiment of the fluid infusion device 1100 includes a housing 1102 adapted to receive a fluid-containing reservoir 1105 . an opening 1120 in the housing 1102 accommodates a fitting 1123 (or cap) for the reservoir 1105 , with the fitting 1123 being configured to mate or otherwise interface with tubing 1121 of an infusion set 1125 that provides a fluid path to/from the body of the user. in this manner, fluid communication from the interior of the reservoir 1105 to the user is established via the tubing 1121 . the illustrated fluid infusion device 1100 includes a human-machine interface (hmi) 1130 (or user interface) that includes elements 1132 , 1134 that can be manipulated by the user to administer a bolus of fluid (e.g., insulin), to change therapy settings, to change user preferences, to select display features, and the like. the infusion device also includes a display element 1126 , such as a liquid crystal display (lcd) or another suitable display element, that can be used to present various types of information or data to the user, such as, without limitation: the current glucose level of the patient; the time; a graph or chart of the patient's glucose level versus time; device status indicators; etc. the housing 1102 is formed from a substantially rigid material having a hollow interior 1114 adapted to allow an electronics assembly 1104 , a sliding member (or slide) 1106 , a drive system 1108 , a sensor assembly 1110 , and a drive system capping member 1112 to be disposed therein in addition to the reservoir 1105 , with the contents of the housing 1102 being enclosed by a housing capping member 1116 . the opening 1120 , the slide 1106 , and the drive system 1108 are coaxially aligned in an axial direction (indicated by arrow 1118 ), whereby the drive system 1108 facilitates linear displacement of the slide 1106 in the axial direction 1118 to dispense fluid from the reservoir 1105 (after the reservoir 1105 has been inserted into opening 1120 ), with the sensor assembly 1110 being configured to measure axial forces (e.g., forces aligned with the axial direction 1118 ) exerted on the sensor assembly 1110 responsive to operating the drive system 1108 to displace the slide 1106 . in various embodiments, the sensor assembly 1110 may be utilized to detect one or more of the following: an occlusion in a fluid path that slows, prevents, or otherwise degrades fluid delivery from the reservoir 1105 to a user's body; when the reservoir 1105 is empty; when the slide 1106 is properly seated with the reservoir 1105 ; when a fluid dose has been delivered; when the infusion pump 1100 is subjected to shock or vibration; when the infusion pump 1100 requires maintenance. depending on the embodiment, the fluid-containing reservoir 1105 may be realized as a syringe, a vial, a cartridge, a bag, or the like. in certain embodiments, the infused fluid is insulin, although many other fluids may be administered through infusion such as, but not limited to, hiv drugs, drugs to treat pulmonary hypertension, iron chelation drugs, pain medications, anti-cancer treatments, medications, vitamins, hormones, or the like. as best illustrated in figs. 12-13 , the reservoir 1105 typically includes a reservoir barrel 1119 that contains the fluid and is concentrically and/or coaxially aligned with the slide 1106 (e.g., in the axial direction 1118 ) when the reservoir 1105 is inserted into the infusion pump 1100 . the end of the reservoir 1105 proximate the opening 1120 may include or otherwise mate with the fitting 1123 , which secures the reservoir 1105 in the housing 1102 and prevents displacement of the reservoir 1105 in the axial direction 1118 with respect to the housing 1102 after the reservoir 1105 is inserted into the housing 1102 . as described above, the fitting 1123 extends from (or through) the opening 1120 of the housing 1102 and mates with tubing 1121 to establish fluid communication from the interior of the reservoir 1105 (e.g., reservoir barrel 1119 ) to the user via the tubing 1121 and infusion set 1125 . the opposing end of the reservoir 1105 proximate the slide 1106 includes a plunger 1117 (or stopper) positioned to push fluid from inside the barrel 1119 of the reservoir 1105 along a fluid path through tubing 1121 to a user. the slide 1106 is configured to mechanically couple or otherwise engage with the plunger 1117 , thereby becoming seated with the plunger 1117 and/or reservoir 1105 . fluid is forced from the reservoir 1105 via tubing 1121 as the drive system 1108 is operated to displace the slide 1106 in the axial direction 1118 toward the opening 1120 in the housing 1102 . in the illustrated embodiment of figs. 12-13 , the drive system 1108 includes a motor assembly 1107 and a drive screw 1109 . the motor assembly 1107 includes a motor that is coupled to drive train components of the drive system 1108 that are configured to convert rotational motor motion to a translational displacement of the slide 1106 in the axial direction 1118 , and thereby engaging and displacing the plunger 1117 of the reservoir 1105 in the axial direction 1118 . in some embodiments, the motor assembly 1107 may also be powered to translate the slide 1106 in the opposing direction (e.g., the direction opposite direction 1118 ) to retract and/or detach from the reservoir 1105 to allow the reservoir 1105 to be replaced. in exemplary embodiments, the motor assembly 1107 includes a brushless dc (bldc) motor having one or more permanent magnets mounted, affixed, or otherwise disposed on its rotor. however, the subject matter described herein is not necessarily limited to use with bldc motors, and in alternative embodiments, the motor may be realized as a solenoid motor, an ac motor, a stepper motor, a piezoelectric caterpillar drive, a shape memory actuator drive, an electrochemical gas cell, a thermally driven gas cell, a bimetallic actuator, or the like. the drive train components may comprise one or more lead screws, cams, ratchets, jacks, pulleys, pawls, clamps, gears, nuts, slides, bearings, levers, beams, stoppers, plungers, sliders, brackets, guides, bearings, supports, bellows, caps, diaphragms, bags, heaters, or the like. in this regard, although the illustrated embodiment of the infusion pump utilizes a coaxially aligned drive train, the motor could be arranged in an offset or otherwise non-coaxial manner, relative to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir 1105 . as best shown in fig. 13 , the drive screw 1109 mates with threads 1302 internal to the slide 1106 . when the motor assembly 1107 is powered and operated, the drive screw 1109 rotates, and the slide 1106 is forced to translate in the axial direction 1118 . in an exemplary embodiment, the infusion pump 1100 includes a sleeve 1111 to prevent the slide 1106 from rotating when the drive screw 1109 of the drive system 1108 rotates. thus, rotation of the drive screw 1109 causes the slide 1106 to extend or retract relative to the drive motor assembly 1107 . when the fluid infusion device is assembled and operational, the slide 1106 contacts the plunger 1117 to engage the reservoir 1105 and control delivery of fluid from the infusion pump 1100 . in an exemplary embodiment, the shoulder portion 1115 of the slide 1106 contacts or otherwise engages the plunger 1117 to displace the plunger 1117 in the axial direction 1118 . in alternative embodiments, the slide 1106 may include a threaded tip 1113 capable of being detachably engaged with internal threads 1304 on the plunger 1117 of the reservoir 1105 . as illustrated in fig. 12 , the electronics assembly 1104 includes control electronics 1124 coupled to the display element 1126 , with the housing 1102 including a transparent window portion 1128 that is aligned with the display element 1126 to allow the display 1126 to be viewed by the user when the electronics assembly 1104 is disposed within the interior 1114 of the housing 1102 . the control electronics 1124 generally represent the hardware, firmware, processing logic and/or software (or combinations thereof) configured to control operation of the motor assembly 1107 and/or drive system 1108 , as described in greater detail below in the context of fig. 14 . whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, a state machine, or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the embodiment. those familiar with the concepts described here may implement such functionality in a suitable manner for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as being restrictive or limiting. in an exemplary embodiment, the control electronics 1124 includes one or more programmable controllers that may be programmed to control operation of the infusion pump 1100 . the motor assembly 1107 includes one or more electrical leads 1136 adapted to be electrically coupled to the electronics assembly 1104 to establish communication between the control electronics 1124 and the motor assembly 1107 . in response to command signals from the control electronics 1124 that operate a motor driver (e.g., a power converter) to regulate the amount of power supplied to the motor from a power supply, the motor actuates the drive train components of the drive system 1108 to displace the slide 1106 in the axial direction 1118 to force fluid from the reservoir 1105 along a fluid path (including tubing 1121 and an infusion set), thereby administering doses of the fluid contained in the reservoir 1105 into the user's body. preferably, the power supply is realized one or more batteries contained within the housing 1102 . alternatively, the power supply may be a solar panel, capacitor, ac or dc power supplied through a power cord, or the like. in some embodiments, the control electronics 1124 may operate the motor of the motor assembly 1107 and/or drive system 1108 in a stepwise manner, typically on an intermittent basis; to administer discrete precise doses of the fluid to the user according to programmed delivery profiles. referring to figs. 11-13 , as described above, the user interface 1130 includes hmi elements, such as buttons 1132 and a directional pad 1134 , that are formed on a graphic keypad overlay 1131 that overlies a keypad assembly 1133 , which includes features corresponding to the buttons 1132 , directional pad 1134 or other user interface items indicated by the graphic keypad overlay 1131 . when assembled, the keypad assembly 1133 is coupled to the control electronics 1124 , thereby allowing the hmi elements 1132 , 1134 to be manipulated by the user to interact with the control electronics 1124 and control operation of the infusion pump 1100 , for example, to administer a bolus of insulin, to change therapy settings, to change user preferences, to select display features, to set or disable alarms and reminders, and the like. in this regard, the control electronics 1124 maintains and/or provides information to the display 1126 regarding program parameters, delivery profiles, pump operation, alarms, warnings, statuses, or the like, which may be adjusted using the hmi elements 1132 , 1134 . in various embodiments, the hmi elements 1132 , 1134 may be realized as physical objects (e.g., buttons, knobs, joysticks, and the like) or virtual objects (e.g., using touch-sensing and/or proximity-sensing technologies). for example, in some embodiments, the display 1126 may be realized as a touch screen or touch-sensitive display, and in such embodiments, the features and/or functionality of the hmi elements 1132 , 1134 may be integrated into the display 1126 and the hmi 1130 may not be present. in some embodiments, the electronics assembly 1104 may also include alert generating elements coupled to the control electronics 1124 and suitably configured to generate one or more types of feedback, such as, without limitation: audible feedback; visual feedback; haptic (physical) feedback; or the like. referring to figs. 12-13 , in accordance with one or more embodiments, the sensor assembly 1110 includes a back plate structure 1150 and a loading element 1160 . the loading element 1160 is disposed between the capping member 1112 and a beam structure 1170 that includes one or more beams having sensing elements disposed thereon that are influenced by compressive force applied to the sensor assembly 1110 that deflects the one or more beams. in exemplary embodiments, the back plate structure 1150 is affixed, adhered, mounted, or otherwise mechanically coupled to the bottom surface 1138 of the drive system 1108 such that the back plate structure 1150 resides between the bottom surface 1138 of the drive system 1108 and the housing cap 1116 . the drive system capping member 1112 is contoured to accommodate and conform to the bottom of the sensor assembly 1110 and the drive system 1108 . the drive system capping member 1112 may be affixed to the interior of the housing 1102 to prevent displacement of the sensor assembly 1110 in the direction opposite the direction of force provided by the drive system 1108 (e.g., the direction opposite direction 1118 ). thus, the sensor assembly 1110 is positioned between the motor assembly 1107 and secured by the capping member 1112 , which prevents displacement of the sensor assembly 1110 in a downward direction opposite the direction of arrow 1118 , such that the sensor assembly 1110 is subjected to a reactionary compressive force when the drive system 1108 and/or motor assembly 1107 is operated to displace the slide 1106 in the axial direction 1118 in opposition to the fluid pressure in the reservoir 1105 . under normal operating conditions, the compressive force applied to the sensor assembly 1110 is correlated with the fluid pressure in the reservoir 1105 . as shown, electrical leads 1140 are adapted to electrically couple the sensing elements of the sensor assembly 1110 to the electronics assembly 1104 to establish communication to the control electronics 1124 , wherein the control electronics 1124 are configured to measure, receive, or otherwise obtain electrical signals from the sensing elements of the sensor assembly 1110 that are indicative of the force applied by the drive system 1108 in the axial direction 1118 . fig. 14 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a control system 1400 suitable for use with an infusion device 1402 , such as any one of the infusion devices 802 , 1002 , 1100 described above. the control system 1400 is capable of controlling or otherwise regulating a physiological condition in the body 1401 of a user to a desired (or target) value or otherwise maintain the condition within a range of acceptable values in an automated or autonomous manner. in one or more exemplary embodiments, the condition being regulated is sensed, detected, measured or otherwise quantified by a sensing arrangement 1404 (e.g., sensing arrangement 1004 ) communicatively coupled to the infusion device 1402 . however, it should be noted that in alternative embodiments, the condition being regulated by the control system 1400 may be correlative to the measured values obtained by the sensing arrangement 1404 . that said, for clarity and purposes of explanation, the subject matter may be described herein in the context of the sensing arrangement 1404 being realized as a glucose sensing arrangement that senses, detects, measures or otherwise quantifies the user's glucose level, which is being regulated in the body 1401 of the user by the control system 1400 . in exemplary embodiments, the sensing arrangement 1404 includes one or more interstitial glucose sensing elements that generate or otherwise output electrical signals having a signal characteristic that is correlative to, influenced by, or otherwise indicative of the relative interstitial fluid glucose level in the body 1401 of the user. the output electrical signals are filtered or otherwise processed to obtain a measurement value indicative of the user's interstitial fluid glucose level. in exemplary embodiments, a blood glucose meter 1430 , such as a finger stick device, is utilized to directly sense, detect, measure or otherwise quantify the blood glucose in the body 1401 of the user. in this regard, the blood glucose meter 1430 outputs or otherwise provides a measured blood glucose value that may be utilized as a reference measurement for calibrating the sensing arrangement 1404 and converting a measurement value indicative of the user's interstitial fluid glucose level into a corresponding calibrated blood glucose value. for purposes of explanation, the calibrated blood glucose value calculated based on the electrical signals output by the sensing element(s) of the sensing arrangement 1404 may alternatively be referred to herein as the sensor glucose value, the sensed glucose value, or variants thereof. in the illustrated embodiment, the pump control system 1420 generally represents the electronics and other components of the infusion device 1402 that control operation of the fluid infusion device 1402 according to a desired infusion delivery program in a manner that is influenced by the sensed glucose value indicative of a current glucose level in the body 1401 of the user. for example, to support a closed-loop operating mode, the pump control system 1420 maintains, receives, or otherwise obtains a target or commanded glucose value, and automatically generates or otherwise determines dosage commands for operating an actuation arrangement, such as a motor 1407 , to displace the plunger 1417 and deliver insulin to the body 1401 of the user based on the difference between a sensed glucose value and the target glucose value. in other operating modes, the pump control system 1420 may generate or otherwise determine dosage commands configured to maintain the sensed glucose value below an upper glucose limit, above a lower glucose limit, or otherwise within a desired range of glucose values. in practice, the infusion device 1402 may store or otherwise maintain the target value, upper and/or lower glucose limit(s), and/or other glucose threshold value(s) in a data storage element accessible to the pump control system 1420 . the target glucose value and other threshold glucose values may be received from an external component (e.g., ccd 1006 and/or computing device 1008 ) or be input by a user via a user interface element 1440 associated with the infusion device 1402 . in practice, the one or more user interface element(s) 1440 associated with the infusion device 1402 typically include at least one input user interface element, such as, for example, a button, a keypad, a keyboard, a knob, a joystick, a mouse, a touch panel, a touchscreen, a microphone or another audio input device, and/or the like. additionally, the one or more user interface element(s) 1440 include at least one output user interface element, such as, for example, a display element (e.g., a light-emitting diode or the like), a display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display or the like), a speaker or another audio output device, a haptic feedback device, or the like, for providing notifications or other information to the user. it should be noted that although fig. 14 depicts the user interface element(s) 1440 as being separate from the infusion device 1402 , in practice, one or more of the user interface element(s) 1440 may be integrated with the infusion device 1402 . furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more user interface element(s) 1440 are integrated with the sensing arrangement 1404 in addition to and/or in alternative to the user interface element(s) 1440 integrated with the infusion device 1402 . the user interface element(s) 1440 may be manipulated by the user to operate the infusion device 1402 to deliver correction boluses, adjust target and/or threshold values, modify the delivery control scheme or operating mode, and the like, as desired. still referring to fig. 14 , in the illustrated embodiment, the infusion device 1402 includes a motor control module 1412 coupled to a motor 1407 (e.g., motor assembly 1107 ) that is operable to displace a plunger 1417 (e.g., plunger 1117 ) in a reservoir (e.g., reservoir 1105 ) and provide a desired amount of fluid to the body 1401 of a user. in this regard, displacement of the plunger 1417 results in the delivery of a fluid that is capable of influencing the condition in the body 1401 of the user to the body 1401 of the user via a fluid delivery path (e.g., via tubing 1121 of an infusion set 1125 ). a motor driver module 1414 is coupled between an energy source 1403 and the motor 1407 . the motor control module 1412 is coupled to the motor driver module 1414 , and the motor control module 1412 generates or otherwise provides command signals that operate the motor driver module 1414 to provide current (or power) from the energy source 1403 to the motor 1407 to displace the plunger 1417 in response to receiving, from a pump control system 1420 , a dosage command indicative of the desired amount of fluid to be delivered. in exemplary embodiments, the energy source 1403 is realized as a battery housed within the infusion device 1402 (e.g., within housing 1102 ) that provides direct current (dc) power. in this regard, the motor driver module 1414 generally represents the combination of circuitry, hardware and/or other electrical components configured to convert or otherwise transfer dc power provided by the energy source 1403 into alternating electrical signals applied to respective phases of the stator windings of the motor 1407 that result in current flowing through the stator windings that generates a stator magnetic field and causes the rotor of the motor 1407 to rotate. the motor control module 1412 is configured to receive or otherwise obtain a commanded dosage from the pump control system 1420 , convert the commanded dosage to a commanded translational displacement of the plunger 1417 , and command, signal, or otherwise operate the motor driver module 1414 to cause the rotor of the motor 1407 to rotate by an amount that produces the commanded translational displacement of the plunger 1417 . for example, the motor control module 1412 may determine an amount of rotation of the rotor required to produce translational displacement of the plunger 1417 that achieves the commanded dosage received from the pump control system 1420 . based on the current rotational position (or orientation) of the rotor with respect to the stator that is indicated by the output of the rotor sensing arrangement 1416 , the motor control module 1412 determines the appropriate sequence of alternating electrical signals to be applied to the respective phases of the stator windings that should rotate the rotor by the determined amount of rotation from its current position (or orientation). in embodiments where the motor 1407 is realized as a bldc motor, the alternating electrical signals commutate the respective phases of the stator windings at the appropriate orientation of the rotor magnetic poles with respect to the stator and in the appropriate order to provide a rotating stator magnetic field that rotates the rotor in the desired direction. thereafter, the motor control module 1412 operates the motor driver module 1414 to apply the determined alternating electrical signals (e.g., the command signals) to the stator windings of the motor 1407 to achieve the desired delivery of fluid to the user. when the motor control module 1412 is operating the motor driver module 1414 , current flows from the energy source 1403 through the stator windings of the motor 1407 to produce a stator magnetic field that interacts with the rotor magnetic field. in some embodiments, after the motor control module 1412 operates the motor driver module 1414 and/or motor 1407 to achieve the commanded dosage, the motor control module 1412 ceases operating the motor driver module 1414 and/or motor 1407 until a subsequent dosage command is received. in this regard, the motor driver module 1414 and the motor 1407 enter an idle state during which the motor driver module 1414 effectively disconnects or isolates the stator windings of the motor 1407 from the energy source 1403 . in other words, current does not flow from the energy source 1403 through the stator windings of the motor 1407 when the motor 1407 is idle, and thus, the motor 1407 does not consume power from the energy source 1403 in the idle state, thereby improving efficiency. depending on the embodiment, the motor control module 1412 may be implemented or realized with a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, a content addressable memory, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. in exemplary embodiments, the motor control module 1412 includes or otherwise accesses a data storage element or memory, including any sort of random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), flash memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, magnetic or optical mass storage, or any other short or long-term storage media or other non-transitory computer-readable medium, which is capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the motor control module 1412 . the computer-executable programming instructions, when read and executed by the motor control module 1412 , cause the motor control module 1412 to perform or otherwise support the tasks, operations, functions, and processes described herein. it should be appreciated that fig. 14 is a simplified representation of the infusion device 1402 for purposes of explanation and is not intended to limit the subject matter described herein in any way. in this regard, depending on the embodiment, some features and/or functionality of the sensing arrangement 1404 may be implemented by or otherwise integrated into the pump control system 1420 , or vice versa. similarly, in practice, the features and/or functionality of the motor control module 1412 may be implemented by or otherwise integrated into the pump control system 1420 , or vice versa. furthermore, the features and/or functionality of the pump control system 1420 may be implemented by control electronics 1124 located in the fluid infusion device 1100 , while in alternative embodiments, the pump control system 1420 may be implemented by a remote computing device that is physically distinct and/or separate from the infusion device 1402 , such as, for example, the ccd 1006 or the computing device 1008 . fig. 15 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a pump control system 1500 suitable for use as the pump control system 1420 in fig. 14 in accordance with one or more embodiments. the illustrated pump control system 1500 includes, without limitation, a pump control module 1502 , a communications interface 1504 , and a data storage element (or memory) 1506 . the pump control module 1502 is coupled to the communications interface 1504 and the memory 1506 , and the pump control module 1502 is suitably configured to support the operations, tasks, and/or processes described herein. in exemplary embodiments, the pump control module 1502 is also coupled to one or more user interface elements 1508 (e.g., user interface 1130 , 1440 ) for receiving user input and providing notifications, alerts, or other therapy information to the user. although fig. 15 depicts the user interface element 1508 as being separate from the pump control system 1500 , in various alternative embodiments, the user interface element 1508 may be integrated with the pump control system 1500 (e.g., as part of the infusion device 1100 , 1402 ), the sensing arrangement 1404 or another element of an infusion system 1000 (e.g., the computer 1008 or ccd 1006 ). referring to fig. 15 and with reference to fig. 14 , the communications interface 1504 generally represents the hardware, circuitry, logic, firmware and/or other components of the pump control system 1500 that are coupled to the pump control module 1502 and configured to support communications between the pump control system 1500 and the sensing arrangement 1404 . in this regard, the communications interface 1504 may include or otherwise be coupled to one or more transceiver modules capable of supporting wireless communications between the pump control system 1420 , 1500 and the sensing arrangement 1404 or another electronic device in an infusion system 1000 or a patient management system. for example, the communications interface 1504 may be utilized to receive sensor measurement values or other measurement data from a sensing arrangement 1004 , 1404 as well as upload such sensor measurement values to a server or other computing device for purposes of generating the gui displays described herein. in other embodiments, the communications interface 1504 may be configured to support wired communications to/from the sensing arrangement 1404 . the pump control module 1502 generally represents the hardware, circuitry, logic, firmware and/or other component of the pump control system 1500 that is coupled to the communications interface 1504 and configured to determine dosage commands for operating the motor 1407 to deliver fluid to the body 1401 based on data received from the sensing arrangement 1404 and perform various additional tasks, operations, functions and/or operations described herein. for example, in exemplary embodiments, pump control module 1502 implements or otherwise executes a command generation application 1510 that supports one or more autonomous operating modes and calculates or otherwise determines dosage commands for operating the motor 1407 of the infusion device 1402 in an autonomous operating mode based at least in part on a current measurement value for a condition in the body 1401 of the user. for example, in a closed-loop operating mode, the command generation application 1510 may determine a dosage command for operating the motor 1407 to deliver insulin to the body 1401 of the user based at least in part on the current glucose measurement value most recently received from the sensing arrangement 1404 to regulate the user's blood glucose level to a target reference glucose value. additionally, the command generation application 1010 may generate dosage commands for boluses that are manually-initiated or otherwise instructed by a user via a user interface element 1508 . still referring to fig. 15 , depending on the embodiment, the pump control module 1502 may be implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, a content addressable memory, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. in this regard, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by the pump control module 1502 , or in any practical combination thereof. in exemplary embodiments, the pump control module 1502 includes or otherwise accesses the data storage element or memory 1506 , which may be realized using any sort of non-transitory computer-readable medium capable of storing programming instructions for execution by the pump control module 1502 . the computer-executable programming instructions, when read and executed by the pump control module 1502 , cause the pump control module 1502 to implement or otherwise generate the command generation application 1510 and perform the tasks, operations, functions, and processes described in greater detail below. it should be understood that fig. 15 is a simplified representation of a pump control system 1500 for purposes of explanation and is not intended to limit the subject matter described herein in any way. for example, in some embodiments, the features and/or functionality of the motor control module 1412 may be implemented by or otherwise integrated into the pump control system 1500 and/or the pump control module 1502 , for example, by the command generation application 1510 converting the dosage command into a corresponding motor command, in which case, the separate motor control module 1412 may be absent from an embodiment of the infusion device 1402 . fig. 16 depicts an exemplary closed-loop control system 1600 that may be implemented by a pump control system 1420 , 1500 to provide a closed-loop operating mode that autonomously regulates a condition in the body of a user to a reference (or target) value. it should be appreciated that fig. 16 is a simplified representation of the control system 1600 for purposes of explanation and is not intended to limit the subject matter described herein in any way. in exemplary embodiments, the control system 1600 receives or otherwise obtains a target glucose value at input 1602 . in some embodiments, the target glucose value may be stored or otherwise maintained by the infusion device 1402 (e.g., in memory 1506 ), however, in some alternative embodiments, the target value may be received from an external component (e.g., ccd 1006 and/or computer 1008 ). in one or more embodiments, the target glucose value may be dynamically calculated or otherwise determined prior to entering the closed-loop operating mode based on one or more patient-specific control parameters. for example, the target blood glucose value may be calculated based at least in part on a patient-specific reference basal rate and a patient-specific daily insulin requirement, which are determined based on historical delivery information over a preceding interval of time (e.g., the amount of insulin delivered over the preceding 24 hours). the control system 1600 also receives or otherwise obtains a current glucose measurement value (e.g., the most recently obtained sensor glucose value) from the sensing arrangement 1404 at input 1604 . the illustrated control system 1600 implements or otherwise provides proportional-integral-derivative (pid) control to determine or otherwise generate delivery commands for operating the motor 1407 based at least in part on the difference between the target glucose value and the current glucose measurement value. in this regard, the pid control attempts to minimize the difference between the measured value and the target value, and thereby regulates the measured value to the desired value. pid control parameters are applied to the difference between the target glucose level at input 1602 and the measured glucose level at input 1604 to generate or otherwise determine a dosage (or delivery) command provided at output 1630 . based on that delivery command, the motor control module 1412 operates the motor 1407 to deliver insulin to the body of the user to influence the user's glucose level, and thereby reduce the difference between a subsequently measured glucose level and the target glucose level. the illustrated control system 1600 includes or otherwise implements a summation block 1606 configured to determine a difference between the target value obtained at input 1602 and the measured value obtained from the sensing arrangement 1404 at input 1604 , for example, by subtracting the target value from the measured value. the output of the summation block 1606 represents the difference between the measured and target values, which is then provided to each of a proportional term path, an integral term path, and a derivative term path. the proportional term path includes a gain block 1620 that multiplies the difference by a proportional gain coefficient, k p , to obtain the proportional term. the integral term path includes an integration block 1608 that integrates the difference and a gain block 1622 that multiplies the integrated difference by an integral gain coefficient, k i to obtain the integral term. the derivative term path includes a derivative block 1610 that determines the derivative of the difference and a gain block 1624 that multiplies the derivative of the difference by a derivative gain coefficient, k d , to obtain the derivative term. the proportional term, the integral term, and the derivative term are then added or otherwise combined to obtain a delivery command that is utilized to operate the motor at output 1630 . in one or more exemplary embodiments, the pid gain coefficients are user-specific (or patient-specific) and dynamically calculated or otherwise determined prior to entering the closed-loop operating mode based on historical insulin delivery information (e.g., amounts and/or timings of previous dosages, historical correction bolus information, or the like), historical sensor measurement values, historical reference blood glucose measurement values, user-reported or user-input events (e.g., meals, exercise, and the like), and the like. in this regard, one or more patient-specific control parameters (e.g., an insulin sensitivity factor, a daily insulin requirement, an insulin limit, a reference basal rate, a reference fasting glucose, an active insulin action duration, pharmodynamical time constants, or the like) may be utilized to compensate, correct, or otherwise adjust the pid gain coefficients to account for various operating conditions experienced and/or exhibited by the infusion device 1402 . the pid gain coefficients may be maintained by the memory 1506 accessible to the pump control module 1502 . in this regard, the memory 1506 may include a plurality of registers associated with the control parameters for the pid control. for example, a first parameter register may store the target glucose value and be accessed by or otherwise coupled to the summation block 1606 at input 1602 , and similarly, a second parameter register accessed by the proportional gain block 1620 may store the proportional gain coefficient, a third parameter register accessed by the integration gain block 1622 may store the integration gain coefficient, and a fourth parameter register accessed by the derivative gain block 1624 may store the derivative gain coefficient. for the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to glucose sensing and/or monitoring, bolusing, closed-loop glucose control, and other functional aspects of the subject matter may not be described in detail herein. in addition, certain terminology may also be used in the herein for the purpose of reference only, and thus is not intended to be limiting. for example, terms such as “first”, “second”, and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. the foregoing description may also refer to elements or nodes or features being “connected” or “coupled” together. as used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, “coupled” means that one element/node/feature is directly or indirectly joined to (or directly or indirectly communicates with) another element/node/feature, and not necessarily mechanically. while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subject matter in any way. for example, the subject matter described herein is not necessarily limited to the infusion devices and related systems described herein. moreover, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the described embodiment or embodiments. it should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by the claims, which includes known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents at the time of filing this patent application. accordingly, details of the exemplary embodiments or other limitations described above should not be read into the claims absent a clear intention to the contrary.
040-168-043-398-339	US	[ "US" ]	G06K9/00,G08B13/196,H04L29/08,H04N7/18	2014-04-10T00:00:00	2014	[ "G06", "G08", "H04" ]	systems and methods for automated 3-dimensional (3d) cloud-based analytics for security surveillance in operation areas	systems and methods for cloud-based surveillance for an operation area are disclosed. at least two input capture devices, at least one safety control device and at least one user device are communicatively connected to a cloud-based analytics platform. the cloud-based analytics platform automatically generates 3-dimensional (3d) surveillance data based on received 2-dimensional (2d) video and/or image inputs and perform advanced analytics and activates the at least one safety control device based on analytics data from advanced analytics.	1 . a cloud-based surveillance system for a target surveillance area comprising: at least two input capture devices (icds), a cloud-based analytics platform, and at least one safety control device; wherein the cloud-based analytics platform is constructed and configured in network-based communication with the at least two icds, and the at least one safety control device; wherein each of the at least two icds has at least one visual sensor and is operable to capture and transmit input data to the cloud-based analytics platform; wherein the cloud-based analytics platform is operable to: generate 3-dimensional (3d) visual representation of the target surveillance area based on the captured input data from the at least two icds; perform advanced analytics based on the captured input data and generated 3d visual representation; and activate the at least one safety control device for safe operation based on the advanced analytics. 2 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the target surveillance area is an operation area, 3 . the system of claim 2 , wherein the advanced analytics comprises personal protective equipment recognition and article movement detection. 4 . the system of claim 3 , wherein the personal protective equipment is personal protective equipment is selected from the group consisting of: gloves, safety glasses, safety shoes, earplugs, ear muffs, hard hats, respirators, coveralls, vests, and full body suits. 5 . the system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one safety device is operable to set off an alarm to notify an individual that certain requested personal protective equipment for the individual is not present or is not properly positioned. 6 . the system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one safety control device is operable to deploy an injury prevention mechanism for the individual in the operation area. 7 . the system of claim 2 , wherein the article comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a person, a tool, a machine, a vehicle, and other articles having movement in the operation area. 8 . the system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one safety control device is operable to set off an alarm to notify that an article movement in the operation area is outside of a safety range for a certain time period. 9 . the system of claim 1 , wherein cloud-based analytics platform provides data storage within a selectable period of time. 10 . the system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one user device communicatively connected to the cloud-based platform, wherein the at least one user device comprises a display and a user interface, and wherein the at least one user device is operable to display the 3d visual representation of the target surveillance area. 11 . a method of providing cloud-based surveillance for a target surveillance area comprising: communicatively connecting at least two input capture devices (icds), and at least one safety control device to a cloud-based analytics platform; wherein each of the at least two icds has at least one visual sensor; the at least two icds capturing and transmitting input data to the cloud-based analytics platform; the cloud-based analytics platform generating 3-dimensional (3d) visual representation of the target surveillance area based on the captured input data from the at least two icds; the cloud-based analytics platform performing advanced analytics based on the captured input data and generated 3d visual representation; and the cloud-based analytics platform activating the at least one safety control device based on the advanced analytics. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the target surveillance area is an operation area, 13 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the advanced analytics comprises personal protective equipment recognition and article movement detection. 14 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the personal protective equipment is selected from the group consisting of: gloves, safety glasses, safety shoes, earplugs, ear muffs, hard hats, respirators, coveralls, vests, and full body suits. 15 . the method of claim 14 , further comprising the at least one safety control device setting off an alarm to notify an individual that certain requested personal protective equipment for the individual is not present or is not properly positioned. 16 . the method of claim 15 , further comprising the at least one safety control device deploying an injury prevention mechanism for the individual in the operation area. 17 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the article comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a person, a tool, a machine, a vehicle and other articles having movement in the operation area. 18 . the method of claim 17 , further comprising the at least one safety control device setting off an alarm to notify that a movement in the operation area is outside of a safety range for a certain time period. 19 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising the cloud-based analytics platform providing data storage in a selectable period of time. 20 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising communicatively connecting at least one user device to the cloud-based analytics platform; and the at least one user device displaying the 3d visual representation of the target surveillance area.	cross-references to related applications this application is related to and claims priority from the following u.s. patent applications. this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/845,475 filed sep. 4, 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/249,687 filed apr. 10, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to cloud-based systems and methods for automated analytics of inputs from remote, distributed devices for security surveillance. 2. description of the prior art it is known in the prior art that a video surveillance system can be set up at a location with a local recorder and server besides cameras. in recent years, with development of cloud computing and communication technologies, there is a need for users to have access to their surveillance systems anywhere anytime with their smart mobile devices. meanwhile, users need not only basic recording from their surveillance systems, but also want to get more advanced preventive and proactive analytics from their surveillance systems. video surveillance systems typically rely on 2-dimensional (2d) images and/or videos. if high-definition 3d images and/or videos can be generated for surveillance, the security surveillance system could harvest much better information. camera manufactures have developed 3d cameras in order to produce 3d videos. however, the prices are much higher than those of regular 2-dimensional (2d) cameras. for the existing surveillance systems with 2d cameras, it is a huge expense to update to 3d cameras in order to get 3d surveillance. thus there is a need for a cloud-based analytics platform, which not only provides users access anyway anytime via a network-connected device, but also generating 3d images and/or videos based on regular 2d input data from cameras and providing 3d analytics. by way of example, prior art documents include: u.s. publication 2011/0316697 for “system and method for monitoring an entity within an area” by inventor nils oliver krahnstoever et al. filed jun. 29, 2010, describes a system and method for monitoring an entity within an area. the method includes specifying at least one criterion associated with an event of interest. the at least one criterion is specified visually on a display screen. at least one entity to be monitored is identified, and a movement of the at least one entity is captured visually on the display screen. the captured movement of the entity comprises at least one attribute associated with the at least one entity. u.s. publication 2012/0146789 for “automated monitoring and control of safety in a production area” by inventor nicholas de luca et al. filed dec. 9, 2010, describes a machine vision process. the machine vision process monitors and controls safe working practice in a production area by capturing and processing image data relative to personal protective equipment (ppe) worn by individuals, movement of various articles, and movement-related conformations of individuals and other objects in the production area. the data is analyzed to determine whether there is a violation of a predetermined minimum threshold image, movement, or conformation value for a predetermined threshold period of time. the determination of a safety violation triggers computer activation of a safety control device. the process is carried out using a system including an image data capturing device, a computer and computer-readable program code, and a safety control device. u.s. publication 2013/0030875 for “system and method for site abnormality recording and notification” by inventor kuo-chu lee et al. filed jul. 29, 2011, describes a method of notifying a user of site abnormalities. the method of notifying a user of site abnormalities via an application configured to access an event server having a first sensor abnormality detector connected to a first sensor, for detecting first abnormal behavior of first sub-events sensed by the first sensor, the first abnormal behavior corresponding to a first abnormal behavior value, a second sensor abnormality detector connected to a second sensor, for detecting second abnormal behavior of second sub-events sensed by the second sensor of a type different from the first sensor, the second abnormal behavior corresponding to a second abnormal behavior value, a correlator for correlating the first and second abnormal behavior values and logging correlated values as a composite event, a data store, the application having a viewer configured to show, on the device, data associated with a plurality of composite events, the viewer further configured to display the plurality of composite events in a temporal order. u.s. publication 2013/0188031 for “risk recognition method for use in video surveillance system based on human identification” by inventor so hee park et al. filed jan. 19, 2012, describes a risk recognition method based on human identification. the risk recognition method based on human identification identifies a human being from a captured image, such that it can recognize a dangerous situation of each person. the risk recognition method includes detecting a person from photographed image information, and identifying the detected person, thereby generating identification information for each person; extracting access control information for each person using the identification information; analyzing the access control information simultaneously while tracking a movement path for each person, and determining whether a dangerous situation for each person occurs; and if the dangerous situation occurs, selectively warning of the dangerous situation of the person who causes the dangerous situation. u.s. publication 2014/0307076 for “systems and methods for monitoring personal protection equipment and promoting worker safety” by inventor richard deutsch filed oct. 3, 2013, describes systems and methods for monitoring and personal protection equipment promoting worker safety. according to an aspect, a system for promoting the safety of workers comprises a digital imaging device positioned to capture one or more images of a predetermined viewing area. further, the system comprises an image processor operatively associated with the digital imaging device. the image processor is configured to determine whether a person is within the predetermined viewing area of the digital imaging device. the image processor is further configured to determine whether the person is not wearing required personal protection equipment. additionally, the image processor is configured to generate a message or control signal in response to determining the person is within the predetermined viewing area of the digital imaging device and determining the person is not wearing the required personal protection equipment. u.s. pat. no. 9,011,607 for “automated monitoring and control of cleaning in a production area” by inventor nicholas de luca et al. filed oct. 7, 2010, describes an automated process for monitoring and controlling cleaning in a production area. the automated process comprises tracking or identifying an object the production area, monitoring the movement of fluid in the production area, analyzing the interaction between the object and the fluid to determine a level of cleanliness achieved, and triggering an event based on at least one member selected from the group consisting of: (i) the interaction between the object or body part and the fluid or fluid-like medium and (ii) the level of cleanliness achieved. the event comprises at least one member selected from generating a report, activating an alarm, report, activating an alarm, inactivating equipment in the production area, and blocking access to at least a portion of the production area. the system employing a combination of computer(s), computer vision system(s), rfid tag(s), mechanical and electromechanical, chemical, electrical, or photonic device(s) to conduct the tracking, identifying, monitoring, and triggering. u.s. pat. no. 7,259,778 for “method and apparatus for placing sensors using 3d models” by inventor aydin arpa et al. filed feb. 13, 2004, describes method and apparatus for dynamically placing sensors in a 3d model is provided. specifically, in one embodiment, the method selects a 3d model and a sensor for placement into the 3d model. the method renders the sensor and the 3d model in accordance with sensor parameters associated with the sensor and parameters desired by a user. in addition, the method determines whether an occlusion to the sensor is present. u.s. pat. no. 7,675,520 for “system, method and computer program for creating two dimensional (2d) or three dimensional (3d) computer animation from video” by inventor will gee et al. filed dec. 7, 2006, describes system, method and computer program for creating two dimensional (2d) or three dimensional (3d) computer animation from video. in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention a system, method and computer program product for creating at least a two dimensional or three dimensional (3d) datastream from a video with moving objects is disclosed. in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method of creating animated objects in 2d or 3d from video, may include: receiving video information which may include a plurality of frames of digital video; receiving and adding metadata to the video information, the metadata relating to at least one object in motion in the digital video; and interpreting the metadata and the video information and generating a datastream in at least 2d. in an exemplary embodiment, 2d, 3d or more dimensional data may be used to provide an animation of the event of which the video was made. in an exemplary embodiment, a 2d or 3d gametracker, or play reviewer may be provided allowing animation of motion events captured in the video. u.s. pat. no. 7,944,454 for “system and method for user monitoring interface of 3-d video streams from multiple cameras” by inventor hanning zhou, et al. filed sep. 7, 2005, describes a user navigation interface that allows a user to monitor/navigate video streams captured from multiple cameras. it integrates video streams from multiple cameras with the semantic layout into a 3-d immersive environment and renders the video streams in multiple displays on a user navigation interface. it conveys the spatial distribution of the cameras as well as their fields of view and allows a user to navigate freely or switch among preset views. this description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims. u.s. pat. no. 8,284,254 for “methods and apparatus for a wide area coordinated surveillance system” by john frederick romanowich, et al. filed aug. 11, 2005, describes a coordinated surveillance system. the coordinated surveillance system uses a larger number of fixed low resolution detection smart camera devices and a smaller number of pan/tilt/zoom controllable high resolution tracking smart camera devices. the set of detection cameras provide overall continuous coverage of the surveillance region, while the tracking cameras provide localized high resolution on demand. each monitor camera device performs initial detection and determines approximate gps location of a moving target in its field of view. a control system coordinates detection and tracking camera operation. a selected tracking camera is controlled to focus in on, confirm detection, and track a target. based on a verified detection, a guard station is alerted and compressed camera video is forwarded to the guard station from the camera(s). the guard station can direct a patrol guard to the target using gps coordinates and a site map. u.s. pat. no. 8,721,197 for “image device, surveillance camera, and mask method of camera screen” by inventor hiroyuki miyahara, et al. filed aug. 10, 2012, describes a microcomputer. in a microcomputer included in an image device, a mask 2d 3d converting section expresses coordinates of a 2-dimensional image plane defined by an imaging element having a rectangular contour in a 3-dimensional coordinate system. the image plane is positioned in the state that a focal length corresponding to a zoom position is adopted as a z coordinate value of the image plane in the 3-dimensional coordinate system. a mask display position calculating section 165 calculates a 2-dimensional position of a mask on a camera screen by utilizing a similarity of the size of the image plane and the size of the camera screen when a position of a mask on the image plane in the 3-dimensional coordinate system after pan, tilt rotations and a zooming is converted into the 2-dimensional position of the mask on the camera screen. u.s. publication 2013/0141543 for “intelligent image surveillance system using network camera and method therefor” by inventor sung hoon choi, et al. filed may 23, 2012, describes an intelligent control system. the intelligent control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of network cameras to photograph a surveillance area; an image gate unit to perform image processing of image data, which is input from the plurality of network cameras, according to a specification that is requested by a user; a smart image providing unit to convert a plurality of image streams, which are image processed by the image gate unit, to a single image stream; and an image display unit to generate a three-dimensional (3d) image by segmenting, into a plurality of images, the single image stream that is input from the smart image providing unit and by disposing the segmented images on corresponding positions on a 3d modeling. u.s. publication 2014/0192159 for “camera registration and video integration in 3d geometry model” by inventor henry chen, et al. filed jun. 14, 2011, describes apparatus, systems, and methods to receive a real image or real images of a coverage area of a surveillance camera. building information model (bim) data associated with the coverage area may be received. a virtual image may be generated using the bim data. the virtual image may include at least one three-dimensional (3-d) graphics that substantially corresponds to the real image. the virtual image may be mapped with the real image. then, the surveillance camera may be registered in a bim coordination system using an outcome of the mapping. u.s. publication 2014/0333615 for “method for reconstructing 3d scenes from 2d images” by inventor srikumar ramalingam, et al. filed may 11, 2013, describes a method reconstructing at three-dimensional (3d) real-world scene from a single two-dimensional (2d) image by identifying junctions satisfying geometric constraint of the scene based on intersecting lines, vanishing points, and vanishing lines that are orthogonal to each other. possible layouts of the scene are generated by sampling the 2d image according to the junctions. then, an energy function is maximized to select an optimal layout from the possible layouts. the energy function use's a conditional random field (crf) model to evaluate the possible layouts. u.s. pat. no. 8,559,914 for “interactive personal surveillance and security (ipss) system” by inventor jones filed jan. 16, 2009, describes an interactive personal surveillance and security (ipss) system for users carrying wireless communication devices. the system allows users carrying these devices to automatically capture surveillance information, have the information sent to one or more automated and remotely located surveillance (rls) systems, and establish interactivity for the verification of determining secure or dangerous environments, encounters, logging events, or other encounters or observations. this ipss is describes to enhance security and surveillance by determining a user's activities, including (a.) the user travel method (car, bus, motorcycle, bike, snow skiing, skate boarding, etc.); (b.) the user motion (walking, running, climbing, falling, standing, lying down, etc.); and (c.) the user location and the time of day or time allowance of an activity. when user submits uploaded (or directly sent) surveillance information to the public server, the surveillance videos, images and/or audio includes at least one or more of these searchable areas, location, address, date and time, event name or category, and/or name describing video. u.s. pat. no. 8,311,983 for “correlated media for distributed sources” by inventor guzik filed dec. 14, 2009 (related to u.s. publications 2010/0274816, 2011/0018998, 2013/0027552 and 2013/0039542) discloses method embodiments associating an identifier along with correlating metadata such as date/timestamp and location. the identifier may then be used to associate data assets that are related to a particular incident. the identifier may be used as a group identifier on a web service or equivalent to promote sharing of related data assets. additional metadata may be provided along with commentary and annotations. the data assets may be further edited and post processed. correlation can be based on multiple metadata values. for example, multiple still photos might be stored not only with date/time stamp metadata, but also with location metadata, possibly from a global positioning satellite (gps) stamp. a software tool that collects all stored still photos taken within a window of time, for example during a security or police response to a crime incident, and close to the scene of a crime, may combine the photos of the incident into a sequence of pictures with which for investigation purposes. here the correlation is both by time and location, and the presentation is a non-composite simultaneous display of different data assets. correlating metadata can be based on a set of custom fields. for example, a set of video clips may be tagged with an incident name. consider three field police officers each in a different city and in a different time zone, recording videos and taking pictures at exactly at midnight on new year's day 2013. as a default, a group may be identified to include all users with data files with the same event id. a group may also be either a predefined or a self-selecting group, for example a set belonging to a security agency, or a set of all police officers belonging to the homicide division, or even a set of officers seeking to share data regardless of if they are bellowing to an organized or unorganized group. u.s. pat. no. 7,379,879 for “incident reporting system and method” by inventor sloo filed feb. 26, 1999, describes a computer-based method of collecting and processing incident reports received from witnesses who observe incidents such as criminal acts and legal violations. the method automates the collection and processing of the incident reports and automatically sends the incident reports to the appropriate authority so that the observed incidents can be acted on in an appropriate manner. for example, a witness may be equipped with a video input system such as a personal surveillance camera and a display. when the witness encounters an incident such as a suspect committing a crime, the video input system would automatically recognize the suspect from the video input and could then display records for the suspect on the witness's hand held readout without revealing the suspect's identity. the witness would not need to know the identity of the suspect to observe the incident relating to the suspect. such a system may overcome some of the problems associated with publicly revealing personal data. u.s. publication 2009/0087161 for “synthesizing a presentation of a multimedia event” by inventors roberts, et al. filed sep. 26, 2008, discloses a media synchronization system includes a media ingestion module to access a plurality of media clips received from a plurality of client devices, a media analysis module to determine a temporal relation between a first media clip from the plurality of media clips and a second media clip from the plurality of media clips, and a content creation module to align the first media clip and the second media clip based on the temporal relation, and to combine the first media clip and the second media clip to generate the presentation. each user who submits content may be assigned an identity (id). users may upload their movie clips to an id assignment server, attaching metadata to the clips as they upload them, or later as desired. this metadata may, for example, include the following: event name, subject, location, date, timestamp, camera id, and settings. in some example embodiments, additional processing may be applied as well (e.g., by the recognition server and/or the content analysis sub-module). examples of such additional processing may include, but are not limited to, the following: face, instrument, or other image or sound recognition; image analysis for bulk features like brightness, contrast, color histogram, motion level, edge level, sharpness, etc.; measurement of (and possible compensation for) camera motion and shake. u.s. publication 2012/0282884 for “system and method for the emergency voice and image e-mail transmitter device” by inventor sun filed may 5, 2011, describes a voice and image e-mail transmitter device with an external camera attachment that is designed for emergency and surveillance purposes is disclosed. the device converts voice signals and photo images into digital format, which are transmitted to the nearest voice-image message receiving station from where the digital signal strings are parsed and converted into voice, image, or video message files which are attached to an e-mail and delivered to user pre-defined destination e-mail addresses and a 911 rescue team. the e-mail also includes the caller's voice and personal information, photo images of a security threat, device serial number, and a gps location map of the caller's location. when the psu device is initially used, the user needs to pre-register personal information and whenever a digital signal string is transmitted out from the psu device it will include these personal information data plus a time code of the message being sent, the psu device's unique serial number, and the gps generated location code, etc. which will all be imbedded in the psu e-mail. u.s. publication 2012/0262576 for “method and system for a network of multiple live video sources” by inventors sechrist, et al. filed mar. 15, 2012, discloses a system and a method that operate a network of multiple live video sources. in one embodiment, the system includes (i) a device server for communicating with one or more of the video sources each providing a video stream; (ii) an application server to allow controlled access of the network by qualified web clients; and (iii) a streaming server which, under direction of the application server, routes the video streams from the one or more video sources to the qualified web clients. geo-location information and contemporaneous timestamps may be embedded in the video stream together with a signature of the encoder, providing a mechanism for self-authentication of the video stream. a signature that is difficult to falsify (e.g., digitally signed using an identification code embedded in the hardware of the encoder) provides assurance of the trustworthiness of the geo-location information and timestamps, thereby establishing reliable time and space records for the recorded events. in general, data included in the database may be roughly classified into three categories: (i) automatically collected data; (ii) curated data; and (iii) derivative data. automatically collected data includes, for example, such data as reading from environmental sensors and system operating parameters, which are collected as a matter of course automatically. curated data are data that are collected from examination of the automatically collected data or from other sources and include, for example, content-based categorization of the video streams. for example, detection of a significant amount of motion at speeds typical of automobiles may suggest that the content is “traffic.” derivative data includes any data resulting from analysis of the automatically collected data, the curated data, or any combination of such data. for example, the database may maintain a ranking of video source based on viewership or a surge in viewership over recent time period. derivative data may be generated automatically or upon demand. none of the prior art provides solutions for cloud-based 3d analytics for a target surveillance area as provided by the present invention. summary of the invention the present invention relates to virtualized computing or cloud-computing network with input capture devices (icds) and user devices and a cloud-based analytics platform for automatically analyzing received video, audio and/or image inputs, generating 3-dimensional visual data for providing social security and/or surveillance for a surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. the present invention is directed to systems and methods for cloud-based surveillance for a target surveillance area. the cloud-based surveillance system comprises at least two icds, one cloud-based analytics platform having a processor and a memory, at least one safety control device, and at least one user device having a display with a user interface. the cloud-based platform is constructed and configured in network-based communication with the at least two icds, at least one safety control device, and the at least one user device. each of the at least two icds has at least one visual sensor and is operable to capture and transmit input data to the cloud-based analytics platform. the cloud-based analytics platform is operable to generate 3-dimensional (3d) visual representation based on input data captured from the at least two icds and perform advanced analytics based on captured input data and generated 3d visual representation. the at least one user device is operable to display the 3d visual representation of the target surveillance area via the user interface. the at least one safety control device is operable to be activated for safe operation by the cloud-based analytics platform based on analytics data. these and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as they support the claimed invention. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system consistent with the invention. fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for providing a cloud-based surveillance system of the present invention. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention. fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention. fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention. fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a cloud-based system of the present invention. fig. 7 is another schematic diagram of a cloud-based system of the present invention. detailed description referring now to the drawings in general, the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. the present invention relates to cloud-based surveillance systems and methods for providing at least one server computer in communication with a network for providing centralized and/or distributed cloud-based analytics of inputs captured from remote input capture devices for providing analyzed inputs that are stored in the cloud-based system database and accessible remotely and securely for providing security for at least one surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. related secure wired and/or wireless networks and systems, and methods for using them are disclosed in u.s. publications 2006/0064477 and 2014/0071289, and u.s. pat. nos. 7,784,080, 7,719,567, 7,954,129, 7,728,871, 7,730,534 and 8,395,664, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. the present invention also relates to generating 3d surveillance data based on 2d visual input for providing more accurate 3d analytics. related 3d visualization systems and methods are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 8,395,664, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. in the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward,” “rearward,” “front,” “back,” “right,” “left,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. referring now to the drawings in general, the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. the present invention is directed to systems and methods for cloud-based surveillance for a target surveillance area. the cloud-based surveillance system comprises at least two icds, one cloud-based analytics platform having a processor and a memory, at least one safety control device, and at least one user device having a display with a user interface. the cloud-based platform is constructed and configured in network-based communication with the at least two icds, at least one safety control device, and the at least one user device. each of the at least two icds has at least one visual sensor and is operable to capture and transmit input data to the cloud-based analytics platform. the cloud-based analytics platform is operable to generate 3-dimensional (3d) visual representation based on input data captured from the at least two icds and perform advanced analytics based on captured input data and generated 3d visual representation. the at least one user device is operable to display the 3d visual representation of the target surveillance area via the user interface. the at least one safety control device is operable to be activated for safe operation by the cloud-based analytics platform based on analytics data. the at least two icds may communicate with each other and form a mesh network. in one embodiment, icds communicate with each other to 1) extend the range of the icds, so they transmit data to pass down the line to the receiver, extending the range by the number of cameras and 2) cameras communicate with each other based on set rules and decide themselves when an issue should be made aware of to the cloud-based analytics platform. by way of example, one camera can alert another camera if it picks up a fast moving person who is running towards that camera; if a person should not be at that camera, it can then alert the cloud platform. alternatively, icds can communicate with each other to exchange data that each icd receives and then, based on rules that each camera has, act on that data. by way of example, if an icd detects a person who has an rfid tag, the icd can also detect that person's rfid data and compare it to a database to determine if that person has permission to be at a certain location. furthermore, the system also can track a person's movement. if a person appears with the incorrect rfid tag or no rfid tag, then an alarm can be sent to other icds and/or the cloud-based analytics platform which can in turn communicate with other icds. input capture device(s) (icds) the icds in the present invention include at least one visual sensor, be it a video camera or image camera. by way of example, the icds may be security cameras, smart phones, tablets, wearable input capture devices and other devices with visual sensors. on the front end of the system, each of the at least two icds further includes a power source, a power converter; soft power down component which provides for a gentle power down so that icd settings are preserved and not lost. preferably each icd is wireless. and preferably, while the icd is wireless, it further includes an optional network connection at a back side of the icd also, so it can be hardwired into a network. the icds may also include at least one input component for detecting and recording inputs, a processor, a memory, a transmitter/receiver, and optionally, at least indicator light for indicating camera activities, all constructed and configured in electronic connection. by way of example and not limitation, the at least one input component may include a microphone, and/or a camera. in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one wireless icd includes two antennas for providing a wireless signal for receiving and/or transmitting data with the cloud-based analytics platform or another icd(s). the icds are operable for cross-communication with each other, including data exchange, wherein the data exchange includes information about the surveillance environment, settings, inputs, and combinations thereof. the at least two icds further includes a housing having a removable casing around the lens to make lens adjustments or settings; icd adjustments and settings are preferably optional, and are not usually required in preferred embodiments of the present invention, as the cloud-based analytics platform automatically establishes and controls the icd settings and activities for each of the at least two icds associated with the target surveillance area. for the preferred embodiments where the icd includes a digital video camera (dvc) having a lens and corresponding camera components, the camera further includes a computer chip providing for capabilities of performing video compression within the icd itself. the icd as a wireless digital video camera is capable of capturing video within its range within the surveillance environment and compressing the captured video into a data stream, the capture occurring at predetermined dates and times, during activity detection, and/or on command from the cloud-based analytics platform. in the case of video, the images are adjustable to capture at different sizes, different frame rates, and/or to include the display of the name of the device (determined by the user and/or the system), the date, the time, and combinations thereof. the icd including a dvc is capable of capturing images that are combinable and/or integratable with the video data stream and/or compressible into an individual image data stream, all at predetermined dates and times, when activity such as motion or audio are detected, on command from the wireless dvr, and combinations thereof. as with video capture, image capture is adjustable to capture at different sizes, different frame rates, and/or to include the display of the name of the device (determined by the user and/or the system), the date, the time, and combinations thereof. a data stream of images is transmittable wirelessly to the cloud-based analytics platform. similarly, where the icds have audio capabilities, the captured audio, which is combinable and/or integratable with other inputs captured by the icd sensors, is compressible into an individual audio data stream, which is transmittable wirelessly to the cloud-based analytics platform. the activity of audio icd is activatable at predetermined dates and times, during activity detection, and/or on command from the cloud-based analytics platform. the audio icd is further adjustable to capture audio at different or variable rates. preferably, since the icd generates heat during operation, the icd housing includes a cooling system having a vent and a low noise cooling fan. since the video components of icds generate heat that must be dissipated for optimal performance of the system, preferred embodiments of the present invention include housing units with components that operate at lower temperatures, i.e., which generate less heat during operation, and include housing units formed of materials that dissipate heat well, and may include a combination of materials, such as metals and synthetic plastics or composites. while icds are preferably used for indoor applications, waterproofing and weather proofing housing units and other components for sealing the housing against water and weather are used for outdoor applications of the present invention. by way of example, sealed or gasketed casing, weatherproof venting and fan components to prevent water blowing into or being sucked into the case, are used for outdoor icd units. other components optional to the housing unit but preferred for ease of use of the system include a removable filter collar on a front end of the camera lens, which facilitates user access for changing the filter and/or to provide a different filter, such as a polarization filter or a specialty filter, for example, to reduce light input or camera aperture. the icds of the present invention are capable of detecting motion, capturing video, detecting and/or capturing audio, providing at least one data stream capability, including video, compressed video, audio, and combinations thereof. the at least two icds are capable of capturing video, which is compressible into a data stream, and transmittable wirelessly to the cloud-based analytics platform, with the icd audio data or other input data, such as temperature, humidity, chemical presence, radiation, and other input data, depending upon the sensors and intake means of each icd, being combinable and/or integratable with the video data stream. thus, while the icds each include at least one sensor for detection and at least one capture input means, preferably each of the icds include at least two sensors and input means for image and/or video, and audio capture. in a preferred embodiment, at least two sensor types are used, audio and image or video sensors. the at least one indicator is included with the icd to indicate that the power is “on”, and to indicate that motion and/or audio being detected. the indicator is activatable when motion and/or audio is detected in a predetermined area and/or in a predetermined amount within the environment. in one embodiment, the at least two icds are capable of capturing and transmitting 3-dimensional (3d) visual data to the cloud-based analytics platform for 3d surveillance analytics. in another embodiment, the at least two icds are just capable of capturing and transmitting regular 2-dimensional (2d) visual data. in such situation, the at least two icds are positioned to capture visual data for one location from different angles. then, the cloud-based analytics platform is operable to generate 3d data for analytics based on the captured 2d visual data from the at least two icds. each of the at least two icds is constructed for configuration that is capable of wireless communication (2-way) with the cloud-based analytics platform and/or any other icd(s), which when configured provide a surveillance system for a target surveillance area. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the icds are provided with multiple input multiple output (mimo) wireless capability. other wireless communication may be provided instead of mimo. night vision for icd video input capture may be provided using an infrared (ir) light source, so that the video recorded may be effective in low- to no-light conditions. image or video input capture may be provided in a range of resolution, in black/white, in color, and sized based upon inputs from a controller/server computer by an authorized user of the system, and are modifiable after setup of the system by modifying controls remotely, and/or by modifying hardware. the icd further includes at least one chip that makes the device an intelligent appliance, permitting functions to be performed by the icd itself, including but not limited to sensor and input controls, such as camera digital zoom, pan left and right, tilt up and down; image or video brightness, contrast, saturation, resolution, size, motion and audio detection settings, recording settings, communication with other icds; and single chip video compression (single dsp). the icd also includes a sensor with ability for high dynamic range for inputs. the icd further includes a stand to support the device; the stand may be included with, integral with, or attached to the housing. the stand is constructed and configured to be mountable to a wall, suspend from ceiling, and provide a variety of stable positions for the icd to capture as much data from a given environment as appropriate, given the space, conditions, and input capture type desired. importantly, the stand serves as a stable base to tilt the icd for camera direction up and down, and/or side to side. the stand is movable between positions but retains a fixed position by a predetermined friction to ensure so that the icd stays in place wherever the positioning was last stopped. the base and stand of the icd is constructed such that it does not require mounting to a surface to provide stability. the adjustability and mobility of the device are significant features of the present invention to ensure optimal surveillance and easy setup. furthermore, the stand is weight balanced for good center of gravity to support the adjustment on the stand for stability on the entire range of motion for the icd on its stand; since motion of the icd is adjustable and provides for dynamic range of motion when the icd is in use, the stand construction enables remote modification of settings without requiring the user of the system to readjust or optimize the icd positioning in person. the icd preferably is constructed and configured for a range of coverage, which can vary depending upon the conditions and limitations of a particular target environment. in a preferred embodiment of the system, the icd has a range of coverage with a target range of at least up to 250 ft. the icds are capable of having a range of up to 300 meters, with an active wireless range from 1-1000 ft linear feet indoors, and preferably greater. advantageously, the icd can be configured and activated quickly for quick start up of a surveillance system in the target environment. additionally, the icds have the ability to communicate with one another to act as a data repeater and extend the usable wireless range to 3,000 meters and more. significantly, no adjustments to camera settings, such as focus and focal length, are required after camera installation; icd settings are preadjusted and further controllable remotely by the cloud-based analytics platform and/or other icd(s). preprogrammed settings may be provided, with automatic and remote adjustment capabilities. where the icd is a video camera, the settings may include focus, resolution, etc. each of the at least one icd is constructed to optimally reduce heat from particular heat-generating components. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the icd includes a plastic case with metal sides to reduce heat while the system is running. also, a back plate of the icd or camera is all metal to increase heat dissipation, and to optimize weight and heat management, which important where there is a lot of power involved, as with wireless video input devices. also, significantly, the icds are constructed with a separate chamber for imaging components to reduce heat. it is known that heat is not good for imaging sensors or equipment; however, cooling fans can generate noise, which is preferably minimized with security systems and components therein. the camera is configured to communicate with an imaging board with a flexible electronics communication cable, which permits the camera to have a separate chamber for optimized heat reduction. this is a problem specific to wireless cameras that has not been successfully addressed in the prior art. the icd also includes at least one and preferably two antenna that are removable, including standard antennae, which may be substituted for a patch antenna and/or a long range antenna. additionally, the icds have inputs, such as video and microphone, and at least one indicator light. in the case of a wireless video camera, the housing includes an easily removable casing around the lens to make lens adjustments or settings, which optional, and not usually required. additionally, the icds have video analytics display to show icd status on a front side of the icd itself, on a small screen. information orientation is preferably adjustable or automatically adaptable, based upon device orientation, so that a user can easily review the information or text in a proper orientation (i.e., vertically). in an alternate embodiment, this camera status and information may be viewable on a remote screen that is in wireless communication with the device(s), for example on a handheld electronic device such as a mobile phone or pda. additionally, the icds have the ability to communicate with one another to exchange data about the environment and all control settings and other settings of any other icds. icds may be removed from operation and/or operational communication or interaction with the system. to remove an icd from the surveillance system, a user click-selects via a user interface on an image and/or name that represents the capture device they want removed and then click-selects a single removal button. the cloud-based analytics platform then removes that icd from the surveillance system. icds may have local storage and analytic functions. icds and/or cameras which have the ability to capture video and audio and/or 3d data about an area of interest and/or data from sensors then analyze the video and/or the 3d data and/or the sensor data to determine among other things how many people are in an area of interest, how much time they spent in an area, what direction they traveled, how tall they are, exactly where they are in a 3 dimensional space, their gestures and physical behavior (to determine and predict human behavior and intentions), rfid data, bar code data, and any other sensor data such as temperature and humidity data as well as analyze the video and/or the 3d data and/or the sensor data to determine if there are objects in the area which are new or are different (were removed from the area or moved into the area) such as boxes, cars, equipment, and object rfid or other data such as bar code data. then upon analyzing that data, the camera can optionally make decisions on that data based on rules that are stored in a database in the camera. these rules in the icd(s) or smart camera(s) are provided from the cloud-based analytics platform and/or another smart camera and are operable to be changed automatically at any time or upon demand by an authorized user of the system. smart mesh camera networking with video content management in one embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a smart mesh icd networking with a video content management. the smart mesh icd network of the system is operable to provide icds to communicate with the cloud-based analytics platform and/or other icds to act as repeaters, i.e., an extension or repeat functional component, to extend the usable range of the system beyond the range of any individual icd. in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular wherein the system has video capabilities, the system includes icds that are operable to communicate with each other and/or the cloud-based analytics platform to exchange data and/or control each other to ensure that important data from icd inputs is transmitted to cloud-based analytics platform properly. by way of example, a first icd senses the motion of a person moving towards a second icd and communicates instruction or directive to the second icd to be aware of the motion sensed by the first icd and to take appropriate action as programmed or set-up for that icd, such as to record the sensed motion. the appropriate action may further include capturing and/or recording the inputs at an increased frame rate, an increased resolution, and/or other action to ensure that the important data, in this case motion, is captured or recorded by the second icd. in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular wherein the system has video capabilities, the system includes icds that are operable to communicate directly with each other and/or the cloud-based analytics platform to exchange data and/or control each other based on a set of rules created by the user. by way of example, a first icd detects a first motion of a first object that is moving towards a second icd; wherein the first icd has been programmed and/or set-up with a rule indicating that if motion moves from the first icd to a second icd, then an alarm must be made. the first or second camera can send the alarm to the cloud-based analytics platform as the icds can share rules with each other. in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular wherein the system has video capabilities, the system includes icds that are operable to directly cross-communicate with each other and/or the cloud-based analytics platform to exchange data and/or control each other to ensure maximum throughput at the appropriate icds. by way of example, a first icd detects a first motion of a first object that is moving towards a second icd; wherein the first icd has been programmed and/or set-up to send a status signal to the second icd to ensure that the second icd has the throughput it requires to monitor the pending action. in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular wherein the system has video capabilities, the system includes icds that are operable to communicate with each other and/or the cloud-based analytics platform to exchange data. such data includes “content data” that is a separate stream of data from the video data. the icds work together to become a content management network whereby the content data is managed. by way of example, in a room monitored by an icd, a person wearing a red sweater places a box on the floor, opens a door, and leaves. the icd could detect the following: (1) a moving mass that is the color red, the person's sweater; (2) a movement in an otherwise steady mass, the door; and (3) a new mass now in the image, the box. in addition to the video of the event, the icd could store the content data of “a person wearing red left a box in the room and walked out the door.” this content data can be shared with the cloud-based analytics platform and/or other icds. in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular wherein the system has video capabilities, the system includes icds that are operable to communicate with each other and/or the cloud-based analytics platform to exchange data and/or control each other based on a set of rules created by the user. such data includes “content data” that is a separate stream of data from the video data. the icds work together to become a content management network whereby the content data is managed. by way of example, in a room monitored by an icd, a person wearing a red sweater places a box on the floor, opens a door, and leaves. the icd could detect the following: (1) a moving mass that is the color red, the person's sweater; (2) a movement in an otherwise steady mass, the door; and (3) a new mass now in the image, the box. in addition to the video of the event, the icd could store the content data of “a person wearing red left a box in the room and walked out the door.” this content data can be shared with the cloud-based analytics platform and/or other icds. the content data may trigger a rule, which could be set to issue an alarm if a mass is left in the room, such as the box in the current example. the rule could further include capturing and/or recording the icd's inputs at an increased frame rate, an increased resolution, and/or other action to ensure that the important data, in this case the video of the new box, is captured or recorded by the icd. in another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one icd includes at least one video capture device or the icd(s) have digital video input capture capability and components functional for providing the same; and digital video recording (dvr) capabilities and components functional for providing the same. furthermore, the icd(s) may be video camera(s) or provide such function similar to video camera(s). additionally, microchip(s) within the icd(s) provide intelligent input capture and learned pattern analysis, such as an icd with video capability identifying or sensing a mass of an object within its surveillance range, comparing the input characteristics with referenced and/or learned information, labeling the sensed object based on a likely match in the referenced and/or learned information, communicating and/or referencing programmed data to determine if other action is required, and performing the required action, as appropriate. by way of example, a wireless digital camera senses a moving object within its target surveillance area, compares the size and shape of the object with reference information to determine that the moving object is likely a person, checks rules or settings to determine whether sensing the presence of a person is a trigger event for indicating an alarm, and communicating the alarm and/or recording and transmitting the images associated with the moving object (person) to other icd(s) and/or the cloud-based analytics platform. in another example, additional inputs such as rfid inputs from tagged objects, identification badges, and the like, may be inputted to the icd(s) and compared with reference information or settings to activate (or not) a trigger event. alternatively, the absence of an rfid transmitter on a moving object (person) or stationary object (unauthorized package or object) in a secure area including the target surveillance environment may also be operable to activate a trigger event or alarm, and/or activate other sensors, such as radiation, sound, chemical detection, and the like, and combinations thereof. by way of more detailed example, in the case of video surveillance, where a person enters the target environment under surveillance by the icds, and where the person has an employee badge with an rfid or other transmitting capability, either active or passive, embedded or incorporated therein/on, the icds video capture identifies the rfid tag data and compares it with existing data or settings stored within the icd(s). if the rfid tag data does not comport with permissions available for and associated with that id tag, then the icd(s) activates a trigger event, such as recording inputs including video, audio, and other data associated with the person detected by the icd, such as, by way of example and not limitation, clothing color, direction of travel, mass, height, speed, whether the person is carrying anything, movement particulars like jerkiness or injury, and the like. the icd(s) then cross-communicate to ensure that other icds are aware of the non-compliant detection by the first icd so that they respond accordingly. if the trigger event is an alarm event, then the icds are operable to send notification directly to the cloud-based analytics platform or through other icds to the cloud-based analytics platform, such that corresponding alarm event actions occur, such as further third party notification and inputs recording as required or determined by settings or programming within the system. in preferred embodiments the icds are digital video cameras operable to communicate wirelessly with each other and the cloud-based analytics platform. in another embodiment according to the present invention, the icds within the mesh network are further equipped with wireless communication transmitters, such as cellular phone transmitters or wide band cellular cards for providing cellular transmission/reception by each icd, to provide each icd/camera with standalone capability to cross-communicate with each other to extend the effective surveillance area and/or to communicate with each other to transmit and receive information that is further transmitted via the internet to the cloud-based analytics platform. furthermore, business models using such systems and components with this type of method of operation permit users to access the system and its inputs for monitoring after payment of a monthly service fee. if an authorized user has paid the monthly subscription charge or service fee, then the user may remotely access icd inputs, including stored data, and can download the stored or recorded input data through the cloud-based analytics platform and/or a device in electronic communication with the cloud-based analytics platform. cloud-based analytics platform the present invention provides a cloud-computing surveillance system including: at least one server computer having a processor and a memory, constructed and configured in network-based communication with a multiplicity of remote input devices having input capture mechanisms; inputs captured by the remote input devices transmitted within a secure messaging communicated over the network; wherein the inputs are received, authenticated, and indexed by the at least one server computer and stored in a corresponding database; wherein the inputs are processed and analyzed based upon at least one profile for a surveillance environment, a surveillance event, and/or a surveillance target, for providing a near-real-time analysis of the inputs to determine a status of security. the at least one profile associated with the surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target may include security level (low, medium, high), alert level, time interval for review for change, authorized remote input device and/or user information, and combinations thereof. the status may be selected from: normal, questionable, alert, urgent, disaster, injury, and any descriptor or indicator of the level and condition of the environment, event, and/or target compared with predetermined conditions. the system may further include a priority and a profile associated with the inputs for automatically associating the inputs with the corresponding surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. the profile associated with the inputs may include user and/or owner identifier, equipment identifier, communication security level, and combinations thereof. in one embodiment, the secure messaging includes internet protocol (ip) messaging of data packet(s) including the inputs, and may further include encryption, digital fingerprinting, watermarking, media hashes, and combinations thereof. as described in the following detailed description of the invention, the inputs are selected from images, audio, and/or video; more particularly, the input is selected from live streaming video, real-time images and/or audio, previously recorded video, previously captured images and/or audio, and combinations thereof. the remote input devices include mobile phones, smart phones, tablet computers, portable computers, mobile communication devices, wearable input capture devices, and/or security cameras. by way of example and not limitation, a wearable input capture device may be removable, portable devices such as eyewear (like google glass), headwear, wristwear, etc. the analysis is performed by a virtualized or cloud-based computing system and provides for remote access of analyzed inputs, and involves at least one rules engine for transforming individual inputs into analyzed content. the analyzed content may include inputs from more than one remote input device. additionally, the analyzed content may be generated by transforming the original inputs by the at least one server computer automatically assembling input fragments into an integrated content file, and wherein the original input is stored and associated with the integrated content file. in one embodiment of the present invention, the authentication includes confirmation of global positioning system (gps) location of each of the remote input devices providing inputs and matching the gps location with corresponding at least one predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. preferably, the analysis includes authentication of the input device with a device identification, a user identification, a geographic location, and a time associated with the input and the predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. at the at least one server computer, the authenticated inputs are automatically tagged, combined, grouped, edited, and analyzed by the cloud-based system according to the predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. also, the input is verified by authenticating the at least one input device and/or its corresponding user and the input is analyzed to confirm that there has been no alteration, editing, and/or modification to the input prior to its receipt by the at least one server computer. the present invention also provides methods for the system described in the foregoing, including the steps of: providing a cloud-based or virtualized computing system having at least one server computer with a processor and a memory, constructed and configured in network-based communication with a multiplicity of remote input devices having input capture mechanisms; receiving by the at least one server computer inputs from the remote input devices transmitted within a secure messaging communicated over the network; authenticating the inputs; indexing the inputs by the at least one server computer; and storing the inputs in a corresponding database; processing and analyzing the inputs by the at least one server computer using at least one profile for a surveillance environment, a surveillance event, and/or a surveillance target, for providing a near-real-time analysis of the inputs to determine a status of security. additional steps may include: providing a priority for the secure messaging; analyzing inputs from more than one remote input device in near real time to provide social security surveillance of the surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target; and/or automatically assembling input fragments into an integrated content file, and wherein the original input is stored and associated with the integrated content file. also, preferably, the authenticating step includes automatic authentication of the input device and/or its user based upon the combination of a device identification, a user identification, a geographic location, and a time associated with the input and the predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. the present invention systems and methods include a social surveillance system for providing automated cloud-based analytics that allows for uploading of captured inputs, authentication of the inputs, and analysis of the inputs to provide real- or near real-time surveillance of a surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. the social surveillance invention includes a combination of several key features including input authentication, time, and automated cloud-based analytics relating to the inputs and the surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. the authentication is provided with device and/or user with location wherein the input devices provide information including geographic location information and/or global positioning system (gps) information to be embedded within images and videos and/or included in the messaging from the input devices over the network to the at least one server computer. additionally, overlay and other techniques may also be used during upload of content, such as, by way of example and not limitation, tdoa, aia, and rf fingerprinting technologies. preferably, the input devices are equipped with a time-stamp function that embeds a date and time into an image or video for later authentication, or their messaging provides a date and time associated with the inputs, including images, and/or video. additionally, the authentication of users and/or devices through the evaluation of uploaded content, including stenographic techniques such as digital fingerprinting and watermarking, or user-verification techniques such as login or captcha technologies and biometric scanning. while some content is considered verified by authenticating a user or device, additional analytics may be performed by the cloud-based system to establish that content has not been modified from its original sources, such as through the use of media hashes. additionally, after receiving and authenticating multiple sources of information, analytics may allow for the inputs to be aggregated, tagged, combined, edited, and/or grouped. although in the prior art, content-based analytics is used in cctv settings and when verifying that digital content has been unaltered or authenticating a content's source (e.g., copyrighted music, images and videos), it has not been used for distributed, cloud-based social surveillance allowing for a multiplicity of inputs from remote input devices to at least one server computer for analysis of the inputs based upon a predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target, and more particularly for security surveillance. notably, the present invention does not require specialized pre-registered devices, but instead incorporates distributed, and potentially unknown devices, so long as the user, time and location correspond to the predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. systems and methods of the present invention provide for a multiplicity of remote input devices, by way of example and not limitation, including commercially available devices such as google glass or glasses or headwear having input capture mechanisms and mobile communication capability, mobile smart phones, cellular phones, tablet computers, gaming devices such as an xbox kinect controller, so long as the input device is constructed and configured to capture and share or transmit video and/or images associated with location data, direction, etc. and owners/users with the cloud-based surveillance system. the input information is stored on at least one server computer, in a centralized and/or virtualized central manner, and the input information is indexed, organized, stored, and available for access by authorized users via the network through a website or portal or api. the input device is preferably registered with the system through an app or software application associated with the remote or distributed input devices. while preregistration is not required for the inputs to be associated with at least one surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target, all inputs are required to be authenticated by the system based upon the input device, the input device user, and/or corresponding identification and/or association with the surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target. by way of example and not limitation, a video input is transmitted by a remote input device with an email including the video input as a media attachment within the message; the cloud-based system and its at least one server computer receives the email message, authenticates the email address associated with the device and/or user, and accepts the video. also the same is provided with mms or text messaging with video and/or audio and/or image. in one embodiment of the present invention, method steps include: providing the system as described hereinabove; providing a software application operating on a remote input device for capturing at least one input including an image, a video, and/or an audio input; activating the software application; capturing the at least one input including an image, a video, and/or an audio input; automatically and/or manually including structural and/or descriptive metadata, including but not limited to unique identifying indicia associated with the input, time, location or geographic information, text and/or audio notation associated with the input, priority flag or indicator, and combinations thereof. optionally, the software application and/or the remote input device automatically verifies and authenticates the user of the remote input device, for example using biometric authentication such as facial recognition, fingerprint, etc., and/or using a user identification and passcode or personal identification number, or other authentication mechanisms. preferably, the authentication information is included with the metadata corresponding to the input(s) and associated therewith as a composite input, and the software application and/or the remote input device automatically transmits the composite input over the network to the cloud-based system and the at least one server computer thereon and is saved in at least one database. in preferred embodiments of the present invention, a user interface is provided on the remote input device(s) or distributed computer device(s) and their corresponding displays to provide secure, authorized access to the composite input and/or to all inputs associated with predetermined surveillance environment, surveillance event, and/or surveillance target stored in the cloud database. also, preferably, the software application on the remote input device provides an automated sharing feature that provides for single click select and activation of media sharing of the selected inputs captured. in one embodiment, the single click select and activation of media sharing of the selected inputs captured on that remote input device provides for automatic association of the shared media with at least one email address corresponding to the user and the remote input device. 3d analytics the cloud-based analytics platform for a surveillance system may provide storage for input data from various icds and perform surveillance analytics based on the input data. the present invention provides advanced image processing and 3d visual data generation. the cloud-based analytics platform calibrates at least two conventional 2d cameras so as to determine depth information. the at least two calibrated cameras take two 2d images for one location from different angles, advanced image processing on the cloud-based analytics platform finds matches between these two images, and the position of matched elements are triangulated to obtain missing depth information from these two 2d images. a 3d image for that one location can be constructed with the depth information. similarly, a 3d video can be constructed based on 2d input data for streaming and analytics. generated 3d images and videos can be rotated to review from different angles. thus, the present invention provides robust, real-time or near-real-time and easy-to-use surveillance analytics. compared to 2d analytics, 3d analytics can reduce false alarms, improve the immersive effect for a physical security presence, and provide more accurate advanced analytics functions, such as facial recognition, object tracking, people counting, market analysis, etc. the present 3d analytics provides cross-video surveillance and multiple target tracking. each movement trajectory of a tracking target may be highlighted differently. an alert may be generated when a target stays in a zone beyond a preset period of time, when a target passes a predefined line, or when a target satisfies any other preset rule for triggering an alert. the present 3d cloud-based analytics transforms passive analytics to reactive and preventive. visual representation and display a surveillance system for wireless communication between components including: a base system including at least two wireless input capture devices (icds) and a cloud-based analytics platform and a user device having a display with a user interface, the cloud-based analytics platform being operable to transmit and receive information with the icds, the icds having at least one visual sensor and at least one input component for detecting and recording inputs, a microprocessor, a memory, a transmitter/receiver, all icd components being constructed and configured in electronic connection; wherein the icds are operable for wireless cross-communication with each other independent of the cloud-based analytics platform for forming a mesh network of icds operable to provide secure surveillance of a target environment. in one embodiment, the user interface provides a visual representation of captured data in an image format and a contextualized image format comprising the visual representation of captured data and coordinated spatial representation of the image format. preferably, the coordinated spatial representation of the image format includes a coordinate system to provide a spatial context for the captured data, which includes narrow-scope context that is related spatially to the immediate surroundings, and/or a geospatial context for the captured data, including more global or broad scope context that is related by gps or other geographic-based coordinate systems. thus, the present invention provides a 3-dimensional (3-d) geospatial view of the captured data. in one embodiment, the coordinate system is an overlay for the visual representation of the captured data. in this case, the coordinate system provides context without visually depleting or diminishing the information provided by the two-dimensional or image-based captured data and its representation on the user interface. in another embodiment, the coordinate system creates a 3-dimensional view of the 2-dimensional (2-d) image by providing relational spatial imaging of the surrounding environment or context of the image. preferably, the 2-d image is visually represented as more linearly than the image itself, with the target or key aspects of the captured data and/or image being substantially represented in the same manner as in the 2-d image view. the target captured data may be the sensed image or object by the icd(s), depending upon the sensors and related functionality. by way of example, the target image may be a person whose presence is detected by motion sensors on the icd. in any case, the 2-d image may be an image itself, such as a digital photographic image, a still frame of a video image, a rendering of the actual image and/or data captured by the icd(s), and combinations thereof. in a preferred embodiment, the system is operable to provide comparable 2-d and 3-d images as set forth in the foregoing. the present invention provides for systems and methods having a 3d model of a space provides a 3d context for the inputs from the icds; inputs from the icds, including direct cross-communication information, location, settings, environment conditions, and inputs (video, audio, temperature, other sensors, object patterns, movement of a multiplicity of objects and/or people, and analytics related to the objects and/or human patterns, including visual patterns, predetermined movements or gestures, facial recognition, and combinations thereof), being visually represented on a gui independently and in the 3d context for simultaneous display of all the info, and analytics based on the info, including activity density within the 3d context based on the inputs, for surveillance and analysis of target environment(s). the present invention provides for custom analytics that are relevant to the environment as in the present invention. by way of example, in a retail application, it's not about just tracking an individual who might be shoplifting or tampering with goods but the relevance is based on predetermined events or situations, like build-up of customers at specific 3d locations (like lines at check-out, lines at customer service, the deli counter, special advertisement or presentation of articles in different location to judge traffic/marketing/presentation, the emergency exit, etc.) wherein specific indications (analytics) would result (indication of need to open another register, notify additional customer service reps., more deli people, success of a promotional event/packaging change, etc.). this is an “activity density” or “content density” feature and functionality unique to the present invention. furthermore, other behavior of humans, including but not limited to gestures, actions, changes in actions, patterns of behavior, facial recognition, age, sex, physical characteristics, and combinations thereof, are preferably included with the 3-d visual representation of the inputs and the analysis relating thereto. more preferably, the analysis and indication of predetermined patterns, activities, movements, speed, etc. are included simultaneously with the video inputs and their 3-d contextualization to provide for situational awareness and analysis automatically based upon the inputs and context thereof. one aspect of the present invention is to provide systems and methods for analytics displays and management for information generated from video surveillance systems, including contextualization and remote review. another aspect of the present invention is to provide systems and methods for analytics displays and management for information generated from direct cross-communication from independent input capture devices (icds), wherein the information includes contextualization and remote review of inputs from the icds, the inputs being directly associated with the icd(s) that originated them, and settings associated with each of the icds and information associated with the icd settings (date, time, environment conditions, etc.) and the inputs (direct correlation). another aspect includes the addition of interactive 3d visualization remotely through a network on a remote computer having a display and a graphic user interface (gui) viewable by a remote user. preferably this remote user gui provides a true 3d interface for simultaneously presenting input information and additional icd-based information (including but not limited to icd identification, position, settings, environment conditions, etc.) and an interactive 3d perspective of the icd and its 3d physical context, thereby providing at least three levels of analytics and visual input information for multi-level processing of the surveillance environment. a smart mesh network surveillance system and method for providing communication between a base system having at least one wireless input capture device icd(s) and other icd(s), wherein the icd(s) are capable of smart cross-communication with each other and remote access to their inputs via a server computer, including the steps of providing this base system; at least one user accessing the icds and inputs remotely via a user interface through a remote server computer and/or electronic device communicating with it, wherein the captured data is represented visually on a user interface or screen views for the user, the screen views showing 2-dimensional data and corresponding 3-dimensional data of the same input capture with coordinate overlay to provide a geographic context for the captured data. the present invention uses the aforementioned systems and methods for providing a 3d model of a space provides a 3d context for the inputs from the icds; inputs from the icds, including direct cross-communication information, location, settings, environment conditions, and inputs and analysis thereof, being visually represented on a gui independently and in the 3d context for simultaneous display of all the info, and analytics based on the info, including activity density within the 3d context based on the inputs, for surveillance and analysis of target environment(s). advantageously, this provides for action or response based on the 3d contextualized inputs and the various views, including but not limited to 3d geospatial overlay and interactivity to shift perspective within that 3d context. video contextualization is selective adopted by the user, preferably through a remote, network-based access. that visualization is functional and operable to be manipulated by a user to provide a visual perspective that optimizes data and information review, without eliminating data content provided by the input from the digital video surveillance system. by way of example and not limitation, the interactive gui includes analytics about the target environment, based upon visual patterns. in one demonstrative case, this may include visual patterns that are automatically detected in a predetermined environment, such as a retail space. in this setting, automatic notification of a pattern, such as a grouping of a multiplicity of moving objects, like people queuing at a check-out counter, triggers automatic notification that a corresponding action should be taken, such as opening another check-out line to eliminate the queue quickly. in another example, marketing analytics may be obtained by visual patterns in a 3-d environment, such as traffic around a display in a retail setting; changing display configuration and positioning and the corresponding change in visual pattern detectable automatically in that environment can be compared using the systems and methods of the present invention. 3d display a user can access to the cloud-based analytics platform via a user interface via a user device with a display. the cloud-based analytics platform has a cloud account associated with a specific surveillance system. the user may receive alerts and/or messages via an authorized user device, such as smart phones, tablets, personal computers, laptops, head-mounted displays (hmd), and other display devices. the cloud-based analytics platform provides 2d and/or 3d video streaming and storage for the surveillance system. a 3d video for a surveillance target area, either generated from 2d visual input data or received from 3d cameras, can be viewed via the user interface on a user device with a display. the 3d video is streaming in real time or near real time. in one embodiment, there is one video for each of the multiple surveillance locations in a surveillance target area, and one overall video for the whole surveillance target area. highlighted trajectory and contextualized features may be displayed with the 3d video. in one embodiment, the 3d video may be interactive. for example, one target object may be viewed from different angles by rotating the 3d surveillance video with a touch screen or a display with control buttons. a user may zoom in the 3d video for closer look, or zoom out the 3d video for a bigger picture. in one embodiment, the display on a user's device may be conventional 2d display, then a user may need to wear 3d glasses for 3d view. in another embodiment, the display on a user's device may be operable to have glasses-free 3d display. in another embodiment, the user device is a head-mounted display, for example oculus rift, for virtual reality display. 3d playback the cloud-based analytics platform also provides 3d playback for a surveillance target area. 3d playback provides for users to see what happened in a certain period of time in the past. a certain period of video may be saved automatically on the platform, for example surveillance videos for the past 7 days. to obtain video storage and playback for more than a certain period of time, a user may set the settings on the platform and a certain fee may be charged. 3d playback provides another chance to identify any other suspicious objects and/or phenomena the users may have omitted, or find useful information between targeted objects, or any other information for an authorized user may be interested in later. communications the icds transmits video and/or audio and other input data and optionally the decisions with input data wirelessly (using network protocols such as 802.11, cell phone protocols such as cdma or gsm, or any other wireless protocol such as zigbee, bluetooth, or other) to a local network device (e.g., a cell tower or a router) and then to the cloud-based analytics platform via internet. the camera can optionally transmit the data and the decisions and/or the video and audio associated with that data wirelessly using network protocols such as 802.11, cell phone protocols such as cdma or gsm, or any other wireless protocol such as zigbee, bluetooth, or other) to another camera which can take that data and combine it with its own data to make unique decisions based on the combination of the two data sets. then the camera can send the combined data sets and optionally the decisions and/or video associated with that data wirelessly or wired to another camera to make further unique decisions on combined data. security and surveillance in an operation area a cloud-based video surveillance system may be set up for an operation area for safe operation as well as security surveillance. an operation area includes a factory, a construction site, a port, a production line, and anywhere a machine and/or tool is operated. at least two icds are installed in the operation area for capturing visual data for at least one portion of the operation area. the at least two icds transmit the captured visual data to a cloud-based analytics platform. the cloud-based analytic platform process the visual data from the at least two icds and generate a 3d visual representation of the at least one portion of the operation area. certain advanced analytics are performed, including personal protective equipment recognition and article movement detection, based on captured visual data and generated 3d visual representation and specific rules for the at least one portion of the operation area. the cloud-based analytics platform activates at least one safety control device in the operation area based on analytics data. the cloud-based analytics platform provides storage for a time period, which is selectable by authorized users. authorized users can access to the cloud-based analytics platform for surveillance system of the operation area via at least one user device over a network for living streaming and 3d playback for the surveillance of the operation area. in one embodiment, the cloud-based analytics platform perform personal protective equipment recognition for personnel safety in an operation area. the personal protective equipment (“ppe”) can be gloves, safety glasses, safety shoes, earplugs, ear muffs, hard hats, respirators, coveralls, vests and full body suits. an individual within the operation area is required to wear certain ppe according to the safety rules. the cloud-based analytics platform receives visual data (video/image) from at least two icds within the operational area and process the visual data in real time or near real time to recognize the individual and any ppe on the individual and determine if the individual is complying with proper safety protocol in the operation area. for example, if the individual does not wear a required ppe or a required ppe on the individual is not properly positioned, the cloud-based analytics platform will activate a safety control device. in one embodiment, the safety control device is an alarm, which is set off to notify the individual that the individual does not wear a required ppe or a required ppe on the individual is not properly positioned. in another embodiment, the safety control device is a physical barrier which will be deployed to stop the individual from entering a work zone and getting injured. in another embodiment, the safety control device will turn off the power to any machinery for the individual's safety. in another embodiment, the cloud-based analytics platform monitors movements in an operation area. the articles in movement in the operation area may be a person, a machine, a tool, a vehicle or any other articles having movement in the operation area. there are certain rules that certain moving article are not allowed to move beyond certain range for a certain period of time. the cloud-based analytics platform processes the visual data and generated 3d visual data in real time or near real time to recognize any moving article outside of a safety range for a certain time period. the cloud-based analytics platform then activates at least one safety control devices. in one embodiment, the safety control device is an alarm, which is set off to notify that a moving article is outside of its safety range for a certain time period. in another embodiment, the safety control device is a physical barrier which will be deployed to stop the moving article from entering a dangerous zone. in another embodiment, the safety control device will turn off the power to any machinery to prevent injury and/or damage. fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 consistent with the invention. as shown in fig. 1 , exemplary system 100 may comprises two icds 101 , 102 , a cloud-based analytics platform 103 , a user device 104 , and a safety control device 111 . the cloud-based analytics platform 103 are constructed and configured in network communication with the two icds 101 , 102 , the user device 104 , and the safety control device 111 . the two icds each have a visual sensor 105 , 106 , respectively. the cloud-based analytics platform 103 has a processor 107 and a memory 108 . the user device has a display with a user interface 109 . fig. 2 is a flowchart 200 illustrating a method for providing a cloud-based surveillance system in the present invention. the method comprises ( 201 ) communicatively connecting at least two icds and at least one user device having a display with a user interface to a cloud-based analytics platform. the method further comprises ( 202 ) the at least two icds capturing and transmitting input data to the cloud-based analytics platform. the method further comprises ( 203 ) the cloud-based analytics platform generating 3d visual representation based on captured input data from the at least two icds; ( 204 ) the cloud-based analytics platform performing advanced analytics based on the captured input data and generated 3d visual representation; and ( 205 ) the cloud-based analytics platform activating the at least one safety control device based on analytics data from the advanced analytics. the method further comprises ( 206 ) the at least one user device displaying the 3d visual representation of the target area via a user interface over a display. figs. 3-5 illustrate schematic diagrams of different embodiments of the present invention; like reference indicators are used throughout the multiple figures for the same or similar elements, as appropriate. fig. 3 shows one embodiment of a cloud-based video surveillance system 300 . the embodiment shows a cpu processor and/or server computer 120 in network-based communication with at least one database 130 and at least one geographically redundant database 140 . the server computer 120 is connected to a network 110 , a communications (wired and/or wireless) router 180 , communications tower 160 , and a user device 150 are also connected to the network 110 . a user device 170 is connected to the network 110 via the communication tower 160 . a user device 190 and two icds 310 and 320 are connected to the router 180 in a local area network via wi-fi wireless 601 , cellular wireless 602 , or bluetooth wireless 603 . each of the two icds may include image capture 610 , video capture 620 , audio capture 630 , text and audio note 640 , and/or geo-location 650 technologies, each technology capable of collecting data for upload to the network 110 and storage on the databases 130 , 140 . as the user device 190 may also contain identity technologies 920 , such as facial, fingerprint and/or retina recognition, both databases 130 , 140 may include identity database for validating fingerprints, facial recognition, and/or retina recognition. user devices 150 and 170 , being any computer, tablet, smartphone, or similar device, permits user access to the data, video, image, and audio storage on the cloud. fig. 4 illustrates another embodiment 400 of a cloud-based video surveillance system providing for the components shown. a communications router 180 is connected with the network via communication tower 160 . fig. 5 illustrates another cloud-based video surveillance system 500 with the components shown, including a software application or app on a computing device having a graphic user interface (gui) providing for a live viewing area on the device and function buttons, virtual buttons (i.e., touch-activated, near-touch-activated, etc.) of record, notes, and send, associated with input capture devices 190 . referring now to fig. 6 , a schematic diagram 600 illustrating a virtualized computing network used in of one embodiment of the invention for automated systems and methods is shown. as illustrated, components of the systems and methods include the following components and sub-components, all constructed and configured for network-based communication, and further including data processing and storage. as illustrated in fig. 6 , a basic schematic of some of the key components of a financial settlement system according to the present invention are shown. the system 600 comprises a server 210 with a processing unit 211 . the server 210 is constructed, configured and coupled to enable communication over a network 250 . the server provides for user interconnection with the server over the network using a personal computer (pc) 240 positioned remotely from the server, the personal computer has instructions 247 stored in memory 246 . there are other necessary components in the pc 240 , for example, a cpu 244 , bus 242 , input/output (“i/o”) port 248 , and an output (“o”) port 249 . furthermore, the system is operable for a multiplicity of remote personal computers or terminals 260 , 270 , having operating systems 269 , 279 . for example, a client/server architecture is shown. alternatively, a user may interconnect through the network 250 using a user device such as a personal digital assistant (pda), mobile communication device, such as by way of example and not limitation, a mobile phone, a cell phone, smart phone, laptop computer, netbook, a terminal, or any other computing device suitable for network connection. also, alternative architectures may be used instead of the client/server architecture. for example, a pc network, or other suitable architecture may be used. the network 250 may be the internet, an intranet, or any other network suitable for searching, obtaining, and/or using information and/or communications. the system of the present invention further includes an operating system 212 installed and running on the server 210 , enabling server 210 to communicate through network 250 with the remote distributed user devices. the operating system may be any operating system known in the art that is suitable for network communication as described herein below. data storage 220 may house an operating system 222 , memory 224 , and programs 226 . additionally or alternatively to fig. 6 , fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the invention illustrating a computer system, generally described as 700 , having a network 810 and a plurality of computing devices 820 , 830 , 840 . in one embodiment of the invention, the computer system 800 includes a cloud-based network 810 for distributed communication via the network's wireless communication antenna 812 and processing by a plurality of mobile communication computing devices 830 . in another embodiment of the invention, the computer system 800 is a virtualized computing system capable of executing any or all aspects of software and/or application components presented herein on the computing devices 820 , 830 , 840 . in certain aspects, the computer system 700 may be implemented using hardware or a combination of software and hardware, either in a dedicated computing device, or integrated into another entity, or distributed across multiple entities or computing devices. by way of example, and not limitation, the computing devices 820 , 830 , 840 are intended to represent various forms of digital computers and mobile devices, such as a server, blade server, mainframe, mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (pda), a smart phone, a desktop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, a workstation, a laptop, and other similar computing devices. the components shown here, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the invention described and/or claimed in this document. in one embodiment, the user device 820 includes components such as a processor 860 , a system memory 862 having a random access memory (ram) 864 and a read-only memory (rom) 866 , and a user bus 868 that couples the memory 862 to the processor 860 . in another embodiment, the computing device 830 may additionally include components such as a storage device 890 for storing the operating system 892 and one or more application programs 894 , a network interface unit 896 , and/or an input/output controller 898 . each of the components may be coupled to each other through at least one bus 868 . the input/output controller 898 may receive and process input from, or provide output to, a number of other devices 899 , including, but not limited to, alphanumeric input devices, mice, electronic styluses, display units, touch screens, signal generation devices (e.g., speakers) or printers. by way of example, and not limitation, the processor 860 may be a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (cpu)), a graphics processing unit (gpu), a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (dsp), an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a field programmable gate array (fpga), a programmable logic device (pld), a controller, a state machine, gated or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable entity or combinations thereof that can perform calculations, process instructions for execution, and/or other manipulations of information. in another implementation, shown in fig. 7 , a computing device 840 may use multiple processors 860 and/or multiple buses 868 , as appropriate, along with multiple memories 862 of multiple types (e.g., a combination of a dsp and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a dsp core). also, multiple computing devices may be connected, with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e.g., a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). alternatively, some steps or methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function. according to various embodiments, the computer system 700 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to local and/or remote computing devices 820 , 830 , 840 , 850 through a network 810 . a computing device 830 may connect to a network 810 through a network interface unit 896 connected to the bus 868 . computing devices may communicate communication media through wired networks, direct-wired connections or wirelessly such as acoustic, rf or infrared through a wireless communication antenna 897 in communication with the network's wireless communication antenna 812 and the network interface unit 896 , which may include digital signal processing circuitry when necessary. the network interface unit 896 may provide for communications under various modes or protocols. in one or more exemplary aspects, the instructions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combinations thereof. a computer readable medium may provide volatile or non-volatile storage for one or more sets of instructions, such as operating systems, data structures, program modules, applications or other data embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. the computer readable medium may include the memory 862 , the processor 860 , and/or the storage media 890 and may be a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed computer system) that store the one or more sets of instructions 900 . non-transitory computer readable media includes all computer readable media, with the sole exception being a transitory, propagating signal per se. the instructions 900 may further be transmitted or received over the network 810 via the network interface unit 896 as communication media, which may include a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any delivery media. the term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. storage devices 890 and memory 862 include, but are not limited to, volatile and non-volatile media such as cache, ram, rom, eprom, eeprom, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, disks or discs (e.g., digital versatile disks (dvd), hd-dvd, blu-ray, compact disc (cd), cd-rom, floppy disc) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the computer readable instructions and which can be accessed by the computer system 700 . it is also contemplated that the computer system 700 may not include all of the components shown in fig. 7 , may include other components that are not explicitly shown in fig. 7 , or may utilize an architecture completely different than that shown in fig. 7 . the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, elements, circuits, and algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application (e.g., arranged in a different order or partitioned in a different way), but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention. certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. by way of example and not limitation, the present invention systems and methods may further include automated web-based searching to identify and analyze similar images and/or videos (or content, individuals, objects, and combinations thereof in the images and/or videos) from social websites or social media postings to associate, link, supplement and/or match with the at least one input authenticated and received by the cloud-based server(s) and corresponding to a surveillance environment, a surveillance event, and/or a surveillance target within a predetermined timeframe. the above-mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the invention. all modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the present invention.
041-477-879-300-464	AU	[ "WO", "US" ]	A01G25/09,B05B1/20,B05B3/00,B05B3/18	2004-04-20T00:00:00	2004	[ "A01", "B05" ]	centre pivot irrigators	connecting apparatus for use with centre pivot irrigation equipment that includes a pipe assembly comprising one or more water delivery pipes arranged to rotate about a central location while being supported above the ground by one or more wheels comprising a u-shaped flexible pipe assembly (90) connecting the pipe assembly to a water supply facility (46) in such a manner as to enable the pipe assembly to rotate about the central location while remaining connected to the water supply facility (46), and means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates comprising a flexible connector (182), a take up member (180) and means for mounting the flexible connector (182) between the pipe assembly and the take up member (180) so that as the pipe assembly rotates, the flexible member (182) can be wound onto or off the take up member (180).	claims 1. connecting apparatus for use with irrigation equipment that includes a pipe assembly comprising one or more water delivery pipes arranged to rotate about a central location while being supported above the ground by one or more ground wheels, the connecting apparatus being provided with means for connecting the pipe assembly to a water supply facility in such manner as to enable the pipe assembly to rotate about the central location while remaining connected to the water supply facility, and means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. 2. connecting apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means to connect an inner end of the pipe assembly to the water supply facility and a supporting structure arranged to be supported by the water supply facility and to support the inner end as the pipe assembly rotates. 3. connecting apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a support member that is mountable on the water supply facility and over which the supporting stracture is arranged to slide as the pipe assembly rotates. 4. connecting apparatus according to claim 3, in which the supporting structure is arranged to embrace the water supply facility, serving to hold the pipe assembly in radial alignment with the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. 5. connecting apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the means to connect the inner end of the pipe assembly to the water supply facility comprises a flexible pipe that joins the pipe assembly to the water supply facility in such manner as to enable the distance between the pipe assembly and the water supply facility to vary as the pipe assembly rotates. 6. connecting apparatus according to claim 5, in which the flexible pipe has one end that is connected to the water supply facility and an opposite end that is connected to the pipe assembly. 7. connecting apparatus according to claim 6, in which the flexible pipe is disposed in a u shape when it is in use. 8. connecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising means to enable the pipe assembly to move radially in relation to the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. 9. connecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates comprises a flexible connector, a take up member that can be mounted on the water supply facility, and means for mounting the flexible connector between the pipe assembly and the take up member in such manner that, as the pipe assembly rotates, the flexible connector can be wound onto the take up member to thereby shorten the distance between the pipe assembly and the central location. 10. connecting apparatus according to claim 9, in which the connecting apparatus comprises a member that can be mounted on the connecting apparatus and around which the flexible connector can be passed, with one end of flexible connector anchored on the take up member and an opposite end of the flexible connector that on the water supply facility. 11 connecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, for use with irrigation equipment in which the water supply facility includes an uprightly disposed water supply pipe about which the pipe assembly rotates, the connecting apparatus being arranged to connect the pipe assembly to the supply pipe and being provided with means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the supply pipe as the pipe assembly rotates. 12 irrigation equipment that includes a pipe assembly comprising one or more water delivery pipes arranged to rotate about a central location while being supported above the ground by one or more ground wheels, the irrigation equipment including connecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for connecting the pipe assembly to a water supply facility.	title of the invention: centre pivot irrigators field and background of the invention this invention relates to centre pivot irrigators. centre pivot irrigators have become widely accepted in farming practice. typically, a centre pivot irrigator comprises a single pipe or, perhaps more often, a number of rigid pipes joined together end to end. in either case, the pipe or pipes form an elongate boom. the boom has an inner end anchored to a turret that is fixed in the ground and is designed in such manner, discussed below, that the boom is able to pivot about a fixed pivotal axis located at the turret. as it pivots, the boom is supported above the ground by the turret at the inner end and by pairs of ground wheels carried on triangulated supporting frames mounted one on each pipe. the ground wheels are driven in tandem by suitable means such as electric or hydraulic motors, causing the boom to pivot. when the boom has pivoted through 360°, it has passed over a circular piece of land. during this movement, irrigation water is pumped into the pipes making up the boom from a water supply pipe in the turret and discharged onto the land through outlets located at intervals along the pipes. in this specification and the claims, the terms "pivoting" and "rotating" are used interchangeably when used with reference to the boom and, to avoid repetition, can be taken to mean "pivoting or rotating about the pivotal axis". centre pivot irrigators vary in size from relatively small to quite large. for example, in the test prototype for the present invention, the boom comprises 11 pipes each of 50 meters in length. the area irrigated by the prototype is thus about 95 hectares. the scope of the present invention is not limited by the size of the irrigator nor to the type just described. the above description is highly simplified. commercially available centre pivot irrigators are provided with many sophisticated features that will not be described in more detail herein except where such detail is relevant to an understanding of the present invention. in all centre pivot irrigators known to the applicant, each of the wheels remains at a substantially fixed distance from the pivotal axis as the boom rotates. this arises from the characteristic that the supporting frames and hence the wheels are mounted in fixed positions on the pipes and that the pipes are constrained to stay in a substantially straight line as the boom rotates. as a result, each wheel passes over the same piece of ground repeatedly as the boom rotates and it is well known that this can seriously damage or even destroy any crop growing in the path of the wheels. furthermore, the land traversed by the wheels tends to deteriorate, forming channels and ruts. the channels and rats can become deep enough to prevent the passage of tractors, mowers and other farm machinery as well livestock and the irrigator itself during subsequent passes. the ruts can impose considerable strain on the gearboxes, drive shafts and other components of the irrigator as the wheels have to repeatedly lift the irrigator up and out of potholes within the ruts. the rats also can also cause damage to vehicles such as farm bikes and their riders because the ruts are often deep and almost invisible until the rider is on top of them. so the rats become a safety issue. they also interfere with the run off of water from the land, creating boggy patches that are made even worse by subsequent passes of the irrigator. attempts have been made in the past to address these disadvantages. these attempts have included the laying of rocks, concrete or the like in the path of the wheels. this is expensive. when it is considered that each strip of land that is affected by the wheels can, in the experience of the applicant, be up to 2 meters wide, the cost to the farmer is significant. other attempts include the fitting of so-called "boom backs" which spray the water out behind the irrigator with the intention that the ground on which the wheels ran will be drier. many manufacturers have recommended special "turf tyres in soft ground applications. the valley company of the usa offers a "third wheel" option to reduce the load on the two wheels mounted on each supporting frame. statements of invention according to the invention, for use with irrigation equipment that includes a pipe assembly comprising one or more water delivery pipes arranged to rotate about a central location while being supported above the ground by one or more ground wheels, there is provided connecting apparatus for connecting the pipe assembly to a water supply facility in such manner as to enable the pipe assembly to rotate about the central location while remaining connected to the water supply facility, and means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. in one form of the invention, the connecting apparatus comprises means to connect an inner end of the pipe assembly to the water supply facility and a supporting structure arranged to be supported by the water supply facility and to support the inner end as the pipe assembly rotates. according to one aspect of the invention, the connecting apparatus comprises a support member that is mountable on the water supply facility and over which the supporting structure is arranged to slide as the pipe assembly rotates. advantageously, according to the invention, the supporting structure is arranged to embrace the water supply facility, serving to hold the pipe assembly in radial alignment with the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. in one form of the invention, the means to connect the inner end of the pipe assembly to the water supply facility comprises a flexible pipe that joins the pipe assembly to the water supply facility in such manner as to enable the distance between the pipe assembly and the water supply facility to vary as the pipe assembly rotates. in one aspect of the invention, the flexible pipe has one end that is connected to the water supply facility and an opposite end that is connected to the pipe assembly. conventional centre pivot irrigators of one known type are connected to a water supply facility that includes a water supply pipe at least part of which has an uprightly disposed longitudinal axis about which the boom rotates. the supply pipe, which conventionally forms part of what is called the turret in the foregoing description, is arranged to support the inner end of the boom and to rotate about its longitudinal axis as the boom rotates. in one form of the invention, for use with irrigation equipment of this type, the connecting apparatus is arranged to connect the pipe assembly to the supply pipe and is provided with means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the supply pipe as the pipe assembly rotates. in most if not all conventional centre pivot irrigators, the wheels are mounted so that their rotational axes are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boom. as a result of the fact that the boom pivots about a fixed pivotal axis, each wheel is constrained to follow a circular path centred on the pivotal axis and tends to steer itself in a direction that is tangential to the circular path. this has the result that the wheels exert a force that tends to move the boom radially outwardly from the pivotal axis. this characteristic is made use of by providing, in one form of the present invention, that the means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates comprises a flexible connector, a take up member that can be mounted on the water supply facility, and means for mounting the flexible connector between the pipe assembly and the take up member in such manner that, as the pipe assembly rotates, the flexible connector can be wound onto or off the take up member to thereby cause the distance between the pipe assembly and the central location to vary. the flexible connector is kept taut by the action of the aforementioned force exerted on the boom by the wheels. by virtue of the fact that the connecting apparatus is connected to the pipe arrangement, the flexible connector draws the pipe arrangement in towards the pivotal axis when the flexible connector is being wound onto the take up member and allows the pipe arrangement to move outwardly away from the pivotal axis when the flexible connector is being wound off the take up member. according to one aspect of the invention, the take up member is cylindrical and is mounted on the water supply pipe, coaxially therewith but anchored on a part of the water supply facility that does not rotate with the supply pipe. in one aspect of the invention, the connecting apparatus comprises a member that can be mounted on the connecting apparatus and around which the flexible connector can be passed, with one end of flexible connector anchored on the take up member and an opposite end of the flexible connector that on the water supply facility. advantageously, according to the invention, the flexible pipe is disposed in a u shape when it is in use. one leg of the u can be connected to the delivery end of the water supply pipe and the other leg of the u can be connected to the inlet end of the rigid pipe. where the rigid pipe and the delivery end of the water supply pipe are substantially horizontally disposed (as they are in many conventional installations), the legs of the u in one aspect of the invention may also be substantially horizontally disposed. in this case, the legs of the u are advantageously disposed one above the other. according to another aspect of the invention, the connecting apparatus comprises means to enable the pipe assembly to move radially in relation to the central location as the pipe assembly rotates. it is an advantage of the present invention that the connecting apparatus may be retrofitted to existing irrigator assemblies whether any such assembly comprises a boom that comprises a single pipe or a number of interconnected pipes. brief description of the drawings the invention is further discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate various features of the invention carried into practice. in the drawings: figure 1 is a very much simplified side schematic view of two spans of a centre pivot irrigator; figure 2 is a view on arrow a in figure 1 in larger scale; figure 3 is a side view of a turret that is part of the irrigator, in still larger scale; figures 4 and 5 show details of parts of the irrigator; figures 6 and 7 are side views of a connecting structure that is supported on the turret of an irrigator and joins the inner end of the boom to the supply pipe of the irrigator; figure 8 is an enlarged side view, similar to figure 6, of the connecting structure; figure 9 is partial cross sectional view on arrow b in figure 8; figure 10 is a plan view of one of the components of the connecting structure; figure 11 is also a partial cross sectional view on arrow b in figure 8; figure 12 is a view on arrow c in figure 11 ; figure 13 is a cross sectional view on arrows d - d in figure 8; figure 14 is a side view, still further enlarged, of a modified part of the connecting structure; and figure 15 is a side view, similar to figure 8, of an alternative connecting structure. detailed description of examples of the invention shown in the drawings for the sake of avoiding repetition, in this specification the use of the phrase "in the present example" or words to the same effect is intended to indicate that what is being described is by way of illustrative example. in such cases it should be clear from the context that what is being described can be changed and that there is no intention that the scope of the invention be limited thereto. the nature of many of such changes should also be clear to the instructed reader. on the other hand, there is no intention that, in the absence of a phrase of the same kind, the scope of the invention is to be limited to any matter described unless this appears from the context. figures 1-5 of the drawings are illustrations of prior art, showing an installation that comprises an existing centre pivot irrigator 10. the irrigator is an eleven-span product of the reinke company of the usa. only minimal modifications need be made to the irrigator to enable it to be used in accordance with the invention and there is thus no need to describe the components thereof in more detail than is necessary to understand the invention. most of the spans of the original irrigator comprise substantial identical components. in the following description and the drawings, the numerals used to identify such components, where they are referred to generically, are used without a suffix. where suffixes are used, the numerals indicate the components of particular spans. the part of the irrigator 10 shown in figure 1 comprises the inner span 12i and one of the outer spans 12a of the irrigator' s boom. each span comprises an elongate pipe 20 that is supported on a triangulated supporting frame 22 provided with a pair of ground wheels 24. the ground wheels are coupled to an electric motor (not shown). the supporting frame 22i and wheels 24i of the inner span 12i are mounted at the outer end of the pipe 20i. similarly, the supporting frame 22a and wheels 24a of the first outer span 12a are mounted at the outer end of the pipe 20a. the inner ends of the pipe 20 are connected to the outer ends of the adjacent pipes by flanges 58. this arrangement is repeated for each of the additional outer spans. the pipes 20 are thus supported generally parallel to the ground with the result that the pipes 20 of the eleven spans collectively form a boom comprising, in effect, a single pipe having a length of about 550 meters. in the installation as originally supplied by the manufacturer, the inner end of the pipe 20i is connected to and supported above the ground by a turret 40. irrigation water is pumped into the boom from the turret. the water is discharged onto the ground through outlets (not shown) located at regular intervals along the pipes 20 and provided with sprinklers (also not shown). the pipes 20 must be strong and rigid enough to bear the pressure and weight of the water and also the forces applied to the pipes as the boom moves over the ground. to this end, each pipe 20 of the boom as originally supplied by the manufacturer is preformed with an upwardly arched shape as can be seen in figure 1. this shape is maintained by a bracing arrangement in the form of tie rods 28 that extend between the ends of the pipes. the tie rods are spread apart and held in place by pairs of spreader arms 30 mounted at intervals on the pipes 20. an end plate 29 is welded on each end of each tie rod. the tie rods are attached to the ends of the spreader arms by means of bolts that pass through holes in the spreader arms and the end plates. in general, at a joint between one pipe and an adjacent pipe, the tie rods 29 at the end of the one pipe connect the outermost spreader arms at that end to lugs 31 welded to the end of the adjacent pipe. one such lug 31 together with the end plate 29 of the tie rod 28 that is bolted to the lug, is shown in figure 4. sophisticated controls are provided for various functions including keeping the pipes 20 in mutual alignment and metering the quantity of water discharged through each outlet. this quantity varies on account of the fact that the further any particular outlet is from the turret, the faster it travels over the ground and the greater is the area of ground that must be watered by that outlet. it is not necessary to change the operation of the controls for the purposes of the invention and there is therefore no need to describe them. as shown in figure 3 the turret 40 comprises a supporting framework 42 fixed in the ground. in the installation shown, the turret is located in a building and projects above the roof 44 thereof. however, the turret could be self-standing as it is in most installations. at its centre the turret supports a water supply pipe 46 with its longitudinal axis 48 vertically disposed. at its lower end the pipe 46 is connected to a pump (not shown) that delivers irrigation water to the pipe 46 and thence to the pipes 20. a second pipe 50 is inserted in the upper end of the pipe 46. the pipe 50 is a close fit in the pipe 46 but is nevertheless able to rotate therein. a 90° elbow 52 is welded to the upper end of the pipe 50 and a collar 54 is welded to the outside of the pipe 50 below the elbow. the collar bears on the upper end of the pipe 46. a flange 56 is welded on the outer end of the elbow 52. for convenience, the assembly comprising the pipes 46, 50 and the elbow 52 will be referred to as the water supply pipe s. in the irrigator as supplied by the manufacturer the elbow 52 is connected to the inner end of the pipe 20i through a connecting pipe assembly incorporating a flexible joint. this assembly is referred to herein as assembly c but is not shown in detail in the drawings as the assembly is removed for the purposes of the invention. only the ends 55a, 55b of the assembly c are shown. the ends 55a, 55b are provided with flanges 56', 58' that are bolted to the respective flanges 56, 58i as shown in figures 3, 4. the assembly c is arranged to support the weight of the inner pipe 20i while at the same time allowing it to move up and down to accommodate undulations in the land as the boom rotates. driven by the wheels 24, the boom pivots about the turret 40 and, more particularly, about the axis 48. in this movement the pipe 50 rotates in the pipe 46 enabling irrigation water to be delivered to the pipes 20. seals (not shown) are provided to prevent leakage of the water past the interface between the pipes 46, 50. furthermore, means (not shown) are provided to prevent the pipe 50 from being forced upwardly out of the pipe 46 by the pressure of the water. all of the components that have heretofore been described with reference to figures 1- 5 are part of the irrigator as supplied by the manufacturer. as already mentioned, the assembly c originally supplied with the irrigator is removed. in this condition there is a distance of about 20 cm between the flange 56 at the outer end of the elbow 52 and the flange 58i at the inner end of the pipe 20i. the elbow 52 is rotated through 180° so that, in this position, there is now a distance of about 2 metres between the flange 56 and the flange 58i. a stracture 80 is located between the pipe 20i and the elbow 52 and, essentially, takes the place of the assembly c while at the same time allowing the boom to move radially towards or away from the axis 48. the assembly c does not allow such movement. the stracture 80 comprises in the first place a pipe 82 joined by means of struts 84 to a pair of rails 86 located below the pipe 82. each rail 86 is made up of a steel pipe of rectangular cross section. the rails 86 are held spaced apart by cross members that will be described later. the rails 86 are located one on either side of the supply pipe. the pipe 82 carries at one end a flange 88 that is bolted to the flange 58i on the inner end of the pipe 20i. the diameter of the pipe 82 is the same as that of the pipe 20i and the elbow 52. lugs 31i' are mounted on the outer end of the pipe 82 in a location corresponding to the position that the lugs 38i occupied on the pipe 55b. the tie rods 28i adjacent the inner end of the inner pipe 20i are bolted to the lugs 3 li' through end plates 29i. additional tie rods 92 are mounted between the rails 86 and the lower ends of the inner spreader arms 30' on the pipe 20i. the structure 80 is rigidly fixed to the inner end of the pipe 20i and forms an extension thereto. in use the rails 86 are located one on either side of the supply pipe s and are slidably supported thereon by a support assembly 100 mounted on the elbow 52. the support assembly 100 comprises a support bar 102 held in place by two clamp assemblies 104, 104' that are mounted on the elbow 52. in use, the assembly 104 is clamped in vertical position to the elbow 52 adjacent the upper end thereof and the assembly 104' is clamped in horizontal position to the elbow adjacent the lower end thereof. aside from this the clamp assemblies are substantially identical so only one of them will be described. the assembly 104 comprises two connecting plates 106, 106' of similar shape, mounted in diametrically opposed locations on either side of the elbow. curved recesses 108 are formed in the inner edge of each plate 106, 106'. the recesses conform to the outer face of the elbow with which they are in contact. short lengths of pipe 110, 110' are welded to each of the opposite side edges of the respective plates 106, 106'. the pairs of pipes 110, 110' at the respective side edges are axially aligned. the plates 106, 106' are clamped to the elbow 52 by stud bolts 112 that pass through the aligned pairs of pipes 110. a pair of holes 114 is drilled in each plate 106, 106' adjacent the outer edge thereof. the support bar 102 is comprised of a length of steel tube 116 of square cross section that passes under the rails 86 of the stracture 80. an upstanding mounting plate 118 is welded to the upper face of the tube 116. the ends 119 of the mounting plate are at equal distances from the outer ends 121 of the tube 116. a first pair of holes 120 are drilled in the mounting plate adjacent the upper edge thereof which has a recess 121 with the same curvature as the recess 108 in the plate 106'. the holes 120 receive bolts by means of which the mounting plate 118 is fixed to the plate 106'. two further holes 122 are drilled in the mounting plate near each outer end 119. these holes 122 receive bolts by means of which locking plates 124 are bolted to the ends of the mounting plate 118. recesses 126 are formed in the outer edges of the locking plates, defining shoulders 128 that overlie the rails 86 and prevent the stracture 80 from being unintentionally lifted off the support assembly in use. two horizontally disposed lugs 130 are welded to the back side face of the tube 116. the lugs 130 are located at equal distances from the outer ends 121 and in line with the respective rails 86. a pad 132 of low friction material such as teflon is fixed to the upper face of the each lug 130. similarly, pairs of vertically disposed lugs 134 are welded to the front side face of the tube 116. the lugs 134 project upwardly and are disposed with clearance on either side of the respective rails 86. pads 136 of the same low friction material are fixed to the inner face of each lug 134. a horizontally disposed plate 138 is welded to the front side face of the tube 116. the plate 138 is similar to the mounting plate 118 and is bolted to the plate 106' of the horizontally disposed clamping assembly 104'. in use, the support bar 102 is suspended by the clamping assembly 104 and prevented from moving in the axial direction of the boom by the clamping assembly 104'. the support bar bears the weight of the stracture 80, the rails 86 bearing on the padded lugs 130 and being capable of sliding thereover. the rails 86 are retained between the padded lugs 134 and thus prevented from sliding sideways off the lugs 130. an anchoring plate 140, illustrated in plan in figure 10, is bolted to the plate 106 of the horizontal clamping assembly 104'. the anchoring plate is roughly t-shaped, comprising a central leg 142 and two arms 144 located adjacent the outer end of the leg and projecting to either side thereof. adjacent the inner end of the leg, which has a recess 146 with the same curvature as the recess 108 in the plate 106 of assembly 104', two holes 148 are drilled in the leg for accommodating bolts by means of which the anchoring plate 140 is bolted to the same plate 106. three keyhole slots 150 are formed in the plate 140 adjacent the outer end of the leg 142. a chain can be anchored in any of these slots as will be described. upstanding side plates 152 are welded to the ends of the arms 144. pads 154 of the same low friction material as previously described are fixed to the outer faces of the side plates 152. the side plates 152 are positioned so that the pads are close to the inner side faces of the respective rails 86. as the boom rotates, carrying with it the structure 80, one of the rails 86 comes into contact with the pad 154 on the adjacent side plate, causing the clamping assembly 104' and hence the supply pipe s to rotate with the boom. at the same time, if the boom moves in the radial direction, the rails 86 are able to slide past the side plates 152. the aforementioned cross members that hold the rails 86 apart include a cross plate 160 and a tube 162 of square cross section located at the respective front and back ends of the stracture 80. the tube 162 is welded to the lower faces of the rails 86. as shown in figure 13, the cross plate 160 is bolted to lugs 161 welded to the inner side faces of the rails 86. downwardly projecting spacer plates 166, located adjacent the ends of the cross plate 160, are welded to the edges of the cross plate 160. the spacer plates 166 carry a second cross plate 168 identical to the cross plate 160. a chain pulley 170 rotates about a pin 172 seated in holes drilled in the spacer plates. one end 90a of a flexible rabber pipe 90, suitably reinforced to take the pressure of the water delivered to the boom, is mounted over the free end of the pipe 82. the other end 90b of the rabber pipe 90 is mounted over one end of a short pipe 94 carrying a flange 96 that is bolted to the flange 56 on the elbow 52. the rubber pipe 90 thus takes up the shape of a u with its legs one above the other and horizontally disposed. referring to figure 14, in addition to the stracture for supporting the pipe 20i, the modifications to the original installation include the provision of a flanged steel dram 180 that, in one version of the apparatus, is welded to the top of the turret. the dram 180 surrounds the pipe 46 and is disposed coaxially therewith. the upper end of the pipe 46, on which the collar 54 rests, is flush with the upper face of the dram. one end of a chain 182 is connected to a lug 184 welded to the dram. the chain is passed around the pulley 170 and connected to a commercially available tensioning device 186 with an over centre locking action. a hook 190 on the end of the tensioning device 186 is anchored in a convenient one of the keyhole slots 150 in the anchoring plate 140. the device 186 is used to take up slack in the chain after it has been attached. to install the supporting stracture 80, the pipe 20i is supported by a crane or other suitable device capable of lifting the pipe 20i to a higher level. as mentioned above, after the connecting assembly c is detached, the elbow 52 is rotated about axis 48 through 180° to take up the position shown in figures 6-8 and 15. after mounting the clamp assemblies 104, 104' on the elbow 52, the supporting structure 80 with the flexible pipe 90 attached is lifted into place and connected to the elbow 52 and the inner end of pipe 20i. for this purpose it is necessary first to raise the pipe 20i so that it is aligned with pipe 82. after the connection is made pipe 20i is lowered until the rails 86 of the supporting stracture 80 rest on the padded lugs 130 so that the supporting stracture itself supports the pipe 20i. at this stage the supporting structure 80 will be in the position shown in figure 7, the boom being at a minimum radial distance away from the axis 48. one end of the chain is now attached to the lug 184 on the dram 180 and the chain 182 is wound several times around the around the drum 180 so that the length of chain around the drum is equal to the radial distance through which the rails 86 are able to slide over the lugs 130. the free end of the chain is then passed around the chain pulley 170. the tensioning device 186 is attached to the chain, hooked on the anchoring plate 140 and operated to take up the slack in the chain. when the boom is set in motion in the appropriate direction it will commence to unwind the chain from the drum. this will effectively lengthen the portion of the chain that is clear of the dram and thus allow the boom to move radially outwardly away from the rotational axis 48 as the boom pivots. the action of the wheels tends to steer the boom radially outwardly from the rotational axis as previously described, thus keeping the chain under tension. in this radial movement the stracture 80, supporting the weight of the inner end of the boom, is supported on the lugs 130, the rails 86 sliding over the pads 132. eventually the chain is completely wound off the drum. this is equivalent to the distance between the boom and the axis 48 reaching a permissible maximum (as shown in figure 6). thereafter, the chain starts to be wound back onto the dram and draws the boom back radially inwardly. when the distance between the boom and the axis 48 reaches a permissible minimum (as shown in figure 7) a limit switch 192 mounted on one of the rail 86s is tripped by the plate 152, bringing the boom to a stop and sounding an alarm to alert the operator. the operator now operates the tensioning device 186 to slacken off the chain 182 and, after releasing the chain from the device 186, unwinds the chain and winds it in the opposite sense around the dram 180 before reattaching the chain to the device 186 and again taking up the tension. only as much chain should be rewound on the drum as has been wound off. this will ensure that the boom does not move outwardly beyond the permissible maximum when it is again set to rotate. this rotation is in the direction in which the boom was previously travelling so that the chain will first be unwound from the dram and then again rewound. the result will be that the boom will first move radially outwardly and then back in again before it is brought to a stop. in the installation being described the diameter of the drum 180 is about 280 mm so that its circumference is about 880 mm. due to the provision of the pulley 170, the boom will move 440 mm inwardly for each 880 mm length of chain (corresponding to one revolution of the boom) taken up on the dram. if it is decided that the total radial distance through which the boom should be allowed to move is a maximum of, say, 1760 mm, the boom will traverse this radial distance in four revolutions. in the installation described, the width of the tyres on the wheels is about 400mm and it takes about 5 days for the boom to complete one revolution. at the extreme outer and inner limits of radial movement of the boom, the tyres will therefore roll over the land once in 40 days. halfway between these limits, the tyres will roll over the land once in 20 days. a short sector of the land just inside the outer limit of radial travel, and another sector just outside the inner limit will be traversed as the boom moves radially outward and then again as it moves radially inward with an interval of at least 10 days therebetween. the arrangement of the invention substantially reduces the rate at which rats appear in the land. furthermore, the longer intervals substantially increase the chances that grass and many other crops grown that the wheels roll over will survive. this benefit is exacerbated by the fact that water trapped in any small indentations in the path of a tyre has a much increased chance of evaporating or soaking in and allowing the soil to become harder before it is again traversed by the same tyre. the provision of the flexible pipe 90 allows the delivery of water to the boom to be maintained while the radial movement of the boom takes place. the apparatus described above with reference to the drawings represents only one example of carrying the invention into practice. one advantage thereof is that only minor modifications need be made to an existing installation in order install the flexible pipe and supporting stracture 80. in figure 15, there is shown an alternative stracture 198 comprising an assembly 200 of pipes including a first 90° elbow 202 connected to the pipe 20i. the tail portion of elbow 202 projects upwardly. a second 90° elbow 204 is connected to elbow 52 of the supply pipe. the tail portion of elbow 204 also projects upwardly. a 180° elbow 206 is suspended above the upwardly projecting tail portions of elbows 202, 204 by a gantry 208. the elbow 206 is inverted, having downwardly projecting tail portions that are connected to the tail portions of the respective elbows 202, 204 by flexible tubes 210 made of suitable fabric. the stracture 198 supports the weight of the pipe assembly 200 and the inner pipe 20i while the allowing the boom to move radially towards or away from the axis 46. at the same time the gantry ensures that the elbow 52 of the supply pipe pivots with the boom and stays lined up with the boom. the gantry comprises in the first place a pair of beams 212 that are spaced apart with the pipe 20i located therebetween and to which it is joined. each beam 212 is made up of two steel pipes 212a, 212bb of rectangular cross section, welded together. the ends of the pipes 212a, which are somewhat longer that the pipes 212b, are welded to a spreader bracket 214 mounted on the pipe 20i at a distance of about 2m in from of the existing inner spreader arms 30i. the original inner tie rods 28i that were mounted between the existing inner spreader arms 30i and the lugs 29i on the pipe 20i are cut. plates 216 are welded to the cut ends and are then bolted to lugs 218 welded to the bracket 214. additional tie rods 218, 220 are fixed to the bracket 214. the tie rods 218 are located below the cut tie rods 28i and join the original inner spreader arms 30i to the lugs 29i the tie rods 220 are welded to the bracket 214 and to the pipes 212a. the tie rods 220 are positioned above the tie rods 218. adjacent the inner end of the pipe 20i, an upstanding suspension bracket 222 fabricated from steel tube is welded to the pipes 212b. the elbow 204 is suspended from the bracket 222 by steel straps 222. the gantry comprises upstanding steel pipes 224 bolted to each beam 212. the pipes 224 are joined together at their upper ends to form a pyramidic arch with its apex 226 located approximately above the centre of the 180° elbow 206. the assembly 200 is suspended from the apex 226 by a chain 228 or tension spring. cross braces 230 are mounted between the pipes 224 on either side of the elbow 206. the cross braces stiffen the arch and also serve to prevent excessive swaying of the suspended assembly 200. two downwardly projecting plates 232 are welded to the beam 212. a cross plate 234 is welded to the plates 232. a chain pulley 236 is mounted for rotation on the cross plate 234. the beams 212 rest on a support arrangement that is mounted on the elbow 52. the beams are able to slide over the support arrangement which thus supports the inner end of the boom (including the weight of the assembly 200 and the gantry 208) while allowing the boom to move radially as it rotates about the axis 46. the support arrangement need not be described in detail as it is substantially similar to the assembly 100 that supports the stracture 80 described above. similarly, the structure 198 includes a chain 238 that passes around the pulley 236. the stracture also includes a drum 240 mounted on the turret 40. the drum 240 is substantially similar to the dram 180 described above. the ends of the chain 238 are anchored to the dram and the chain functions in the same way as the chain 182 described above to cause the boom to move radially as it rotates about the axis 46. this radial movement is taken up by the flexible pipes 210. in a modification of the stracture 198, the assembly 200 can be inverted. in this case the elbow 206 and the flexible pipes 210 hang downwardly without any need for the gantry 208 and the chain 228. the flexible pipe arrangement for connecting the boom to the supply pipe can also take other forms. for example, the flexible pipe arrangement might comprise one pipe attached to the pipe 20i and capable of sliding axially (telescopically) in a straight pipe attached to the elbow 52. if the telescopic pipes were long and strong enough, they might be self supporting, eliminating the need for a structure to support them. similarly, means other than the chain arrangement described, could be used to bring about the radial movement of the boom. for example, the boom could be moved radially by automatically controlled double acting rams. in most cases, centre pivot irrigators are set up to rotate through a complete circle (i.e. 360°). however, in some circumstances, due for example to space constraints at the site, they are set up to reverse direction after rotating through only part of a circle. the present invention can be applied to irrigators arranged to operate in this manner. however, the means to bring about the radial movement of the boom might have to be suitably adapted for this purpose. for example, instead of arranging the one end of either chain 182, 238 to wrap around it's respective dram 238, 240, this end could be attached to a winch set up to draw the end of the chain in (or release it) at a predetermined speed as the boom rotates. the winch might be electrically, hydraulically or mechanically driven and automatically controlled, for example, by switches actuated by cams. the cams could be mounted on the turret and the switches on the boom - or vice versa. figure 14 also shows a modification of part of the apparatus shown in the drawings. in this modification, the drum 180 is not fixed to the turret but is able to rotate about the pipe 46. a downwardly projecting lug 240 is welded to the lower flange of the dram. an upwardly projecting lug 242 is welded to the turret. the lugs are positioned so that they move into alignment when the dram is rotated. when they are so aligned, a locking bolt can be passed through holes 244 predrilled in the lugs. by this means the dram can be locked in position so that it is unable to rotate with respect to the pipe 46. this modification has the advantage that it is unnecessary to release the chain 182 after the boom has been brought to a stop by the limit switch at the end of an irrigation cycle as described above. instead the aforementioned locking bolt can be withdrawn from the holes 244 in the lugs and the drum can be rotated to first unwind the chain and then wind it back on in the opposite direction. after this the locking bolt can again be used to lock the dram on the turret. it is not intended that recognised mechanical equivalents of and/or modifications of and/or improvements to any matter described and/or illustrated herein should be excluded from the scope of a patent granted in pursuance of any application of which this specification forms a part or which claims the priority thereof or that the scope of any such patent should be limited by such matter further than is necessary to distinguish the invention claimed in such patent from the prior art.
042-206-583-233-276	US	[ "US", "EP", "TW", "JP", "WO", "IL" ]	F16K7/16,F16K31/44,F16K35/02,F16K35/10	1998-10-13T00:00:00	1998	[ "F16" ]	hand operated rotary handle with lockout	rotary handle device includes a coupling mechanism between the handle and a driven member. the handle is rotated about an axis and can also be axially moved between first and second positions. when the handle is in the first axial position it is operatively engaged with the driven member, and when the handle is in its second axial position it is operatively disengaged from the driven member. the handle drives the driven member via a coupling mechanism in the form of a keyed coupling between the handle and the driven member. the handle can be locked or receive a lock out device against rotation when it is in its second axial position. the keyed coupling and/or the pin and track arrangement can be used to permit axial movement of the handle only when the handle is in a predetermined orientation. the handle mechanism is shown in combination with a rotary operated valve having a valve stem as the driven member.	1 . apparatus for coupling a rotary drive handle to a driven member, comprising: a drive handle; a driven member that can be moved between a driven member first position and a driven member second position by rotation of said handle about an axis; said handle being movable along said axis to a first handle position and a second handle position; and a coupling mechanism that couples said handle to said driven member when said handle is in said first handle position and that uncouples said handle and said driven member when said handle is in said second handle position; said coupling mechanism operating to prevent movement of said handle along said axis when said driven member is in a predetermined position. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle has a first angular orientation that corresponds to said driven member first position and a second angular orientation that corresponds to said driven member second position; said coupling mechanism restricting said handle to a predetermined angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 3 . the apparatus of claim 2 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a keyed shaft portion of said driven member and a mating keyed portion of said handle. 4 . the apparatus of claim 3 wherein said driven member keyed shaft portion and said handle keyed portion are mated when said handle is in said first handle position and are unmated when said handle is in said second handle position. 5 . the apparatus of claim 2 wherein said predetermined angular orientation can be set at any angular position of the handle. 6 . the apparatus of claim 2 wherein said predetermined orientation corresponds to one of said driven member first and second positions. 7 . the apparatus of claim 1 comprising an alignment mechanism for radially aligning said handle and said driven member; wherein said handle has a first angular orientation that corresponds to said driven member first position and a second angular orientation that corresponds to said driven member second position; said alignment mechanism restricting said handle to said first angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 8 . the apparatus of claim 7 wherein said coupling mechanism also restricts said handle to said first angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 9 . the apparatus of claim 7 wherein said alignment mechanism limits rotation of said handle about said axis between said first and second angular orientations when said handle is in said handle first position, and substantially prevents handle rotation when said handle is in said handle second position. 10 . the apparatus of claim 7 wherein said alignment mechanism substantially prevents axial movement of said handle other than when said handle is in said first angular orientation. 11 . the apparatus of claim 7 wherein said alignment mechanism comprises a guide and track arrangement; said track being formed in a portion of said handle and said guide being positionally fixed with respect to said handle and said driven member. 12 . the apparatus of claim 11 wherein said track lies on a angular arc relative to said axis; said track having first and second ends that correspond to said handle first and second angular orientations; said guide being positioned within said track when said handle is in its first position; said guide engaging said first and second track ends to limit rotation of said handle. 13 . the apparatus of claim 12 wherein said track comprises a slot portion that extends from one end of said track in parallel with said axis and that corresponds to said handle first angular orientation; said guide being positioned in said slot portion when said handle is axially moved between said first and second handle positions. 14 . the apparatus of claim 13 wherein said guide and slot substantially prevent axial movement of said handle beyond said handle second position. 15 . the apparatus of claim 7 comprising a body that supports said driven member for relative rotation; said body including indicia that indicate said handle is in said first and second angular orientations. 16 . the apparatus of claim 15 wherein said handle comprises a cutout portion through which said indicia can be viewed when said handle is in said first and second angular orientations. 17 . the apparatus of claim 15 wherein prior to assembly of said handle with said coupling mechanism, said driven member can be rotated relative to said body to position said driven member in its first position, said alignment mechanism and coupling mechanism permitting said handle thereafter to be assembled with said coupling mechanism in said handle first angular orientation only substantially independent of said driven member angular orientation. 18 . the apparatus of claim 17 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a base member that is coupled to said driven member when said handle is in said handle first position; said base member having a splined coupling to said handle. 19 . the apparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle can be locked when it is in its second handle position. 20 . the apparatus of claim 19 wherein said handle comprises a receptacle that accepts a lockout device when said handle is in said second handle position only. 21 . the apparatus of claim 20 wherein said lockout device prevents said handle from axially moving to said handle first position when said lockout device is installed in said receptacle. 22 . the apparatus of claim 1 comprising a bias element that urges said handle towards said handle first position. 23 . the apparatus of claim 1 wherein said driven member comprises a valve stem of a hand operated rotary actuated valve. 24 . the apparatus of claim 23 wherein said valve comprises a diaphragm valve. 25 . a handle assembly for a rotary actuated valve, comprising: a manually operated handle; a valve stem that can be rotated about a longitudinal axis to a valve stem first position and a valve stem second position by rotation of said handle about said axis; said handle being movable along said axis to a first handle position and a second handle position; a coupling mechanism that couples said handle to said valve stem when said handle is in said first handle position and that uncouples said handle and said valve stem when said handle is in said second handle position. 26 . the apparatus of claim 25 wherein said handle has a first angular orientation that corresponds to said valve stem first position and a second angular orientation that corresponds to said valve stem second position; said coupling mechanism restricting said handle to said first angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 27 . the apparatus of claim 26 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a keyed shaft portion of said valve stem and a mating keyed portion of said handle. 28 . the apparatus of claim 27 wherein said valve stem keyed shaft portion and said handle keyed portion are mated when said handle is in said first handle position and are unmated when said handle is in said second handle position. 29 . the apparatus of claim 25 comprising an alignment mechanism for radially aligning said handle and said valve stem; wherein said handle has a first angular orientation that corresponds to said valve stem first position and a second angular orientation that corresponds to said valve stem second position; said alignment mechanism restricting said handle to said first angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 30 . the apparatus of claim 29 wherein said coupling mechanism also restricts said handle to said first angular orientation in order to move said handle axially between said first and second handle positions. 31 . the apparatus of claim 29 wherein said alignment mechanism limits rotation of said handle about said axis between said first and second angular orientations when said handle is in said handle first position, and substantially prevents handle rotation when said handle is in said handle second position. 32 . the apparatus of claim 29 wherein said alignment mechanism substantially prevents axial movement of said handle other than when said handle is in said first angular orientation. 33 . the apparatus of claim 29 wherein said alignment mechanism comprises a pin and track arrangement; said track being formed in a portion of said handle and said pin being positionally fixed with respect to said handle and said valve stem. 34 . the apparatus of claim 33 wherein said track lies on a angular arc relative to said axis; said track having first and second ends that correspond to said handle first and second angular orientations; said pin being positioned within said track when said handle is in its first position; said pin engaging said first and second track ends to limit rotation of said handle. 35 . the apparatus of claim 34 wherein said track comprises a slot portion that extends form one end of said track in parallel with said axis and that corresponds to said handle first angular orientation; said pin being positioned in said slot portion when said handle is axially moved between said first and second handle positions. 36 . the apparatus of claim 35 wherein said pin and slot substantially prevent axial movement of said handle beyond said handle second position. 37 . the apparatus of claim 29 comprising a valve body that supports said valve stem for relative rotation; said body including indicia that indicate said handle is in said first and second angular orientations. 38 . the apparatus of claim 37 wherein said handle comprises a cutout portion through which said indicia can be viewed when said handle is in said first and second angular orientations. 39 . the apparatus of claim 37 wherein prior to assembly of said handle with said coupling mechanism, said valve stem can be rotated relative to said body to position said valve stem in its first position, said alignment mechanism and coupling mechanism permitting said handle thereafter to be assembled with said coupling mechanism in said handle first angular orientation only substantially independent of said valve stem angular orientation. 40 . the apparatus of claim 39 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a base member that is coupled to said valve stem when said handle is in said handle first position; said base member having a splined coupling to said handle. 41 . the apparatus of claim 25 wherein said handle can accept a lockout device when it is in its second handle position. 42 . the apparatus of claim 41 wherein said handle comprises a receptacle that accepts a lockout device when said handle is in said second handle position only. 43 . the apparatus of claim 42 wherein said lockout device prevents said handle from axially moving to said handle second position when said lockout device is installed in said receptacle. 44 . the apparatus of claim 23 comprising a bias element that urges said handle towards said handle first position. 45 . the apparatus of claim 23 wherein said valve comprises a diaphragm valve. 46 . the apparatus of claim 23 wherein said valve stem first position corresponds to a valve closed condition. 47 . the apparatus of claim 23 wherein said valve stem first position corresponds to a valve open condition. 48 . the apparatus of claim 23 wherein said handle can accept a lockout device in its first and second positions. 49 . a method for hand operating a rotary actuated valve, comprising the steps of: rotating a manually operating handle to open and close the valve by axial movement of a valve stem in response to handle rotation about said axis when said handle is in a first handle position; axially moving said handle from said first handle position to a second handle position to disengage said handle from said valve stem; wherein said handle may only be axially moved to one of said first or second handle positions when said valve stem is in a predetermined position; and maintaining said handle in said second handle position to substantially prevent rotating said valve stem while the handle is in said handle second position. 50 . the method of claim 49 comprising the step of substantially preventing axial movement of the handle other than when the handle is in a predetermined angular orientation. 51 . the method of claim 49 comprising the step of substantially preventing rotation of the handle when the handle is in said handle second position. 52 . the method of claim 49 comprising the step of locking the handle when the handle is in said handle second position. 53 . the method of claim 49 comprising the step of using the handle to expose and cover indicia on the valve body that indicates valve open and closed positions as a function of the handle angular orientation.	related applications this application is a continuation of patent cooperation treaty application ser. no. pct/us99/23650 which was filed oct. 13, 1999 and which designated the u.s., itself claiming priority to provisional application ser. no. 60/104,017, filed oct. 13, 1998. technical field of the invention the present invention relates to handles for manual actuation of mechanical devices. more particularly, the invention relates to lockout and disengagement features for a rotary handle. background of the invention many types of mechanical devices use handles for manual actuation. a typical example is a valve that is opened and closed by manually rotating a handle. the handle is coupled to a driven element such as a valve stem or other actuator mechanism within the valve. the actuator mechanism transforms the rotary motion of the handle into a desired movement that opens and closes the valve. for example, a diaphragm valve may have a valve stem that is rotated directly by the handle. when the valve stem rotates, it causes a relative movement between the diaphragm and a valve seat to thereby open and close the valve. in some applications it may be desired or required to be able to disable a rotary handle such as with a lockout device or to actually lock the handle against rotation. it may also be desirable or required to disengage the handle from the driven member with or without a locking or lockout feature. summary of the invention to the accomplishment of the foregoing objectives, and in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a rotary handle is provided that includes several aspects that can be used separately or in a variety of combinations. according to one aspect of the invention, a rotary handle coupling mechanism is provided that permits the handle to be coupled and uncoupled from a driven member by an axial translation or displacement of the handle. in one embodiment, the handle can be locked or placed in a lockout condition when the handle is in either or both of the two axial positions. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a rotary handle mechanism is provided that restricts the rotary handle to a predetermined angular orientation in order to move the handle axially. in one embodiment, the mechanism also prevents rotation of the handle when the handle is axially moved to a predetermined position. in accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a rotary handle mechanism is provided that permits the handle to be aligned with any angular orientation at the time of assembly, for example to coincide with angular orientation of a driven member. in one embodiment, the rotary handle mechanism is used in combination with an actuator mechanism for a valve. these and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments in view of the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings the invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, preferred embodiments and a method of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein: fig. 1 is a cross-section of a handle mechanism and valve assembly in elevation and illustrating the handle in a first axial position and a first angular orientation; figs. 2a and 2b are top views of the apparatus of fig. 1 showing the handle rotated in first and second positions to actuate a valve; fig. 2c is a perspective of the handle body for the handle used in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a cross-section in elevation of the handle mechanism and valve assembly of fig. 1 and illustrating the handle in a second axial position and a first angular orientation; and fig. 4 is a cross-section view of the handle of figs. 1 - 3 showing a guide track formed in the handle interior. detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to figs. 1 - 4 , a rotary handle mechanism in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by the numeral 10 . in this exemplary embodiment, the handle mechanism 10 includes a manually rotated handle 12 that is used in combination with a manually actuated valve a. however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the various features and concepts of the present invention will find application with many actuator devices and other driven members besides valves that include a manually rotated handle. thus, the invention more generally contemplates arrangements for coupling and uncoupling a rotary handle to a driven member with various additional aspects including among other things a lockout feature if desired. in the exemplary embodiment herein then, the driven member 14 is the valve stem vs that is rotated in turn by rotation of the handle 12 . furthermore, although in the embodiments described herein the rotary handle 12 axis of rotation is aligned in a coaxial and concentric relationship with the longitudinal axis of the driven member vs, such structural features for the exemplary embodiment are not required to practice the invention. for example, various aspects of the present invention can be applied to rotary handles that actuate a member that lies on an axis transverse the axis of rotation of the handle 12 , for example, through a worm gear arrangement. thus, the handle 12 may be used to rotate a driven member that in turn drives a second driven member as through a worm gear, for example. further still, the rotary handle 12 may be coupled to a driven member such that rotary motion of the handle 12 causes linear movement of the driven member, for example, through a cam arrangement. many other variations for specific applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. with particular reference to fig. 1 , the valve a may be conventional in design and in this embodiment is realized in the form of a diaphragm valve. such a valve may be, for example, part no. 6lvv-msm-da-2-p-ldbl available from nupro company, willoughby, ohio. the specific features of the valve a form no particular part of the present invention and need not be described herein in detail in order to understand and practice the various aspects of the present invention. in this particular example, however, the valve device a that is actuated by the rotation of the handle 12 includes a driven member 14 realized in the form of a valve stem vs. in general, the valve a includes a valve body b with a fluid passage c formed therein. the passage c opens to a valve chamber d. the valve chamber d is sealed against leakage by a diaphragm g as is known. the passage c is closed by displacement of valve stem tip e in contact with the diaphragm g to move the diaphragm g into sealing engagement with a valve seat f. a bonnet nut h is threaded onto the valve body and is used to hold a bonnet i. at one end ii the bonnet i clamps the diaphragm g against the valve body b. the bonnet i is internally threaded as at j, and the valve stem 14 is similarly threaded as at 16 so that rotation of the stem in a first direction causes the stem 14 to move to a valve closed position. rotation of the stem 14 in an opposite direction causes the stem 14 to move to a valve open position thus permitting fluid communication between the passage c and the valve chamber d, as well as other fluid passages in the valve body b such as an outlet passage k. therefore, as it pertains to the present invention, the valve a includes a driven member (the valve stem 14 ) that in response to rotation of the handle 12 can be moved to and between a first position in which the valve is closed and a second position in which the valve is open. the reference herein to the first position corresponding to a valve closed condition and the second position being a valve open position, is merely for convenience of explanation herein. the exemplary valve herein is a quarter turn valve, meaning that the handle 12 is rotated 90 between open and closed positions of the valve a. however, the present invention is not necessarily limited to devices used with the handle mechanism of the present invention that are actuated with quarter turns. the present invention can be applied to rotary handles that involve any partial turn including half turn, three-quarter turn, any partial turn angular displacement (for example 65) as well as multi-turn devices. with continued reference to fig. 1 , the handle assembly 10 includes the handle 12 which in this embodiment is a simple generally cylindrical outer surface 18 . the handle in this example is made from a machined aluminum block. the handle 12 can be rotated manually about a longitudinal axis of rotation 20 . in this embodiment, the longitudinal axis of rotation 20 of the handle 12 coincides with the axis of rotation of the valve stem 14 . as noted herein above, however, the handle axis of rotation 20 could be aligned completely different from the alignment of the driven member 14 depending on the drive arrangement used to translate rotation of the handle 12 into a desired movement of the driven member 14 . accordingly, reference herein to an axis of rotation generally refers to the handle 12 axis of rotation, which in this example is the handle longitudinal axis and also happens to be collinear with the valve stem 14 axis of rotation. the handle 12 further includes an axial extension 22 , the purpose of which will be explained in greater detail herein after. the handle extension 22 is somewhat cylindrical and includes a central bore 24 into which a distal end 14 a of the valve stem 14 extends. a cylindrical reference collar 26 is positioned about an end of the bonnet i opposite the diaphragm end ii. the reference collar 26 is secured to the bonnet i by any convenient structure such as a set screw 28 . the collar 26 may also be keyed to the bonnet i to maintain alignment in the event that the set screw 28 loosens. the collar 26 includes a generally annular planar surface 30 that faces away from the valve a. as best illustrated in fig. 2 , indicia are placed on the collar surface 30 , in this example the word open and the word closed. additional indicia such as a green background for open and a red background for closed can also be used with the lettering or in lieu thereof. the collar 26 is non-rotational with respect to the rotary handle 12 and the driven member 14 , hence it provides a convenient reference structure for the handle mechanism 10 . thus, the collar 26 includes a protrusion or guide 30 ( fig. 3 ) affixed thereto. in this embodiment, the guide is realized in the form of a pin. other positionally fixed structures such as a machined extension from the surface of the collar 26 could also serve the function of the guide pin 30 . the handle mechanism 10 further includes a cylindrical base member 32 that is sized to easily fit concentrically within a central bore 34 in the handle 12 and at one end 32 a is positioned axially adjacent the upper surface 30 of the reference collar 26 when the handle 12 is in a first axial position illustrated in fig. 1 . a spline portion 36 is provided on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the base 32 . the handle 12 includes a corresponding spline 38 about a portion of the inner bore 34 . the spline coupling 36 , 38 between the handle 12 and the base member 32 permits the handle 12 to have any angular orientation with respect to the base member 32 when the handle 12 and the base 32 are engaged at the spline. a set screw 40 or other suitable device is used to secure the handle 12 and the base member 32 together for mutual rotation. the valve stem 14 includes a keyed portion 42 . in this embodiment, the key 42 is realized in the form of a series of flats 42 a that are radially non-symmetric. the handle base 32 is formed with an inner key way 44 that slides over the and operatively engages the valve stem key 42 only when the base 32 is in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the key 42 . the key way 44 is formed on a lower flange 46 of the base member 32 that extends radially with respect to the valve stem 14 . when the stem key 42 and the key way 44 are engaged, the handle 12 can be used to turn the valve stem 14 via the interconnecting base 32 . however, when the base 32 is disengaged from the stem key 42 , rotation of the handle 12 will not turn the valve stem 14 . in fig. 1 , the base 32 is shown in an engaged position with the stem key 42 . it is noted that the keyed coupling between the base 32 and the valve stem 14 is one of two examples of a coupling mechanism between the handle 12 and the valve stem 14 used in the exemplary embodiment. the other will be described shortly hereinafter. either could be used alone as well as together. in the exemplary embodiment, as will be further explained herein, the keyed coupling 42 , 44 is used primarily as a backup in case the primary coupling mechanism is defeated. an advantage of these coupling mechanisms is that the handle 12 always re-engages the valve stem 14 in the same angular orientation as when the handle 12 was disengaged. a washer 48 rests on an upper surface of the flange 46 . a cylindrical spring 50 is slipped over the valve stem extension 14 a and rests against the washer 48 . a snap ring 52 is used to hold the spring 50 in place. the spring 50 biases the handle 12 and the base 32 downward as viewed in fig. 1 towards an engaged position. the snap ring 52 prevents the handle from being entirely separated from the valve a. with reference to figs. 2a, 2b and 2 c, the handle 12 includes a window 54 in the form of a vertically extending slot. this slot is machined radially inward from the handle outer wall 56 and extends through the bottom of the handle 12 . the window 54 is radially positioned so that indicia 58 placed on the upper surface 30 of the collar 26 can be viewed when the window 54 aligns with the indicia 58 . for example, the word open can be placed on the surface 30 , and the word closed placed 90 therefrom for the exemplary embodiment that utilizes a quarter turn valve. only one of the indicia 58 can be viewed at a time, and the indicia are aligned to correspond to the condition of the valve a. in order to achieve this alignment, prior to assembly of the handle assembly 10 onto the valve a, the valve is closed by turning the valve stem 14 to a closed position. the collar 26 is then positioned on the valve a so that the open and closed indicia are in a desired orientation, for example as shown in fig. 2 . note that the collar 26 can be arranged in any selectable alignment because the handle 12 can be mated to the collar 26 regardless of the collar 26 angular alignment. after the collar 26 is positioned and secured with the set screw 28 , the handle assembly 10 can be installed. first, the base 32 is slid over the key 42 and then the washer 48 , spring 50 and snap ring 52 are installed. the handle 12 can then be placed over the base 32 with a selected orientation so that the window 54 is aligned to permit viewing of the closed indicia on the surface 30 of the collar 26 . note that the spline connection 36 , 38 of the handle 12 and the base 32 permits the handle 12 to be aligned with the collar 26 indicia regardless of the rotational position of the collar 26 . after the handle 12 is aligned, it is fixed to the base 32 using the set screw 40 . this is the assembled condition illustrated in fig. 1 with the valve a closed and the handle 12 aligned to permit viewing of the word closed on the collar 26 . the valve a can next be opened by simply turning the handle 12 a quarter turn, such as is illustrated in fig. 2 b and the window 54 will now permit viewing of the word open. operation of the handle 12 by rotating between first and second positions to correspondingly close and open the valve a is thus accomplished with the handle in the axial position illustrated in fig. 1 . the spline coupling between the handle 12 and the base 32 thus permits any selected alignment of the handle 12 , the indicia 58 ( fig. 2a ) and the valve a position. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a lockout feature is provided. the term lockout as used herein includes without limitation the ability to disengage the handle 12 from the driven member 14 so that the handle 12 cannot actuate the driven member. the term lockout further contemplates without limitation the optional ability to actually lock the handle in a desired axial position using a locking device such as a padlock, or even a simple bar or other device. therefore, as used herein, when reference is made to a lockout feature, it is to be construed broadly to include the concepts of disabling, disengaging, locking, inhibiting and similar operations to prevent the handle 12 from actuating the valve a. in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the handle 12 includes a second mechanism by which the handle 12 can be disengaged from the driven member 14 . the first mechanism is the keyed coupling between the base 32 and the valve stem 14 , as was described herein above. the second mechanism is best illustrated in figs. 3 and 4 and includes the pin 30 that extends radially from the collar 26 (note that in fig. 3 the valve a and handle assembly 10 are shown rotated 90 from the view of fig. 1 ). the handle 12 includes an arcuate track 60 formed in a lower portion 62 of the handle wall. when the handle 12 is in an engaged position with the driven member 14 , such as illustrated in fig. 1 , the a distal end of the pin 30 is aligned in the track 60 . the track 60 is delimited by first and second stops 64 , 66 that define an arc through which the handle 12 can be rotated. when the pin 30 hits one of the stops 64 , 66 the handle 12 cannot turn further. the length of the track 60 is thus selected to coincide with the amount of rotation needed to turn the handle 12 so as to open and close the valve a, typically with an allowance for an amount of over travel to assure the valve a is fully closed and open. the track 60 also includes a vertically extending slot 68 . in the exemplary embodiment, the handle 12 lower wall 62 includes an inwardly extending lip 70 , and the slot 68 is cut through this lip 70 . in this embodiment, the slot 68 is positioned at the end of the track 60 that coincides with the valve a in the closed position. whenever the pin 30 is within the track 60 but not aligned with the vertical slot 68 , the handle 12 is prevented from disengaging from the driven member 14 , or in other words displaced axially in the exemplary embodiment, because the lip 70 catches on the pin 30 . however, when the slot 68 and pin 30 are vertically aligned, the handle 12 can be axially moved to a second position as illustrated in fig. 3 . note that when the handle 12 is lifted, the connected base 32 is also lifted out of engagement from the keyed valve stem 42 a, thus operatively disengaging the handle 12 from the driven member 14 . it will be further noted that the handle wall 62 and slot 68 can be designed so that the pin 30 is captured or remains within the slot 68 when the handle 12 is fully lifted, so that the pin 30 catches on the side walls 72 of the slot 68 . in such an embodiment, the handle 12 will be prevented against rotation when it is in its raised or disengaged position. thus, the pin 30 and track 60 design provides a coupling mechanism that permits the handle to be translated or displaced axially, or in other words to be translated axially between a first axial position in which the handle 12 is engaged with the driven member 14 , and a second axial position in which the handle 12 is disengaged from the driven member 14 . optionally, the pin and track can be designed to prevent rotation of the handle 12 when the handle 12 is in one of its two axial positions (in the exemplary embodiment, this occurs when the handle is in the disengaged position). in this manner, the handle 12 is locked out against rotation when it is in the disengaged position. it will also be noted that the vertical slot 68 also serves to define a predetermined and selectable angular orientation for the handle to be axially displaced. in the exemplary embodiment, the handle 12 can only be axially translated when the valve a is fully closed. alternatively, the slot 68 could be positioned at an opposite end of the track 60 so that the handle could only be axially moved when the valve is open. still further, two slots could be provided at either end of the track 60 to allow the handle to be moved axially in the open and closed position. it is also important to note that a single pin 30 and slot 68 arrangement as illustrated also insures that the handle 12 can be returned to an engaged position only when the pin aligns with the slot. in other words, the handle 12 is only re-engaged with the driven member in the same angular orientation from which it was disengaged. so, for example, if the apparatus is designed to permit the handle 12 to be lifted when the valve a is closed, the handle 12 can only be returned to the engaged position that corresponds to the valve closed, assuring that the indicia 58 is properly aligned with the handle window 54 . the operation of the pin 30 , track 60 and slot 68 arrangement shares some features with the keyed coupling 42 , 44 in that the pin and slot/track can be used to permit movement of the handle 12 axially to disengage the handle 12 from the driven member 14 , as well as to assure that the handle 12 can be re-engaged only in the same orientation as when it was lifted. therefore, when the pin 30 embodiment is used, the keyed coupling 42 , 44 is redundant. however, in some applications it may be desirable to use both, wherein the keyed coupling 42 , 44 serves as a backup feature in case the pin is defeated. in such an embodiment, even if the pin 30 is defeated, the keyed coupling 42 , 44 assures that the handle 12 re-engages in the same angular orientation as when it was disengaged. the handle extension 22 includes a machined slot or groove 74 that can receive a lockout device such as a bar or rod, for example, or a locking device such as a hasp 76 of a lock 78 . as illustrated in fig. 3 , when the handle 12 is axially moved to its second or raised position, the handle extension 22 is also displaced away from the stem extension 14 a, thus unblocking the groove 74 to permit insertion of the hasp 76 . in the exemplary embodiment herein, when the handle 12 is in its first or engaged axial position as illustrated in fig. 1 , the stem extension 14 a blocks the groove 74 . thus, the exemplary embodiment is locked in the closed position only. alternatively, the stem extension 14 a and handle extension 22 can be configured to permit the handle assembly 10 to be locked in the open position. for example, a retractable lockable pin (not shown) could be provided that could accept a lock and prevent raising the handle 12 until the lock is removed. it is also important to note that the various features of the invention can be readily adapted for use with valves that utilize half turn, three-quarter turn and even full turn and multi-turn handle operation. multi-turn operation can be accommodated, for example, by using the keyed coupling alone. the keyed coupling when used alone permits the handle 12 to be moved axially from any angular orientation with respect to the driven member (i.e. disengage) but also to always be re-engaged only in the same orientation. the lip 70 could be omitted thus permitting the handle 12 to be raised and disengaged, and if desired locked out, from any angular orientation independent of the position of the valve a. as a further alternative embodiment, the slot 68 may be closed at its lower end to engage the pin 30 , thus preventing complete separation of the handle 12 and the valve a. in the exemplary embodiment, this modification may be a back up feature tot he snap ring 52 . the present invention can be applied to numerous other devices, other than valves, having a driven member that is driven by a rotary handle. more generally, the invention can be applied to any rotary handle that is coupled to a driven member that is coupled to the handle 12 and that can be disengaged from the handle by relative translational movement thereof. the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. it is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
044-309-680-336-167	JP	[ "CN", "US", "JP" ]	H01L25/03,H01L23/29,H01L23/34,H02M7/48,H01L27/06,H01L23/495,H02M7/5387,H01L23/36,H01L25/07,H01L25/18	2011-03-23T00:00:00	2011	[ "H01", "H02" ]	power semiconductor device and inverter device	the invention relates to a power semiconductor device and an inverter device. according to one embodiment, a power semiconductor device includes a first conductor, a second conductor, and a first semiconductor chip. the first conductor includes a first portion and a second portion. the first portion includes a first major surface and a second major surface opposite thereto. the second portion includes a third major surface intersecting at right angles with the first major surface and a fourth major surface opposite to the third major surface. the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface. the second conductor includes a third portion and a fourth portion. the third portion is similar to the first portion. the fourth portion is similar to the second portion. the first semiconductor chip is placed between the second portion and the forth portion.	1 . a power semiconductor device comprising: a first conductor including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion including a first major surface and a second major surface on an opposite side to the first major surface, the second portion including a third major surface intersecting at right angles with the first major surface and a fourth major surface existing on an opposite side to the third major surface, and the forth major surface becoming farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface; a second conductor including a third portion and a fourth portion, the third portion including a fifth major surface and a sixth major surface on an opposite side to the fifth major surface, the fourth portion including a seventh major surface intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface and an eighth major surface existing on an opposite side to the seventh major surface, and the eighth major surface becoming farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface; a first semiconductor chip including a first electrode electrically connected to the third major surface of the first conductor at a back surface, including a second electrode electrically connected to the seventh major surface of the second conductor at a front surface, placed between the third major surface and the seventh major surface, and configured to allow a current to flow between the first electrode and the second electrode; a heat radiation plate joined to the first major surface of the first conductor and the fifth major surface of the second conductor via an insulating sheet; and a resin sealing the first conductor and the second conductor. 2 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first conductor and the second conductor is formed by pressing a die having a prescribed opening against a conductive material and extruding or drawing the conductive material through the opening of the die. 3 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor chip further includes a gate electrode that controls a current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode at a front surface of the first semiconductor chip in a manner insulated from the second electrode. 4 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 3 , further comprising a diode including a cathode electrode electrically connected to the first electrode of the first semiconductor chip and an anode electrode electrically connected to the second electrode of the first semiconductor chip between the third major surface of the first conductor and the seventh major surface of the second conductor. 5 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a portion where the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the first major surface and the third major surface intersect at right angles and a portion where the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the fifth major surface and the seventh major surface intersect at right angles. 6 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a portion where the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface includes a plane and a portion where the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a plane. 7 . the power semiconductor devicer according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor chip is an igbt. 8 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the second conductor further includes a fifth portion including a ninth major surface intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface on an opposite side to the seventh major surface and a tenth major surface existing on an opposite side to the ninth major surface, the tenth major surface becoming farther from the ninth major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface and the power semiconductor device further comprises: a third conductor including a sixth portion and a seventh portion, the sixth portion including an eleventh major surface joined to the heat radiation plate via the insulating sheet and a twelfth major surface on an opposite side to the eleventh major surface, the seventh portion including a thirteenth major surface intersecting at right angles with the eleventh major surface and a fourteenth major surface existing on an opposite side to the thirteenth major surface, and the fourteenth major surface becoming farther from the thirteenth major surface to become continuous with the twelfth major surface with proximity to the eleventh major surface; and a second semiconductor chip including a third electrode electrically connected to the ninth major surface of the second conductor at a back surface, including a fourth electrode electrically connected to the thirteenth major surface of the third conductor at a front surface, placed between the ninth major surface and the thirteenth major surface, and configured to allow a current to flow between the third electrode and the fourth electrode. 9 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein each of the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor is formed by pressing a die having a prescribed opening against a conductive material and extruding or drawing the conductive material through the opening of the die. 10 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the first semiconductor chip further includes a first gate electrode that controls a current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode at a front surface of the first semiconductor chip in a manner insulated from the second electrode and the second semiconductor chip further includes a second gate electrode that controls a current flowing between the third electrode and the fourth electrode at a front surface of the second semiconductor chip in a manner insulated from the fourth electrode. 11 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 10 , further comprising: a first diode including a first cathode electrode electrically connected to the first electrode of the first semiconductor chip and a first anode electrode electrically connected to the second electrode of the first semiconductor chip between the third major surface of the first conductor and the seventh major surface of the second conductor; and a second diode including a second cathode electrode electrically connected to the third electrode of the second semiconductor chip and a second anode electrode electrically connected to the fourth electrode of the second semiconductor chip between the ninth major surface of the second conductor and the thirteenth major surface of the third conductor. 12 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein a portion where the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the first major surface and the third major surface intersect at right angles, a portion where the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the fifth major surface and the seventh major surface intersect at right angles, a portion where the tenth major surface becomes farther from the ninth major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the fifth major surface and the ninth major surface intersect at right angles, and a portion where the fourteenth major surface becomes farther from the thirteenth major surface to become continuous with the twelfth major surface with proximity to the eleventh major surface includes a surface convex toward a portion where the eleventh major surface and the thirteenth major surface intersect at right angles. 13 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein a portion where the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface includes a plane, a portion where the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a plane, a portion where the tenth major surface becomes farther from the ninth major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface includes a plane, and a portion where the fourteenth major surface becomes farther from the thirteenth major surface to become continuous with the twelfth major surface with proximity to the eleventh major surface includes a plane. 14 . the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip are igbts. 15 . an inverter device comprising: the power semiconductor device according to claim 1 ; a direct-current power source; a capacitor; and an output terminal, the first conductor of the power semiconductor device being electrically connected to a positive voltage side of the direct-current power source, the second conductor of the power semiconductor device being electrically connected to the output terminal, the capacitor being electrically connected in parallel to the direct-current power source. 16 . an inverter device comprising: the power semiconductor device according to claim 8 ; a direct-current power source; a capacitor; and an output terminal, the first conductor of the power semiconductor device being electrically connected to a positive voltage side of the direct-current power source, the second conductor of the power semiconductor device being electrically connected to the output terminal, the third conductor of the power semiconductor device being electrically connected to a negative voltage side of the direct-current power source, the capacitor being electrically connected in parallel to the direct-current power source.	cross-reference to related application this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior japanese patent application no. 2011-063706, filed on mar. 23, 2011; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. field embodiments described herein relate generally to a power semiconductor device used in an inverter device. background power semiconductor devices are used in inverter devices for motor drives of electric vehicles, air conditioners, and the like. structures with high heat radiation properties are required for these power semiconductor devices in order to reduce the influence of heat generation due to a large current. as an example, there is a power semiconductor device having a structure in which a semiconductor element is placed between two conductors provided on a heat radiation plate. in the power semiconductor device, since heat is radiated from both the front surface and the back surface of the semiconductor element to the heat radiation plate via the conductors, heat radiation properties are improved. however, further reduction of size, weight, and price is required for these power semiconductor devices. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of a three-phase inverter device 100 according to a first embodiment. fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main portion of a power semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion taken along line a-a of the perspective view of fig. 2 . fig. 4a and fig. 4b are cross-sectional views of a main portion of an extrusion processing. fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of an drawing processing. fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion for describing heat radiation characteristics of a power semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion for describing heat radiation characteristics of a power semiconductor device 111 of a comparative example 1. fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion for describing heat radiation characteristics of a power semiconductor device 121 of a comparative example 2. fig. 9 is a circuit diagram of the three-phase inverter device 200 according to a second embodiment. fig. 10 is a perspective view of a main portion of a power semiconductor device 201 used for a three-phase inverter device 200 according to a second embodiment. fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion taken along line b-b of the perspective view of fig. 10 . detailed description according to one embodiment, a power semiconductor device includes a first conductor, a second conductor, a first semiconductor chip, a heat radiation plate, and a resin. the first conductor includes a first portion and a second portion. the first portion includes a first major surface and a second major surface on an opposite side to the first major surface. the second portion includes a third major surface intersecting at right angles with the first major surface and a fourth major surface existing on an opposite side to the third major surface. the fourth major surface becomes farther from the third major surface to become continuous with the second major surface with proximity to the first major surface. the second conductor includes a third portion and a fourth portion. the third portion includes a fifth major surface and a sixth major surface on an opposite side to the fifth major surface. the fourth portion includes a seventh major surface intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface and an eighth major surface existing on an opposite side to the seventh major surface. the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface to become continuous with the sixth major surface with proximity to the fifth major surface. the first semiconductor chip includes a first electrode at a back surface and a second electrode at a front surface. the first electrode is electrically connected to the third major surface of the first conductor. the second electrode is electrically connected to the seventh major surface of the second conductor. the first chip is placed between the third major surface and the seventh major surface and configured to allow a current to flow between the first electrode and the second electrode. the heat radiation plate is joined to the first major surface of the first conductor and the fifth major surface of the second conductor via an insulating sheet. the resin seals the first conductor and the second conductor. hereinbelow, embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawings. the drawings used in the description of the embodiments are schematic for easier description; and in the actual practice, the configurations, dimensions, magnitude relationships, and the like of the components in the drawings are not necessarily the same as those illustrated in the drawings and may be appropriately altered to the extent that the effect of the invention is obtained. first embodiment fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of a three-phase inverter device 100 according to a first embodiment. the three-phase inverter device 100 includes a direct-current power source 6 , a capacitor 7 , three power semiconductor devices 101 that output alternating-current power of the u phase, the v phase, and the w phase, respectively, and an output unit 8 . both ends of the capacitor 7 are connected to both ends of the direct-current power source. the power semiconductor device 101 includes a positive electrode terminal 101 a, a negative electrode terminal 101 b, and an output terminal 101 c. the positive electrode terminal 101 a of each of the three power semiconductor devices 101 is connected to the positive electrode side of the direct-current power source, and the negative electrode terminal 101 b thereof is connected to the negative electrode side of the direct-current power source. the output terminal 101 c thereof is connected to the output unit 8 . the power semiconductor device 101 includes a high-side igbt (insulated gate bipolar transistor) 41 , a high-side diode 51 , a low-side igbt 42 , and a low-side diode 52 . the collector electrode of the high-side igbt is connected to the positive electrode terminal 101 a of the power semiconductor device 101 , and the emitter electrode is connected to the collector electrode of the low-side igbt 42 . the cathode electrode and the anode electrode of the high-side diode 51 are connected to the collector electrode and the emitter electrode of the high-side igbt 41 , respectively. the emitter electrode of the low-side igbt 42 is connected to the negative electrode terminal 101 b of the power semiconductor device 101 . the cathode electrode and the anode electrode of the low-side diode 52 are connected to the collector electrode and the emitter electrode of the low-side igbt 42 , respectively. the connection portion between the emitter electrode of the high-side igbt 41 and the collector electrode of the low-side igbt 42 is connected to the output terminal 101 c of the power semiconductor device 101 . the output terminal 101 c of the power semiconductor device 101 of each phase is connected to the output unit 8 of each of the u phase, the v phase, and the w phase. a three-phase alternating current is outputted from the output unit 8 of the three-phase inverter device 100 . fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main portion of an example of the power semiconductor device 101 mentioned above according to the embodiment. fig. 2 is a view in which the illustration of a resin is omitted. fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion taken along line a-a of the perspective view of fig. 2 . as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3 , the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment includes a first conductor 10 , a second conductor 20 , a third conductor 30 , the high-side igbt 41 , the high-side diode 51 , the low-side igbt 42 , the low-side diode 52 , a heat radiation plate, and a resin. the first conductor 10 includes a first portion 10 a and a second portion 10 b. the first portion 10 a includes a first major surface 11 and a second major surface 12 on the opposite side to the first major surface 11 . the second portion 10 b includes a third major surface 13 intersecting at right angles with the first major surface 11 and a fourth major surface 14 that exists on the opposite side to the third major surface 13 . the fourth major surface 14 becomes farther from the third major surface 13 to become continuous with the second major surface 12 with proximity to the first major surface 11 . a portion 18 where the fourth major surface 14 becomes farther from the third major surface 13 to become continuous with the second major surface 12 with proximity to the first major surface 11 (hereinafter an “inner corner portion of the first conductor”) includes a surface convex toward a portion 19 where the first major surface 11 and the third major surface 13 intersect at right angles (hereinafter an “outer corner portion of the first conductor”). that is, the first conductor 10 has a configuration in which an l-shaped trench is formed at one corner of a quadrangular prism. the side wall of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the fourth major surface 14 of the second portion 10 b mentioned above. the bottom of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the second major surface 12 of the first portion 10 a mentioned above. although in the embodiment the inner corner portion 18 of the first conductor 10 has a cross-sectional shape of a quarter circular arc as an example, the cross-sectional shape may be other shapes as a matter of course to the extent that it is a smoothly bent shape. for example, the inner corner portion of the first conductor may be a plane having a linear cross-sectional shape and extending from the fourth major surface to the second major surface. the second conductor 20 includes a third portion 20 a, a fourth portion 20 b, and a fifth portion 20 c. the third portion 20 a includes a fifth major surface 21 and a sixth major surface 22 on the opposite side to the fifth major surface. the fourth portion 20 b includes a seventh major surface 23 intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface 21 and an eighth major surface 24 that exists on the opposite side to the seventh major surface 23 . the eighth major surface 24 becomes farther from the seventh major surface 23 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 . a portion 28 a where the eighth major surface 24 becomes farther from the seventh major surface 23 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 (an inner corner portion of the second conductor on one side) includes a surface convex toward a portion 29 a where the fifth major surface 21 and the seventh major surface 23 intersect at right angles (an outer corner portion of the second conductor on the one side), similarly to the first conductor 10 . the fifth portion 20 c includes a ninth major surface 25 intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface 21 and a tenth major surface 26 that exists on the opposite side to the ninth major surface 25 . the tenth major surface 26 becomes farther from the ninth major surface 25 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 . a portion 28 b where the tenth major surface becomes farther from the ninth major surface 25 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 (an inner corner portion of the second conductor on the other side) includes a surface convex toward a portion 29 b where the fifth major surface 21 and the ninth major surface 25 intersect at right angles (an outer corner portion of the second conductor on the other side), similarly to the first conductor. that is, the second conductor 20 has a configuration in which a u-shaped trench extending inward from one major surface of a quadrangular prism is formed. the side walls of the u-shaped trench correspond to the eighth major surface 24 of the fourth portion mentioned above and the tenth major surface 26 of the fifth portion mentioned above, respectively. the bottom of the u-shaped trench corresponds to the sixth major surface 22 of the third portion 20 a mentioned above. in the embodiment, since the cross-sectional shape of the portion around the u-shaped bottom is a nearly semicircular shape, the sixth major surface 22 is difficult to recognize as a plane. in such a case, it is assumed that the sixth major surface is a plane parallel to the fifth major surface which is formed at the bottom of the u-shaped trench mentioned above and has an area of nearly zero. in the case where the spacing between the fourth portion 20 b and the fifth portion 20 c of the second conductor 20 (the spacing between the inner corner portions 28 a and 28 b of the second conductor) is wider than that of the embodiment, the sixth major surface may be a plane parallel to the fifth major surface and having a visually recognizable area, depending on the design of the power semiconductor device 101 . although in the embodiment the inner corner portions 28 a and 28 b of the second conductor have a cross-sectional shape of a quarter circular arc as an example, the cross-sectional shape may be other shapes as a matter of course to the extent that it is a smoothly bent shape. for example, the inner corner portions 28 a and 28 b of the second conductor may be a plane having a linear cross-sectional shape and extending from the eighth major surface (or the tenth major surface) to the sixth major surface. the high-side igbt chip 41 (a first semiconductor chip) includes a collector electrode (a first electrode) at the back surface and an emitter electrode (a second electrode) and a gate electrode at the front surface (details of the electrodes not shown). the collector electrode is electrically connected to the third major surface 13 of the first conductor 10 via a conductive plate 61 made of aluminum, copper, or the like. the emitter electrode is electrically connected to the seventh major surface 23 of the second conductor 20 via a conductive plate 62 made of aluminum, copper, or the like and having a protrusion on the emitter electrode side. the electrode and the conductive plate 61 or 62 are bonded by a not-shown solder, and the conductive plate 61 or 62 and the first conductor 10 or the second conductor 20 are bonded by a not-shown solder. although in the embodiment the first conductor or the second conductor is electrically connected to each electrode of the high-side igbt chip 41 via the conductive plate 61 or 62 , they may be electrically connected in a direct manner by a solder as a matter of course. the gate electrode is insulated from the emitter electrode and the second conductor 20 , and is electrically connected to the gate terminal of the power semiconductor device 101 (details not shown). in the embodiment, the high-side igbt chip 41 is a structure in which two igbts 41 are electrically connected in parallel. a plurality of igbts 41 are connected in parallel in accordance with the capacity of the current of the power semiconductor device 101 . the high-side diode 51 (it is also possible to take this as the first semiconductor chip) is electrically connected in parallel to the high-side igbt 41 . that is, the cathode electrode of the high-side diode 51 is connected to the collector electrode of the high-side igbt 41 , and the anode electrode of the high-side diode 51 is connected to the emitter electrode of the high-side igbt 41 (details not shown). the high-side diode 51 is electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of high-side igbts 41 . the high-side diode 51 is preferably an frd (fast recovery diode) excellent in switching characteristics. the high-side igbt 41 and the high-side diode 51 constitute a high-side switch of each phase of the three-phase inverter device 100 . the third conductor 30 includes a sixth portion 30 a and a seventh portion 30 b. the sixth portion 30 a includes an eleventh major surface 31 and a twelfth major surface 32 on the opposite side to the eleventh major surface 31 . the seventh portion 30 b includes a thirteenth major surface 33 intersecting at right angles with the eleventh major surface 31 and a fourteenth major surface 34 that exists on the opposite side to the thirteenth major surface 33 . the fourteenth major surface 34 becomes farther from the thirteenth major surface 33 to become continuous with the twelfth major surface 32 with proximity to the eleventh major surface 31 . a portion 38 where the fourteenth major surface 34 becomes farther from the thirteenth major surface 33 to become continuous with the twelfth major surface 32 with proximity to the eleventh major surface 31 (hereinafter an “inner corner portion of the third conductor”) includes a surface convex toward a portion 39 where the eleventh major surface 31 and the thirteenth major surface 33 intersect at right angles (hereinafter an “outer corner portion of the third conductor”). that is, the third conductor 30 has a configuration in which an l-shaped trench is formed at one corner of a quadrangular prism. the side wall of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the fourteenth major surface 34 of the seventh portion mentioned above. the bottom of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the twelfth major surface 32 of the sixth portion mentioned above. although in the embodiment the inner corner portion 38 of the third conductor 30 has a cross-sectional shape of a quarter circular arc as an example, the cross-sectional shape may be other shapes as a matter of course to the extent that is it a smoothly bent shape. for example, the inner corner portion 38 of the third conductor 30 may be a plane having a linear cross-sectional shape and extending from the fourteenth major surface 34 to the twelfth major surface 32 . the low-side igbt chip 42 (a second semiconductor chip) includes a collector electrode (a third electrode) at the back surface and an emitter electrode (a fourth electrode) and a gate electrode at the front surface (details of the electrodes not shown). the collector electrode is electrically connected to the tenth major surface 25 of the second conductor 20 via a conductive plate 61 made of aluminum, copper, or the like. the emitter electrode is electrically connected to the thirteenth major surface 33 of the third conductor 30 via a conductive plate 62 made of aluminum, copper, or the like and having a protrusion on the emitter electrode side. the electrode and the conductive plate 61 or 62 are bonded by a not-shown solder, and the conductive plate 61 or 62 and the second conductor 20 or the third conductor 30 are bonded by a not-shown solder. although in the embodiment the second conductor or the third conductor is electrically connected to each electrode of the low-side igbt chip 42 via the conductive plate 61 or 62 , they may be electrically connected in a direct manner by a solder as a matter of course. the gate electrode is insulated from the emitter electrode and the third conductor 30 , and is electrically connected to the gate terminal of the power semiconductor device 101 (details not shown). in the embodiment, the low-side igbt chip 42 is a structure in which two igbts 42 are electrically connected in parallel. a plurality of igbts 42 are connected in parallel in accordance with the capacity of the current of the power semiconductor device 101 . the low-side diode 52 (it is also possible to take this as the second semiconductor chip) is electrically connected in parallel to the low-side igbt 42 . that is, the cathode electrode of the low-side diode 52 is connected to the collector electrode of the low-side igbt 42 , and the anode electrode of the low-side diode 52 is connected to the emitter electrode of the low-side igbt 42 (details not shown). the low-side diode 52 is electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of low-side igbts 42 . the low-side diode 52 is preferably an frd (fast recovery diode) excellent in switching characteristics. the low-side igbt 42 and the low-side diode 52 constitute a low-side switch of each phase of the three-phase inverter device 100 . a heat radiation plate 1 is joined to the first major surface 11 of the first conductor 10 , the fifth major surface 21 of the second conductor 20 , and the eleventh major surface 31 of the third conductor 30 via an insulating sheet 2 . a resin 9 is formed on the heat radiation plate 1 , and seals the first conductor 10 , the second conductor 20 , and the third conductor 30 and the high-side igbt chip 41 , the high-side diode 51 , the low-side igbt chip 42 , and the low-side diode 52 . the positive electrode terminal 101 a, the negative electrode terminal 101 b, the gate electrode terminal, and the output terminal 101 c not shown are provided outside the resin 9 . the first conductor 10 is electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal 101 a, and the third conductor 30 is electrically connected to the negative electrode terminal 101 b. the second conductor 20 is electrically connected to the output terminal 101 c. the gate electrode of each of the high-side igbt 41 and the low-side igbt 42 is connected to the gate electrode terminal of the power semiconductor device 101 , and is connected to an external controller. here, the first conductor 10 , the second conductor 20 , and the third conductor 30 are made of a metal material such as copper or aluminum. the conductors are formed by the extrusion processing shown in fig. 4 or the drawing processing shown in fig. 5 . in the extrusion processing shown in fig. 4 , a copper material 73 that is the material of the conductor is put in a die 71 having an opening with a shape identical to the cross-sectional shape of each conductor, and the copper material 73 is extruded using a die 72 for extrusion. thereby, each conductor is extruded from the opening, and a conductor having a cross-sectional shape identical to the shape of the opening is obtained. in the drawing processing shown in fig. 5 , a die 81 having an opening with a shape identical to the cross-sectional shape of each conductor is pressed against a copper material, and the copper material is drawn through the opening. thereby, a conductor having a cross-sectional shape identical to the shape of the opening is obtained. in both of the extrusion processing and the drawing processing, the shape of the opening of the die does not necessarily need to be identical to the cross-sectional shape of each conductor. additional processing such as cutting may be performed on each conductor after both processings; thereby, the cross-sectional shape of each conductor can be made into a desired cross-sectional shape. the conductor mentioned above can be formed not only by performing either extrusion processing or drawing processing singly, but also by performing extrusion processing and drawing processing in combination each one or more times. for example, both extrusion processing and drawing processing may be performed for rough fashioning, and then drawing processing may be performed for the finishing processing. in this case, the shape of the opening of the die used for the final finishing drawing processing and the cross-sectional shape of the conductor processed are almost the same shape. these processing methods for a conductor are less costly in processing terms and can suppress an increase in manufacturing costs as compared to other processing methods such as cutting. furthermore, the extrusion processing or the drawing processing mentioned above has the advantage that the inner corner portions 18 , 28 a, 28 b, and 38 of the conductors are easily formed into curved shapes as shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 3 while the perpendicular shapes of the outer corner portions 19 , 29 a, 29 b, and 39 of the conductors are provided, as compared to a method in which the first to third conductors are fashioned by attaching pieces of copper material together. next, the heat radiation characteristics in the operation of the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment are described. fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion for describing the heat radiation characteristics of the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment. fig. 7 and fig. 8 are cross-sectional views of main portions for describing the heat radiation characteristics of power semiconductor devices 111 and 121 of comparative example 1 and comparative example 2. as shown in fig. 6 , in the operation of the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment, the heat generated by a current flowing through the high-side igbt 41 or the low-side igbt 42 is transmitted through the paths indicated by the arrows in the drawing and released to the heat radiation plate 1 via the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor. here, in the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment, since the first to third conductors are conductors formed by extrusion processing or drawing processing as described above, the conductors have the curved shapes of the inner corner portions 18 , 28 a, 28 b, and 38 while having the perpendicular shapes of the outer corner portions 19 , 29 a, 29 b, and 39 . thereby, the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment can ensure large cross-sectional areas between the inner corner portions 18 , 28 a, 28 b, and 38 and the outer corner portions 19 , 29 a, 29 b, and 39 of the conductors, respectively, as compared to the power semiconductor devices 111 and 121 of comparative example 1 and comparative example 2 described later. furthermore, large contact areas between the conductors and the heat radiation plate can be ensured. as a result of these, heat radiation properties are improved. in contrast, in the power semiconductor device 111 according to comparative example 1, as shown in fig. 7 , a first to a third conductor 110 , 120 , and 130 include outer corner portions 119 , 129 a, 129 b, and 139 and inner corner portions 118 , 128 a, 128 b, and 138 formed by bending a flat plate perpendicularly. the heat radiation paths from each igbt in the operation of the power semiconductor device 111 are indicated by arrows similarly to the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment of fig. 6 . for example, the first conductor 110 includes a first portion 110 a and a second portion 110 b formed by bending a flat plate almost perpendicularly at almost the center of the flat plate. the third major surface of the first conductor 110 is formed perpendicular to the first major surface, but does not intersect at right angles with the first major surface. that is, the cross section of the outer corner portion of the first conductor does not have a perpendicular shape but has a curved shape away from the heat radiation plate 1 . this applies also to the second conductor and the third conductor. therefore, the power semiconductor device 111 of comparative example 1 has a smaller cross-sectional area between the inner corner portion and the outer corner portion than the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment. furthermore, since the outer corner portions 119 , 129 a, 129 b, and 139 of the conductors of the power semiconductor device 111 of comparative example 1 are not in a perpendicular shape but in a curved shape, for example, the contact area of the first portion 110 a of the first conductor 110 with the heat radiation plate 1 is smaller than the contact area between the first portion 10 a of the first conductor 10 and the heat radiation plate 1 of the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment (this applies also to the second conductor and the third conductor). consequently, the power semiconductor device 111 of comparative example 1 is inferior in heat radiation properties to the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment. in the power semiconductor device 121 of comparative example 2, as shown in fig. 8 , a first to a third conductor 210 , 220 , and 230 are formed by attaching one ends of separated flat plates together perpendicularly. the heat radiation paths from each igbt in the operation of the power semiconductor device 121 are indicated by arrows similarly to the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment of fig. 6 . for example, the first conductor 210 is formed by attaching one ends of first portions 210 a and 210 b of flat plates together such that the first portion 210 a and the second portion 210 b intersect at right angles. as a result, the outer corner portion 219 of the first conductor 210 has a perpendicular shape, and also the inner corner portion 218 has a perpendicular shape. by the outer corner portion 219 having a perpendicular shape, the contact area between the first portion 210 a of the first conductor 210 and the heat radiation plate 1 of the power semiconductor device 121 of comparative example 2 is almost equal to the contact area between the first portion 10 a of the first conductor 10 and the heat radiation plate 1 of the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment. however, in the power semiconductor device 121 of comparative example 2, since the inner corner portion 218 of the first conductor 210 has a perpendicular shape, the cross-sectional area between the inner corner portion 218 and the outer corner portion 219 of the first conductor 210 is smaller than that of the embodiment. this applies also to the second conductor 220 and the third conductor 230 . as a result, the power semiconductor device 121 of comparative example 2 is inferior in heat radiation properties to the power semiconductor device 101 according to the embodiment. second embodiment next, a three-phase inverter device 200 and a power semiconductor device 201 used therefor according to a second embodiment are described using fig. 9 to fig. 11 . fig. 9 is a circuit diagram of the three-phase inverter device 200 according to the second embodiment. fig. 10 is a perspective view of a main portion of the power semiconductor device 201 used for the three-phase inverter device 200 according to the embodiment. fig. 10 is a view in which the illustration of a resin is omitted. fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion taken along line b-b of the perspective view of fig. 10 . components with configurations identical to the configurations described in the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals or symbols, and a description thereof is omitted. differences from the first embodiment are mainly described. the power semiconductor device 101 used for the three-phase inverter device 100 according to the first embodiment includes a high-side switch composed of the high-side igbt 41 and the high-side diode 51 connected in parallel thereto and a low-side switch composed of the low-side igbt 42 and the low-side diode 52 connected in parallel thereto in a resin. in contrast, the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment includes either the high-side switch or the low-side switch mentioned above of each phase in a resin. that is, the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment includes a positive electrode terminal 201 a, a negative electrode terminal 201 b, a gate electrode terminal (not shown), the igbt 41 , and the diode 51 . the collector electrode of the igbt 41 is electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal 201 a, the emitter electrode is electrically connected to the negative electrode terminal 201 b, and the gate electrode is electrically connected to the gate electrode terminal. the cathode electrode of the diode 51 is electrically connected to the collector electrode of the igbt 41 , and the anode electrode is electrically connected to the emitter electrode of the igbt 41 . each phase of the three-phase inverter device 200 includes two power semiconductor devices 201 connected in series as the high-side switch and the low-side switch, respectively. the positive electrode terminal 201 a of the high-side power semiconductor device 201 is electrically connected to the positive electrode side of the direct-current power source 6 , and the negative electrode terminal 201 b is electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal 201 a of the low-side power semiconductor device 201 . the negative electrode terminal 201 b of the low-side power semiconductor device 201 is electrically connected to the negative electrode side of the direct-current power source 6 . the negative electrode terminal 201 b of the high-side power semiconductor device 201 is electrically connected to the output terminal 8 of each phase. thus, the three-phase inverter device 200 according to the embodiment is composed of six power semiconductor devices 201 , and the power semiconductor device 201 is composed of the igbt 41 and the diode 51 of the high-side or the low-side of each phase. in this point, the three-phase inverter device 200 and the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment are different from those of the first embodiment. next, the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment is described in detail using fig. 10 and fig. 11 . the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment includes the first conductor 10 , the second conductor 20 , the igbt 41 , the diode 51 , a heat radiation plate, and a resin. a description of identical or similar portions to the first embodiment is omitted. the first conductor 10 includes the first portion 10 a and the second portion 10 b and has the same structure as the first embodiment; therefore, a description is omitted. the second conductor 20 has the same structure as the left half of the second conductor 20 of the first embodiment in fig. 2 or fig. 3 . that is, the second conductor has the following structure. the second conductor includes the third portion 20 a and the fourth portion 20 b. the third portion 20 a includes the fifth major surface 21 and the sixth major surface 22 on the opposite side to the fifth major surface. the fourth portion 20 b includes the seventh major surface 23 intersecting at right angles with the fifth major surface 21 and the eighth major surface 24 that exists on the opposite side to the seventh major surface 23 . the eighth major surface becomes farther from the seventh major surface 23 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 . a portion 28 where the eighth major surface 24 becomes farther from the seventh major surface 23 to become continuous with the sixth major surface 22 with proximity to the fifth major surface 21 (an inner corner portion of the second conductor) includes a surface convex toward a portion 29 where the fifth major surface 21 and the seventh major surface 23 intersect at right angles (an outer corner portion of the second conductor), similarly to the first conductor 10 . that is, the second conductor 20 has a configuration in which an l-shaped trench is formed at one corner of a quadrangular prism in a position symmetrical to the first conductor 10 . the side wall of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the eighth major surface 24 of the fourth portion mentioned above. the bottom of the l-shaped trench corresponds to the sixth major surface 22 of the third portion mentioned above. although in the embodiment the inner corner portion 18 of the first conductor 10 and the inner corner portion 28 of the second conductor 20 have a cross-sectional shape of a quarter circular arc as an example, the cross-sectional shape may be other shapes as a matter of course to the extent that it is a smoothly bent shape, similarly to the first embodiment. for example, the inner corner portion 18 of the first conductor 10 and the inner corner portion 28 of the second conductor 20 may be planes having linear cross-sectional shapes and extending from the fourth major surface to the second major surface and extending from the eighth major surface to the sixth major surface, respectively. the igbt 41 and the diode 51 are provided between the first conductor 10 and the second conductor 20 similarly to the first embodiment. the heat radiation plate 1 is joined to the first major surface 11 of the first conductor 10 and the fifth major surface 21 of the second conductor 20 via the insulating sheet 2 similarly to the first embodiment. the resin 9 is formed on the heat radiation plate 1 and seals the first conductor 10 , the second conductor 20 , the igbt chip 41 , and the diode 51 similarly to the first embodiment. otherwise, the three-phase inverter device 200 and the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment have similar configurations to the three-phase inverter device 100 and the power semiconductor device 101 according to the first embodiment. also in the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment, the first conductor and the second conductor are conductors formed by extrusion processing or drawing processing similarly to the power semiconductor device 101 according to the first embodiment, and therefore have the curved shapes of the inner corner portions while having the perpendicular shapes of the outer corner portions of the first conductor and the second conductor. thereby, also the power semiconductor device 201 according to the embodiment can ensure large cross-sectional areas between the inner corner portions 18 and 28 and the outer corner portions 19 and 29 of the conductors, respectively, and can ensure large contact areas between the conductors and the heat radiation plate, similarly to the power semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. therefore, heat radiation properties are improved. while certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
047-082-152-297-163	JP	[ "EP", "DE", "US", "JP", "WO" ]	A01D34/68,A01D34/78,A01D34/90,A01D34/81	2013-02-01T00:00:00	2013	[ "A01" ]	brush cutter	a brush cutter includes a frame rod, a front end housing fixedly mounted to a front end of the frame rod, a cutting blade mounted on a support shaft within the front end housing, a rear end housing fixedly mounted to a rear end of the frame rod, an electric motor mounted within the rear end housing for rotation of the cutting blade, and a source of power supply for supplying electric power to the motor. in the brush cutter, a plurality of rechargeable battery packs adapted to use in electric power tools are used as the source of power supply for the motor.	a brush cutter comprising: a frame rod (11); a handle (52) fixed to an intermediate portion of the frame rod; a front end housing (21) fixed to a front end of the frame rod; a cutting blade (25) mounted on a support shaft within the front end housing for rotation; a rear end housing (31) fixed to a rear end of the frame rod; a single electric motor (22) mounted within the front end housing or the rear end housing (31) for rotating the cutting blade; and characterized in that a source of power supply for the electric motor is detachably mounted within the rear end housing; the source of power supply is a plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) adapted for use in electric power tools and that a position of a center of gravity (g) of the brush cutter, when observed from a back side of the brush cutter in a condition where the frame rod (11) is placed on a horizontal support surface (s), is offset a distance from one of a left side or a right side of a centerline (cw) of the rear end housing (31) extending vertically when observed from the back side of the rear end housing (31) within a width range (r1; r2; r3) between 5% - 15% of a width (w) of the rear end housing (31), and the center of gravity (g) of the brush cutter is determined without taking into consideration the handle (52) graspable by an operator. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a center of gravity (g1; g1) of each of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) is positioned within the width range (r1; r2; r3). the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1∼2, wherein a center of gravity (g) of the brush cutter, when observed from a back side of the brush cutter in a condition where the frame rod (11) is placed on a horizontal support surface (s), is positioned under a centerline (ch) of the rear end housing (31) extending in a lateral direction when observed from the back side of the rear end housing (31). the brush cutter as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of the rechargeable battery packs (41) is two battery packs, and a center of gravity (g1) of each of the two battery packs is positioned at one of a left side or a right side of a centerline (cw) of the rear end housing (31) extending vertically when observed from the back side of the rear end housing (31). the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1∼4, wherein the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) are positioned to avoid contact with ground in a condition where the frame rod (11) is placed on a horizontal support surface. the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1∼5, wherein a protector member (34) is provided to cover surfaces of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) brought into contact with the ground when the frame rod (11) is placed on a horizontal support surface. the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1 ∼6, wherein the plurality of the rechargeable battery packs (41) are two battery packs (41) arranged in parallel. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 7, wherein a space between adjacent wall surfaces of the two rechargeable battery packs (41) arranged in parallel is less than 15 mm. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 7, wherein a size of each of the two rechargeable battery packs (41) is more than 200 cm 3 , and the space between adjacent wall surfaces of the two rechargeable battery packs (41) is less than 15 mm. the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1 ∼ 9, wherein a plurality of attachments (32) for mounting the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) are provided within the rear end housing of the brush cutter. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) each include a casing (42) formed to contain battery cells (43), an electric connector (32a) provided on a peripheral wall of the casing, and a pair of rails (45) arranged at both sides of the electric connector, and the plurality of attachments (32) are each provided with a pair of guide rails (32b) engageable with the pair of rails (45) of said casing. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of rechargeable battery packs are each provided with a hook (46) retractably projected to be engaged with a latch (32c) respectively provided on the plurality of attachments, and the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) are mounted in place on the plurality of attachments (32) when the hook (46) of each battery pack is engaged with the latch of each attachment by a slide movement of the pair of rails (45) of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs engaged with the pair of guide rails (32b) on the plurality of attachments. the brush cutter as claimed in claim 12, wherein each attachment (32) is provided with a resilient member (47) to bias outwardly each battery pack (41) mounted to each attachment (32). the brush cutter as claimed in claim 13, wherein each attachment (32) is provided with a container (34) enclosing each of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs and having an insert (34a) opening for inserting each of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs therein along the pair of guide rails (32b). the brush cutter as claimed in any one of claims 1 ∼14, wherein the plurality of rechargeable battery packs (41) are connected in series or in parallel with the electric motor (22).	technical field the present invention relates to a brush cutter for cutting brush, lawn and the like. technical background disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication 1 ( 2011-142859 ) is a brush cutter comprising a frame rod, a cutter head provided within a front end of the frame rod and a controller head provided in a rear end of the frame rod. the cutter head of the brush cutter includes a front housing fixed to the front end of the frame rod, an electric motor mounted within the front housing, a rotary shaft supported within the front housing to be driven by the electric motor, and a cutting blade mounted to the rotary shaft. the controller head includes a rear housing fixed to the rear end of the frame rod and a controller contained in the rear housing. in the brush cutter, a battery pack is detachably mounted within the rear housing. in the brush cutter, a single battery pack contained within the rear housing is in general in the form of a large size battery pack of high voltage (for instance, 36 volt) for activating the electric motor of high power. such a large size battery pack of high voltage may not be used as a source of power supply for other work apparatus such as electric power tools. for this reason, the large size battery pack is adapted for use only in the brush cutter in spite of expensive. an object of the present invention is to provide a brush cutter without use of the expensive large size battery. prior art kr 2005 0042716 a discloses a brush cutter having at least two electric motors mounted within a driving portion in such a manner that a center of gravity of the brush cutter is positioned at a central portion of the frame rod. us 2011/197389 a1 discloses an electric power tool comprising a main body supporting a tool and an electric motor housed in the main body for driving the tool. jp 2011 097837 a discloses an electric bush cutter comprising a battery and a cutting blade provided at the front end of the main shaft and a motor in the rear end of the main shaft. us 2012/321912 a1 discloses a battery carrier configured to be mounted to a tool body of an electric tool for supplying electric power. ep 1 179 291 a1 discloses a portable cutting machine, for cutting grass and weeds and the like, wherein the cutting machine has a cutting head with a rotating cutting tool and especially a cutting filament, and a grip rod. summary of the invention according to the present invention, the object is accomplished by providing a brush cutter according to claim 1 which comprises a frame rod, a front housing fixed to the front end of the frame rod, a cutting blade mounted on a rotary shaft supported within the front housing, a rear housing fixed to the rear end of the frame rod, an electric motor mounted within the front housing for rotating the cutting blade, and a source of power supply for the motor, wherein the source of power supply is in the form of a plurality of rechargeable battery packs adapted to use in electric power tools. in the brush cutter, the rechargeable battery packs for use in electric power tools can be used in common as a source of power supply for the motor. in the brush cutter, the battery packs are arranged in such a manner that the center of gravity of the brush cutter observed from the rear side in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support place is positioned in an extent of 15%, preferably 10%, more preferably 5% of width of the rear housing at both the left and right sides of a centerline extending vertically from the rear housing. with such arrangement of the battery packs, it is able to prevent lateral inclination of the vegetation cutter. in the brush cutter, the center of gravity of the brush cutter observed from the rear side is displaced laterally from the vertical centerline in the extent described above. with such arrangement of the center of gravity, the brush cutter is slightly inclined in a lateral direction to adjust operability of the brush cutter. it is also preferable that each center of gravity of the battery packs is positioned in the extent described above. it is further preferable that the center of gravity of the brush cutter observed from the rear side in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support place is positioned below a vertical centerline extending in a left and right direction. in the case that each center of gravity of a set of two battery packs is positioned at both left and right sides of the centerline, the balance of the brush cutter in the lateral direction is adjusted to prevent the brush cutter from lateral inclination in operation. in the brush cutter, it is preferable that the battery packs are spaced from ground to avoid damage caused by contact with the ground in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support place. desirably, a protector member is provided to cover the battery packs brought into contact with the ground when the frame rod is placed on a horizontal support place. the protector member is useful to avoid damage caused by contact with the ground. in the brush cutter, it is preferable that the battery packs are arranged in parallel to facilitate operation of a user for attachment or removal of the battery packs. in the case that the battery packs are arranged in parallel with a space more than 15 mm, each battery pack can be easily grasped for attachment or removal of the battery pack. in the case that the size of each battery pack is more than 200 cm 3 , the space between the battery packs arranged in parallel is determined to be 15 mm for reducing the space occupied by the battery packs. in the brush cutter, it is preferable that a plurality of attachments is provided for mounting the battery packs. the battery packs each includes a casing formed to contain battery cells therein, an electric connector provided on one-side wall of the casing, and a pair of rails arranged on opposite sides of the electric connector. the attachment is provided with a pair of guide rails for engagement with the rails of the connector. the rails of the connector are slideably engaged with the guide rails of the attachment. the battery pack has a hook retractably projected, while the attachment is provided with a latch to be engaged with the hook. when the hook of the battery pack is brought into engagement with the latch of the attachment, the battery pack is fixed in place to the attachment. in the case that the attachment is provided with a resilient member for biasing the battery pack in a removal direction along the guide rails, the battery pack is removed from the attachment under biasing force of the resilient member when the hook is disengaged from the latch portion. this is effective to facilitate removal of the battery packs. in the case that the battery pack container mounted to the attachment is formed with an inlet opening for inserting the battery pack along the guide rails, it is assumed that it becomes difficult to pick up the battery pack for removal. however, such difficulty does not occur because the battery pack is moved outwart from the inlet opening under the biasing of the resilient means. in the brush cutter, the battery packs are connected in series with the electric motor to generate high output power. the battery packs may be connected in parallel with the electric motor for activation for a long period of time. in addition, it is noted that the center of gravity of the brush cutter is determined without taking consideration with a handle grasped by an operator since the center of gravity changes due to positional adjustment of the handle in a fore-and-aft direction and a left-and-right direction. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brush cutter in an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a side view of the brush cutter shown in fig. 1 in a condition where the brush cutter is placed on a support surface; fig. 3 is a side view of a cutter head; fig. 4 is a side view of a controller unit; fig. 5 is a back view of a rear-end housing in a condition where battery packs was removed; fig 6 is a back view of the brush cutter shown in fig. 1 , in a condition where the frame rod is placed on a support surface; fig. 7 is a perspective view of a battery pack; fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line a - a in fig. 7 ; fig. 9 depicts a center of gravity of the brush cutter observed from the rear side; fig. 10 is a partly broken sectional view showing a battery pack contained in a battery pack container in a modification 1, where 10 (a) is a sectional view in a condition where the battery pack is contained, where 10 (b) is a sectional view in a condition where the battery pack was pushed out from an insert opening under a biasing force of a resilient member; fig 11 is a back view of a controller unit in a modification 2; fig. 12 is a side view of a controller unit in a modification 3; fig. 13 depicts a controller unit in a modification 4, where (a) is a side view of the controller unit, and wherein (b) is a back view of the controller unit; fig. 14 is a side view of a controller unit shown in the modification 5; fig. 15 is a plan view of a controller unit shown in the modification 6; fig. 16 is a side view of a controller unit shown in the modification 7 (1); fig. 17 is a side view of a controller unit shown in the modification 7 (2); fig. 18 is a side view of a controller unit shown in the modification 8; fig. 19 (a) is a side-view of a controller unit shown in the modification 9, and 19 (b) is a back view of the controller unit; fig. 20 (a) is a side-view of a controller unit shown in the modification 10, and 20 (b) is a back view of the controller unit; fig. 21 (a) is a side view of a controller unit shown in the modification 11, and 21 (b) is a back view of the controller unit; fig. 22 is a side view of a controller unit in the modification 12; fig 23 (a) is a side view of a controller unit in the modification 13, and 23 (b) is a back-view of the controller; fig. 24 is a side-view of a controller unit in the modification 13; fig. 25 is a side view of a controller unit in the modification 14; fig. 26 is a side view of a controller unit showing the position of a battery controller; and fig. 27 is a side view of a controller unit wherein a remaining power of a battery pack is shown on an indication panel. preferred embodiment of the invention hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a brush cutter in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. as show in figs. 1 and 2 , the brush cutter 10 includes a hollow frame rod 11 extending in a fore-and-aft direction, a cutter unit 20 assembled with a front end of the frame rod 11, and a controller unit 30 assembled on a rear end of the frame rod 11. as shown in figs. 1 ∼ 3 , the cutter unit 20 is provided within a front end housing 21 fixed to the front end of frame rod 11. as shown in fig. 3 , an electric motor 22 is mounted within the front end housing 21, and an output shaft 22a of motor 20 is engaged with a speed reduction gear 23. the speed reduction gear 23 is fixed to a rotary shaft 24 supported by bearings, and a rotary cutter 25 is fixed to the distal end of rotary shaft 24. as shown in figs. 1, 2 and 4 , the controller unit 30 is mainly composed of a rear end housing 31 and a motor controller (not shown) for controlling operation of the electric motor 22. the rear end housing 31 is in the form of a quadrangular-pyramid narrow at its front side and is fixedly connected to the rear end of frame rod 11. as shown in figs. 1, 2 , 4 and 6 , a source of power supply 40 is detachably mounted within a rear portion of the rear end housing 31 for supplying electric power to the motor 22. the source of power supply 40 is in the form of two battery packs 41 arranged vertically in parallel. fig. 5 is a back view of the rear end housing 31 in a condition where the battery packs 41 were removed. the rear end housing 31 is provided at its rear portion with attachments 32, 32 for the two battery packs 41, 41. the attachments 32 each are provided with a connector 32a to be connected to a connector 44 of battery pack 41 for connection to the electric motor 22. the connector 32a is provided with a pair of vertically spaced guide rails 32b, 32b for mounting the battery pack 41 slideable in left-and-right directions. the attachment 32 is formed with a latch 32c that is brought into engagement with a hook 46 of battery pack 41 to restrict movement of the battery pack 41 along the guide rails 32b, 32b. the rear end housing 31 has a pair of legs 33 formed at its front bottom. the legs 33 are useful to space the rear end housing 31 and battery packs 41 from the ground in a condition where the frame rod 11 was placed on a horizontal surface s of the ground. the battery packs 41 are used as the source of power supply for the motor 22 and recharged by a charger (not shown). the battery packs each are adapted to be used as a source of power supply for power tools such as a power driver, a power cutter, or the like. in this embodiment, the nominal voltage of each battery pack is 18v. the two battery packs 41, 41 are connected in series. as shown in figs. 7 and 8 , the battery pack 41 is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped casing 42 containing ten pieces of cylindrical battery cells 43. the casing 42 of battery pack 41 is coupled with the attachment 32 by slide movement, and the battery cells 43 are contained in the casing 42 perpendicularly across slide movement to the attachment. the center of casing 42 is located to be the center of gravity g1 of battery packs 41. as shown in fig. 7 , the casing 42 has an upper wall to be faced to the attachment 32. the electric connector 44 is provided on the upper wall of the casing 42 to be detachably coupled with the connector 32a of attachment 32 within the rear end housing 31. a pair of rails 45, 45 are formed on the upper wall of casing 42 and arranged at both sides of electric connector 44 in a direction perpendicularly across the longitudinal direction of casing 42. the hook 46 is provided on the upper wall of casing 42 and protruded toward the attachment 32. the hook 46 is loaded by a resilient member 47 toward the latch portion 32c of attachment 32. when the hook 46 is maintained in engagement with the latch portion 32c, the battery packs 41 are retained in place on the guide rails 32b, 32b to couple the connector 44 with the connector 32a of attachment 32a. when a release button 46a is pushed against the biasing force of resilient member 47 to retract the hook 46 from the latch portion 32c, the battery pack 41 can be removed along the guide rails 32b, 32b to disengage the connector 44 of battery pack 41 from the connector 32a of attachment 32. as shown in figs. 1 and 2 , a cover member 51 is provided on the front end of frame rod 11 to enclose the cutting blade 25 of cutter unit 20. a handle 52 fixed to an intermediate portion of frame rod 11 extends in left-and-right hand directions and is bent upward. the handle 52 is provided at its opposite ends with grips 53, 53 to be grasped by a user. when the electric motor 22 of cutter unit 20 in the brush cutter 10 is activated by power supplied from the two batteries 41, 41, the rotary support shaft 24 is driven by the output shaft 22a of motor 22 through the speed reduction gear 23 in engagement therewith to rotate the cutting blade 25 fixed thereto. thus, the user grasps both the grips 53, 53 by left-and-right hands and brings the cutting blade 25 of cutter unit into contact with vegetation such as brush, grass, lawn and the like to cut out them. in the brush cutter 10, two rechargeable battery packs 41, 41 used for electric power tools are adapted as a source of power supply 40 for the electric motor 22. accordingly, it is not needed for a user to hold various kinds of battery packs for the brush cutter, electric power tools and the like. the operability of the brush cutter and the mounting operation of the battery packs are greatly affected by mounting positions of the battery packs. thus, as shown in fig. 9 , the battery packs 41, 41 are arranged in such a manner that the center of gravity g of the brush cutter observed from the rear side in a condition wherein the frame rod 11 was placed on a horizontal support place s is positioned in an extent r(r1) of 15% of lateral width w of the rear end housing 31 at both the left and right sides of a centerline cw extending vertically from the rear end housing 31. with such arrangement of the two battery packs 41, 41, it is able to prevent lateral inclination of the brush cutter 10. in the case that the center of gravity g of the brush cutter 10 observed from the rear side is positioned in an extent r2 of 10% of lateral width w of the rear housing 31 at both the left and right sides of the vertical centerline cw, lateral inclination of the brush cutter 10 is reliably prevented. when the center of gravity g of the brush cutter is positioned an extent (r3) of 5% of lateral width of the rear housing 31, it is able to more reliably prevent lateral inclination of the brush cutter 10. with such arrangement of the center of gravity g of the brush cutter 10, it becomes unnecessary for a user to firmly grasp the grips 53, 53 of handle 52 in operation of the brush cutter 10. according to the invention, the center of gravity g is displaced laterally (left or right) from the vertical centerline cw in the extent r described above. with such arrangement of the center of gravity g, the brush cutter 10 is slightly inclined in a lateral direction such that the rotary blade 25 is slightly inclined to be in contact with grass, lawn and the like. this facilitates operation of the brush cutter 10. in the brush cutter, each center of gravity g1, g1 of the battery packs 41, 41 is positioned in the extent r to prevent lateral inclination of the brush cutter 10 in operation. when the frame rod 11 is placed on a horizontal support place s in use of the brush cutter 10, the battery packs 41, 41 are spaced from a surface of ground to avoid damage caused by contact with the ground. in the brush cutter 10, the two battery packs 41, 41 are arranged lateral in parallel to facilitate operation of a user for attachment or removal of the battery packs. in the case that the size of battery pack 41 is 540 cm 3 more than 200 cm 3 , it is preferable that the space between the battery packs arranged in parallel is determined to be less than 15 mm for reducing the space occupied by the battery packs. in this embodiment, the space was determined to be 5 mm. when the size of battery pack 41 is more than 200 cm 3 , the space between the battery packs 41, 41 is made narrow to reduce the space occupied by the battery packs. in the brush cutter 10, the rear end housing 31 is provided at its rear portion with two attachments 32, 32 for mounting the two battery packs 41, 41. each casing 42 of the battery cells 43 is provided at its peripheral wall with the electric connector 44, and the pair of rails 45, 45 arranged both sides of the connector 44, while the attachments 32 each is provided with the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b to be engaged with the rails 45.of casing 42. when the battery pack 41 is mounted to the attachment 32, the pair of rails 45, 45 of battery back 4 are brought into slide engagement with the guide rails 32b, 32b. this is useful to facilitate mounting operation of the battery packs to the attachment 32. the battery pack 41 has the hook 46 retractably projected, while the attachment 32 is provided with a latch portion 32c to be engaged with the hook 46. when the hook 46 of battery pack 41 is brought into engagement with the latch portion 32c, the battery pack is fixed in place to the attachment 32. this is also useful to facilitate mounting operation of the battery packs to the attachment 32. hereinafter, modifications of the brush cutter using a set of two battery packs will be described. in the following description, the fact different from the foregoing embodiment of the brush cutter 10 will be explained. modification 1: in a modification 1 of the brush cutter shown in fig. 10 , the attachment 32 within the rear end housing 31 is provided with a container 34 enclosing the periphery of battery packs 41, 41 to prevent adherence of contaminants thereto. the battery pack container 34 is formed at its one side wall with an insert opening 34a for the battery packs 41. when the battery packs 41, 41 each are inserted into the container 34 through the opening 34a and shifted inward along the guide rails 32b, 32b, the hook 46 is engaged with the latch portion 32c of attachment 32 to retain the battery packs 41 in place. the attachment 32 is provided with a resilient member 35 biasing outward the battery packs 41 inserted in the container 34. when it is desired to take out the battery packs, the release button 46a is pushed to disengage the hook 46 from the latch portion 32c. thus, as shown in fig. 10 (b) , the battery packs 41, 41 are moved outward through the insert opening 34a under the biasing force of resilient member 35 and taken out by a user from the container portion 34. thus, a portion of the battery pack 41 can be picked out for removal from the container 34. although the two battery packs 41, 41 are respectively contained in the containers 34 , one of the battery packs 41 may be contained in a container 34, while a plurality of containers 34 corresponding with the number of battery packs may be provided. modification 2: as shown in fig. 11 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be arranged vertically in parallel on the back portion of rear end housing 31. in this modification, the two attachments 32, 32 are provided laterally in parallel on the back portion of rear end housing 31, and the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b is provided vertically at the both sides of each connector 32a of attachments 32, 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by downward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b with such arrangement of the battery packs, each center of gravity g1 is positioned at left and right sides of the vertical centerline cw to ensure balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction. in this modification 2, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 3: as shown in fig 12 , the battery packs 41, 41 arranged as in the modification 2 may be inclined backward at their upper sides. in this modification, the attachment portions 32 and guide rails 32b, 32b are inclined backward at their upper sides. with such arrangement of the battery packs, the same useful effect as in the modification 2 is obtainable. the battery packs 41, 41 can be mounted in place by downward pushing and removed by bringing upward. in this modification 3, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 4: as shown in fig. 13 (a) and (b) , the battery packs 41, 41 may be arranged vertically in parallel on the back portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the mounting sides of battery packs 41, 41 to the attachment 32 are faced to each other. in the attachments 32, 32, each connector 32a and each pair of guide rails 32b are directed outward. with such arrangement of the battery packs, the same useful effect is obtainable as in the modification 2. in this modification 4, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 5: as shown in fig 14 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be arranged vertically in parallel on the back portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the mounting sides of battery packs 41, 41 to the attachment 32 are faced to each other in a vertical direction. in the attachments 32, 32, the connector 32a and guide rails 32b of the upper attachment 32 are directed downward, while the connected 32a and guide rails 32 b of the lower attachment are directed upward. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted to the attachments by slide movement along the guide rails. the two battery packs 41, 41 are positioned at a central portion of the rear end housing 31 in a left-and-right direction. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the same useful effect as in the foregoing modifications is obtainable. the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 6: as shown in fig. 15 , the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted on the rear portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the opposed wall surfaces of battery packs 41, 41 are widely spaced at their rear portions. namely, the battery packs 41, 41 observed fron the above are mounted in the form of a letter of . with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the space between the opposed walls surfaces can be determined more than 15 mm to facilitate removal of the battery packs. thus, the operability for detachment of the battery packs is improved. the same useful effect as in the modification 2 is obtainable. in this modification 6, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 7: as shown in fig. 16 , one of the battery packs 41 is vertically mounted to the back portion of rear end housing 31, while the other battery pack 41 is horizontally mounted to the bottom portion of rear end housing 31. the former battery pack 41 is mounted in place by downward slide movement, while the latter battery pack 41 is mounted in place by forward movement. the two battery packs 41 are placed at a central portion in a left-and-right direction of rear end housing 31. the former battery pack 41 may be arranged to be mounted by slide movement in a left-and-right direction. as shown in fig. 17 , the latter battery pack 41 may be arranged to be mounted also by slide movement in the left-and-right direction. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the same useful effect as in the foregoing modifications is obtainable. in this modification 7, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 8: as shown in fig. 18 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted in parallel to the bottom portion of rear end housing 31. the two attachments 32, 32 are provided in parallel within the bottom portion of rear end housing 31. the guide rails 32b, 32 extending in a left-and-right direction are provided at both sides of the connector 32a of each attachment 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by rightward slide movement along the guide rails 32. thus, the two battery packs 41, 41 are placed at a central portion of the left-and-right direction. in this modification, the rear end housing 31 is provided with a battery pack container 34 enclosing the periphery of battery packs 41 as in the modification 1. as described above, the container 34 is useful to prevent adherence of contaminant and to cover a portion of the battery packs exposed to ground when the frame rod 11 of the brush cutter is placed on the support surface s. the container 34 is also useful to prevent damage of the battery packs caused by impact. preferably, the battery pack container 34 used as a protector is made of thick sheet metal for enhance of strength. in this modification 8, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the center of gravity g of the brush cutter observed from the back side in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support surface is positioned under a centerline ch extending laterally at height h in a vertical direction to adjust the balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction and to prevent inclination of the brush cutter in the left-and-right direction. the embodiments described in the modifications 9, 10, 11, and 13 are not according to the invention. modification 9: as shown in fig. 19 , the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in parallel to the bottom of rear end housing 31 in a left-and-right direction, and the two attachments 32, 32 are mounted in parallel to the bottom of rear end housing 31. the pair of guide rails 32b, 32 extends in a fore-and-aft direction at the both sides of each connector 32a of the attachments 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by forward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, the center of gravity g of the brush cutter observed from the back side in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support surface is positioned under a centerline ch extending laterally at height h in a vertical direction to adjust the balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction and to prevent inclination of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction. thus, the same useful effect as in the modification 2 is obtainable. in this modification 9, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification. modification 10: as shown in fig. 20 , the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in parallel to a bottom portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the mounting sides of battery packs 41 to the attachment 32 are faced to each other. the two attachments 32, 32 are mounted in parallel to the bottom portion of rear end housing 31 in a left-and-right direction. the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b extending in a fore-and-aft direction is provided at the both sides of each connector 32a of the attachments 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by forward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the center of gravity g of the brush cutter observed from the back side in a condition where the frame rod was placed on a horizontal support surface is positioned under a centerline ch extending laterally at height h in a vertical direction to adjust the balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction and prevent inclination of the brush cutter in the left-and-right direction. the same useful effect as in the modification 2 is obtainable. in this modification 10, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 11: as shown in fig. 21 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted to the opposite sides of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the mounting sides of battery packs 41 to the attachments 32 are opposed to each other. the attachments 32 of battery packs 41 are vertically mounted to the both sides of rear end housing 31, and the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b is provided vertically at the both sides of each connector 32a of attachments 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by downward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, each center of gravity g1 of the battery packs 41 is positioned at the both sides of a vertical centerline cw to adjust balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction. in this modification 11, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 12: as shown in fig 22 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted in parallel to the left side of rear end housing 31. the attachments 32, 32 of battery packs 41, 41 are mounted vertically to the left side of rear end housing 31. the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b is provided vertically at the both side of each connector 32a of the attachments 32. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by downward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b. in the brush cutter described above, each center of gravity of battery packs 41, 41 is not positioned in the extent r and is not positioned at both sides of the vertical centerline cw. the function and effect except for the center of gravity is the same as in the foregoing modifications. in this modification 12, the battery pack container 34 and resilient means 35 may be provided at the modification 1. modification 13: as shown in fig. 23 (a) and (b) , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted in parallel on the upper portion of rear end housing 31. the attachments 32, 32 of battery packs 41, 41 are also mounted in parallel on the upper portion of rear end housing 31. the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b is provided in a fore-and-aft direction at the both sides of each connector 32a of attachments 32. thus, the battery packs 41 is mounted in place by forward slide movement along the guide rails 32b. in such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, each center of gravity g1 of battery packs 41, 41 is positioned at the both sides of vertical center line cw to adjust balance of the brush cutter in a left-and-right direction. the same useful effect as in the modification 2 is obtainable. in this modification 13, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 14: as shown in fig. 24 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted in parallel in a fore-and-aft direction on the upper portion of rear end housing 31. the two attachments 32, 32 are also mounted in parallel in a fore-and-aft direction on the rear end housing 31. the pair of guide rails 32b, 32b is provided at the both sides of each connector 32a of attachments. thus, the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in place by rightward slide movement along the guide rails 32b, 32b. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the same useful effect as in the foregoing modifications is obtainable. the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 may be provided as in the modification 1. modification 15: as shown in fig. 25 , the battery packs 41, 41 may be mounted in parallel in a fore-and-aft direction on the upper portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the battery packs are raised at their rear portions to be inclined forward. in this modification, the front and rear attachments 32, 32 and guide rails 32b, 32b are also mounted in parallel on the upper portion of rear end housing 31 in such a manner that the attachments 32, 32 are raised at their rear portions to be inclined forward. with such arrangement of the battery packs 41, 41, the same useful effect as in the foregoing modifications is obtainable. in this modification 15, the battery pack container 34 and resilient member 35 maybe provided at in the modification 1. although in the brush cutter 10, the two battery packs 41, 41 are used as the source of power supply, the present invention is not limited to use of the two battery packs and may be adapted to battery packs more than three battery packs. although in the brush cutter 10 described above, the two battery packs 41, 41 are electrically connected in series with the electric motor 22 for supply of high power, the two battery packs 41, 41 may be electrically connected in parallel with the electric motor 22 for supply of power for a long period of time. a control circuit may be provided to select the series connection or the parallel connection to the electric motor 22. although the handle 52 of the brush cutter 10 is in the form of u-letter shape observed from the backside, the handle may be in the form of a loop-handle connected to an intermediate portion of the frame rod 11. similarly, the handle may be replaced with a grip larger in thickness than the frame rod 11. as in the foregoing embodiments, the battery packs 41 are mounted in an appropriate position in such a manner that the center of gravity g of brush cutter 10 is located at an appropriate position without the position of the handle (or the grip). although in the brush cutter 10, the two battery packs 41, 41 are mounted to the rear end housing 31, the two battery packs 41, 41 not according to the invention may be mounted to the frame rod 11 or the front end housing 21. alternatively, the battery pack 41 not according to the invention may be mounted to the front end housing 21 and the rear end housing 31, respectively. in the case that the battery packs 41 not according to the invention are mounted to the frame rod 11, it is preferable in operability that the battery packs are mounted under the handle 52. although in the brush cutter 10, the battery pack 41 of nominal 18 v is used, a large size (high voltage) or a small size (low voltage) battery pack may be used. although in the above embodiment, two battery packs of the same size and the same weight are used, a battery pack of different size and weight may be used in an appropriate combination. further, in the case that a plurality of battery packs is connected in series, it is preferable to provide a battery controller for controlling each voltage of the battery packs. in the case that a battery controller and a motor controller are united to reduce the number of component parts, the occupation space and required wiring, the same microcomputer may be adapted to control operation of the electric motor and voltage of the battery packs 41. alternatively, the battery controller may be separately provided to control operation of the electric motor 22 and to control the voltage of the battery packs. as shown in fig. 26 , it is preferable to provide the battery controller (united with or separated from the motor controller) in a position a adjacent the mounting position of the battery packs 41 thereby to shorten the wiring to the battery packs. in the case that the battery controller (united with or separated from the motor controller) is provided in a position b adjacent an air suction opening 31a, the battery controller is cooled by the outside air. the battery controller may be provided in a passage of air caused by operation of a cooling fan driven by the electric motor 22 within the front end housing 21. in such a case, the battery controller is provided in a passage communicating the air suction opening 31a of rear end housing 31 with the cooling fan through the frame rod 11 or a passage of air discharged from the front end housing 21 in operation of the cooling fan. although in the brush cutter 10, the electric motor 22 is mounted within the front end housing 21, the electric motor 22 may be mounted within the rear end housing 31 and connected to the rotary cutter 25 through a driving shaft disposed in the frame rod 11. although in the brush cutter 10, the motor controller is provided within the rear end housing 31, the motor controller may be provided with the electric motor 22 within the front end housing 21. in the case that the two battery packs 41, 41 in the brush cutter 10 are connected in series, the electric motor 22 would not be activated if one of the battery packs was damaged or fully discharged. it is, therefore, preferable to provide an indicator of remaining power of each battery pack 41. the indicator is in the form of an indication panel 60 indicating an amount of remaining power or charge of each battery pack by plural bars. it is preferable that the indication panel 60 is positioned to be visually recognized by a user when the battery packs 41 are mounted in place. in the case that as shown in fig. 27(a) , the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted vertically in parallel to the back portion of rear end housing 31, the indication panels 60, 60 are mounted to the left side wall of rear end housing 31. in the case that as shown in fig. 27(b) , the battery packs 41, 41 are mounted in parallel in a fore-and-aft direction on the upper portion of rear end housing 31, the indication panels 60, 60 are mounted to the left side or upper wall of rear end housing 31 in a fore-and-aft direction. with such arrangement of the indication panels 60, 60, the remaining power or charge of the battery packs 41, 41 indicated on the panels 60, 60 can be visually confirmed at once by a user. it is, also, preferable that the indication panels 60 are provided in the same direction as that of battery packs 41, 41 on the upper wall of rear end housing 31 to facilitate visual recognition in use of the brush cutter 10. although in the indiciation panel 60, the remaining power of each battery pack is indicated by the plural bars, a color or flashing speed of lamps or an alarm tone may be adapted to inform the user of situation of the battery packs.
049-150-968-867-434	IE	[ "EP", "US", "WO", "AT", "IE", "DE", "AU" ]	G01R1/22,G01R15/18	1996-03-01T00:00:00	1996	[ "G01" ]	apparatus for measuring a.c. current in a cable	an apparatus for measuring an a.c. current flowing in an electric cable comprises a pair of jaws for receiving the cable and which are movable towards one another to engage the opposite sides of the cable. a potentiometer generates a signal ("cable size signal") corresponding to the relative positions of the jaws. a set of coils is provided adjacent the jaws to detect the magnetic field generated by current flowing in the cable. a circuit in the housing is responsive to the cable size signal and the voltage induced in the coil for determining the amplitude of the current flowing in the cable and displaying the same on a display.	an apparatus for measuring an a.c. current flowing in an electric cable (20), the apparatus comprising cable receiving means having relatively movable cable contacting elements (52, 54) which are adjustable to engage the periphery of the cable, means (66) for generating a signal, herein called a cable size signal, corresponding to the relative positions of the cable contacting elements, a first coil (30) adjacent the cable contacting elements (52, 54) to detect the magnetic field generated by current flowing in the cable, and circuit means (88) responsive to the cable size signal and the voltage induced in the first coil for determining the amplitude of the current flowing in the cable, characterised by a second coil (34) on the opposite side of the first coil (30) to the cable contacting elements (52, 54), the first (30) and second (34) coils having substantially parallel axes, and the circuit means (88) being responsive to the cable size signal and the difference between the voltages induced in the first and second coils for determining the amplitude of the current flowing in the cable. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable receiving means has two opposing cable contacting elements (52, 54) which are adjustable towards and away from one another to engage opposite sides of the cable periphery. an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opposing cable contacting elements (52, 54) are spring biased (60) one towards the other so that when a cable (20) is placed in the cable receiving means the two cable contacting elements automatically move to engage the cable. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for generating the cable size signal comprises a potentiometer (66) which is driven by movement of the cable receiving means. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including manually settable multi-position input means (84) for indicating any one of a number of standard cable types, the circuit means (88) further being responsive to the said indication for determining the amplitude of the current(s) flowing in the cable. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first (30) and second (34) coils have substantially the same number of ampere turns and are connected in series in phase opposition and the circuit means (88) is responsive to the output voltage of the series-connected first and second coils. an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including third (300) and fourth (340) coils located close to the first (30) and second (34) coils respectively, the first and third coils having substantially orthogonal axes and the second and fourth coils having substantially orthogonal axes, and wherein the circuit means (88) is further responsive to the difference between the voltages induced in the third and fourth coils. an apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first (30) and second (34) coils have substantially the same number of ampere turns and are connected in series in phase opposition, wherein the third (300) and fourth (340) coils have substantially the same number of ampere turns and are connected in series in phase opposition, and wherein the circuit means (88) is responsive to the output voltage of the series-connected first and second coils and to the output voltage of the series-connected third and fourth coils. an apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first (30) and third (300) coils are disposed one within the other and the second (34) and fourth (340) coils are disposed one within the other. an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein in respect of the or each coil (30, 34, 300, 340) there is a corresponding similarly positioned and orientated coil (30', 34', 300', 340') on the diametrically opposite side of the cable (20), the circuit means (88) being responsive to the sum of the voltages induced in the coils, or arrangements of coils, on each side of the cable.	field of the invention this invention relates to an apparatus for measuring an alternating current flowing in an electric cable, for example an a.c. mains cable. background to the invention amperes law states that the integral of the magnetic field around a closed loop surrounding a current source is equal to the current enclosed. this is the principle used in conventional one wire current probes and the method of measurement is shown in fig. 1. a magnetic material 10 completely surrounds a current carrying wire 12 and a coil 14 having a large number of turns of wire is wound uniformly on the magnetic material 10. the voltage induced in the coil 14 is directly proportional to the current i flowing in the wire 12 that the magnetic material 10 encloses. this type of probe has the advantage that any other current carrying wire outside the probe induces no voltage in it and a relatively large voltage is induced in it from the single current carrying wire it surrounds. however, it cannot readily be used to measure current in cables that have more than one current carrying wire, for example, a two or three wire cable, as the current that flows out in one wire returns in the other(s) and so the current enclosed is zero and no voltage will be induced in the coil 14. this would entail removing the outer layer of the cable so that an individual wire can be separated sufficiently to place the probe around it. in the vast majority of single phase wiring, however, two or three wire cables are used with no ready access to a single wire. it is an object of the apparatus to provide an apparatus for measuring the current flowing in an electric cable where the cable has more than one current-carrying wire, for example oval or round cables having two wires or two wires and earth, and where currents nominally of equal amplitude flow in opposite directions along the cable. ep-a-0 233 756 discloses a current probe having a handle and a ring of magnetisable material for positioning around a conductor. the ring is split into a pair of relatively slidable halves which can admit and close around a conductor. damping means are provided to control the closing of the ring. the ring may include a hall chip to allow current to be measured using the hall effect. gb-a-2 225 438 discloses a sensor comprising a first coil in the magnetic field of a current-carrying conductor and an amplifier connected to the output of the first coil. a second coil is connected to the amplifier output and the magnetic field produced by the current in this second coil opposes the magnetic field produced by the current-carrying conductor in the region of the first coil. us-a-5 151 649 discloses an apparatus in which two groups of magnetic field transducers are situated at a known distance from one another and are shielded from electric fields. each group has three transducers oriented in the three orthogonal directions, and readings from all six transducers are in made in rapid succession to evaluate the current in an electrical conductor near the apparatus. a microprocessor performs computations to allow the current in the conductor to be measured with compensation for the orientation and positioning of the conductor. summary of the invention this object is met by the invention claimed in claim 1. us 5 473 244 discloses an apparatus according to the pre-characterising part of claim 1. however, it does not disclose a second coil on the opposite side of the first coil to the cable contacting elements as provided by the characterising part of claim 1. as described herein, the use of a second coil significantly reduces errors which may occur due to the presence of other current sources in the vicinity of the cable. in this specification the axis of a coil means that direction relative to the coil which, when orientated parallel to the lines of force of a fluctuating magnetic field passing through the coil, would provide the maximum induced voltage in the coil for that magnetic field. brief description of the drawings embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, in which: fig. 1, previously described, illustrates a prior art technique of current measurement in one wire cables, fig. 2 illustrates the magnetic field around a pair of wires carrying equal amplitude currents flowing in opposite directions, fig. 3 is a coordinate system showing the components of magnetic field parallel to perpendicular axes, figs. 4 to 7 show various arrangements for determining the current flowing in a two-wire flat or oval cable, whereby the arrangements according to figs. 4 and 6 are not according to the invention, fig. 8 shows an arrangement for determining the current flowing in a round cable also not according to the invention, fig. 9 shows the construction of a pair of orthogonal coils, fig. 10 is a block circuit diagram of an embodiment of the invention for measuring the current in an a.c. mains cable, fig. 11 shows a housing containing the circuit of fig. 10, fig. 12 shows details of the spring-biassed calliper of fig. 11, fig. 13 is a detailed view of the arrangement of the orthogonal coils inside the jaws of the calliper of fig. 10, fig. 14 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of an alternative housing to that shown in fig. 11 with the jaws open, and fig. 15 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of the housing of fig. 12 with the jaws closed. detailed description of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings, fig. 2 shows the magnetic field lines in a plane normal to the two wires 16 and 18 of a two-wire flat or (as shown) oval mains cable 20 with a current i flowing out in one wire 16 and returning in the other wire 18 (substantially the same field will occur for the current-carrying conductors of two-wire and earth cables, since normally the earth wire will not carry current). it is apparent that at points on the major axis of the wires (i.e. the notional straight line 22 passing through the centres of the two wires) the magnetic field is perpendicular to the major axis 22 and in the same direction at both sides of the cable 20, whereas at points along the minor axis of the wires (i.e. the notional straight line 24 passing midway between two wires and normal to the major axis 22) the magnetic field is parallel to the minor axis 24. however, at points such as the point p which is neither on the major axis or the minor axis, the direction of the magnetic field will be a function of the angle theta between the minor axis 24 and the notional line 26 joining the point p to the origin o, which is the point midway between the two wires where the major and minor axes intersect. the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field at any such point p may be derived as follows. in fig. 3, rectangular and polar coordinate systems have been established with their origin at o midway between the two wires. the x- and y-axes of the rectangular coordinate system are along the major and minor axes 22 and 24 respectively. it can be shown that the x and y components of the magnetic field, i.e. hx and hy, are given by: the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field may be derived from: and the result is: it is found that \|h\| is a maximum when theta = 90 degrees and is given by: and is a minimum when theta = 0 degrees and is given by: however, if the distance r of the point p from the origin o is substantially greater than the distance d between the two wires 16 and 18, the bracketed expression in both equations 5 and 6 becomes close to one. thus, as one moves the point p around the origin o at a constant distance r, the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field may be assumed to be a constant value given by: for example, for r greater than or equal to 3d, the actual value of \|h\| will vary by less than plus or minimum 3% from the value given by equation 7 as the point p moves around the origin. thus, for r substantially greater than d, the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field is proportional to the amplitude of the current i and the spacing d between the wires 16 and 18 and is inversely proportional to r squared. accordingly, if d and r are known, the current i can be calculated from the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field. where the orientation of the two wires is known, such as in the case of a flat or oval cable, then the direction of the magnetic field is known and a single coil can be used to determine \|h\|. an arrangement for doing this is shown in fig. 4. in fig. 4 (not according to the invention) a single coil 30 is located on the major axis 22 of the cable 20. since it is known (fig. 2) that on the major axis 22 the lines of force of the magnetic field generated by the wires 16 and 18 are normal to the major axis 22 and in a plane normal to the cable 20, the axis 32 of the coil 30 is likewise orientated substantially normal to the major axis 22 and in a plane substantially normal to the cable 20 so as to be aligned parallel to the lines of magnetic force and thereby provide maximum coupling of the magnetic field with the coil. in other words, the coil axis 32 is aligned parallel to the y-axis (fig. 3) since on the major axis 22 of the cable there is no x-component of the magnetic field. the axis 32 of the coil is a known distance r from the midpoint between the wires 16 and 18. in order to take advantage of the approximation afforded by equation 7, r is preferably substantially greater than, and most preferably at least three times, the distance d between the wires 16 and 18 (the distance d is known for different standard cable sizes and types and can be determined from manufacturers' published specifications). the voltage v1 induced in the coil 30 will be proportional to the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field and the number of ampere-turns of the coil (for simplicity the coil 30 is represented in fig. 4 as a simple square, although in actuality the coil 30 will consist of multiple turns of wire to provide a relatively large induced voltage). since the magnitude \|h\| is itself proportional to the current i in the cable 20 (equation 7), the current i can be derived by simple calculation from the induced voltage together with the known values of r and d. the induced voltage v1 is therefore amplified in an amplifier which is tuned to the mains frequency in question (to minimise noise effects) and this amplified voltage may be analog to digital converted and used to determine the current i. a disadvantage with the use of a single coil 30 to determine the cable current i is that it will also pick up the magnetic field from other current sources in its vicinity. the effect of current in adjacent cables may be reduced by placing a second coil 34 (fig. 5) on the major axis 22 of the cable 20. this coil 34 is located on the opposite side of the coil 30 to the cable 20, and has substantially the same number of ampere-turns as the coil 30 and has its axis 36 aligned substantially parallel to the axis 32 of the coil 30. the coils 30 and 34 are connected in series in phase opposition, so that the output voltage of the series connected coils supplied to the tuned amplifier is the difference (v1-v2) between the individual voltages v1 and v2 induced in the coils 30 and 34. since the coil 30 is closer to the cable 20 than is the coil 34, the voltage induced in the coil 30 by the current in the cable 20 will be greater than the voltage induced in the coil 34 by the current in the cable 20, because the magnetic field falls off with distance by a factor 1/r 2 from the cable (equation 7). thus, when the voltages v1 and v2 induced in the coils 30 and 34 are subtracted (by the coils being connected in phase opposition) the voltage induced in the coil 34 by the current in the cable 20 will only cancel a portion of the voltage induced in the coil 30 by the current in the cable 20. however, for an interfering current source which is some way away, the voltages induced in the coils 30 and 34 by the remote current source will be almost the same and so when the voltages v1 and v2 are subtracted the voltages induced by the remote current source will substantially cancel. for example, for coil 30 a distance of 1 cm from the centre of the cable 20 and coil 34 a distance of 2 cm from the same centre, the voltage induced in the coil 34 by the cable 20 will be only 1/4 that induced in the coil 30 by the cable 20, so that upon subtraction of v2 from v1 there still remains 3/4 of the voltage induced in the coil 34 by the cable 20. however, for an interfering cable of the same type and carrying the same current as the cable 20 and which is located 10 cm away from the coil 30, the voltage induced in coil 30 is only about 1/100th of that induced by the cable 20 itself, and this is further reduced when v1 and v2 are subtracted so that only about 1/500th of the difference voltage (v1-v2) can be attributed to the interfering source. in each of figs. 4 and 5, the sensitivity of the arrangement may be doubled by providing a duplicate coil arrangement on the diametrically opposite side of the cable 20. thus, in fig. 6, which is a development of fig. 4 and is also not according to the invention, a second coil 30' has been located on the major axis 22 of the cable 20 on the opposite side to the coil 30 and at the same distance r from the cable 20 as the coil 30. the coil 30' has substantially the same number of ampere-turns as the coil 30 and the axis 32' of the coil 30' is substantially parallel to the axis 32 of the coil 30. the coils 30 and 30' are connected in series in the same phase, so that the individual voltages v1 and v1' induced into them by the cable 20 are added together to produce a net output (v1 +v1') to the tuned amplifier. similarly, in fig. 7, which is a development of fig. 5, both coils 30 and 34 have been duplicated on the opposite side of the cable 20. all four coils 30, 34, 30' and 34' have substantially the same number of ampere-turns and their axes are substantially parallel. the coil 30' is at the same distance from the cable 20 as the coil 30 and the coil 34' is at the same distance from the cable 20 as the coil 34. in this case all four coils are connected in series, with coils 30 and 30' connected in the same phase and coils 34 and 34' also connected in the same phase but in phase opposition to the coils 30 and 30'. thus the net output to the tuned amplifier is [(v1+v1')-(v2+v2')]. heretofore we have dealt with the case of flat or oval cables in which the orientation of the wires, and hence the major axis 22, can be deduced from the exterior appearance of the cable. however, in the case of round cables the orientation of the pair of current carrying wires 16, 18 is unknown and so at any given point p the direction of the magnetic field is unknown. it has been shown (equation 7) that, provided the distance r of the point p from the mid-point between the wires 16, 18 is substantially greater than the distance d between the wires the total magnetic field is a constant related to the current i even though the direction changes as we move around the pair of wires. it is therefore necessary, in the case of round cables, to determine separately the magnitude of the x and y components hx, hy of the magnetic field and perform the operation shown in equation 3 to determine the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field. thus, in fig. 8, which is a development of fig. 4 and is also not according to the invention, a further coil 300 is located close to the coil 30. as before, the axis 32 of the coil 30 is located in a plane normal to the round cable 20' and substantially perpendicular to a notional straight line 40 passing through the centre 42 of the cable 20' and the coil 30 (in this case we cannot refer to major and minor axes as we have no knowledge of the orientation of the current-carrying wires 16, 18). as before, the distance from the axis 32 of the coil 30 to the centre 42 of the cable 20' is at least three times the distance between the wires 16 and 18 (the fact that the point 42 is not exactly between the wires 16 and 18 does not make a significant difference to equation 7). the coil 300 has substantially the same number of ampere turns as the coil 30 and is located at substantially the same distance from the cable 20' as the coil 30 and at substantially the same angular position around the cable 20' as the coil 30. like the axis 32 of the coil 30, the axis 320 of the coil 300 is also located in a plane normal to the cable 20' but is substantially orthogonal to the axis of the coil 30 (i.e. it lies substantially along or closely parallel to the notional line 40). the voltages vx and vy induced in the coils 300 and 30 respectively are proportional to the magnitudes of the x and y components of the magnetic field produced by the wires 16, 18 in the cable 20', and are supplied to substantially identical tuned amplifiers. the outputs of the amplifiers can be analog to digital converted and processed to perform the operation: and v is directly proportional to the current i in the cable 20'. as noted above, not only does the coil 300 have to be located at substantially the same distance from the cable 20' as the coil 30 and at substantially the same angular position around the cable 20' as the coil 30, but it also has to be close to the coil 20'. this is due to the fact that in round cables the orientation of the two current carrying wires 16, 18 changes as one moves along the cable in a spiralling fashion. it is therefore not possible to place the orthogonal coil 300 alongside the original coil 30 a little further along the length of the cable as the orientation of the magnetic field will have changed. it is therefore necessary that both coils be located at the same longitudinal position along the cable as far as possible. this is most easily accomplished, as shown in fig. 9, by winding the coils 30 and 300 on similar hollow rectangular bobbins 200 so that the coil 300 fits in the coil 30, or vice versa. for example, we have constructed orthogonal coils as shown in fig. 9 where each bobbin 200 has external dimensions of 12mm x 17mm x 7mm and an aperture measuring 7mm x 12mm so that one bobbin may be inserted endwise snugly within the aperture of the other so that the axes 32, 320 of the coils substantially intersect at the centre of the bobbins. each coil consisted of 682 turns of 38 awg wire 210 filling each bobbin channel which measured 6mm x 2mm. of course, if the current carrying wires do not spiral along the length of the cable, one could place the coil 300 further along the cable. as will be understood, in the case of round cables where the orientation of the current carrying wires in unknown, the arrangements shown in figs. 5, 6 and 7 will also need a respective additional coil, similar to the coil 300, closely associated with each of the original coils 30, 30', 34 and 34'. each such additional coil will have substantially the same number of ampere turns as the original coil with which it is associated, and be located at substantially the same distance from the cable 20' as the associated original coil and at substantially the same angular position around the cable 20' as the associated original coil. however, its axis will be orientated in the plane normal to the cable 20' substantially orthogonally to the axis of the associated original coil (i.e. passing substantially through the centre of the cable). the additional coils will be connected in the same phase relationships as their associated original coils. each additional coil and the original coil with which it is associated is preferably formed as an orthogonal pair as shown in fig. 9. the net voltage output vx of the additional coils (which is proportional to the x component of the magnetic field) and the net voltage output vy of the original coils (which is proportional to the y component of the magnetic field) are fed to respective substantially identical tuned amplifiers, and the outputs of the tuned amplifiers can be analog to digital converted and processed according to equation 9 to determine v which is directly proportional to the current i in the cable 20'. figs. 10 to 13 illustrate an embodiment of the invention for measuring the current in a 50 hz a.c. mains cable, based on the principles discussed above. a hand-held housing 50 (fig. 11) has a pair of calliper-like jaws 52, 54 for receiving a cable (although the cable is shown as a round cable 20', the apparatus will work equally well with a flat or oval cable). the jaw 52 is formed at the upper end of a lever 56 which is pivoted at 58 to the main body of the housing 50, so that the jaw 52 is movable towards and away from the jaw 54 which is fixed to the main body of the housing. a compression spring 60 (fig. 12) biasses the bottom end of the lever 56 in a clockwise direction (as seen in fig. 11) so that the jaws 52, 54 tend to close. however, the jaws may be opened by squeezing the lower end of the lever 56 against the bias of the spring 60, for which purpose finger holds 62 are provided. an arcuate portion 64 of the lever 56 drives a potentiometer 66 via gears 68. thus the setting of the potentiometer 66 is a direct measure of the degree of opening of the jaws 52, 54. in use the lever 56 is squeezed to open the jaws 52, 54, a cable 20 or 20' is inserted between the jaws, and the lever 56 released to allow the jaws 52, 54 to automatically move together to contact the opposite sides of the periphery of the cable. thus the setting of the potentiometer 66 gives the diameter of the cable. the inside of the jaws may be lightly serrated to prevent cable slippage. two pairs of orthogonal coils 70 constructed as described with reference to fig. 9 are mounted on each side of the jaws. these comprise a first set of four coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' as described in relation to fig. 7, and a second set of four coils 300, 300', 340 and 340' each respectively forming an orthogonal pair 70 (fig. 13) with a respective coil 30, 30', 34 and 34' of the first set. all eight coils (two in each orthogonal pair) have substantially the same number of ampere-turns. as seen in fig. 13, the orthogonal pairs 70 all lie substantially along a common notional line 420 passing through the centre of the cable 20', and each pair 70 is of substantially identical construction. the axes of the coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' are substantially parallel, being substantially normal to the line 420 and lying in a substantially common plane normal to the cable 20'. the axes of the coils 300, 300', 340 and 340' all lie substantially along the notional line 420. the distance from the cable contacting inner edge of the jaw 54 to the orthogonal pair 30/300 is substantially the same as the distance from the cable contacting inner edge of the jaw 52 to the orthogonal pair 30'/300'. likewise, the distance from the cable contacting inner edge of the jaw 54 to the orthogonal pair 34/340 is substantially the same as the distance from the cable contacting inner edge of the jaw 52 to the orthogonal pair 34'/340'. it will be understood that fig. 13 does not show the jaws 52, 54 themselves, but rather the orthogonal pairs 70 are shown mounted on printed circuit boards (pcbs) 52', 54' which are respectively mounted in the upper end of the lever 56 and in the upper end of the housing 50. the ends of the coils 300, 340, 300' and 340' are located in cut-outs in the pcbs and connections to the coils are made by flying leads. alternatively, it is possible to build metal feet into the bobbins so that they may be directly mounted on the pcbs. in order to take advantage of the approximation afforded by equation 7, the distance between the axis of each of the coils 30 and 30' and the centre of the cable, when the latter is located between and in contact with the inner edges of the jaws 52 and 54, is preferably at least three times the distance between the current-carrying wires of the cable for the range of cable diameters for which the apparatus is designed. the coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' are connected in series and, provided a 1 or 2 wire select switch 84 is in its 2-wire position, the coils 30 and 30' are connected in the same phase and coils 34 and 34' are also connected in the same phase but in phase opposition to the coils 30 and 30' (i.e. the coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' are connected in the manner described with reference to fig. 7). for the moment it will be assumed that the switch 84 is in the 2 wire position. the coils 300, 300', 340 and 340' are also connected in series in the manner described with reference to fig. 7, with coils 300 and 300' being connected in the same phase and coils 340 and 340' also connected in the same phase but in phase opposition to the coils 300 and 300'. the net induced voltage vx in the series-connected coils 300, 300', 340 and 340' (representing the x component of the magnetic field generated by the current i in the cable 20') is supplied to a first analog hybrid circuit 80, and the net induced voltage vy in the series-connected coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' (representing the y component of the magnetic field) is supplied to a second substantially identical analog hybrid circuit 82. in each circuit 80 and 82 the voltage signal is first passed through a respective programmable gain stage 86. these stages 86 are under the control of a microcontroller 88 via signals from the microcontroller input/output ports 89 and have eight different settings, although for any given measurement the same gain is set for the stages 86 in each circuit 80, 82. in some circumstances the voltages from the coils could saturate the following processing circuitry, and the stages 86 allow the voltage to be brought within acceptable limits. next each voltage signal passes through two bandpass filter stages 90, 92 connected in series and each providing a 50hz bandpass filter and 35db of gain. next the signal passes through a full-wave rectifier 94 which rectifies the amplified 50hz signal and finally a low pass filter 96 which converts the full wave rectified signal to a dc signal with two stages of filters. the analog output signal from each circuit 80, 82 is a dc voltage which is proportional to the magnetic field component (hx or hy) detected by the corresponding set of coils. these dc signals are then fed into the a to d inputs 98, 100 of the microcontroller 88. another a to d input 102 of the microcontroller 88 also receives an analog voltage from a cable diameter measuring circuit 104 which is essentially a simple circuit for converting the resistance setting of the potentiometer 66 to a corresponding voltage. the magnitude of this voltage is therefore a signal identifying to the microcontroller 88 the diameter of the cable 20'. finally, the microcontroller 88 also receives an input from a control switch 106. this can be manually set to any selected one of a plurality of positions, for example oval wire twin, oval wire t&e, round wire twin or round wire t&e, respectively corresponding to different standard cable types. the selected position indicates to the microprocessor the particular type of cable which is under measurement. software stored in the program memory 108 of the microcontroller 88 performs the calculation according to equation 8 to determine the voltage v which is proportional to the magnitude \|h\| of the magnetic field generated by the cable 20'. by substitution in equation 7 and re-arrangement: where k is a calibration constant determined by the coil parameters and the gain of the circuits 80 and 82. since the coils are fixed in position relative to the jaws 52, 54 the distance r is determined by the diameter d of the cable. thus all that the microprocessor 88 needs to know in order to calculate the current i in the cable is the distance d between the current carrying wires 16, 18. this it can deduce in response to the signal from the control switch 106 in combination with the voltage signal corresponding to the setting of the potentiometer 66. the former gives the cable type, e.g. round or oval twin or t&e, and the latter gives the diameter of the cable. as mentioned before, these two uniquely determine the distance d for a large range of different standard cable sizes and types. thus the microprocessor 88 has all the information it needs to calculate the current; this simple calculation is performed in the software in the program memory 108 and the result is displayed on a liquid crystal or other display screen 109 driven by the microcontroller 88 via a display driver 110. the knob of the control switch 106 is removable and when it is a calibration switch position is exposed. this position may be accessed by using a screwdriver or pliers to turn the switch. the apparatus is calibrated automatically by placing the main control switch in the calibration position and following the display prompts. to avoid the use of calibration potentiometers and their inherent problems all calibration constants are kept in a non-volatile eeprom 112. in the case of oval wires, the apparatus is preferably calibrated for the oval wire having its major axis vertically between the jaws 52, 54 (as seen in fig. 11) since a more secure grip is obtained. however, it could be calibrated for the oval wire having its minor axis vertically between the jaws. a single pp3 battery (not shown) is used to power the apparatus. returning now to the 1 or 2 wire select switch 84, the preceding description assumed that the switch 84 was in the 2-wire position, so that the coils 30 and 30' are connected in the same phase and the coils 34 and 34' are also connected in the same phase but connected in phase opposition to the coils 30 and 30', as described for fig. 7. this enabled the apparatus to measure the current in cables having two current carrying wires, as described. however, it is also desirable that the apparatus be capable of measuring the current flowing in cables with only a single current carrying wire. in such a case the magnetic field on diametrically opposite sides of the cable is equal but in opposite directions, as compared to the case shown in fig. 2 where on the axis 22 the magnetic field is in the same direction on each side of the cable. therefore, with the coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' connected in the manner of fig. 7 the voltage induced in the coils 30 and 34 would cancel the voltage induced in the coils 30' and 34' and no measurement could be made. therefore, to allow a measurement to be made for single wire cables, the switch 84 can be switched over to the 1-wire position wherein the coils 30 and 34' are connected in the same phase and the coils 30' and 34 are also connected in the same phase but in phase opposition to the coils 30 and 34' (the switch 84 may be a simple cross-over switch). in this case the output of the coils 30, 30', 34 and 34' is (using the symbology of fig. 7) equal to [(v1-v2)-(v1'-v2')]. however, since v1=-v1' and v2=-v2' (because of the oppositely directed magnetic fields on each side of the cable) this reduces to [2\|v1\|-2\|v2\|] which is proportional to the current i in the cable. this is processed by the circuit 82 and microprocessor in the manner described to give a reading of the current i on the display 109. it will be noted that in the 1-wire measurement the output of the coils 300, 300', 340 and 340' is substantially zero as there is no component of the magnetic field passing through those coils. various modifications of the above apparatus are possible. for example, if it were desired that the apparatus only measure the current flowing in oval cables, the orientation of the current carrying wires would be known and one could dispense with the coil set 300, 340, 300' and 340' (which would be equivalent to fig. 7) or the coil set 30, 34, 30' and 34' according to whether the oval cable were orientated with its major or minor axis along the notional line 420 (fig. 13). of course, if one were measuring only oval cables, one could omit the control switch 106. also, if the effect of interfering cables could be ignored, the coils 34, 340, 34' and 340' could be omitted. finally, if desired the coils on one side of the cable could be omitted altogether, for example the coils 30', 300', 34' and 340', since they simply double the sensitivity of the apparatus and do not contain information which is not obtainable from the remaining coils. mechanical modifications to the apparatus are also possible. for example, figures 14 and 15 show a further embodiment of the invention which uses a housing 150 which is an alternative to the housing 50 shown in fig. 11. in figs. 14 and 15 the hand-held housing 150 again has a pair of calliper-like jaws 152, 154 for receiving a cable. the jaw 152 is formed at the upper end of an arm 156 which is pivoted at 158 to the main body of the housing 150 so that the jaw 152 is movable towards and away from the jaw 154 which is fixed to the main body of the housing. a compression spring 160 between the main body of the housing 150 and the arm 156 biasses the arm 156 in a clockwise direction (as seen in figs. 14 and 15) so that the jaws 152, 154 tend to close (fig. 15). however, the jaws may be opened by pushing on a thumb operated trigger 159 integral with the arm 156 against the bias of the spring 160. a linear potentiometer 166 is fixed in the main body of the housing 150, the potentiometer having a slider 167. a flat plate 169 integral with the trigger 159 extends alongside the potentiometer 166, and the slider 167 projects into an aperture 171 in the plate 169. thus movement of the trigger 159, and hence of the arm 156, moves the slider 167 along the potentiometer 166. since the trigger 159 moves along a slightly arcuate path whereas the slider 167 moves along a linear path the aperture 171 is slightly larger than the slider 167 in the radial direction relative to the pivot point 158 to allow relative radial movement between the slider 167 and the plate 171 during movement of the trigger. thus the setting of the potentiometer 166 is a direct measure of the degree of opening of the jaws 152, 154. in use the trigger 159 is pushed into the main body of the housing 150 to open the jaws 152, 154, a cable 20 or 20' is inserted between the jaws, and the trigger released to allow the jaws 152, 154 to automatically move together to contact the opposite sides of the periphery of the cable. thus the setting of the potentiometer 166 gives the diameter of the cable. the inside of the jaws may be lightly serrated to prevent cable slippage. apart from the mechanical construction of the housing 150 and the use of a sliding potentiomenter 166, the arrangement of the coils and the construction and functioning of the electronic processing and display circuitry of the embodiment of figs. 14 and 15 may be the same as already described in relation to figs. 10 and 13. thus these details are not repeated here. in a variation, not shown, of the embodiment of figs. 14 and 15, the arm 156 is opened and closed by a thumb operated slider mounted on the main body of the housing 150. in this embodiment the sliding movement of the slider operates through a cam to causes opening and closing of the jaws 152, 154. in other embodiment, also not shown, instead of the jaws 52, 54 being rotatable one towards the other they could be slidable one towards the other in the manner of micrometer jaws.
049-860-291-483-434	US	[ "US", "WO" ]	A63F13/20,A61B5/00,G16H10/60,A61B5/11,A61B5/16,G16H20/30,G16H40/63,A63F13/45	2013-10-16T00:00:00	2013	[ "A63", "A61", "G16" ]	system for diagnostic and treatment of physical and cognitive capabilities	in one illustrative embodiment, a tele-rehabilitation platform allows patients to play and interact with therapists, caregivers, and other patients. the platform includes a set of computer games, a therapist portal, and a knowledgebase for the storage and analysis of therapy outcomes for specific patients, conditions, and therapy regimes.	1 . a method of monitoring a patient comprising: providing a patient monitoring system comprising an electronic game interface module, a patient management dashboard module, and a patient assessment tool module; prescribing a series of exercises with the patient management dashboard module for the patient to perform using a game interface; electronically monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises with at least one of a motion capture camera and an accelerometer; and determining with the patient assessment tool module, based on said electronic monitoring, the patient's compliance with the prescribed series of exercises. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: performing an assessment of the patient's physical functioning; determining goals for the patient; and determining a baseline functioning status of the patient and deficiencies based in part on the performed assessment of the patient's physical functioning and the determined goals for the patient; wherein the prescribed series of exercises are based on the determined baseline functioning status of the patient and deficiencies. 3 . the method of claim 2 , further comprising: performing a reassessment of the patient's physical functioning; determining a progress status of the patient based on the performed reassessment. 4 . the method of claim 3 , further comprising: revising the determined goals for the patient based on the determined progress status; and prescribing a second series of exercises for the patient to perform using a game interface, the second series of exercises being based on the revised goals. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises with a motion capture camera. 6 . the method of claim 5 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes providing a time in which an exercise is to be completed and determining with the motion capture camera whether the patient performed the exercise in the provided time. 7 . the method of claim 5 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes providing an exercise requiring at least one motion corresponding to at least one of a horizontal motion and a vertical motion, determining with the motion capture camera whether the patient has performed the motion. 8 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying an avatar on the game interface indicating whether the patient has performed the motion, wherein the game interface includes at least one of a horizontal motion icon and a vertical motion icon. 9 . the method of claim 5 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes: displaying an avatar on the game interface; and moving the avatar on the game interface based on a movement of the patient as monitored by the motion capture camera. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes displaying a first target on the game interface, wherein the first target is positioned relative to the avatar such that a therapeutic movement must be performed by the patient to move at least a portion of the avatar to the first target. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance further includes displaying a second target on the game interface, wherein the second target is positioned relative to the first target such that a therapeutic movement must be performed by the patient to move at least a portion of the avatar from the first target to the second target. 12 . the method of claim 1 , wherein electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises with an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is part of an activity monitor. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the game interface includes a multi-player mode configured to allow the patient to engage with a second person. 14 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the game interface is configured to adjust for a physical capability or skill of each player. 15 . a method of categorizing a patient's performance comprising: providing a patient monitoring system comprising an electronic game interface module, a patient management dashboard module, and a patient assessment tool module; assessing the patient's physical functioning using the electronic game interface module and determining with the patient assessment tool module at least one physical function dimension based on said assessment; assessing the patient's cognitive functioning using the electronic game interface module and determining with the patient assessment tool module at least one cognitive function dimension based on said assessment; and assessing the patient's motivation using the electronic game interface module and determining with the patient assessment tool module at least one motivation dimension based on said assessment; wherein at least one of said assessing steps include prescribing a task for the patient to perform and electronically monitoring the patient's performance of the task with a motion capture camera or accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is part of an activity monitor. 16 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one physical function dimension is selected from the group consisting of balance, coordination, range of motion, endurance, and strength. 17 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one cognitive function dimension is selected from the group consisting of reaction time, free and cued recall, sensory/visual deficits, neglect, and comprehension. 18 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one motivation dimension is emotional arousal. 19 . a system for monitoring patient compliance comprising: a display configured to display information relating to a game or exercise for the patient to perform; a motion capture camera; a compliance module in communication with the display and the motion capture camera, wherein the compliance module is configured to receive one or more games or activities to be performed by the patient; wherein the compliance module is configured to determine whether a patient is performing the game or exercise based on a signal received from the motion capture camera; and wherein the compliance module is configured to record at least one of a number of repetitions attempted, a number of repetitions completed, a movement made by the patient, and an accuracy of a movement made by the patient. 20 . the system of claim 19 , further comprising at least one accelerometer, and wherein the accelerometer provides information related to a movement of the patient to the compliance module and the compliance module determines patient compliance at least in part based on the information provided by the accelerometer.	cross-reference to related applications this application claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application 61/891,707, filed oct. 16, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. statement of governmental rights this invention was made with government support under rr025761 awarded by the national institutes of health and 1314130 awarded by the national science foundation. the government has certain rights in the invention. field of the disclosure this disclosure relates to physical rehabilitation. more specifically, this disclosure relates to an interactive tele-rehabilitation platform. background and summary with the rapid aging of the world's population, understanding how to promote health and wellbeing among older adults has become a public health priority. the aging of the population is creating a growing burden on medical professionals, families, and the government, all of whom are challenged with supplying the growing demand for healthcare of this population. early detection of the onset of disease and early intervention are key to managing health in an optimal way. stroke is the number one cause of disability in the united states: 750,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke annually. of these, 400,000 (53%) survive with varying degrees of disability, resulting in tens of billions of dollars in health care costs (estimated at $70 billion in 2010). there are also about 600,000 traumatic brain injuries (tbi's) a year. spinal cord injuries (sci) affect around another quarter of million americans every year. of these individuals, 89% are discharged from hospitals to a private home, and another 4.3% to nursing homes. almost half of this population does not have insurance coverage. any improvement in the current therapeutic techniques would enhance the quality of life of tens of thousands of stroke, sci and tbi survivors, and also translate into significant cost savings for the nation's health care system. approximately 52% of sci victims are considered paraplegic and 47% of quadriplegics suffer hemiparesis. it is the consequences of hemiparesis as well as the cardiac compromise that is a major factor in the reduced quality of life, i.e., there is reduced range of motion, strength, endurance, and balance/agility. in addition to these patient populations, a large group of geriatric and orthopedic patients can also benefit from the invention. to date, multiple forms of technology-enabled interventions have been used with stroke and tbi patients: biofeedback, electrical stimulation, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and video gaming. however, most of these alternative interventions require the use of expensive specialized equipment, including items directly worn on the body (e.g., headgear, cyber gloves, haptic technologies), making them prohibitively expensive and difficult to access and use. when released, patients are expected to follow a prescribed sequence of therapeutic exercises primarily through individual initiative in the home or long-term care facility. this is supported by visits to a clinic where a therapist guides, evaluates performance, and adjusts the exercises as appropriate. the purpose of these exercises is to help the patient achieve functional goals (e.g., sitting and standing) as well as transitional goals (e.g., moving from sitting to standing). as noted, frequent repetition of each exercise is key to progression through the movement sequence and to achieving the functional goal. these established rehabilitation methods, if followed by patients, have proven reasonably effective over time. however, success is limited by patient compliance with the prescribed exercises and by the ability of the therapist to monitor and guide the therapy. the therapist monitoring is limited to the clinic visits covered by insurance (typically only 10-20 if a person has insurance). additionally, studies of compliance with prescribed exercises show that most patients will not or cannot persist on their own: only 31% of patients actually perform these exercises. in a typical situation, healthcare providers prescribe home-based exercises (delivered on paper) for patients to perform on their own time. however, the rate of compliance of performing these home-based exercises is frequently low, and little if any data is captured or shared with the healthcare provider regarding exercise frequency, number of repetitions, quality of movement, etc. this may result in more frequent in-person meetings between the patient and healthcare provider, thereby potentially increasing expenses. multiple forms of tele-health interventions have been attempted to remotely assist patients wishing to improve or maintain physical functioning. examples include video conferencing, tele-medicine gateways, home-based exercise instructions, and video gaming. these interventions are limited in their capabilities due to their inability to capture the full scope of functionality required to effectively guide, monitor, communicate, and track these patients and their progress. the broad adoption of computing technologies in people's daily life has created the opportunity for ongoing interaction between patients and providers, as well as the accurate and objective monitoring of physical and cognitive activities. currently, 79% of households in the u.s. own at least one computing platform (mobile, desktop, laptop, tablet), and 47% of them have internet connection at home. the key impediments in using this ubiquitous infrastructure for health-monitoring purposes are motivation, adherence, and privacy concerns. video games have been shown to provide effective means for dealing with the motivation and adherence issues. in 2008, video games were played in 72% of american households, 23% of people 65+ played video games and 29% of all gamers were over the age of 50. also, recent developments in cloud-based data communication protocols have largely alleviated technical issues related to privacy, although socio-psychological issues (e.g., the desire to conduct a dignified life) have yet to be dealt with. as part of this project, we will develop and evaluate a framework to deal with the issue of privacy. the type of technology-enabled intervention addressed by the present disclosure includes platforms such as the nintendo wii™ and microsoft kinect™. however, some typical systems as currently available have limited functionality, require a kind dexterity not available to this patient population, and cannot be used for systematic data collection and analysis. additional wearable monitoring technologies, such as fitbit™ or jawbone®, are also available. a need therefore exists to address both issues of compliance and monitoring through technical and clinical innovations to allow for less-frequent in-person visits and to help the patient achieve short- and long-term functional/transitional goals. such a need may addressed, for example, through a system in which physical and cognitive abilities can be monitored using in-home technologies with the results communicated to healthcare providers and caretakers in an ongoing basis using technology that is accessible and available in the home to develop a personal baseline of capabilities, which can further enable personalized treatment and intervention. in one embodiment, an online platform featuring interactive technologies designed to achieve optimal outcomes for physical functioning is provided. the platform illustratively further addresses issues such as access, communication, compliance, monitoring, quality, care management, decision support, and the development of best practices. motion detection/capture, gaming technologies, and location tracking technologies are used by the platform. in one embodiment, a method of monitoring a patient is provided. the method includes prescribing a series of exercises for the patient to perform using a game interface; electronically monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises; and determining, based on said electronic monitoring, the patient's compliance with the prescribed series of exercises. in one more particular embodiment, the method further includes performing an assessment of the patient's physical functioning; determining goals for the patient; and determining a baseline functioning status of the patient and deficiencies based in part on the performed assessment of the patient's physical functioning and the determined goals for the patient; wherein the prescribed series of exercises are based on the determined baseline functioning status of the patient and deficiencies. in an even more particular embodiment, the method further includes performing a reassessment of the patient's physical functioning; and determining a progress status of the patient based on the performed reassessment. in yet an even more particular embodiment, the method further includes revising the determined goals for the patient based on the determined progress status; and prescribing a second series of exercises for the patient to perform using a game interface, the second series of exercises being based on the revised goals. in another embodiment of any of the above methods, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises with a motion capture camera. in one more particular embodiment, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes providing a time in which an exercise is to be completed and determining with the motion capture camera whether the patient performed the exercise in the provided time. in another more particular embodiment, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes providing an exercise requiring at least one motion corresponding to at least one of a horizontal motion and a vertical motion, determining with the motion capture icon whether the patient has performed the motion. in still another more particular embodiment, the game interface includes at least one of a horizontal motion icon and a vertical motion icon, and displaying an avatar on the game interface indicating whether the patient has performed the motion. in yet still another more particular embodiment, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes: displaying an avatar on the game interface; and moving the avatar on the game interface based on a movement of the patient as monitored by the motion capture camera. in an even more particular embodiment, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes displaying a first target on the game interface, wherein the first target is positioned relative to the avatar such that a therapeutic movement must be performed by the patient to move at least a portion of the avatar to the first target. in an even more particular embodiment, electronically monitoring the patient's performance further includes displaying a second target on the game interface, wherein the second target is positioned relative to the first target such that a therapeutic movement must be performed by the patient to move at least a portion of the avatar from the first target to the second target. in another more particular embodiment of any of the above embodiments, electronically monitoring the patient's performance includes monitoring the patient's performance of the series of prescribed exercises with an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is part of an activity monitor. in another more particular embodiment of any of the above embodiments, the game interface includes a multi-player mode configured to allow the patient to engage with a second person. in an even more particular embodiment, the game interface is configured to adjust for a physical capability or skill of each player. in one embodiment, a method of categorizing a patient's performance is provided. the method includes assessing the patient's physical functioning and determining at least one physical function dimension based on said assessment; assessing the patient's cognitive functioning and determining at least one cognitive function dimension based on said assessment; and assessing the patient's motivation and determining at least one motivation dimension based on said assessment; wherein at least one of said assessing steps include prescribing a task for the patient to perform and electronically monitoring the patient's performance of the task with a motion capture camera or accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is part of an activity monitor. in one more particular embodiment, the at least one physical function dimension is selected from the group consisting of balance, coordination, range of motion, endurance, and strength. in another more particular embodiment, the at least one cognitive function dimension is selected from the group consisting of reaction time, free and cued recall, sensory/visual deficits, neglect, and comprehension. in still another more particular embodiment, the at least one motivation dimension is emotional arousal. in one embodiment, as system for monitoring patient compliance is provided. the system includes a display configured to display information relating to a game or exercise for the patient to perform; a motion capture camera; a compliance module in communication with the display and the motion capture camera, wherein the compliance module is configured to receive one or more games or activities to be performed by the patient; wherein the compliance module is configured to determine whether a patient is performing the game or exercise based on a signal received from the motion capture camera; and wherein the compliance module is configured to record at least one of a number of repetitions attempted, a number of repetitions completed, a movement made by the patient, and an accuracy of a movement made by the patient. in a more particular embodiment, the system includes at least one accelerometer providing information related to a movement of the patient to the compliance module and the compliance module determines patient compliance at least in part based on the information provided by the accelerometer. brief description of the drawings the above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1a is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of the online tele-health platform. fig. 1b is a schematic illustrative of a game interface module of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1a . fig. 1c is a schematic illustrative of a middleware module of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1a . fig. 1d is a schematic illustrative of a patient management dashboard module of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1a . fig. 2 is an illustrative view of a therapist login screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 3 is an illustrative view of a patient selection screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 4 is an illustrative view of an set-up screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 5 is an illustrative view of an alignment or calibration screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 6 is an illustrative view of an exemplary game view of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 7 is an illustrative view of a patient score screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 8a is an illustrative patient summary screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 8b is another illustrative patient summary screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 8c is still another illustrative patient summary screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 8d is still yet another illustrative patient summary screen of the online tele-health platform of fig. 1 . fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary method for use with a case management tool. fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary method for monitoring and recording patient compliance with a therapy regimen. fig. 11 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of the online tele-health platform including an accelerometer-based monitor. fig. 12 illustrates an exemplary method for categorizing a patient's performance trajectory. fig. 13 illustrates an exemplary method for tracking and reporting in-home monitoring dimensions. corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. the exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. detailed description the embodiment disclosed below is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. rather, the embodiment is chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings. one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the embodiments provided can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, and/or a combination thereof. programming code according to the embodiments can be implemented in any viable programming language such as c, c++, html, xtml, java or any other viable high-level programming language, or a combination of a high-level programming language and a lower level programming language. a schematic illustrating an exemplary tele-health system 10 is shown in fig. 1 . the system 10 is comprised of a plurality of user interfaces or modules. the system 10 includes a game interface 12 that is operatively connected to an internet-based service or middleware 14 . the middleware 14 is operative connected to a patient management dashboard 16 . using the patient management dashboard 16 , healthcare providers select different games to be accessed by a patient through the game interface 12 that will help patients achieve specific functional/transitional goals. exemplary patients include patients with brain injuries such as injuries caused by a stroke or tbi, and patients with burn injuries, orthopedic injuries, or another type of injury requiring physical therapy. an exemplary functional/transitional goal may be transferring from bed to a chair. to do this, a patient must be able to demonstrate balance, coordination, strength, and range of motion. the healthcare provider will select games using the patient management dashboard 16 under these categories that will then help the patient achieve this/these goal(s). the patient follows an exercise sequence with frequent repetition of each exercise utilizing the game interface 12 to achieving functional and transitional goals. as the patient works toward achieving these functional/transitional goals, the patient will be guided from game-to-game and within each game in the game interface 12 through specific therapeutic sequences (e.g., moving symmetrically from sitting to standing). the game interface 12 provides a system that can “observe”, measure, and evaluate specific motor movements as well as a game environment that will promote, guide, and provide feedback on the execution of those specific movements. referring to figs. 1a and 1b , the game interface module 12 may include one or more displays 20 , such as a computer screen, television screen, or projector image. game interface 12 further includes a motion capture camera 12 . in some illustrative embodiments, existing game consoles and online gaming sites (such as xbox live or playstation network) serve to facilitate the use of the platform by healthcare providers (i.e., physicians, therapists, physical trainers, etc.) and patients seeking to improve their physical functioning. for example, commercial available motion capture cameras, such as the microsoft kinect for the xbox or windows, track the position of multiple skeletal points, such as 10, 15, 20, 25, 26, 30, or more skeletal points, to display an on-screen avatar of the patient. game interface 12 may include logic controlling operating of game interface 12 , which may be implemented in hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in memory 26 . game interface 12 may include one or more processors 24 or other structures to implement the logic of middleware 14 . as discussed in more detail below, game interface 12 may include or be in communication with an activity monitor 82 , including an accelerometer-based activity monitor such a fitbit™ or jawbone® monitor (see fig. 11 ). as indicated in fig. 1a , game interface 12 may also provide other functionality as identified and/or needed. memory 26 is a non-transitory computer readable medium and may be a single storage device or may include multiple storage devices, located either locally with processor 24 or accessible across a network, or partially locally with processor 24 and partially accessible across a network. computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by processor 24 and includes both volatile and non-volatile media. further, computer readable-media may be one or both of removable and non-removable media. by way of example, computer-readable media may include, but is not limited to, ram, rom, eeprom, flash memory or other memory technology, cd-rom, servers, digital versatile disk (dvd) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which may be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by processor 24 . in one embodiment, processor 24 communicates data, status information, or a combination thereof to a remote device for storage, analysis, or carrying out a predetermined command. in another embodiment, memory 26 may further include operating system software. memory 26 further includes communications software for communication with a network, such as a local area network, a public switched network, a can network, and any type of wired or wireless network. an exemplary public switched network is the internet. exemplary communications software includes e-mail software, sms, bluetooth communication software, radio frequency communication software, near field communication software and internet browser software. other suitable software which permits processor 24 to communicate with other devices across a network may be used. as illustrated in fig. 1b , game interface 12 may include or have access to game information 28 and a record of completed or assigned activities 30 . within game interface 12 , a user is first instructed to select the game to be played. the games incorporate the sequence of exercises and movements prescribed by a healthcare provider and intended to help patients achieve outcomes such as balance, coordination, range of motion, strength and endurance that support achieving the functional/transitional goals identified for each patient. games are organized around these outcomes. the game interface 12 may display or present the current status of the user within the current game. the game interface 12 may further display or present the user's progress made towards one or more functional/transitional goals set by the patient, system 10 , and/or healthcare provider. the game interface 12 further guides the user with regard to the progression of games to be played, and provides information relating to the expected progress to be made before proceeding to the next level or game. the game interface 12 may provide summary feedback of the progress made by the user in each game session. the game interface 12 may also provide information relating to each instance of game play, which game was played, the number of repetitions attempted and/or completed, the movements made, and/or the accuracy of those movements. exemplary summary and session reports are further discussed with respect to figs. 7-11 below. an exemplary game screen is shown in figs. 5 and 6 . an alignment screen 152 is provided showing the position of an avatar 154 of the patient user as determined by the motion capture camera 22 , as well as a desired user position 156 . the user is directed by a prompt 158 to move his or her body until the position of the avatar 154 is aligned with the desired user position 156 . as shown in fig. 6 , the motion capture camera displays the current location of the user. the game screen 162 displays a target area 164 for the user. the exemplary game screen 162 illustrated in fig. 6 is a basic game in which the user moves the avatar 154 to hit a stationary or falling ball or balloon at different angles and different distances from the avatar 154 . to move the avatar, the user performs basic therapeutic movements of the upper extremities such as extension and scaption. the system 10 records performance metrics, such as, for example, response time measurements. in one embodiment, the system 10 monitors the progress of the patient user along a number of dimensions, allowing the health care professional to determine the level of exertion, and also the next steps in the therapy treatment, as well as the degree of compliance with the user patient's prescribed activities. in one embodiment, the user is instructed to change position until the avatar 154 overlaps the target area 164 . in some embodiments, the motion capture camera 22 tracks the location of one or more joints of the user, and displays these as part of the avatar 154 . the game may instruct the user to maintain the position of the one or more joints 166 while moving another joint until the avatar 154 overlaps the target area 164 . as shown in fig. 1 , game interface 12 may also provide additional modules, such as a provider assessment tool, a message center, an online leaderboard comparing the user's results with those of other users, and other functionality as identified and/or needed. a score report is shown in fig. 7 . in fig. 7 , a total score report 202 is shown. illustratively, the report calculates a patient score 204 by multiplying the number of times a target was successfully achieved in a given time. the total score report 202 may show a previous score 206 , or history of previous scores 208 in graphical form. in figs. 8a-8d , a variety of summary screens are illustrated. in fig. 8a , duration summary screen 212 is shown. the duration report 212 may show the time the previous exercises were played, and a comparison with the history of duration in graphical form 214 . in fig. 8b , a speed summary screen 216 is illustrated. in fig. 8c , a hit summary screen 218 is illustrated. illustrative hit summary screen 218 includes information for a user's left arm 220 and a user's right arm 222 on a single summary screen 218 . in fig. 8d , a success rate summary screen 224 is shown. illustrative success rate summary screen 224 includes information for a user's left arm 226 and a user's right arm 228 on a single summary screen 224 . success rate summary screen 224 further includes a side distribution 230 , showing the number of successes and attempts for each position indicated on the arcuate scale. success rate summary screen 224 further includes a left side distribution 232 , showing the number of successes and attempts for each horizontal position indicated on the arcuate scale, and a right side distribution 234 , showing the number of successes and attempts for each horizontal position indicated on the arcuate scale. referring next to figs. 1a and 1c , the internet-based service and/or middleware 14 provides transmission and/or storage of data between the patient user and healthcare provider, such as a therapist. the middleware 14 is operatively connected to both the game interface 12 and the patient management dashboard 16 . in another embodiment, game interface 12 is directly connected to the patient management dashboard 16 . the internet-based service or middleware 14 may include or have access to patient information 32 , and a record of completed and/or assigned games and activities 34 . the results of one or more games or sessions engaged in by the user may be stored in one or more databases that are either part of or accessible by middleware 14 . the middleware 14 may further include game information 36 , and a report engine 38 for generating reports for the patient user or healthcare provider. exemplary summary and session reports are further discussed with respect to figs. 7-11 below. report engine 38 may generate other reports for the patient user, health care professional, healthcare provider, insurance carrier, or other entity. the one or more report engines may have access to the data stored in the one or more databases such that the data can be used to generate the reports. report engine 38 may have access to the patient information 32 , record of completed and/or assigned games and activities 34 , and game information 36 of the middleware 14 , or may have access to other databases, such as databases associated with the game interface 12 and the patient management dashboard 16 . middleware 14 may include logic controlling operation of middleware 14 , which may be implemented in hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in memory 42 . middleware 14 may include one or more processors 40 or other structures to implement the logic of middleware 14 . as indicated in fig. 1a , middleware 14 may also provide other functionality as identified and/or needed. referring next to figs. 1a and 1d , the system 10 further includes a patient management dashboard 16 . in one embodiment, the patient management dashboard includes an artificial intelligence (ai) system to assist the healthcare provider in implementing and following a treatment plan, communicating with the patient. the patient management dashboard 16 allows healthcare providers to review data captured for multiple patients during game play. the patient management dashboard 16 provides healthcare providers with a snapshot view of one or more patients being managed and the progress being made individually and collectively, allowing the healthcare providers to put patients in the relevant pools. the patient management dashboard 16 will also feature access to the patient assessment tool 46 , the case management tool 48 , patient set-up tool 50 , and patient monitoring tool 52 . the patient management dashboard 16 includes general information for a healthcare provider, such as a physical therapist, to use and search using patient set-up tool 50 , a message center 53 , an appointment calendar 54 , a graphical view 56 of one or more patients being monitored or followed by the healthcare provider that includes, for example, the patients' current status, and an ability to enter the patient monitoring tool by selecting that patient's name. as indicated in fig. 1a , the patient management dashboard 16 may also include other functionality as identified/needed. the level of physical functioning varies from one patient to the next in terms of symptoms, deficits, conditions, and capabilities. the variability derives from differences in the various physical, sensory, visual, or cognitive deficits as well as language comprehension, neglect, and motivation any patient may present. in one embodiment, the patient assessment tool (pat) 46 provides a standardized tool allowing a healthcare provider to conduct initial and ongoing assessment of physical functioning from remote locations. the pat 46 is used to conduct initial and ongoing assessments of physical functioning, sensory deficits, visual deficits, comprehension, neglect, and basic motivation. for initial assessment, pat 46 will record baseline findings and identify deficiencies using an evidenced-based assessment tool and recommend a regimen or series of games to be followed. for ongoing, periodic assessment, pat 46 will measure progress compared to initial baseline measures to allow the healthcare provider to adjust or create new short and/or long-term functional/transitional goals, document factors influencing progress. typically, a healthcare provider will visit with a patient at a location, such as a hospital, outpatient clinic, therapy center, or in the patient's home. using the system 10 , the frequency of in-person meetings may be decreased. using the pat 46 , the healthcare provider will assess the patient and identify short and long-term functional/transitional goals. the healthcare provider will then design an exercise regimen with complimenting features offering both in-person visits and home-based exercises. using a record of completed and/or assigned games and activities 60 captured and shared within the disclosure, a healthcare provider will determine when they should meet again in person. the patient management dashboard 16 illustratively further includes a case management tool 48 . the case management tool 48 provides the healthcare provider with the functionality to initiate and manage the care of each patient. in one embodiment, the case management tool 48 includes determining and evaluating therapy outcomes—e.g.; selecting games/exercises that support the above goals and outcomes; and assessing “leveling,” or the degree of strain or challenge on a certain exercise. referring next to fig. 9 , an exemplary method 300 for use with the case management tool 48 is illustrated. in step 302 , the short and/or long term functional and transitional goals are identified. exemplary functional goals and activities of daily living (adls) include getting in and out of bed, and walking a certain distance. in step 304 , the rehabilitation goals, or associated therapy outcomes associated with the functional goals, are identified. exemplary rehabilitation goals include balance, range of motion, endurance, strength and coordination. steps 302 and 304 may be completed by the health care professional in consultation with the patient. in step 306 , the games and/or exercises supporting the functional and rehabilitation goals are identified. these games and exercises may be identified by the healthcare provider, or they may be automatically generated by the case management tool 48 based on the identified functional and/or rehabilitation goals. in step 308 , the degree or level of strain or challenge for each game or exercise is determined. the degree or level may be determined by the healthcare provider, automatically generated by the case management tool 48 , or both. the automatic generation in step 306 and/or 308 may also be based in part, on one or more of the following: the patient's medical history, the patient's past physical therapy compliance, and data from the current or past patients indicating successful strategies. in one embodiment, the system 10 provides a series of games that incorporate a sequence of exercises and movements prescribed by a healthcare provider intended to achieve outcomes such as balance, coordination, range of motion, strength and endurance that support achieving the functional/transitional goals identified for each patient. this approach contrasts with efforts involving video games where the therapist must adapt therapy being delivered to games otherwise designed for entertainment. in one embodiment, the system 10 captures data on compliance, progress, quality of movement, etc. and provides the data to the patient's healthcare provider to allow for remote monitoring and communication between or in lieu of in-person visits. the ability to demonstrate and monitor exercises is important to increased compliance. the use of gaming provides a strong motivational tool for the individual and promotes family participation and encouragement. monitoring through a telemedicine interface permits the therapist to monitor data on compliance and success as well as to adjust the prescribed exercises without the need for an in-person visit. remote monitoring will ensure higher compliance with home-based exercises. patient progress with this platform provides the ability to have a greater timespan between in-person visits with the healthcare provider and, thus, minimize the number of times such visits must take place, providing added convenience and lower cost to the patient and healthcare provider. referring next to fig. 10 an exemplary method 320 for monitoring and recording patient compliance with a therapy regimen is illustrated. in step 322 , an assessment of the patient's physical functioning is performed. step 322 may be conducted using the pat 46 described above. in step 323 , functional and/or transitional goals for the patient are determined by the healthcare provider in consultation with the patient. exemplary functional goals and activities of daily living (adls) include getting in and out of bed, and walking a certain distance. in step 323 , the rehabilitation goals, or associated therapy outcomes associated with the functional goals, are identified. exemplary rehabilitation goals include balance, range of motion, endurance, strength and coordination. in step 324 , the patient's assessment from step 322 is compared against the goals of step 323 to determine the patient's baseline functioning status and identify deficiencies. in step 326 , games and/or exercises and difficulty level or degree supporting the functional and rehabilitation goals are identified. in step 328 , the patient's compliance with the games and/or exercises determined in step 326 is monitored by the system 10 , such as through the motion capture camera 22 of game interface 12 . following a period of therapy, in step 330 , the patient's physical functioning is reassessed, and in step 332 , the patient's progress (based on the reassessment) towards the selected functional and rehabilitation goals is determined. the method 320 then returns to step 323 to determine whether the selected goals should be revised or are still applicable. a new baseline and deficiency identification is performed in step 324 . the games and/or exercises in step 326 may be modified based on the new baseline and deficiencies of step 324 . the patient's compliance with the new selected games and/or exercises is monitored and recorded in step 328 . the patient management dashboard 16 illustratively includes a patient monitoring tool 52 . in one embodiment, the patient monitoring tool 52 includes a reporting system with a digital tracking log to capture patient activity and present it within the patient management dashboard 16 ; a recommendation system to guide exercise regimens on the basis of progress; and a reminder system to set exercise schedules equipped with reminders to patients of their next scheduled exercise session. in one embodiment, the system 10 may be used to connect healthcare providers and patient users separated by distance. the system 10 may be useful in multiple care settings, such as a hospital, long term care facility, rehabilitation hospital, outpatient clinic, or at home to improve access and delivery of therapy. health conditions requiring exercise to improve or maintain one's physical functioning is another area of application. the knowledge resulting from this monitoring will also allow the therapist to adjust the timing of the limited number of covered clinical visits in order to maximize their value. the remote linkage will enable the delivery of reminders to patients in terms of the type and time of exercises and will permit the creation of a multi-player environment for socialization and competition (multi-player game play and an online leaderboard) between patients at other locations. for those without insurance, the discharging therapist can prescribe exercises that are then guided by the system 10 , thus providing a low cost rehabilitation strategy. in one embodiment, the system 10 provides automated reports to allow the healthcare provider to reduce manual documentation of therapy activities along with patient progress. such documentation may be required by payers for both reimbursement purposes and as a basis for the continuation of therapy. automated reports will reduce the time and effort needed for documentation through the automatic capture and analysis of data collected by the system 10 . the patient management dashboard 16 may further include or have access to additional patient information 58 , and a record of completed and/or assigned games and activities 60 for each patient. the results of one or more games or sessions engaged in by the patient may be stored in one or more databases that are either part of or accessible by patient management dashboard 16 . the patient management dashboard 16 may further include game information 62 , and a report engine 64 for generating reports for the patient or healthcare provider. patient management dashboard 16 may include logic controlling operation of patient management dashboard 16 , which may be implemented in hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in memory 68 . patient management dashboard 16 may include one or more processors 66 or other structures to implement the logic of patient management dashboard 16 . as indicated in fig. 1a , patient management dashboard 16 may also provide other functionality as identified and/or needed. an exemplary log-on screen 102 for a healthcare provider is illustrated in fig. 2 . a healthcare provider, such as a therapist, enters a user name into box 104 and corresponding password into box 106 . upon determining a valid user name/password combination has been entered, the system 10 will provide the healthcare provider access to the system 10 . an exemplary patient selection screen 108 is shown in fig. 3 . one or more patients being tracked or monitored by the healthcare provider are each assigned their own icon 110 . by selecting the icon 110 associated with a particular patient, the healthcare provider is provided access to information about that patient. additional patients can be added by selecting the add new player icon 109 . an exemplary game setup screen 112 is shown in fig. 4 . game setup screen 112 includes exercise parameters, such as the time 114 to complete the assigned exercise or number of repetitions assigned 116 . the healthcare provider can select whether the exercise is to be performed while stationary 118 or falling 120 , and specify a target duration 122 . the healthcare provider can further assign the activity to be performed while standing 124 or sitting 126 . the healthcare provider can also set a bias 128 between the right and left side repetitions. the game setup screen 112 further includes a left horizontal motion icon 130 and a right horizontal motion icon 132 . the game setup screen 112 further includes a left vertical motion icon 134 and a right vertical motion icon 136 . each icon includes a scale, such as the arcuate scale shown 138 , indicating an assigned range of motion. the healthcare provider can change the range of motion by selecting or deselecting the intervals in the arcuate scale. other parameters, including time between repetitions, frequency of performing the exercise, and the like may also be set by the healthcare provider using the game setup screen 112 . group tele-health. in one embodiment, a multi-player or rehab partner game play is provided. patients may socialize, compete, and/or rehabilitate or train together within the tele-health platform. the multi-play games enhance engagement with the games and provide a social networking experience, further motivating and engaging patients by allowing them to support or compete with one another while playing with family, friends, or other patients either locally or online. handicapped multi-player game play in one embodiment, game play between multiple players is adjusted by the system 10 to adjust for different physical capabilities and/or skills of each player. however, to accomplish this, game play or competition will be “leveled” to allow for fair competition between two or more individuals possessing different physical capabilities/skills (i.e., healthy grandson vs. stroke survivor). the system 10 will provide a series of in-game body tests when setting up the game play persona or avatar to allow the system 10 to learn the player's physical abilities. the system 10 will then adjust or level the range of motions or degree of difficulty for the game for each player based on each player's physical abilities, allowing for a comparable level of difficulty for each player based on their individual abilities. this provides a healthy player the ability to have a level competition with a patient undergoing physical therapy or otherwise having a different skill level. as the patient's physical functioning improves, it will have a corresponding effect to the “healthy players” handicap. the handicapped multi-player game play provides an experience to help educate the family/caregiver(s) of the patient on what the patient is experiencing from a physical perspective and possibly from a cognitive perspective. development of best practices and decision support. in one embodiment, the system 10 includes the ability to track progress against identified deficiencies, short and long-term goals and expected therapy outcomes. data collected across multiple patients, patient types, exercises, techniques, movements, etc. can be used to identify those games and corresponding exercises or combination of games achieving the best outcome(s). the gathered data is collected by the pat 46 and patient monitoring tool 52 and the system 10 will recommend games or combination of games to a new patient that have been demonstrated in previous patients to achieve desired outcomes. reports generated by this data may also be useful for research and quality improvement activities at user institutions. secure tele-health within a game environment. in a typical current system, online gamers have accounts where personal information such as name, email, game statistics, and credit card information is stored for both online game play and online purchases within sites such as xbox live or playstation network. these accounts may not meet the health industry standards or be in compliance with the health security requirements of the hitech act and hippa. in one embodiment, the system 10 includes security protocols to enable the secure transmission and storage of personal health information via online gaming sites. accelerometer-based activity monitor referring next to fig. 11 , a schematic of another exemplary embodiment of an online tele-health platform 70 is illustrated. platform 70 illustratively includes gaming platform 72 . gaming platform 72 may be or may include game interface 12 as described in more detail above. gaming platform 72 illustratively includes a processor 74 implementing logic controlling operation of the gaming platform 72 , which may include hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in local memory 76 , or may be stored in a remote location, such as memory 86 or memory 98 , that gaming platform 72 has access to. gaming platform 72 further includes a motion capture camera 78 , such as motion capture camera 12 described above. exemplary commercially available motion capture cameras include the microsoft kinect™ for the xbox or windows. gaming platform further includes a communication module 80 for communicating with activity monitor 82 and/or remote device 92 . in some embodiments, communication module 80 communicates with communication module 90 of activity monitor 82 and/or communication module 98 of remote device 92 over a network such as a local area network, a public switched network, a can network, and any type of wired or wireless network. an exemplary public switched network is the internet. in other embodiments, communication module 80 communicates directly with communication module 90 of activity monitor 82 and/or communication module 98 of remote device 92 over a wired or wireless connection. platform 70 further includes an activity monitor 82 . exemplary commercially available activity monitors 70 include fitbit™ and jawbone®. other exemplary activity monitors include smart phones, tablets, and other computing devices. in some embodiments, activity monitor 82 includes a processor 84 implementing logic controlling operation of the gaming platform 82 , which may include hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in local memory 86 , or may be stored in a remote location, such as memory 76 or memory 98 , that activity monitor 82 has access to. activity monitor 82 illustratively includes an accelerometer. in some embodiments, communication module 90 communicates with communication module 80 of gaming platform 72 and/or communication module 98 of remote device 92 over a network as described above, a wired connection, or a wireless connection. platform 70 further includes remote device 92 . exemplary remote devices 92 include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, or servers. in some embodiments, remote device 92 is or is part of system 10 implementing interface 12 , middleware 14 , and/or dashboard 16 as described above. in some embodiments, remote device 92 includes a processor 96 implementing logic controlling operation of the remote device 92 , which may include hardware or in hardware executing software. exemplary software and databases may be stored in local memory 98 , or may be stored in a remote location, such as memory 76 or memory 86 , that remote device has access to. remote device communicates with communication module 80 of gaming platform 72 and/or communication module 90 of activity monitor over a network as described above, a wired connection, or a wireless connection. patient evaluation with the patient assessment tool (pat) referring next to fig. 12 , an exemplary method 400 for categorizing a patient's performance trajectory is provided. although illustrated in a particular order the steps of method 400 are not intended to be limited to the order shown. for example, in some embodiments, blocks 402 , 406 , and 410 may be performed in any order before blocks 404 , 408 , and 412 . in other embodiments, blocks 406 and 408 may be performed before block 404 and/or block 406 , and blocks 410 and 412 may be performed before any of blocks 402 - 408 . in some embodiments, method 400 is performed by pat 46 (see fig. 1d ). in block 402 , the pat 46 assess the patient's physical functioning. in some embodiments, the patient performs a series of games and/or exercises assigned by the pat 46 . data from motion capture camera 78 and or accelerometer 88 related to these games and/or exercises is provided to pat 46 . in block 404 , pat 46 determines one or more physical functioning dimensions. exemplary physical functioning dimensions include balance, coordination, range of motion, endurance, and strength. in block 406 , the pat 46 assess the patient's cognitive functioning. in some embodiments, the patient performs a series of games and/or exercises assigned by the pat 46 . these games and/or exercises may be the same or different than the games and/or exercises assigned to assess the patient's physical functioning dimensions above. data from motion capture camera 78 and or accelerometer 88 related to these games and/or exercises is provided to pat 46 . in block 408 , pat 46 determines one or more cognitive functioning dimensions. exemplary cognitive functioning dimensions include reaction time, free and cued recall, sensory/visual deficits, neglect, and comprehension. in block 410 , the pat 46 assess the patient's motivation. in some embodiments, the patient performs a series of games and/or exercises assigned by the pat 46 . these games and/or exercises may be the same or different than the games and/or exercises assigned to assess the patient's physical functioning and cognitive functioning dimensions above. data from motion capture camera 78 and or accelerometer 88 related to these games and/or exercises is provided to pat 46 . in block 412 , pat 46 determines one or more motivation dimensions. an exemplary motivation dimension is emotional arousal. in block 214 , pat 46 records the dimensions determined in blocks 404 , 408 , and 412 . based on the determined dimensions, pat 46 in block 416 may suggest follow-up questions and/or evaluations to be conducted by the patient and/or the patient's health care provider. in block 418 , pat 46 identifies an discrepancies in the recorded dimensions. in block 420 , pat 46 proposes a patient category in terms of the trajectory of performance. the proposed category in block 420 may be based at least in part on the dimensions determined in blocks 404 , 408 , and 412 , including any changes from one or more previous determinations of the dimensions. in some embodiments, method 400 is performed by pat 46 on a regular basis, such as weekly, to monitor and update the current status of the patient's performance trajectory. referring next to fig. 13 , and exemplary method 450 for tracking and reporting in-home monitoring dimensions. in some embodiments, method 450 is at least partially performed by report engine 64 of patient management dashboard 16 (see fig. 1d ). as shown in block 452 of fig. 13 , one or more monitoring dimensions are assessed and determined. in some embodiments, block 452 is performed by pat 46 , such as by method 400 . exemplary monitoring dimensions include physical functioning dimensions such as balance, coordination, range of motion, endurance, and strength, cognitive functioning dimensions such as reaction time, free and cued recall, sensory/visual deficits, neglect, and comprehension, and motivation dimension such as emotional arousal. in block 454 , report engine 64 generates a report for a healthcare professional at least partially based on the one or more monitoring dimensions determined in block 456 . in block 456 , report engine 64 generates a report for a personal caregiver at least partially based on the one or more monitoring dimensions determined in block 456 . the reports generated in blocks 454 and/or 456 may be further based on additional data, such as the record of completed and/or assigned activities 60 (see fig. 1d ). although fig. 13 illustrates both a report for a healthcare professional being generated in block 454 and a report for a personal caregiver being generated in block 456 , in some embodiments, only one report may be generated. in other embodiments, the reports may be generated simultaneously, or sequentially in any order. while this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.
049-931-381-260-248	US	[ "US" ]	A42B3/18,F16M13/04	2021-02-24T00:00:00	2021	[ "A42", "F16" ]	accessory mounting system for a helmet	a helmet mount includes a latching plate defining a latching opening with wide and narrow portions and a notch. a latching spring below the latching plate urges a spring portion against the wide portion. the shaft of a first pin on an accessory mount is sized to fit in the narrow portion while its widened head only fits through the wide portion. the spring portion engages the widened head and prevents sliding within the narrow portion. the shaft of a second pin slides within the notch with its widened head preventing removal. a wedge may be slid against the spring to retract the spring portion allowing removal of the first pin. electrical contacts on the helmet mount may engage electrical contents on the accessory mount to supply power to an accessory such as night-vision goggles.	1. a helmet mount comprising: a latching plate configured to secure to a helmet and defining first latching structures; one or more first electrical contacts coupled to the latching plate; an accessory mount configured to secure to an accessory for use by a wearer of the helmet, the accessory mount including second latching structures configured to removably engage the first latching structures; and one or more second electrical contacts mounted to the accessory mount and positioned to be in electrical contact with the one or more first electrical contacts when the first latching structures are engaged with the one or more second electrical contacts; wherein: the latching plate defines a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction; the first latching structures include the latching plate defining a latching opening extending along the longitudinal direction between a first end of the latching opening and a second end of the latching opening opposite the first end, the latching opening including a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction, the narrow portion being narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction; the second latching structures include a first pin having a first shaft and a first widened head portion at a distal end of the first shaft that is wider than the first shaft, the first widened head portion being sized to be insertable through the wide portion but not the narrow portion and the first shaft being sized to be slidable within the narrow portion; a latching spring is mounted below the latching plate and defines a spring portion biased against the latching plate and overlapping the latching opening, the spring portion including a latching edge that is offset from the second end of the latching opening such that the first shaft is positionable in the narrow portion of the latching opening with the latching edge engaging the first widened head portion; and the latching spring further comprises a sloped surface, the helmet mount further comprising: a wedge slidably coupled to the latching plate and slidable along the longitudinal direction into engagement with the sloped surface in order to urge the latching spring away from the latching plate; and a biasing member engaging the wedge and urging the wedge away from the sloped surface. 2. the helmet mount of claim 1 , further comprising night-vision goggles coupled to the accessory mount, the night-vision goggles being electrically coupled to the one or more second electrical contacts. 3. the helmet mount of claim 2 , further comprising a power source electrically coupled to the one or more first electrical contacts. 4. the helmet mount of claim 1 , wherein the latching plate includes a planar portion configured to face a front of the helmet when secured thereto and wherein no portion of the helmet mount extends above the planar portion. 5. the helmet mount of claim 1 , wherein: the latching plate defines a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction; the first latching structures include the latching plate defining a latching opening extending along the longitudinal direction between a first end of the latching opening and a second end of the latching opening opposite the first end, the latching opening including a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction, the narrow portion being narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction; the second latching structures include a first pin having a first shaft and a first widened head portion at a distal end of the first shaft that is wider than the first shaft, the first widened head portion being sized to be insertable through the wide portion but not the narrow portion and the first shaft being sized to be slidable within the narrow portion; and a latching spring is mounted below the latching plate and defines a spring portion biased against the latching plate and overlapping the latching opening, the spring portion including a latching edge that is offset from the second end of the latching opening such that the first shaft is positionable in the narrow portion of the latching opening with the latching edge engaging the first widened head portion. 6. a helmet mount comprising: a latching plate configured to secure to a helmet and defining first latching structures; one or more first electrical contacts coupled to the latching plate; an accessory mount configured to secure to an accessory for use by a wearer of the helmet, the accessory mount including second latching structures configured to removably engage the first latching structures; and one or more second electrical contacts mounted to the accessory mount and positioned to be in electrical contact with the one or more first electrical contacts when the first latching structures are engaged with the one or more second electrical contacts; wherein: the latching plate defines a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction, the latching plate having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface along the vertical direction; the first latching structures include the latching plate defining a latching opening extending along the longitudinal direction between a first end of the latching opening and a second end of the latching opening opposite the first end, the latching opening including a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction, the narrow portion being narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction; the second latching structures include a first pin having a first shaft and a first widened head portion at a distal end of the first shaft that is wider than the first shaft, the first widened head portion being sized to be insertable through the wide portion but not the narrow portion and the first shaft being sized to be slidable within the narrow portion; a latching spring is mounted below the lower surface of the latching plate and defines a spring portion biased against the latching plate and overlapping the latching opening, the spring portion including a latching edge that is offset from the second end of the latching opening such that the first shaft is positionable in the narrow portion of the latching opening with the latching edge engaging the first widened head portion; the accessory mount further includes a second pin including a second shaft and a second widened head portion at a distal end of the second shaft that is wider than the second shaft; the latching plate further comprises a notch extending inwardly from an edge of the latching plate such that the first end of the latching opening is positioned between the notch and the second end of the latching opening, the notch being positioned such that the second shaft is positionable in the notch with the second widened head portion preventing the second pin from being pulled out of the notch perpendicular to the upper surface when the first shaft is positioned within the narrow portion; and the narrow portion and the notch both include straight portions parallel to the longitudinal direction. 7. the helmet mount of claim 5 , further comprising a base plate having a curved lower surface shaped to conform to a helmet, the latching plate being mounted to an upper surface of the base plate. 8. the helmet mount of claim 7 , wherein the base plate defines an opening, the latching spring being positioned within the opening. 9. the helmet mount of claim 5 , wherein the spring portion is a planar portion at a distal end of the latching spring. 10. a helmet mount comprising: a latching plate configured to secure to a helmet and defining first latching structures, the latching plate including a front edge configure to face a front of the helmet when secured thereto; and an accessory mount configured to secure to an accessory for use by a wearer of the helmet, the accessory mount including second latching structures configured to removably engage the first latching structures in response to sliding of the accessory mount rearwardly over the front edge onto the latching plate; wherein the latching plate includes a planar portion defining the front edge, the first latching structures being positioned completely below an upper surface of the planar portion and completely rearward of the front edge; wherein the helmet mount further comprises: a base plate having a lower surface that is contoured to conform to an outer surface of a helmet, the latching plate being secured to an upper surface of the base plate; wherein the latching plate defines: a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction; two latching openings offset from one another along the transverse direction, each latching opening having a first end and a second end offset from the first end along the longitudinal direction and having a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction, the narrow portion being narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction; and two notches extending inwardly from an edge of the latching plate such that the first ends of the two latching openings are positioned between the two notches and the second ends of the two latching openings; wherein the accessory mount includes two first pins and two second pins, each pin of the two first pins and two second pins having a shaft and a widened head portion at a distal end of the shaft that is wider than the shaft, the two first pins being positionable with shafts of the two first pins inserted in the narrow portions of the two latching openings when the shafts of the two second pins are inserted within the two notches; and wherein one or more latching springs are mounted below the latching plate and configured to urge two latching portions against an underside of the latching plate overlapping at least part of the wide portions of the two latching openings, the two latching portions defining latching surfaces configured to engage the widened head portions of the two first pins when the shafts of the two first pins are inserted within the narrow portions of the two latching openings. 11. the helmet mount of claim 10 , wherein the one or more latching springs comprise a single latching spring, the single latching spring comprising: an attachment point secured to the base plate; a web extending from the attachment point; two wings extending from opposite sides of the web; and two plates each secured to a distal end of one of the two wings, the two plates being positioned under the wide portions of the two latching openings and defining the latching surfaces. 12. the helmet mount of claim 11 , wherein the attachment point secures to the base plate below the upper surface of the base plate and wherein the web slopes upwardly from the attachment point toward the latching plate. 13. the helmet mount of claim 12 , further comprising a sloped portion secured to the web and sloping downwardly from the web, the helmet mount further comprising: a plug slidably mounted within the base plate and slidable along the longitudinal direction; a wedge mounted to the plug and positioned to engage the sloped portion and urge the sloped portion away from the latching plate when the plug is urged toward the sloped portion; and one or more biasing members engaging the plug and the base plate and configured to urge the plug away from the sloped portion. 14. the helmet mount of claim 10 , wherein the base plate is made of plastic and the latching plate is made of metal. 15. the helmet mount of claim 10 , further comprising one or more first electrical contacts mounted to the base plate, the accessory mount further including one or more second electrical contacts that are in electrical contact with the one or more first electrical contacts when the shafts of the two first pins are positioned in the narrow portions of the two latching openings and the shafts of the two second pins are positioned in the two notches. 16. the helmet mount of claim 15 , further comprising night-vision goggles mounted to the accessory mount. 17. the helmet mount of claim 16 , further comprising a power source electrically coupled to the one or more first electrical contacts.	field of the invention this application relates to systems for mounting items to a helmet, and, more particularly to systems for mounting night-vision googles to a helmet. background of the invention in many military situations, an individual may use night-vision goggles to provide visibility in low light conditions. it is advantageous to wear these goggles rather than holding them in a hand. a common way to wear night-vision goggles is to mount them to the helmet of a user. it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved implementation of helmet-mounted accessories, such as night-vision goggles. summary of the invention in one aspect of the invention, a helmet mount includes a latching plate configured to secure to a helmet and defining first latching structures. one or more first electrical contacts are coupled to the latching plate. an accessory mount is configured to secure to an accessory for use by a wearer of the helmet. the accessory mount includes second latching structures configured to removably engage the first latching structures. one or more second electrical contacts are mounted to the accessory mount and positioned to be in electrical contact with the one or more first electrical contacts when the first latching structures are engaged with the second electrical contacts. night-vision goggles may be coupled to the accessory mount, the night-vision goggles being electrically coupled to the one or more second electrical contacts. a power source may be electrically coupled to the one or more first electrical contacts. the latching plate may include a planar portion configured to face a front of the helmet when secured thereto. in some embodiments, no portion of the helmet mount extends above the planar portion. in some embodiments, the latching plate defines a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. the first latching structures include the latching plate defining a latching opening extending along the longitudinal direction between a first end of the latching opening and a second end of the latching opening opposite the first end. the latching opening may include a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction, the narrow portion being narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction. the second latching structures may include a first pin having a first shaft and a first widened head portion at a distal end of the first shaft that is wider than the first shaft. the first widened head portion may be sized to be insertable through the wide portion but not the narrow portion and the first shaft may be sized to be slidable within the narrow portion. a latching spring may be mounted below the latching plate and defines a spring portion biased against the latching plate and overlapping the latching opening. the spring portion may include a latching edge that is offset from the second end of the latching opening such that the first shaft is positionable in the narrow portion of the latching opening with the latching edge engaging the first widened head portion. the spring portion may be at a distal end of the latching spring. the spring portion may be a planar portion. the accessory mount may further include a second pin including a second shaft and a second widened head portion at a distal end of the second shaft that is wider than the second shaft. the latching plate may further include a notch extending inwardly from an edge of the latching plate such that the first end of the latching opening is positioned between the notch and the second end of the latching opening, the notch being positioned such that the second shaft is positionable in the notch when the first shaft is positioned within the narrow portion. the narrow portion and the notch may both include straight portions parallel to the longitudinal direction. the helmet mount may further include a base plate having a curved lower surface shaped to conform to a helmet, the latching plate being mounted to an upper surface of the base plate. the base plate may define an opening, the latching spring being positioned within the opening. the latching spring may include a sloped surface. the helmet mount may further include a wedge slidably coupled to the latching plate and slidable along the longitudinal direction into engagement with the sloped surface in order to urge the latching spring away from the latching plate. a biasing member may engage the wedge and urge the wedge away from the sloped surface. the helmet mount may include a latching plate configured to secure to a helmet and defining first latching structures. the latching plate may include a front edge configure to face a front of the helmet when secured thereto. the accessory mount may include second latching structures configured to removably engage the first latching structures in response to sliding of the accessory mount rearwardly over the front edge onto the latching plate. the latching plate may include a planar portion defining the front edge, the first latching structures being positioned completely below an upper surface of the planar portion and completely rearward of the front edge. in some embodiments, a base plate has a lower surface that is contoured to conform to an outer surface of a helmet, the latching plate being secured to an upper surface of the base plate. in some embodiments, the latching plate defines a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. two latching openings may be defined in the latching plate offset from one another along the transverse direction. each latching opening may have a first end and a second end offset from the first end along the longitudinal direction. each latching opening may have a wide portion extending from the first end along the longitudinal direction and a narrow portion extending from the wide portion to the second end along the longitudinal direction. the narrow portion may be narrower than the wide portion in the transverse direction. two notches may be defined by the latching plate extending inwardly from an edge of the latching plate such that the first ends of the two latching openings are positioned between the two notches and the second ends of the two latching openings. in some embodiments, the accessory mount includes two first pins and two second pins. each pin of the two first pins and two second pins may have a shaft and a widened head portion at a distal end of the shaft that is wider than the shaft. the two first pins may be positionable with shafts of the two first pins inserted in the narrow portions of the two latching openings when the shafts of the two second pins are inserted within the two notches. in some embodiments, one or more latching springs are mounted below the latching plate and configured to urge two latching portions against an underside of the latching plate overlapping at least part of the wide portions of the two latching openings. the two latching portions may define latching surfaces configured to engage the widened head portions of the two first pins when the shafts of the two first pins are inserted within the narrow portions of the two latching openings. in some embodiments, the one or more latching springs include a single latching spring. the single latching spring may include an attachment point secured to the base plate; a web extending from the attachment point; and two wings extending from opposite sides of the web. two plates may each be secured to a distal end of one of the two wings, the two plates being positioned under the wide portions of the two latching openings and defining the latching surfaces. in some embodiments, the attachment point secures to the base plate below the upper surface of the base plate and the web slopes upwardly from the attachment point toward the latching plate. in some embodiments, a sloped portion is secured to the web and slopes downwardly from the web. the helmet mount may further include a plug slidably mounted within the base plate and slidable along the longitudinal direction. a wedge may be mounted to the plug and positioned to engage the sloped portion and urge the sloped portion away from the latching plate when the plug is urged toward the sloped portion. one or more biasing members may engage the plug and base plate and be configured to urge the plug away from the sloped portion. in some embodiments, the base plate is made of plastic and the latching plate is made of metal. in some embodiments, one or more first electrical contacts are mounted to the base plate. the accessory mount may include one or more second electrical contacts that are in electrical contact with the one or more first electrical contacts when the shafts of the two first pins are positioned in the narrow portions of the two latching openings and the shafts of the two second pins are positioned in the two notches. in some embodiments, night-vision goggles are mounted to the accessory mount. a power source may be electrically coupled to the one or more first electrical contacts. brief description of the drawings preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a helmet having night-vision goggles secured thereto using a helmet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is an exploded view of a helmet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3a is a perspective view of the helmet having the helmet mount disengaged in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3b is a perspective view of the helmet having the helmet mount disengaged and a helmet visor pivoted over the helmet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a lower perspective view of the helmet with the helmet mount disengaged in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 5a through 5c are lower views of a latch spring illustrating engagement of the helmet mount; and figs. 6a through 6e are side views of the latch spring illustrating engagement of the helmet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment figs. 1 through 4 illustrate a helmet mount 10 . as shown in fig. 2 , the helmet mount 10 may be understood with respect to a longitudinal direction 12 a , vertical direction 12 b , and a transverse direction 12 c that are all perpendicular to one another. such directions are used herein to define relative dimensions and orientations without any requirement that these directions 12 a , 12 b , 12 c correspond to actual longitudinal, vertical, and transverse directions during use. as used herein, “forward” shall be understood as being in one direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 12 a and “rearward” shall be understood as being in the opposite direction from the forward direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 12 a . as used herein, “upward” shall be understood as being in one direction parallel to the vertical direction 12 b and “downward” shall be understood as being in the opposite direction from the forward direction parallel to the vertical direction 12 b. the helmet mount 10 may include a base plate 14 . the base plate 14 may define a lower surface 16 that is shaped, e.g., curved, to conform to an outer surface 18 of a helmet 20 to which the helmet mount 10 is fastened. in the illustrated example, the helmet 20 is for an aircraft pilot, but combat helmets or other type of helmets may also be used. a latching plate 22 may secure to the base plate 14 and define structures for engaging a detachable accessory mount 24 ( figs. 1 and 3a ). the accessory mount 24 may include one or more adjustment structures 24 a coupling an accessory 24 b , such as night-vision goggles 24 b , to the accessory mount 24 ( fig. 2 ). the adjustment structures 24 a may provide for vertical movement and/or pivoting of the accessory 24 b relative to the accessory mount 24 . the adjustment structures 24 a and accessory 24 b may be implemented according to any approach known in the art. the base plate 14 may be made of rigid plastic (nylon, polyvinyl chloride (pvc), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs), or other polymer) or composite (carbon fiber composite, fiberglass composite, kevlar composite). in contrast, the latching plate 22 may be made of metal, e.g. steel, in order to provide increased strength and wear resistant for engaging directly with the accessory mount 24 . as is apparent in fig. 1 , the latching plate 22 may be flat sheet of material and may include one or more bends 26 such that the latching plate 22 includes portions that are angled relative to one another (e.g., an angle between 5 and 20 degrees). this may enable the base plate 14 and latching plate 22 to conform somewhat to the curvature of the helmet 20 and reduce a profile of the helmet mount 10 . in the foregoing description, a rearward portion of the latching plate 22 may be understood as being parallel to the longitudinal direction 12 a and transverse direction 12 c (“the longitudinal-transverse plane”). the latching plate 22 may secure to the base plate 14 by means of fasteners 28 , such as screws. the base plate 14 may secure to the helmet 18 by means of fasteners 30 (see fig. 4 ) passing through threaded inserts 32 within the helmet 20 , through the helmet 20 , through the base plate 14 , and engaging threaded inserts 34 engaging the base plate 14 , such as within hexagonal openings sized to receive hexagonal exteriors of the inserts 34 . other fastening approaches may also be used. the inserts 32 , 34 and fasteners 28 may be made of metal, such as steel. as shown in fig. 2 , the base plate 14 may define a latch opening 36 and a connector opening 38 a . alternatively, a single opening may provide the function of both openings 36 , 38 a . a connector plate 40 may secure over the connector opening 38 a and may have one or more electrical contacts 42 mounted thereon. the latching plate 22 may define a connector opening 38 b that at least partially overlaps the opening 38 a such that contacts 42 are accessible through the connector opening 38 b . the contacts 42 may contact corresponding pins 44 (see fig. 4 ) on the accessory mount 24 in order to provide power and/or communication lines to a component secured to the accessory mount 24 . wires 46 coupled to the contacts 42 may extend through the connector opening 38 a and may extend through a corresponding opening 48 in the helmet 20 (see fig. 4 ). the wires 46 may extend out of the helmet 20 and connect to an external power source, such as a battery worn on the torso of a person wearing the helmet 20 or secured to the helmet 20 , such as to the back of the helmet 20 . such an arrangement provides a lighter accessory and better balance as less weight is positioned on the front of the helmet and may be balanced elsewhere such as on the rear of the helmet or off the helmet entirely. as is apparent in fig. 1 , the connector plate 40 may be secured to the base plate 14 by means of the two or more of the fasteners 28 securing the latching plate 22 to the base plate 14 . the latching plate 22 may define one or more structures for engaging the accessory mount 24 . in the illustrated embodiment, this may include a rearward pair of openings 50 and a pair of forward notches 52 offset from one another along the longitudinal direction 12 a ( figs. 2 and 3 ). the openings of each pair 50 , 52 may be offset from one another along the transverse direction 12 c . the openings 50 may include a widened portion 50 a and a narrow portion 50 b extending rearwardly form the widened portion 50 b . the widened portion 50 a may have the shape of an oval, i.e. a discorectangle defined as two circles offset from one another along the longitudinal direction 12 a and connected by two parallel tangent lines. the narrow portion 50 b may be smaller in the transverse direction 12 c , e.g., less than 60 percent or less than 50 percent, of the width of the widened portion 50 a in the transverse direction 12 c . the notches 52 may have a same width as the narrow portions 50 b or different widths. in the illustrated embodiment, the narrow portions 50 b and notches 52 include straight sides that are parallel to the longitudinal direction 12 a , the straight sides connecting to rounded, or otherwise shaped, end portion. the length of the straight sides may define a range of motion of pins within the narrow portions 50 b and notches 52 during attachment and detachment of the accessory mount 24 as described below. the rearward openings 50 may be positioned over the latching opening 36 , e.g., completely over the latching opening 36 such that pins inserted through the rearward openings may engage a latching spring 54 mounted within the latching opening. the latching spring 54 may secure to an underside of the base plate 14 forward or rearward of the latching opening 36 , such as by means of one or more fasteners 56 ( fig. 2 ). the latching spring 54 may be disengaged by means of a detachment wedge 58 that passes through the base plate 14 and into the latching opening 36 . for example, base plate 14 may define opening 60 and the wedge 58 may be mounted to a plug 62 sized to slide within the opening 60 . a gripping portion 68 may be secured to a portion of the plug 62 positioned outboard from the base plate 14 and define a structure, e.g. a rounded depression, for pressing by a wearer in order to urge the wedge 58 into the latching opening 36 in order to disengage the latching spring 54 . accordingly, the gripping portion 68 may extend outwardly from the plug 62 in one or both of the vertical direction 12 a and transverse direction 12 c in order to provide an area for pressing by a wearer that is larger than the cross sectional area of the plug 62 in the same plane. one or more springs 64 may be positioned between the gripping portion 68 and the base plate 14 and urge the plug 62 out of the latching opening 36 until the biasing force of the springs 64 is overcome by someone pressing on the gripping portion 68 . the springs 64 may insert within openings 68 in the gripping portion 68 and corresponding openings (not shown) in the base plate 14 . a fastener 70 may extend through a slot 72 (see fig. 4 ) in the base plate 14 to retain the plug 62 while still allowing the plug 62 to slide along the longitudinal direction 12 a. as shown in fig. 3a , the base plate 14 and latching plate 22 extend outward the outer surface of the helmet 20 such that no portion of the helmet mount 10 extends more than 1 cm, preferably no more than 5 mm, from the helmet 20 measured along any line normal to a point on the helmet 20 . as shown in fig. 3b , such an arrangement enables a visor 20 a pivotally mounted to the helmet 20 to pivot over the helmet mount 10 when the accessory mount 24 is not secured thereto. all other latching structures may be formed in the latching plate 22 or under the latching plate 22 such as no portion of the helmet mount 10 extends above the planar upper surface of the latching plate 22 when the helmet mount 10 is secured to the helmet 20 . in a like manner, clearance for the visor 20 a is facilitated by the fact that all latching structures (e.g., notches 52 and latching openings 50 ) are positioned rearward of a forward edge of the latching plate 22 . referring specifically to fig. 4 , the accessory mount 24 may have four pins, such as two forward pins 74 and two rearward pins 76 the forward pins 74 may be sized and positioned to engage the notches 52 and may include a narrow portion and a widened head portion such that the narrow portion may be inserted in the notch 52 and the widened head portion prevents the pins 74 from being pulled out of the notch 52 perpendicular to the upper surface of the latching plate 22 around the notch 52 . the rearward pins 76 may insert through the rearward openings 50 and engaging the latching spring 54 . figs. 5a to 5c and figs. 6a to 6d illustrate an example configuration of the latching spring 54 and engagement of the latching spring 54 with the rearward pins 76 . referring specifically to fig. 5a , the latching spring 54 may include an attachment point 78 , e.g., an end portion defining an opening for receiving fastener 56 , that secures the latching spring 54 to the base plate 14 to one side of the latching opening 36 . a central web 80 extends rearwardly from the attachment point 78 . two wings 82 may extend outwardly on either side of the web 80 and each include a distal plate 84 and a rearward latching surface 86 on a rear edge of the plate 84 . in the illustrated embodiment, the two wings 82 are also angled forwardly toward the attachment point 78 . in the illustrated implementation, the rearward latching surface 86 is curved and may have a radius curvature slightly (e.g., less than 1 mm) larger than a radius of curvature of the widened head portion of the rearward pins 76 . the central web 80 may be sloped such that the distal plates 84 are closer to the latching plate 22 than the attachment point 78 . the distal plates 84 may be substantially parallel (e.g., within 5 degrees of parallel) to a lower surface of the latching plate 22 around the rearward openings 50 . as is apparent in fig. 5a , the distal plates 84 may overlap at least a portion of the widened portion 50 a of the rearward openings 50 with at least a portion of the narrow portion 50 b extending rearwardly from the latching surface 86 . the distal plates 84 may be sized and positioned to engage the lower surface of the latching plate 22 such that the biasing force of the web 80 does not urge the plates 84 outwardly through the rearward openings 50 . referring to figs. 5b and 6a , when attaching the accessory mount 24 the rearward pins 76 may be placed over the widened portions 50 b of the rearward openings 50 such that the head 88 of each pin 76 is pressing against one of the distal plates 84 . the wearer may press down against the distal plates 84 , causing deformation of the latching spring 54 , such as shown in fig. 6b . the accessory mount 24 may then be slid rearwardly, driving a narrow portion 90 of each pin 76 into the narrow portion 50 b of the rearward openings 50 as shown in fig. 6c . the forward pins 74 may likewise include a head 88 and narrow portion 90 such that at the same time the narrow portions 90 of the pins 74 are driven into the forward notches 52 . once the heads 88 of the pins 76 have moved rearward of the latching surfaces 86 of the distal plates 84 , the latching spring 54 may urge the distal plates 84 back toward the latching plate 22 as shown in figs. 5c and 6d . the latching surfaces 86 thereafter hinders movement of the heads 88 forwardly. the heads 88 are wider than the narrow portion 50 b , which prevents vertical removal of the pins 76 . the operation of the detachment wedge 58 may be understood with respect to figs. 6d and 6e . the latching spring 54 may include sloped or rounded end portion 92 facing the detachment wedge. for example, the sloped end portion 92 may slope away from a lower surface of the latching plate 22 with movement in the rearward direction. the wearer may press on the gripping portion 64 and urge the plug 62 and detachment wedge 58 forwardly, thereby driving the latching spring 54 downwardly along the vertical direction 12 b . this likewise causes the distal plates 84 to move downwardly past the heads 88 of the rearward pins 76 . the accessory mount 24 is now free to move forwardly such that the pins 74 and 76 are moved out of the forward notches 52 and narrow portions 50 b , respectively, and the pins 76 may be withdrawn from the widened portion 50 a , thereby detaching the accessory mount 24 from the latching plate 22 . various alternatives to the illustrated embodiments may be used. for example, the distal plates 84 may be mounted on separate springs rather than a common latching spring 54 and may be made of a different material than that forming the spring or springs. likewise, in some applications a single notch 52 and single latching opening 50 may be used with a single pin 74 and a single pin 76 . alternatively, there may be three or more instances of each of the notch 52 , latching opening 50 , pins 74 and 76 , and distal pads 84 where greater latching strength is required. in addition, the detachment wedge 58 and plug may move along the vertical direction 12 b or transverse direction 12 c to apply force a downward force to the latching spring 74 . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
050-523-714-579-672	US	[ "US" ]	G06F13/00,H04L5/14,H04L29/06,H04L29/08,H04W84/12	2015-03-31T00:00:00	2015	[ "G06", "H04" ]	big data transfer optimization	embodiments are described for systems and methods that optimize large-scale data transfers over a wide area network by providing a data transmission protocol stack comprising a tcp layer that exchanges data processed by a host, and an ip layer that transports datagrams encapsulating the data to routers in the wan, and a udp-based transmission layer within the data transmission protocol stack that interfaces with the tcp layer and transmits data and control packets between the host and receivers of the wan using a unicast duplex protocol. the stack has a wan optimization components layer that interacts with the udp-based transmission layer and provides transport protocol optimization through the udp-based transmission layer and certain data de-duplication, compression, link aggregation, and application awareness functions.	1. a method of optimizing data transmission across a wide area network (wan), comprising: providing a data transmission protocol stack comprising a transmission control protocol (tcp) layer that exchanges data processed by one or more hosts of the wan, and an internet protocol (ip) layer that transports datagrams encapsulating the data to routers in the wan; defining, for use by network interface device components, a user datagram protocol (udp)-based transmission layer within the data transmission protocol stack and that interfaces with the tcp layer and that transmits data and control packets between the network interface device components of hosts and receivers of the wan using a unicast duplex protocol; and defining, for the network interface device components, a wan optimization components (woc) layer within the data transmission protocol stack and that interacts with the udp-based transmission layer in the network interface device components, and provides transport protocol optimization of big data transfers through the udp-based transmission layer by transparently intercepting tcp transfers from one or more applications generating the data transmission and defining modified routing rules so that application traffic is directed to appropriate woc home nodes to prevent a need to modify any of the one or more applications. 2. the method of claim 1 wherein the udp-based transmission protocol preserves user message boundaries during network transfers over the wan. 3. the method of claim 2 wherein the user message comprises a transaction, the method further comprising: breaking the transaction down to data chunks, wherein the size of each data chunks of the data chunks is fixed for any given transaction and does not exceed an underlying transport maximum transmission unit; and tracking each data chunk on the receiver in a bitmap, wherein each data chunk is associated with one bit in the bitmap and the bitmap holds all the bits for the transaction. 4. the method of claim 3 further comprising: dividing the bitmap is divided into ranges, wherein a length of the range is based on a number of bits that can fit into underlying transport maximum transmission unit. 5. the method of claim 1 wherein the wan comprises at least one host executing the one or more applications generating the data and one or more receivers receiving the data. 6. the method of claim 5 wherein the woc layer is provided in of: a library that can be integrated into one or more of the applications, and an operating system level features in which the woc layer provides a network tunnel transparent for the one or more of the applications. 7. the method of claim 6 wherein the one or more applications comprises a woc daemon process that can be run on a physical or virtual host on a local area network (lan) segment coupled to the wan. 8. the method of claim 7 further comprising aggregating multiple tcp streams for the one or more applications into the data transmission protocol stack for disaggregation and distribution through a corresponding woc daemon process running on a receiver of the one or more receivers. 9. the method of claim 8 further comprising compressing and encapsulating the aggregated multiple tcp streams prior to disaggregation and distribution in the receiver. 10. the method of claim 1 wherein the modified routing rules are used by a transmitting data center to aggregate a payload from multiple tcp streams into a woc protocol stack, and by a remote woc daemon process to perform reverse transformations to restore original tcp streams and distribute them to final destinations in the wan. 11. a method of optimizing large-scale data transfers in a wide area network (wan) comprising: aggregating, in a data transmitter of the wan, multiple data streams presented in accordance with a transmission control protocol (tcp) to form aggregated tcp data; encapsulating the aggregated tcp into a wan optimized protocol format through a wan optimization components (woc) layer that is configured to provide transport protocol optimization through a user datagram protocol (udp)-based transmission layer defined for use by network device interface components including the data transmitter, to form encapsulated data by, in part, transparently intercepting tcp transfers from one or more applications generating the data transmission and defining modified routing rules so that application traffic is directed to appropriate woc home nodes to prevent a need to modify any of the one or more applications; and transmitting the encapsulated data to one or more receivers within the network device interface components of the wan for disaggregation and transmission to final destination nodes. 12. the method of claim 11 wherein the udp-based transmission layer preserves user message boundaries during network transfers over the wan, and the user message comprises a transaction, the method further comprising: breaking the transaction down to data chunks, wherein the size of each data chunks of the data chunks is fixed for any given transaction and does not exceed an underlying transport maximum transmission unit; tracking each data chunk on the receiver in a bitmap, wherein each data chunk is associated with one bit in the bitmap and the bitmap holds all the bits for the transaction; and dividing the bitmap is divided into ranges, wherein a length of the range is based on number of bits that can fit into underlying transport maximum transmission unit. 13. the method of claim 12 wherein the host executes an application processing the data comprising at least part of the large-scale data transfers, wherein the application comprises a woc daemon process that can be run on a physical or virtual host on a local area network (lan) segment coupled to the wan. 14. the method of claim 13 wherein the one or more receivers each execute a corresponding woc daemon process to perform the disaggregation and transmission to final destination nodes. 15. the method of claim 11 wherein the modified routing rules are used by a transmitting data center to aggregate a payload from multiple tcp streams into a woc protocol stack, and by a remote woc daemon process to perform reverse transformations to restore original tcp streams and distribute them to final destinations in the wan. 16. a system for optimizing large-scale data transfers in a wide area network (wan) comprising: a first component aggregating, in a data transmitter circuit of the wan, multiple data streams presented in accordance with a transmission control protocol (tcp) to form aggregated tcp data; a second circuit encapsulating the aggregated tcp into a wan optimized protocol format, for use by network interface device components including the circuits, through a wan optimization components (woc) layer that is configured to provide transport protocol optimization to form encapsulated data by, in part, transparently intercepting tcp transfers from one or more applications generating the data transmission and defining modified routing rules so that application traffic is directed to appropriate woc home nodes to prevent a need to modify any of the one or more applications; and a transmitter transmitting the encapsulated data to one or more receivers of the wan for disaggregation and transmission to final destination nodes. 17. the system of claim 16 wherein the udp-based transmission layer preserves user message boundaries during network transfers over the wan, and the user message comprises a transaction, the system further comprising a udp-based protocol component breaking the transaction down to data chunks, wherein the size of each data chunks of the data chunks is fixed for any given transaction and does not exceed an underlying transport maximum transmission unit; tracking each data chunk on the receiver in a bitmap, wherein each data chunk is associated with one bit in the bitmap and the bitmap holds all the bits for the transaction; and dividing the bitmap is divided into ranges, wherein a length of the range is based on number of bits that can fit into underlying transport maximum transmission unit. 18. the system of claim 17 wherein the host executes an application processing the data comprising at least part of the large-scale data transfers, wherein the application comprises a woc daemon process that can be run on a physical or virtual host on a local area network (lan) segment coupled to the wan. 19. the system of claim 18 wherein the one or more receivers each execute a corresponding woc daemon process to perform the disaggregation and transmission to final destination nodes. 20. a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having machine readable code embodied therein for: providing a data transmission protocol stack comprising a transmission control protocol (tcp) layer that exchanges data processed by one or more hosts of a wan, and an internet protocol (ip) layer that transports datagrams encapsulating the data to routers in the wan; defining, for use by network interface device components, a user datagram protocol (udp)-based transmission layer within the data transmission protocol stack and that interfaces with the tcp layer and that transmits data and control packets between the network interface device components of hosts and receivers of the wan using a unicast duplex protocol; and defining, for the network interface device components, a wan optimization components (woc) layer within the data transmission protocol stack and that interacts with the udp-based transmission layer and provides transport protocol optimization of big data transfers through the udp-based transmission layer in the network interface device components, by transparently intercepting tcp transfers from one or more applications generating the data transmission and defining modified routing rules so that application traffic is directed to appropriate woc home nodes to prevent a need to modify any of the one or more applications.	technical field embodiments are generally directed to data storage systems, and more specifically to optimizing data transfers among distributed data centers. background data migration between geographically distributed data centers is a critical task in modern large-scale computer networks. due to growing amounts of transmitted data and limited throughput of channels traditional protocols like tcp (transmission control protocol) are becoming outdated. tcp has proven to be very successful and greatly contributes to the popularity of today's internet and still contributes the majority of the traffic on the internet. however, tcp is not perfect and it is not designed for every specific application. in the last several years, with the rapid advance of optical networks and rich internet applications, tcp has been found inefficient as the network bandwidth-delay product (bdp) increases. though its aimd (additive increase multiplicative decrease) algorithm reduces the tcp congestion window drastically, it fails to recover it to the available bandwidth quickly, and theoretical flow level analysis has actually shown that tcp becomes more vulnerable to packet loss as the bdp increases. thus, the internet transmission protocols must be optimized to maintain viability in heavy data traffic environments. current methods of optimization however, often involve changing applications to accommodate different transmission protocols. this limits data mobility and imposes great cost overheads for system administrators. fig. 1 illustrates present methods of transmitting data in large network systems using certain known transmission protocols. in system 100 of fig. 1 , different networks 102 - 106 communicate to each other over a wide area network (wan) 110 . each individual network 102 - 106 may be a local area network (lan) or other similar type of network comprising any number of server and/or client computers that are coupled together and then coupled to the wan 110 through a gateway or network interface device. the networks 102 - 106 may represent data centers that include large-scale storage devices or storage networks and one or more servers to process the data to be stored and retrieved. in present systems, the standard communication of applications and data transfer among networks, such as 102 to 106 is performed with the tcp/ip protocol 112 . the tcp protocol generally does not run well on wans when either latencies or packet drop rates are high, such as due to distance, bad network connections, congestion, and other similar factors. other protocols have been developed to overcome the deficiencies of standard tcp/ip, such as the burst protocol from emc corporation. burst is a replacement protocol for tcp that has proven to be reliable. it is built on top of the user datagram protocol (udp) and is biased towards big data transfers, and was developed to overcome tcp's inefficiency in high bandwidth-delay product (bdp) networks with random losses. as shown in fig. 1 , this known alternative protocol 114 to tcp/ip 112 comprises the burst layer on top of the udp layer over the ip layer. the udp layer is a connectionless protocol that emphasizes low-overhead operation and reduced latency in favor of error checking and delivery validation. traditional approaches 112 that use tcp are generally not efficient enough to transmit big data volumes between datacenters, e.g., 102 to 106 . the use of an alternative, more efficient protocol 114 , such as burst often requires application changes, additional work and, in many cases may be infeasible to implement, such as if an application cannot be changed. what is needed therefore, is a way to provide a transmission protocol without requiring changes in the applications so as to significantly improve data mobility, which is extremely important for big data stores synchronization and backup. such a solution may be provided through the usage of standalone software module based on ewoc and implementing base tcp apis (application programming interfaces) for invasive substitution of a standard operating system network modules. the subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. the subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. emc, burst, and ewoc are trademarks of emc corporation. brief description of the drawings in the following drawings like reference numerals designate like structural elements. although the figures depict various examples, the one or more embodiments and implementations described herein are not limited to the examples depicted in the figures. fig. 1 illustrates present methods of transmitting data in large network systems using certain known transmission protocols. fig. 2 illustrates present methods of transmitting data in large network systems using wan optimized transmission protocols, under some embodiments. fig. 3 illustrates the organization of burst data for use in a wan optimization system, under some embodiments. fig. 4 is a table listing example packets used in the burst protocol, under an embodiment. fig. 5 illustrates the transmission of pdus during the establishment, connected, and disconnection states of a burst session, under an embodiment. fig. 6 illustrates the use of the ewoc layer to transfer data among large, distant data centers, under some embodiments. fig. 7 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of transferring data across a wide area network using an wan optimization components layer, under some embodiments. fig. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates components of an ewoc library for use in a wan optimized system, under some embodiments. detailed description a detailed description of one or more embodiments is provided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate the principles of the described embodiments. while aspects of the invention are described in conjunction with such embodiment(s), it should be understood that it is not limited to any one embodiment. on the contrary, the scope is limited only by the claims and the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. for the purpose of example, numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments, which may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. for the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the embodiments has not been described in detail so that the described embodiments are not unnecessarily obscured. it should be appreciated that the described embodiments can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device, a method, or a computer-readable medium such as a computer-readable storage medium containing computer-readable instructions or computer program code, or as a computer program product, comprising a computer-usable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein. in the context of this disclosure, a computer-usable medium or computer-readable medium may be any physical medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus or device. for example, the computer-readable storage medium or computer-usable medium may be, but is not limited to, a random access memory (ram), read-only memory (rom), or a persistent store, such as a mass storage device, hard drives, cdrom, dvdrom, tape, erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), or any magnetic, electromagnetic, optical, or electrical means or system, apparatus or device for storing information. alternatively or additionally, the computer-readable storage medium or computer-usable medium may be any combination of these devices or even paper or another suitable medium upon which the program code is printed, as the program code can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. applications, software programs or computer-readable instructions may be referred to as components or modules. applications may be hardwired or hard coded in hardware or take the form of software executing on a general purpose computer or be hardwired or hard coded in hardware such that when the software is loaded into and/or executed by the computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. applications may also be downloaded, in whole or in part, through the use of a software development kit or toolkit that enables the creation and implementation of the described embodiments. in this specification, these implementations, or any other form that the invention may take, may be referred to as techniques. in general, the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within the scope of the described embodiments. disclosed herein are methods and systems of optimizing big data transfers over large-scale networks without requiring changes to applications or undue system administration overhead. embodiments extend existing known data transfer protocols by adding a wide-area network optimization layer to burst and udp layers. fig. 2 illustrates present methods of transmitting data in large network systems using wan optimized transmission protocols, under some embodiments. in system 200 of fig. 2 , different networks or data centers 202 - 206 communicate to each other over a wide area network (wan) 210 . each individual network 202 - 206 may be a local area network (lan) or data center or other similar type of network comprising any number of server and/or client computers that are coupled together and then coupled to the wan 212 through a gateway or network interface device. as in fig. 1 , the networks 202 - 206 may represent data centers that include large-scale storage devices or storage networks and one or more servers to process the data to be stored and retrieved. under some embodiments, the networks of fig. 2 , e.g., 202 and 206 communicate through an advanced tcp/ip protocol 212 that includes a burst layer provided by emc corporation, which is an effective data transmission protocol over udp, and standard tcp and ip layers. in accordance with the open systems interconnection (osi) standard, the tcp protocol is within the transport layer that performs host-to-host communications on either the same or different hosts and on either the local network or remote networks separated by routers. it provides a channel for the communication needs of applications. tcp provides flow-control, connection establishment, and reliable transmission of data. the ip protocol is within the internet layer and has the task of exchanging datagrams across network boundaries. it provides a uniform networking interface that defines the addressing and routing structures used for the tcp/ip protocol suite, and its function in routing is to transport datagrams to the next ip router that has the connectivity to a network closer to the final data destination. for the embodiment of fig. 2 , the burst layer is completely built on top of udp as both data and control packets are transferred using udp. it is a connection-oriented, message-oriented, unicast, and duplex protocol that optimizes bulk data transfers, such as replication. burst preserves user message boundaries during network transfers. a user message is called the transaction in burst, and burst breaks the transaction down to data chunks. the size of the data chunks is fixed for any given transaction and does not exceed underlying transport mtu (udp) including overhead. the last data chunk in transaction can be less than other chunks and is called the partial data chunk. any given data chunk present on the receiver side is tracked in the bitmap. each data chunk is associated with one bit in the bitmap and the bitmap holds all the bits for the transaction. the bitmap is divided into the ranges and the length of the range is based on number of bits that can fit into underlying transport mtu (maximum transmission unit), e.g., udp, including overhead. fig. 3 illustrates the organization of burst data for use in a wan optimization system, under some embodiments. as shown in diagram 300 , the bitmap for burst data in the network 302 comprises individual bitmaps with associated headers. these are then concatenated together to form the bitmaps in memory 304 , as shown. individual data chunks are then organized into ranges to form the transaction data in memory 306 . the data chunks are then separated into individual units with associated headers to form the transaction data in the network 308 . the burst protocol comprises certain defined protocol data units (pdus) that fit into the underlying transport layer mtu (udp). fig. 4 is a table listing example packets used in the burst protocol, under an embodiment. as shown in table 400 , the packet type is a 4-bit field (bits 0 - 3 ) that is presents in all burst pdus' headers and uniquely identifies its meaning, as shown in the packet type column of the table. it should be noted that the packet types and type values in fig. 4 are examples of certain packet type definitions, and other packet types are also possible. certain pdus are used to establish a connection, while others (e.g., data, rtt, backrtt and bitmap) are used during the connected state, and still others are used during the disconnection procedure. specific bit assignments, configurations, and definitions (e.g., flags, reserved bits, etc.) may be provided for each of the pdus in accordance with the burst protocol defined by emc corporation, or any other definition appropriate for specific implementations and network environments. the appropriate pdus are exchanged during relevant stages of the transmission process. fig. 5 illustrates the transmission of pdus during the establishment, connected, and disconnection states of a burst session, under an embodiment. diagram 500 illustrates the message flows of pdus among an initiator, listener and server for the main stages of connection establishment 502 , data connection (duplex data transfer) 504 and disconnection 506 for an example burst session. the burst protocol defined herein is a udp-based transport protocol that uses api semantics compatible with berkeley sockets. it survives high latency and packet drops, and is optimized for best possible performance on links with high losses and delays while keeping memory consumption within given constraints. it employs smart flow control mechanisms optimized for best possible performance on large, medium, and small transfer sizes while keeping a low memory footprint. it is designed to be fair to other concurrent transfers. it employs smart available-link bandwidth probing mechanisms that allow the highest transfer speeds while releasing a fair share of bandwidth to other concurrent transfers in the network. it is designed and optimized primarily for big data transfers. as shown in fig. 2 , the protocol stack for transfer 212 includes an ewoc layer over the burst layer. in an embodiment, the ewoc layer comprises a wan optimization components layer, which is a software package that uses optimized data de-duplication and compression algorithms along with burst. the ewoc is configured to be used in two ways: (1) as a library that can be integrated into application, and (2) as an operating system-level feature when ewoc provides a network tunnel transparent for the application, though other implementations and configurations are also possible, and embodiments are not so limited. for this new software stack, the tcp functionality is provided on top of ewoc and burst so that existing applications need not be changed to use more effective transport for the data exchange. the software module and protocol stacks for the wan optimized transmission 212 might be used in variety of ways to speed up the data exchange and augment volumes of transmitted data within the same physical channel. embodiments may be applied in a number of different network environments. for example, a software defined data center, such as an elastic cloud storage (ecs) appliance solutions might benefit of the new transport protocol since it adds new quality of service without existing software changes. another example is the irods (integrated rule-oriented data system), which is an open-source, distributed data management software in use at research organizations and government agencies worldwide for creating data grids, digital libraries, persistent archives, etc. one example application is its use at genome research organizations, and other similar organizations. for this example use-case, replication and backup of genomic data is rather slow for traditional environment. although irods is open source software and can be modified without approval of its owners the modification is generally not practical as modified software does not always have community support and can be difficult to implement and propagate. a solution not requiring application modification is thus much more preferable from maintenance point of view. fig. 6 illustrates the use of the ewoc layer to transfer data among large, distant data centers, under some embodiments. as shown in system 600 , data centers 602 - 606 located in three major cities include a vipr platform from emc corporation (or similar platform) along with data transmission interfaces including a respective ewoc interface. the vipr platform represents storage automation software that provides a single automated way to abstract, pool and provision storage resources to deliver storage-as-a-service. thus, the data centers 602 - 606 represent software-defined storage networks utilizing vipr to manage and automate all storage resources for traditional and cloud storage platforms. each data center includes at least one vipr controller that comprises storage automation software that centralizes and transforms storage into a simple, extensible, and open platform. it abstracts and pools resources to deliver automated, policy-driven storage services on demand through a self-service catalog. although embodiments are described with respect to a vipr implementation, it should be noted that use of the ewoc interface is not so limited, and other implementations of data storage within data centers such as 602 - 606 may also be possible. system 600 illustrates an example in which large amounts of data may be transmitted among geographically distributed data centers. the data sets may be so large and/or complex as to constitute “big data” applications that cannot practically be processed using traditional data processing applications, such as relational database management systems (rdms or dbms). system 600 shows a system built on a standard linux kernel functionality, i.e., ip tables set up for transparent proxying (tproxy) and policy routing, used in conjunction with the ewoc-based process that transparently intercepts tcp transfers from different applications. in an embodiment, an ewoc-based application is called an ewoc daemon (ewocd) and, for instance, can be run on a physical or virtual linux host in the same lan segment. for a transmitting data center (e.g., 602 ) the payload from multiple tcp streams are aggregated, compressed and encapsulated into an ewoc protocol stack. the remote ewocd (e.g., 606 ) does the reverse transformations, restores original tcp streams and distributes them to their final destinations. no modifications to existing applications are needed. the only changes are to the routing rules so that application traffic can be directed to the appropriate ewocd home nodes. the optimization can be easily disabled to fall back to original implementations. fig. 7 is a flowchart that illustrates the above process steps ( 702 to 706 ) just described above. thus, as shown in fig. 7 , the data transmitter aggregates, compresses and encapsulates the payload from multiple tcp streams into an ewoc protocol stack, block 702 . the receiver receives the transmitted data and disaggregates and decompresses the payload from the ewoc protocol stack, block 704 , and then restores the original tcp streams and distributes them to their final destinations, block 706 . in an embodiment, the ewoc layer is a set of modular software components developed to provide building blocks for wan transfer optimization tasks and provides the following functionalities: transport protocol optimization (e.g., burst protocol as a tcp replacement); data de-duplication over the wire (e.g., vipr w-edrs); compression (e.g., vipr c-edrs); link aggregation; and application awareness. the ewoc daemon application-aware service built on top of the ewoc stack and can run on any physical or virtual posix system and on multiple clients. it is used to deliver wan optimization to systems where a built-in solution requires a lot of integration efforts and/or where optimization for multiple clients is required. the ewoc layer is built-on burst, which is a highly optimized udp-based transport protocol. the burst protocol may be embedded in the ewoc layer, but it can also be delivered as a standalone product (e.g., software development kit). fig. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates components of an ewoc library for use in a wan optimized system, under some embodiments. a number of different data processing applications for transmitting, receiving, and/or processing transmitted or received data are organized into applications that are run on the same host 802 and applications that are run on other hosts 804 . the applications may be ewoc-aware or ewoc-unaware, as shown. within the osi model, the applications 802 and 804 operate within the application layer, in which the applications create user data and communicate this data to other applications on another or the same host. the applications make use of the services provided by the underlying, lower layers, especially the transport layer which provides pipes to other processes that are addressed via ports, which essentially represent services. the applications 802 run on the same host as the ewoc library 810 are input directly to a facades interface 802 ; while applications run on other hosts are input to the facades interface through a network connection (e.g., lan 806 ) and an ip table-based interception interface 808 . the facades interface receives the application data into appropriate client processes: tcp transparent and non-transparent clients, unix domain sockets client and api client, as shown. a multiplexer combines the client data and inputs through a transformations component 814 that includes de-duplication, compression, and other appropriate processes for transmission through a transports component 816 . the transports component 816 transmits the data using the burst, tcp, and other pluggable protocols from the ewoc library 810 to the wan 820 . an application specific host interface component 818 provides an interface for user and system control over application operation. as shown in fig. 8 , the transformations component 814 includes a compression function. this compression function may be a fast compression process using an lz class algorithm, and that provides a choice of levels: lz_l1 (faster); lz_l2; or lz_l3 (higher compression ratio). it may be a deep compression function using an lzh class algorithm that uses moderate cpu resources and provides a choice of levels: lzh_l1 (faster); lzh_l2; lzh_l3; or lzh_l4 (higher compression ratio). other compression schemes may also be used. the ewoc library 810 may be implemented through an application program interface (api). one receiving port is provided for all incoming connection requests and transfers to minimize udp ports usage (rpnipr). with respect to the interface with the burst layer, the system multiplexes all ewoc pipes into one burst connection to minimize overhead and contention. for the embodiment of fig. 8 , the burst protocol is illustrated as being implemented within the ewoc library, though it may also be provided as a separate functional component or software routine. embodiments of the wan optimized transmission protocols and interfaces utilizing the ewoc library 810 and burst protocol may be used in any appropriate data processing and storage environment, such as to transfer information to and from the cloud, process data for virtual machine images, provide data for data science analysis, transmit data from local hardware/devices, and provide data for streaming processing. applications also include sharing the data in a hybrid cloud, and providing collaboration, backup, and storage-as-a-service (distributed storage) tools. embodiments may be applied to optimizing data transfers in practically any scale of physical, virtual or hybrid physical/virtual network, such as a very large-scale wide area network (wan), metropolitan area network (man), or cloud based network system, however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments are not limited thereto, and may include smaller-scale networks, such as lans (local area networks). thus, aspects of the one or more embodiments described herein may be implemented on one or more computers executing software instructions, and the computers may be networked in a client-server arrangement or similar distributed computer network. the network may comprise any number of server and client computers and storage devices, along with virtual data centers (vcenters) including multiple virtual machines. the network provides connectivity to the various systems, components, and resources, and may be implemented using protocols such as transmission control protocol (tcp) and/or internet protocol (ip), well known in the relevant arts. in a distributed network environment, the network may represent a cloud-based network environment in which applications, servers and data are maintained and provided through a centralized cloud-computing platform. it may also represent a multi-tenant network in which a server computer runs a single instance of a program serving multiple clients (tenants) in which the program is designed to virtually partition its data so that each client works with its own customized virtual application, with each vm representing virtual clients that may be supported by one or more servers within each vm, or other type of centralized network server. the data generated and stored within the network may be stored in any number of persistent storage locations and devices, such as local client storage, server storage, or network storage. in an embodiment the network may be implemented to provide support for various storage architectures such as storage area network (san), network-attached storage (nas), or direct-attached storage (das) that make use of large-scale network accessible storage devices, such as large capacity tape or drive (optical or magnetic) arrays, or flash memory devices. for the sake of clarity, the processes and methods herein have been illustrated with a specific flow, but it should be understood that other sequences may be possible and that some may be performed in parallel, without departing from the spirit of the invention. additionally, steps may be subdivided or combined. as disclosed herein, software written in accordance with the present invention may be stored in some form of computer-readable medium, such as memory or cd-rom, or transmitted over a network, and executed by a processor. more than one computer may be used, such as by using multiple computers in a parallel or load-sharing arrangement or distributing tasks across multiple computers such that, as a whole, they perform the functions of the components identified herein; i.e., they take the place of a single computer. various functions described above may be performed by a single process or groups of processes, on a single computer or distributed over several computers. processes may invoke other processes to handle certain tasks. a single storage device may be used, or several may be used to take the place of a single storage device. unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.” words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. additionally, the words “herein,” “hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. when the word “or” is used in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. all references cited herein are intended to be incorporated by reference. while one or more implementations have been described by way of example and in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be understood that one or more implementations are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. to the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
051-341-305-715-37X	US	[ "US" ]	G06F3/023,H01H13/84	2000-12-13T00:00:00	2000	[ "G06", "H01" ]	keyboard with illuminated keys	a keyboard with illuminated keys including a keyboard housing having a plurality of key recesses formed therein. a plurality of keys are received within the plurality of key recesses of the keyboard housing. the plurality of keys each have a generally square configuration. the keys each have an upper end and a lower end. the lower end has a pair of recesses formed therein. the recesses each have a light disposed therein. the upper end is divided into two sections. the two sections each correspond with one of the lights of the pair of recesses. each of the two sections have illuminatable indicia disposed thereon. the plurality of keys include at least one shift key. the shift key controls the activation of the lights whereby a pressing of the shift key causes one of the lights to illuminate and a release of the shift key causes the other light to illuminate thereby illuminating the indicia of one of the sections at one time.	1 . a keyboard with illuminated keys for utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters comprising, in combination: a keyboard housing having a plurality of key recesses formed therein; a plurality of keys received within the plurality of key recesses of the keyboard housing, the plurality of keys each having a generally square configuration, the keys each having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end having a pair of recesses formed therein, the recesses each having a light disposed therein, the upper end being divided into two sections, the two sections each corresponding with one of the lights of the pair of recesses, each of the two sections having illuminatable indicia disposed thereon, the plurality of keys including at least one shift key, the shift key controlling the activation of the lights whereby a pressing of the shift key causes one of the lights to illuminate and a release of the shift key causes the other light to illuminate thereby illuminating the indicia of one of the sections at one time.	background of the invention the present invention relates to a keyboard with illuminated keys and more particularly pertains to utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. many computer users are working at their computers until all hours. sometimes, these people are confronted with the problem of properly visualizing their keyboard. this often results in typographical errors. what is needed is a way for computer users to easily view the keys of the keyboard in order to avoid making mistakes. the present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem by providing a keyboard that illuminates the keys whereby the keys are provided with both upper and lower case letters so that the proper case is illuminated for the person inputting data. the use of keyboard illumination devices is known in the prior art. more specifically, keyboard illumination devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of illuminating keyboards are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. by way of example, u.s. pat. no. 4,670,633 to kaiwa discloses a keyboard with a means for illuminating push buttons using a small number of light sources. u.s. pat. no. 4,163,883 to boulanger and u.s. pat. no. 4,288,672 to puccini disclose various means for illuminating a keyboard used with a control panel. while these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a keyboard with illuminated keys for utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. in this respect, the keyboard with illuminated keys according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which can be used for utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. in this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. summary of the invention in the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of keyboard illumination devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved keyboard with illuminated keys. as such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. to attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a keyboard housing having a plurality of key recesses formed therein. a plurality of keys are received within the plurality of key recesses of the keyboard housing. the plurality of keys each have a generally square configuration. the keys each have an upper end and a lower end. the lower end has a pair of recesses formed therein. the recesses each have a light disposed therein. the upper end is divided into two sections. the two sections each correspond with one of the lights of the pair of recesses. each of the two sections have illuminatable indicia disposed thereon. the plurality of keys include at least one shift key. the shift key controls the activation of the lights whereby a pressing of the shift key causes one of the lights to illuminate and a release of the shift key causes the other light to illuminate thereby illuminating the indicia of one of the sections at one time. there has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. there are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. in this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. as such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. it is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which has all the advantages of the prior art keyboard illumination devices and none of the disadvantages. it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which is of durable and reliable construction. an even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a keyboard with illuminated keys economically available to the buying public. even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys for utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys including a keyboard housing having a plurality of key recesses formed therein. a plurality of keys are received within the plurality of key recesses of the keyboard housing. the plurality of keys each have a generally square configuration. the keys each have an upper end and a lower end. the lower end has a pair of recesses formed therein. the recesses each have a light disposed therein. the upper end is divided into two sections. the two sections each correspond with one of the lights of the pair of recesses. each of the two sections have illuminatable indicia disposed thereon. the plurality of keys include at least one shift key. the shift key controls the activation of the lights whereby a pressing of the shift key causes one of the lights to illuminate and a release of the shift key causes the other light to illuminate thereby illuminating the indicia of one of the sections at one time. these together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. for a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. brief description of the drawings the invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: fig. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of the keyboard with illuminated keys constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the keys of the present invention. fig. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the present invention as taken along line 3 - 3 of fig. 1 . the same reference numerals refer to the same parts through the various figures. description of the preferred embodiment with reference now to the drawings, and in particular, to figs. 1 through 3 thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved keyboard with illuminated keys embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference number 10 will be described. specifically, it will be noted in the various figures that the device relates to a keyboard with illuminated keys for utilizing light sources to illuminate the keys as either lower case or upper case letters. in its broadest context, the device consists of a keyboard housing and a plurality of keys. such components are individually configured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired objective. the keyboard housing 12 has a plurality of key recesses 14 formed therein. the arrangement of the keyboard housing 12 is similar to keyboards known in the art. the plurality of keys 16 are received within the plurality of key recesses 14 of the keyboard housing 12 . the plurality of keys 16 each have a generally square configuration. the keys 16 each have an upper end 18 and a lower end 20 . the lower end 20 has a pair of recesses 22 formed therein. the recesses 22 each have a light 24 disposed therein. the upper end 18 is divided into two sections 26 . the two sections 26 each correspond with one of the lights 24 of the pair of recesses 22 . each of the two sections 26 have illuminatable indicia 28 disposed thereon. the indicia 28 on some of the keys 16 are letters. these keys 16 have upper case letters on one section and lower case letters on the other section. note fig. 2 . other keys are presented with numbers on one section of the key 16 and a corresponding symbol on the other section of the key 16 . the plurality of keys 16 include at least one shift key 30 . the shift key 30 controls the activation of the lights 24 whereby a pressing of the shift key 30 causes one of the lights 24 to illuminate and a release of the shift key 30 causes the other light 24 to illuminate thereby illuminating the indicia 28 of one of the sections 26 at one time. thus, when the user is pressing the shift key 30 , the upper case letters on the keys 16 will be illuminated as well as the symbols on the other keys. when the shift key 30 is released, the lower case letters and the numbers will be illuminated. as to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. with respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and the manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
053-238-434-760-430	JP	[ "KR", "JP", "US" ]	H01L29/786,H01L21/822,H01L21/336,H01L21/66,H01L21/8234,H01L21/8242,H01L27/04,H01L27/06,H01L27/088,H01L27/108,H01L27/1156,H01L29/78,H01L51/50,H05B33/14,H01L27/12,C01G9/00,H10B12/00,H10B41/70,H01L29/94,H01L21/28,H01L29/417,H01L29/423,H01L29/49,H01L29/788,H01L29/792,G09F9/30,H01L29/24,H01L27/08	2013-09-25T00:00:00	2013	[ "H01", "H05", "C01", "H10", "G09" ]	semiconductor device	the present invention forms an oxide semiconductor film having a low density of defect states. alternatively, one embodiment of the invention forms an oxide semiconductor film having a low impurity concentration. an electrical characteristic is improved in a semiconductor device or the like using an oxide semiconductor film. it is a semiconductor device with a capacitor element which has a metal oxide film, a resistance element, or a transistor, that includes a region in which the observation rate of a diffraction pattern having a bright spot showing orientation is 70% or more and less than 100% when an observation point is changed one-dimensionally in the range of 300 nm, using a transmission electron diffraction measuring device. one object of the present invention is to form an oxide semiconductor film having a low density of defect states.	1 . a semiconductor device comprising: a resistor comprising a metal oxide film over an insulating surface and a nitride insulating film in contact with the metal oxide film, wherein when a region in the metal oxide film is observed with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus while changing an observation area one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 80% or more and less than 100% of the region. 2 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein c-axis alignment is found in the plurality of crystal parts, and wherein c-axes in the plurality of crystal parts are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a top surface of the metal oxide film. 3 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein a-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film, and wherein b-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film. 4 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a transistor, wherein the transistor comprises: a gate electrode over the insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film at least partly overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film; a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; an oxide insulating film at least partly overlapping with the pair of electrodes; and the nitride insulating film in contact with the oxide insulating film. 5 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises an in—ga oxide, an in—zn oxide, or an in-m—zn oxide, and wherein m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd. 6 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the nitride insulating film is formed of silicon nitride, a silicon nitride oxide, an aluminum nitride, or an aluminum nitride oxide. 7 . a semiconductor device comprising: a capacitor comprising a metal oxide film over an insulating surface, a conductive film at least partly overlapping with the metal oxide film, and a nitride insulating film between the metal oxide film and the conductive film, wherein when a region in the metal oxide film is observed with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus while changing an observation area one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 80% or more and less than 100% of the region. 8 . the semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein c-axis alignment is found in the plurality of crystal parts, and wherein c-axes in the plurality of crystal parts are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a top surface of the metal oxide film. 9 . the semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein a-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film, and wherein b-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film. 10 . the semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising a transistor, wherein the transistor comprises: a gate electrode over the insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film at least partly overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film; a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; an oxide insulating film at least partly overlapping with the pair of electrodes; and the nitride insulating film in contact with the oxide insulating film. 11 . the semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises an in—ga oxide, an in—zn oxide, or an in-m—zn oxide, and wherein m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd. 12 . the semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the nitride insulating film is formed of silicon nitride, a silicon nitride oxide, an aluminum nitride, or an aluminum nitride oxide. 13 . a semiconductor device comprising: a capacitor comprising a nitride insulating film, a metal oxide film in contact with the nitride insulating film, a conductive film at least partly overlapping with the metal oxide film, and an insulating film between the metal oxide film and the conductive film, wherein when a region in the metal oxide film is observed with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus while changing an observation area one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 80% or more and less than 100% of the region. 14 . the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein c-axis alignment is found in the plurality of crystal parts, and wherein c-axes in the plurality of crystal parts are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a top surface of the metal oxide film. 15 . the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein a-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film, and wherein b-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the metal oxide film. 16 . the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising a transistor, wherein the transistor comprises: a gate electrode over an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film at least partly overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film; a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; and an oxide insulating film at least partly overlapping with the pair of electrodes. 17 . the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the metal oxide film comprises an in—ga oxide, an in—zn oxide, or an in-m—zn oxide, and wherein m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd. 18 . the semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the nitride insulating film is formed of silicon nitride, a silicon nitride oxide, an aluminum nitride, or an aluminum nitride oxide. 19 . a semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode over an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film at least partly overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film; and a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, wherein when a region in the oxide semiconductor film is observed with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus while changing an observation area one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 80% or more and less than 100% of the region. 20 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein c-axis alignment is found in the plurality of crystal parts, and wherein c-axes in the plurality of crystal parts are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a top surface of the oxide semiconductor film. 21 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a plurality of crystal parts, wherein a-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the oxide semiconductor film, and wherein b-axes are not aligned in the plurality of crystal parts in the oxide semiconductor film. 22 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the gate electrode, the gate insulating film, and the oxide semiconductor film are positioned over the insulating surface in this order and between the insulating surface and the pair of electrodes. 23 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the gate electrode, the gate insulating film, and the pair of electrodes are positioned over the insulating surface in this order and between the insulating surface and the oxide semiconductor film. 24 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the oxide semiconductor film, the pair of electrodes, and the gate insulating film are positioned over the insulating surface in this order and between the insulating surface and the gate electrode. 25 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the pair of electrodes, the oxide semiconductor film, and the gate insulating film are positioned over the insulating surface in this order and between the insulating surface and the gate electrode. 26 . the semiconductor device according to claim 19 , wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises an in—ga oxide, an in—zn oxide, or an in-m—zn oxide, and wherein m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. in addition, the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. in particular, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a display device, a light-emitting device, a power storage device, a memory device, a driving method thereof, or a manufacturing method thereof. the present invention relates to a semiconductor device including a capacitor, a resistor, or a transistor that has an oxide semiconductor film and a manufacturing method thereof. 2. description of the related art transistors used for most flat panel displays typified by a liquid crystal display device or a light-emitting display device include a silicon semiconductor such as amorphous silicon, single crystal silicon, or polycrystalline silicon formed over a glass substrate. a transistor using such a silicon semiconductor is used in integrated circuits (ics) and the like. in recent years, attention has been drawn to a technique in which, instead of a silicon semiconductor, a metal oxide exhibiting semiconductor characteristics is used in transistors. note that in this specification, a metal oxide exhibiting semiconductor characteristics is referred to as an oxide semiconductor. as the oxide semiconductor, for example, ingao 3 (zno) m (m: a natural number) having a homologous phase is known (see non-patent documents 1 and 2). in addition, patent document 1 discloses a transparent thin film field-effect transistor using a homologous compound inmo 3 (zno) m (m represents in, fe, ga, or al, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than 50). reference patent document [patent document 1] japanese published patent application no. 2004-103957 non-patent document [non-patent document 1] m. nakamura, n. kimizuka, and t. mohri, “the phase relations in the in 2 o 3 —ga 2 zno 4 —zno system at 1350° c.”, j. solid state chem., 1991, vol. 93, pp. 298-315[non-patent document 2] m. nakamura, n. kimizuka, t. mohri, and m. isobe, “syntheses and crystal structures of new homologous compounds, infeo 3 (zno) m (m: natural number) and related compounds”, kotai butsuri ( solid state physics ), 1993, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 317-327 summary of the invention an oxide semiconductor film with low crystallinity is likely to include defects such as oxygen vacancies and dangling bonds. in the case where stacked oxide semiconductor films formed using sputtering targets with different compositions have different crystallinities, defects are generated at the interface between the stacked oxide semiconductor films. defects included in an oxide semiconductor film or defects combined with hydrogen or the like might cause carrier generation and change electrical characteristics of the oxide semiconductor film. impurities contained in the oxide semiconductor film might become carrier traps and sources of carriers. defects and impurities cause poor electrical characteristics of a transistor and an increase in the amount of change in electrical characteristics of the transistor, typically the threshold voltage, due to a change over time or a stress test (e.g., a bias-temperature (bt) stress test or a bt photostress test), resulting in a reduction in the reliability of the transistor. in view of the above, an object of one embodiment of the present invention is to form an oxide semiconductor film with a low density of defect states. another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to form an oxide semiconductor film with a low impurity concentration. another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device or the like using an oxide semiconductor film. another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve reliability of a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor film. another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel semiconductor device or the like. in one embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to achieve all the objects. note that the descriptions of these objects do not disturb the existence of other objects. other objects will be apparent from and can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like. one embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a capacitor or a resistor having a metal oxide film that includes a region; with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 70% or more and less than 100% of the region when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. note that the metal oxide film is in contact with a nitride insulating film. the metal oxide film preferably has a hydrogen concentration of 8×10 19 atoms/cm 3 or more. another embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a transistor having an oxide semiconductor film that includes a region; with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 70% or more and less than 100% of the region when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. note that the oxide semiconductor film preferably has a hydrogen concentration of less than 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 . another embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a transistor and a capacitor that are over an insulating surface. the transistor includes a gate electrode over the insulating surface, an oxide semiconductor film at least partly overlapping with the gate electrode, a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film, a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, an oxide insulating film covering at least part of the pair of electrodes, and a nitride insulating film. the capacitor includes a metal oxide film in contact with the gate insulating film, a light-transmitting conductive film at least partly overlapping with the metal oxide film, and the nitride insulating film between the metal oxide film and the light-transmitting conductive film. the oxide semiconductor film and the metal oxide film each include a region; with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 70% or more and less than 100% of the region when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. another embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a transistor and a capacitor that are over an insulating surface. the transistor includes an oxide semiconductor film in contact with an oxide insulating film that is over the insulating surface and has an opening, a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, and a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film with the gate insulating film positioned therebetween. the capacitor includes a nitride insulating film between the insulating surface and the oxide insulating film having the opening, a metal oxide film in contact with the nitride insulating film in the opening, the gate insulating film in contact with the metal oxide film, and a conductive film in contact with the gate insulating film. the oxide semiconductor film and the metal oxide film each include a region; with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 70% or more and less than 100% of the region when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. note that the oxide semiconductor film and the metal oxide film include the same metal elements. a nanobeam with a probe diameter of 1 nm is used as an electron beam to observe the diffraction patterns. one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to form an oxide semiconductor film with a low density of defect states. one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to form an oxide semiconductor film with a low impurity concentration. one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to improve electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device or the like using an oxide semiconductor film. one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to improve reliability of a semiconductor device or the like using an oxide semiconductor film. one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to provide a novel semiconductor device or the like. note that the descriptions of these effects do not disturb the existence of other effects. one embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily achieve all the objects listed above. other effects will be apparent from and can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like. brief description of the drawings figs. 1a to 1c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 2a to 2d are cross-sectional tem images and a local fourier transform image of an oxide semiconductor. figs. 3a to 3c are cross-sectional tem images and a local fourier transform image of an oxide semiconductor. figs. 4a to 4c are cross-sectional tem images and a local fourier transform image of an oxide semiconductor. figs. 5a and 5b show nanobeam electron diffraction patterns of oxide semiconductor films and figs. 5c and 5d illustrate an example of a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus. figs. 6a to 6d are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 7a and 7b are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of the method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 8a to 8c are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of the method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 9a to 9c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one embodiment of a transistor. figs. 10a to 10c are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 11a to 11c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 12a to 12c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 13a to 13c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 14a to 14d are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 15a and 15b are cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of the method for manufacturing the transistor. figs. 16a and 16b are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 17a to 17d are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 18a and 18b are diagrams each illustrating a band structure of the transistor. figs. 19a to 19c are a block diagram and circuit diagrams illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. fig. 20 is a top view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. figs. 22a to 22d are cross-sectionals views illustrating one mode of a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. figs. 23a to 23c are cross-sectionals views illustrating one mode of a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. fig. 26 is a circuit diagram illustrating a protection circuit portion. figs. 27a to 27c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating resistors. fig. 28 is a circuit diagram illustrating a protection circuit portion. figs. 29a and 29b are a circuit diagram and a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one mode of a semiconductor device. figs. 31a to 31d are diagrams illustrating crystal structures of an in—sn—zn oxide and an in—ga—zn oxide. fig. 32 is a block diagram of an rfid tag of one mode of the present invention. figs. 33a to 33f are diagrams illustrating application examples of an rfid tag of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 34 is a block diagram illustrating a cpu of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 35 is a diagram illustrating a display module. figs. 36a to 36d are external views illustrating electronic devices of embodiments of the present invention. fig. 37a shows an example of structural analysis by transmission electron diffraction measurement and figs. 37b and 37c show high-resolution planar tem images. figs. 38a to 38c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 39a to 39c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 40a to 40c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one mode of a transistor. figs. 41a to 41d are cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of a cross section of a caac-os film and a cross-sectional schematic view of a caac-os film. figs. 42a to 42d are cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of a plane of a caac-os film. figs. 43a to 43c show structural analysis of a caac-os film and a single crystal oxide semiconductor by xrd. figs. 44a and 44b show electron diffraction patterns of a caac-os film. fig. 45 shows a change in crystal parts of in—ga—zn oxide films induced by electron irradiation. figs. 46a and 46b are schematic views showing deposition models of a caac-os film and an nc-os film. figs. 47a to 47c show an ingazno 4 crystal and a pellet. figs. 48a to 48d are schematic views showing a deposition model of a caac-os film. detailed description of the invention in this specification, the term “parallel” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to −10° and less than or equal to 10°, and accordingly also includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to −5° and less than or equal to 5°. the term “substantially parallel” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to −30° and less than or equal to 30°. the term “perpendicular” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°, and accordingly includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to 85° and less than or equal to 95°. the term “substantially perpendicular” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to 60° and less than or equal to 120°. in this specification, trigonal and rhombohedral crystal systems are included in a hexagonal crystal system. embodiment 1 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to drawings. figs. 1a to 1c are a top view and cross-sectional views of a transistor 10 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 1a is a top view of the transistor 10 , fig. 1b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 1a , and fig. 1c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 1a . note that in fig. 1a , a substrate 11 , a gate insulating film 15 , an oxide insulating film 23 , an oxide insulating film 25 , a nitride insulating film 27 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 10 illustrated in figs. 1b and 1c is a channel-etched transistor including a gate electrode 13 provided over the substrate 11 ; the gate insulating film 15 formed over the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 ; an oxide semiconductor film 17 overlapping with the gate electrode 13 with the gate insulating film 15 provided therebetween; and a pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the transistor 10 further includes the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 over the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . in addition, an electrode 32 in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is formed over the nitride insulating film 27 . note that the electrode 32 serves as a pixel electrode. the oxide semiconductor film 17 is formed using a metal oxide film containing at least in or zn; as a typical example, an in—ga oxide film, an in—zn oxide film, or an in-m—zn oxide film (m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd) can be given. note that in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 17 is the in-m—zn oxide film, the proportion of in and the proportion of m, not taking zn and o into consideration, are preferably greater than 25 atomic % and less than 75 atomic %, respectively, further preferably greater than 34 atomic % and less than 66 atomic %, respectively. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 17 is the in-m—zn oxide film (m represents al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd), it is preferable that the atomic ratio of metal elements included in a sputtering target used for forming the in-m—zn oxide film satisfy in≧m and zn≧m. as the atomic ratio of metal elements of such a sputtering target, in:m:zn=1:1:1, in:m:zn=1:1:1.2, and in:m:zn=3:1:2 are preferable. note that the atomic ratios of metal elements in the formed oxide semiconductor film 17 vary from the above atomic ratio of metal elements included in the sputtering target within a range of ±40% as an error. the energy gap of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is 2 ev or more, preferably 2.5 ev or more, further preferably 3 ev or more. the use of an oxide semiconductor having such a wide energy gap reduces the off-state current of the transistor 10 . the oxide semiconductor film 17 is formed using a c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (caac-os) film. as described later, the proportion of caac in the oxide semiconductor film 17 is 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100%, further preferably 90% or more and less than 100%, still further preferably 95% or more and 98% or less when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm in observation with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus. therefore, the oxide semiconductor film 17 has a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states. here, the details of the caac-os film are described. the caac-os film is an oxide semiconductor film having a plurality of c-axis aligned crystal parts (also referred to as pellets). in a combined analysis image (also referred to as a high-resolution tem image) of a bright-field image and a diffraction pattern of a caac-os film, which is obtained using a transmission electron microscope (tem), a plurality of crystal parts can be observed. however, in the high-resolution tem image, a boundary between crystal parts (also referred to as pellets), that is, a grain boundary is not clearly observed. thus, in the caac-os film, a reduction in electron mobility due to the grain boundary is less likely to occur. furthermore, it is possible to reduce variation in electrical characteristics and to improve reliability. fig. 41a shows an example of a high-resolution tem image of a cross section of the caac-os film which is obtained from a direction substantially parallel to the sample surface. here, the tem image is obtained with a spherical aberration corrector function. the high-resolution tem image obtained with a spherical aberration corrector function is particularly referred to as a cs-corrected high-resolution tem image in the following description. note that the cs-corrected high-resolution tem image can be obtained with, for example, an atomic resolution analytical electron microscope jem-arm200f manufactured by jeol ltd. fig. 41b is an enlarged cs-corrected high-resolution tem image of a region (1) in fig. 41a . fig. 41b shows that metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner in a crystal part. each metal atom layer has a configuration reflecting unevenness of a surface over which the caac-os film is formed (hereinafter, the surface is referred to as a formation surface) or a top surface of the caac-os film, and is arranged parallel to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os film. as shown in fig. 41b , the caac-os film has a characteristic atomic arrangement. the characteristic atomic arrangement is denoted by an auxiliary line in fig. 41c . figs. 41b and 41c prove that the size of a crystal part is approximately 1 nm to 3 nm, and the size of a space caused by tilt of the crystal parts is approximately 0.8 nm. therefore, the crystal part can also be referred to as a nanocrystal (nc). here, according to the cs-corrected high-resolution tem images, the schematic arrangement of pellets 5100 of a caac-os film over a substrate 5120 is illustrated by such a structure in which bricks or blocks are stacked (see fig. 41d ). the portion in which the pellets are tilted as observed in fig. 41c corresponds to a region 5161 shown in fig. 41d . for example, as shown in fig. 42a , a cs-corrected high-resolution tem image of a plane of the caac-os film obtained from a direction substantially perpendicular to the sample surface is observed. figs. 42b , 42 c, and 42 d are enlarged cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of regions (1), (2), and (3) in fig. 42a , respectively. figs. 42b , 42 c, and 42 d indicate that metal atoms are arranged in a triangular, quadrangular, or hexagonal configuration in a crystal part. however, there is no regularity of arrangement of metal atoms between different crystal parts. fig. 2a is a high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of a caac-os film. fig. 2b is an enlarged high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of a region b surrounded by a dotted line in fig. 2a , and fig. 2c is a diagram in which atomic arrangement is highlighted for easy understanding of the high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of fig. 2b . fig. 2d is fourier transform images of regions each surrounded by a circle (the diameter is approximately 4 nm) between a1 and o and between o and a2 in fig. 2 b. c-axis alignment can be observed in each region in fig. 2d . the c-axis direction between a1 and o is different from that between o and a2, which indicates that a crystal part in the region between a1 and o is different from that between o and a2. in addition, between a1 and o, the angle of the c-axis continuously and gradually changes, for example, 14.3°, 16.6°, and 26.4°. similarly, between o and a2, the angle of the c-axis continuously and gradually changes, for example −18.3°, −17.6°, and −15.9°. in a high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of fig. 3a , a region different from the region b in fig. 2a is surrounded by the dashed line. the region surrounded by the dashed line is slightly shifted from the region b. note that a surface near the region is curved. fig. 3b is an enlarged high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of the region surrounded by the dashed line. fig. 3c is fourier transform images of regions each surrounded by a circle (the diameter is approximately 4 nm) between b1 and b2 in fig. 3b . as seen in fig. 3c , c-axis alignment can be observed in each region. between b1 and b2, the angle of the c-axis continuously and gradually changes, for example −6.0°, −6.1°, and −1.2°. in a high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of fig. 4a , a region different from the region b in fig. 2a is surrounded by the dashed line. the region surrounded by the dashed line is slightly shifted from the region b. note that a surface near the region is flat. fig. 4b is an enlarged high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of the region surrounded by the dashed line. fig. 4c is fourier transform images of regions each surrounded by a circle (the diameter is approximately 4 nm) between c1 and o and between o and c2 in fig. 4b . as seen in fig. 4c , c-axis alignment can be observed in each region. between c1 and o, the angle of the c-axis continuously and gradually changes, for example −7.9°, −5.6°, and −4.1°. similarly, between o and c2, the angle of the c-axis continuously and gradually changes, for example −10.0°, −10.0°, and −6.8°. note that in an electron diffraction pattern of the caac-os film, spots (luminescent spots) indicating alignment are observed. for example, when electron diffraction with an electron beam having a diameter of 1 nm or more and 30 nm or less (such electron diffraction is also referred to as nanobeam electron diffraction) is performed on the top surface of the caac-os film, spots are observed (see fig. 5a ). the results of the high-resolution cross-sectional tem image and the high-resolution plan tem image show that the crystal parts in the caac-os film have alignment. most of the crystal parts included in the caac-os film each fit inside a cube whose one side is less than 100 nm. thus, there is a case where a crystal part included in the caac-os film fits inside a cube whose one side is less than 10 nm, less than 5 nm, or less than 3 nm. note that when a plurality of crystal parts included in the caac-os film are connected to each other, one large crystal region is formed in some cases. for example, a crystal region with an area of 2500 nm 2 or more, 5 μm 2 or more, or 1000 μm 2 or more is observed in some cases in the high-resolution plan tem image. for example, when the structure of a caac-os film including an ingazno 4 crystal is analyzed by an out-of-plane method using an x-ray diffraction (xrd) apparatus, a peak appears at a diffraction angle (2θ) of around 31° as shown in fig. 43a . this peak is derived from the (009) plane of the ingazno 4 crystal, which indicates that crystals in the caac-os film have c-axis alignment, and that the c-axes are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os film. note that in structural analysis of the caac-os film including an ingazno 4 crystal by an out-of-plane method, another peak may appear when 2θ is around 36°, in addition to the peak at 2θ of around 31°. the peak at 2θ of around 36° indicates that a crystal having no c-axis alignment, typically, a crystal having a spinel structure, is included in part of the caac-os film. metal elements, typically, copper elements easily diffuse at an interface with the crystal having the spinel structure, and the interface becomes a carrier trap. for these reasons, it is preferable that the caac-os film not include the crystal having the spinel structure. furthermore, it is preferable that in the caac-os film, a peak appear when 2θ is around 31° and that a peak not appear when 2θ is around 36°. on the other hand, in structural analysis of the caac-os film by an in-plane method in which an x-ray is incident on a sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to the c-axis, a peak appears when 2θ is around 56°. this peak is attributed to the (110) plane of the ingazno 4 crystal. in the case of the caac-os film, when analysis (φ scan) is performed with 2θ fixed at around 56° and with the sample rotated using a normal vector of the sample surface as an axis (φ axis), as shown in fig. 43b , a peak is not clearly observed. in contrast, in the case of a single crystal oxide semiconductor of ingazno 4 , when φ scan is performed with 2θ fixed at around 56°, as shown in fig. 43c , six peaks which are derived from crystal planes equivalent to the (110) plane are observed. accordingly, the structural analysis using xrd shows that the directions of a-axes and b-axes are different in the caac-os film. next, fig. 44a shows a diffraction pattern (also referred to as a selected-area transmission electron diffraction pattern) obtained in such a manner that an electron beam with a probe diameter of 300 nm is incident on an in—ga—zn oxide that is a caac-os film in a direction parallel to the sample surface. as shown in fig. 44a , for example, spots derived from the (009) plane of an ingazno 4 crystal are observed. thus, the electron diffraction also indicates that crystal parts included in the caac-os film have c-axis alignment and that the c-axes are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os. meanwhile, fig. 44b shows a diffraction pattern obtained in such a manner that an electron beam with a probe diameter of 300 nm is incident on the same sample in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface. as shown in fig. 44b , a ring-like diffraction pattern is observed. thus, the electron diffraction also indicates that the a-axes and b-axes of the crystal parts included in the caac-os film do not have regular alignment. the first ring in fig. 44b is considered to be derived from the (010) plane, the (100) plane, and the like of the ingazno 4 crystal. the second ring in fig. 44b is considered to be derived from the (110) plane and the like. according to the above results, in the caac-os film having c-axis alignment, while a-axes are not aligned and b-axes are not aligned in the crystal parts, c-axes are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a formation surface or a normal vector of a top surface of the caac-os film. thus, each metal atom layer arranged in a layered manner observed in the high-resolution cross-sectional tem image corresponds to a plane parallel to the a-b plane of the crystal. note that the crystal part is formed concurrently with deposition of the caac-os film or is formed through crystallization treatment such as heat treatment. as described above, the c-axes of the crystals are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of the formation surface or a normal vector of the top surface of the caac-os film. thus, for example, in the case where a shape of the caac-os film is changed by etching or the like, the c-axes might not be necessarily parallel to a normal vector of the formation surface or a normal vector of the top surface of the caac-os film. since the c-axes of the crystal parts (nanocrystals) are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface in the above manner, the caac-os film can also be referred to as an oxide semiconductor film including c-axis aligned nanocrystals (canc) film. distribution of c-axis aligned crystal parts in the caac-os film is not necessarily uniform. for example, in the case where crystal growth leading to the crystal parts of the caac-os film occurs from the vicinity of the top surface of the film, the proportion of the c-axis aligned crystal parts in the vicinity of the top surface is higher than that in the vicinity of the formation surface in some cases. in the caac-os film to which an impurity is added, a region to which the impurity is added is altered, and the proportion of the c-axis aligned crystal parts in the caac-os film varies depending on regions, in some cases. the caac-os film is an oxide semiconductor film with a low impurity concentration. the impurity means an element other than the main components of the oxide semiconductor film, such as hydrogen, carbon, silicon, or a transition metal element. an element (specifically, silicon or the like) having higher strength of bonding to oxygen than a metal element included in an oxide semiconductor film extracts oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film, which results in disorder of the atomic arrangement and reduced crystallinity of the oxide semiconductor film. a heavy metal such as iron or nickel, argon, carbon dioxide, or the like has a large atomic radius (or molecular radius), and thus disturbs the atomic arrangement of the oxide semiconductor film and decreases crystallinity when it is contained in the oxide semiconductor film. additionally, the impurity contained in the oxide semiconductor film might serve as a carrier trap or a carrier generation source. accordingly, it is preferable that hydrogen be reduced as much as possible in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . specifically, in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the concentration of hydrogen which is measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (sims) is set to lower than 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably lower than 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably lower than 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , still further preferably lower than 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , still further preferably lower than 5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 , still further preferably lower than 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 . as a result, the transistor 10 has positive threshold voltage (normally-off characteristics). when silicon or carbon that is one of elements belonging to group 14 is contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , oxygen vacancies are increased in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the oxide semiconductor film 17 becomes an n-type film. for this reason, the concentration of silicon or carbon (the concentration is measured by sims) of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is lower than 2×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , preferably lower than 2×10 17 atoms/cm 3 . as a result, the transistor 10 has positive threshold voltage (normally-off characteristics). in a transistor using the caac-os film, change in electrical characteristics due to irradiation with visible light or ultraviolet light is small. here, a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film is described. a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film has a region in which a crystal part is observed and a region in which a crystal part is not clearly observed in a high-resolution tem image. in most cases, the size of a crystal part included in the microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, or greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm. an oxide semiconductor film including a nanocrystal that is a microcrystal with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, or a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm is specifically referred to as a nanocrystalline oxide semiconductor (nc-os) film. in a high-resolution tem image of the nc-os film, for example, a grain boundary is not clearly observed in some cases. note that there is a possibility that the origin of the nanocrystal is the same as that of a pellet in a caac-os film. therefore, a crystal part of the nc-os film may be referred to as a pellet in the following description. in the nc-os film, a microscopic region (for example, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, in particular, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm) has a periodic atomic arrangement. there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different crystal parts in the nc-os film. thus, the orientation of the whole film is not ordered. accordingly, the nc-os film cannot be distinguished from an amorphous oxide semiconductor film, depending on an analysis method. for example, when the nc-os film is subjected to structural analysis by an out-of-plane method with an xrd apparatus using an x-ray having a diameter larger than the size of a crystal part, a peak which shows a crystal plane does not appear. furthermore, a diffraction pattern like a halo pattern is observed when the nc-os film is subjected to electron diffraction using an electron beam with a probe diameter (e.g., 50 nm or larger) that is larger than the size of a crystal part (the electron diffraction is also referred to as selected-area electron diffraction). meanwhile, spots appear in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os film when an electron beam having a probe diameter (e.g., 1 nm or larger and 30 nm or smaller) that is close to or smaller than the size of a crystal part is applied. moreover, in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os film, regions with high luminance in a circular (ring) pattern are shown in some cases. also in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os film, a plurality of spots is shown in a ring-like region in some cases (see fig. 5b ). since there is no regularity of crystal orientation between the pellets (nanocrystals) as mentioned above, the nc-os film can also be referred to as an oxide semiconductor film including random aligned nanocrystals (ranc) film. the nc-os film is an oxide semiconductor film that has high regularity as compared with an amorphous oxide semiconductor film. therefore, the nc-os film is likely to have a lower density of defect states than an amorphous oxide semiconductor film. note that there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different crystal parts in the nc-os film. therefore, the nc-os film has a higher density of defect states than the caac-os film. next, an amorphous oxide semiconductor is described. the amorphous oxide semiconductor is an oxide semiconductor having disordered atomic arrangement and no crystal part and exemplified by an oxide semiconductor which exists in an amorphous state as quartz. in a high-resolution tem image of the amorphous oxide semiconductor, crystal parts cannot be found. when the amorphous oxide semiconductor is subjected to structural analysis by an out-of-plane method with an xrd apparatus, a peak which shows a crystal plane does not appear. a halo pattern is observed when the amorphous oxide semiconductor is subjected to electron diffraction. furthermore, a spot is not observed and a halo pattern appears when the amorphous oxide semiconductor is subjected to nanobeam electron diffraction. there are various understandings of an amorphous structure. for example, a structure whose atomic arrangement does not have ordering at all is called a completely amorphous structure. meanwhile, a structure which has ordering until the nearest neighbor atomic distance or the second-nearest neighbor atomic distance but does not have long-range ordering is also called an amorphous structure. therefore, the strictest definition does not permit an oxide semiconductor to be called an amorphous oxide semiconductor as long as even a negligible degree of ordering is present in an atomic arrangement. at least an oxide semiconductor having long-term ordering cannot be called an amorphous oxide semiconductor. accordingly, because of the presence of a crystal part, for example, a caac-os and an nc-os cannot be called an amorphous oxide semiconductor or a completely amorphous oxide semiconductor. note that an oxide semiconductor may have a structure having physical properties intermediate between the nc-os and the amorphous oxide semiconductor. the oxide semiconductor having such a structure is specifically referred to as an amorphous-like oxide semiconductor (a-like os). in a high-resolution tem image of the a-like os film, a void may be observed. furthermore, in the high-resolution tem image, there are a region where a crystal part is clearly observed and a region where a crystal part is not observed. a difference in effect of electron irradiation between structures of an oxide semiconductor is described below. an a-like os film, an nc-os film, and a caac-os film are prepared. each of the samples is an in—ga—zn oxide film. first, a high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of each sample is obtained. the high-resolution cross-sectional tem images show that all the samples have crystal parts. then, the size of the crystal part of each sample is measured. fig. 45 shows the change in the average size of crystal parts (at 22 points to 45 points) in each sample. fig. 45 indicates that the crystal part size in the a-like os film increases with an increase in the cumulative electron dose. specifically, as shown by (1) in fig. 45 , a crystal part of approximately 1.2 nm at the start of tem observation (the crystal part is also referred to as an initial nucleus) grows to a size of approximately 2.6 nm at a cumulative electron dose of 4.2×10 8 e − /nm 2 . in contrast, the crystal part size in the nc-os film and the caac-os film shows little change from the start of electron irradiation to a cumulative electron dose of 4.2×10 8 e − /nm 2 regardless of the cumulative electron dose. specifically, as shown by (2) in fig. 45 , the average crystal size is approximately 1.4 nm regardless of the observation time by tem. furthermore, as shown by (3) in fig. 45 , the average crystal size is approximately 2.1 nm regardless of the observation time by tem. in this manner, growth of the crystal part occurs due to the crystallization of the a-like os film, which is induced by a slight amount of electron beam employed in the tem observation. in contrast, in the nc-os film and the caac-os film that have good quality, crystallization hardly occurs by a slight amount of electron beam used for tem observation. note that the crystal part size in the a-like os film and the nc-os film can be measured using high-resolution tem images. for example, an ingazno 4 crystal has a layered structure in which two ga—zn—o layers are included between in—o layers. a unit cell of the ingazno 4 crystal has a structure in which nine layers including three in—o layers and six ga—zn—o layers are stacked in the c-axis direction. accordingly, the distance between the adjacent layers is equivalent to the lattice spacing on the (009) plane (also referred to as d value). the value is calculated to be 0.29 nm from crystal structural analysis. thus, focusing on lattice fringes in the high-resolution tem image, each of lattice fringes in which the lattice spacing therebetween is greater than or equal to 0.28 nm and less than or equal to 0.30 nm corresponds to the a-b plane of the ingazno 4 crystal. furthermore, the density of an oxide semiconductor varies depending on the structure in some cases. for example, when the composition of an oxide semiconductor is determined, the structure of the oxide semiconductor can be expected by comparing the density of the oxide semiconductor with the density of a single crystal oxide semiconductor having the same composition as the oxide semiconductor. for example, the density of the a-like os film is higher than or equal to 78.6% and lower than 92.3% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor having the same composition. for example, the density of each of the nc-os film and the caac-os film is higher than or equal to 92.3% and lower than 100% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor having the same composition. note that it is difficult to deposit an oxide semiconductor having a density of lower than 78% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor. specific examples of the above description are given. for example, in the case of an oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of single crystal ingazno 4 with a rhombohedral crystal structure is 6.357 g/cm 3 . accordingly, in the case of the oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of the a-like os film is higher than or equal to 5.0 g/cm 3 and lower than 5.9 g/cm 3 . for example, in the case of the oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of each of the nc-os film and the caac-os film is higher than or equal to 5.9 g/cm 3 and lower than 6.3 g/cm 3 . note that there is a possibility that an oxide semiconductor having a certain composition cannot exist in a single crystal structure. in that case, single crystal oxide semiconductors with different compositions are combined at an adequate ratio, which makes it possible to calculate density equivalent to that of a single crystal oxide semiconductor with the desired composition. the density of a single crystal oxide semiconductor having the desired composition can be calculated using a weighted average according to the combination ratio of the single crystal oxide semiconductors with different compositions. note that it is preferable to use as few kinds of single crystal oxide semiconductors as possible to calculate the density. note that an oxide semiconductor may be a stacked film including two or more films of an amorphous oxide semiconductor film, an a-like os film, a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film, and a caac-os film, for example. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film has a plurality of structures, the structures can be analyzed using nanobeam electron diffraction in some cases. fig. 5c illustrates a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus which includes an electron gun chamber 310 , an optical system 312 below the electron gun chamber 310 , a sample chamber 314 below the optical system 312 , an optical system 316 below the sample chamber 314 , an observation chamber 320 below the optical system 316 , a camera 318 installed in the observation chamber 320 , and a film chamber 322 below the observation chamber 320 . the camera 318 is provided to face toward the inside of the observation chamber 320 . note that the film chamber 322 is not necessarily provided. fig. 5d illustrates an internal structure of the transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus illustrated in fig. 5c . in the transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a substance 328 which is positioned in the sample chamber 314 is irradiated with electrons emitted from an electron gun installed in the electron gun chamber 310 through the optical system 312 . electrons passing through the substance 328 enter a fluorescent plate 332 provided in the observation chamber 320 through the optical system 316 . on the fluorescent plate 332 , a pattern corresponding to the intensity of the incident electron appears, which allows measurement of a transmission electron diffraction pattern. the camera 318 is installed so as to face the fluorescent plate 332 and can take a picture of a pattern appearing in the fluorescent plate 332 . an angle formed by a straight line which passes through the center of a lens of the camera 318 and the center of the fluorescent plate 332 and an upper surface of the fluorescent plate 332 is, for example, 15° or more and 80° or less, 30° or more and 75° or less, or 45° or more and 70° or less. as the angle is reduced, distortion of the transmission electron diffraction pattern taken by the camera 318 becomes larger. note that if the angle is obtained in advance, the distortion of an obtained transmission electron diffraction pattern can be corrected. note that the film chamber 322 may be provided with the camera 318 . for example, the camera 318 may be set in the film chamber 322 so as to be opposite to the incident direction of electrons 324 . in this case, a transmission electron diffraction pattern with less distortion can be taken from the rear surface of the fluorescent plate 332 . a holder for fixing the substance 328 that is a sample is provided in the sample chamber 314 . the holder transmits electrons passing through the substance 328 . the holder may have, for example, a function of moving the substance 328 in the direction of the x, y, and z axes. the movement function of the holder may have an accuracy of moving the substance in the range of, for example, 1 nm to 10 nm, 5 nm to 50 nm, 10 nm to 100 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, and 100 nm to 1 μm. the range is preferably determined to be an optimal range for the structure of the substance 328 . then, a method for measuring a transmission electron diffraction pattern of a substance by the transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus described above will be described. for example, changes in the structure of a substance can be observed by changing (scanning) the irradiation position of the electrons 324 that are a nanobeam in the substance, as illustrated in fig. 5d . at this time, when the substance 328 is a caac-os film, a diffraction pattern shown in fig. 5a is observed. when the substance 328 is an nc-os film, a diffraction pattern shown in fig. 5b is observed. even when the substance 328 is a caac-os film, a diffraction pattern similar to that of an nc-os film or the like is partly observed in some cases. for this reason, the quality of the caac-os film can be represented by the proportion of caac in some cases. note that the proportion of caac refers to the proportion of a region where a diffraction pattern of a caac-os film is observed, i.e., the proportion of a region where spots (luminescent spots) indicating alignment are observed in transmission electron diffraction measurement as shown in fig. 5a . the proportion of caac in the oxide semiconductor film 17 in this embodiment is 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100%, further preferably 90% or more and less than 100%, still further preferably 95% or more and 98% or less when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm in observation with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus. that is, the oxide semiconductor film 17 in this embodiment has low impurity concentration and low density of defect states. note that the proportion of a region where a diffraction pattern different from that of the caac-os film is observed in a certain area is referred to as the proportion of not-caac. an oxide semiconductor film with low carrier density is used as the oxide semiconductor film 17 . for example, an oxide semiconductor film whose carrier density is lower than 1×10 17 /cm 3 , preferably lower than 1×10 15 /cm 3 , further preferably lower than 1×10 13 /cm 3 , still further preferably lower than 1×10 11 /cm 3 is used as the oxide semiconductor film 17 . it is preferable to use, as the oxide semiconductor film 17 , an oxide semiconductor film in which the impurity concentration is low and density of defect states is low, in which case the transistor can have excellent electrical characteristics. here, the state in which impurity concentration is low and density of defect states is low (the number of oxygen vacancies is small) is referred to as “highly purified intrinsic” or “substantially highly purified intrinsic”. a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor has few carrier generation sources, and thus can have a low carrier density. a caac-os film and an nc-os film have a lower impurity concentration and a lower density of defect states than an a-like os film and an amorphous oxide semiconductor film. that is, a caac-os film and an nc-os film are likely to be highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor films. thus, a transistor including a caac-os film or an nc-os film rarely has negative threshold voltage (is rarely normally on). the highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor film has few carrier traps. the highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor film has an extremely low off-state current; the off-state current can be less than or equal to the measurement limit of a semiconductor parameter analyzer, i.e., less than or equal to 1×10 −13 a, at a voltage (drain voltage) between a source electrode and a drain electrode of from 1 v to 10 v. therefore, a transistor including a caac-os film or an nc-os film has small variation in electrical characteristics and high reliability. an electric charge trapped by the carrier traps in the oxide semiconductor film takes a long time to be released. the trapped electric charge may behave like a fixed electric charge. thus, the transistor in which a channel region is formed in the oxide semiconductor and which has a high impurity concentration and a high density of defect states might have unstable electrical characteristics. the thickness of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is greater than or equal to 3 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 3 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 3 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm. components of the transistor 10 will be described in detail below. there is no particular limitation on the property of a material and the like of the substrate 11 as long as the material has heat resistance enough to withstand at least later heat treatment. for example, a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a quartz substrate, or a sapphire substrate may be used as the substrate 11 . alternatively, a single crystal semiconductor substrate or a polycrystalline semiconductor substrate made of silicon, silicon carbide, or the like; a compound semiconductor substrate made of silicon germanium or the like; an soi substrate; or the like can be used. still alternatively, any of these substrates provided with a semiconductor element may be used as the substrate 11 . in the case where a glass substrate is used as the substrate 11 , a glass substrate having any of the following sizes can be used: the 6th generation (1500 mm×1850 mm), the 7th generation (1870 mm×2200 mm), the 8th generation (2200 mm×2400 mm), the 9th generation (2400 mm×2800 mm), and the 10th generation (2950 mm×3400 mm). thus, a large-sized display device can be manufactured. alternatively, a flexible substrate may be used as the substrate 11 , and the transistor 10 may be provided directly on the flexible substrate. further alternatively, a separation layer may be provided between the substrate 11 and the transistor 10 . the separation layer can be used when part or the whole of a semiconductor device formed over the separation layer is separated from the substrate 11 and transferred onto another substrate. in such a case, the transistor 10 can be transferred to a substrate having low heat resistance or a flexible substrate as well. the gate electrode 13 can be formed using a metal element selected from aluminum, chromium, copper, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten; an alloy containing any of these metal elements as a component; an alloy containing these metal elements in combination; or the like. furthermore, one or more metal elements selected from manganese and zirconium may be used. the gate electrode 13 may have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure of two or more layers. examples of the structure of the gate electrode 13 include a single-layer structure of an aluminum film containing silicon, a two-layer structure in which an aluminum film is stacked over a titanium film, a two-layer structure in which a titanium film is stacked over a titanium nitride film, a two-layer structure in which a tungsten film is stacked over a titanium nitride film, a two-layer structure in which a tungsten film is stacked over a tantalum nitride film or a tungsten nitride film, a two-layer structure in which a copper film is stacked over a titanium film, and a three-layer structure in which a titanium film, an aluminum film, and a titanium film are stacked in this order. alternatively, an alloy film or a nitride film which contains aluminum and one or more elements selected from titanium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, neodymium, and scandium may be used. the gate electrode 13 can also be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium tin oxide (hereinafter also referred to as ito), indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. it is also possible to have a stacked-layer structure formed using the above light-transmitting conductive material and the above metal element. the gate insulating film 15 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using, for example, one or more of a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, a silicon nitride film, an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a gallium oxide film, a ga—zn-based metal oxide film, and a silicon nitride film. the gate insulating film 15 may be formed using a high-k material such as hafnium silicate (hfsio x ), hafnium silicate to which nitrogen is added (hfsi x o y n z ), hafnium aluminate to which nitrogen is added (hfal x o y n z ), hafnium oxide, or yttrium oxide, so that gate leakage current of the transistor can be reduced. the thickness of the gate insulating film 15 is greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 400 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 300 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 50 nm and less than or equal to 250 nm. the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is formed with a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using any of metals such as aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, copper, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, tantalum, and tungsten and an alloy containing any of these metals as a main component. for example, a single-layer structure of an aluminum film containing silicon; a two-layer structure in which an aluminum film is stacked over a titanium film; a two-layer structure in which an aluminum film is stacked over a tungsten film; a two-layer structure in which a copper film is stacked over a copper-magnesium-aluminum alloy film; a two-layer structure in which a copper film is stacked over a titanium film; a two-layer structure in which a copper film is stacked over a tungsten film; a three-layer structure in which a titanium film or a titanium nitride film, an aluminum film or a copper film, and a titanium film or a titanium nitride film are stacked in this order; a three-layer structure in which a molybdenum film or a molybdenum nitride film, an aluminum film or a copper film, and a molybdenum film or a molybdenum nitride film are stacked in this order; and the like can be given. note that a transparent conductive material containing indium oxide, tin oxide, or zinc oxide may be used. the gate insulating film 28 includes the oxide insulating film 23 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the oxide insulating film 25 in contact with the oxide insulating film 23 , and the nitride insulating film 27 in contact with the oxide insulating film 25 . the gate insulating film 28 preferably includes at least an oxide insulating film containing oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition. here, as the oxide insulating film 23 , an oxide insulating film through which oxygen passes is formed. as the oxide insulating film 25 , an oxide insulating film containing oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition is formed. as the nitride insulating film 27 , a nitride insulating film that blocks hydrogen and oxygen is formed. although the gate insulating film 28 has a three-layer structure here, the gate insulating film 28 can have a single layer structure, a two-layer structure, or a stacked-layer structure including four or more layers as appropriate. note that in these cases, at least an oxide insulating film containing oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition is preferably included. the oxide insulating film 23 is an oxide insulating film through which oxygen passes. thus, oxygen released from the oxide insulating film 25 provided over the oxide insulating film 23 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 through the oxide insulating film 23 . moreover, the oxide insulating film 23 also serves as a film which relieves damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 at the time of forming the oxide insulating film 25 later. a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, or the like with a thickness greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 150 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm can be used as the oxide insulating film 23 . note that in this specification, “silicon oxynitride film” refers to a film that contains more oxygen than nitrogen, and “silicon nitride oxide film” refers to a film that contains more nitrogen than oxygen. it is preferable that the number of defects in the oxide insulating film 23 be small and typically, the spin density of a signal that appears at g=2.001 due to a dangling bond of silicon be lower than 3×10 17 spins/cm 3 . the spin density is measured by electron spin resonance (esr) spectroscopy. this is because if the density of defects in the oxide insulating film 23 is high, oxygen is bonded to the defects and the amount of oxygen that passes through the oxide insulating film 23 is decreased. furthermore, it is preferable that the number of defects at the interface between the oxide insulating film 23 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 be small, typically the spin density of a signal that appears at a g value (due to defects in the oxide semiconductor film 17 ) of greater than or equal to 1.89 and less than or equal to 1.96 be lower than 1×10 17 spins/cm 3 , further preferably lower than or equal to the lower limit of detection by esr spectroscopy. note that in the oxide insulating film 23 , all oxygen having entered the oxide insulating film 23 from the outside moves to the outside in some cases. alternatively, some oxygen having entered the oxide insulating film 23 from the outside remains in the oxide insulating film 23 in some cases. furthermore movement of oxygen occurs in the oxide insulating film 23 in some cases in such a manner that oxygen enters the oxide insulating film 23 from the outside and oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 23 is moved to the outside of the oxide insulating film 23 . the oxide insulating film 25 is formed in contact with the oxide insulating film 23 . the oxide insulating film 25 is formed using an oxide insulating film which contains oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition. part of oxygen is released by heating from the oxide insulating film containing oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition. the oxide insulating film in which the oxygen content is higher than that in the stoichiometric composition is an oxide insulating film that releases oxygen the amount of which (converted into the number of oxygen atoms) is greater than or equal to 1.0×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , preferably greater than or equal to 3.0×10 20 atoms/cm 3 in thermal desorption spectroscopy (tds) analysis. note that the temperature of a film surface in the tds analysis is preferably higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 700° c. or higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 500° c. a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, or the like with a thickness greater than or equal to 30 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm, or greater than or equal to 50 nm and less than or equal to 400 nm can be used for the oxide insulating film 25 . it is preferable that the amount of defects in the oxide insulating film 25 be small; as a typical example, the spin density of a signal that appears at g=2.001 originating from a dangling bond of silicon is preferably lower than 1.5×10 18 spins/cm 3 , further preferably lower than or equal to 1×10 18 spins/cm 3 by esr measurement. note that the oxide insulating film 25 is provided more apart from the oxide semiconductor film 17 than the oxide insulating film 23 is; thus, the oxide insulating film 25 may have higher defect density than the oxide insulating film 23 . the nitride insulating film 27 has an effect of blocking at least hydrogen and oxygen. preferably, the nitride insulating film 27 has an effect of blocking oxygen, hydrogen, water, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or the like. it is possible to prevent outward diffusion of oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film 17 and entry of hydrogen, water, or the like into the oxide semiconductor film 17 from the outside by providing the nitride insulating film 27 over the gate insulating film 28 . the nitride insulating film 27 is formed using a silicon nitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, an aluminum nitride oxide film, or the like having a thickness greater than or equal to 50 nm and less than or equal to 300 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 100 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm. note that instead of the nitride insulating film 27 , an oxide insulating film having a blocking effect against oxygen, hydrogen, water, and the like may be provided. as the oxide insulating film having a blocking effect against oxygen, hydrogen, water, and the like, aluminum oxide, aluminum oxynitride, gallium oxide, gallium oxynitride, yttrium oxide, yttrium oxynitride, hafnium oxide, and hafnium oxynitride can be given. a light-transmitting conductive film is used for the electrode 32 . the light-transmitting conductive film is formed using an indium tin oxide, an indium zinc oxide, an indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, an indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, an indium oxide containing titanium oxide, an indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, an indium tin oxide containing silicon oxide, or the like. next, a method for manufacturing the transistor 10 in figs. 1a to 1c is described with reference to figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , and figs. 8a to 8c . note that in figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , and figs. 8a to 8c , cross-sectional views in the channel length direction along the dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 1a and cross-sectional views in the channel width direction along the dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 1a are illustrated. the films included in the transistor 10 (i.e., the insulating film, the oxide semiconductor film, the metal oxide film, the conductive film, and the like) can be formed by any of a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition (cvd) method, a vacuum evaporation method, and a pulsed laser deposition (pld) method. alternatively, a coating method or a printing method can be used. although the sputtering method and a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (pecvd) method are typical examples of the film formation method, a thermal cvd method may be used. as the thermal cvd method, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (mocvd) method or an atomic layer deposition (ald) method may be used, for example. deposition by the thermal cvd method may be performed in such a manner that the pressure in a chamber is set to an atmospheric pressure or a reduced pressure, and a source gas and an oxidizer are supplied to the chamber at a time and react with each other in the vicinity of the substrate or over the substrate. thus, no plasma is generated in the deposition; therefore, the thermal cvd method has an advantage that no defect due to plasma damage is caused. deposition by the ald method may be performed in such a manner that the pressure in a chamber is set to an atmospheric pressure or a reduced pressure, source gases for reaction are sequentially introduced into the chamber, and then the sequence of the gas introduction is repeated. for example, two or more kinds of source gases are sequentially supplied to the chamber by switching respective switching valves (also referred to as high-speed valves). for example, a first source gas is introduced, an inert gas (e.g., argon or nitrogen) or the like is introduced at the same time or after the first source gas is introduced so that the source gases are not mixed, and then a second source gas is introduced. note that in the case where the first source gas and the inert gas are introduced at a time, the inert gas serves as a carrier gas, and the inert gas may also be introduced at the same time as the second source gas. alternatively, the first source gas may be exhausted by vacuum evacuation instead of the introduction of the inert gas, and then the second source gas may be introduced. the first source gas is adsorbed on the surface of the substrate to form a first single-atomic layer; then the second source gas is introduced to react with the first single-atomic layer; as a result, a second single-atomic layer is stacked over the first single-atomic layer, so that a thin film is formed. the sequence of the gas introduction is repeated plural times until a desired thickness is obtained, whereby a thin film with excellent step coverage can be formed. the thickness of the thin film can be adjusted by the number of repetition times of the sequence of the gas introduction; therefore, the ald method makes it possible to accurately adjust a thickness and thus is suitable for manufacturing a minute fet. as illustrated in fig. 6a , a conductive film 12 to be the gate electrode 13 is formed over the substrate 11 . here, a glass substrate is used as the substrate 11 . the conductive film 12 is formed by a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, a pld method, a thermal cvd method, or the like. alternatively, a tungsten film can be formed with a deposition apparatus employing ald. in that case, a wf 6 gas and a b 2 h 6 gas are sequentially introduced more than once to form an initial tungsten film, and then a wf 6 gas and an h 2 gas are introduced at a time, so that a tungsten film is formed. note that an sih 4 gas may be used instead of a b 2 h 6 gas. as the conductive film 12 , a 100-nm-thick tungsten film is formed by a sputtering method. then, a mask is formed over the conductive film 12 by a photolithography process using a first photomask. next, the conductive film 12 is partly etched using the mask to form the gate electrode 13 . then, the mask is removed (see fig. 6b ). the conductive film 12 can be partly etched by one of or both wet etching and dry etching. here, a mask is formed by a photolithography process and the conductive film 12 is dry-etched using the mask to form the gate electrode 13 . note that the gate electrode 13 may be formed by an electrolytic plating method, a printing method, an ink-jet method, or the like instead of the above formation method. next, as illustrated in fig. 6c , an insulating film 14 to be the gate insulating film 15 is formed over the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 , and an oxide semiconductor film 16 to be the oxide semiconductor film 17 is formed over the insulating film 14 . the insulating film 14 is formed by a sputtering method, a cvd method, a vacuum evaporation method, a pld method, a thermal cvd method, or the like. in the case where a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, or a silicon nitride oxide film is formed as the insulating film 14 , a deposition gas containing silicon and an oxidizing gas are preferred to be used as a source gas. typical examples of the deposition gas containing silicon include silane, disilane, trisilane, and silane fluoride. as the oxidizing gas, oxygen, ozone, dinitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and the like can be given as examples. moreover, in the case of forming a gallium oxide film as the insulating film 14 , a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (mocvd) method can be employed. in the case where a hafnium oxide film is formed as the insulating film 14 by the thermal cvd method such as a mocvd method or an ald method, two kinds of gases, i.e., ozone (o 3 ) as an oxidizer and a source material gas which is obtained by vaporizing liquid containing a solvent and a hafnium precursor compound (a hafnium alkoxide solution, typically tetrakis(dimethylamide)hafnium (tdmah)) are used. note that the chemical formula of tetrakis(dimethylamide)hafnium is hf[n(ch 3 ) 2 ] 4 . examples of another material liquid include tetrakis(ethylmethylamide)hafnium. in the case where an aluminum oxide film is formed as the insulating film 14 by the thermal cvd method such as the mocvd method or the ald method, two kinds of gases, e.g., h 2 o as an oxidizer and a source gas which is obtained by vaporizing liquid containing a solvent and an aluminum precursor compound (e.g., trimethylaluminum (tma)) are used. note that the chemical formula of trimethylaluminum is al(ch 3 ) 3 . examples of another material liquid include tris(dimethylamide)aluminum, triisobutylaluminum, and aluminum tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate). furthermore, in the case where a silicon oxide film is formed as the insulating film 14 by the thermal cvd method such as the mocvd method or the ald method, hexachlorodisilane is adsorbed on a deposition surface, chlorine contained in the adsorbate is removed, and radicals of an oxidizing gas (e.g., o 2 or dinitrogen monoxide) are supplied to react with the adsorbate. the oxide semiconductor film 16 can be formed by a sputtering method, a pulsed laser deposition method, a laser ablation method, a thermal cvd method, or the like. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 16 is formed by a sputtering method, a power supply device for generating plasma can be an rf power supply device, an ac power supply device, a dc power supply device, or the like as appropriate. as a sputtering gas, a rare gas (argon as a typical example), an oxygen gas, or a mixed gas of a rare gas and oxygen is used as appropriate. in the case of using the mixed gas of a rare gas and oxygen, the proportion of oxygen to a rare gas is preferably increased. furthermore, a target may be appropriately selected in accordance with the composition of the oxide semiconductor film 16 to be formed. it is preferable that the oxide semiconductor film 16 be formed while the substrate is heated. the oxide semiconductor film 16 is preferably formed while the substrate temperature is set to 120° c. or higher and lower than 600° c., further preferably 150° c. or higher and lower than 450° c., still further preferably 150° c. or higher and lower than 350° c., yet still further preferably 150° c. or higher and lower than 250° c., in which case the oxide semiconductor film 16 becomes a caac-os film including a plurality of crystal parts. to make the oxide semiconductor film 16 intrinsic or substantially intrinsic, besides the high vacuum evacuation of the chamber, a highly purification of a sputtering gas is also needed. as an oxygen gas or an argon gas used for a sputtering gas, a gas which is highly purified to have a dew point of −40° c. or lower, preferably −80° c. or lower, further preferably −100° c. or lower, still further preferably −120° c. or lower is used, whereby entry of moisture or the like into the oxide semiconductor film 16 can be prevented as much as possible. for example, in the case where an oxide semiconductor film, e.g., an ingazno x (x>0) film is formed using a deposition apparatus employing ald, an in(ch 3 ) 3 gas and an o 3 gas are sequentially introduced two or more times to form an ino 2 layer, a ga(ch 3 ) 3 gas and an o 3 gas are introduced at a time to form a gao layer, and then a zn(ch 3 ) 2 gas and an o 3 gas are introduced at a time to form a zno layer. note that the order of these layers is not limited to this example. a mixed compound layer such as an ingao 2 layer, an inzno 2 layer, a gaino layer, a znino layer, or a gazno layer may be formed by mixing of these gases. note that although an h 2 o gas which is obtained by bubbling with an inert gas such as ar may be used instead of an o 3 gas, it is preferable to use an o 3 gas, which does not contain h. instead of an in(ch 3 ) 3 gas, an in(c 2 h 5 ) 3 may be used. instead of a ga(ch 3 ) 3 gas, a ga(c 2 h 5 ) 3 gas may be used. furthermore, a zn(ch 3 ) 2 gas may be used. here, a 35-nm-thick in—ga—zn oxide film is formed as the oxide semiconductor film 16 by a sputtering method using an in—ga—zn oxide target (in:ga:zn=3:1:2). note that the substrate temperature is set to 170° c., and an argon gas containing 50 vol % of oxygen is used as a sputtering gas. then, after a mask is formed over the oxide semiconductor film 16 by a photolithography process using a second photomask, the oxide semiconductor film 16 is partly etched using the mask. thus, the oxide semiconductor film 17 subjected to element isolation is formed. after that, the mask is removed (see fig. 6d ). the oxide semiconductor film 16 can be partly etched by one of or both wet etching and dry etching. here, the mask is formed by a photolithography process and the oxide semiconductor film 16 is wet-etched using the mask to form the oxide semiconductor film 17 . then, heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than 350° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c. consequently, it is possible to obtain the oxide semiconductor film 17 in which the proportion of caac is 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100%, further preferably 90% or more and less than 100%, still further preferably 95% or more and 98% or less when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm in observation with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus. furthermore, it is possible to obtain the oxide semiconductor film 17 having a low content of hydrogen, water, and the like. that is, an oxide semiconductor film with a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states can be formed. note that the heat treatment may be performed in a period between the formation of the oxide semiconductor film 16 and the photolithography process using the second photomask. next, as illustrated in fig. 7a , a conductive film 18 to be the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is formed. the conductive film 18 is formed by a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, a pld method, a thermal cvd method, or the like. here, a 50-nm-thick tungsten film and a 300-nm-thick copper film are sequentially stacked by a sputtering method to form the conductive film 18 . next, a mask is formed over the conductive film 18 by a photolithography process using a third photomask. then, the conductive film 18 is etched using the mask, so that the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is formed. after that, the mask is removed (see fig. 7b ). here, the mask is formed over the conductive film 18 by the photolithography process. then, the tungsten film and the copper film are etched using the mask to form the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . note that in the case where the copper film is etched by a wet etching method first and then the tungsten film is etched by a dry etching method using sf 6 , fluoride is formed on the surface of the copper film. by the fluoride, diffusion of copper elements from the copper film is reduced and thus the copper concentration in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. next, as illustrated in fig. 8a , an oxide insulating film 22 to be the oxide insulating film 23 and an oxide insulating film 24 to be the oxide insulating film 25 are formed over the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . note that after the oxide insulating film 22 is formed, the oxide insulating film 24 is preferably formed in succession without exposure to the air. after the oxide insulating film 22 is formed, the oxide insulating film 24 is formed in succession by adjusting at least one of the flow rate of a source gas, pressure, a high-frequency power, and a substrate temperature without exposure to the air, whereby the concentration of impurities attributed to the atmospheric component at the interface between the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 can be reduced and oxygen in the oxide insulating film 24 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; accordingly, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. as the oxide insulating film 22 , a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film can be formed under the following conditions: the substrate placed in a treatment chamber of a plasma cvd apparatus that is vacuum-evacuated is held at a temperature higher than or equal to 280° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., the pressure is greater than or equal to 20 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa, preferably greater than or equal to 100 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa with introduction of a source gas into the treatment chamber, and a high-frequency power is supplied to an electrode provided in the treatment chamber. a deposition gas containing silicon and an oxidizing gas are preferably used as the source gas of the oxide insulating film 22 . typical examples of the deposition gas containing silicon include silane, disilane, trisilane, and silane fluoride. as the oxidizing gas, oxygen, ozone, dinitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and the like can be given as examples. with the use of the above conditions, an oxide insulating film which permeates oxygen can be formed as the oxide insulating film 22 . further, by providing the oxide insulating film 22 , damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced in a step of forming the oxide insulating film 25 which is formed later. as the oxide insulating film 22 , a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film can be formed under the following conditions: the substrate placed in a treatment chamber of a plasma cvd apparatus that is vacuum-evacuated is held at a temperature higher than or equal to 280° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., the pressure is greater than or equal to 20 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa with introduction of a source gas into the treatment chamber, and a high-frequency power is supplied to an electrode provided in the treatment chamber. under the above film formation conditions, the bonding strength of silicon and oxygen becomes strong in the above substrate temperature range. thus, as the oxide insulating film 22 , a dense and hard oxide insulating film which is permeated by oxygen, typically, a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film having an etching rate lower than or equal to 10 nm/min, preferably lower than or equal to 8 nm/min when etching is performed at 25° c. using hydrofluoric acid of 0.5 wt % can be formed. in the case where hydrogen, water, and the like are contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the hydrogen, water, and the like can be removed in this step because the oxide insulating film 22 is formed while heating is performed. hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 is bonded to an oxygen radical formed in plasma to form water. since the substrate is heated in the step of forming the oxide insulating film 22 , water formed by bonding of oxygen and hydrogen is released from the oxide semiconductor film 17 . that is, when the oxide insulating film 22 is formed by a plasma cvd method, the amount of water and hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. time for heating in a state where the oxide semiconductor film 17 is exposed can be shortened because heating is performed in a step of forming the oxide insulating film 22 . thus, the amount of oxygen released from the oxide semiconductor film by heat treatment can be reduced. that is, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. furthermore, by setting the pressure in the treatment chamber to be greater than or equal to 100 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa, damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced when the oxide insulating film 22 is formed, so that oxygen vacancies contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. in particular, when the film formation temperature of the oxide insulating film 22 or the oxide insulating film 24 which is formed later is set to be high, typified by a temperature higher than 220° c., part of oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 is released and oxygen vacancies are easily formed. in addition, when the film formation conditions for reducing the amount of defects in the oxide insulating film 24 which is formed later are used to increase reliability of the transistor, the amount of released oxygen is easily reduced. thus, it is difficult to reduce oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 in some cases. however, by setting the pressure in the treatment chamber to be greater than or equal to 100 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa to reduce damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 at the time of forming the oxide insulating film 22 , oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced even when the amount of oxygen released from the oxide insulating film 24 is small. note that when the ratio of the amount of the oxidizing gas to the amount of the deposition gas containing silicon is 100 or higher, the hydrogen content in the oxide insulating film 22 can be reduced. consequently, the amount of hydrogen entering the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced; thus, the negative shift in the threshold voltage of the transistor can be inhibited. here, as the oxide insulating film 22 , a 50-nm-thick silicon oxynitride film is formed by a plasma cvd method in which silane at a flow rate of 30 sccm and dinitrogen monoxide at a flow rate of 4000 sccm are used as a source gas, the pressure in the treatment chamber is 200 pa, the substrate temperature is 220° c., and a high-frequency power of 150 w is supplied to parallel-plate electrodes with the use of a 27.12 mhz high-frequency power source. under the above conditions, a silicon oxynitride film which permeates oxygen can be formed. as the oxide insulating film 24 , a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film is formed under the following conditions: the substrate placed in a treatment chamber of the plasma cvd apparatus that is vacuum-evacuated is held at a temperature higher than or equal to 180° c. and lower than or equal to 280° c., preferably higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 240° c., the pressure is greater than or equal to 100 pa and less than or equal to 250 pa, preferably greater than or equal to 100 pa and less than or equal to 200 pa with introduction of a source gas into the treatment chamber, and a high-frequency power greater than or equal to 0.17 w/cm 2 and less than or equal to 0.5 w/cm 2 , preferably greater than or equal to 0.25 w/cm 2 and less than or equal to 0.35 w/cm 2 is supplied to an electrode provided in the treatment chamber. a deposition gas containing silicon and an oxidizing gas are preferably used as the source gas of the oxide insulating film 24 . typical examples of the deposition gas containing silicon include silane, disilane, trisilane, and silane fluoride. as the oxidizing gas, oxygen, ozone, dinitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and the like can be given as examples. as the film formation conditions of the oxide insulating film 24 , the high-frequency power having the above power density is supplied to a reaction chamber having the above pressure, whereby the degradation efficiency of the source gas in plasma is increased, oxygen radicals are increased, and oxidation of the source gas is promoted; thus, the oxygen content in the oxide insulating film 24 becomes higher than that in the stoichiometric composition. on the other hand, in the film formed at a substrate temperature within the above temperature range, the bond between silicon and oxygen is weak, and accordingly, part of oxygen in the film is released by heat treatment in the later step. thus, it is possible to form an oxide insulating film which contains oxygen at a higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition and from which part of oxygen is released by heating. further, the oxide insulating film 22 is provided over the oxide semiconductor film 17 . accordingly, in the step of forming the oxide insulating film 24 , the oxide insulating film 22 serves as a protective film of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . consequently, the oxide insulating film 24 can be formed using the high-frequency power having a high power density while damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 is reduced. here, as the oxide insulating film 24 , a 400-nm-thick silicon oxynitride film is formed by a plasma cvd method in which silane at a flow rate of 200 sccm and dinitrogen monoxide at a flow rate of 4000 sccm are used as the source gas, the pressure in the reaction chamber is 200 pa, the substrate temperature is 220° c., and the high-frequency power of 1500 w is supplied to the parallel-plate electrodes with the use of a 27.12 mhz high-frequency power source. note that a plasma cvd apparatus used here is a parallel-plate plasma cvd apparatus in which the electrode area is 6000 cm 2 , and the power per unit area (power density) into which the supplied power is converted is 0.25 w/cm 2 . next, heat treatment is performed. the heat treatment is performed at, as a typical example, a temperature higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., preferably higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c. an electric furnace, an rta apparatus, or the like can be used for the heat treatment. with the use of an rta apparatus, the heat treatment can be performed at a temperature higher than or equal to the strain point of the substrate if the heating time is short. therefore, the heat treatment time can be shortened. the heat treatment may be performed under an atmosphere of nitrogen, oxygen, ultra-dry air (air in which a water content is 20 ppm or less, preferably 1 ppm or less, further preferably 10 ppb or less), or a rare gas (argon, helium, or the like). the atmosphere of nitrogen, oxygen, ultra-dry air, or a rare gas preferably does not contain hydrogen, water, and the like. by the heat treatment, part of oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 24 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 , so that oxygen vacancies contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be further reduced. in the case where the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 contain water, hydrogen, or the like, water, hydrogen, or the like contained in the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 is moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 by heat treatment performed after a nitride insulating film 26 that blocks water, hydrogen, and the like is formed, so that defects are generated in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . however, when the heat treatment is performed prior to formation of the nitride insulating film 26 , water, hydrogen, or the like contained in the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 can be released; thus, variation in electrical characteristics of the transistor 10 can be reduced, and change in threshold voltage can be inhibited. note that when the oxide insulating film 24 is formed over the oxide insulating film 22 while being heated, oxygen can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 to reduce the oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; thus, the heat treatment needs not to be performed. here, heat treatment is performed at 350° c. for one hour in an atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen. furthermore, when the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is formed, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is damaged by the etching of the conductive film, so that oxygen vacancies are generated on the back channel side (the side of the oxide semiconductor film 17 which is opposite to the side facing to the gate electrode 13 ) of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . however, with the use of the oxide insulating film containing oxygen at a higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition as the oxide insulating film 24 , the oxygen vacancies generated on the back channel side can be reduced by heat treatment. as a result, the reliability of the transistor 10 can be improved. next, the nitride insulating film 26 to be the nitride insulating film 27 is formed by a sputtering method, a cvd method, a thermal cvd method, a vacuum evaporation method, a pld method, or the like. note that in the case where the nitride insulating film 26 is formed by a plasma cvd method, the substrate placed in the treatment chamber of the plasma cvd apparatus that is vacuum-evacuated is preferably set to be higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., more preferably, higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c., so that a dense nitride insulating film can be formed. in the case where a silicon nitride film is formed by the plasma cvd method as the nitride insulating film 26 , a deposition gas containing silicon, nitrogen, and ammonia are preferably used as a source gas. as the source gas, ammonia whose amount is smaller than the amount of nitrogen is used, whereby ammonia is dissociated in the plasma and activated species are generated. the activated species cut a bond between silicon and hydrogen which are contained in a deposition gas containing silicon and a triple bond between nitrogen molecules. as a result, a dense silicon nitride film having few defects, in which bonds between silicon and nitrogen are promoted and bonds between silicon and hydrogen is few, can be formed. on the other hand, when the amount of ammonia is larger than the amount of nitrogen in a source gas, decomposition of a deposition gas containing silicon and decomposition of nitrogen are not promoted, so that a sparse silicon nitride film in which bonds between silicon and hydrogen remain and defects are increased is formed. thus, in a source gas, the flow ratio of the nitrogen to the ammonia is set to be preferably greater than or equal to 5 and less than or equal to 50, more preferably greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 50. here, in the reaction chamber of a plasma cvd apparatus, a 50-nm-thick silicon nitride film is formed as the nitride insulating film 26 by a plasma cvd method in which silane at a flow rate of 50 sccm, nitrogen at a flow rate of 5000 sccm, and ammonia at a flow rate of 100 sccm are used as the source gas, the pressure in the treatment chamber is 100 pa, the substrate temperature is 350° c., and high-frequency power of 1000 w is supplied to parallel-plate electrodes with a high-frequency power supply of 27.12 mhz. note that the plasma cvd apparatus is a parallel-plate plasma cvd apparatus in which the electrode area is 6000 cm 2 , and the power per unit area (power density) into which the supplied power is converted is 1.7×10 −1 w/cm 2 . through the above-described steps, the oxide insulating film 22 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 can be formed. next, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment is performed at, as a typical example, a temperature higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., preferably higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c. next, a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 26 by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask, and then each of the oxide insulating film 22 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 is partly etched using the mask to form the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 . note that the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 have an opening 41 as illustrated in the cross-sectional view along a-b of fig. 8b . then, as illustrated in fig. 8b , a conductive film 30 to be the electrode 32 is formed. the conductive film 30 is formed by a sputtering method, a cvd method, an evaporation method, or the like. here, a 100-nm-thick ito film is formed as the conductive film 30 by a sputtering method. then, a mask is formed over the conductive film 30 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask. next, the conductive film 30 is partly etched using the mask to form the electrode 32 . after that, the mask is removed. through the above process, the transistor 10 can be manufactured. including the oxide semiconductor film with a high proportion of caac, the transistor 10 has excellent electrical characteristics and high reliability. modification example 1 in the method for manufacturing the transistor 10 , formation of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the use of a half-tone mask (alternatively, a gray-tone mask, a phase-shift mask, or the like) can reduce the number of masks and the number of process steps. in this case, a resist mask for forming the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is formed by performing ashing on a resist mask for forming the oxide semiconductor film 17 , for example. for this reason, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is provided under the entire region of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . fig. 38a is a plan view of the transistor 10 in figs. 1a to 1c that is manufactured with the use of a half-tone mask, and figs. 38b and 38c are cross-sectional views thereof. note that the oxide semiconductor film and the pair of electrodes can be formed with the use of a half-tone mask also in other embodiments. modification example 2 in the method for manufacturing the transistor 10 , an insulating film 29 may be provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . in this case, as illustrated in figs. 39a to 39c , the oxide semiconductor film 17 is connected to the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in an opening 44 and an opening 45 . the insulating film 29 can be formed using a material similar to that of the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 25 , or the nitride insulating film 27 . note that the insulating film 29 may be provided only over a channel region of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . modification example 3 a transistor including the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 different from those in the transistor 10 in this embodiment will be described. note that this embodiment can be applied to other transistors as appropriate. as for the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 provided in the transistor, it is possible to use a conductive material which is easily bonded to oxygen, such as tungsten, titanium, aluminum, copper, molybdenum, chromium, or tantalum, or an alloy thereof. thus, oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the conductive material contained in the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 are bonded to each other, so that an oxygen deficient region is formed in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . furthermore, in some cases, part of constituent elements of the conductive material that forms the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is mixed into the oxide semiconductor film 17 . consequently, low-resistance regions are formed in the vicinity of regions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 which are in contact with the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . the low-resistance regions are in contact with the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 and are formed between the gate insulating film 15 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . since the low-resistance regions have high conductivity, contact resistance between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 can be reduced, and thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased. note that end portions of the low-resistance regions may be substantially aligned with the end portions of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . alternatively, the end portions of the low-resistance regions may overlap with a region between the end portions of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . in the case where the low-resistance regions are formed in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , a channel length is the distance between the low-resistance regions at the interface between the gate insulating film 28 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . furthermore, the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 may have a stacked-layer structure including the conductive material which is easily bonded to oxygen and a conductive material which is not easily bonded to oxygen, such as titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, or ruthenium. with such a stacked-layer structure, oxidization of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 can be prevented at the interface between the oxide insulating film 23 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , so that an increase in the resistance of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 can be inhibited. <deposition model> examples of deposition models of a caac-os film and an nc-os film are described below. fig. 46a is a schematic view of the inside of a deposition chamber where a caac-os film is deposited by a sputtering method. a target 5130 is attached to a backing plate. a plurality of magnets are provided to face the target 5130 with the backing plate positioned therebetween. the plurality of magnets generate a magnetic field. a sputtering method in which the disposition rate is increased by utilizing a magnetic field of magnets is referred to as a magnetron sputtering method. the target 5130 has a polycrystalline structure in which a cleavage plane exists in at least one crystal grain. a cleavage plane of the target 5130 including an in—ga—zn oxide is described as an example. fig. 47a shows a structure of an ingazno 4 crystal included in the target 5130 . note that fig. 47a shows a structure of the case where the ingazno 4 crystal is observed from a direction parallel to the b-axis when the c-axis is in an upward direction. fig. 47a indicates that oxygen atoms in a ga—zn—o layer are positioned close to those in an adjacent ga—zn—o layer. the oxygen atoms have negative electric charge, whereby the two ga—zn—o layers repel each other. as a result, the ingazno 4 crystal has a cleavage plane between the two adjacent ga—zn—o layers. the substrate 5120 is placed to face the target 5130 , and the distance d (also referred to as a target−substrate distance (t−s distance)) is greater than or equal to 0.01 m and less than or equal to 1 m, preferably greater than or equal to 0.02 m and less than or equal to 0.5 m. the deposition chamber is mostly filled with a deposition gas (e.g., an oxygen gas, an argon gas, or a mixed gas containing oxygen at 5 vol % or higher) and the pressure in the deposition chamber is controlled to be higher than or equal to 0.01 pa and lower than or equal to 100 pa, preferably higher than or equal to 0.1 pa and lower than or equal to 10 pa. here, discharge starts by application of a voltage at a certain value or higher to the target 5130 , and plasma is observed. the magnetic field forms a high-density plasma region in the vicinity of the target 5130 . in the high-density plasma region, the deposition gas is ionized, so that an ion 5101 is generated. examples of the ion 5101 include an oxygen cation (o + ) and an argon cation (ar + ). the ion 5101 is accelerated toward the target 5130 side by an electric field, and then collides with the target 5130 . at this time, a pellet 5100 a and a pellet 5100 b which are flat-plate-like (pellet-like) sputtered particles are separated and sputtered from the cleavage plane. note that structures of the pellet 5100 a and the pellet 5100 b may be distorted by an impact of collision of the ion 5101 . the pellet 5100 a is a flat-plate-like (pellet-like) sputtered particle having a triangle plane, e.g., regular triangle plane. the pellet 5100 b is a flat-plate-like (pellet-like) sputtered particle having a hexagon plane, e.g., regular hexagon plane. note that flat-plate-like (pellet-like) sputtered particles such as the pellet 5100 a and the pellet 5100 b are collectively called pellets 5100 . the shape of a flat plane of the pellet 5100 is not limited to a triangle or a hexagon. for example, the flat plane may have a shape formed by combining two or more triangles. for example, a quadrangle (e.g., rhombus) may be formed by combining two triangles (e.g., regular triangles). the thickness of the pellet 5100 is determined depending on the kind of deposition gas and the like. the thicknesses of the pellets 5100 are preferably uniform; the reason for this is described later. in addition, the sputtered particle preferably has a pellet shape with a small thickness as compared to a dice shape with a large thickness. for example, the thickness of the pellet 5100 is greater than or equal to 0.4 nm and less than or equal to 1 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 0.6 nm and less than or equal to 0.8 nm. in addition, for example, the width of the pellet 5100 is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1.2 nm and less than or equal to 2.5 nm. the pellet 5100 corresponds to the initial nucleus in the description of (1) in fig. 45 . for example, in the case where the ion 5101 collides with the target 5130 including an in—ga—zn oxide, the pellet 5100 that includes three layers of a ga—zn—o layer, an in—o layer, and a ga—zn—o layer as shown in fig. 47b is ejected. note that fig. 47c shows the structure of the pellet 5100 observed from a direction parallel to the c-axis. therefore, the pellet 5100 has a nanometer-sized sandwich structure including two ga—zn—o layers and an in—o layer. the pellet 5100 may receive a charge when passing through the plasma, so that side surfaces thereof are negatively or positively charged. the pellet 5100 includes an oxygen atom on its side surface, and the oxygen atom may be negatively charged. in this manner, when the side surfaces are charged with the same polarity, electric charges repel each other, and accordingly, the pellet 5100 can maintain a flat-plate shape. in the case where a caac-os film is an in—ga—zn oxide, there is a possibility that an oxygen atom bonded to an indium atom is negatively charged. there is another possibility that an oxygen atom bonded to an indium atom, a gallium atom, or a zinc atom is negatively charged. in addition, the pellet 5100 may grow by being bonded with an indium atom, a gallium atom, a zinc atom, an oxide atom, or the like when passing through plasma. a difference in size between (2) and (1) in fig. 45 corresponds to the amount of growth in plasma. here, in the case where the temperature of the substrate 5120 is at around room temperature, the pellet 5100 does not grow anymore; thus, an nc-os is formed (see fig. 46b ). an nc-os film can be deposited when the substrate 5120 has a large size because a temperature at which the deposition of an nc-os film is carried out is approximately room temperature. note that in order that the pellet 5100 grows in plasma, it is effective to increase deposition power in sputtering. high deposition power can stabilize the structure of the pellet 5100 . as shown in figs. 46a and 46b , the pellet 5100 flies like a kite in plasma and flutters up to the substrate 5120 . since the pellets 5100 are charged, when the pellet 5100 gets close to a region where another pellet 5100 has already been deposited, repulsion is generated. here, above the substrate 5120 , a magnetic field in a direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate 5120 (also referred to as a horizontal magnetic field) is generated. a potential difference is given between the substrate 5120 and the target 5130 , and accordingly, current flows from the substrate 5120 toward the target 5130 . thus, the pellet 5100 is given a force (lorentz force) on the top surface of the substrate 5120 by an effect of the magnetic field and the current. this is explainable with fleming's left-hand rule. the mass of the pellet 5100 is larger than that of an atom. therefore, to move the pellet 5100 over the top surface of the substrate 5120 , it is important to apply some force to the pellet 5100 from the outside. one kind of the force may be force which is generated by the action of a magnetic field and current. in order to increase a force applied to the pellet 5100 , it is preferable to provide, on the top surface, a region where the magnetic field in a direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate 5120 is 10 g or higher, preferably 20 g or higher, further preferably 30 g or higher, still further preferably 50 g or higher. alternatively, it is preferable to provide, on the top surface, a region where the magnetic field in a direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate 5120 is 1.5 times or higher, preferably twice or higher, further preferably 3 times or higher, still further preferably 5 times or higher as high as the magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate 5120 . at this time, the magnets and the substrate 5120 are moved or rotated relatively, whereby the direction of the horizontal magnetic field on the top surface of the substrate 5120 continues to change. therefore, the pellet 5100 can be moved in various directions on the top surface of the substrate 5120 by receiving forces in various directions. furthermore, as shown in fig. 46a , when the substrate 5120 is heated, resistance between the pellet 5100 and the substrate 5120 due to friction or the like is low. as a result, the pellet 5100 glides above the top surface of the substrate 5120 . the glide of the pellet 5100 is caused in a state where its flat plane faces the substrate 5120 . then, when the pellet 5100 reaches the side surface of another pellet 5100 that has been already deposited, the side surfaces of the pellets 5100 are bonded. at this time, the oxygen atom on the side surface of the pellet 5100 is released. with the released oxygen atom, oxygen vacancies in a caac-os film might be filled; thus, the caac-os film has a low density of defect states. note that the temperature of the top surface of the substrate 5120 is, for example, higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than 500° c., higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than 450° c., or higher than or equal to 170° c. and lower than 400° c. hence, even when the substrate 5120 has a large size, it is possible to deposit a caac-os film. furthermore, the pellet 5100 is heated on the substrate 5120 , whereby atoms are rearranged, and the structure distortion caused by the collision of the ion 5101 can be reduced. the pellet 5100 whose structure distortion is reduced is substantially single crystal. even when the pellets 5100 are heated after being bonded, expansion and contraction of the pellet 5100 itself hardly occur, which is caused by turning the pellet 5100 into substantially single crystal. thus, formation of defects such as a grain boundary due to expansion of a space between the pellets 5100 can be prevented, and accordingly, generation of crevasses can be prevented. the caac-os film does not have a structure like a board of a single crystal oxide semiconductor but has arrangement with a group of pellets 5100 (nanocrystals) like stacked bricks or blocks. furthermore, a grain boundary does not exist therebetween. therefore, even when deformation such as shrink occurs in the caac-os film owing to heating during deposition, heating or bending after deposition, it is possible to relieve local stress or release distortion. therefore, this structure is suitable for a flexible semiconductor device. note that the nc-os has arrangement in which pellets 5100 (nanocrystals) are randomly stacked. when the target is sputtered with an ion, in addition to the pellets, zinc oxide or the like may be ejected. the zinc oxide is lighter than the pellet and thus reaches the top surface of the substrate 5120 before the pellet. as a result, the zinc oxide forms a zinc oxide layer 5102 with a thickness greater than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, greater than or equal to 0.2 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm, or greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 2 nm. figs. 48a to 48d are cross-sectional schematic views. as illustrated in fig. 48a , a pellet 5105 a and a pellet 5105 b are deposited over the zinc oxide layer 5102 . here, side surfaces of the pellet 5105 a and the pellet 5105 b are in contact with each other. in addition, a pellet 5105 c is deposited over the pellet 5105 b , and then glides over the pellet 5105 b . furthermore, a plurality of particles 5103 ejected from the target together with the zinc oxide are crystallized by heating of the substrate 5120 to form a region 5105 a 1 on another side surface of the pellet 5105 a . note that the plurality of particles 5103 may contain oxygen, zinc, indium, gallium, or the like. then, as illustrated in fig. 48b , the region 5105 a 1 grows to part of the pellet 5105 a to form a pellet 5105 a 2 . in addition, a side surface of the pellet 5105 c is in contact with another side surface of the pellet 5105 b. next, as illustrated in fig. 48c , a pellet 5105 d is deposited over the pellet 5105 a 2 and the pellet 5105 b , and then glides over the pellet 5105 a 2 and the pellet 5105 b . furthermore, a pellet 5105 e glides toward another side surface of the pellet 5105 c over the zinc oxide layer 5102 . then, as illustrated in fig. 48d , the pellet 5105 d is placed so that a side surface of the pellet 5105 d is in contact with a side surface of the pellet 5105 a 2 . furthermore, a side surface of the pellet 5105 e is in contact with another side surface of the pellet 5105 c . a plurality of particles 5103 ejected from the target together with the zinc oxide are crystallized by heating of the substrate 5120 to form a region 5105 d 1 on another side surface of the pellet 5105 d. as described above, deposited pellets are placed to be in contact with each other and then growth is caused at side surfaces of the pellets, whereby a caac-os film is formed over the substrate 5120 . therefore, each pellet of the caac-os film is larger than that of the nc-os film. a difference in size between (3) and (2) in fig. 45 corresponds to the amount of growth after deposition. when spaces between pellets 5100 are extremely small, the pellets may form a large pellet. the large pellet has a single crystal structure. for example, the size of the large pellet may be greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, or greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm, when seen from the above. therefore, when a channel formation region of a transistor is smaller than the large pellet, the region having a single crystal structure can be used as the channel formation region. furthermore, when the size of the pellet is increased, the region having a single crystal structure can be used as the channel formation region, the source region, and the drain region of the transistor. in this manner, when the channel formation region or the like of the transistor is formed in a region having a single crystal structure, the frequency characteristics of the transistor can be increased in some cases. as shown in such a model, the pellets 5100 are considered to be deposited on the substrate 5120 . thus, a caac-os film can be deposited even when a formation surface does not have a crystal structure, which is different from film deposition by epitaxial growth. for example, even when the top surface (formation surface) of the substrate 5120 has an amorphous structure (e.g., the top surface is formed of amorphous silicon oxide), a caac-os film can be formed. in addition, it is found that in formation of the caac-os film, the pellets 5100 are arranged in accordance with the top surface shape of the substrate 5120 that is the formation surface even when the formation surface has unevenness. for example, in the case where the top surface of the substrate 5120 is flat at the atomic level, the pellets 5100 are arranged so that flat planes parallel to the a-b plane face downwards. in the case where the thicknesses of the pellets 5100 are uniform, a layer with a uniform thickness, flatness, and high crystallinity is formed. by stacking n layers (n is a natural number), the caac-os film can be obtained. in the case where the top surface of the substrate 5120 has unevenness, a caac-os film in which n layers (n is a natural number) in each of which the pellets 5100 are arranged along the unevenness are stacked is formed. since the substrate 5120 has unevenness, a gap is easily generated between the pellets 5100 in the caac-os film in some cases. note that owing to intermolecular force, the pellets 5100 are arranged so that a gap between the pellets is as small as possible even on the unevenness surface. therefore, even when the formation surface has unevenness, a caac-os film with high crystallinity can be obtained. as a result, laser crystallization is not needed for formation of a caac-os film, and a uniform film can be formed even over a large-sized glass substrate or the like. since a caac-os film is deposited in accordance with such a model, the sputtered particle preferably has a pellet shape with a small thickness. note that when the sputtered particles have a dice shape with a large thickness, planes facing the substrate 5120 vary; thus, the thicknesses and orientations of the crystals cannot be uniform in some cases. according to the deposition model described above, a caac-os film with high crystallinity can be formed even on a formation surface with an amorphous structure. note that the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be used as appropriate in combination with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 2 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to drawings. note that a transistor in this embodiment is different from that in embodiment 1 in that two gate electrodes are included with an oxide semiconductor film provided therebetween. figs. 9a to 9c are a top view and cross-sectional views of a transistor 40 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 9a is a top view of the transistor 40 , fig. 9b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed line a-b in fig. 9a , and fig. 9c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed line c-d in fig. 9a . note that in fig. 9a , the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , the nitride insulating film 27 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 40 illustrated in figs. 9b and 9c is a channel-etched transistor including the gate electrode 13 provided over the substrate 11 ; the gate insulating film 15 formed over the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 ; the oxide semiconductor film 17 overlapping with the gate electrode 13 with the gate insulating film 15 provided therebetween; and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the transistor 40 further includes an insulating film 28 that is composed of the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 and is over the insulating film 15 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 ; and a gate electrode 31 formed over the gate insulating film 28 . the gate electrode 31 is connected to the gate electrode 13 in an opening 42 and an opening 43 that are provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 . in addition, the electrode 32 in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is formed over the nitride insulating film 27 . note that the electrode 32 serves as a pixel electrode. in the channel width direction of the transistor 40 in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is provided between the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 with the gate insulating film 15 provided between the gate electrode 13 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 and with the gate insulating film 28 provided between the gate electrode 31 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . as illustrated in fig. 9a , the gate electrode 31 overlaps with end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the gate insulating film 28 provided therebetween, when seen from the above. the channel length is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 6.5 μm or less, further preferably more than 1 μm and 2.5 μm or less. a plurality of openings are provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 . as a typical example, as illustrated in fig. 9b , the opening 41 that reaches one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is provided. furthermore, as illustrated in fig. 9c , the openings 42 and 43 are provided with the oxide semiconductor film 17 provided therebetween in the channel width direction. that is, the openings 42 and 43 are provided on outer sides of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . in the opening 41 , one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is connected to the electrode 32 . in the openings 42 and 43 , the gate electrode 13 is connected to the gate electrode 31 . this means that the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 surround the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the channel width direction with the gate insulating film 15 provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the gate electrode 13 and with the gate insulating film 28 provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the gate electrode 31 . furthermore, in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 31 in the openings 42 and 43 and each of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that the gate insulating film 28 is positioned therebetween. the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 are included, the potentials of the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 are set equal to each other, the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 face the gate electrode 31 , and the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 surround the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the channel width direction with the gate insulating film 15 provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the gate electrode 13 and with the gate insulating film 28 provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the gate electrode 31 ; thus, carriers flow not only at the interfaces between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the gate insulating films 15 and 28 but also in a wide region in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , which results in an increase in the number of carriers that move in the transistor 40 . as a result, the on-state current of the transistor 40 is increased, and the field-effect mobility is increased to greater than or equal to 10 cm 2 /v·s or to greater than or equal to 20 cm 2 /v·s, for example. note that here, the field-effect mobility is not an approximate value of the mobility as the physical property of the oxide semiconductor film but is an index of current drive capability and the apparent field-effect mobility of a saturation region of the transistor. note that an increase in field-effect mobility becomes significant when the channel length (also referred to as l length) of the transistor is more than or equal to 0.5 μm and less than or equal to 6.5 μm, preferably more than 1 μm and less than 2.5 μm. with a short channel length more than or equal to 0.5 μm and less than or equal to 6.5 μm, the channel width can also be short. for this reason, the area of the transistor can be reduced even when a plurality of connection portions of the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 are provided. defects are formed at an end portion of the oxide semiconductor film 17 processed by etching or the like because of damage due to the processing, and the end portion of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is polluted by attachment of impurities, or the like. for this reason, in the case where only one of the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 is formed in the transistor, even when the oxide semiconductor film 17 is intrinsic or substantially intrinsic, the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are easily activated to be n-type regions (low-resistance regions) by application of stress such as an electric field. in the case where the n-type end portions overlap with regions between the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , which are surrounded by the dashed lines 33 and 34 in fig. 9a , for example, the n-type regions serve as carrier paths, resulting in formation of a parasitic channel. consequently, the drain current of the transistor is gradually increased at voltages near the threshold voltage, and the threshold voltage is shifted in the negative direction. however, the transistor illustrated in fig. 9c includes the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 having the same potentials, and in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 31 and each of the side surfaces of the gate electrode 31 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that the gate insulating film 28 is positioned therebetween, whereby an electric field from the gate electrode 31 also affects the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . as a result, a parasitic channel is inhibited from being generated at the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . thus, the drain current of the transistor is not gradually increased at voltages near the threshold voltage and the transistor has excellent electrical characteristics. each of the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 31 has a function of blocking an external electric field; thus, fixed charges between the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 and over the gate electrode 31 do not affect the oxide semiconductor film 17 . thus, degradation due to a stress test (e.g., a negative gate bias temperature (−gbt) stress test in which a negative potential is applied to a gate electrode) can be reduced, and changes in the rising voltages of on-state current at different drain voltages can be suppressed. the bt stress test is one kind of accelerated test and can evaluate, in a short time, change in characteristics (i.e., a change over time) of transistors, which is caused by long-term use. in particular, the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor between before and after the bt stress test is an important indicator when examining the reliability of the transistor. if the amount of change in the threshold voltage between before and after the bt stress test is small, the transistor has higher reliability. the gate electrode 31 and the electrode 32 in embodiment 1 can be formed at the same time with the use of the same material. next, a method for manufacturing the transistor 40 in figs. 9a to 9c is described with reference to figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , fig. 8a , and figs. 10a to 10c . note that in figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , fig. 8a , and figs. 10a to 10c , cross-sectional views in the channel length direction along the dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 9a and cross-sectional views in the channel width direction along the dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 9a are illustrated. in this embodiment, as in embodiment 1, through steps of figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , and figs. 8a to 8c , the gate electrode 13 , the insulating film 14 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , the oxide insulating film 22 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 are formed over the substrate 11 . in the steps, a photolithography process is performed using the first to third photomasks. next, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment is performed typically at a temperature of higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., preferably higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c. next, a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 26 by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask, and then each of the insulating film 14 , the oxide insulating film 22 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 is partly etched using the mask, so that the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 including the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 are formed. as illustrated in the cross-sectional view along line a-b in fig. 10a , the opening 41 is provided in the gate insulating film 28 . furthermore, as illustrated in the cross-sectional view along line c-d in fig. 10a , the openings 42 and 43 are provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 . next, as illustrated in fig. 10b , the conductive film 30 to be the gate electrode 31 and the electrode 32 is formed. then, a mask is formed over the conductive film 30 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask. next, the conductive film 30 is partly etched using the mask to form the gate electrode 31 and the electrode 32 . after that, the mask is removed. note that as illustrated in fig. 10c , in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 31 is formed so that the gate electrode 31 in the openings, which is provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 , and each of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that the gate insulating film 28 is positioned therebetween. through the above steps, the transistor 40 can be manufactured. in the transistor described in this embodiment, in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 31 faces the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the openings 42 and 43 provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 , so that the electric field of the gate electrode 31 influences the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; thus, a parasitic channel is inhibited from being generated in the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . as a result, a transistor which has excellent electrical characteristics such as a sharp increase in the drain current at the threshold voltage is obtained. the electric field of the gate electrode 31 also influences the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 and carriers flow in a wide region in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , so that the field-effect mobility and the on-state current of the transistor are increased. through the above steps, it is possible to obtain a semiconductor device which includes a transistor having an oxide semiconductor film and has favorable electrical characteristics. furthermore, the semiconductor device including the transistor having the oxide semiconductor film can have high reliability. note that the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be used as appropriate in combination with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. modification example 1 a transistor with a structure different from those in figs. 1a to 1c and figs. 9a to 9c is described with reference to figs. 11a to 11c . unlike other transistors described in embodiment 2, a transistor 50 illustrated in figs. 11a to 11c has a structure in which, in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 13 and a gate electrode 51 are connected to each other on an outer side of one side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 51 face each other on an outer side of the other side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 , with the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 positioned therebetween. figs. 11a to 11c are a top view and cross-sectional views of the transistor 50 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 11a is a top view of the transistor 50 , fig. 11b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 11a , and fig. 11c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 11a . note that in fig. 11a , the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , the nitride insulating film 27 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 50 illustrated in figs. 11a to 11c is a channel-etched transistor. in the transistor 50 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 serve as the gate insulating film 28 , and the gate electrode 51 is formed over the nitride insulating film 27 . the gate electrode 51 is connected to the gate electrode 13 in the opening 42 provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 . in addition, the electrode 32 in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is formed over the gate insulating film 28 . note that the electrode 32 serves as a pixel electrode. the gate electrode 51 and the electrode 32 described in embodiment 1 can be formed at the same time with the use of the same material. in the transistor 50 described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is provided between the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 51 . as illustrated in fig. 11a , the gate electrode 51 overlaps with the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the gate insulating film 28 provided therebetween, when seen from the above. in addition, as illustrated in fig. 11c , in the opening 42 provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the gate insulating film 28 on an outer side of one side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the gate electrode 51 is connected to the gate electrode 13 . the gate electrode 51 in the opening 42 and the side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that the gate insulating film 28 is positioned therebetween. the gate electrode 51 and the gate electrode 13 are not connected to each other on an outer side of the other side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . end portions of the gate electrode 51 are positioned on the outer sides of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . next, a manufacturing process of the transistor 50 will be described. through steps of figs. 6a to 6d , figs. 7a and 7b , and figs. 8a to 8c , the gate electrode 13 , the insulating film 14 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 are formed over the substrate 11 . in the steps, a photolithography process is performed using the first to third photomasks. next, after a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 26 by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask, the insulating film 14 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 are partly etched to form the opening 41 illustrated in figs. 11a and 11b and the gate insulating film 15 is further partly etched to form the opening 42 illustrated in figs. 11a and 11c . subsequently, the conductive film 30 is formed as in the step of fig. 10a . then, after a mask is formed over the conductive film 30 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask, the conductive film 30 is partly etched to form the gate electrode 51 and the electrode 32 illustrated in figs. 11a to 11c . through the above steps, the transistor 50 can be manufactured. modification example 2 a transistor having a structure different from those in figs. 1a to 1c , figs. 9a to 9c , and figs. 11a to 11c will be described with reference to figs. 12a to 12c . unlike other transistors described in embodiments 1 and 2, a transistor 60 illustrated in figs. 12a to 12c has a structure in which the gate electrode 13 and a gate electrode 64 are connected to each other through a conductive film 62 . figs. 12a to 12c are a top view and cross-sectional views of the transistor 60 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 12a is a top view of the transistor 60 , fig. 12b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b of fig. 12a , and fig. 12c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d of fig. 12a . note that in fig. 12a , the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , the nitride insulating film 27 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 60 illustrated in figs. 12b and 12c is a channel-etched transistor. in the transistor 60 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 serve as the gate insulating film 28 , and the gate electrode 64 is formed over the nitride insulating film 27 . the gate electrode 64 is connected to the gate electrode 13 through the conductive film 62 . in addition, the electrode 32 in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is formed over the gate insulating film 28 . note that the electrode 32 serves as a pixel electrode. the conductive film 62 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 described in embodiment 1, as appropriate. the conductive film 62 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 are formed at the same time. the gate electrode 64 and the electrode 32 described in embodiment 1 can be formed at the same time with the use of the same material. furthermore, in the transistor 60 described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is provided between the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 64 . in addition, as illustrated in fig. 12a , the gate electrode 64 overlaps with the end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the gate insulating film 28 provided therebetween, when seen from the above. furthermore, as illustrated in fig. 12c , the conductive film 62 is connected to the gate electrode 13 through an opening 61 provided in the gate insulating film 15 . the gate electrode 64 is connected to the conductive film 62 through an opening 63 provided in the gate insulating film 28 . that is, the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 64 are electrically connected to each other through the conductive film 62 . in addition, the conductive film 62 having the same potential as the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 64 faces the side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . note that although the transistor 60 has a structure in which the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 64 are connected to each other through the conductive film 62 on an outer side of only one side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the channel width direction as illustrated in fig. 12c , the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 64 may be connected to each other through the conductive film 62 on the outer sides of both side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . next, a manufacturing process of the transistor 60 will be described. through steps of figs. 6a to 6d , the gate electrode 13 , the insulating film 14 , and the oxide semiconductor film 17 are formed over the substrate 11 . in the steps, a photolithography process is performed using the first and second photomasks. then, after a mask is formed over the insulating film 14 by a photolithography process using a third photomask, the insulating film 14 is partly etched to form the opening 61 illustrated in figs. 12a and 12c . next, as in the steps of figs. 7a and 7b , a mask is formed over the conductive film 18 by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask and then, the conductive film 18 is partly etched to form the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 and the conductive film 62 . subsequently, the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 24 , and the nitride insulating film 26 are formed as in the step of fig. 8a . next, after a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 26 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask, the nitride insulating film 26 is partly etched to form the openings 41 and 63 illustrated in figs. 12a and 12c . subsequently, the conductive film 30 is formed as in the step of fig. 10b . then, after a mask is formed over the conductive film 30 by a photolithography process using a sixth photomask, the conductive film 30 is partly etched to form the gate electrode 64 and the electrode 32 illustrated in figs. 12a to 12c . through the above steps, the transistor 60 can be manufactured. modification example 3 a transistor having a structure different from those in figs. 1a to 1c , figs. 9a to 9c , figs. 11a to 11c , and figs. 12a to 12c will be described with reference to figs. 13a to 13c . in a transistor 80 illustrated in figs. 13a to 13c , the electrode 92 connected to one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 is provided over the nitride insulating film 87 . unlike the other transistors described in embodiments 1 and 2, the transistor 80 includes an oxide insulating film 83 and an oxide insulating film 85 , which are each separated for each transistor, over the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . figs. 13a to 13c are a top view and cross-sectional views of the transistor 80 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 13a is a top view of the transistor 80 , fig. 13b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 13a , and fig. 13c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 13a . note that in fig. 13a , the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 83 , the oxide insulating film 85 , the nitride insulating film 87 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 80 illustrated in figs. 13b and 13c is a channel-etched transistor including the gate electrode 13 over the substrate 11 ; the gate insulating film 15 formed over the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 ; the oxide semiconductor film 17 overlapping with the gate electrode 13 with the gate insulating film 15 positioned therebetween; the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; a gate insulating film 88 including the oxide insulating film 83 , the oxide insulating film 85 , and a nitride insulating film 87 over the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 ; and a gate electrode 91 over the gate insulating film 88 . the gate electrode 91 is connected to the gate electrode 13 through an opening 94 provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the nitride insulating film 87 . in addition, the electrode 92 in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) is formed over the nitride insulating film 87 . the electrode 92 is connected to the electrode 20 through an opening 93 provided in the nitride insulating film 87 . note that the electrode 92 serves as a pixel electrode. the gate insulating film 15 includes the nitride insulating film 15 a and the oxide insulating film 15 b . the oxide insulating film 15 b is formed in a region overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , or the oxide insulating film 83 . the nitride insulating film 15 a is formed using a silicon nitride film. for the oxide insulating film 15 b , any of the oxides listed for the gate insulating film 15 in embodiment 1 can be used as appropriate. the nitride insulating film 15 a and the oxide insulating film 15 b each can be formed by any of the listed methods for forming the insulating film 14 as appropriate. the oxide insulating film 83 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the oxide insulating film 23 described in embodiment 1, as appropriate. the oxide insulating film 85 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the oxide insulating film 25 described in embodiment 1, as appropriate. the nitride insulating film 87 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the nitride insulating film 27 described in embodiment 1, as appropriate. the gate electrode 91 and the electrode 92 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the gate electrode 31 and the electrode 32 described in embodiment 1, as appropriate. the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 are separated for each transistor. in addition, the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 each overlap with the oxide semiconductor film 17 . specifically, in the channel length direction in fig. 13b , end portions of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are positioned over the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , whereas in the channel width direction in fig. 13c , end portions of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are positioned on the outer sides of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the nitride insulating film 87 is formed so as to cover top surfaces and side surfaces of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 , and is in contact with the nitride insulating film 15 a . note that in the channel length direction, the end portions of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 may be positioned over the nitride insulating film 15 a instead of over the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . in the channel width direction in fig. 13c , the gate electrode 91 and each of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that side surfaces of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are positioned therebetween. furthermore, in the channel width direction of the transistor 80 described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 is provided between the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 91 with the gate insulating film 15 provided between the gate electrode 13 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 and with the gate insulating film 88 provided between the gate electrode 91 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . in addition, as illustrated in fig. 13a , the gate electrode 91 overlaps with end portions of the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the gate insulating film 88 provided therebetween, when seen from the above. as illustrated in fig. 13c , the gate electrode 91 is connected to the gate electrode 13 through the opening 94 provided in the gate insulating film 15 and the nitride insulating film 87 on an outer side of one side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the gate electrode 91 and the side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are positioned so that the side surfaces of the oxide insulating films 83 , 85 and the nitride insulating film 87 are positioned therebetween. the gate electrode 91 and the gate electrode 13 are not connected to each other on an outer side of the other side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . end portions of the gate electrode 91 are positioned on outer sides of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . note that although the transistor 80 has a structure in which the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 91 are connected to each other on an outer side of only one side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the channel width direction as illustrated in fig. 13c , the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 91 may be connected to each other on the outer sides of both side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the channel width direction. in the transistor 80 described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the oxide insulating film 85 are surrounded by the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 . the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 have a small oxygen diffusion coefficient and have a barrier property against oxygen; therefore, part of oxygen included in the oxide insulating film 85 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 , so that the amount of oxygen vacancy in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. in addition, the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 have a barrier property against water, hydrogen, and the like; therefore, water, hydrogen, and the like can be prevented from entering the oxide semiconductor film 17 from the outside. as a result, the transistor 80 becomes a highly reliable transistor. next, a manufacturing process of the transistor 80 will be described. in the manufacturing process of the transistor 80 , the gate electrode 13 , a nitride insulating film 14 a , an oxide insulating film 14 b , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 are formed over the substrate 11 through steps similar to those in figs. 6a to 6d and figs. 7a and 7b . in the steps, a photolithography process is performed using the first to third photomasks. then, the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 are formed as illustrated in fig. 14a . subsequently, oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 24 is partly transferred to the oxide semiconductor film 17 by heat treatment; thus, the amount of oxygen vacancy contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. next, a mask is formed over the oxide insulating film 24 by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask and then, the oxide insulating film 22 and the oxide insulating film 24 are partly etched to form the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 which are separated for each transistor. note that the oxide insulating film 14 b is partly etched in the etching of the oxide insulating film 83 . as a result, the oxide insulating film 15 b that is etched is formed as illustrated in fig. 14b . in other words, the gate insulating film 15 which includes a step in a later step is formed. after that, a nitride insulating film 86 illustrated in fig. 14c is formed. in this step, in the cross-sectional view along line c-d in the channel width direction, the nitride insulating film 14 a and the nitride insulating film 86 are in contact with each other. that is, the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the oxide insulating film 85 are surrounded by the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 86 . next, after a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 86 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask, the nitride insulating film 86 is partly etched to form the opening 93 . in addition, the nitride insulating film 14 a and the nitride insulating film 86 are partly etched to form the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 in addition to the opening 94 (see fig. 14d ). after that, a conductive film 90 to be the gate electrode 91 and the electrode 92 is formed as illustrated in fig. 15a . the conductive film 90 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the conductive film 30 described in embodiment 1. then, a mask is formed over the conductive film 90 by a photolithography process using a sixth photomask. next, the conductive film 90 is partly etched using the mask to form the gate electrode 91 and the electrode 92 . after that, the mask is removed (see fig. 15b ). note that as illustrated in fig. 15b , in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 91 is formed so that the gate electrode 91 and each of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 are provided so that the side surfaces of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 and the nitride insulating film 87 are positioned therebetween. after that, heat treatment may be performed. the oxide insulating film 85 is formed using an oxide insulating film containing oxygen at higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition. furthermore, the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 each have a high barrier property against oxygen. accordingly, the heat treatment can reduce diffusion of oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 85 to the outside. in addition, diffusion of oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 to the outside can be also reduced. as a result, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. furthermore, the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 each have a high barrier property against hydrogen, water, and the like, which can prevent diffusion of hydrogen, water, and the like from the outside into the oxide semiconductor film 17 . thus, hydrogen, water, and the like in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. as a result, a highly reliable transistor can be manufactured. through the above steps, the transistor 80 can be manufactured. modification example 4 in the transistor described in this embodiment, as in the transistor illustrated in figs. 38a to 38c , formation of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 the oxide semiconductor film 17 with the use of a half-tone mask (alternatively, a gray-tone mask, a phase-shift mask, or the like) can reduce the number of masks and the number of process steps. fig. 40a is a plan view of the transistor in figs. 9a to 9c that is manufactured with the use of a half-tone mask, and figs. 40b and 40c are cross-sectional views thereof. embodiment 3 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention with a structure different from those in the above embodiments will be described with reference to figs. 16a and 16b . figs. 16a and 16b are a top view and cross-sectional views of a transistor 450 included in a semiconductor device. fig. 16a is a top view of the transistor 450 , fig. 16b illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b of fig. 16a and a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d of fig. 16a . note that in fig. 16b , a substrate 400 , an insulating film 402 , an insulating film 414 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 450 illustrated in figs. 16a and 16b includes the insulating film 402 that is over the substrate 400 and has a projecting portion; an oxide semiconductor film 406 over the projecting portion of the insulating film 402 ; a pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b in contact with side surfaces and a top surface of the oxide semiconductor film 406 ; a gate insulating film 410 that is in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 406 over the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b ; and a gate electrode 412 that is in contact with a top surface of the gate insulating film 410 and faces the side surfaces and the top surface of the oxide semiconductor film 406 . note that the insulating film 414 over the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b and the gate electrode 412 may be regarded as a component of the transistor 450 . as illustrated in fig. 16b , in the transistor 450 , the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b are in contact with the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 406 in which a channel is formed. in the cross section in the channel width direction, the gate electrode 412 faces the top surface and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 406 , and the oxide semiconductor film 406 can be electrically surrounded by an electric field of the gate electrode 412 . here, a structure of the transistor in which a channel (or the oxide semiconductor film 406 in which the channel is formed) is electrically surrounded by the electric field of the gate electrode 412 is called a surrounded channel (s-channel) structure. in the transistor 450 having the s-channel structure, a channel can be formed in the entire oxide semiconductor film 406 (bulk). in the s-channel structure, a large amount of current can flow between a source and a drain of a transistor, which makes it possible to obtain a high on-state current. the s-channel structure is suitable for a miniaturized transistor because a high on-state current can be obtained. a semiconductor device including the miniaturized transistor can have a high integration degree and high density. for example, the channel length of the transistor is preferably less than or equal to 40 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 30 nm, still further preferably less than or equal to 20 nm and the channel width of the transistor is preferably less than or equal to 40 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 30 nm, still further preferably less than or equal to 20 nm. note that a channel length refers to the distance between a source (a source region or a source electrode) and a drain (a drain region or a drain electrode) in a region where a semiconductor film and a gate electrode overlap with each other in a top view. that is, the channel length in fig. 16a is the distance between the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b in a region where the oxide semiconductor film 406 overlaps with the gate electrode 412 . a channel width refers to a length of a region where a source faces and is parallel to a drain and where a semiconductor film and a gate electrode overlap with each other. accordingly, in fig. 16a , a channel width is a length of a portion where the electrodes 408 a and 408 b face each other and where the oxide semiconductor film 406 and the gate electrode 412 overlap with each other. components of the transistor 450 are described in detail below. note that the description of the substrate 11 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the gate insulating film 15 , and the gate electrode 13 can be referred to for detailed description of the substrate 400 , the oxide semiconductor film 406 , the gate insulating film 410 , and the gate electrode 412 , respectively, which are included in the transistor 450 ; therefore, the detailed description is omitted. the oxide semiconductor film 406 includes a region; with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus, a diffraction pattern with luminescent spots indicating alignment is observed in 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100% of the region (i.e., the proportion of caac in the region is 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100%) when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. note that the gate insulating film 410 included in the transistor 450 is formed by processing in a self-aligned manner with the use of the gate electrode 412 as a mask. however, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto; top surfaces of the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b may be covered with the gate insulating film 410 . in the transistor 450 , the insulating film 402 may be formed of, for example, a single layer or a stack of an insulating film containing aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide. the insulating film 402 can have a function of supplying oxygen to the oxide semiconductor film 406 in which a channel is formed as well as a function of preventing diffusion of impurities from the substrate 400 . for this reason, the insulating film 402 is preferably an insulating film containing oxygen and further preferably, the insulating film 402 is an insulating film containing oxygen in which the oxygen content is higher than that in the stoichiometric composition. when the insulating film 402 has a stacked-layer structure, at least a region in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 406 is preferably formed using an insulating film containing oxygen. for example, the insulating film 402 may have a stacked-layer structure including a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxynitride film in which the silicon oxynitride film is in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 406 . when an element other than the transistor 450 is formed over the substrate 400 , the insulating film 402 also serves as an interlayer insulating film. in that case, a surface of the insulating film 402 may be planarized. for example, the insulating film 402 may be subjected to planarization treatment such as chemical mechanical polishing (cmp) treatment. the projecting portion of the insulating film 402 is formed in the following manner: in a step of etching the oxide semiconductor film 406 on and in contact with the insulating film 402 to process the oxide semiconductor film 406 into an island shape, a region of the insulating film 402 that is exposed from the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film 406 is etched to have a reduced thickness. note that depending on the etching condition of the oxide semiconductor film 406 , the insulating film 402 does not have the projecting portion in some cases. as the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b , a conductive film capable of extracting oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film is preferably used. as an example of the conductive film capable of extracting oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film, a conductive film containing aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, or the like can be given. by the conductive film capable of extracting oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film, oxygen in the oxide semiconductor film 406 is released to form oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 406 in some cases. oxygen is more likely to be extracted as the temperature is higher. since the manufacturing process of the transistor involves some heat treatment steps, oxygen vacancies are likely to be formed in a region of the oxide semiconductor film 406 , which is in contact with the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b . furthermore, hydrogen enters sites of oxygen vacancies by heating, and thus the oxide semiconductor film 406 becomes n-type in some cases. thus, due to the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b , the resistance of regions where the oxide semiconductor film 406 is in contact with the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b is reduced, so that the on-state resistance of the transistor 450 can be reduced. in the case where a transistor with a short channel length (e.g., less than or equal to 200 nm, or less than or equal to 100 nm) is manufactured, a source and a drain might be short-circuited due to formation of an n-type region. therefore, in the case where a transistor with a short channel length is manufactured, a conductive film capable of appropriately extracting oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film 406 may be used as a source electrode and a drain electrode. as the conductive film capable of appropriately extracting oxygen, a conductive film containing nickel, molybdenum, or tungsten can be used, for example. furthermore, in the case where a transistor with an extremely short channel length (less than or equal to 40 nm, or less than or equal to 30 nm) is manufactured, a conductive film which is less likely to extract oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film 406 may be used as the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b . as an example of the conductive film which is less likely to extract oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film 406 , a conductive film containing tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, or ruthenium can be given. note that two or more kinds of conductive films may be stacked. when the transistor 450 has an extremely short channel length, end portions of the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b , which are formed by etching a conductive film, might be rounded (have curved surfaces). furthermore, at the time of etching the conductive film, a region of the insulating film 402 that is exposed from the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b is etched to have a reduced thickness in some cases. as the insulating film 414 provided over the transistor 450 , an insulating film having oxygen permeability lower than those of the oxide semiconductor film 406 and the gate insulating film 410 (having a barrier property to oxygen) is preferably provided. providing the insulating film 414 with the barrier property to oxygen in contact with the gate insulating film 410 makes it possible to inhibit release of oxygen from the gate insulating film 410 and the oxide semiconductor film 406 in contact with the gate insulating film 410 . examples of such an insulating film include an aluminum oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon nitride oxide film. to inhibit entry of hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor film 406 , the concentration of hydrogen contained in the insulating film 414 is preferably reduced. specifically, the concentration of hydrogen in the insulating film 414 is preferably lower than 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , more preferably lower than 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 . an aluminum oxide film has a barrier property to hydrogen in addition to a barrier property to oxygen. thus, it is preferable to use an aluminum oxide film as the insulating film 414 . alternatively, the insulating film 414 may have a stacked-layer structure. when having a stacked-layer structure, the insulating film 414 preferably includes an insulating film that is in contact with the pair of electrodes 408 a and 408 b and the gate electrode 412 and has a barrier property to oxygen. the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be combined as appropriate with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 4 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the number of defects in an oxide semiconductor film can be smaller as compared to embodiments 1 to 3 is described with reference to drawings. the transistor described in this embodiment is different from any of the transistors in embodiments 1 to 3 in that a multilayer film including a plurality of oxide semiconductor films is provided. figs. 17a to 17c are a top view and cross-sectional views of a transistor 95 a included in a semiconductor device. fig. 17a is a top view of the transistor 95 a , fig. 17b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 17a , and fig. 17c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line c-d in fig. 17a . note that in fig. 17a , the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , the nitride insulating film 27 , and the like are omitted for simplicity. the transistor 95 a illustrated in fig. 17a includes a multilayer film 96 overlapping with the gate electrode 13 with the gate insulating film 15 provided therebetween, and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in contact with the multilayer film 96 . the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 are stacked over the gate insulating film 15 , the multilayer film 96 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . the oxide insulating film 23 , the oxide insulating film 25 , and the nitride insulating film 27 are stacked over the gate insulating film 15 , the multilayer film 96 , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 . in the transistor 95 a described in this embodiment, the multilayer film 96 includes the oxide semiconductor film 17 and an oxide semiconductor film 97 . that is, the multilayer film 96 has a two-layer structure. furthermore, part of the oxide semiconductor film 17 serves as a channel region. in addition, the oxide insulating film 23 is formed in contact with the multilayer film 96 , and the oxide insulating film 25 is formed in contact with the oxide insulating film 23 . that is, the oxide semiconductor film 97 is provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the oxide insulating film 23 . the oxide semiconductor film 97 contains one or more elements that form the oxide semiconductor film 17 . thus, interface scattering is unlikely to occur at the interface between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the oxide semiconductor film 97 . thus, the transistor can have high field-effect mobility because the movement of carriers is not hindered at the interfaces. the oxide semiconductor film 97 is formed using a metal oxide film containing at least in or zn. typical examples of the metal oxide film include an in—ga oxide film, an in—zn oxide film, and an in-m—zn oxide film (m represents al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd). the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 97 is closer to a vacuum level than that of an oxide semiconductor film 17 is; as a typical example, the energy difference between the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 97 and the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is any one of 0.05 ev or more, 0.07 ev or more, 0.1 ev or more, or 0.15 ev or more, and any one of 2 ev or less, 1 ev or less, 0.5 ev or less, or 0.4 ev or less. that is, the difference between the electron affinity of the oxide semiconductor film 97 and the electron affinity of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is any one of 0.05 ev or more, 0.07 ev or more, 0.1 ev or more, or 0.15 ev or more, and any one of 2 ev or less, 1 ev or less, 0.5 ev or less, or 0.4 ev or less. the oxide semiconductor film 97 preferably contains in because carrier mobility (electron mobility) can be increased. when the oxide semiconductor film 97 contains a larger amount of al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd than the amount of in in an atomic ratio, any of the following effects may be obtained: (1) the energy gap of the oxide semiconductor film 97 is widened; (2) the electron affinity of the oxide semiconductor film 97 decreases; (3) impurity diffusion from the outside is suppressed; (4) an insulating property of the oxide semiconductor film 97 increases as compared to that of the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; and (5) an oxygen vacancy is less likely to be generated because al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd is a metal element that is strongly bonded to oxygen. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 97 is an in-m—zn oxide film, the proportion of in and the proportion of m, not taking zn and o into consideration, are less than 50 atomic % and greater than 50 atomic %, respectively, and preferably less than 25 atomic % and greater than 75 atomic %, respectively. furthermore, in the case where each of the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 contains an in-m—zn oxide (m represents al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd), the proportion of m atoms (m represents al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd) in the oxide semiconductor film 97 is higher than that in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . as a typical example, the proportion of m in the oxide semiconductor film 17 is 1.5 or more times, preferably twice or more, further preferably three or more times as high as that in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . furthermore, in the case where each of the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 contains an in-m—zn oxide (m represents al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd), when in:m:zn=x 1 :y 1 :z 1 [atomic ratio] is satisfied in the oxide semiconductor film 97 and in:m:zn=x 2 :y 2 :z 2 [atomic ratio] is satisfied in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , y 1 /x 1 is higher than y 2 /x 2 , and preferably, y 1 /x 1 be 1.5 or more times as high as y 2 /x 2 . alternatively, y 1 /x 1 is preferably twice or more as high as y 2 /x 2 . further alternatively, y 1 /x 1 is preferably three or more times as high as y 2 /x 2 . in this case, it is preferable that in the oxide semiconductor film, y 2 be higher than or equal to x 2 because a transistor including the oxide semiconductor film can have stable electrical characteristics. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 17 contains an in-m-zn oxide (m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd) and a target having the atomic ratio of metal elements of in:m:zn=x 1 :y 1 :z 1 is used for forming the oxide semiconductor film 17 , x 1 /y 1 is preferably greater than or equal to ⅓ and less than or equal to 6, further preferably greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 6, and z 1 /y 1 is preferably greater than or equal to ⅓ and less than or equal to 6, further preferably greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 6. note that when z 1 /y 1 is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 6, a caac-os film to be described later as the oxide semiconductor film 17 is easily formed. typical examples of the atomic ratio of the metal elements of the target are in:m:zn=1:1:1 and in:m:zn=3:1:2. in the case where the oxide semiconductor film 97 contains an in-m—zn oxide (m is al, ti, ga, y, zr, sn, la, ce, or nd) and a target having the atomic ratio of metal elements of in:m:zn=x 2 :y 2 :z 2 is used for forming the oxide semiconductor film 97 , x 2 /y 2 is preferably less than x 1 /y 1 , and z 2 /y 2 is preferably greater than or equal to ⅓ and less than or equal to 6, further preferably greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 6. note that when z 2 /y 2 is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 6, a caac-os film to be described later as the oxide semiconductor film 97 is easily formed. typical examples of the atomic ratio of the metal elements of the target are in:m:zn=1:3:2, in:m:zn=1:3:4, in:m:zn=1:3:6, in:m:zn=1:3:8, in:m:zn=1:4:4, in:m:zn=1:4:5, in:m:zn=1:4:6, and the like. note that the proportion of each metal element in the atomic ratio of each of the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 varies within a range of ±40% of that in the above atomic ratio as an error. the oxide semiconductor film 97 can relieve damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 at the time of forming the oxide insulating film 25 later. thus, the oxide insulating film 25 may be formed over the oxide semiconductor film 97 without the oxide insulating film 23 . the thickness of the oxide semiconductor film 97 is greater than or equal to 3 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 3 nm and less 10 than or equal to 50 nm. like the oxide semiconductor film 17 , the oxide semiconductor film 97 may have a non-single-crystal structure, for example. the non-single crystal structure includes a c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (caac-os), a polycrystalline structure, a microcrystalline structure which is described later, or an amorphous structure, for example. like the oxide semiconductor film 17 in embodiment 1, the oxide semiconductor film 97 is preferably an oxide semiconductor film with a high proportion of caac. the oxide semiconductor film with a high proportion of caac has a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states, and thus makes it possible to provide a transistor with excellent electrical characteristics. in the oxide semiconductor film with a high proportion of caac, which has c-axis alignment, a grain boundary is not found and the c-axes are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a formation surface or a normal vector of a top surface. therefore, the use of the oxide semiconductor film with a high proportion of caac as the oxide semiconductor film 97 can inhibit metal elements contained in the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 from being diffused into the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the oxide semiconductor film 97 may have an amorphous structure, for example. an amorphous oxide semiconductor film, for example, has disordered atomic arrangement and no crystalline component. alternatively, an amorphous oxide film, for example, has an absolutely amorphous structure and no crystal part. note that the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 may each be a mixed film including two or more of a region having an amorphous structure, a region having a microcrystalline structure, a region having a polycrystalline structure, a caac-os region, and a region having a single-crystal structure. the mixed film has a single-layer structure including, for example, two or more of a region having an amorphous structure, a region having a microcrystalline structure, a region having a polycrystalline structure, a caac-os region, and a region having a single-crystal structure in some cases. furthermore, in some cases, the mixed film has a stacked-layer structure of two or more of a region having an amorphous structure, a region having a microcrystalline structure, a region having a polycrystalline structure, a caac-os region, and a region having a single-crystal structure. note that as in a transistor 95 b illustrated in fig. 17d , a multilayer film 98 may be included instead of the multilayer film 96 . an oxide semiconductor film 99 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the oxide semiconductor film 97 are stacked in this order in the multilayer film 98 . that is, the multilayer film 98 has a three-layer structure. furthermore, the oxide semiconductor film 17 serves as a channel region. the gate insulating film 15 is in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 99 . in other words, the oxide semiconductor film 99 is provided between the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . furthermore, the oxide semiconductor film 97 is in contact with the oxide insulating film 23 . that is, the oxide semiconductor film 97 is provided between the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the oxide insulating film 23 . the oxide semiconductor film 99 can be formed using a material and a formation method similar to those of the oxide semiconductor film 97 . it is preferable that the thickness of the oxide semiconductor film 99 be smaller than that of the oxide semiconductor film 17 . when the thickness of the oxide semiconductor film 99 is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm, the amount of change in the threshold voltage of the transistor can be reduced. note that in the transistor 95 b , as in the transistor 95 a , the oxide semiconductor film 97 also serve as a film that relieves damage to the oxide semiconductor film 17 at the time of forming the oxide insulating film 25 later. thus, the oxide insulating film 25 may be formed over the oxide semiconductor film 97 without the oxide insulating film 23 . in the transistors described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 97 is provided between the oxide insulating film 23 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . thus, if carrier traps are formed between the oxide insulating film 23 and the oxide semiconductor film 97 by impurities and defects, electrons flowing in the oxide semiconductor film 17 are less likely to be captured by the carrier traps because there is a distance between the region where the carrier traps are formed and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . accordingly, the amount of on-state current of the transistor can be increased, and the field-effect mobility can be increased. when the electrons are captured by the carrier traps, the electrons behave as negative fixed charges. as a result, the threshold voltage of the transistor is changed. however, by the distance between the region where the carrier traps are formed and the oxide semiconductor film 17 , capture of the electrons by the carrier traps can be reduced, and accordingly change in the threshold voltage can be reduced. the oxide semiconductor film 97 can block impurities from the outside, and accordingly, the amount of impurities that are transferred from the outside to the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. furthermore, an oxygen vacancy is less likely to be formed in the oxide semiconductor film 97 . consequently, the impurity concentration and oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be reduced. the oxide semiconductor film 99 is provided between the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and the oxide semiconductor film 97 is provided between the insulating film 17 and the oxide semiconductor film 23 . thus, it is possible to reduce the concentration of silicon or carbon in the vicinity of the interface between the oxide semiconductor film 99 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 , in the oxide semiconductor film 17 , or in the vicinity of the interface between the oxide semiconductor film 97 and the oxide semiconductor film 17 . the transistor 95 b having such a structure includes very few defects in the multilayer film 98 including the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; thus, the electrical characteristics, typified by the on-state current and the field-effect mobility, of these transistors can be improved. further, in a bt stress test and a bt photostress test that are examples of a stress test, the amount of change in threshold voltage is small, and thus, reliability is high. <band structure of transistor> next, band structures of the multilayer film 96 included in the transistor 95 a illustrated in figs. 17a to 17c , and the multilayer film 98 included in the transistor 95 b illustrated in fig. 17d are described with reference to figs. 18a and 18b . here, for example, an in—ga—zn oxide having an energy gap of 3.15 ev is used for the oxide semiconductor film 17 , and an in—ga—zn oxide having an energy gap of 3.5 ev is used for the oxide semiconductor film 97 . the energy gaps can be measured using a spectroscopic ellipsometer (ut-300 manufactured by horiba jobin yvon sas). the energy difference between the vacuum level and the valence band maximum (also called ionization potential) of the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the energy difference between the vacuum level and the valence band maximum of the oxide semiconductor film 97 were 8 ev and 8.2 ev, respectively. note that the energy difference between the vacuum level and the valence band maximum can be measured using an ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (ups) device (versaprobe manufactured by ulvac-phi, inc.). thus, the energy difference between the vacuum level and the conduction band minimum (also called electron affinity) of the oxide semiconductor film 17 and the energy gap therebetween of the oxide semiconductor film 97 are 4.85 ev and 4.7 ev, respectively. fig. 18a schematically illustrates a part of the band structure of the multilayer film 96 . here, the case where silicon oxide films are used for the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide insulating film 23 and the silicon oxide films are provided in contact with the multilayer film 96 is described. in fig. 18a , eci1 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the silicon oxide film; ecs1 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; ecs2 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 97 ; and eci2 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the silicon oxide film. furthermore, eci1 and eci2 correspond to the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide insulating film 23 in fig. 17b , respectively. as illustrated in fig. 18a , there is no energy barrier between the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 , and the energy of the conduction band minimum gradually changes therebetween. in other words, the energy of the conduction band minimum is continuously changed. this is because the multilayer film 96 contains an element contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 and oxygen is transferred between the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 , so that a mixed layer is formed. as shown in fig. 18a , the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the multilayer film 96 serves as a well and a channel region of the transistor including the multilayer film 96 is formed in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . note that since the energy of the conduction band minimum of the multilayer film 96 is continuously changed, it can be said that the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 are continuous. although trap levels due to impurities or defects might be generated in the vicinity of the interface between the oxide semiconductor film 97 and the oxide insulating film 23 as shown in fig. 18a , the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be distanced from the trap levels owing to the existence of the oxide semiconductor film 97 . however, when the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs2 is small, an electron in the oxide semiconductor film 17 might reach the trap level across the energy difference. when the electron is captured by the trap level, a negative fixed charge is generated at the interface with the insulating film, whereby the threshold voltage of the transistor shifts in the positive direction. thus, it is preferable that the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs2 be 0.1 ev or more, further preferably 0.15 ev or more, because change in the threshold voltage of the transistor is reduced and stable electrical characteristics are obtained. fig. 18b schematically illustrates a part of the band structure of the multilayer film 98 . here, the case where silicon oxide films are used for the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide insulating film 23 and the silicon oxide films are in contact with the multilayer film 98 is described. in fig. 18b , eci1 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the silicon oxide film; ecs1 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 17 ; ecs2 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 97 ; ecs3 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 99 ; and eci2 denotes the energy of the conduction band minimum of the silicon oxide film. furthermore, eci1 and eci2 correspond to the gate insulating film 15 and the oxide insulating film 23 in fig. 17d , respectively. as illustrated in fig. 18b , there is no energy barrier between the oxide semiconductor films 99 , 17 , and 97 , and the conduction band minimums thereof smoothly vary. in other words, the conduction band minimums are continuous. this is because the multilayer film 98 contains an element contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 and oxygen is transferred between the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 99 and between the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 , so that a mixed layer is formed. as shown in fig. 18b , the oxide semiconductor film 17 in the multilayer film 98 serves as a well and a channel region of the transistor including the multilayer film 98 is formed in the oxide semiconductor film 17 . note that since the energy of the conduction band minimum of the multilayer film 98 is continuously changed, it can be said that the oxide semiconductor films 99 , 17 , and 97 are continuous. although trap levels due to impurities or defects might be generated in the vicinity of the interface between the multilayer film 98 and the oxide insulating film 23 and in the vicinity of the interface between the multilayer film 98 and the gate insulating film 15 , as illustrated in fig. 18b , the oxide semiconductor film 17 can be distanced from the region where the trap levels are generated owing to the existence of the oxide semiconductor films 97 and 99 . however, when the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs2 and the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs3 are small, electrons in the oxide semiconductor film 17 might reach the trap level across the energy difference. when the electrons are captured by the trap level, a negative fixed charge is generated at the interface with the insulating film, whereby the threshold voltage of the transistor shifts in the positive direction. thus, it is preferable that the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs2 and the energy difference between ecs1 and ecs3 be 0.1 ev or more, further preferably 0.15 ev or more, because change in the threshold voltage of the transistor is reduced and stable electrical characteristics are obtained. modification example 1 in the transistors 95 a and 95 b described in this embodiment, a metal oxide represented by an in-m oxide (m is al, ti, ga, y, sn, zr, la, ce, nd, or hf) can be used instead of the oxide semiconductor film 97 . to prevent the oxide semiconductor film 97 from serving as part of a channel formation region, a material with sufficiently low conductivity is used. alternatively, a material whose electron affinity (an energy difference between a vacuum level and a conduction band minimum) is smaller than that of the oxide semiconductor film 17 and whose conduction band minimum differs from the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 17 (in which a band offset is formed between the conduction band minimums of the oxide semiconductor films 17 and 97 ) is used as the oxide semiconductor film 97 . furthermore, to inhibit generation of a difference between threshold voltages (hysteresis) due to the value of the drain voltage, it is preferable to use a metal oxide film whose conduction band minimum is closer to the vacuum level than the conduction band minimum of the oxide semiconductor film 17 is by more than 0.2 ev, preferably 0.5 ev or more. when an atomic ratio of m to in (m/in) is increased, the energy gap of the metal oxide film is increased and the electron affinity thereof can be small. thus, when the atomic ratio of in to m in the metal oxide film is x:y, y/(x+y) is preferably more than or equal to 0.75 and less than or equal to 1, further preferably more than or equal to 0.78 and less than or equal to 1, still further preferably more than or equal to 0.80 and less than or equal to 1 in order to form a conduction band offset between the metal oxide film and the oxide semiconductor film 17 and inhibit a channel from being formed in the metal oxide film. note that an element other than indium, m, and oxygen that are main components may be mixed in the metal oxide film as an impurity. in that case, the impurity preferably accounts for less than or equal to 0.1% of the metal oxide film. the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be used as appropriate in combination with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 5 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device that is one embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to drawings. note that in this embodiment, a display device is described as an example of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 19a illustrates an example of a semiconductor device. the semiconductor device in fig. 19a includes a pixel portion 101 , a scan line driver circuit 104 , a signal line driver circuit 106 , m scan lines 107 that are arranged parallel or substantially parallel and whose potentials are controlled by the scan line driver circuit 104 , and n signal lines 109 that are arranged parallel or substantially parallel and whose potentials are controlled by the signal line driver circuit 106 . the pixel portion 101 includes a plurality of pixels 103 arranged in a matrix. furthermore, capacitor lines 115 arranged parallel or substantially parallel are provided along the signal lines 109 . note that the capacitor lines 115 may be arranged parallel or substantially parallel along the scan lines 107 . the scan line driver circuit 104 and the signal line driver circuit 106 are collectively referred to as a driver circuit portion in some cases. each of the scan lines 107 is electrically connected to the n pixels 103 in the corresponding row among the pixels 103 arranged in m rows and n columns in the pixel portion 101 . each of the signal lines 109 is electrically connected to the m pixels 103 in the corresponding column among the pixels 103 arranged in m rows and n columns. note that m and n are each an integer of 1 or more. each of the capacitor lines 115 is electrically connected to the n pixels 103 in the corresponding row among the pixels 103 arranged in m rows and n columns. note that in the case where the capacitor lines 115 are arranged parallel or substantially parallel along the signal lines 109 , each of the capacitor lines 115 is electrically connected to the m pixels 103 in the corresponding column among the pixels 103 arranged in m rows and n columns. figs. 19b and 19c each illustrate an example of a circuit configuration that can be used for the pixels 103 in the display device illustrated in fig. 19a . the pixel 103 illustrated in fig. 19b includes a liquid crystal element 121 , a transistor 102 , and a capacitor 105 . the potential of one of a pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 is set according to the specifications of the pixels 103 as appropriate. the alignment state of the liquid crystal element 121 depends on written data. a common potential may be applied to one of the pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 included in each of the plurality of pixels 103 . further, the potential supplied to one of a pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 in the pixel 103 in one row may be different from the potential supplied to one of a pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 in the pixel 103 in another row. the liquid crystal element 121 is an element that controls transmission or non-transmission of light utilizing an optical modulation action of liquid crystal. note that optical modulation action of a liquid crystal is controlled by an electric field applied to the liquid crystal (including a horizontal electric field, a vertical electric field, and an oblique electric field). note that the following can be used for the liquid crystal element 121 : a nematic liquid crystal, a cholesteric liquid crystal, a smectic liquid crystal, a thermotropic liquid crystal, a lyotropic liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal, and the like. as examples of a driving method of the display device including the liquid crystal element 121 , any of the following modes can be given: a tn mode, a va mode, an axially symmetric aligned micro-cell (asm) mode, an optically compensated birefringence (ocb) mode, an mva mode, a patterned vertical alignment (pva) mode, an ips mode, an ffs mode, a transverse bend alignment (tba) mode, and the like. note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, and various liquid crystal elements and driving methods can be applied to the liquid crystal element and the driving method thereof. the liquid crystal element may be formed using a liquid crystal composition including liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase and a chiral material. the liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase has a short response time of 1 msec or less and is optically isotropic; therefore, alignment treatment is not necessary and viewing angle dependence is small. in the pixel 103 illustrated in fig. 19b , one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the transistor 102 is electrically connected to the signal line 109 , and the other is electrically connected to the other of the pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 . a gate electrode of the transistor 102 is electrically connected to the scan line 107 . the transistor 102 has a function of controlling whether to write a data signal by being turned on or off. note that the transistor described in any of embodiments 1 to 4 can be used as the transistor 102 . in the pixel 103 illustrated in fig. 19b , one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor 105 is electrically connected to the capacitor line 115 to which a potential is supplied, and the other is electrically connected to the other of the pair of electrodes of the liquid crystal element 121 . the potential of the capacitor line 115 is set in accordance with the specifications of the pixel 103 as appropriate. the capacitor 105 serves as a storage capacitor for storing written data. for example, in the display device including the pixel 103 in fig. 19b , the pixels 103 are sequentially selected row by row by the scan line driver circuit 104 , whereby the transistors 102 are turned on and a data signal is written. when the transistors 102 is turned off, the pixels 103 in which the data have been written are brought into a holding state. this operation is sequentially performed row by row; thus, an image is displayed. the pixel 103 illustrated in fig. 19c includes a transistor 133 for switching a display element, the transistor 102 for controlling driving of a pixel, a transistor 135 , the capacitor 105 , and a light-emitting element 131 . one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the transistor 133 is electrically connected to the signal line 109 to which a data signal is supplied. a gate electrode of the transistor 133 is electrically connected to the scan line 107 to which a gate signal is supplied. the transistor 133 has a function of controlling whether to write data of a data signal by being turned on or off. one of source and drain electrodes of the transistor 102 is electrically connected to a wiring 137 serving as an anode line. the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 102 is electrically connected to one of electrodes of the light-emitting element 131 . a gate electrode of the transistor 102 is electrically connected to the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 133 and one of electrodes of the capacitor 105 . the transistor 102 has a function of controlling current flowing in the light-emitting element 131 by being turned on or off. note that the transistor described in any of embodiments 1 to 4 can be used as the transistor 102 . one of source and drain electrodes of the transistor 135 is connected to a wiring 139 to which a data reference potential is supplied. the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 135 is electrically connected to the one of the electrodes of the light-emitting element 131 and the other of the electrodes of the capacitor 105 . a gate electrode of the transistor 135 is electrically connected to a scan line 107 to which a gate signal is supplied. the transistor 135 has a function of controlling current flowing in the light-emitting element 131 . for example, in the case where internal resistance of the light-emitting element 131 is increased by degradation or the like, by monitoring current flowing in the wiring 139 that is connected to the one of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 135 , current flowing in the light-emitting element 131 can be corrected. a potential that is supplied to the wiring 139 can be 0 v, for example. the one of the electrodes of the capacitor 105 is electrically connected to the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 133 and the gate electrode of the transistor 102 . the other of the electrodes of the capacitor 105 is electrically connected to the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 135 and the one of the electrodes of the light-emitting element 131 . in the configuration of the pixel 103 in fig. 19c , the capacitor 105 serves as a storage capacitor storing written data. the one of the electrodes of the light-emitting element 131 is electrically connected to the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 135 , the other of the electrodes of the capacitor 105 , and the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 102 . the other of the electrodes of the light-emitting element 131 is electrically connected to a wiring 141 serving as a cathode. as the light-emitting element 131 , an organic electroluminescent element (also referred to as an organic el element) or the like can be used, for example. note that the light-emitting element 131 is not limited to organic el elements; an inorganic el element including an inorganic material can be used. a high power supply potential vdd is supplied to one of the wirings 137 and 141 , and a low power supply potential vss is supplied to the other. in the configuration illustrated in fig. 19c , a high power supply potential vdd is supplied to the wiring 137 and a low power supply potential vss is supplied to the wiring 141 . in the display device including the pixel 103 in fig. 19c , the pixels 103 are sequentially selected row by row by the scan line driver circuit 104 , whereby transistors 133 are turned on and a data signal is written. when the transistor 133 is turned off, the pixel 103 in which the data have been written is brought into a holding state. the transistor 133 is connected to the capacitor 105 , and thus written data can be stored for a long period. the amount of current flowing between the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 102 is controlled by the transistor 133 . the light-emitting element 131 emits light with a luminance corresponding to the amount of flowing current. this operation is sequentially performed row by row; thus, an image is displayed. next, a specific configuration of an element substrate included in the display device is described. here, a specific example of a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal element in the pixel 103 is described. fig. 20 is a top view of the pixel 103 illustrated in fig. 19b . fig. 20 is a top view of a pixel included in the va mode liquid crystal display device. in the fig. 20 , the scan line 107 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the signal line 109 . the capacitor line 115 extends in a direction parallel to the signal line 109 . note that the scan line 107 is electrically connected to the scan line driver circuit 104 (see fig. 19a ), and the signal line 109 and the capacitor line 115 are electrically connected to the signal line driver circuit 106 (see fig. 19a ). the transistor 102 is provided in a region where the scan line 107 and the signal line 109 cross each other. the transistor 102 can have a structure similar to that of the transistor 80 described in embodiment 2. note that a region of the scan line 107 which overlaps with an oxide semiconductor film 17 a functions as the gate electrode of the transistor 102 , which is represented as the gate electrode 13 in fig. 21 , figs. 22a to 22d , and figs. 23a to 23c . furthermore, a region of the signal line 109 which overlaps with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a functions as the source electrode or the drain electrode of the transistor 102 , which is represented as the electrode 19 in fig. 21 , figs. 22a to 22d , and figs. 23a to 23c . in addition, in fig. 20 , the whole of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a overlaps the scan line 107 when seen from the above. thus, the scan line 107 functions as a light-blocking film for blocking light from a light source such as a backlight. for this reason, the oxide semiconductor film 17 a included in the transistor is not irradiated with light, so that a variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistor can be suppressed. the electrode 20 is connected to the electrode 92 in the opening 93 . the electrode 92 is formed using a light-transmitting conductive film and functions as a pixel electrode. the capacitor 105 is connected to the capacitor line 115 . the capacitor 105 is formed using a metal oxide film 17 b formed over a gate insulating film, a dielectric film provided over the transistor 102 , and the electrode 92 . the dielectric film is formed of a nitride insulating film. the metal oxide film 17 b , the nitride insulating film, and the electrode 92 each have a light-transmitting property; therefore, the capacitor 105 has a light-transmitting property. thanks to the light-transmitting property of the capacitor 105 , the capacitor 105 can be formed large (covers a large area) in the pixel 103 . thus, a semiconductor device having charge capacity increased while improving the aperture ratio, for example, to 50% or more, preferably 55% or more, further preferably 60% or more can be obtained. for example, in a semiconductor device with high resolution such as a liquid crystal display device, the area of a pixel is small and thus the area of a capacitor is also small. for this reason, the charge capacity of the capacitor is small. however, since the capacitor 105 of this embodiment has a light-transmitting property, when it is provided in a pixel, enough charge capacity can be obtained in the pixel and the aperture ratio can be improved. as a typical example, the capacitor 105 can be favorably used in a high-resolution semiconductor device with a pixel density of 200 ppi or more, 300 ppi or more, or 500 ppi or more. furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the aperture ratio can be improved even in a display device with high resolution, which makes it possible to use light from a light source such as a backlight efficiently, so that power consumption of the display device can be reduced. next, fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view along dashed dotted lines a-b and c-d in fig. 20 . note that the cross-sectional view along the dashed dotted line a-b shows a cross section of the transistor 102 in the channel length direction, a cross section of a connection portion between the transistor 102 and the electrode 92 functioning as a pixel electrode, and a cross section of the capacitor 105 ; the cross-sectional view along the dashed dotted line c-d shows a cross section of the transistor 102 in the channel width direction and a cross section of a connection portion between the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 91 . the transistor 102 illustrated in fig. 21 is a channel-etched transistor, including the gate electrode 13 provided over the substrate 11 , the gate insulating film 15 formed over the substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 a overlapping the gate electrode 13 with the gate insulating film 15 positioned therebetween, and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . the oxide insulating film 83 is formed over the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , and the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , and the oxide insulating film 85 is formed over the oxide insulating film 83 . the nitride insulating film 87 is formed over the gate insulating film 15 , the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , the oxide insulating film 83 , the oxide insulating film 85 , and the electrodes 19 and 20 . the electrode 92 and the gate electrode 91 that are in contact with one of the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 (here, the electrode 20 ) are formed over the nitride insulating film 87 . note that the electrode 92 serves as a pixel electrode. the gate insulating film 15 includes the nitride insulating film 15 a and the oxide insulating film 15 b . the oxide insulating film 15 b is formed in a region overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 , or the oxide insulating film 83 . as shown in the cross-sectional view along the line c-d, the gate electrode 91 is connected to the gate electrode 13 in the opening 94 provided in the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 . that is, the gate electrode 13 has the same potential as the gate electrode 91 . the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 which are isolated from each other are formed over the transistor 102 described in this embodiment. the isolated oxide insulating films 83 and 85 overlap with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . in the cross-sectional view along the line c-d in the channel width direction, end portions of the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 are positioned on the outer side of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . in the channel width direction, on the outer side of each of one side surface and the other side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , the gate electrode 91 and the side surface of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a are positioned so that the oxide insulating film 83 , the oxide insulating film 85 , and the nitride insulating film 87 are positioned therebetween. furthermore, the nitride insulating film 87 is formed to cover top surfaces and side surfaces of the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 and in contact with the nitride insulating film 15 a. in the transistor 102 described in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and the oxide insulating film 85 are surrounded by the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 . the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 each have a small oxygen diffusion coefficient and have a barrier property against oxygen. thus, part of oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 85 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , so that oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 a can be reduced. in addition, the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 87 each have a small diffusion coefficient of water, hydrogen, and the like and have a barrier property against water, hydrogen, and the like, which can prevent diffusion of water, hydrogen, and the like from the outside into the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . for these reason, the transistor 102 has high reliability. the capacitor 105 includes the metal oxide film 17 b formed over the gate insulating film 15 , the nitride insulating film 87 , and the electrode 92 . the metal oxide film 17 b in the capacitor 105 is formed at the same time as the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and has increased conductivity by containing an impurity. alternatively, the metal oxide film 17 b is formed at the same time as the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and has increased conductivity by containing an impurity and including oxygen vacancy which is generated owing to plasma damage. the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and the metal oxide film 17 b include the same metal elements. the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and the metal oxide film 17 b are formed over the gate insulating film 15 and have different impurity concentrations. specifically, the metal oxide film 17 b has a higher impurity concentration than the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . for example, the concentration of hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 a is lower than 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably lower than 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably lower than 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , still further preferably lower than 5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 , yet still further preferably lower than 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 . the concentration of hydrogen contained in the metal oxide film 17 b is higher than or equal to 8×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 20 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably higher than or equal to 5×10 20 atoms/cm 3 . the concentration of hydrogen contained in the metal oxide film 17 b is greater than or equal to 2 times, preferably greater than or equal to 10 times that in the oxide semiconductor film 17 a. by exposing an oxide semiconductor film formed concurrently with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a to plasma, the oxide semiconductor film can be damaged, so that an oxygen vacancy can be formed. for example, when a film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film by a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method, the oxide semiconductor film is exposed to plasma, thereby forming an oxygen vacancy. alternatively, in etching process for forming the oxide insulating film 83 and the oxide insulating film 85 , the oxide semiconductor film is exposed to plasma, thereby forming an oxygen vacancy. further alternatively, the oxide semiconductor film is exposed to plasma of, for example, hydrogen, a rare gas, ammonia, a mixed gas of oxygen and hydrogen, thereby forming an oxygen vacancy. as a result, the conductivity of the oxide semiconductor film is increased, so that the oxide semiconductor film becomes the metal oxide film 17 b. that is, the metal oxide film 17 b can also be referred to as an oxide semiconductor film having high conductivity. furthermore, the metal oxide film 17 b can also be referred to as a metal oxide film having high conductivity. the nitride insulating film 87 contains hydrogen, that is, an insulating film that can release hydrogen. the nitride insulating film 87 preferably has a hydrogen concentration of 1×10 22 atoms/cm 3 or higher. when hydrogen in the nitride insulating film 87 is diffused into the oxide semiconductor film formed concurrently with the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , hydrogen is bonded to oxygen and electrons serving as carriers are generated in the oxide semiconductor film. when the nitride insulating film 87 is formed by a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method, the oxide semiconductor film is exposed to plasma and oxygen vacancies are generated in the oxide semiconductor film. when hydrogen contained in the nitride insulating film 87 enters the oxygen vacancies, electrons serving as carriers are generated. as a result, the conductivity of the oxide semiconductor film is increased, so that the oxide semiconductor film becomes the metal oxide film 17 b. the metal oxide film 17 b has lower resistivity than the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . the resistivity of the film 17 b having conductivity is preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 −8 times and less than 1×10 −1 times the resistivity of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a ; as a typical example, the resistivity of the film 17 b having conductivity is greater than or equal to 1×10 −3 ωcm and less than 1×10 4 ωcm, preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 −3 ωcm and less than 1×10 −1 ωcm. on an element substrate of the semiconductor device described in this embodiment, one electrode of the capacitor is formed at the same time as the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor. in addition, the conductive film that serves as a pixel electrode is used as the other electrode of the capacitor. thus, a step of forming another conductive film is not needed to form the capacitor, and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced. further, since the pair of electrodes has a light-transmitting property, the capacitor has a light-transmitting property. as a result, the area occupied by the capacitor can be increased and the aperture ratio in a pixel can be increased. next, a method for manufacturing the transistor 102 and the capacitor 105 illustrated in fig. 21 will be described with reference to figs. 22a to 22d and figs. 23a to 23c . as illustrated in fig. 22a , the gate electrode 13 is formed over the substrate 11 . the gate electrode 13 can be formed by a photolithography process using a first photomask. next, as illustrated in fig. 22b , the nitride insulating film 14 a to be the nitride insulating film 15 a and the oxide insulating film 14 b to be the oxide insulating film 15 b are formed over the gate electrode 13 . subsequently, the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and an oxide semiconductor film 17 c to be the metal oxide film 17 b are formed over the oxide insulating film 14 b . the oxide semiconductor films 17 a and 17 c can be formed by a photolithography process using a second photomask. then, heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than 350° c. and lower than a strain point of the substrate, preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c. consequently, it is possible to obtain the oxide semiconductor films 17 a and 17 c in each of which the proportion of caac is 70% or more and less than 100%, preferably 80% or more and less than 100%, further preferably 90% or more and less than 100%, still further preferably 95% or more and 98% or less when an observation area is changed one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm in observation with a transmission electron diffraction measurement apparatus. furthermore, it is possible to obtain the oxide semiconductor films 17 a and 17 c each having a low content of hydrogen, water, and the like. that is, an oxide semiconductor film with a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states can be formed. then, as illustrated in fig. 22c , the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 and a conductive film 21 c serving as a capacitor line are formed. the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 and the conductive film 21 c can be formed by a photolithography process using a third photomask. after that, as illustrated in fig. 22d , the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are formed. the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 can be formed by a photolithography process using a fourth photomask. as illustrated in the cross-sectional view along the line c-d in fig. 22d , in the channel width direction, the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are formed so that end portions of the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are positioned on outer sides of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor film 17 a . note that the oxide insulating film 14 b is partly etched by etching for forming the oxide insulating film 83 , so that the oxide insulating film 15 b is formed. as a result, the nitride insulating film 14 a is exposed. furthermore, the oxide semiconductor film 17 c is damaged by plasma in this etching step; thus, oxygen vacancies are formed in the oxide semiconductor film 17 c. next, heat treatment is performed. the heat treatment is performed at, as a typical example, a temperature higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., preferably higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c. by the heat treatment, part of oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film 85 can be moved to the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , so that oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 a can be repaired. thus, oxygen vacancies contained in the oxide semiconductor film 17 a can be further reduced. then, as illustrated in fig. 23a , the nitride insulating film 26 to be the nitride insulating film 87 is formed. the nitride insulating film 26 is formed by a sputtering method, a cvd method, or the like, so that the oxide semiconductor film 17 c is exposed to plasma; thus, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film 17 c can be increased. through the step, the nitride insulating film 15 a and the nitride insulating film 26 are in contact with each other so as to surround the oxide semiconductor film 17 a , the oxide insulating film 83 , and the oxide insulating film 85 . in addition, the oxide semiconductor film 17 c becomes the metal oxide film 17 b . note that in the case where a silicon nitride film is formed as the nitride insulating film 26 by a plasma cvd method, hydrogen contained in the silicon nitride film is diffused into the oxide semiconductor film 17 c , which increases the conductivity. next, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment is performed at, as a typical example, a temperature higher than or equal to 150° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., preferably higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° c. and lower than or equal to 370° c. since the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 are provided in a region surrounded by the nitride insulating films 15 a and 87 which are in contact with each other, the diffusion of oxygen from the oxide semiconductor film 17 a and the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 to the outside can be prevented. next, a mask is formed over the nitride insulating film 26 by a photolithography process using a fifth photomask. then, the nitride insulating film 14 a and the nitride insulating film 26 are etched using the mask to form the nitride insulating film 87 having the openings 93 and 94 and the nitride insulating film 15 a having the opening 94 as illustrated in fig. 23b . after that, the gate electrode 91 and the electrode 92 serving as a pixel electrode are formed as illustrated in fig. 23c . note that the gate electrode 91 and the electrode 92 serving as a pixel electrode can be formed by a photolithography process using a sixth photomask. accordingly, the electrode 20 and the electrode 92 are connected to each other through the opening 93 . in addition, the gate electrode 13 and the gate electrode 91 are connected to each other through the opening 94 . through the above process, the transistor 102 can be manufactured and the capacitor 105 can also be manufactured. on an element substrate of the semiconductor device described in this embodiment, one electrode of the capacitor is formed at the same time as the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor. in addition, the conductive film that serves as a pixel electrode is used as the other electrode of the capacitor. thus, a step of forming another conductive film is not needed to form the capacitor, and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced. further, since the pair of electrodes has a light-transmitting property, the capacitor has a light-transmitting property. as a result, the area occupied by the capacitor can be increased and the aperture ratio in a pixel can be increased. from the above, a semiconductor device which includes an oxide semiconductor film and has improved electrical characteristics can be obtained. modification example 1 in the semiconductor device in this embodiment, as illustrated in fig. 24 , the transistor 10 in embodiment 1 may be used as the transistor 102 and a planarization film 89 may be provided over the nitride insulating film 87 . the capacitor 105 a includes the metal oxide film 17 b , the nitride insulating film 87 , the planarization film 89 , and an electrode 92 a . consequently, the electrode 92 a can have a flat surface, resulting in a reduction of unevenness in alignment of the liquid crystal molecules included in the liquid crystal layer. modification example 2 the semiconductor device in this embodiment can be an ffs mode liquid crystal display device. a structure of the ffs mode liquid crystal display device is described with reference to fig. 25 . fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device. the metal oxide film 17 b is in contact with the electrode 20 . here, the metal oxide film 17 b serves as a pixel electrode. a common electrode 92 b is provided over the nitride insulating film 87 . the common electrode 92 b can be formed in a manner similar to that of the electrode 92 in this embodiment. note that a slit is formed in the common electrode 92 b . instead of the common electrode 92 b with a slit, a common electrode with a stripe pattern may be provided. a region where the metal oxide film 17 b , the nitride insulating film 26 , and the common electrode 92 b overlap with one another functions as the capacitor 105 b . when a voltage is applied to the metal oxide film 17 b , a parabolic electric field is generated between the metal oxide film 17 b and the common electrode 92 b . accordingly, liquid crystal molecules included in the liquid crystal layer can be aligned. the ffs mode liquid crystal display device has a high aperture ratio, can have a wide viewing angle, and can improve an image contrast. note that when part of the common electrode 92 b is provided to overlap with the electrode 20 , the electrode 20 , the nitride insulating film 87 , and the common electrode 92 b function as a capacitor; thus, the potential of the metal oxide film 17 b can be held. the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be used as appropriate in combination with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 6 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig. 26 , figs. 27a to 27c , and fig. 28 . fig. 26 illustrates a specific example of a protection circuit portion 196 included in the semiconductor device. the protection circuit portion 196 illustrated in fig. 26 include a resistor 114 connected between a wiring 110 and a wiring 112 , and a transistor 116 that is diode-connected. the resistor 114 is connected to the transistor 116 in series, so that the resistor 114 can control the value of current flowing through the transistor 116 or can function as a protective resistor of the transistor 116 itself. the wiring 110 is, for example, a lead wiring from a scan line, a data line, or a terminal portion to a driver circuit portion. the wiring 112 is, for example, a wiring that is supplied with a potential (vdd, vss, or gnd) of a power supply line for supplying power to a gate driver or a source driver. alternatively, the wiring 112 is a wiring that is supplied with a common potential (common line). for example, the wiring 112 is preferably connected to the power supply line for supplying power to a scan line driver circuit, in particular, to a wiring for supplying a low potential. this is because a gate signal line has a low-level potential in most periods, and thus, when the wiring 112 also has a low-level potential, current leaked from the gate signal line to the wiring 112 can be reduced in a normal operation. a structural example of the resistor 114 that can be used for the protection circuit portion 196 is described with reference to figs. 27a to 27c . fig. 27a is a top view of the resistor 114 , fig. 27b is a cross-sectional view taken along the dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 27a , and fig. 27c a cross-sectional view taken along the dashed-dotted line a-b in fig. 27a . in fig. 27a , some components are omitted to avoid complexity. the resistor 114 illustrated in figs. 27a to 27c each include a substrate 202 , a nitride insulating film 205 over the substrate 202 , an oxide insulating film 206 over the nitride insulating film 205 , a metal oxide film 208 over the oxide insulating film 206 , a conductive film 210 a electrically connected to the metal oxide film 208 , a conductive film 210 b electrically connected to the metal oxide film 208 , an oxide insulating film 212 over the conductive film 210 a and the conductive film 210 b , and a nitride insulating film 214 over the oxide insulating film 212 . the resistor 114 illustrated in fig. 27b has the oxide insulating film 206 and an opening 209 in the oxide insulating film 212 , unlike the resistor illustrated in fig. 27c . the structure of the insulating films in contact with the upper side and the lower side of the metal oxide film 208 can be changed by the presence or absence of the opening 209 . as illustrated in figs. 27a to 27c , the shape, specifically, the length or width of the metal oxide film 208 is adjusted as appropriate so that the resistor can have a given resistance. the resistor 114 illustrated in fig. 27b or 27 c can be formed at the same time as any of the transistors in embodiments 1 to 5. here, description is given with the use of the transistor in embodiment 5 as a typical example. the resistor in fig. 27b includes the nitride insulating film 205 , the oxide insulating film 206 over the nitride insulating film 205 , the metal oxide film 208 over the oxide insulating film 206 , and the nitride insulating film 214 over the metal oxide film 208 . the resistor in fig. 27c includes the nitride insulating film 205 , the metal oxide film 208 over the nitride insulating film 205 , the oxide insulating film 212 over the metal oxide film 208 , and the nitride insulating film 214 over the oxide insulating film 212 . the structure of the insulating films in contact with the upper side and the lower side of the metal oxide film 208 are made different as described above, so that the resistance of the metal oxide film 208 can be controlled. specifically, for example, when an oxide semiconductor is used as a material for the metal oxide film 208 , the resistance of the oxide semiconductor can be controlled with oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor or an impurity (such as hydrogen or water) in the oxide semiconductor. the resistivity of the metal oxide film 208 is preferably 1×10 −3 ωcm or higher and lower than 1×10 4 ωcm, further preferably 1×10 −3 ωcm or higher and lower than 1×10 −1 ωcm. for example, like the nitride insulating films 15 a and 87 described in embodiment 5, the nitride insulating film 205 and 214 are each formed using an insulating film containing hydrogen, that is, an insulating film that can release hydrogen, typically, a silicon nitride film; thus, hydrogen can be supplied to the metal oxide film 208 . the nitride insulating film preferably has a hydrogen concentration of 1×10 22 atoms/cm 3 or higher. with such an insulating film, hydrogen can be supplied to the metal oxide film 208 . hydrogen is supplied, i.e., an impurity is introduced to the metal oxide film 208 ; thus, the resistance of the metal oxide film 208 is reduced. in addition, like the oxide insulating films 15 b , 83 , and 85 described in embodiment 5, the oxide insulating films 206 and 212 are each formed using an insulating film containing oxygen, that is, an oxide insulating film that can release oxygen, typified by a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film; thus, oxygen can be supplied to the metal oxide film 208 . supply of oxygen to the metal oxide film 208 reduces the number of oxygen vacancies in the metal oxide film 208 , and thus the resistance of the metal oxide film 208 is increased. note that the nitride insulating film 205 and the oxide insulating film 206 can be formed at the same time as the nitride insulating film 15 a and the oxide insulating film 15 b , respectively, described in embodiment 5. the metal oxide film 208 can be formed at the same time as the metal oxide film 17 b described in embodiment 5. the conductive films 210 a and 210 b can be formed at the same time as the pair of electrodes 19 and 20 and the conductive film 21 c serving as the capacitor wiring that are described in embodiment 5. the oxide insulating film 212 can be formed at the same time as the oxide insulating films 83 and 85 described in embodiment 5. the nitride insulating film 214 can be formed at the same time as the nitride insulating film 87 described in embodiment 5. although the resistor 114 illustrated in fig. 27 is connected in series to the diode-connected transistor in fig. 26 , the resistor 114 can be connected in parallel to the diode-connected transistor without being limited to the example in fig. 26 . the resistors 114 illustrated in figs. 27a to 27c can each have a plurality of transistors and a plurality of resistors in combination and can be provided in a display device. a structure illustrated in fig. 28 can be employed, specifically. a protection circuit portion 196 _ 1 illustrated in fig. 28 includes transistors 151 , 152 , 153 , and 154 and resistors 171 , 172 , and 173 . the protection circuit portion 196 _ 1 is provided between a set of wirings 181 , 182 , and 183 and another set of wirings 181 , 182 , and 183 . the wirings 181 , 182 , and 183 are connected to one or more of a scan line driver circuit, a signal line driver circuit, and a pixel portion. a first terminal serving as a source electrode of the transistor 151 is connected to a second terminal serving as a gate electrode of the transistor 151 , and a third terminal serving as a drain electrode of the transistor 151 is connected to the wiring 183 . a first terminal serving as a source electrode of the transistor 152 is connected to a second terminal serving as a gate electrode of the transistor 152 , and a third terminal serving as a drain electrode of the transistor 152 is connected to the first terminal of the transistor 151 . a first terminal serving as a source electrode of the transistor 153 is connected to a second terminal serving as a gate electrode of the transistor 153 , and a third terminal serving as a drain electrode of the transistor 153 is connected to the first terminal of the transistor 152 . a first terminal serving as a source electrode of the transistor 154 is connected to a second terminal serving as a gate electrode of the transistor 154 , and a third terminal serving as a drain electrode of the transistor 154 is connected to the first terminal of the transistor 153 . the first terminal of the transistor 154 is connected to the wiring 183 and the wiring 181 . the resistors 171 and 173 are provided in the wiring 183 . the resistor 172 is provided between the wiring 182 and the first terminal of the transistor 152 and the third terminal of the transistor 153 . note that the wiring 181 can be used as a power supply line to which the low power supply potential vss is applied, for example. the wiring 182 can be used as a common line, for example. the wiring 183 can be used as a power supply line to which the high power supply potential vdd is applied. the resistors 114 illustrated in figs. 27a to 27c can be used as the resistors 171 to 173 in fig. 28 . in this manner, the protection circuit portion 196 _ 1 includes the plurality of transistors that are diode-connected and the plurality of resistors. that is, the protection circuit portion 196 _ 1 can include diode-connected transistors and resistors that are combined in parallel. with the protection circuit portion, the semiconductor device can have an enhanced resistance to overcurrent due to esd. therefore, a novel semiconductor device with improved reliability can be provided. because the resistor can be used in the protection circuit portion and the resistance of the resistor can be controlled arbitrarily, the diode-connected transistor or the like that is used in the protection circuit portion can also be protected. the structure described in this embodiment can be used in appropriate combination with the structure described in any of the other embodiments. embodiment 7 in this embodiment, an example of a semiconductor device (memory device) which uses any of the transistors of embodiments of the present invention, can hold stored data even when not powered, and does not have a limitation on the number of write cycles, is described with reference to figs. 29a and 29b . fig. 29a is an example of a circuit diagram of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. the semiconductor device in fig. 29a includes a transistor 470 using a first semiconductor, a transistor 452 using a second semiconductor, a capacitor 490 , a wiring bl, a wiring wl, a wiring cl, and a wiring sl. note that as the transistor 452 using the second semiconductor, any of the transistors described in embodiments 1 to 3 can be used. in this embodiment, a transistor having a structure similar to that of the transistor 450 described in embodiment 3 is used as the transistor 452 using the second semiconductor. one of a source and a drain of the transistor 452 is electrically connected to the wiring bl, the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 452 is electrically connected to one electrode of the capacitor 490 , and a gate of the transistor 452 is electrically connected to the wiring wl. the other electrode of the capacitor 490 is electrically connected to the wiring cl. a node between the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 452 and the one electrode of the capacitor 490 is referred to as a node fn. one of a source and a drain of the transistor 470 is electrically connected to the wiring bl, the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 470 is electrically connected to the wiring sl, and a gate of the transistor 470 is electrically connected to the node fn. in the semiconductor device in fig. 29a , a potential corresponding to the potential of the wiring bl is applied to the node fn when the transistor 452 is on. the semiconductor device has a function of holding the potential of the node fn when the transistor 452 is off. this means that the semiconductor device in fig. 29a functions as a memory cell of a memory device. on and off of the transistor 452 can be controlled by a potential applied to the wiring wl. with the use of a transistor with low off-state current as the transistor 452 , the potential of the node fn can be held for a long time when the transistor 452 is off. thus, the refresh rate of the semiconductor device can be reduced, resulting in low power consumption of the semiconductor device. note that as an example of the transistor with low off-state current, a transistor using an oxide semiconductor can be given. a constant potential such as a ground potential is applied to the wiring cl. at this time, an apparent threshold voltage of the transistor 470 is changed because of the potential of the node fn. when the apparent threshold voltage is changed, the transistor 470 is turned on or off accordingly; thus, data can be read. a plurality of semiconductor devices each illustrated in fig. 29a are arranged in matrix, whereby a memory device (memory cell array) can be formed. fig. 29b illustrates an example of a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device in fig. 29a . in the semiconductor device illustrated in fig. 29b , the transistor 452 and the capacitor 490 are provided over the transistor 470 . in the transistor 452 , an insulating film 420 functioning as a gate insulating film is provided to cover a pair of electrodes, and also functions as a dielectric film of the capacitor 490 . note that the transistor 452 has the same structure as the transistor 450 except that the insulating film 420 functioning as the gate insulating film is provided to cover the pair of electrodes. the insulating film 420 can be formed using the same material as the gate insulating film 410 . in fig. 29b , the capacitor 490 includes a nitride insulating film 401 , a metal oxide film 405 in contact with the nitride insulating film 401 , the insulating film 420 functioning as the dielectric film, and a conductive film 411 at least partly overlapping with the metal oxide film 405 . the metal oxide film 405 included in the capacitor 490 can be formed in the same step as the oxide semiconductor film 406 of the transistor 452 . in the transistor 450 , the insulating film 402 in contact with the oxide semiconductor film 406 is provided so that a region overlapping with the metal oxide film 405 is selectively removed. thus, the metal oxide film 405 is in contact with the nitride insulating film 401 provided under the insulating film 402 . the nitride insulating film 401 is an insulating film containing hydrogen, that is, an insulating film capable of releasing hydrogen; therefore, hydrogen is supplied to the metal oxide film 405 when the insulating film 401 is in contact with the metal oxide film 405 . consequently, with the structure illustrated in fig. 29b , the metal oxide film 405 can have low resistance and thus can function as the one electrode of the capacitor 490 . the conductive film 411 , that is, the other electrode of the capacitor 490 , can be formed in the same step as the gate electrode of the transistor 452 . in fig. 29b , the transistor 470 is formed using a semiconductor substrate 440 . the transistor 470 includes a projecting portion of the semiconductor substrate 440 , impurity regions 466 in the projecting portion, an insulating film 462 having a region in contact with a top surface and side surfaces of the projecting portion, a conductive film 464 facing the top surface and the side surfaces of the projecting portion with the insulating film 462 positioned therebetween, and an insulating film 460 in contact with side walls of the conductive film 464 . the conductive film 464 functions as the gate electrode of the transistor 470 . the impurity regions 466 function as a source region and a drain region of the transistor 470 . note that the transistor 470 does not necessarily include the insulating film 460 . the transistor 470 is also referred to as an fin-type transistor because it uses the projecting portion of the semiconductor substrate 440 . note that an insulating film may be provided over the projecting portion. the insulating film functions as a mask when the projecting portion of the semiconductor substrate 440 is formed. here is shown an example of the semiconductor substrate 440 including the projection portion; however, the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. for example, a semiconductor substrate having a projection portion may be formed by processing an soi substrate. the transistor 470 may be either an n-channel transistor or a p-channel transistor, and an appropriate transistor is used in accordance with a circuit. for the semiconductor substrate 440 , a semiconductor having an energy gap different from that of an oxide semiconductor may be used. for example, a substrate formed of a semiconductor material other than an oxide semiconductor can be used for the semiconductor substrate 440 . when single crystal silicon is used for the semiconductor substrate, the transistor 470 can operate at high speed. in the semiconductor device in fig. 29b , the transistor 452 and the capacitor 490 are provided over the transistor 470 with insulating films positioned therebetween. between the transistor 470 and the transistor 452 , a plurality of conductive films which function as wirings are provided. wirings or electrodes provided in an upper layer and a lower layer are electrically connected to each other by a plurality of conductive films embedded in the insulating films. such a structure including stacked transistors can increase the degree of integration of a semiconductor device. here, when single crystal silicon is used for the semiconductor substrate 440 , an insulating film in the vicinity of the semiconductor substrate 440 preferably has high hydrogen concentration. the hydrogen terminates dangling bonds of silicon, so that the reliability of the transistor 470 can be increased. meanwhile, the insulating film in the vicinity of the oxide semiconductor film included in the transistor 452 preferably has low hydrogen concentration. this is because since the hydrogen causes carriers to be generated in the oxide semiconductor film, the reliability of the transistor 452 might be reduced when the hydrogen concentration of the vicinity of the insulating film is high. therefore, in the case where the transistor 470 using single crystal silicon and the transistor 452 using an oxide semiconductor are stacked, providing the insulating film 403 having a function of blocking hydrogen between the transistors is effective because the reliability of the transistors can be increased. the insulating film 403 may be, for example, formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using an insulating film containing aluminum oxide, aluminum oxynitride, gallium oxide, gallium oxynitride, yttrium oxide, yttrium oxynitride, hafnium oxide, hafnium oxynitride, yttria-stabilized zirconia (ysz), silicon nitride, or the like. as the insulating film 414 that covers the transistor 452 using the oxide semiconductor, an insulating film having a function of blocking hydrogen is preferably formed. note that an aluminum oxide film is preferably provided as the insulating film 414 . the aluminum oxide film has a high effect of blocking both oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen and moisture. therefore, the use of the aluminum oxide film as the insulating film 414 covering the transistor 452 makes it possible to prevent release of oxygen from the oxide semiconductor included in the transistor 452 and entry of water and hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor film. note that the transistor 470 can be a transistor of various types without being limited to the fin-type transistor. for example, a planar transistor can be used. the transistor 452 may be formed on the same surface as the transistor 470 . at this time, a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor may be used as the transistor 470 . when the transistor 452 and the transistor 470 are formed on the same surface, components included in the transistors can be formed through the same steps. that is, the number of manufacturing steps of the semiconductor device can be small as compared to the case where the transistor 452 and the transistor 470 are formed through different steps, resulting in improvement of the productivity of the semiconductor device. although the one electrode of the capacitor 490 is formed using the metal oxide film 405 in fig. 29b , the structure in this embodiment is not limited thereto. fig. 30 illustrates a modification example of this embodiment. in a semiconductor device illustrated in fig. 30 , instead of the transistor 452 in the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 29a and 29b , the transistor 450 described in embodiment 3 is included, and instead of the capacitor 490 in figs. 29a and 29b , a capacitor 491 is included. in the capacitor 491 , the electrode 408 a , which is the one of the pair of electrodes functioning as the source electrode or the drain electrode of the transistor 450 , is used as one electrode. in fig. 30 , an insulating film 417 functioning as a dielectric film of the capacitor 491 is formed in the same step as the gate insulating film 410 of the transistor 450 , and an insulating film is etched in a self-aligned manner with the use of the conductive film 411 and the gate electrode 412 as masks to form the insulating film 417 and the gate insulating film 410 . furthermore, the insulating film 402 is etched at the same time as the processing into the insulating film 417 and the gate insulating film 410 , so that an insulating film 419 and the insulating film 414 are in contact with each other in outer edges of the transistor 450 and the capacitor 491 . in other words, in the semiconductor device illustrated in fig. 30 , the transistor 450 and the capacitor 491 are surrounded by the insulating film 419 and the insulating film 414 . in the structure illustrated in fig. 30 , side surfaces of the gate insulating film 410 and side surfaces and a bottom surface of the insulating film 402 are covered with the insulating films 414 and 419 ; therefore, an insulating film having a property of blocking oxygen and hydrogen, such as an aluminum oxide film, is preferably used as each of the insulating film 419 and the insulating film 414 . thus, it is possible to prevent release of oxygen from the insulating film 402 and the gate insulating film 410 which are in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, and entry of water and hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor film. furthermore, an insulating film containing excess oxygen is preferably provided as the insulating film 402 and/or the gate insulating film 410 , in which case oxygen contained in the insulating film can be effectively supplied to the oxide semiconductor film. note that when an insulating film having a function of blocking hydrogen (e.g., an aluminum oxide film) as the insulating film 419 , the insulating film 403 is not necessarily formed. the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be combined as appropriate with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 8 description is given below of crystal structures of an in—sn—zn oxide and an in—ga—zn oxide each of which is an example of an oxide that can be used for an oxide semiconductor film. in addition, calculation results of effective masses of an electron and a hole in each crystal structure are shown below. for the calculation, crystal structures illustrated in figs. 31a to 31d were assumed. note that atomic ratios between elements other than oxygen are shown in figs. 31a to 31d . an actual crystal structure of an in—sn—zn oxide might be different from the crystal structures illustrated in figs. 31a to 31c . for the calculation, the first-principles electronic structure calculation program “castep” was used. calculation conditions are shown in table 1. table 1calculation codems-casteptaskstructural optimization · energycalculationexchange-correlationgga-pbesolfunctioncut-off energy800 evpseudopotentialson the fly pseudopotentialk-point3 × 3 × 1550 ev in the case of in:sn:zn = 4:3:3 here, lattice constants of structures after optimization are shown in table 2. table 2crystal structurea [nm]b [nm]c [nm]in:sn:zn = 1:1:1hexagonal0.5370.5371.423in:sn:zn = 4:3:3hexagonal0.5390.5397.145in:sn:zn = 2:1:3homologous0.6760.6752.646in:ga:zn = 1:1:1homologous0.6650.6612.579note that cases of hexagonal crystal systems are shown. next, an electron effective mass (m e ) and a hole effective mass (m h ) were obtained by approximating band edges of an e-k dispersion curve to a quadratic function. the results are shown in table 3 given below. table 3in:sn:zn =in:sn:zn =in:sn:zn =in:ga:zn =1:1:14:3:32:1:31:1:1crystalhexag-hexag-homol-homol-structureonalonalogousogousatoms/cell301508484m e [100]/m e0.160.160.160.2m e [010]/m e0.160.160.160.21m e [001]/m e12.410.160.150.2m h [100]/m e3.552.242.513.43m h [010]/m e3.551.14x3.19m h [001]/m exxxxnote that “x” indicates the case where fitting was not able to be performed because energy dispersion was outside the quadratic function. table 3 shows that the hole effective mass is much larger than the electron effective mass in the in—sn—zn oxides and the in—ga—zn oxide which have assumed crystal structures. this suggests that holes are less likely to move in the oxides. consequently, in a transistor in which any of the above oxides is used for a semiconductor film, flow of a leakage current due to holes tunneling from a drain hardly occurs. this indicates that such a transistor has low off-state current. embodiment 9 in this embodiment, a semiconductor device including a transistor described in any of embodiments 1 to 4 will be described. here, as one mode of the semiconductor device, an rfid tag and a cpu will be described. <rfid tag> an rfid tag including the above-described transistor, resistor, and capacitor is described below with reference to fig. 32 . the rfid tag includes a memory circuit, stores data in the memory circuit, and transmits and receives data to/from the outside by using contactless means, for example, wireless communication. with these features, the rfid tag can be used for an individual authentication system in which an object or the like is recognized by reading the individual information, for example. note that the rfid tag is required to have high reliability in order to be used for this purpose. a configuration of the rfid tag will be described with reference to fig. 32 . fig. 32 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an rfid tag. as illustrated in fig. 32 , an rfid tag 800 includes an antenna 804 which receives a radio signal 803 that is transmitted from an antenna 802 connected to a communication device 801 (also referred to as an interrogator, a reader/writer, or the like). the rfid tag 800 includes a rectifier circuit 805 , a constant voltage circuit 806 , a demodulation circuit 807 , a modulation circuit 808 , a logic circuit 809 , a memory circuit 810 , and a rom 811 . as a transistor having a rectifying function included in the demodulation circuit 807 , a transistor which allows a reverse current to be low enough, for example, any of the transistors described in embodiments 1 to 4 can be appropriately used. this can suppress the phenomenon of a rectifying function becoming weaker due to generation of a reverse current and prevent saturation of the output from the demodulation circuit. in other words, the input to the demodulation circuit and the output from the demodulation circuit can have a relation closer to a linear relation. note that data transmission methods are roughly classified into the following three methods: an electromagnetic coupling method in which a pair of coils is provided so as to face each other and communicates with each other by mutual induction, an electromagnetic induction method in which communication is performed using an induction field, and a radio wave method in which communication is performed using a radio wave. any of these methods can be used in the rfid tag 800 . next, the structure of each circuit will be described. the antenna 804 exchanges the radio signal 803 with the antenna 802 which is connected to the communication device 801 . the rectifier circuit 805 generates an input potential by rectification, for example, half-wave voltage doubler rectification of an input alternating signal generated by reception of a radio signal at the antenna 804 and smoothing of the rectified signal with a capacitor provided in a later stage in the rectifier circuit 805 . note that a limiter circuit may be provided on an input side or an output side of the rectifier circuit 805 . the limiter circuit controls electric power so that electric power which is higher than or equal to certain electric power is not input to a circuit in a later stage if the amplitude of the input alternating signal is high and an internal generation voltage is high. the constant voltage circuit 806 generates a stable power supply voltage from an input potential and supplies it to each circuit. note that the constant voltage circuit 806 may include a reset signal generation circuit. the reset signal generation circuit is a circuit which generates a reset signal of the logic circuit 809 by utilizing rise of the stable power supply voltage. the demodulation circuit 807 demodulates the input alternating signal by envelope detection and generates the demodulated signal. the modulation circuit 808 performs modulation in accordance with data to be output from the antenna 804 . the logic circuit 809 analyzes and processes the demodulated signal. the memory circuit 810 holds the input data and includes a row decoder, a column decoder, a memory region, and the like. further, the rom 811 stores an identification number (id) or the like and outputs it in accordance with processing. note that the decision whether each circuit described above is provided or not can be made as appropriate as needed. here, the memory device described in embodiment 7 can be used as the memory circuit 810 . since the memory device described in embodiment 7 can retain data even when not powered, the memory device is suitable for an rfid tag. furthermore, the memory device described in embodiment 7 needs power (voltage) needed for data writing lower than that needed in a conventional nonvolatile memory; thus, it is possible to prevent a difference between the maximum communication range in data reading and that in data writing. moreover, it is possible to suppress malfunction or incorrect writing which is caused by power shortage in data writing. since the memory device described in embodiment 7 can be used as a nonvolatile memory, it can also be used as the rom 811 . in this case, it is preferable that a manufacturer separately prepare a command for writing data to the rom 811 so that a user cannot rewrite data freely. since the manufacturer gives identification numbers before shipment and then starts shipment of products, instead of putting identification numbers to all the manufactured rfid tags, it is possible to put identification numbers to only good products to be shipped. thus, the identification numbers of the shipped products are in series and customer management corresponding to the shipped products is easily performed. <application examples of rfid tag> application examples of the rfid tag of one embodiment of the present invention are shown below with reference to figs. 33a to 33f . the rfid tag is widely used and can be provided for, for example, products such as bills, coins, securities, bearer bonds, documents (e.g., driver's licenses or resident's cards, see fig. 33a ), packaging containers (e.g., wrapping paper or bottles, see fig. 33c ), recording media (e.g., dvd software or video tapes, see fig. 33b ), vehicles (e.g., bicycles, see fig. 33d ), personal belongings (e.g., bags or glasses), foods, plants, animals, human bodies, clothing, household goods, medical supplies such as medicine and chemicals, and electronic devices (e.g., liquid crystal display devices, el display devices, television sets, or cellular phones), or tags on products (see figs. 33e and 33f ). an rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention is fixed on products by, for example, being attached to a surface thereof or being embedded therein. for example, the rfid tag 4000 is fixed to each product by being embedded in paper of a book, or embedded in an organic resin of a package. the rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention is small, thin, and lightweight, so that the design of a product is not impaired even after the rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention is fixed thereto. furthermore, bills, coins, securities, bearer bonds, documents, or the like can have identification functions by being provided with the rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention, and the identification functions can be utilized to prevent counterfeits. moreover, the efficiency of a system such as an inspection system can be improved by providing the rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention for packaging containers, recording media, personal belongings, foods, clothing, household goods, electronic devices, or the like. vehicles can also have higher security against theft or the like by being provided with the rfid tag 4000 of one embodiment of the present invention. as described above, the rfid tag of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for the above-described purposes. <cpu> a cpu including the above-described transistor, resistor, capacitor, and the like is described below. fig. 34 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a cpu including any of the above-described transistors as a component. the cpu illustrated in fig. 34 includes, over a substrate 1190 , an arithmetic logic unit (alu) 1191 , an alu controller 1192 , an instruction decoder 1193 , an interrupt controller 1194 , a timing controller 1195 , a register 1196 , a register controller 1197 , a bus interface 1198 (bus i/f), a rewritable rom 1199 , and an rom interface 1189 (rom i/f). a semiconductor substrate, an soi substrate, a glass substrate, or the like is used as the substrate 1190 . the rewritable rom 1199 and the rom interface 1189 may be provided over a separate chip. needless to say, the cpu in fig. 34 is just an example in which the configuration has been simplified, and an actual cpu may have a variety of configurations depending on the application. for example, the cpu may have the following configuration: a structure including the cpu illustrated in fig. 34 or an arithmetic circuit is considered as one core; a plurality of the cores are included; and the cores operate in parallel. the number of bits that the cpu can process in an internal arithmetic circuit or in a data bus can be 8, 16, 32, or 64, for example. an instruction that is input to the cpu through the bus interface 1198 is input to the instruction decoder 1193 and decoded therein, and then, input to the alu controller 1192 , the interrupt controller 1194 , the register controller 1197 , and the timing controller 1195 . the alu controller 1192 , the interrupt controller 1194 , the register controller 1197 , and the timing controller 1195 conduct various controls in accordance with the decoded instruction. specifically, the alu controller 1192 generates signals for controlling the operation of the alu 1191 . while the cpu is executing a program, the interrupt controller 1194 judges an interrupt request from an external input/output device or a peripheral circuit on the basis of its priority or a mask state, and processes the request. the register controller 1197 generates an address of the register 1196 , and reads/writes data from/to the register 1196 in accordance with the state of the cpu. the timing controller 1195 generates signals for controlling operation timings of the alu 1191 , the alu controller 1192 , the instruction decoder 1193 , the interrupt controller 1194 , and the register controller 1197 . for example, the timing controller 1195 includes an internal clock generator for generating an internal clock signal clk2 based on a reference clock signal clk1, and supplies the internal clock signal clk2 to the above circuits. in the cpu illustrated in fig. 34 , a memory cell is provided in the register 1196 . as the memory cell of the register 1196 , the memory device described in embodiment 7 or the like can be used. in the cpu illustrated in fig. 34 , the register controller 1197 selects operation of retaining data in the register 1196 in accordance with an instruction from the alu 1191 . that is, the register controller 1197 selects whether data is retained by a flip-flop or by a capacitor in the memory cell included in the register 1196 . when data retaining by the flip-flop is selected, a power supply voltage is supplied to the memory cell in the register 1196 . when data retaining by the capacitor is selected, the data is rewritten in the capacitor, and supply of power supply voltage to the memory cell in the register 1196 can be stopped. in a period during which the memory element 1200 is not supplied with the power supply voltage, the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can retain data stored in the circuit 1201 by the capacitor 1208 which is provided in the circuit 1202 . the off-state current of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film is extremely low. for example, the off-state current of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film is significantly lower than that of a transistor in which a channel is formed in silicon having crystallinity. thus, when the transistor is used as the transistor 1209 , a signal held in the capacitor 1208 is retained for a long time also in a period during which the power supply voltage is not supplied to the memory element 1200 . the memory element 1200 can accordingly retain the stored content (data) also in a period during which the supply of the power supply voltage is stopped. although the cpu is described as one mode of the semiconductor device here, the above-described transistor, resistor, and capacitor can be also used in a digital signal processor (dsp), an lsi such as a custom lsi, or a programmable logic device (pld), or a radio frequency identification (rf-id). embodiment 10 in this embodiment, structural examples of electronic devices each including a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described. in this embodiment, a display module using the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 35 . in a display module 8000 in fig. 35 , a touch panel 8004 connected to an fpc 8003 , a display panel 8006 connected to an fpc 8005 , a backlight unit 8007 , a frame 8009 , a printed board 8010 , and a battery 8011 are provided between an upper cover 8001 and a lower cover 8002 . note that the backlight unit 8007 , the battery 8011 , the touch panel 8004 , and the like are not provided in some cases. the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for, for example, the display panel 8006 . the shapes and sizes of the upper cover 8001 and the lower cover 8002 can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the sizes of the touch panel 8004 and the display panel 8006 . the touch panel 8004 can be a resistive touch panel or a capacitive touch panel and can be used overlapping with the display panel 8006 . it is also possible to provide a touch panel function for a counter substrate (sealing substrate) of the display panel 8006 . a photosensor may be provided in each pixel of the display panel 8006 to form an optical touch panel. an electrode for a touch sensor may be provided in each pixel of the display panel 8006 so that a capacitive touch panel is obtained. the backlight unit 8007 includes a light source 8008 . the light source 8008 may be provided at an end portion of the backlight unit 8007 and a light diffusing plate may be used. the frame 8009 protects the display panel 8006 and also functions as an electromagnetic shield for blocking electromagnetic waves generated by the operation of the printed board 8010 . the frame 8009 can function as a radiator plate. the printed board 8010 is provided with a power supply circuit and a signal processing circuit for outputting a video signal and a clock signal. as a power source for supplying power to the power supply circuit, an external commercial power source or a power source using the battery 8011 provided separately may be used. the battery 8011 can be omitted in the case of using a commercial power source. the display module 8000 may be additionally provided with a member such as a polarizing plate, a retardation plate, or a prism sheet. figs. 36a to 36d are external views of electronic devices each including the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. examples of electronic appliances include a television set (also referred to as a television or a television receiver), a monitor of a computer or the like, cameras such as a digital camera and a digital video camera, a digital photo frame, a mobile phone handset (also referred to as a mobile phone or a mobile phone device), a portable game machine, a portable information terminal, an audio reproducing device, and a large-sized game machine such as a pachinko machine. fig. 36a illustrates a portable information terminal including a main body 1001 , a housing 1002 , display portions 1003 a and 1003 b , and the like. the display portion 1003 b is a touch panel. by touching a keyboard button 1004 displayed on the display portion 1003 b , a screen can be operated, and text can be input. it is needless to say that the display portion 1003 a may be a touch panel. a liquid crystal panel or an organic light-emitting panel is fabricated using any of the transistors described in the above embodiments as a switching element and used in the display portion 1003 a or 1003 b , whereby the portable information terminal can have high reliability. the portable information terminal illustrated in fig. 36a has a function of displaying various kinds of data (e.g., a still image, a moving image, and a text image) on the display portion, a function of displaying a calendar, a date, the time, or the like on the display portion, a function of operating or editing the data displayed on the display portion, a function of controlling processing by various kinds of software (programs), and the like. furthermore, an external connection terminal (an earphone terminal, a usb terminal, or the like), a recording medium insertion portion, and the like may be provided on the back surface or the side surface of the housing. the portable information terminal illustrated in fig. 36a may transmit and receive data wirelessly. through wireless communication, desired book data or the like can be purchased and downloaded from an e-book server. fig. 36b illustrates a portable music player including, in a main body 1021 , a display portion 1023 , a fixing portion 1022 with which the portable music player can be worn on the ear, a speaker, an operation button 1024 , an external memory slot 1025 , and the like. a liquid crystal panel or an organic light-emitting panel is fabricated using any of the transistors described in the above embodiments as a switching element and used in the display portion 1023 , whereby the portable music player can have high reliability. furthermore, when the portable music player illustrated in fig. 36b has an antenna, a microphone function, or a wireless communication function and is used with a mobile phone, a user can talk on the phone wirelessly in a hands-free way while driving a car or the like. fig. 36c illustrates a mobile phone including two housings, a housing 1030 and a housing 1031 . the housing 1031 includes a display panel 1032 , a speaker 1033 , a microphone 1034 , a pointing device 1036 , a camera lens 1037 , an external connection terminal 1038 , and the like. the housing 1030 includes a solar cell 1040 for charging of the mobile phone, an external memory slot 1041 , and the like. in addition, an antenna is incorporated in the housing 1031 . any of the transistors described in the above embodiments is used in the display panel 1032 , whereby the mobile phone can have high reliability. furthermore, the display panel 1032 is provided with a touch panel. a plurality of operation keys 1035 that are displayed as images are indicated by dotted lines in fig. 36c . note that a boosting circuit for boosting a voltage output from the solar cell 1040 so that it becomes sufficiently high for each circuit is also included. in the display panel 1032 , the direction of display is changed as appropriate depending on the application mode. furthermore, the mobile phone is provided with the camera lens 1037 on the same surface as the display panel 1032 , and thus it can be used as a video phone. the speaker 1033 and the microphone 1034 can be used for videophone calls, recording, and playing sound, etc. as well as voice calls. moreover, the housings 1030 and 1031 in a state where they are developed as illustrated in fig. 36c can shift, by sliding, to a state where one is lapped over the other. therefore, the size of the mobile phone can be reduced, which makes the mobile phone suitable for being carried around. the external connection terminal 1038 can be connected to an ac adaptor and a variety of cables such as a usb cable, whereby charging and data communication with a personal computer or the like are possible. furthermore, by inserting a recording medium into the external memory slot 1041 , a larger amount of data can be stored and moved. in addition to the above functions, an infrared communication function, a television reception function, or the like may be provided. fig. 36d illustrates an example of a television set. in a television set 1050 , a display portion 1053 is incorporated in a housing 1051 . images can be displayed on the display portion 1053 . moreover, a cpu is incorporated in a stand 1055 for supporting the housing 1051 . any of the transistors described in the above embodiments is used in the display portion 1053 and the cpu, whereby the television set 1050 can have high reliability. the television set 1050 can be operated with an operation switch of the housing 1051 or a separate remote controller. the remote controller may be provided with a display portion for displaying data output from the remote controller. note that the television set 1050 is provided with a receiver, a modem, and the like. with the use of the receiver, general television broadcasting can be received. moreover, when the television set is connected to a communication network with or without wires via the modem, one-way (from a sender to a receiver) or two-way (between a sender and a receiver or between receivers) information communication can be performed. the television set 1050 is provided with an external connection terminal 1054 , a storage medium recording and reproducing portion 1052 , and an external memory slot. the external connection terminal 1054 can be connected to various types of cables such as a usb cable, and data communication with a personal computer or the like is possible. a disk storage medium is inserted into the storage medium recording and reproducing portion 1052 , and reading data stored in the storage medium and writing data to the storage medium can be performed. in addition, an image, a video, or the like stored as data in an external memory 1056 inserted into the external memory slot can be displayed on the display portion 1053 . furthermore, in the case where the off-state current of the transistor described in the above embodiment is extremely small, the use of the transistor in the external memory 1056 or the cpu allows the television set 1050 to have high reliability and sufficiently reduced power consumption. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the other embodiments disclosed in this specification, as appropriate. example 1 in this example, transmission electron diffraction patterns were obtained by scanning a top surface of a sample including a caac-os film obtained just after deposition (represented as “as-sputtered”) and a top surface of a sample including a caac-os film subjected to heat treatment at 450° c. in an atmosphere containing oxygen. here, diffraction patterns were observed by scanning for 60 seconds at a rate of 5 nm/s. that is, the diffraction patterns were observed while changing a radiating position of a nanobeam one-dimensionally within a range of 300 nm. then, the observed diffraction patterns were converted into still images every 0.5 seconds to obtain the proportion of caac. note that as an electron beam, a nanobeam with a probe diameter of 1 nm was used. the above measurement was performed on six samples. the proportion of caac was calculated using the average value of the six samples. fig. 37a shows the proportion of caac in each sample. the proportion of caac of the caac-os film obtained just after the deposition was 75.7% (the proportion of non-caac was 24.3%). the proportion of caac of the caac-os film subjected to the heat treatment at 450° c. was 85.3% (the proportion of non-caac was 14.7%). these results show that the proportion of caac obtained after the heat treatment at 450° c. is higher than that obtained just after the deposition. that is, heat treatment at a high temperature (e.g., higher than or equal to 400° c.) reduces the proportion of non-caac (increases the proportion of caac). further, the above results also indicate that even when the temperature of the heat treatment is lower than 500° c., the caac-os film can have a high proportion of caac. here, most of diffraction patterns different from that of a caac-os film are diffraction patterns similar to that of an nc-os film. furthermore, an amorphous oxide semiconductor film was not able to be observed in the measurement region. therefore, the above results suggest that the region having a structure similar to that of an nc-os film is rearranged by the heat treatment owing to the influence of the structure of the adjacent region, whereby the region becomes caac. figs. 37b and 37c are high-resolution planar tem images of the caac-os film obtained just after the deposition and the caac-os film subjected to the heat treatment at 450° c., respectively. comparison between figs. 37b and 37c shows that the caac-os film subjected to the heat treatment at 450° c. has more uniform film quality. that is, the heat treatment at a high temperature improves the film quality of the caac-os film. with such a measurement method, the structure of an oxide semiconductor film having a plurality of structures can be analyzed in some cases. this application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2013-198891 filed with japan patent office on sep. 25, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
054-456-577-624-243	US	[ "US" ]	B63B3/08,B63B35/58,B63B7/08	2021-12-17T00:00:00	2021	[ "B63" ]	modular inflatable platform system	the present invention is directed to an inflatable and floatable modular platform system wherein certain embodiments comprise an adjustable back-rest. the inflatable platform system of the present disclosure includes floating elements of differing shapes and sizes configured to be interconnected in order to allow users to stand, sit, and walk between floating elements. embodiments include inflatable platforms having circular, arc-shaped, rectangular, and l-shaped inflatable platforms.	1 . an inflatable apparatus comprising: a first inflatable platform comprising a top surface; an inflatable back-rest comprising a bottom aspect, the bottom aspect comprising a hinged connection to the top surface of the inflatable platform; a first tether interconnected between the first inflatable platform and a first side of the back-rest; and a second tether interconnected between the first inflatable platform and a second side of the back-rest, wherein the first and second tethers are configured to maintain the back-rest at a desired angle from the first inflatable platform. 2 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hinged connection further comprises: a female portion comprising a longitudinal hollow form and a longitudinal slot; and a male portion interconnected to a tensile member, wherein the male portion is configured to be slidably received by the hollow form of the female portion, and wherein the tensile member is configured to be received by the slot of the female portion. 3 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hinged connection further comprises a polymeric sheet material. 4 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the tensile member comprises a flexible material which interconnects the male feature to the bottom aspect of the back-rest, and wherein the female feature is interconnected with the top surface of the first inflatable platform. 5 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the tensile member comprises a flexible material which interconnects the male feature to the top surface of the first inflatable platform, and wherein the female feature is interconnected to the bottom aspect of the back-rest. 6 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the back-rest is removably interconnected with the first inflatable platform. 7 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the male feature comprises a round cross-sectional profile, and wherein the female feature comprises a round cross-sectional profile configured to receive the male feature therein. 8 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the male feature comprises a round cross-sectional profile, and wherein the female feature comprises a round cross-sectional profile configured to receive the male feature therein. 9 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first inflatable platform comprises a first external perimetral aspect adapted to nest with an internal perimetral aspect of a second inflatable platform. 10 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first inflatable platform comprises a first internal perimetral aspect adapted to nest with an external perimetral aspect of a second inflatable platform. 11 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first external perimetral aspect is located at a forward aspect of the inflatable platform. 12 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first external perimetral aspect is located at a rearward aspect of the inflatable platform. 13 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first external perimetral aspect comprises an interconnection point adapted to interconnect with an interconnection point of the internal perimetral aspect of the second inflatable platform. 14 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first internal perimetral aspect is located at a forward aspect of the inflatable platform. 15 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first internal perimetral aspect is located at a rearward aspect of the inflatable platform. 16 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first internal perimetral aspect comprises an interconnection point adapted to interconnect with an interconnection point of the external perimetral aspect of the second inflatable platform. 17 . the inflatable apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic connection apparatus interconnected to a top surface of the first inflatable platform.	cross reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. patent application ser. no. 29/790,871 entitled inflatable chair filed on dec. 17, 2021 and u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/661,726 entitled modular inflatable platform system filed on may 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. field of the invention the present invention is directed to an inflatable and floatable modular platform system. the inflatable platform system of the present disclosure includes floating elements of differing shapes and sizes configured to be interconnected in order to allow users to stand, sit, and walk between floating elements. background of the invention inflatable furniture and inflatable products, referred herein as inflatables, devised for outdoor recreation provide a buoyancy to keep users partially or entirely above the surface of the water on which they are deployed. traditional inflatables have been limited to spherical and cylindrical elements, including products such as rafts which relied upon adjoined cylindrical chambers which dictate the external form of the inflatable. recent developments in technology, such as drop-stitch construction, enable the ability to manufacture inflatables in planar surfaces and other forms which do not rely upon cylindrically shaped chambers. inflatable furniture has traditionally been limited to individual units such as a raft, chair, or other unit, wherein the inflatable unit is used independently of other inflatable units. when multiple units are used in concert, maintaining proximity to other inflatable units to maintain a socially conducive distance is challenging. thus, a need for a modular inflatable platform system of interconnectable inflatable units has been identified, wherein each unit is configured to be used as an individual unit, and can be alternatively used modularly when interconnected with other inflatable units to produce a configurable system. summary of the invention it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a system of modularly interconnectable inflatable platforms wherein each inflatable platform is individually usable as a floating platform, or interconnectable with other inflatable platforms. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a modular inflatable platform system comprising an inflatable platform wherein the inflatable platform comprises a recess for receiving a cooler, wherein the cooler is configured to keep beverages and other food items cool. the recess of the inflatable platform constrains the cooler therein to provide buoyancy and to prevent the tipping of the inflatable platform. furthermore, placing the cooler within the recess allows the cooler to rest on a surface below the top surface of the inflatable platform resulting in a system having a lower center of gravity than a configuration of the cooler placed on the top surface of the inflatable platform. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a modular inflatable platform system which comprises a first inflatable platform and a second inflatable platform, wherein the inflatable platforms are interconnectable to result in a system of inflatable platforms. the inflatable platforms each comprise at least one interconnection point located proximal to the perimeter of the inflatable platforms, or upon a top surface of the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the inflatable platforms comprise interconnection points in the form of lashing points comprising a d-ring, shackle, or other lashing points configured to receiving a tether therethrough for interconnection of the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide at least one handle interconnected with a top surface of an inflatable platform. alternate embodiments comprising handles interconnected with a side of an inflatable platform are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide inflatable platforms which are configured to be interconnected wherein the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform are constrained to prevent relative movement between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. in certain embodiments, the interconnection between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform comprises at least one tensile element spanning between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. certain embodiments employ at least two points of contact between a first inflatable platform and a second inflatable platform, wherein an external perimeter of a first inflatable platform is interconnected with an internal perimetral aspect of a second inflatable platform. as discussed herein, perimetral aspects such as a convex elements, and reflex angles are considered external perimetral aspects for the purposes of the present application. furthermore, perimetral aspects such as concave elements, and internal angles are considered internal perimetral aspects for the purposes of the present application. certain embodiments of the present invention comprise a first inflatable platform comprising an external perimetral aspect, and a second inflatable platform comprising an internal perimetral aspect. the external perimetral aspect and the internal perimetral aspect are similarly shaped wherein the external perimetral aspect of the first inflatable platform is configured to be received by the internal perimetral aspect of the second inflatable platform, resulting in continuous contact between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide inflatable platforms which are configured to be interconnected wherein the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform are constrained to prevent relative movement between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the interconnection between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform comprises two tensile elements spanning between the first inflatable platform and the second inflatable platform. for example, a first linear perimetral aspect of the first inflatable platform is abutted with a first linear perimetral aspect of the second inflatable platform, wherein each inflatable platform comprises a first lashing point and a second lashing point, wherein the lashing points of the inflatable platforms are configured to align with each other when the linear perimetral aspects of the inflatable platforms are abutted. the interconnection of inflatable platforms resulting in the constraint of the inflatable platforms in relation to each other allows users to enjoy a modular inflatable platform system wherein users can lay, sit, or walk along and between the interconnected inflatable platforms. the interconnection of the inflatable platforms to each other results in a more stable inflatable platform system and allows for increased social interaction without the need for continual adjusting of inflatable platforms in relation to each other. it is an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention to secure and interconnect beverages and other personal items to the top surface of an inflatable platform using magnetic apparatus. personal items include, but are not limited to: keys, cameras, pocket knives, or other items that have ferrous metal components that are desirably carried by outdoor sportspeople while engaged in fishing, paddling, boating, sailing, and other outdoor sports. such technologies are disclosed by u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/350,845 filed jun. 17, 2021 to cory cooper (“the '845 application), and u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/443,504 filed jul. 27, 2021 to cory cooper (“the '504 application”)—each of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes herein. certain embodiments comprise an inflatable platform comprising an inflatable bolster or backrest which is configured to assist a user in laying or sitting upon the top surface of the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments a bolster comprises a circular cross section inflatable device interconnected with a top surface allowing a user to lean against or rest their head upon the bolster. in certain embodiments a back rest comprises an inflatable panel hingedly interconnected to a top surface of the inflatable platform, thus allowing a user to configure the back rest between 0-degrees and 180-degrees from the top surface of the inflatable platform. these and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the inventions contained herein. the above-described embodiments, objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. as will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below. further, this summary is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. the present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in this summary, as well as in the attached drawings and the detailed description below, and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended to either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this summary. additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description, particularly when taken together with the drawings, and the claims provided herein. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 1b —a top view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 1c —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 1d —a cross-sectional view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform as shown in fig. 1b fig. 1e —a bottom view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 2a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 2b —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a plurality of inflatable platforms configured to interconnect with each other fig. 3a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 3b —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 3c —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 4a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 4b —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 4c —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 5a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 5b —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 5c —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 6a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 6b —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 6c —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 7a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 7b —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 7c —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 8a —a top view of certain embodiments comprising a first inflatable platform configured to interconnect with a second inflatable platform fig. 8b —a perspective view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 8c —a side view of certain embodiments comprising an inflatable platform fig. 8d —a detail view of the inflatable platform shown in fig. 8c detailed description of various embodiments certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 1a - fig. 1e for example, of the present invention comprise an inflatable platform 1000 . the inflatable platform 1000 comprises a top surface 1010 , a bottom surface 1020 , and a perimeter 1050 which defines the shape of the inflatable platform. the bottom surface 1020 of the inflatable platform is intended for direct contact with a body of water. the bottom surface 1020 of the inflatable platform of certain embodiments comprises a planar surface, however embodiments are not limited to having planar bottom surfaces, and alternate embodiments comprising non-planar bottom surface are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. the top surface of 1020 the inflatable platform comprises a planar form configured to allow users to lay, sit, walk, and otherwise interact with the top surface. alternate embodiments comprising a non-planar top surface are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. certain embodiments of the present invention comprise a top surface 1010 and a bottom surface 1020 wherein the top surface 1010 and bottom surface 1020 are interconnected by a plurality of threads, typically polyester, wherein the plurality of threads maintain a thickness 1100 between the top surface 1010 and the bottom surface 1020 . this interconnection between the top surface 1010 and the bottom surface 1002 is commonly referred to as drop-stitching. the volume contained between the top surface 1010 and the bottom surface 1020 comprises an air-tight chamber 1150 which is pressurized to inflate the chamber 1150 . alternate embodiments comprising alternate construction strategies known in the prior art are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1a - fig. 1b for example, comprise an inflatable platform wherein the top surface comprises grip enhancing surface treatment 1200 . grip enhancing surface treatments 1200 include, but are not limited to: texturized coatings, material bonded to the top surface of the inflatable platform, rubberized coatings, surface depth variation, or other methods of enhancing grip known in the existing state of the art. certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1a - fig. 1b for example, comprise an inflatable platform 1000 comprising at least one lashing point 1300 interconnected to a top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform. alternate embodiments comprising a lashing point 1300 interconnected to the perimeter 1050 of the inflatable platform are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. the lashing point 1300 comprises an aperture wherethrough a tether, such as a rope or other flexible tensile load carrying device, can be passed to interconnect the inflatable platform to a structure or second inflatable platform. alternate embodiments comprise a lashing point comprising devices commonly referred to as lashing pots, such as cloverleaf lashing pots which allow lashing with a device commonly referred to as an elephant's foot. alternate embodiments comprising lashing points known in the state of the art are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. certain embodiments comprise an inflatable platform 1000 having a magnetic connection apparatus 1400 configured to receive and interconnect with drinkware and other objects as disclosed in the '845 application and the '504 application. an inflatable platform of such embodiments comprises at least one magnetic connection apparatus interconnected with the top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform. certain embodiments comprise an inflatable platform comprising a plurality of magnetic connection apparatus 1300 distributed about the top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform. certain embodiments of the present invention comprise an inflatable platform 1000 having a top surface 1010 , a bottom surface 1020 , and an inflatable chamber 1150 therebetween having a thickness 1100 . the inflatable platform 1000 further comprises a recess 1500 offset from a perimeter 1050 of the inflatable platform. the recess 1500 of certain embodiments ( fig. 1b ) is located centrally in relation to the perimeter 1050 of the inflatable platform. the recess 1500 extends from the top surface 1010 to the bottom surface of the inflatable platform, wherein the bottom 1520 of the recess comprises a membrane 1550 . the bottom of the recess 1500 of certain embodiments is coincident with the bottom surface 1020 of the inflatable platform wherein the depth of the recess is equal to the thickness 1100 of the inflatable platform. in alternate embodiments, the bottom 1020 of the recess is offset from the bottom surface 1020 of the inflatable platform wherein the depth of the recess is less than the thickness 1100 of the inflatable platform. alternate embodiments wherein the recess 1500 comprises a thru-hole extending from the top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform to the bottom surface 1020 of the inflatable platform are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. in certain embodiments comprising a recess 1500 , the bottom 1520 of the recess comprises at least one aperture 1560 wherein water captured in the recess is permitted to drain from the recess in a process commonly referred to as “self-bailing.” the recess 1500 of certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 1b for example, comprises a circular form. alternative embodiments comprise a recess 1500 having a polygonal form, or other shapes as desired, are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. in certain embodiments the recess is configured to receive a cooler, such as disclosed in u.s. design pat. no. d812,981 to cory cooper (“the '981 patent”) incorporated by reference herein for all purposes, while in alternate embodiments the recess can be configured to receive alternative objects as desired. certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1a - fig. 1e for example, comprise an inflatable platform having a circular perimeter 1050 . alternate embodiments comprising inflatable platforms 1000 having alternate perimetral shapes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. inflatable platforms having perimetral forms which are regular polygons, equilateral polygons, and equiangular polygons are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. furthermore, irregular shapes and irregular polygonal shapes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 2a for example, the interconnection of a first inflatable platform 1000 with a second inflatable platform 1000 ′ results in continuous contact between a portion of the perimeter 1050 of the first inflatable platform and a portion of the perimeter 1050 ′ of the second inflatable platform. certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3a - fig. 3b for example, comprise an arced shaped inflatable platform 2000 wherein a first side 2010 of the perimeter of the inflatable platform comprises an internal perimetral aspect 2080 . although a first side 2010 comprising a constant radius arc is shown, embodiments comprising an internal perimetral aspect 2080 having a polygonal or variable radius arc shape are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 2a - fig. 2b , a portion of the perimeter 1050 of a first inflatable platform 1000 is configured to be received by and interconnect with a second inflatable platform 1000 ′ having an internal perimetral aspect 2080 . the perimeter 1050 of the first inflatable platform comprises an external perimetral aspect 1070 . certain embodiments of the present invention comprise an arced inflatable platform 2000 having an arced internal perimetral aspect 2080 , an arced external perimetral aspect 2070 , and linear aspects 2090 extending therebetween. in certain embodiments, as shown, the linear aspects 2090 are orthogonal to the internal perimetral aspect 2080 and the external perimetral aspect 2070 . the arced internal perimetral aspect 2080 is configured to interconnect with a circular inflatable platform 1000 (as shown in fig. 2a - fig. 2b ) resulting in continuous contact between the internal perimetral aspect 2080 of the arced inflatable platform and a portion of the perimeter 1050 of the circular inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the arced inflatable platform 2000 comprises an internal perimetral aspect 2080 having an arc-angle which is a mathematical factor of 360 , wherein a plurality of arced inflatable platforms 2000 are configured to fully surround the circular inflatable platform 1000 . in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 2a - fig. 3c for example, an arced inflatable platform 2000 comprises an internal perimetral aspect 2080 having an arc-angle 2030 of 120-degrees wherein the second inflatable platform 2000 is configured to interconnect with a first circular inflatable platform 1000 , wherein three second inflatable platforms interconnected with the first circular inflatable platform 1000 will result in fully surrounding the circular inflatable platform. in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 4a - fig. 4c for example, an arced inflatable platform 3000 comprises an internal perimetral aspect 3080 having an arc-angle of less than 360-degrees. in certain embodiments, an arced inflatable platform comprises an internal perimetral aspect having an arc-angle 3030 of 240-degrees. accordingly, an arced inflatable platform 3000 having an internal perimetral aspect having an arc-angle of 240-degrees, and an arced inflatable platform 2000 ( fig. 3a - fig. 3c ) having an arc-angle 2030 of 120-degrees interconnected with a circular inflatable platform 1000 results in fully surrounding the circular inflatable platform 1000 . in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 5a - fig. 5c , an inflatable platform 4000 comprises a rectangular shape 4050 . in certain embodiments a rectangular inflatable platform comprises a side with an internal perimetral aspect 4080 . for instance as shown, the side of certain embodiments comprises a concave form configured to interconnect with a an inflatable platform having an external perimetral aspect. for instance, the internal perimetral aspect 4080 as shown is configured to interconnect with a circular inflatable platform 1000 resulting in continuous contact between the rectangular inflatable platform 4000 and the circular inflatable platform 1000 . in certain embodiments of the present invention, shown in fig. 6a - fig. 6c for example, an inflatable platform 5000 comprises an l-shaped perimeter 5050 . in certain embodiments such as shown in fig. 7a , the interconnection of an l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 with a second inflatable platform, such as a circular inflatable platform 1000 , results in two points of contact between the inflatable platforms. in alternate embodiments such as shown in fig. 7b , an l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 is interconnected with a second inflatable platform, such as a rectangular inflatable platform 4000 , resulting in the l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 having at least one side with continuous contact with the second inflatable platform. in certain embodiments such as shown in fig. 7b , an l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 is interconnected with a rectangular shaped inflatable platform 4000 wherein the l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 has continuous contact with two sides of the rectangular shaped inflatable platform 4000 . in further embodiments, such as shown in fig. 7c , a first l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 is interconnected with a second l-shaped inflatable platform 5000 wherein the l-shaped inflatable platforms have 3 sides with continuous contact. in certain embodiments, such as shown in fig. 6a - fig. 6c , an inflatable platform comprises an inflatable bolster 6000 having a circular cross-section 6050 . the bolster 6000 is configured to interconnect with a top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the bolster 6000 comprises a linear form, while alternative embodiments comprises an arced form such as shown in fig. 3a - fig. 4c . in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 5a - fig. 5c and fig. 8a - fig. 8c , an inflatable platform comprises a back-rest 6500 configured to interconnect with a top surface 1010 of an inflatable platform wherein the back-rest 6500 is configured to be hingedly affixed to the top surface of the inflatable platform, allowing the angle 6530 between the back-rest 6500 and the top surface 1010 of the inflatable platform to be adjusted between about 0-degrees and 180-degrees. in certain embodiments the backrest 6500 is fixed in the desired position using a first tether 6540 interconnected to a first side 6501 of the back-rest and a second tether 6540 interconnected with a second side 6502 of the back-rest wherein the tethers are configured to interconnect with interconnection points 1300 interconnected with the inflatable platform 4000 . the tethers 6540 are configured to constrain the back-rest to a desired angle 6530 . in certain embodiments, the inflatable platform as shown in fig. 5a-5c comprises an internal perimetral aspect 4080 located at a forward aspect of inflatable platform 4000 and forward of the back-rest 6500 . in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 8a - fig. 8b for instance, an internal perimetral aspect 4080 is located at a rearward aspect of inflatable platform 4000 and rearward of the back-rest 6500 . in certain embodiments the back rest 6500 is removably interconnected to the inflatable platform 4000 wherein the back-rest 6500 can be removed or reconfigured between a configuration wherein a front aspect 6510 of the back-rest faces a first end 4010 of the inflatable platform, and a configuration wherein the front aspect 6510 of the seat-back faces a second end 4020 of the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 8c - fig. 8d for instance, a bottom aspect 6520 of the seat-back is interconnected with a top surface 4015 of the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the back-rest comprises an interconnection point 6600 with the inflatable platform. in certain embodiments the interconnection point 6600 comprises a living hinge or other flexible connection with the inflatable platform, such as a polymeric sheet material. polymeric sheet materials as discussed herein include, without limitation, pvc, urethane, and chlorosulfonated polyethylene synthetic rubber. in certain embodiments the interconnection point 6600 is elongated along the bottom aspect of the seat-back. in certain embodiments the interconnection point 6600 comprises a hinged interconnection 6650 between the back-rest and the inflatable platform comprising a male feature 6660 and a female feature 6670 , wherein the male feature 6660 is configured to be slidably received within the female feature 6670 . in certain embodiments male feature 6660 and a female feature 6670 are elongated. in certain embodiments, female feature 6670 comprises a hollow form and a longitudinal slot 6675 wherethrough a tensile member 6665 such as a flexible sheet material can be disposed, wherein the tensile member 6665 interconnects between the male feature 6660 of the hinged connection and the bottom aspect 6520 of the back-rest. embodiments shown herein demonstrate the female feature 6670 interconnected with the top surface 4015 of the inflatable platform and the male feature 6660 interconnected with the back-rest 6500 . however, embodiments wherein the back-rest 6500 is interconnected with the female feature 6670 and wherein the male feature 6660 is interconnected with the top surface 4015 of the inflatable platform are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. as shown, in certain embodiments the male feature 6660 comprises a round cross-section and the female feature comprises a round cross-section configured to receive the male feature. however, the male feature 6660 and the female feature 6670 are not limited to round cross-sectional profiles and alternate cross-sectional profiles, such as square, rectangular, or triangular, are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. while various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. however, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. further, the inventions described herein are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. in addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. the use of “including,” “comprising,” or “adding” and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof, as well as additional items.
056-433-642-989-929	US	[ "US", "AU", "IL", "WO", "EP", "CA", "DK", "ZA" ]	F42B10/24,F42B10/22,F42B10/26,F42B10/46,F42B12/02,F42B12/06,F42B12/34,F42B12/74,F42B30/02,F42B8/12,F42B10/00,F42B12/00,F42B10/42,F42B10/02,F42B10/06	2014-04-30T00:00:00	2014	[ "F42" ]	projectile with enhanced ballistics	the present invention provides a projectile device and a method of manufacture of a projectile device and in particular to a pistol bullet and a rifle bullet and method of manufacture of the same. in one embodiment, the projectile apparatus has a cylindrical body portion having a diameter, a front nose section tapering from a most proximal point of the projectile to the cylindrical body portion, and a rear tail section connected to the body portion and extending to the most distal point of the projectile, in which the front nose portion comprises a plurality of twisting depressions forming troughs.	1. a projectile with enhanced performance characteristics for use with a firearm, comprising: a longitudinal axis; a housing comprising a front end, a rear end having a base opposite the front end, a cylindrical portion integrally interconnected to the base and extending to a nose portion that terminates at the front end, and a cavity extending from the front end into the housing, wherein the housing has a plurality of cutouts extending from the front end a first length such that the cutouts extend from an exterior surface of the housing into the cavity, wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts has a curved shape; and an insert comprising: a first end having a first tip; a second end having a second tip and opposite the first end; a nose portion tapering outwardly from the first tip; a first cylindrical portion having a first end directly connected to an end of the nose portion opposite the first tip, the first cylindrical portion having a first diameter; a tapered portion directly connected to a second end of the first cylindrical portion and tapering inwardly from the first cylindrical portion; a second cylindrical portion directly connected to the tapered portion, the second cylindrical portion having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter; and a rear portion directly connected to the second cylindrical portion and tapering inwardly to the second tip. 2. the projectile of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical portion of the housing comprises a plurality of angled driving bands and a plurality of angled relief cuts, wherein each angled driving band has a larger circumference than each angled relief cut, and wherein each angled driving band is positioned between two angled relief cuts. 3. the projectile of claim 2 , wherein a highest point of each angled driving band in the plurality of angled driving bands has a larger diameter than a lowest point of each angled relief cut in the plurality of angled relief cuts, and wherein angles between the angled driving bands and the angled relief cuts relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile are between about 6 degrees and about 11 degrees. 4. the projectile of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises two cutouts. 5. the projectile of claim 1 , wherein the cavity of the housing has a cavity base opposite the front end, a wide portion proximate the front end, and a narrow portion proximate the cavity base. 6. the projectile of claim 5 , wherein the cavity base has an angled shape terminating in a point. 7. the projectile of claim 1 , wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts has a centerline positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the projectile. 8. the projectile of claim 1 , wherein the first length is between about 0.01 inch and about 0.03 inch. 9. a bullet adapted for insertion into a casing filled with an explosive propellant, comprising: a front end having a rounded tip; a rear end opposite the front end and having a base; a boat tail tapering outwardly from the base to a first point a distance from the base; a cylindrical portion integrally interconnected on a first end to the boat tail and extending from the first point to a second point between the front end and the first point, wherein the cylindrical portion comprises a plurality of angled driving bands and a plurality of angled relief cuts, wherein a highest point of each angled driving band in the plurality of angled driving bands has a larger diameter than a lowest point of each angled relief cut in the plurality of angled relief cuts, wherein each angled driving band is positioned between two angled relief cuts, and wherein angles between the angled driving bands and the angled relief cuts relative to a longitudinal axis of the bullet are between about 6 degrees and about 11 degrees; a nose portion tapering from the rounded tip to the cylindrical portion at the second point, wherein the nose portion is integrally interconnected to the cylindrical portion at the second point; a cavity formed in a portion of the nose portion, wherein the cavity has a plurality of cutouts extending from a front end of the cavity and into the cavity a cutout length, and wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts has a curved shape with a specific radius of curvature; and an insert positioned at least partially within the cavity, wherein the insert includes a first apex at a forward end opposite a second apex at a second end, a first cylindrical portion with a first diameter positioned proximate the first apex, and a second cylindrical portion with a second diameter smaller than the first diameter and positioned proximate the second apex, and wherein the first apex is the rounded tip on the front end of the bullet. 10. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein the insert comprises a first nose portion at the forward end and extending to the first cylindrical portion, and wherein the first nose portion is positioned outside of the cavity of the housing and a majority of the first cylindrical portion is positioned within the cavity of the housing. 11. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts is cut into an inner surface of the cavity. 12. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts extends from an exterior surface of the bullet and into the cavity. 13. the bullet of claim 12 , wherein a length of each cutout in the plurality of cutouts as measured from the front end of the cavity is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.03 inches. 14. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein each cutout in the plurality of cutouts has a centerline positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the projectile. 15. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein each cutout length is ⅜ inch, 0.40 inch, or 0.50 inch. 16. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein the nose portion of the bullet comprises the first nose portion of the insert and a second nose portion of the housing. 17. the bullet of claim 9 , wherein the cavity has a cavity base opposite the front end, a wide portion with a third diameter proximate the front end, and a narrow portion with a fourth diameter proximate the cavity base, and wherein the third diameter is larger than the fourth diameter. 18. the bullet of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of cutouts extend into the cavity a length equal to or less than a length of the wide portion of the cavity. 19. the bullet of claim 17 , wherein the cavity base has an angled shape terminating in a point.	cross reference to related applications this application is a divisional application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/707,820 filed on dec. 9, 2019, now u.s. pat. no. 11,041,703, entitled “projectile with enhanced ballistics,” which is a divisional application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/406,781 filed on jan. 16, 2017, now u.s. pat. no. 10,502,536, entitled “projectile with enhanced ballistics,” which is a continuation-in-part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/701,519 filed on apr. 30, 2015, now u.s. pat. no. 9,709,368, entitled “projectile with enhanced ballistics,” which claims the benefit of priority from u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/986,296, filed apr. 30, 2014, entitled “projectile with enhanced ballistics,” and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/145,814, filed apr. 10, 2015, entitled “projectile with enhanced ballistics,” the entire disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties. field of the invention embodiments of the present invention are generally related to a projectile device and a method of manufacture of the same and in particular to a pistol bullet and a rifle bullet and method of manufacture of the same. background of the invention conventional projectiles, such as bullets, typically comprise a smooth uniform shank or body portion and an axially-symmetrical front or nose portion. bullet performance is traditionally assessed with respect to parameters including velocity, ballistic coefficient (bc), trajectory, accuracy, and target penetration. conventional bullets, after leaving the barrel and once under unpowered free-flight, substantially degrade in flight characteristics. for example, conventional bullets begin to wobble during flight, thereby losing accuracy and velocity. upon striking a target, such reduced velocity and wobbling limits target penetration. various efforts have been made to improve projectile performance and/or enable additional projectile features. for example, u.s. pat. no. 4,829,904 to sullivan (“sullivan”) issued may 16, 1989, discloses a substantially full bore diameter bullet that has a plurality of elongated grooves either helically formed or parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bullet and a sabot, which has a body and fingers that engage with the grooves and seal the bullet in a casing. the sabot is configured with a slightly larger diameter than the bullet such that the sabot is engraved by the rifling slots in the barrel through which the round is fired, imparting a rotation to the bullet. in alternative embodiments the grooves contain elongated elements or a plurality of spherical elements to prevent the conically tapered slug or bullet from tilting or cocking in the barrel after firing. however, sullivan fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. sullivan is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. u.s. pat. no. 6,439,125 to carter (“carter”) issued aug. 27, 2002, relates to a bullet having a tapered nose and a cylindrical base. the base is provided with an annular groove having a diameter less than the bore diameter of the barrel of the gun to reduce the force required to move the bullet through the barrel, thereby increasing the muzzle velocity and kinetic energy of the bullet. however, carter fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. carter is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. u.s. pat. no. 6,581,522 to julien et al., (“julien”) issued jun. 24, 2003, discloses a projectile comprising a cylindrical body of type 55 nitinol material that has a soft martensitic state that is readily deformed by rifling in the bore of a gun barrel to form grooves which ride on the rifling to spin the projectile. the nitinol material has a low coefficient of friction with the steel barrel and is sufficiently strong to prevent shedding projectile material in the bore. on impact with the target, the nitinol material undergoes a strain-induced shift to an ultra-high strength state in which the projectile is capable of remaining intact and concentrating its full energy on the small area of contact for maximal penetration and damage to the target. in contrast, a conventional bullet typically mushrooms widely and spreads its energy over a side area. projectiles in the form of bullets, shotgun slugs, penetrating warheads, caseless ammunition, and artillery shells are described. however, julien fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. julien is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application publication no. 2006/0027128 to hober (“hober”) published feb. 9, 2006, discloses a projectile for small munitions comprising a bullet with an integral housing formed from a resilient, shape-retaining material. the projectile comprises a bullet having a tapered front section, a cylindrical middle section and a tapered end section. the middle section includes a recessed retaining portion over which the resilient housing is securely positioned or formed. the maximum diameter of the bullet is less than the primary bore diameter of the firearm barrel, and the outer diameter of the housing when positioned around the bullet is slightly greater than the primary bore diameter. thus, rifling in the barrel scores the housing and not the bullet, and imparts spin to the housing during firing and hence to the bullet, which is integral therewith, achieving enhanced gas checking efficiency, accuracy and velocity. the integral housing remains on the bullet after firing and downrange to its ultimate destination. however, hober fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. hober is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. u.s. pat. no. 5,116,224 to kelsey, jr. (“kelsey i”) issued on may 26, 1992 and u.s. pat. no. 5,133,261 to kelsey, jr. (“kelsey ii”) issued on jul. 28, 1992 and disclose a small arms bullet having a truncated conical nose with radial rearwardly extending ribs. the ribs have a flat edge and form grooves between the ribs. the kelsey i ribs are formed along a radial, whereas the kelsey ii ribs are curved. in both kelsey i and kelsey ii, the ribs are engineered to form a flat planar structure defining a rib thickness. however, each of kelsey i and kelsey ii fail to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. both kelsey i and kelsey ii are incorporated herein by reference in entirety. u.s. statutory invention registration no. h770 to kline et al., (“kline”) discloses a tracer training bullet which can be assembled into a conventional cartridge case and fired in a conventional m2 machine gun. the bullet consists of a main body of relatively low strength material which is segmented so that, if not restrained, it will bend under the centrifugal rotational force imparted to the segments by the spinning action of the projectile when fired. the bending of the projectile segments away from their central axis is ordinarily prevented by a retainer in the form of a spider. the spider is made of a relatively low temperature melting material, preferably aluminum, having a given thermal mass. the burn of the tracer material during the flight of the bullet toward a target weakens the retainer to the point of rupture after the bullet has travelled a given distance toward a target position. after the target position is passed, the securement member is destroyed by the high temperature burning action and the segments of the projectile bend or flex apart. this destroys the aerodynamic characteristics of the bullet and reduces its maximum range beyond the target distance. however, kline fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. kline is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. thus, there is a long-felt need for a projectile design, and method of making the same, that retains, enhances, or counters the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration, as provided in embodiments of the present invention. the projectile design of the present invention may be configured to create several embodiments, for example to include rifle embodiments and pistol embodiments. summary of the invention what is needed is a projectile that does not substantially degrade in flight characteristics once leaving the gun barrel, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. the present invention solves these needs by providing a projectile that retains if not enhances the spin of a bullet in flight and, in some embodiments, provides a cutting edge to promote and enhance target penetration and/or expansion in soft targets. it is one aspect of the present invention to provide a projectile device and a method of manufacture of a projectile device. in particular, a pistol bullet and a rifle bullet are provided, along with methods of manufacture of the same. another aspect of the present invention is to provide a projectile with improved accuracy and performance. in general, a projectile with a non-congruent twist penetrates less into the target and the larger end mill cut penetrates less into the target. these projectiles create a cavitation and slow down in soft tissue. the advantages generally include the ease of manufacturing and the non-expanding bullet (i.e., no housing and cavities). further, the projectile does not deflect in auto glass, it shoots through sheet metal and body armor using its cutting edges, and it creates a cavitation in tissue to help it slow down in the soft tissue. a congruent twist will increase the depth of the projectile's penetration in soft media. the shorter the distance the projectile travels in the target, the more energy is released in that short distance. thus, a wider tissue area is affected in order to absorb the energy. in one embodiment of the invention, a projectile with enhanced performance characteristics adapted for use with a firearm is disclosed, the projectile comprising: a cylindrical body portion having a predetermined diameter; a front nose section tapering from a forward most point of the projectile to the cylindrical body portion; and a rear tail section connected to the body opposite the front nose portion; and wherein the front nose portion comprises at least one twisting depression forming a trough at a predetermined angle oriented with respect to a longitudinal centerline of the projectile. in one embodiment, a projectile device is disclosed comprising: a cylindrical body with a longitudinal axis and a first end and a second end which defines a first length therebetween; a nose integrally interconnected to the second end of said cylindrical portion and having a second length, said nose further comprising: a) a plurality of cutout portions originating proximate to an apex of said nose and having a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body; b) a non-distorted nose portion positioned between each of the cutout portions, and wherein the intersection of the plurality of cutout portions and each of the non-distorted nose portions form a distinct edge which extends proximate to the apex of the nose portion. in another embodiment, a projectile with enhanced performance characteristics for use with a firearm is disclosed, the projectile comprising: a first end having a tip; a second end having a base, the second end opposite the first end; a cylindrical portion having a predetermined diameter, the cylindrical portion positioned between the first end and the second end; a nose portion tapering from the tip to the cylindrical portion, wherein the nose portion is integrally interconnected to the cylindrical portion at a first junction; a first depression forming a first trough extending from a portion of the projectile proximate the first junction proximate to the tip of the projectile, wherein a first centerline of the first depression is positioned at a first angle relative to a longitudinal centerline of the projectile, and wherein the first trough has a first radius of curvature; a second depression forming a second trough extending from the portion of the projectile proximate the first junction proximate to the tip of the projectile, wherein a second centerline of the second depression is positioned at a second angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the projectile, and wherein the second trough has a second radius of curvature; a first remaining nose portion positioned between the first depression and the second depression, the first remaining nose portion having a substantially triangular shape and forming a first cutting edge proximate the tip; a third depression forming a third trough extending from the portion of the projectile proximate the first junction proximate to the tip of the projectile, wherein a third centerline of the third depression is positioned at a third angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the projectile, and wherein the third trough has a third radius of curvature; a second remaining nose portion positioned between the second depression and the third depression, the second remaining nose portion having a substantially triangular shape and forming a second cutting edge proximate the tip; and a third remaining nose portion positioned between the first depression and the third depression, the third remaining nose portion having a substantially triangular shape and forming a third cutting edge proximate the tip. in yet another embodiment, a projectile device is disclosed comprising: a cylindrical body with a longitudinal axis defined therethrough; a nose integrally interconnected to a forward end of the cylindrical body; an alternating pattern of arcuate shaped cutout portions extending from approximately the tip of the nose to the cylindrical body and non-distorted nose portions having a substantially triangular shape, the intersection defining a cutting edge which is oriented at a specific angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body. in some embodiments, further features comprise: wherein the non-distorted nose portion has a substantially triangular shape; wherein the plurality of cutout portions has a length of approximately the nose second length; three distinct cutting edges formed at the intersection of the cutout portions; wherein the cutout portions have either a right or a left twist with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile; wherein the metallic projectile comprises three twisting cutout portions and three non-distorted nose portions; wherein the first length of the cylindrical portion is greater than the second length of the nose; wherein the projectile is made of a metallic material; wherein the metallic projectile has a caliber of at least one of 0.380 inch, 9 mm, 0.40 inch, and 0.45 inch and is adapted for use with a handgun; wherein the projectile is comprised of at least one of lead, copper, steel, magnesium, titanium, and other alloy; a second cutting edge formed at the intersection of the first depression and second depression and the second depression and third depression, and positioned above the first cutting edge; a second cutting edge defined by the intersection if each cutout portion above the non-distorted nose portion and extending upwardly to the apex of the nose; and wherein there are three distinct cutout portions and three distinct non-distorted nose portions. in one embodiment, a projectile for use in a handheld weapon is provided comprising: a cylindrical body with a longitudinal axis, a first end substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, a second end, and a first length extending from said first end to said second end; a nose integrally interconnected at a junction to said second end of said cylindrical body, said nose having a tip on a forward-most portion and a second length between said tip and said junction, wherein said second length is longer than said first length, said nose further comprising: (a) a plurality of cutout portions originating at said tip of said nose and terminating proximate said junction, wherein each cutout portion in said plurality of cutout portions forms a curved trough with a radius of curvature, and wherein a lowermost portion of each of said troughs is positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to said longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body; (b) plurality of non-distorted nose portions, wherein each non-distorted nose portion is positioned between two of said cutout portions, and wherein said plurality of non-distorted nose portions extends to said tip of said nose portion; and (c) wherein said tip of said nose portion is substantially parallel to said first end of said cylindrical body. in further embodiments, each non-distorted nose portion has a substantially triangular shape with a narrow portion of said substantially triangular shape proximate said tip and a wide portion of said substantially triangular shape proximate said junction; each cutout portion in said plurality of cutout portions has a third length as measured along said longitudinal axis that is slightly less than or equal to said second length; and/or each cutout portion in said plurality of cutout portions has a radius of curvature of between about 0.05 inches and about 0.25 inches. in some embodiments, the projectile also comprises a chamfer portion extending from said first end of said cylindrical body to a point on said cylindrical body, wherein said chamfer is positioned at an angle relative to said longitudinal axis. in further embodiments, said cutout portions have either a right twist or a left twist with respect to said longitudinal axis of said projectile. in some embodiments, said plurality of cutout portions comprises three cutout portions and said plurality of non-distorted nose portions comprises three non-distorted nose portions. in one embodiment, said first length of said cylindrical body is between about 0.11 and 0.285 inches and said second length of said nose is between about 0.20 and 0.45 inches. in some embodiments, each cutout portion in said plurality of cutout portions is oriented at an angle of between about 5 degrees and 15 degrees with respect to said longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body, and said projectile is sized in at least one of a 0.380 inch, a 9 mm, a 0.40 inch, and a 0.45 inch caliber and is adapted for use with a handgun. in one embodiment, a projectile with enhanced performance characteristics for use with a firearm is provided comprising: a longitudinal axis; a housing comprising: a front end; a rear end having a base, the rear end positioned opposite the front end; a boat tail portion extending from the rear end to a first point of the housing between the front end and the rear end, wherein the boat tail portion tapers inwardly toward the longitudinal axis such that the rear end has a smaller diameter than a diameter at the first point of the housing; a cylindrical portion integrally interconnected on a first end to the boat tail portion at the first point of the housing, the cylindrical portion extending from the first point of the housing to a second point of the housing between the front end and the rear end; a nose portion tapering from the front end to the cylindrical portion at the second point of the housing, wherein the nose portion is integrally interconnected to the cylindrical portion at the second point of the housing; and a cavity for receiving an insert, the cavity extending from the front end to a third point of the housing between the front end and the rear end; and the insert comprising: a first end having a tip; a second end having a base, the second end positioned opposite the first end; a stem portion extending from the second end to a first point of the insert between the first end and the second end; a nose portion tapering from the tip to the stem portion, wherein the nose portion is integrally interconnected to the stem portion at the first point of the insert; a plurality of depressions originating at a second point of the insert between the tip and the first point of the insert and terminating at a third point of the insert between the second point and the base, wherein each depression in the plurality of depressions has a curved shape with a radius of curvature, and wherein each depression has a centerline positioned at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile; and a plurality of remaining nose portions, wherein each remaining nose portion in the plurality of remaining nose portions is positioned between two of said depressions. in further embodiments, the nose portion of the insert has a concave radius of curvature or the nose portion of the insert has a convex radius of curvature. in additional embodiments, a forward portion of the stem of the insert has a first diameter and a rear portion of the stem of the insert has a second diameter, and wherein the first diameter is larger than the second diameter. in various embodiments, the base of the insert has an angled shape terminating in a point; and/or the cylindrical portion of the housing comprises a plurality of angled driving bands and a plurality of angled relief cuts, wherein each angled driving band in the plurality of angled driving bands has a larger diameter than each angled relief cut in the plurality of angled relief cuts, and wherein each angled driving band is positioned between two angled relief cuts. in one embodiment, a bullet adapted for insertion into a casing filled with an explosive propellant is provided comprising: a longitudinal axis; a front end having a rounded tip; a rear end having a base and positioned opposite the front end; a boat tail portion extending from the rear end to a first point between the front end and the rear end, wherein the boat tail portion tapers inwardly toward the longitudinal axis such that the rear end has a smaller diameter than a diameter at the first point; a cylindrical portion integrally interconnected on a first end to the boat tail portion at the first point, the cylindrical portion extending from the first point to a second point between the front end and the rear end of the bullet, wherein the cylindrical portion comprises a plurality of angled driving bands and a plurality of angled relief cuts, wherein each angled driving band in the plurality of angled driving bands has a larger diameter than each angled relief cut in the plurality of angled relief cuts, and wherein each angled driving band is positioned between two angled relief cuts; and a nose portion tapering from the tip to the cylindrical portion at the second point, wherein the nose portion is integrally interconnected to the cylindrical portion at the second point. in further embodiments, the bullet further comprises a cavity and an insert, wherein the insert is positioned in the cavity, wherein the insert includes an apex at a first end opposite a base at a second end and a plurality of arcuate-shaped cutout portions extending from the apex of the insert to a point between the apex and the base, and wherein the apex of the insert is positioned a distance behind the rounded tip of the bullet, and the intersection of two arcuate-shaped cutout portions forms a cutter edge that extends to the apex of the insert. the term “projectile” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to any object projected into space by the exertion of a force, to include bullets, bombs, and rockets. the term “ballistics” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to the physics of projecting a projectile into space, to include the range and accuracy of projectiles and the effects of projectiles upon impact with an object. the term “ballistics coefficient (bc)” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to the ability of a projectile to overcome air resistance in flight; a high number indicates a greater ability to overcome air resistance. the term “internal ballistics” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to the behavior and effects of a projectile from propellant ignition to exit from a gun barrel. the term “external ballistics” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to the behavior and effects of a projectile from leaving a gun barrel until striking a target. the term “terminal ballistics” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits a target. this summary of the invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present disclosure. the present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail in the summary of the invention as well as in the attached drawings and the detailed description of the invention, and no limitation as to the scope of the present disclosure is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this summary of the invention. additional aspects of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the detailed description, particularly when taken together with the drawings. the above-described benefits, embodiments, and/or characterizations are not necessarily complete or exhaustive, and in particular, as to the patentable subject matter disclosed herein. other benefits, embodiments, and/or characterizations of the present disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, as set forth above and/or described in the accompanying figures and/or in the description herein below. however, the detailed description of the invention, the drawing figures, and the exemplary claims set forth herein, taken in conjunction with this summary of the invention, define the invention. brief description of the drawings those of skill in the art will recognize that the following description is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, which may be applied in various ways to provide many different alternative embodiments. this description is made for illustrating the general principles of the teachings of this invention and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. figs. 1a-f show a projectile according to a first embodiment of the invention; figs. 2a-d show a projectile according to a second embodiment of the invention; figs. 3a-f show a projectile according to a third embodiment of the invention; figs. 4a-c show a projectile according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; figs. 5a-c show a projectile according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; figs. 6a-c show a projectile according to a sixth embodiment of the invention; figs. 7a-c show a projectile according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; figs. 8a-c show a projectile according to an eighth embodiment of the invention; figs. 9a-d show a projectile according to a ninth embodiment of the invention; figs. 10a-c show a projectile according to a tenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 11a-f show a projectile according to an eleventh embodiment of the invention; figs. 12a-e show a projectile according to a twelfth embodiment of the invention; figs. 13a-d show a projectile according to a thirteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 14a-c show a projectile according to a fourteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 15a-e show a projectile according to a fifteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 16a-d show a projectile according to a sixteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 17a-c show a projectile according to a seventeenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 18a-d show a projectile according to an eighteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 19a-c show a projectile according to a nineteenth embodiment of the invention; figs. 20a-e show a projectile according to a twentieth embodiment of the invention; figs. 21a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-first embodiment of the invention; figs. 22a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-second embodiment of the invention; figs. 23a-f show a projectile according to a twenty-third embodiment of the invention; figs. 24a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-fourth embodiment of the invention; figs. 25a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-fifth embodiment of the invention; figs. 26a-b show the projectile housing of figs. 25a-c ; figs. 27a-c show the projectile insert of figs. 25a-c ; figs. 28a-c show a projectile insert according to another embodiment of the invention; figs. 29a-c show a projectile insert according to alternate embodiment of the invention; figs. 30a-c show the projectile of figs. 25a-c after being fired; figs. 31a-c show a projectile according to a twenty-sixth embodiment of the invention after being fired; figs. 32a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-seventh embodiment of the invention; figs. 33a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-eighth embodiment of the invention; figs. 34a-d are exploded views of the projectile housing and insert of figs. 33a-c ; figs. 35a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-ninth embodiment of the invention; figs. 36a-d show a projectile according to a thirtieth embodiment of the invention; figs. 37a-d show a projectile according to a thirty-first embodiment of the invention; figs. 38a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-second embodiment of the invention; figs. 39a-c show a projectile according to a thirty-third embodiment of the invention; figs. 40a-c show a projectile according to a thirty-fourth embodiment of the invention; figs. 41a-d show a projectile according to a thirty-fifth embodiment of the invention; fig. 41e shows the projectile of figs. 41a-d after it has been shot; figs. 42a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-sixth embodiment of the invention; figs. 43a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-seventh embodiment of the invention; figs. 44a-c show a projectile according to a thirty-eighth embodiment of the invention; figs. 45a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-ninth embodiment of the invention; figs. 46a-d show a projectile according to a fortieth embodiment of the invention; figs. 47a-c show a projectile according to a forty-first embodiment of the invention; figs. 48a-e show a projectile according to a forty-second embodiment of the invention; fig. 49 shows a gel target after being shot by two different projectiles; and figs. 50a-e show a projectile according to a forty-third embodiment of the invention. to assist in the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein: no. component 2 projectile4 tip or apex6 nose portion (or front portion)8 nose depression (or cutout or trough)10 centerline of nose depression12 ogive14 secant ogive16 tangent ogive18 shoulder20 cylindrical portion (i.e., shank)22 nose remaining portion (or non-distorted portion or uncut portion; i.e., portion between nose depressions)24 cavity26 driving band26 a angled driving band28 relief cut28 a angled (or curved) relief cut30 base32 linear portion34 tail depression36 centerline of tail depression38 boat tail38 a chamfer40 housing42 insert42 a first insert42 b second insert42 c third insert44 longitudinal axis (of projectile, insert, or housing)46 tail remaining portion (or non-distorted portion or uncut no. component portion; i.e., portion between tail depressions)48 arrowhead (of insert)50 stem (of insert)52 lower portion or underside (of arrowhead)54 lower portion or underside (of stem)56 front (of housing)58 receiving portion (of housing)60 rifling marks62 pealed portion (of housing)64 rolled portion (of housing)66 first nose portion (or front nose portion)68 second nose portion (or rear nose portion)70 rear edge (of housing)72 cutter edge74 cannelure76 thick portion of stem (of insert)78 thin portion of stem (of insert)80 remaining portion between cutouts (of insert)82 band on insert84 front portion of insert86 rear portion of insert88 tip of rear portion (of insert)90 base portion (of housing)92 edge (of nose depression)94 cutout in housing100 target/gel102 hollow-point bullet affected area104 invention affected areaα alpha angle, angle of nose depressionβ beta angle no. component δ delta angle, tail depression angleθ theta angle, boat tail angleγ gamma angle, angle between angled driving band and angled relief cutσ sigma angle, angle between driving band and relief cutλ lambda angle, angle of underside (of stem)τ tao angle, angle of step from thick to thin portion (of stem)d 1 cylindrical portion diameter (i.e., caliber)d 2 diameter of relief cutd 3 diameter of driving bandd 4 diameter of insert stemd 5 diameter of arrowhead of insertd 6 diameter of thick portion of stem (of insert)d 7 diameter of thin portion of stem (of insert)h 1 height of rear portion of first nose portionl 1 length of projectilel 2 length of nose portionl 3 length of cylindrical portionl 4 length of boat taill 5 length of housingl 6 length of insertl 6 a length of first insertl 6 b length of second insertl 6 c length of third insertl 7 length of broach-type cutl 8 length of first nose portion/length of nose (of insert)l 9 length of linear portionl 10 length of second nose portionl 11 length of cutl 12 length of thick portion of stem (of insert) no. component l 13 length of thin portion of stem (of insert)l 14 length of front portion of insertl 15 length of rear portion of insertl 16 length of the cavityl 17 length of the wide portion of the cavityl 18 length of the narrow portion of the cavityl 19 length of projectile from second nose portion to basew 1 width of broach-type cutr 1 radius of curvature of ogiver 2 radius of curvature of tangent ogiver 3 radius of curvature of secant ogiver 4 radius of curvature of nose depressionr 5 radius of curvature of tail depressionr 6 radius of curvature of relief cutr 7 radius of curvature of tipr 8 radius of curvature between boat tail and base it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and various dimensions may be altered. however, drawings that are to scale, are so marked or otherwise indicated. in certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. it should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. detailed description the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principals of this invention. the attached drawings are generally to scale, although there may be certain exceptions. in certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. it should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein or specific dimensions. embodiments of pistol and rifle projectiles are provided herein. some embodiments comprise three or more angled cuts or depressions and are manufactured with a circular or a flat cutter. the depressions or cuts are in part defined by multiple angles. the first angle of the depressions or cuts is the alpha angle, which can, in some embodiments, determine the sharpness of the tip and cutter edges and is best viewed from a side elevation view. the alpha angle can also control the depth of penetration of the projectile in its target and the amount of media the projectile will cast off during penetration. a steeper alpha angle will result in deeper penetration and a blunter alpha angle will create a wider wound path. in a preferred embodiment, the alpha angle is between 2 degrees and about 45 degrees; in a more preferred embodiment the alpha angle range is between about 5 and 30 degrees. in some embodiments, this angle is not constant. projectiles have been tested with increasing bluntness (i.e., a curve) and resulted in massive terminal ballistics trajectories. the beginning angle was nearly 0 degrees and the end angle was nearly 45 degrees off of centerline. this embodiment was manufactured by running a ball end mill at an angle (which can be the alpha angle) relative to the centerline of the projectile. the size of the cutter varies by caliber, projectile weight, and desired performance characteristics. in some embodiments, the radius of the cutter is roughly one caliber; a cutter smaller than one caliber will result in deeper troughs and sharper ridges. the beta angle is the amount that the cut is off from a radius line as viewed from the front of the projectile. the beta angle and the alpha angle will determine the spin or rate of twist of the projectile during penetration. typically, pistol barrel twist rates vary more than rifle barrel twist rates by manufacturer or brand. a barrel twist rate is expressed as one turn per a number of inches of barrel; a 1:10 or “1 in 10 inches” barrel twist means a bullet makes one rotation or twist while traveling 10 inches in a gun barrel. to obtain the greatest penetration possible, the alpha angle matches or exceeds the barrel rate of twist and is in the same direction. this allows the projectile to corkscrew or drill into the media. for most embodiments, the alpha angle is between about 7 to 15 degrees in a right-hand twist and alternating 4-25 degrees. in another embodiment, if a design objective is to have a pistol bullet that penetrates armor and then stops in tissue, the alpha angle will be in the opposite direction of the barrel twist (this condition is also referred to as a “reversed angle to twist rate” or “reversing the barrel twist rate”). from testing, the congruency of barrel twist rate has little effect on penetrating sheet metal, kevlar, glass, and other hard surfaces. when the barrel twist rate is in the opposite direction as the alpha angle, it has a substantial effect on the depth of penetration in soft media. a reversed angle to barrel twist rate results in permanent wound channels with secondary wounds. a secondary wound is where an object, such as a bone, in the terminal media is cast off the projectile and creates a new wound path. there are two basic embodiments of pistol projectiles: a two-piece projectile (which may be called a jacketed projectile) and non-jacketed projectile. the non-jacketed embodiment is not intended to change shape during terminal ballistics and has the deepest and straightest penetration. reversing the barrel twist rate (i.e., an alpha angle in the opposite direction to the barrel twist rate) results in less penetration and greater destruction but not to the same degree as the two-piece projectile. however, typically only pistol projectiles have reversed twist rates because rifle projectiles tend to be unstable with a reversed twist rate. but, one embodiment includes a rifle projectile with a reversed twist rate. some embodiments have a zero alpha angle and the projectile still displays the characteristics of penetrating hard surfaces and woven material well. figs. 1-2, 12, 20-23, and 25-31 present non-jacketed pistol projectile embodiments. figs. 3-11, 13-19, 24, and 32-40 present rifle projectile embodiments. figs. 3-11, 13-19, 24, and 32-40 are scaled drawings of projectile embodiments. intended users include big game hunters and long range target shooters. among other things, these embodiments provide deep, straight penetration with transfer of energy. these embodiments may be manufactured of materials comprising brass, copper, lead, tungsten-carbide, and alloys associated therewith. the fronts of various embodiments of projectiles are made up of several cuts that form troughs and ridges. the number of ridges may be equal to the number of lands and grooves in a barrel. generally, the number of ridges should equal the number of lands and grooves in the barrel or be a multiple thereof. in the rifle projectiles, the twist rate of the ridges will likely correlate to or be greater than the rate of twist in the barrel although by no more than 1-2 degrees. in one preferred embodiment, the twist rate on the front of the projectile varies from 2-16 degrees; in a more preferred embodiment the twist rate on the front of the projectile varies between 4-12 degrees, depending on the rifle barrel's twist rate. the barrel degree of twist may be referenced as a rate of twist such as 1 revolution in x amount of inches (e.g., 1 in 8″ twist rate). the fins at the back of the rifle projectile correspond to—but are not necessarily in line with—the twist rate of the ridges at the front of the projectile. the design of the rifle projectile affects the flight of the projectile (external ballistics) and further affects the time in the barrel (internal ballistics). the depth and length of the twisting depressions, in some embodiments, is not as critical as the rate of twist. the twisting elements cannot extend through the center section or shaft of the projectile. deeper twisting elements will create sharper ridges between the twisting depressions. the diameter of the trough will change with the caliber of the projectile. these twisting depressions will not only twist around the projectile, but will follow the convex shape of the front of the projectile. in some embodiments, the twist rate is approximately a 7-degree right-hand twist rate, corresponding to a 1-in-8 rate of twist. when looking at a rifle projectile from a side elevation view, the curve from the tip to the elongated side wall of the cartridge is called the ogive, divided generally into three parts: the tip, the secant ogive and tangent ogive. as bullets are scalable, one refers to the sizes in calibers. caliber is the diameter of the shaft. the entire ogive of the projectile may be greater in length than the length of two calibers and in other embodiments may be greater than the length of three calibers. this length will be determined by the maximum case length subtracted from the case overall length (“col”). the col is typically determined by the internal length of the magazine, but is sometimes limited by the throat of the chamber where the lands and the grooves disappear into the chamber. as mentioned, the ogive is broken into three distinct parts. the tip is made of a cone with a non-curved profile and extends back for approximately the length of a half caliber or less. the tip is blended into a secant ogive that comprises the majority of the entire ogive. the secant ogive is based on a circle with a radius of approximately 8 times the caliber. there are grooves that run the length of the secant ogive and these grooves match identically the pitch and number of the lands and grooves of the rifling in the barrel. typically, the secant ogive will be approximately two calibers in length depending on the intended rifle and chambering. these grooves that cut at a 7 to 8 degree angle through the secant ogive in many embodiments, are congruent with the rifling and are produced with a ball end mill and have smooth entrance and exit points. in the center of the secant ogive, the ball cut is at its deepest and forms a ridge with the cuts on either side running parallel to one another. the diameter of the cutter is approximately one third of a caliber. this sharp ridge runs the majority of the secant ogive and is intended to maintain the spin of the projectile in flight and aid in penetration during terminal ballistics. the last portion of the ogive, approximately half of a caliber in length, is comprised of a tangent ogive. the tangent ogive is the curve of a circle with a radius of approximately four calibers. the grooves cut in the secant ogive dissipate before the secant ogive's junction with the tangent ogive, thus ensuring that the grooves will never interact with the rifling, which would create a variable with the free bore portion of the projectile path during firing. the shaft of the projectile will now be described. the shaft is the cylindrical center section that interfaces with the barrel and the case neck. the proportional length varies with desired weight and is composed of driving bands (i.e., ridges) and relief cuts (i.e., troughs). the junction of these surfaces is angular and smoothed to minimize interaction with the atmosphere during exterior ballistics. the depth of the relief cut is just beyond the inner dimension of the lands. there is a minimal number of driving bands, located at the front and back of the shaft with at least one more in the center section near the end of the case neck near the junction of the case's shoulder and neck. the relief cuts will lower the total friction in the barrel during internal ballistics. the tail section of the bullet may include many geometric shapes, including a boat tail. the boat tail reduces diameter from the shaft in a cone shape at a 7.5 degree angle. in one embodiment, the boat tail is about 0.7 of a caliber in length. the boat tail can also extend, at the 7.5 degree reduction, to a point making it over two times a given caliber in length. this section may be grooved with a mill. these tail twisting depressions also run congruent with the pitch of the rifling. in a preferred embodiment, the tail twisting depressions are cut to between a 2-15 degree right-hand twist. in a more preferred embodiment, the tail twisting depressions are cut to between a 4-10 degree right-hand twist. in a most preferred embodiment, the tail twisting depressions are cut at a 7 to 8 degree right-hand twist. in one embodiment, the tail twisting depressions are cut at either a 7 or an 8 degree right-hand twist. in another embodiment, the tail twisting depressions are cut with a left-hand twist. these tail twisting depressions line up with the twisting depressions on the secant ogive, if extended. at the back of the boat tail, the tail twisting depressions come together and form sharp ridges that direct the atmosphere and maintain the projectile's flight. the tail twisting depressions end abruptly, shortly before the junction with the shaft. the aforementioned tail twisting depressions provide interaction with the rapidly expanding propellant and help to twist the projectile through the rifling, thus greatly reducing friction with the barrel. these reductions in friction produce significantly higher than normal muzzle velocities and allow the barrel to heat at a significantly lower rate. the boat tails that extend all the way to a point may eliminate or reduce the audible supersonic crack of the bullet in flight. the twisting depressions at the front in combination with the tail twisting depressions at the back may reduce the rotational friction with the atmosphere and eliminate the whistle associated with the flight of a bullet. the twisting depressions (front and back) may also maintain the rate of twist during external ballistics, which may reduce the long range deterioration of accuracy. the two-piece projectile embodiments are comprised of two parts: the housing and the insert. the housing is a cup that holds the insert and forms the bearing surface with the barrel. the housings may be formed by a lathe or swaging process and out of a material suitable for interaction with a barrel (brass or copper, for example). in some embodiments, the leading edge of the housing will intersect with the trailing edge of the ridge on the insert. in various embodiments, the troughs of the insert protrude below the mouth of the housing and into the cavity of the housing. this is an important feature because these troughs are the mechanism that transfer the media into the housing and initiate the deformation or opening of the housing. this process will increase the wound channel and limit the penetration depth. when the barrel twist rate is the opposite (or “reverse”) of the alpha angle, the process just described becomes exponentially more rapid and therefore the wound channel increases laterally but penetration is limited and controlled. the housing is in contact with the insert at the housing mouth and the portion at the back designed to hold the insert. the insert can be chemically bonded to the housing at the back or lower surface of the insert in some embodiments. in other embodiments, the insert is compression fit into the housing. there is generally a void or receiving portion through the center section of the housing. this void aids in the uniform deformation of the housing and aids the housing to open unilaterally. the material for the insert is made from, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, brass, and polymers. figs. 2, 10, 12-16, 18, 20, 24-31, 33-36, and 38 are embodiments of two-piece projectiles. referring to figs. 1a-2c , which are pistol projectile embodiments that, among other things, provide deep straight penetration. these projectiles 2 are different from the prior art because they can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the sharp tip 4 and sharp cutter edges 72 allow these projectiles 2 to cut through armor, including kevlar. additionally, the shoulders 18 of the projectile 2 enable the projectile 2 to stop in soft tissue because the shoulders slow the projectile 2 down once it hits soft tissue. further, these projectiles 2 create a lot of cavitation in soft tissue, thus making a wound larger than it would be with a projectile of the prior art. intended users of these projectiles comprise military and law enforcement. the construction of these projectiles may be accomplished using a press or mill and lathe. one unique and innovative feature is the shape of the front of the projectile 2 , which has a slight radius coming off the bearing surface (the cylindrical portion 20 or the shaft) but is largely formed by angled or slightly twisting depressions 8 pointed to the front. the depressions 8 form troughs and ridges (and remaining portions 22 between the depressions) that possess an angle or a slight radius off the centerline 44 (longitudinal axis) of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the twist angle of the depressions 8 corresponds to (i.e., is equal to) or is greater than the barrel twist rate (i.e., the twist rate of the rifling in the barrel) and turns in the same direction as the barrel's rifling. in other embodiments, the twist angle of the depressions 8 is equal to or greater than the barrel twist rate and turns in the opposite direction as the barrel's rifling. these depressions 8 do not affect the projectile during internal ballistics but they greatly enhance the performance during external and/or terminal ballistics. in some embodiments, the intersection between the remaining portion 22 and depression 8 forms an edge 92 . the edge 92 can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge 92 . in some embodiments, at the center of the tip 4 or a portion of the nose 6 proximate the tip 4 , the depressions 8 meet to form a cutting surface or cutting edge 72 . these edges 72 initiate a cut in the target, greatly reducing resistance through media such as sheet metal, fabrics, and soft armor. the twisting troughs 8 move media away from the projectile 2 further reducing resistance and promoting and maintaining the spin to ensure the projectile 2 penetrates deep and straight. the troughs 8 may rapidly move liquids and soft tissue away from the path of the projectile and therefore increase the wound channel. in one embodiment of the pistol projectile, terminal ballistics traits are emphasized. the tip 4 of the projectile 2 is formed such that the trough 8 is at an angle (alpha or a) relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile. due to magazine and chamber constraints, projectiles have a maximum length. the density of the material will determine this alpha angle because a steeper alpha angle cuts better, but has a lower weight. the steeper alpha angle will also transfer media at a greater rate into the housing for a faster opening and expansion upon impact with the terminal media for the two-piece projectiles. in some embodiments, the twist rate of the ridges can equal to or exceeds, by up to double, the twist rate of the barrel. in one embodiment, the projectile would increase the rate of twist once it struck the terminal media. in one embodiment, an insert with a counter twist to (i.e., in the opposite direction of) the rifling is provided, therefore limiting penetration once the projectile cuts through the outer layer of its target. the twist rate in the insert may also be reversed (i.e., in the opposite direction to the barrel twist). twist rates in most handguns, run from 4-7 degrees, but could be between 2-10 degrees. figs. 1a-f show a projectile 2 according to a first embodiment. fig. 1a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 1b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 1c is another side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 1d is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 1e is a cross-sectional view of the projectile 2 taken along cut e-e of fig. 1d . fig. 1f is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 1a-f are to scale. the projectile 2 is for pistols and comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 (also called a shank). the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portions 22 (also called non-distorted portions or uncut portions) between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the remaining portions 22 have a generally triangular shape with the tip of the triangle positioned proximate to the tip 4 of the projectile and the base of the triangle positioned proximate to the rear of the nose 6 and the forward portion of the cylindrical portion 20 . a first edge 92 is formed between a nose depression 8 and a remaining portion 22 and a second edge 72 (i.e., cutter edge) proximate the tip 4 is formed between two nose depressions 8 . the first edge 92 can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge 92 . the nose depressions 8 terminate in a substantially flat shoulder 18 proximate to the junction between the nose portion 6 and the cylindrical portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom surface of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 1c . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 and the centerline 10 of the nose depression 8 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . alternatively, the orientation of the depressions 8 or cutout portions can be oriented or measured with respect to the ogive of the remaining portion. in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a top plan view ( fig. 1d ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a counter-clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 1/16 inches and about 0.750 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3/32 inches and about ⅜ inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.400 inches and about 0.900 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.550 inches and about 0.750 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.643 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.150 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.250 inches and about 0.400 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.343 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.100 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.400 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.300 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according to the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.450 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.355 inches (about 9 mm). in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 35 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 20 degrees. figs. 2a-d show a projectile according to a second embodiment of the invention. this projectile is similar to the projectile of fig. 1 , except that this projectile 2 is two pieces: a nose portion 6 insert that is compression fit into a cylindrical portion 20 housing. each piece may be a different material in one embodiment. for example, the nose portion 6 insert is made of steel and the cylindrical portion 20 housing is made of brass. however, the projectile 2 can be made of any projectile or bullet material, such as any metal alloy, brass, steel, tungsten, polymers, ceramics, aluminum, inconel, or any other material known in the art. fig. 2a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 2b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 2c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 2d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 2a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the remaining portions 22 have a generally triangular shape with the tip of the triangle positioned proximate to the tip 4 of the projectile 2 and the base of the triangle positioned proximate to the rear of the nose 6 and the forward portion of the cylindrical portion 20 . a first edge 92 is formed between a nose depression 8 and a remaining portion 22 and a second edge 72 (i.e., cutter edge) proximate the tip 4 is formed between two nose depressions 8 . the first edge 92 can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge. the nose depressions 8 terminate in a substantially flat shoulder 18 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 2b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are left-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the left of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a top plan view ( fig. 2c ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 1/16 inches and about 0.750 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3/32 inches and about ⅜ inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.400 inches and about 0.900 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.550 inches and about 0.750 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.643 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.150 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.250 inches and about 0.400 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.343 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.100 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.400 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.300 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according to the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.450 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.355 inches (about 9 mm). in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 35 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 20 degrees. figs. 3a-11f are projectiles with unique and novel tail geometries. some embodiments of the present invention include tail depressions 34 cut into the boat tail 38 of the projectile 2 . the tail design is almost entirely for the internal ballistics of the projectile, i.e., while the projectile is in the gun barrel. the tail depressions 34 act like a propeller to make the projectile 2 rotate. if the projectile 2 is rotating at the same twist rate or a similar twist rate to the barrel's twist rate, then the projectile 2 will barely slow down when it hits the lands and grooves in the barrel. this reduces the pressure exerted on the barrel of the gun and reduces the wear on the barrel. typically, if a gun barrel has four lands and grooves, then the projectile will have four tail depressions 34 . the same is true for fewer or more lands and grooves, i.e., the number of lands and grooves typically equals the number of tail depressions 34 . additionally, the tail depressions 34 are defined by a delta angle δ. in one embodiment, the delta angle δ is congruent to or greater than the twist rate. nominal twist rates will be between about 3.5 and 9.0 degrees. the delta angle δ of the tail depressions 34 may exceed the twist rate by about 10.0 degrees. an optimal delta angle will be no more than about 1.5 degrees beyond the rate of twist angle. fig. 9 has a boat tail 38 with depressions 34 that also help the projectile 2 perform better during terminal ballistics because the boat tail 38 with depressions 34 keeps the projectile 2 flying straight after it enters the soft tissue of an animal. figs. 3a-f show a projectile 2 according to a third embodiment of the invention. fig. 3a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 3b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 3c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 3d is a cross section of the projectile 2 taken along cut d-d in fig. 3c . fig. 3e is an enlarged view of a portion of the projectile 2 shown in fig. 3b . fig. 3f is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 3a-3d and 3f are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 proximate the tip 4 on one end and interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 on the other end. the cylindrical portion 20 is interconnected to a boat tail 38 on the end opposite the nose. the boat tail 38 terminates in the base 30 with a radius of curvature r 8 between the boat tail 38 and the base 30 . in alternate embodiments, the driving bands 26 a vary in number, comprising one driving band 26 a, a plurality of driving bands 26 a, two driving bands 26 a, three driving bands 26 a, and four or more driving bands 26 a. the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise multiple angled relief bands 28 a and angled driving bands 26 a. the driving bands 26 a alternate with the relief bands 28 a. the angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are between about 7 degrees and about 10 degrees. in one embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 7.5 degrees. in another embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 8.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the weight of the projectile is about 154 grams. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.030 inches and about 0.005 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.020 inches and about 0.010 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.015 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 8 between the boat tail 38 and the base 30 is between about 0.035 inches and about 0.010 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 8 between the boat tail 38 and the base 30 is between about 0.025 inches and about 0.015 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 8 between the boat tail 38 and the base 30 is about 0.020 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.25 inches and about 1.75 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.4 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.435 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.00 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.8633 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.322 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.215 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according to the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.220 inches and about 0.450 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.290 inches and about 0.350 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is about 0.298 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.32 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is about 0.307 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7 degrees. in alternate embodiments, the projectile 2 can have nose depressions and/or tail depressions. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and fly for an extended range. this projectile 2 is also capable of flying supersonic. the projectile 2 is extremely accurate even at long distances. figs. 4a-c show a projectile according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. fig. 4a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 4b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 4c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 4a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 run from the tip 4 to a portion of the projectile 2 proximate the central portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the boat tail 34 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions between the tail depressions 34 . the remaining portions are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 . the tail depressions 34 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature. in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/16 inch to a ⅜ inch ball end mill and the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . some embodiments have one or more driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . the widths of the driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 can vary or they can all be the same. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 4b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . accordingly, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 can be measured by measuring the angle of the tail depression centerline 36 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle δ is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile 2 from a bottom plan view ( fig. 4c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counterclockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least 6 tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.75 inches and about 0.1 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature of the tail depression 34 is between about 0.040 inches and about 0.080 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the tail depression 34 is between about 0.030 inches and about 0.050 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the tail depression 34 is about 0.0625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.50 inches and about 2.75 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 2.0 inches and about 2.3 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 2.150 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.600 inches and about 1.00 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.700 inches and about 0.900 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.800 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.400 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.950 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.220 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.29 inches and about 0.32 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 2 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4 degrees and about 7 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the intended users of the projectile are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. figs. 5a-c show a projectile according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. fig. 5a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 5b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 5c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 5a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the boat tail 38 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 . the remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 . the tail depressions 34 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. some embodiments have one or more angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. the widths of the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a can vary or they can all be the same. the angled driving bands 26 a alternate with the angled relief cuts 28 a. the angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are between about 7 degrees and about 10 degrees. in one embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 7.5 degrees. in another embodiment, the angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 8.5 degrees. the angle δ of the centerline 36 of the tail depressions 34 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle δ is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a bottom plan view ( fig. 5c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counter-clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six tail depressions 34 . in the embodiment shown, the projectile 2 has four tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.030 inches and about 0.005 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.020 inches and about 0.010 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.015 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.6 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.15 inches and about 1.45 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.30 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.80 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.900 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.225 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.175 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.300 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions is between about 7.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 7.8 degrees. in one embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 7.5 degrees. in another embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 8.5 degrees. in alternate embodiments, the projectile 2 can have nose depressions and/or tail depressions. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor fly an extended range. this projectile is also capable of flying supersonic. it is also extremely accurate even at long distances. figs. 6a-c show a projectile according to a sixth embodiment of the invention. fig. 6a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 6b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 6c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 6a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 run from the tip 4 to a portion of the projectile proximate the central portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature. the boat tail 34 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 , where each tail remaining portion 46 is positioned between two tail depressions 34 . the remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the tail depressions 34 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/16 inch to a ⅜ inch ball end mill and the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . some embodiments have one or more driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . the widths of the driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 can vary or they can all be the same. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 6b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the angle of the tail depressions 34 can also be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle while other tail depressions 34 have different angles. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a bottom plan view ( fig. 6c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counterclockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature of the nose depression 8 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.05 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the nose depression 8 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.07 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the nose depression 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.80 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.70 inches and about 0.80 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.750 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.90 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.55 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.65 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.400 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.22 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.40 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.338 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 4.0 degrees and about 10.0 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 5.0 degrees and about 7.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 6.0 degrees. the angle δ of the tail depression 34 is measured from the centerline 36 of the tail depression 34 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the intended users of the projectile are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. figs. 7a-c show a projectile according to a seventh embodiment of the invention. fig. 7a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 7b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 7c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 7a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the nose remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 run from the tip 4 to a portion of the projectile proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the boat tail 38 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 , where each tail remaining portion 46 is positioned between two tail depressions 34 . the tail remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the tail depressions 34 can have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 120 degree cutter and the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . some embodiments have one or more driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . the widths of the driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 can vary or they can all be the same. in additional embodiments, the cylindrical portion 20 has angled driving bands and angled relief cuts like shown in figs. 35b and 35e . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 7b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 can be measured from the centerline 36 of the tail depression 34 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle δ is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a bottom plan view ( fig. 7c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counterclockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least 6 tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.80 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.70 inches and about 0.80 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.750 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.90 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.55 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.65 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.400 inches. the diameter of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.22 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.29 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 2 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4 degrees and about 7 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 7.0 degrees and about 8.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 7.8 degrees. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the intended users of the projectile are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. figs. 8a-c show a projectile according to an eighth embodiment of the invention. fig. 8a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 8b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 8c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 8a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the boat tail 34 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 , where each tail remaining portion 46 is positioned between two tail depressions 34 . the remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the tail depressions 34 can have a curved shape, meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. some embodiments have one or more angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. the widths of the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a can vary or they can all be the same. the driving bands 28 a alternate with the relief bands 26 a. the angles between the driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are between about 7 degrees and about 10 degrees. in one embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and, angled relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 7.5 degrees. in another embodiment, angles between the driving bands 26 a and relief cuts 28 a (relative to the horizontal) are about 8.5 degrees. the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 can be measured from the centerline 36 of the tail depression 34 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle δ is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile 2 from a bottom plan view ( fig. 8c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counterclockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.75 inches and about 2.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 2.1 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.00 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.8633 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.322 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.275 inches. the diameter of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.220 inches and about 0.450 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.290 inches and about 0.350 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter of the projectile 2 is about 0.3080 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter of the angled relief cut 28 a is about 0.298 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.32 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter of the angled driving band 26 a is about 0.307 inches or about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 7.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 7.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 7.8 degrees. in alternate embodiments, the projectile 2 can have nose depressions and/or tail depressions. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor fly an extended range. this projectile is also capable of flying supersonic. it is extremely accurate even at long distances. figs. 9a-d show a projectile according to a ninth embodiment of the invention. fig. 9a is a bottom perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 9b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 9c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 9d is a cross sectional view taken at cut d-d of fig. 9c . note that figs. 9a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 run from the tip 4 to a portion of the projectile proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature. the boat tail 34 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 , where each tail remaining portion 46 is positioned between two tail depressions 34 . the remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the tail depressions 34 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/16 inch to a ⅜ inch ball end mill and the tail depressions 34 are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . some embodiments have one or more driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . the widths of the driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 can vary or they can all be the same. in additional embodiments, the cylindrical portion 20 has angled driving bands and angled relief cuts like shown in figs. 35b and 35e . the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 can be measured from the centerline 36 of the tail depression 34 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in the embodiment shown, the tail depressions 34 are right-hand tail depressions 34 because the angle δ is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a bottom plan view ( fig. 9c ), the tail depressions 34 appear to turn in a counterclockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 (not shown in figs. 9a-9d , but shown in other figs.) of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.25 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.25 inches and about 1.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.492 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.29 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.90 inches and about 1.1 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 1.01 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.19 inches. the diameter of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the projectile 2 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.45 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter of the projectile 2 is about 0.375 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3 degrees and about 8 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 6 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.6 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 1 degree and about 5 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 2.0 degrees and about 4.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the of the boat tail 38 is about 3.0 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 4.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 5.0 degrees and about 6.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 5.6 degrees. this projectile 2 is designed to shoot into a large animal, e.g., an elephant, and not yaw once it inserts the body. the boat tail 38 of the projectile 2 allows the projectile 2 to perform like this in the soft tissue of an animal. the intended users of the projectile 2 are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile 2 are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. note that the nose portion 6 of this projectile 2 can be the same or similar to the nose portions shown in figs. 21-23 . figs. 10a-c show a projectile according to a tenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 10a is a top perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 10b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 10c is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . the projectile 2 comprises a housing 40 with a tip 4 on one end and rear edge 70 on the opposite end. the projectile 2 also includes an insert 42 with a base 30 opposite the tip 4 . the housing 40 comprises a nose portion 6 extending from the tip 4 on to a cylindrical portion 20 . the cylindrical portion 20 extends from the nose portion 6 to the boat tail 38 a. the housing 40 includes a portion of the boat tail 38 a. the insert 42 comprises the rest of the boat tail 38 b. in one embodiment, the insert 42 is the same insert shown and described in figs. 25 and 27 . in additional embodiments, the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise multiple angled relief bands and angled driving bands as shown and described in figs. 35a-35e . the driving bands alternate with the relief bands. the angles between the driving bands and relief cuts are between about 7 degrees and about 10 degrees. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.030 inches and about 0.005 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.020 inches and about 0.010 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.015 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.25 inches and about 2.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.4 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.75 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.00 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.863 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.220 inches and about 0.450 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.290 inches and about 0.350 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.3080 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7 degrees. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.1 inches and about 1.6 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.3 inches. in this embodiment, the insert 42 acts like a propeller in the gun barrel. thus, the insert 42 relieves pressure on the gun barrel and increases the speed of the bullet. relieving pressure reduces the wear on the gun barrel because the projectile is already twisting when it hits the barrel's rifling. thus, there is not a pressure jump where the rifling begins. further, the shape of the tail formed by the insert 42 is the ideal shape to interact with the gun powder. the depressions on the tail or insert 42 have a 15 degree twist in one embodiment. the tail shape only enhances performance during internal ballistics because the tail is riding in the slip screen of the projectile during external ballistics. figs. 11a-f show a projectile according to an eleventh embodiment of the invention. fig. 11a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 11b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 11c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 11d is a cross section taken at cut d-d of fig. 11c . fig. 11e is a cross section taken at cut e-e of fig. 11b . fig. 11f is a cross section taken at cut f-f of fig. 11b . note that figs. 11a-d are to scale. figs. 11e and 11f are enlarged as compared to figs. 11a-d . the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the nose remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 run from the tip 4 to a portion of the projectile proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the boat tail 34 includes tail depressions 34 and tail remaining portions 46 between the tail depressions 34 , where each tail remaining portion 46 is positioned between two tail depressions 34 . the tail remaining portions 46 are the uncut portions. the tail depressions 34 run from the base 30 to a portion of the boat tail 38 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the tail depressions 34 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the tail depression 34 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 5 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 0.25 inch ball end mill and the tail depressions 34 are cut using a 0.25 inch flat end mill. the cylindrical portion 20 of the projectile can also comprise driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . some embodiments have one or more driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 . the widths of the driving bands 26 and relief cuts 28 can vary or they can all be the same. in additional embodiments, the cylindrical portion 20 has angled driving bands and angled relief cuts like shown in figs. 35b and 35e . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 11b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 can be measured from the centerline 36 of the tail depression 34 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ. in other embodiments, each tail depression 34 has a different angle δ. in still other embodiments, some tail depressions 34 have the same angle δ while other tail depressions 34 have different angles δ. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six tail depressions 34 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer tail depressions 34 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 1.0 inch and about 4.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 3.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 2.71 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.35 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.125 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 5 of the tail depressions 34 is about 0.125 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.75 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.050 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.60 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length of the nose portion 6 is about 0.80 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.25 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.70 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.25 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.22 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.338 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 2 of the relief cut 28 is about 0.32 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 3 of the driving band is about 0.338 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 6 degrees and about 8 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is between about 7.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment the angle δ of the tail depressions 34 is about 7.5 degrees. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the intended users of the projectile 2 are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile 2 are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile 2 is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. referring to figs. 12-16 and 18 , these projectiles comprise a housing and an insert. upon impact, the housing will peel back toward the base of the projectile and away from the tip of the projectile when it hits soft tissue. the housing expands rapidly to peel backward. the front of the housing may fragment while peeling backward. the projectile will remain in its original shape when the projectile hits hard tissue. the tip or point keeps the projectile moving in the correct direction after the projectile initially hits soft tissue and the housing peels back toward the base. however, the insert may separate from the housing in soft tissue and the two pieces may go in separate directions. the cavities of these projectiles fill with material when the projectile hits soft tissue. however, material does not go into cavities when the projectile hits hard material. these projectiles are designed mostly for civilian use. figs. 12a-e show a projectile according to a twelfth embodiment of the invention. fig. 12a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 12b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 12c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 12d is a cross section taken at cut d-d of fig. 12c . fig. 12e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 12a-e are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the projectile 2 is two-pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the tip 4 is substantially flat and is a part of the insert 42 . the insert 42 has an arrowhead portion 48 that is wider than its stem 50 , which extends from the lower portion 52 of the arrowhead 48 to the underside 54 of the stem 50 . the base 30 of the projectile is substantially flat and is part of the housing 40 . the housing has a cavity 24 extending down from the opening of the housing 40 . the lower surface of the cavity 24 is substantially flat and has side portions that extend into the center of the cavity 24 to receive the lower portion or underside 54 of the stem 50 of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, the stem 50 has a constant diameter. in other embodiments, the stem 50 gets wider near the bottom 54 of the stem 50 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the nose depressions 8 extend along the insert such that they extend into the cavity 24 of the housing 40 creating cavities 24 for tissue and other material to collect when the projectile hits its target. in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜-inch ball end mill. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 3/16 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.55 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing is between about 0.45 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 0.485 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.35 inches and about 0.55 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.45 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depression 8 is about 0 degrees. the width of the opening of the housing 40 is about 0.330 inches. figs. 13a-d show a projectile according to a thirteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 13a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 13b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 13c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 13d is a cross section taken at cut d-d of fig. 13c . note that figs. 13a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion, a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise one or more relief cuts 28 . the cylindrical portion 20 may also comprise at least one driving band. the projectile 2 is two-pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the tip 4 is a part of the insert 42 . the insert 42 has an arrowhead portion 48 that is wider than its stem 50 , which extends from the lower portion 52 of the arrowhead 48 to the underside 54 of the stem 50 . the base 30 of the projectile is substantially flat and is part of the housing 40 . the housing has a cavity 24 extending down from the opening of the housing 40 in a conical shape that transitions into a cylindrical shape. the lower surface of the cavity 24 is substantially flat and the sides of the cavity 24 form a receiving portion 58 to receive the stem 50 of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, the stem 50 has a constant diameter. the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the nose depressions 8 extend along the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 such that they extend into the cavity 24 of the housing 40 creating cavities 24 for tissue and other material to collect when the projectile 2 hits its target. additional cavities 24 are created by the conical shape of the housing cavity 24 and the flat underside 52 of the arrowhead 48 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 13b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are left-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the left of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . in another embodiment, the nose portion 6 has six nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.040 inches and about 0.090 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.050 inches and about 0.070 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.0625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.40 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.60 inches and about 1.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.912 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.485 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.20 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.225 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.25 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.224 inches. in the embodiment shown, the width of the housing opening is about 0.200 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3.0 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4.5 degrees and about 6.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7 degrees. figs. 14a-c show a projectile according to a fourteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 14a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 14b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 14c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 14a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise at least one relief cut 28 . the cylindrical portion may comprise one or more driving bands and relief cuts. the projectile 2 is two-pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the tip 4 is a part of the insert 42 . the insert 42 is linear. in some embodiments, the cylindrical portion of the insert 42 has a constant diameter. the base 30 of the projectile is substantially flat and is part of the housing 40 . the housing 40 has a cavity extending down from the opening of the housing 40 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the nose depressions 8 extend along the insert 42 such that they extend into the cavity of the housing 40 creating cavities 24 for tissue and other material to collect when the projectile 2 hits its target. in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/16 inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 13b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . in another embodiment, the nose portion has six nose depressions. however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.040 inches and about 0.080 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.050 inches and about 0.070 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.0625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.25 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.387 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.80 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.60 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.674 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.413 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.8 inches and about 1.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.2 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the projectile 2 is about 1.1 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depression 8 is about 0 degrees. figs. 15a-e show a projectile according to a fifteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 15a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 15b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 15c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 15d is a cross sectional view taken along line d-d of fig. 15c . fig. 15e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 15a-e are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise one or more relief cuts and one or more driving bands (not shown). the projectile 2 is two-pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the tip 4 is a part of the insert 42 . the insert 42 has an arrowhead portion 48 that is wider than its stem 50 , which extends from the lower portion 52 of the arrowhead 48 to the underside 54 of the stem 50 . the base 30 of the projectile is substantially flat and is part of the housing 40 . the housing has a cavity 24 extending down from the opening of the housing 40 in a conical shape that transitions into a cylindrical shape. the lower surface of the cavity 24 is substantially flat and the sides of the cavity 24 form a receiving portion to receive the stem 50 of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, the stem 50 has a constant diameter that terminates in a substantially flat lower portion 54 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the nose depressions 8 extend along the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 such that they extend into the cavity 24 of the housing 40 creating cavities 24 for tissue and other material to collect when the projectile 2 hits its target. additional cavities 24 are created by the conical shape of the housing cavity 24 and the flat underside 52 of the arrowhead 48 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 15b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.03 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.0625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.206 inches and about 1.606 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.306 inches and about 1.506 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.406 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.497 inches and about 0.897 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.597 inches and about 0.797 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.697 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.209 inches and about 0.609 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.309 inches and about 0.509 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.409 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.30 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 13 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 7 degrees and about 11 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 9.0 degrees. figs. 16a-d show a projectile according to a sixteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 16a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 16b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 16c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 16d is a cross section. note that figs. 16a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a boat tail 38 . the cylindrical portion 20 can comprise one or more relief cuts 28 and one or more driving bands 26 . in additional embodiments, the cylindrical portion 20 has angled driving bands and angled relief cuts like shown in figs. 35b and 35e . the projectile 2 is two-pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the tip 4 is a part of the insert 42 . the insert 42 has an arrowhead portion 48 that is wider than its stem 50 , which extends from the lower portion 52 of the arrowhead 48 to the underside 54 of the stem 50 . the base 30 of the projectile is substantially flat and is part of the housing 40 . the housing has a cavity 24 extending down from the opening of the housing 40 in a conical shape that transitions into a cylindrical shape. the lower surface of the cavity 24 is substantially flat and the sides of the cavity 24 form a receiving portion to receive the stem 50 of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, the stem 50 has a constant diameter that terminates in a substantially flat lower portion 54 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the nose depressions 8 extend along the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 such that they extend into the cavity 24 of the housing 40 creating cavities 24 for tissue and other material to collect when the projectile 2 hits its target. additional cavities 24 are created by the conical shape of the housing cavity 24 and the flat underside 52 of the arrowhead 48 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a 3/16 inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 16b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.06 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.08 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.206 inches and about 1.606 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.306 inches and about 1.506 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.406 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.627 inches and about 1.027 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.727 inches and about 0.927 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.827 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.149 inches and about 0.549 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.249 inches and about 0.449 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.349 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.08 inches and about 0.38 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.18 inches and about 0.28 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.23 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3.5 degrees and about 7.5 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4.5 degrees and about 6.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. figs. 17a-c show a projectile according to a seventeenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 17a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 17b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 17c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 17a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 (also called a shank). the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and a nose remaining portion 22 between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. the angle of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle is measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle while other nose depressions 8 have different angles. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.20 inches and about 1.60 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.30 inches and about 1.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.40 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 1 inch and about 1.4 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.5 inches and about 0.8 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.5 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. this projectile is armor-piercing. the large, long cuts or depressions in the nose ensure the projectile can penetrate and go through metal and other tough or hard material. this projectile is for military and civilian use. other intended users of the projectile are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. figs. 18a-d show a projectile according to an eighteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 18a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 18b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 18c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 18d is a cross section taken along cut d-d of fig. 18c . note that figs. 18a-d are to scale. this projectile is two pieces and includes a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. in some embodiments, the nose depressions 8 terminate in a substantially flat shoulder 18 (not shown). the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a 3/16 inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 18b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.010 inches and about 0.300 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.050 inches and about 0.150 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.206 inches and about 1.606 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.306 inches and about 1.506 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.406 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.627 inches and about 1.027 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.727 inches and about 0.927 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.827 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.149 inches and about 0.459 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.249 inches and about 0.449 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.349 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.08 inches and about 0.38 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.18 inches and about 0.28 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.23 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.627 inches and about 1.027 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.727 inches and about 0.927 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 0.827 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3.5 degrees and about 7.5 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4.5 degrees and about 6.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. figs. 19a-c show a projectile according to a nineteenth embodiment of the invention. fig. 19a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 19b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 19c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 19a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the rounded tip 4 acts like pointed tip due to its aerodynamic properties. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜ inch ball end mill. in the embodiment of figs. 19a-c , the projectile 2 has one relief cut 28 . in some embodiments, the projectile 2 includes a plurality of relief cuts 28 . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 19b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . as shown in figs. 19a and 19c , the nose depressions 8 do not extend all the way to the tip 4 and the nose depressions 8 do not intersect one another. thus, the remaining portions 22 extend to the tip 4 . additionally, the nose depressions 8 do not extend all the way to a forward portion of the cylindrical portion 20 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.0 inch. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.4 inches and about 0.6 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.500 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.500 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.40 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.3075 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3.0 degrees and about 10.0 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 4.5 degrees and about 6.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 5.5 degrees. figs. 20a-e show a projectile according to a twentieth embodiment of the invention. fig. 20a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 20b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 20c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 20d is a cross section taken at cut d-d of fig. 20c . fig. 20e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the remaining portions 22 have a generally triangular shape with the tip of the triangle positioned proximate to the tip 4 of the projectile and the base of the triangle positioned proximate to the rear of the nose 6 and the forward portion of the cylindrical portion 20 . a first edge 92 is formed between a nose depression 8 and a remaining portion 22 and a second edge 72 proximate the tip 4 is formed between two nose depressions 8 . the first edge 92 and/or the second edge 72 may be referred to as a cutter edge in some embodiments. the nose depressions 8 can terminate in a substantially flat shoulder 18 in some embodiments. in other embodiments, a shoulder is not present between the nose depressions 8 and the front 56 of the housing 40 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜ inch ball end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 20b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 or the remaining portion 22 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 1/32 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3/32 inches and about ⅜ inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.1875 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.400 inches and about 1.00 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.550 inches and about 0.850 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.710 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.150 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.350 inches and about 0.450 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.400 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.100 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.400 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.310 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.450 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.355 inches (about 9 mm). in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 15 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 7.5 degrees. the advantage of this projectile is that it can shoot through armor. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the sharp tip 4 and sharp cutter edges 72 allow this projectile 2 to cut through armor, including kevlar. additionally, the shoulders 18 of the projectile enable the projectile 2 to stop in soft tissue because the shoulders 18 slow the projectile down once it hits soft tissue. this projectile 2 is likely for military use only. the construction of this projectile 2 may be accomplished using a press or mill and lathe. one unique and innovative feature is the shape of the front of the projectile 2 , which has a slight radius coming off the bearing surface 20 (the cylindrical portion or the shaft) but is largely formed by angled or slightly twisting depressions 8 pointed to the front. the depressions 8 form troughs and ridges 22 (or remaining portions between the depressions 8 ) that possess an angle or a slight radius off the centerline 44 (longitudinal axis) of the projectile. in some embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 corresponds to (i.e., is equal to) or is greater than the barrel twist rate (i.e., the twist rate of the rifling in the barrel) and turns in the same direction as the barrel's rifling. in other embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 is equal to or greater than the barrel twist rate and turns in the opposite direction as the barrel's rifling. these depressions 8 do not affect the projectile during internal ballistics but they greatly enhance the performance during external and/or terminal ballistics. in some embodiments, at the center of the tip 4 or a portion of the nose 6 proximate the tip 4 , the ridges 92 meet to form a cutting surface or cutting edge 72 . these edges 72 initiate a cut in the target, greatly reducing resistance through media such as sheet metal, fabrics, and soft armor. the twisting troughs 8 move media away from the projectile 2 further reducing resistance and they promote and maintain the spin to ensure the projectile 2 penetrates deep and straight. the troughs 8 may rapidly move liquids and soft tissue away from the path of the projectile 2 and therefore increase the wound channel. referring to figs. 21a-23e , which are pistol projectile embodiments that, among other things, provide deep straight penetration. these pistol projectiles 2 are homogenous in nature and intended for deep, straight penetration. in one embodiment, the pistol projectile 2 is comprised of brass. these projectiles 2 are different from the prior art because they can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the sharp tip 4 and sharp cutter edges 72 allow these projectiles 2 to cut through armor, including kevlar. further, these projectiles 2 create a lot of cavitation in soft tissue, thus making a wound larger than it would be with a projectile of the prior art. intended users of these projectiles 2 comprise military and law enforcement. additionally, the base 30 of these projectiles is shown substantially flat and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile. in alternative embodiments, the base could have a domed shape that curves inward toward the cylindrical portion to allow more gun powder to be loaded into the final bullet. however, the projectile with the dome-shaped base does not continue to fly straight after about 600 yards and the projectile does not have enough density to fly through transonic speeds. the construction of these projectiles 2 may be accomplished using a press or mill and lathe. one unique and innovative feature is the shape of the front of the projectile 2 , which has a slight radius coming off the bearing surface 20 (the cylindrical portion or the shaft) but is largely formed by angled or slightly twisting depressions 8 pointed to the front. the depressions 8 form troughs and ridges 22 (or remaining portions between the depressions) that possess an angle or a slight radius off the centerline 44 (longitudinal axis) of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 corresponds to (i.e., is equal to) or is greater than the barrel twist rate (i.e., the twist rate of the rifling in the barrel) and turns in the same direction as the barrel's rifling. in other embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 is equal to or greater than the barrel twist rate and turns in the opposite direction as the barrel's rifling. these depressions 8 do not affect the projectile 2 during internal ballistics but they greatly enhance the performance during external and/or terminal ballistics. in some embodiments, at the center of the tip 4 or a portion of the nose 6 proximate the tip 4 , the ridges 92 meet to form a cutting surface or cutting edge 72 . these edges 72 initiate a cut in the target, greatly reducing resistance through media such as sheet metal, fabrics, and soft armor. the twisting troughs 8 move media away from the projectile 2 further reducing resistance and promote and maintain the spin to ensure the projectile 2 penetrates deep and straight. the troughs 8 may rapidly move liquids and soft tissue away from the path of the projectile 2 and therefore increase the wound channel. in one embodiment, the pistol projectile 2 is manufactured via a swiss turn machine or the combination of a lathe and mill. alternatively, the pistol projectile 2 is manufactured via a powdered or gilding metal that is then pressed into a die at high pressure. due to the direct interface with the barrel, a softer metal may be used. the sharp edges 72 in the front create the ability to penetrate armor (hard and soft) and metal. testing has revealed that the 78 grain 9 mm projectile moving at 1550 fps will penetrate the following materials: 16 sheets of 22-gauge steel and level iiia soft kevlar. this same projectile fired from a 380 moving 830 fps will penetrate level iiia soft armor. if the twist (angle α from centerline 44 ) of the trough 8 is in the same direction of the rifling, it will increase the penetration in tissue. the angle α is to be equal to or greater than the angle of the rifling. the angle of the rifling is subject to change by barrel twist rate and caliber. for example, a 9 mm (0.355″) with a 1 in 10″ rate of twist will have a different alpha (a) angle than the same rate of twist in a 45 acp (0.451″). different barrels will have different rates of twist and can differ in the direction of the twist. in figs. 21-23 , all the alpha angles are set to 15 degrees or 25 degrees. when this projectile 2 is fired from a barrel that twists in the opposing direction of the alpha angle, the penetration lessens but the tissue damage increases. a lower alpha angle or thicker/fatter front to the projectile 2 will have greater tissue damage and a lesser ability to penetrate armor. a higher alpha angle or sharper projectile will penetrate better but do less tissue damage. in one embodiment of the pistol projectile, terminal ballistics traits are emphasized. the tip 4 of the projectile 2 is formed such that the trough 8 is at an angle α relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 . due to magazine and chamber constraints, projectiles have a maximum length. the density of the material will determine this alpha angle because a steeper alpha angle cuts better, but has a lower weight. in some embodiments, the twist rate a of the ridges 92 can equal to or exceeds, by up to double, the twist rate of the barrel. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 would increase the rate of twist once it struck the terminal media. in one embodiment, a projectile 2 with a counter twist to (i.e., in the opposite direction of) the rifling is provided, therefore limiting penetration once it cuts through the outer layer of its target. twist rates in most handguns, run from 4-7 degrees, but could be between 2-10 degrees. in general, the non-congruent twist penetrates less into the target and larger end mill cuts penetrate less into the target. these projectiles 2 create cavitation and slow down in soft tissue. the advantages generally include the ease of manufacturing and the non-expanding bullet (i.e., no housing and cavities). further, the projectile 2 does not deflect in auto glass, it shoots through sheet metal and body armor using its cutting edges 72 , and it creates a cavitation in tissue to help the projectile 2 slow down in the soft tissue. a congruent twist will increase the depth of the projectile's penetration in soft media. the shorter the distance the projectile travels in the target, the more energy is released in a shorter distance. thus, a wider tissue area is affected in order to absorb the energy. this projectile 2 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and stop in soft tissue. the sharp tip 4 and sharp cutter edges 72 allow this projectile 2 to cut through armor, including kevlar. additionally, the nose depressions 8 positioned at an angle α greater than about 10 degrees create cavitation to collect the target medium such that the projectile 2 stops in soft tissue. this projectile is likely for military and civilian use. the density of the projectiles may be about 7 g/cm 3 . figs. 21a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-first embodiment of the invention. fig. 21a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 21b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 21c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 21d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 21a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a 3/16 inch ball end mill. the nose depressions 8 extend from a front portion of the cylindrical portion 20 to the tip 4 of the projectile. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 21b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . as with all embodiments described herein, the nose depressions 8 can be right or left-hand depressions 8 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are left-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the left of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.075 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.80 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.50 inches and about 0.60 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.600 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.315 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.285 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.450 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.355 inches (about 9 mm). in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 45 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 20 degrees and about 30 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 25 degrees. figs. 22a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-second embodiment of the invention. fig. 22a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 22b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 22c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 22d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 22a-d are to scale. figs. 22a-d are the same as figs. 21a-d except that the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a ⅜ inch ball end mill. the nose depressions 8 in fig. 22a-d may be shorter and deeper than the nose depression 8 of figs. 21a-d . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.1875 inches. figs. 23a-f show a projectile according to a twenty-third embodiment of the invention. fig. 23a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 23b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 23c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 23d is a cross section taken at cut d-d. fig. 23e is a cross section taken at cut e-e. fig. 23f is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 23a-f are to scale. figs. 23a-f are the same as figs. 21a-d except that the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 0.50 inch ball end mill. each nose depression 8 has a radius of curvature r 4 because it has a curved or rounded bottom. the radius of curvature r 4 of the depression 8 is shown in figs. 23c and 23e . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.25 inches. further, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.600 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.50 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. figs. 24a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-fourth embodiment of the invention. fig. 24a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 24b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 24c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 24d shows a cross section of the projectile 2 taken along cut d-d of fig. 24b . fig. 24e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 24a-e are to scale. fig. 24 is the same as fig. 35 except that the projectile of fig. 24 has three inserts, 42 a, 42 b, 42 c. further, the first insert 42 a is metal, for example, steel, inconel, or another hard metal. the second insert 42 b is aluminum or other soft metal. the third insert 42 c is tungsten or another hard metal. cavities 24 are positioned between the inserts 42 a, 42 b, 42 c and the housing 40 . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 24b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the depressions 8 create cavities 24 between the inserts 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, and the housing 40 such that when the projectile 2 hits a soft medium target, the cavities 24 fill with the soft medium and the projectile slows down. the steeper (i.e., greater) alpha angle will also transfer media at a greater rate into the housing for a faster opening and expansion of the housing 40 upon impact with the terminal media. the length l 1 of the projectile 2 varies according to various embodiments and varies with caliber (diameter d 1 ). in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.3 inches and about 1.6 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.405 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according to the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 extending from the tip 4 to the linear portion 32 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.14 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.17 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.3 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.145 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the second nose portion 68 extending from the front 56 of the housing 40 to the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.55 and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the second nose portion 68 is about 0.62 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 a of the first insert 42 a is between about 0.3 inches and about 0.9 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 a of the first insert 42 a is between about 0.45 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 a of the first insert 42 a is about 0.6 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the linear portion 32 outside of the housing 40 is between about 0.01 and 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the linear portion 32 outside of the housing 40 is between about 0.05 and 0.10 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 b of the second insert 42 b is between about 0.25 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 b of the second insert 42 b is between about 0.4 inches and about 0.7 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 b of the second insert 42 b is about 0.555 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 c of the third insert 42 c is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 c of the third insert 42 c is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 c of the third insert 42 c is about 0.25 inches. however, these lengths can vary with different embodiments. specifically, embodiments of smaller or larger calibers will have shorter or longer lengths respectively. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.23 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. the cylindrical portion 20 comprises angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. in one embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to the longitudinal axis 44 between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to the longitudinal axis 44 between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to the longitudinal axis 44 about 7.5 degrees. in another preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 8.5 degrees. in alternate embodiments, the driving bands 26 a vary in number, comprising one driving band 26 a, a plurality of driving bands 26 a, two driving bands 26 a, three driving bands 26 a, or four or more driving bands 26 a. the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a create air disturbances that stabilize the projectile 2 in flight allowing the projectile 2 to fly straighter and be less affected by cross winds than projectiles of the prior art. figs. 25a-d show a projectile 2 according to a twenty-fifth embodiment of the invention. this projectile 2 creates large cavitations and giant wounds. when the projectile 2 hits soft tissue, the housing 40 flowers and peels backward as shown in fig. 30 . this projectile 2 can also be accurately shot through glass because it maintains its original flight path. the projectile 2 keeps its shape through hard material (e.g., glass or steel) and it keeps its trajectory: tip forward flight. it can also penetrate body armor and stop in soft tissue because when it hits soft tissue it opens up (see figs. 30a-31c ). fig. 25a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 25b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 25c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 25d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 25a-d are to scale. figs. 27a-c show the insert 42 used in the projectile 2 of figs. 25a-d . figs. 26a-b show the housing 40 used in the projectile 2 of fig. 25a-c . figs. 25a-d depict a two-piece bullet embodiment. intended users comprise military, law enforcement, and private citizens. among other things, these embodiments provide deep straight penetration in, for example, sheet metal, clothing, soft armor, and fabrics, but may provide limited penetration in tissue. these embodiments may be manufactured of materials comprising brass, copper, aluminum, tungsten-carbide, or alloys to form the insert 42 and copper or brass, for example, to form the housing 40 . the construction of these projectiles 2 may be accomplished using a press or mill and lathe. one feature is the shape of the insert 42 of the projectile 2 , largely formed by slightly twisting depressions 8 pointed to the front of the insert 42 . the depressions 8 form troughs and ridges that form the point 4 of the insert 42 . the tip 4 of the insert is positioned forward of the housing 40 and the terminal ends of the troughs 8 and ridges 22 extend into the housing 40 . proximate the tip 4 , the depressions 8 intersect forming cutting edges 72 . the cutting edges 72 initiate a cut in the target to promote the penetration through the outer layer and because a portion of the troughs 8 are inside the housing 40 results in rapid and violent expansion of the housing 40 upon impact with the projectile's target. the twist of the depressions 8 corresponds to or is greater than the twist rate of the rifling in the barrel and the depressions 8 turn in the same direction or the opposite direction of the barrel. the projectile can also have a cut perpendicular to the radius line which would generate a zero twist degree. at the center of the tip 4 , the ridges 72 join together to form a cutting surface. these edges 72 initiate a cut, greatly reducing resistance through media such as sheet metal, fabrics, and soft armor. the twisting troughs 8 move media away from the projectile 2 and rapidly open the housing 40 to create greater frontal surface area of the projectile 2 during terminal ballistics. these projectiles 2 are designed so as to not over penetrate in soft tissue and to produce a rapid transfer of energy, and may react similarly to full metal jackets (“fmjs”) when penetrating sheet metal, glass, soft armor, and fabrics. in one embodiment, a cap is pressed into place that covers the insert and is held by the housing, which provides a first media to initiate the opening of the housing during the first stages of terminal ballistics. one advantage of the housing is the ability to make the insert 42 out of almost any material (e.g., brass, aluminum, steel, polymers, etc.). the insert 42 does not interface with the barrel so the use of hard materials or even steel is also feasible. both steel and aluminum in both similar and opposed twist directions have been tested and are further embodiments. when the twist rate is opposed to the rifling, in particular with the aluminum insert, the tissue destruction is immense. all testing has shown that all these designs will penetrate in similar fashion on both hard and soft armor. the steeper (i.e., greater) alpha angle will also transfer media at a greater rate into the housing for a faster opening and expansion of the housing 40 upon impact with the terminal media. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 (also called a shank). the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 27b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 1/16 and about ½ inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 3/16 inches and ¼ inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.5 inches and about 0.8 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.60 inches and about 0.71 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.670 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.36 inches and about 0.38 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.37 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.316 inches and about 0.716 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.416 inches and about 0.616 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 0.516 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 11 mm and about 7 mm. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 10 mm and about 8 mm. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 9 mm. figs. 26a-b show the projectile housing 40 of figs. 25a-c . fig. 26a is a perspective view of the housing 40 . fig. 26b is a top plan view of the housing 40 . note that figs. 26a-b are to scale. in a preferred embodiment, the dimension w 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.070 inches and about 0.470 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the dimension w 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.270 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 7 is between about 0.145 inches and about 0.345 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 7 is about 0.245 inches. the housings 40 can be formed on a lathe or press and may be made from copper or brass. any material that will not harm a barrel would be also be acceptable and form alternative embodiments of the housing 40 . the addition of the housing 40 lessens the penetration in tissue by creating greater frontal surface area and therefore increases trauma. figs. 27a-29c detail the insert 42 mounted inside a housing 40 . by varying the alpha and beta angles of the insert 42 , one can control the penetration in armor and the destruction in tissue. the tip 4 of the insert 42 is formed such that the depression or trough 8 is at an angle α relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 . the density of the material used and the size of the insert 42 and projectile will determine this alpha angle because a steeper alpha angle cuts better, but has a lower weight. the steeper alpha angle will also transfer media at a greater rate into the housing for a faster opening and expansion upon impact with the terminal media. in some embodiments, the twist rate of the depressions 8 can equal or exceed, by up to double, the twist rate of the gun barrel. in one embodiment, the projectile would increase the rate of twist once it struck the terminal media. in one embodiment, an insert 42 with a counter twist to (i.e., in the opposite direction of) the rifling is provided, therefore limiting penetration once it cuts through the outer layer of its target. the twist rate of the depressions 8 of the insert 42 may also be reversed (i.e., in the opposite direction to the barrel twist). twist rates in most handguns run from about 4-7 degrees, but could be between about 2-10 degrees. figs. 27a-c show the projectile insert 42 of figs. 25a-c . fig. 27a is a perspective view of the insert 42 . fig. 27b is a side elevation view of the insert 42 . fig. 27c is a top plan view of the insert 42 . note that figs. 27a-c are to scale. the insert 42 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a lower portion 54 on the other end. the insert 42 comprises an arrowhead portion 48 and a stem portion 50 . the underside 52 of the arrowhead 48 can be flat, angled, or rounded. the insert 42 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and a nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the insert's original ogive and radius of curvature r 1 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions are cut using a ⅜ inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 is shown in fig. 27b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the nose depressions 8 intersect one another to form cutter edges 72 extending to the tip 4 of the insert 42 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.4 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.513 inches and about 0.713 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.413 inches and about 0.613 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 422 is about 0.513 inches. however, the length l 6 varies with the embodiment and with the caliber of the projectile. the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 of the insert 42 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 of the insert 42 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.28 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 of the insert 42 is about 0.225 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.3 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is about 0.25 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 8 degrees and about 12 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 10 degrees. this insert 42 is different from the prior art because it can pierce armor and the projectile stops in soft tissue. the sharp tip 4 and sharp cutter edges 72 allow this insert 42 to cut through armor, including kevlar. figs. 28a-c show a projectile insert 42 according to another embodiment of the invention. this is the civilian insert of fig. 27 . fig. 28a is a perspective view of the insert 42 . fig. 28b is a side elevation view of the insert 42 . fig. 28c is a top plan view of the insert 42 . note that figs. 28a-c are to scale. the insert 42 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a lower portion 54 on the other end. the insert 42 comprises an arrowhead portion 48 and a stem portion 50 . the underside 52 of the arrowhead 48 can be angled, flat, or curved. the insert 42 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the insert's original ogive and radius of curvature r 1 the nose depression 8 has a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/32 inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 is shown in fig. 28b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the insert 42 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the insert 42 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in this embodiment, the depressions 8 do not extend all the way to the tip 4 and do not intersect. rather, the remaining portions 22 extend to the tip 4 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.01 and about 0.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.03 inches and about 0.375 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.25 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the radius of the curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.047 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.426 inches and about 0.826 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.526 inches and about 0.726 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 0.626 inches. the diameter d 4 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.3 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is about 0.225 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.4 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 8 degrees and about 12 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 10 degrees. figs. 29a-c show a projectile insert 42 according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. the insert 42 can be made of any projectile or bullet material, such as brass or steel. fig. 29a is a perspective view of the insert 42 . fig. 29b is a side elevation view of the insert 42 . fig. 29c is a top plan view of the insert 42 . note that figs. 29a-c are to scale. the insert 42 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a lower portion 54 on the other end. the insert 42 comprises an arrowhead portion 48 and a stem portion 50 . the insert 42 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portion 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the insert's original ogive and radius of curvature r 1 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions 8 are cut using a 3/16 inch flat end mill. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 29b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the insert 42 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the insert 42 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the nose depressions 8 can also extend varying lengths along the insert 42 . also, like figs. 28a-c , the depressions 8 do not intersect. rather, the nose remaining portions 22 extend to the tip 4 of the insert 42 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.08 inches and about 0.375 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.25 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the depression 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.436 inches and about 0.836 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.536 inches and about 0.736 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 0.636 inches. the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 of the insert varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is between about 0.025 inches and about 0.425 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is between about 0.125 inches and about 0.325 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 4 of the stem 50 is about 0.225 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 of the insert 42 is between about 0.1 inches and about 0.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is between about 0.2 inches and about 0.4 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 5 of the arrowhead 48 is about 0.3 inches. in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 8 degrees and about 12 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 10 degrees. figs. 30a-c show the projectile 2 of figs. 25a-c after being fired and after hitting the target. fig. 30a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 30b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 30c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . rifling marks 60 from the gun barrel are shown on the projectile 2 . figs. 31a-c show a projectile 2 according to a twenty-sixth embodiment of the invention after being fired and after hitting the target. fig. 31a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 31b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 31c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . this insert 42 is the insert shown in figs. 28a-c . the projectile 2 of figs. 30a-c has perforations on the housing 40 whereas the projectile 2 of figs. 31a-c does not have perforations. the perforations cause the housing 40 to flower upon impact as shown in fig. 30 , whereas the housing 40 of figs. 31a-c rolls backward in one piece upon impact. figs. 32a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-seventh embodiment of the invention. fig. 32a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 32b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 32c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 32d is a cross-sectional view of the projectile 2 taken along cut d-d of fig. 32c . fig. 32e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 32a-32e are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 proximate the tip 4 and a boat tail 38 proximate the base 30 and a cylindrical portion 30 between the nose portion 6 and boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 is comprised of a first nose portion 66 , a linear portion 32 , and a second nose portion 68 . the ogive of the first nose portion 66 has a first radius of curvature r 1 and the second nose portion 68 has a second radius of curvature r 2 . in some embodiments, the second radius of curvature r 2 is between about 2.5 inches and about 5.0 inches. in some embodiments, the first nose portion 66 is linear rather than having a radius of curvature r 1 . in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.125 inches and about 1.725 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.225 inches and about 1.625 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.425 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.7 inches and about 1.1 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.8 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.899 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.522 inches and about 0.122 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.422 inches and about 0.222 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.322 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.4 inches and about 0.1 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.3 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.204 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 9 of the linear portion 32 is between about 0.01 inches and 0.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 9 of the linear portion 32 is between about 0.02 inches and about 0.04 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 9 of the linear portion 32 is about 0.025 inches. in some embodiments, the length l 9 corresponds to 1/10 or 1/12 of the caliber of the projectile 2 . in one embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.1 inches and 0.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.3 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.22 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 is between about 0.35 inches and 0.95 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 is between about 0.55 inches and about 0.75 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 is about 0.65 inches. in some embodiments, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 is about three times the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 . the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. the projectile 2 also has a boat tail 38 with an angle θ proximate the base 30 . the cylindrical portion 30 has angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. in one embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cut 28 a is about 0.298 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.32 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.31 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving band 26 a is about 0.307 inches. detailed views of the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are shown in fig. 35e . referring to figs. 33-36 , these projectiles are “smart bullets” because they penetrate armor and slow down in soft tissue. like other embodiments with a housing 40 and an insert 42 , these projectiles 2 have cavities 24 to receive soft tissue to slow the projectile down in soft tissue. these projectiles 2 have a hardened steel tip insert 42 . further, the different angle of the front or first ogive of the first nose portion 66 from the second ogive of the second nose portion 68 means that a minimal amount of surface area is in contact with the wind, making the projectile's bc higher. thus, there are two ogive angles: a front or first ogive and rear or second ogive. figs. 33a-d show a projectile according to a twenty-eighth embodiment of the invention. fig. 33a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 33b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 33c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 33d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 33a-33d are to scale. figs. 34a-d are exploded views of the projectile housing 40 and insert 42 of figs. 33a-d . fig. 34a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 34b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 34c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 34d is a cross-sectional view. note that figs. 34a-34d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile includes an insert 42 that fits into a housing 40 . the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 and a cylindrical portion 20 (also called a shank). the nose portion 6 includes a first nose portion 66 and a second nose portion 68 . a linear portion 32 is positioned between the first nose portion 66 and second nose portion 68 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has a hardened steel tip 4 . the cylindrical portion 20 includes angled driving bands 26 a with diameter d 3 and angled relief cuts 28 a with diameter d 2 and radius of curvature r 6 . see fig. 35e for detail on the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. the projectile also has a boat tail 38 at an angle θ. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.125 inches and about 1.725 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.225 inches and about 1.625 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.425 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.7 inches and about 1.1 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.8 inches and about 1.0 inch. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.899 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.522 inches and about 0.122 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.422 inches and about 0.222 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.322 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.108 inches and about 0.508 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.208 inches and about 0.408 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. as shown in fig. 34d , the receiving portion 58 of the housing 40 has a step or shoulder 18 . additionally, the front 56 of the housing 40 is substantially flat and parallel to the base 30 . figs. 35a-e show a projectile according to a twenty-ninth embodiment of the invention. fig. 35a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 35b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 35c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 35d is a cross-sectional view. fig. 35e is a close-up view. note that figs. 35a-e are to scale. the projectile of fig. 35 is the same as the projectile of fig. 24 except that the projectile of fig. 35 has one insert 42 and the projectile of fig. 24 has three inserts. this projectile 2 is also similar to the projectile 2 of figs. 33a-34d , but the linear portion 32 is shorter in figs. 35a-e . additionally, the projectile 2 of figs. 35a-e has depressions 8 on the insert 42 . the depressions 8 create a high-pressure area in the depressions 8 to move air around the depression 8 and not into the cavity 24 when traveling through air or in hard media. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 35b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a top plan view ( fig. 35c ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a counter-clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least four nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the depressions 8 create cavities 24 between the insert 42 and the housing 40 such that when the projectile 2 hits a soft medium target, the cavities 24 fill with the soft medium and the projectile 2 slows down. the steeper (i.e., greater) alpha angle will also transfer media at a greater rate into the housing for a faster opening and expansion of the housing 40 upon impact with the terminal media. the nose portion 6 comprises a first nose portion 66 with a radius of curvature r 1 and a second nose portion 66 with a radius of curvature r 2 . the projectile 2 also has a boat tail 38 with an angle θ. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.3 inches and about 1.6 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.405 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 extending from the tip 4 to the linear portion 32 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 extending from the tip 4 to the linear portion 32 is between about 0.14 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 extending from the tip 4 to the linear portion 32 is about 0.17 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.3 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.145 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.3 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 1.175 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the linear portion 32 is between about 0.10 and 0.15 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the second nose portion 68 extending from the front 56 of the housing 40 to the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.55 and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the second nose portion 68 extending from the front 56 of the housing 40 to the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.62 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.23 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.5 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 3 of the secant ogive is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. the cylindrical portion 20 comprises angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. in one embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 between about 6 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 7.5 degrees. in another preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 8.5 degrees. in alternate embodiments, the driving bands 26 a vary in number, comprising one driving band 26 a, a plurality of driving bands 26 a, two driving bands 26 a, three driving bands 26 a, and four or more driving bands 26 a. the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a create air disturbances that stabilize the projectile 2 in flight allowing the projectile 2 to fly straighter and be less affected by cross winds than projectiles of the prior art. figs. 36a-d show a projectile according to a thirtieth embodiment of the invention. fig. 36a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 36b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 36c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 36d is a cross-sectional view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 36a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 interconnected to a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes a first nose portion 66 , a second nose portion 68 , and a linear portion 32 positioned between the first nose portion 66 and the second nose portion 68 . the cylindrical portion 20 includes angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.3 inches and about 1.6 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.405 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the first nose portion 66 is between 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches, or preferably 0.23 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the housing is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.3 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the housing is about 1.145 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the linear portion 32 is between about 0.04 and 0.06 inches. in one embodiment, the length of the second nose portion 68 is between about 0.55 and about 0.70 inches. the projectiles of figs. 37a-38e are designed for high-speed silent flight. figs. 37a-d show a projectile according to a thirty-first embodiment of the invention. fig. 37a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 37b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 37c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 37d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 37a-d are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 (also called a shank) interconnected to a boat tail 38 with an angle θ. the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 37b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured from the centerline 10 of the nose depressions 8 relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, the angle α is measured relative to the original ogive of the projectile nose portion 6 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile 2 from a top plan view ( fig. 37c ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a counter-clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 3.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.96 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 1.00 inch and about 0.600 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.900 inches and about 0.700 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.800 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.550 inches and about 0.150 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.450 inches and about 0.250 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.350 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.4 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 is about 1.2 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. figs. 38a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-second embodiment of the invention. fig. 38a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 38b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 38c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 38d is a bottom plan view. fig. 38e is a cross-sectional view. note that figs. 38a-e are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 interconnected to a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 are right-hand depressions 8 because when looking at the projectile from a top plan view ( fig. 38c ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.5 inches and about 2.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.88 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.2 inches. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. figs. 39a-c show a projectile according to a thirty-third embodiment of the invention. fig. 39a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 39b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 39c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 39a-c are to scale. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 interconnected to a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 further comprises a tungsten or inconel insert. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 39b . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.508 inches and about 0.108 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.408 inches and about 0.208 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. the intended users of the projectile 2 are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile 2 are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile 2 is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. in some embodiments, this projectile 2 will be two pieces and will have a tungsten or inconel insert. this projectile 2 is armor penetrating. this projectile 2 is designed to go and never quit. further, the tip 4 is designed to relieve material as it penetrates its target. figs. 40a-c show a projectile according to a thirty-fourth embodiment of the invention. fig. 40a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 40b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 40c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 40a-c are to scale. some embodiments may also have angled driving bands and angled relief bands. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 interconnected to a cylindrical portion 20 interconnected to a boat tail 38 . the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 (also called cutouts or troughs) and nose remaining portions 22 between the nose depressions 8 , where each nose remaining portion 22 is positioned between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 40b . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least six nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 (also called the caliber) varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.138 inches and about 0.538 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.238 inches and about 0.438 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.338 inches. the intended users of the projectile are african big game hunters. the attributes of this projectile are deep straight penetration with transfer of energy. the projectile is comprised of brass, copper, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. figs. 41a-d show a projectile according to a thirty-fifth embodiment of the invention. fig. 41a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 41b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 41c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 41d is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 41a-d are to scale. figs. 41a-d show a pistol projectile that, among other things, provides deep straight penetration. this pistol projectile 2 is homogenous in nature and is intended for straight flight and tissue damage to a soft material target. the projectile 2 comprises a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 comprises a nose portion 6 , a cylindrical portion 20 , and a chamfer 38 a. the nose portion 6 includes nose depressions 8 and a nose remaining portion 22 between two nose depressions 8 . the remaining portions 22 are the uncut portions having the projectile's original ogive. in one embodiment, the pistol projectile 2 is comprised of brass. the brass projectile may pierce armor, including kevlar; therefore, the brass embodiment is intended for government use (e.g., police and military). other embodiments are comprised of soft copper, which is intended for civilian use because it cannot piece armor, including kevlar. due to the direct interface with the barrel, a soft metal can be used. in both embodiments, the projectile stops in soft tissue and creates a lot of cavitation in soft tissue, thus making a wound larger than it would be with a projectile of the prior art. the projectile 2 has twisting troughs or depressions 8 that move media away from the projectile 2 further reducing resistance and maintaining the spin to ensure the projectile 2 penetrates deep and straight. the troughs 8 rapidly move liquids and soft tissue away from the path of the projectile 2 and, therefore, increase the wound channel. additionally, the troughs 8 project target material away from the projectile at a 90-degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis 44 (compare to figs. 21a-23f where the target material is projected away at a 45-degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis 44 ). this is an unexpected result and permits the projectile to shoot through drywall and continue flying straight and then hit the target and cause maximum damage in the soft tissue of the target. the cavity in a typical hollow-point bullet would fill with drywall and then the bullet would act like a non-hollow-point bullet upon impact rather than a hollow-point bullet upon impact. thus, this projectile can be shot through drywall, then hit its target, and still perform as desired upon impact. the unique shape of the front of the projectile 2 includes angled or slightly twisting depressions 8 pointed to the front of the projectile 2 . the depressions 8 form troughs, edges 92 , and remaining portions 22 between the depressions 8 . the depressions 8 possess an angle α or a slight radius off the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 corresponds to (i.e., is equal to) or is greater than the barrel twist rate (i.e., the twist rate of the rifling in the barrel) and turns in the same direction as the barrel's rifling. in other embodiments, the twist angle α of the depressions 8 is equal to or greater than the barrel twist rate and turns in the opposite direction as the barrel's rifling. if the twist a (angle from centerline 44 ) of the trough 8 is in the same direction of the rifling, it will increase the penetration in tissue. this angle α is to be equal to or greater than the angle of the rifling. these depressions 8 do not affect the projectile during internal ballistics but they greatly enhance the performance during external and/or terminal ballistics. in some embodiments, the angle α of the depressions 8 vary relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . for example, the angle α of the portion of the depression 8 proximate the tip 4 may not be same as the barrel's riffling, but the angle α of the depression 8 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 may be the same or greater than the barrel's riffling angle. additionally, the angle of the remaining portions 22 may vary along the length of the projectile 2 . for example, the remaining portions 22 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 proximate the tip 4 and may be at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis 44 proximate the cylindrical portion 20 . the construction of this projectile 2 may be accomplished using a press or mill and lathe. in one embodiment, the pistol projectile 2 is manufactured via a swiss turn machine or the combination of a lathe and mill. alternatively, the pistol projectile 2 is manufactured via a powdered or gilding metal that is then pressed into a die at great pressure. if the depressions 8 of the projectile 2 are cut using a ball end mill, then the ball end mill cuts into the nose 6 at an angle substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 and then stops at the end of the cut. this is different than the projectiles of figs. 21a-23f where the ball end mill cuts the depressions at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis and the ball end mill pulls out and away from the projectile such that the depressions are deeper proximate the nose than proximate the cylindrical portion (i.e., the bottom of the depression is closer to the longitudinal axis proximate the nose than proximate the cylindrical portion). unlike figs. 21a-23f , the nose 6 of this projectile 2 has a blunt end 4 . the flat tip 4 may be parallel to the flat base 30 of the projectile. in alternative embodiments, the tip 4 may be curved or rounded instead of flat. in other embodiments, the tip 4 is pointed rather than flat. thus, this projectile does not have a cutting surface or cutting edges ( 72 in other figures) where the ridges or depressions 8 meet. therefore, many embodiments of this projectile 2 cannot pierce armor. additionally, depending on the angle of the shot and thickness of the barrier material, the projectile may not continue flying straight through hard materials like glass and steel. however, the brass versions of this projectile 2 may piece armor and may continue flying straight through hard materials like glass and steel. if the copper projectile 2 is shot through thin steel, then the projectile will continue flying straight after exiting the steel, which is an unexpected result. it is believed that the copper projectile will continue through thin steel because the pressure per square inch at the tip is high. further, the remaining portions 22 between the depressions 8 extend all the way to the blunt tip 4 and have a thickness. in one embodiment, the thickness of the remaining portion 22 proximate the tip is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.05 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the remaining portion proximate the tip is about 0.03 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the thickness of the remaining portion proximate the tip is about 0.015 inches. it is an unexpected result that the projectile 2 does not cut through armor and it is believed that it will not cut armor due to the shape and thickness of the remaining portions 22 . thus, the remaining portions 22 absorb shock upon impact rather than cut through armor. in one embodiment, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 0.001 in 2 and about 0.006 in 2 . in a preferred embodiment, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 0.002 in 2 and about 0.004 in 2 . in some embodiments, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 1.0% and about 6.0% of the surface area of the base 30 . in a preferred embodiment, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 3.0% and about 5.0% of the surface area of the base 30 . in some embodiments, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 1.0% and about 5.0% of the surface area of a cross-section taken through the cylindrical portion 20 (i.e., the surface area of a circle having the diameter d 1 ). in a preferred embodiment, the surface area of the tip 4 is between about 2.0% and about 4.0% of the surface area of a cross-section taken through the cylindrical portion 20 . in some embodiments, the tip 4 has a triangular shape (see fig. 41c ) with rounded corners. the tip 4 can have other shapes in other embodiments, e.g., a circular shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, etc. if the projectile 2 has more than three depressions 8 , then the shape of the tip 4 will differ. in one embodiment, the height or width of the tip 4 (i.e., height or width as shown in fig. 41c and measured from corner to corner or top to bottom and measured like d 1 in fig. 41b ) is between about 0.03 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the height or width of the tip 4 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the height or width of the tip 4 is between about 0.065 inches and about 0.085 inches. the intersection between the remaining portion 22 and depression 8 forms an edge 92 . the edge 92 can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge 92 . the nose depressions 8 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the nose depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in some embodiments, the nose depressions 8 have a constant radius of curvature r 4 throughout the entire depression 8 . in other embodiments, the radius of curvature r 4 varies throughout the depression 8 . in one embodiment, the nose depressions of the 9 mm caliber projectile 2 are cut using a 3/16 inch ball end mill. additionally, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.0625 inches and about 0.375 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.07 inches and about 0.13 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.09375 inches. in other embodiments, other sized ball end mills are used to cut the nose depressions 8 , which means that the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 will change with the various ball end mill size. for example, a ⅛ inch, 3/16 inch, ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, ⅜ inch, ½ inch, ⅝ inch, or % inch ball end mill, or any similarly dimensioned metric unit ball end mill, can be used to cut the nose depressions 8 in projectiles 2 according to embodiments of the present invention. further, larger or smaller ball end mills can be used for larger or smaller caliber projectiles, which means that the radius of curvature r 4 of the nose depressions 8 can vary as the caliber of the projectile varies. the nose depressions 8 extend a length l 11 from a rear portion of the nose 6 (i.e., just in front of the front of the cylindrical portion 20 ) to the tip 4 of the projectile 2 . in one embodiment, the length l 11 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 11 of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 11 of the nose depressions 8 is about 0.32 inches. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 41b . accordingly, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 0 degrees and about 35 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is between about 5 degrees and about 15 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle α of the nose depressions 8 is about 8 degrees. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.200 inches and about 0.500 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.300 inches and about 0.450 inches. in the embodiment shown, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.355 inches (about 9 mm). in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.400 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.400 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 11 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel, chamber, and gun powder constraints. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.450 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.450 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 11 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel, chamber, and gun powder constraints. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.65 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.50 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.517 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.34 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.13 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.155 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the chamfer 38 a is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.035 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the chamfer 38 a is between about 0.02 inches and about 0.025 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the chamfer 38 a is about 0.022 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the chamfer 38 a is between about 5 degrees and about 45 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the chamfer 38 a is between about 10 degrees and about 25 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of chamfer 38 a is about 15 degrees. in some embodiments, the projectile 2 includes a cannelure 74 . the cannelure 74 is a groove around the circumference of the projectile 2 and is used for crimping, lubrication, waterproofing, and identification. in one embodiment, the cannelure 74 is the point at which the forward-most portion of the casing interconnects to the projectile 2 . the forward-most portion of the casing is crimped to the projectile 2 at the cannelure 74 and the cannelure 74 provides a place for the casing to grip the projectile 2 . the projectile 2 can include additional cannelures 74 in additional embodiments. any embodiment described or shown herein (including the embodiments shown and described in figs. 1a-50e ) can include one or more cannelures. fig. 41e shows the projectile after it has been shot and hits its target. the nose 6 of the projectile 2 folds and deforms to cause further damage to the target material. ideally, the remaining portions 22 fold over upon impact to deform the projectile's shape and stop the projectile 2 in the target. because the remaining portions 22 are straighter (rather than angled) proximate the tip 4 , the remaining portions 22 fold over easily upon impact. further, using a soft material (e.g., copper) also allows the nose 6 and remaining portions 22 to fold over and cave inward. the cavitation shape of this projectile is shown in fig. 49 . the cavitation shape is also an unexpected result of this projectile. it was expected that the cavitation shape would be similar to a hollow-point bullet. however, as shown in fig. 49 , the cavitation shape of this projectile is different and it is larger than a hollow-point bullet. another unexpected result of this projectile is that it acts like a rifle projectile when shot long distances rather than a pistol projectile. it was expected that the depressions 8 would affect the long-distance flight of the projectile. however, experimentation showed that the projectile continued straight and on target even when shot over 300 yards. additionally, the projectile was still able to create the desired cavitation and wound in its target after being shot 300 yards. figs. 42a-e show a projectile 2 according to a thirty-sixth embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 of fig. 42 was originally designed to cut into steel. thus, this projectile can pierce armor in some embodiments. in other embodiments, the tip 4 is rounded such that the projectile 2 cannot piece armor. various embodiments of figs. 42a-e are designed for military use and/or hunting large game (e.g., elk, moose, boar, buffalo, water buffalo, and other large african game). fig. 42a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 42b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 42c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 42d is a cross-sectional view. fig. 42e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 42a-e are to scale. the projectile of fig. 42 is very similar to (and possibly the same as in some embodiments) the projectile of fig. 35 , except that the projectile of fig. 42 has a differently shaped insert 42 than the insert in fig. 35 . additionally, the first nose portion 66 of the projectile of fig. 42 has a concave radius of curvature r 1 , whereas the first nose portion of the projectile of fig. 35 has a convex radius of curvature r 1 or an angled first nose portion. this concave shape kicks the air up and around the nose 6 of the projectile 2 , thus reducing the drag experienced by the projectile 2 in flight. additionally, the concave shape provides a consistent bc, shot after shot. it was an unexpected result that the concave shape of the first nose portion 66 would cause the projectile 2 to have a non-deviating bc and a zero extreme spread of bc per shot. most projectiles have a bc that deviates by about 2% per shot. however, a deviating bc reduces accuracy and range. therefore, this projectile 2 has improved accuracy and range over prior art projectiles. in some embodiments, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.25 inches and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.40 inches and about 4.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.5 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive or the second nose portion 68 is between about 1.0 inch and about 6.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive or the second nose portion 68 is between about 2.5 inches and about 5.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive or the second nose portion 68 is about 5.0 inches. in another more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. the longitudinal axis 44 of the projectile 2 is shown in fig. 42b . the angle α of the nose depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis 44 . in some embodiments, all nose depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each nose depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some nose depressions 8 have the same angle α while other nose depressions 8 have different angles α. in the embodiment shown, the nose depressions 8 are right-hand nose depressions 8 because the angle α is positioned to the right of the longitudinal axis 44 . further, when looking at the projectile from a top plan view ( fig. 42c ), the nose depressions 8 appear to turn in a counter-clockwise direction. in one embodiment, the projectile 2 has at least three nose depressions 8 . however, the projectile 2 can have more or fewer nose depressions 8 . the depressions 8 create cavities between the insert 42 and the housing 40 such that when the projectile 2 hits a soft medium target, the cavities 24 fill with the soft medium and the projectile slows down. additionally, the depressions 8 create a high-pressure area in each depression 8 to move air around the depression 8 and not into the cavity 24 when traveling in air or in hard media. the intersection between the remaining portion 22 and depression 8 forms an edge ( 92 in other figures). the edge can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge. the depressions 8 in the insert have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. in various embodiments, the ball end mill can cut into the projectile 2 to different depths when forming the depressions 8 . because the ball end mill is spherical, the width of the depressions 8 will increase as the ball end mill is cut deeper into the projectile until the ball end mill cuts a depth equal to its radius. the shallower the nose depressions 8 , the deeper the projectile will penetrate into a soft target material. therefore, deeper depressions 8 are used for smaller animals and humans and shallower depressions 8 are used for larger animals. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.04 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.10 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depression 8 is about 0.0625 inches. the depressions 8 extend a length from a rear portion of the first nose portion 66 (i.e., just in front of the linear portion 32 ) to an area of the insert 42 proximate the end of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 . the depressions 8 begin at a point before the linear portion 32 to fill with target material upon impact. additionally, the location of the depressions 8 and the linear portion 32 enable air to flow around the depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the length of the depressions 8 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of nose depressions 8 is between about 0.35 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length of the depressions 8 is about 0.43 inches. the length of the nose depressions 8 may the same as or similar to the length l 11 of the depression 8 shown in fig. 44b . longer depressions 8 are used for projectiles used on larger animals. additionally, if the insert 42 is longer, which is the case in some embodiments, then the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 can be longer and the depressions 8 can be longer. the converse is true if the insert 42 is shorter than the insert shown in fig. 42d . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α between about 3.0 degrees and about 9.5 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α between about 4.5 degrees and about 8.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α of about 7.0 degrees. in one embodiment, the material of the insert 42 is harder than the material of the housing 40 . in some embodiments, the insert 42 is made of steel, tungsten, inconel, or another hard material. the housing can be made of brass, copper, copper alloys (e.g., a copper nickel alloy, a trillium copper alloy, etc.), an aluminum nanoparticle/nanopowder (nanotechnology) material, or other materials known in the art. in other embodiments, the material of the insert 42 is the same or similar hardness to the material of the housing 40 . embodiments of this projectile have a hardened forcing cone or insert 42 that separates from the housing 40 upon impact of a soft target material. the insert 42 typically yaws and continues in a different path from the housing 40 once in the soft target material. the housing 40 continues in a direction that is the same as or similar to the trajectory of the projectile upon impact. depending on the target material and the velocity of the projectile upon impact, the forward portion of the housing 40 can split or flower into six or more pieces in the target or the forward portion of the housing 40 can fragment and break off in the target. if the forward portion fragments and breaks off, then the base portion 90 of the housing keeps going in the target material. the base portion 90 is typically the part of the housing 40 without a cavity, i.e., the portion of the housing 40 in fig. 42d rearward of the lower portion 54 of the stem 50 , 78 of the insert 42 . the forward portion of the housing 40 is the portion of the housing 40 with the cavity, i.e., the portion in fig. 42d forward of the lower portion 54 of the stem 50 , 78 of the insert 42 . thus, in some embodiments, the forward portion of the housing 40 fragments in the projectile's target and the base portion 90 of the housing 40 continues through the target. exactly where the housing 40 fragments and how much of the housing 40 fragments depends on the speed of the projectile as it hits its target and the material of the target. additionally, the shorter the insert 42 (and the shorter the cavity in the housing 40 for the insert 42 ), the deeper the base portion 90 penetrates a soft tissue target material. this projectile 2 includes many novel features, including the fact that the projectile's 2 flight path is not altered by going through glass or other hard materials. the projectile's 2 trajectory stays the same (or very similar) after going through a piece of glass (e.g., a windshield or window). additionally, the projectile 2 stops in a soft target material and creates large cavitation or wounds in the soft target material. most projectiles that continue along the same trajectory after going through a hard material are also armor piecing projectiles that do not stop in a soft target material. these prior art projectiles can be dangerous in crowded environments because the projectile can go through the first soft target material (e.g., a person) and then hit another object (e.g., another person). the projectile 2 of fig. 42 can be shot through glass and then will stop in the first soft target material it impacts, depending on the thickness of the first target. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.30 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.338 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.308 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 5 , l 6 , l 10 , l 11 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.40 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.400 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 5 , l 6 , l 10 , l 11 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.45 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.45 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 5 , l 6 , l 10 , l 11 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.00 inch and about 2.00 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.50 inches and about 1.80 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.65 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.80 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion 20 is about 0.40 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.25 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 0.83 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 extending from the tip 4 to the linear portion 32 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.21 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 12 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 12 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 12 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is about 0.40 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 13 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 13 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 13 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is about 0.22 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 is about 0.17 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is about 0.125 inches. the step between the thick portion 76 and thin portion 78 of the insert 42 has a rounded shape and is positioned at an angle τ relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the angle τ is between about 90 degrees and about 150 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle τ is about 120 degrees. the underside 54 of the insert 42 has a pointed or angled shape such that the underside 54 is positioned at an angle λ relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the angle λ is between about 90 degrees and about 150 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle λ is about 120 degrees. the housing 40 has a cavity that is cut to have a similar shape to the insert 42 such that the cavity in the housing 40 can securely receive the insert 42 , i.e., the housing 40 can frictionally engage the insert 42 . the cavity can have a cylindrical portion with a larger inner diameter proximate the front 56 of the housing 40 that transitions to a cylindrical portion with a smaller inner diameter. the transition may be angled or curved. thus, the cavity will have inner diameters similar to the diameter d 6 of the thick portion 76 of the insert 42 and the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 . the bottom of the cavity may be pointed, angled, conical shaped, or flat. additionally, the cavity in the housing 40 can have similar transition shapes and angles to the insert's 42 shapes and angles, e.g., angle λ and angle τ. in some embodiments, the cavity in the housing 40 can have grooves on the inner surface to more tightly grip the insert 42 . the tip 4 can have a radius of curvature r 7 (not shown on fig. 42b , but shown in fig. 44b ). in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.05 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.025 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.00 inch and about 1.80 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.41 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 9 of the linear portion 32 is between about 0.01 inches and 0.10 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 9 of the linear portion 32 is about 0.05 inches. in some embodiments, the length l 9 corresponds to 1/10 or 1/12 of the caliber of the projectile. in one embodiment, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 extending from the front 56 of the housing 40 to the cylindrical portion 20 is between about 0.50 and about 1.00 inch. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 10 of the second nose portion 68 is about 0.74 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. the cylindrical portion 20 comprises angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a create air disturbances that stabilize the projectile 2 in flight allowing the projectile 2 to fly straighter and be less affected by cross winds than projectiles of the prior art. for a close-up view of the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a, see fig. 35e . in one embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 between about 6 degrees and about 11 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 between about 7 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 8.5 degrees. in another preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cuts 28 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cuts 28 a is about 0.330 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving bands 26 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving bands 26 a is about 0.338 inches. in alternate embodiments, the driving bands 26 a vary in number, comprising one driving band 26 a, a plurality of driving bands 26 a, two driving bands 26 a, three driving bands 26 a, and four or more driving bands 26 a. figs. 43a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-seventh embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 shown in fig. 43 is very similar to the projectile shown in fig. 42 ; therefore, repetitive description will not be repeated here. only the differences will be discussed. this projectile 2 can be manufactured using a lathe, which creates a projectile with less bc variation than projectiles manufactured using molds. additionally, two-part projectiles send a lot of energy laterally into its target and the insert 42 magnifies cavitation. therefore, the projectile 2 can stop quicker and the projectile 2 creates more cavitation. further, a user can use a smaller gun and get the same performance as a larger gun with respect to cavitation and wound size. in some embodiments, the first nose portion 66 of the projectile 2 has a convex radius of curvature r 1 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.5 inches and 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is about 2.5 inches. in other embodiments, the first nose portion 66 is angled or concave. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.0 inches and about 8.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 4.5 inches and about 6.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 5.5 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 3.5 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.09 inches and about 0.14 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 7 of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is about 0.115 inches. the depressions 8 in the insert have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. in various embodiments, the ball end mill can cut into the projectile 2 to different depths when forming the depressions 8 . the depressions 8 of figs. 43a-e are deeper than the depressions 8 of figs. 42a-e . deeper depressions 8 are used for smaller animals and humans; therefore, this embodiment is designed for military use. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.04 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.055 inches and about 0.10 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depression 8 is about 0.0625 inches. however, the depressions 8 can be cut using different sized ball end mills, thus making the depressions have different radii of curvature r 4 . figs. 44a-c show an exploded view of a projectile according to a thirty-eighth embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 shown in figs. 44a-c is very similar to the projectiles shown in figs. 42a-e and 43 a-e; therefore, repetitive description will not be repeated here. only the differences will be discussed. in some embodiments, the first nose portion 66 of the projectile 2 is angled rather than concave or convex. in other embodiments, the first nose portion 66 has a concave radius of curvature r 1 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.5 inches and 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is about 2.5 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.80 inch and about 1.80 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 1.10 inch and about 1.50 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.30 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter of the thin portion 78 of the insert 42 is about 0.125 inches. the insert 42 comprises depressions 8 and remaining portions 80 between the depressions 8 . the depressions 8 in the insert have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 are cut using a ⅛ inch ball end mill. in various embodiments, the ball end mill can cut into the projectile 2 to different depths when forming the depressions 8 . the depressions 8 of figs. 44a-c are deeper than the depressions 8 of figs. 42a-e and 43 a-e. deeper depressions 8 are used for smaller animals and humans; therefore, this embodiment is designed for military use. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.04 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.055 inches and about 0.10 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depression 8 is about 0.0625 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 11 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 11 of depressions 8 is between about 0.35 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 11 of the depressions 8 is about 0.43 inches. figs. 45a-e show a projectile according to a thirty-ninth embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 comprises an insert 42 and a housing 40 . this projectile 2 is designed to cut into steel and pierce armor. fig. 45a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 45b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 45c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 45d is a cross-sectional view. fig. 45e is a bottom plan view of the projectile 2 . note that figs. 45a-e are to scale. the projectile of fig. 45 is similar to the projectile of fig. 3 , except that the projectile of fig. 45 has a slightly differently shaped body and it includes an insert 42 . the projectile includes an insert 42 and a housing 40 . in one embodiment, the insert 42 is comprised of two different materials. in various embodiments, the front portion 84 of the insert 42 is a soft material (e.g., aluminum, plastic, etc.) and the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is a hard material (e.g., tungsten, steel, tungsten-carbide, inconel, etc.). the housing 40 can be brass, bronze, copper, copper alloys (e.g., a copper nickel alloy, a trillium copper alloy, etc.), a ceramic material, an aluminum nanoparticle/nanopowder (nanotechnology) material, aluminum alloy, tungsten-carbide, or any other material known in the art. in some embodiments, the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is a harder material than the housing 40 . in other embodiments, the material of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is the same or a similar hardness to the material of the housing 40 . in one embodiment, the soft metal front portion 84 of the insert 42 acts like a lubricant when the projectile 2 strikes its target, which allows the projectile to smoothly penetrate the target. in some embodiments, this projectile 2 has a hardened forcing cone or insert 42 that separates from the housing 40 upon impact of a soft target material. the insert 42 typically yaws and continues in a different path from the housing 40 once in the soft target material. the housing 40 continues in a direction that is the same as or similar to the trajectory of the projectile upon impact. depending on the target material and the velocity of the projectile upon impact, the forward portion of the housing 40 can split or flower into six or more pieces in the target or the forward portion of the housing 40 can fragment and break off in the target. if the forward portion of the housing 40 fragments and breaks off, then the base portion 90 of the housing keeps going in the target material. the base portion 90 is typically the part of the housing 40 without a cavity, i.e., the portion of the housing 40 in fig. 45d rearward of the lower portion 54 of the insert 42 . the forward portion of the housing 40 is the portion of the housing 40 with the cavity, i.e., the portion in fig. 45d forward of the lower portion 54 of the insert 42 . thus, in some embodiments, the forward portion of the housing 40 fragments in the projectile's target and the base portion 90 of the housing 40 continues through the target. exactly where the housing 40 fragments and how much of the housing 40 fragments depends on the speed of the projectile as it hits its target and the material of the target. additionally, the shorter the insert 42 (and the shorter the cavity in the housing 40 for the insert 42 ), the deeper the base portion 90 penetrates a soft tissue target material. the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 varies according the various embodiments. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.338 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.338 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 6 , l 7 , l 14 , l 15 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.40 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.400 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 6 , l 7 , l 14 , l 15 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in yet another preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.45 inches. if the diameter d 1 of the projectile is about 0.45 inches, then the other measurements (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 6 , l 7 , l 14 , l 15 , etc.) scale accordingly, except for length l 1 , which may not scale depending on barrel and chamber constraints. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.00 inch and about 2.00 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.40 inches and about 1.70 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.53 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 2 of the nose portion 6 is about 0.90 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.45 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 3 of the cylindrical portion is about 0.38 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.23 inches. in another embodiment, the length l 4 of the boat tail 38 is about 0.25 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.50 inches and about 3.00 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 1.30 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 14 from the tip 4 of the projectile 2 to the tip 88 of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 14 from the tip 4 of the projectile 2 to the tip 88 of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 14 from the tip 4 of the projectile 2 to the tip of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is about 0.30 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 15 of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 15 of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 15 of the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 is about 1.00 inch. in one embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the insert 42 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 4 of the insert 42 is about 0.26 inches. the insert 42 may also include bands 82 to help hold the insert 42 in the housing 40 . any number of bands 82 can be used in various embodiments. the bands 82 may be steps in the housing 40 and/or insert 42 that increase or decrease in height by between about 0.005 inch and 0.02 inch. the widths of the bands 82 are typically between about 0.01 inch and 0.03 inch. the bands 82 are similar to cannelures in that they are grooves around the circumference of the insert 42 used for crimping and securing the housing 40 to the insert 42 . as the projectile is shot through the barrel, the housing 40 gets pushed or squished around the insert 42 and the bands 82 help the housing 40 and insert 42 to spin together at the same rate. the insert 42 may end proximate to where the boat tail 38 begins. the tip 4 can have a radius of curvature (r 7 in other figures). in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.005 inches and about 0.05 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.015 inches and about 0.035 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.025 inches. the rear portion 86 of the insert 42 can have a tip 88 at a forward-most point of the rear portion 86 . the forward portion of the insert rear portion 86 can include depressions 8 that form a cutting edge at the tip 88 , similar to the cutting edges shown in figs. 1a-2c and 20a-23e . the tip 88 and cutting edges can cut through an armor, a steel, or another hard material target. additionally, the depressions 8 and non-distorted portions or ridges between the depressions create high pressure points that assist the projectile 2 and insert 42 when traveling through the target material. specifically, the high-pressure points are located along the ridges and the low-pressure points are in the depressions 8 . the low pressure in the depressions 8 create a way to move the target material out and away from the projectile. thus, the depressions 8 act like the grooves in a saw blade that pull the cut material away from the blade. the intersection between the ridge and depression 8 forms an edge ( 92 in other figures). the edge can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner or the edge can be a rounded curved edge. the angle α of the depressions 8 can be measured relative to the longitudinal axis of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, all depressions 8 have the same angle α. in other embodiments, each depression 8 has a different angle α. in still other embodiments, some depressions 8 have the same angle α while other depressions 8 have different angles α. in one embodiment, the insert 42 has at least three depressions 8 . however, the insert 42 can have more or fewer depressions 8 . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α between about 3.0 degrees and about 20.0 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α between about 5.0 degrees and about 15.0 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the depressions 8 have an angle α of about 10.0 degrees. the depressions 8 in the insert 42 have a curved shape meaning that the trough or bottom of the depression 8 is curved and has a radius of curvature r 4 . in one embodiment, the depressions 8 are cut using a ¼ inch ball end mill. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.4 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 is between about 0.09 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 4 of the depression 8 is about 0.125 inches. however, the size of the ball end mill, and thus the radius of curvature r 4 of the depressions 8 , can vary in various embodiments and can vary as the caliber of the projectile 2 and/or diameter d 4 of the insert 42 changes. the depth of the ball end mill cuts forming the depressions 8 can vary in various embodiments. additionally, the depressions 8 can be cut by the ball end mill intersecting the insert 42 at an angle. in some embodiments, that intersection angle is between about 15 degrees and about 75 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 . in a preferred embodiment, that intersection angle is between about 25 degrees and about 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 . in a more preferred embodiment, that intersection angle is about 37 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 44 of the insert 42 . in some embodiments, the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive is between about 0.25 inches and about 10.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive is between about 2.5 inches and about 8.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive is about 5.0 inches. however, the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive varies with caliber; therefore, as the caliber increases the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive increases and as the caliber decreases the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive decreases. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 0.25 inches and about 10.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is between about 2.5 inches and about 8.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is about 5.0 inches. thus, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is the same as the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive in some embodiments. in other embodiments, the radius of curvature r 2 of the tangent ogive is different than (and typically larger than) the radius of curvature r 1 of the nose ogive. in one embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is between about 0.75 inch and about 2.00 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 5 of the housing 40 is about 1.30 inches. in one embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 5 degrees and about 10 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is between about 6.5 degrees and about 8.5 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angle θ of the boat tail 38 is about 7.5 degrees. the cylindrical portion of the projectile 2 comprises angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a. the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a create air disturbances that stabilize the projectile 2 in flight allowing the projectile 2 to fly straighter and be less affected by cross winds than projectiles of the prior art. for a close-up view of the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a, see fig. 35e . in one embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis between about 6 degrees and about 11 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis between about 7 degrees and about 9 degrees. in a more preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis about 8.5 degrees. in another preferred embodiment, the angled driving bands 26 a and angled relief cuts 28 a are positioned at an angle σ relative to a horizontal line or the longitudinal axis 44 about 7.5 degrees. in one embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cuts 28 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 2 of the angled relief cuts 28 a is about 0.300 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving bands 26 a is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 3 of the angled driving bands 26 a is about 0.308 inches. in alternate embodiments, the driving bands 26 a vary in number, comprising one driving band 26 a, a plurality of driving bands 26 a, two driving bands 26 a, three driving bands 26 a, and four or more driving bands 26 a. figs. 46a-d show a projectile according to a fortieth embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 of figs. 46a-d is similar to the projectiles of figs. 42a-44c . therefore, repetitive description will not be repeated here; only the differences will be discussed. the projectile has an insert 42 and a housing 40 . in some embodiments, the first nose portion 66 of the projectile 2 is angled rather than concave or convex. in other embodiments, the first nose portion 66 can be concave or convex. this projectile has cutouts 94 in the cavity of the housing 40 rather than depressions on the insert 42 . thus, the insert 42 has a substantially smooth outer surface. the housing 40 has two or more cutouts 94 , and in the embodiment shown, the housing 40 has four cutouts 94 that are evenly spaced apart. the cutouts 94 are cut using a broaching process on a mill or lathe. the cutouts 94 cause the housing 40 to flower by creating petals between the cutouts 94 when the projectile hits its target. the petals peel back to slow the projectile in its target and to create larger cavitation in the target. only a portion of the cutouts 94 are visible in fig. 46a , but the interior length of the cutouts 94 can clearly be seen in fig. 46b . the cutouts 94 extend the length l 17 of the wide portion of the cavity in the housing 40 . in one embodiment, the cutouts 94 extend ⅜ inches into the cavity. in another embodiment, the cutouts 94 extend 0.50 inches into the cavity. in yet another embodiment, the cutouts 94 extend 0.40 inches into the cavity of the housing 40 . in one embodiment, the length l 17 of the wide portion of the cavity is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.70 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 17 of the wide portion of the cavity is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.55 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 17 of the wide portion of the cavity is about 0.40 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 18 of the narrow portion of the cavity is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 18 of the narrow portion of the cavity is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 18 of the narrow portion of the cavity is about 0.22 inches. the total length l 16 of the cavity is the length l 17 of the wide portion of the cavity plus the length l 18 of the narrow portion of the cavity. in one embodiment, the diameter d 8 of the wide portion of the cavity is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 8 of the wide portion of the cavity is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 8 of the wide portion of the cavity is about 0.17 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 9 of the narrow portion of the cavity is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 9 of the narrow portion of the cavity is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 9 of the narrow portion of the cavity is about 0.125 inches. the step between the wide portion and narrow portion of the cavity has a rounded shape and is positioned at an angle τ relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the angle τ is between about 90 degrees and about 150 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle τ is about 120 degrees. the bottom of the cavity has a pointed or angled shape such that the bottom is positioned at an angle λ relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile 2 . in some embodiments, the angle λ is between about 90 degrees and about 150 degrees. in a preferred embodiment, the angle λ is about 120 degrees. this projectile 2 can be made or copper, brass, or any other known material. additionally or alternatively, skivings can be added to the exterior of the housing proximate the cutouts 94 to further help the housing 40 peel backward and flower out. figs. 47a-c show a projectile according to a forty-first embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 of figs. 47a-c is similar to the projectile of figs. 46a-d . therefore, repetitive description will not be repeated here; only the differences will be discussed. here, the projectile 2 is manufactured using injection molding or other molding process. thus, the cutouts 94 are formed as a part of the mold. additionally, the cutouts 94 do not extend down and into the cavity of the housing 40 . rather, the cutouts 94 extend from the exterior surface of the housing 40 to the cavity. in one embodiment, the length of the cutouts 95 as measured from the front 56 of the housing 40 is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.03 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length of the cutouts 95 as measured from the front 56 of the housing 40 is about 0.015 inches. in another preferred embodiment, the length of the cutouts 95 as measured from the front 56 of the housing 40 is about 0.02 inches. in this embodiment, the projectile 2 includes two cutouts 94 . however, the housing 40 can have more or fewer cutouts in other embodiments. like the cutouts in figs. 46a-d , the cutouts 94 of the present projectile 2 cause the housing 40 to flower by creating petals between the cutouts 94 when the projectile hits its target. the petals peel back to slow the projectile in its target and to create larger cavitation in the target. figs. 48a-e show a projectile according to a forty-second embodiment of the invention. the projectile 2 of figs. 48a-e is similar to the projectile of figs. 35a-e . therefore, repetitive description will not be repeated here; only the differences will be discussed. fig. 48a is a perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 48b is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 48c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 48d is a cross-sectional view. fig. 48e is a close-up view. note that figs. 48a-e are to scale. here, the projectile 2 has a housing 40 and an insert 42 . the insert 42 has a different first nose portion 66 than the insert of figs. 35a-e . this insert 42 has depressions 8 that intersect to form cutter edges 72 . additionally, the first nose portion 66 has five depressions. the depressions 8 create high and low pressure areas that allow the projectile 2 to penetrate better than prior art projectiles. the insert 42 is made of a hard material such as tungsten, steel, inconel, titanium, nickel, iron, or other hard material. by the insert 42 having cutter edges 72 and being a hard material, the projectile can penetrate armor even when shot at an angle. thus, this embodiment is intended for military or government use. the housing 40 is typically a softer material than the insert 42 , for example, brass or copper. the depressions 8 create a high-pressure area in the depressions 8 to move air around the depression 8 and not into the cavity 24 when traveling through air or in hard media. the insert 42 may also include bands 82 to help hold the insert 42 in the housing 40 . any number of bands 82 can be used in various embodiments. the bands 82 may be steps in the housing 40 and/or insert 42 that increase or decrease in height by between about 0.005 inch and 0.02 inch. the widths of the bands 82 are typically between about 0.01 inch and 0.03 inch. the bands 82 are similar to cannelures in that they are grooves around the circumference of the insert 42 used for crimping and securing the housing 40 to the insert 42 . as the projectile is shot through the barrel, the housing 40 gets pushed or squished around the insert 42 and the bands 82 help the housing 40 and insert 42 to spin together at the same rate. the projectile 2 is designed to fly at subsonic speeds, but can still penetrate armor, which is an unexpected result because typically the higher speed the projectile the better it penetrates armor. fig. 49 shows a gel target 100 after being shot by two different projectiles. the solid line and area within the solid line show the target area affected by a hollow-point bullet 102 . as shown, the hollow-point bullet enters the target and travels a distance before mushrooming out to cause greater cavitation. the dotted line and area within the dotted line show the target area affected 104 by the projectile of fig. 41 . as shown, the projectile of fig. 41 starts deforming upon impact to cause increased cavitation immediately. further, the area affected 104 by the projectile of fig. 41 is larger than the area affected 102 by a hollow-point bullet. figs. 50a-e show a projectile according to a forty-third embodiment of the invention. fig. 50a is a side elevation view of the projectile 2 . fig. 50b is a side front perspective view of the projectile 2 . fig. 50c is a top plan view of the projectile 2 . fig. 50d is a rear view. fig. 50e is a rear perspective view. the projectile 2 comprises a housing 30 made of a soft material such as copper, brass, or a copper alloy and an insert 42 made of a hard material such as tungsten or steel. the projectile has a tip 4 on one end opposite a base 30 on the other end. the projectile 2 also includes a nose portion 6 with a first nose portion 66 and a second nose portion 68 . the first nose portion 66 has a concave radius of curvature r 1 . in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.25 inches and about 3.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.35 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 1 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.40 inches and about 0.50 inches. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the ogive of the second nose portion 68 is between about 1.0 inch and about 5.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the ogive of the second nose portion 68 is between about 1.5 inches and about 3.0 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 2 of the ogive of the second nose portion 68 is about 2.0 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.75 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 1 of the projectile 2 is about 1.3 inches. in one embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.20 inches and about 0.50 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.40 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 1 of the projectile 2 is about 0.308 inches. the insert 42 is cylindrical shaped with a diameter d 6 and a length l 6 . in one embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.50 inches and about 1.5 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.75 inches and about 1.25 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 6 of the insert 42 is about 1.0 inch. in one embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the insert 42 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the diameter d 6 of the insert 42 is about 0.25 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 19 of the portion of the projectile 2 after the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.50 inches and about 2.0 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 19 of the portion of the projectile 2 after the first nose portion 66 is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.5 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 19 of the portion of the projectile 2 after the first nose portion 66 is about 1.175 inches. in one embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.25 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.20 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the length l 8 of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.125 inches. in one embodiment, the height h 1 of the rear portion of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.10 inches and about 0.35 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the height h 1 of the rear portion of the first nose portion 66 is between about 0.15 inches and about 0.30 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the height h 1 of the rear portion of the first nose portion 66 is about 0.25 inches. the base 30 is substantially flat. in one embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.01 inches and about 0.05 inches. in a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is between about 0.015 inches and about 0.03 inches. in a more preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature r 7 of the tip 4 is about 0.02 inches. the projectiles described herein can be comprised of brass, copper, copper alloys (e.g., copper nickel alloy, trillium copper alloy, etc.), an aluminum nanoparticle/nanopowder (nanotechnology) material, bronze, tungsten-carbide, alloys of these metals, or any material known in the art, including plastics and ceramics. additionally, various features/components of one embodiment may be combined with features/components of another embodiment. for example, features/components of one figure can be combined with features/components of another figure or features/components of multiple figures. to avoid repetition, every different combination of features has not been described herein, but the different combinations are within the scope of this disclosure. additionally, if details (including angles, dimensions, etc.) about a feature or component are described with one embodiment or one figure, then those details can apply to similar features of components in other embodiments or other figures. moreover, the dimensions listed herein for specific figures or embodiments are the ideal dimensions for the caliber (diameter d 1 ) shown in that figure. however, each embodiment and figure can be manufactured in various calibers and the dimensions scale with the caliber. for example, if the figure shows a 9 mm caliber projectile and the dimensions of various features for that 9 mm caliber projectile are provided herein, then a similar projectile can be manufactured with a different caliber having different—but similar—dimensions, e.g., the projectile can also be manufactured in a .40 caliber (i.e., 0.40 inch diameter) projectile with dimensions of various features that are scaled to be larger than the preferred dimensions herein for the 9 mm caliber projectile. specifically, the length (l 1 ) of the projectile will typically increase with an increased caliber, but the length (l 1 ) does not always increase proportionally to the diameter because other constraints exist, such as chamber length and the amount of gun powder needed to shoot the projectile. additionally, other lengths (e.g., l 2 , l 3 , . . . l 15 ) will increase with an increased caliber projectile. in some embodiments, the radii of curvature (e.g., r 1 , r 2 , . . . r 8 ) also increases with an increased caliber projectile. in the interest of brevity, every dimension for every possible caliber of every embodiment described or shown herein is not included herein due to the repetitive nature of the dimensions and the length of description that would be required. additionally, repetitive discussion of features/components is not included for similar embodiments or for embodiments with similar features/components. common small arms calibers range from 0.17 inch to 0.51 inch caliber projectiles. common pistol projectile calibers include: 3 mm (0.12 inch), 0.172 inch, 5 mm (0.2 inch), 0.32 inch, 9 mm (0.354 inch), 0.357 inch, 0.380 inch, 10 mm (0.39 inch), 0.40 inch, 0.44 inch, 0.45 inch, and 0.50 inch. common rifle projectile calibers include: 0.17 inch, 0.22 inch, 0.243 inch, 0.270 inch, 7 mm (0.276 inch), 0.30 inch, 0.308 inch, 0.338 inch, 0.357 inch, 0.375 inch, 0.444 inch, and 0.45 inch. in some embodiments, the angle of the depressions, troughs, or cutout portions can be oriented or measured with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile or the ogive of the remaining portion. in various embodiments, the angle of the depression's centerline or the lowest point of the trough relative to the projectile's ogive is constant. thus, the angle of the depression's centerline or the lowest point of the trough relative to the projectile's centerline may not be a constant angle; rather the angle may actually be a multitude of angles because the line of the trough follows the ogive and, therefore, is parabolic relative to the projectile's centerline. in some embodiments, the radius of curvature of the depressions are constant throughout the depression. this is especially true if the depressions are formed by cutting the projectile with a ball end mill. however, the radius of curvature of the depressions may vary throughout the depressions if the projectile and depressions are formed by casting or injection molding. further, the depths—and thus the widths—of the depressions may vary even if the depressions are cut with the same size ball end mill. the depths and widths of the depressions may be constant for all depressions or may vary throughout the depressions or each depression may be different. additionally, one embodiment can have depressions cut with a specific size ball end mill and a second embodiment may have depressions cut with the same size end mill but the depressions are cut deeper in the second embodiment, thus the depressions of the second embodiment are deeper and wider than the depressions of the first embodiment. for example, a ⅛ inch, 3/16 inch, ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, ⅜ inch, ½ inch, ⅝ inch, or % inch ball end mill, or any similarly dimensioned metric unit ball end mill, can be used to cut the depressions in projectiles according to embodiments of the present invention. in various embodiments, the shape of the depression may be curved throughout. in other embodiments, the bottom surface of the depression may come to a point such that the depression is v-shaped. in some embodiments, the end of the nose depression opposite the nose is curved and has the same radius of curvature as the radius of curvature of the depression. this is likely the case when the nose depression is cut with a ball end mill. alternatively, the lower end of the depression (the end opposite the nose) can have a flat, angled, or pointed (v-shaped) shape. these shapes are possible if the depression is cut with a flat end mill or the projectile is molded or casted. additionally, in various embodiments the intersection between the remaining portion (ridge) and depression (trough) forms an edge that can be a sharp edge with a sharp corner in various embodiments or the edge can be a rounded curved edge in other embodiments. in some embodiments, the nose portion of the projectile has one or more skivings extending from a portion of the projectile proximate the nose. the one or more skivings can extend a length between about 0.10 inches and 1.00 inch. skivings are typically used in embodiments with a housing and an insert because the skiving helps the housing to peel backward and expand upon target impact. the cylindrical portion can comprise sections that are equal to the diameter of the rifle barrel's grooves (driving bands) and alternate with a diameter equal to the diameter of lands in the rifle's bore (relief cuts). the angle of transition between these driving bands and relief cuts is 7.5-8.5 degrees in one embodiment. table 1 table 1 provides a design chart for alpha angles for given barrel rates of twist and calibers. for example, for a .308 caliber bullet fired from a barrel having a barrel rate of twist of 10 (i.e., 1 bullet rotation every 10 inches of barrel travel), the alpha angle is 5.526794 degrees. the alpha angle designs provided are representative of embodiments that have a perfect correlation to the rate of twist. experimental results the rifled projectiles have exhibited excessive velocity with no apparent gain in pressure. this is an unexpected result, as under normal circumstances this should be impossible. this unexpected result may be due to less friction within the barrel. the twisting depressions are twisting the bullet in the barrel and reducing friction when the projectile engages with the rifling. this occurs when pressures exceed roughly 50,000 psi. as the barrel warms slightly and pressures increase, the velocity increases exponentially. the greatest increase recorded was 1400 ft/s over the standard rifle projectile. this is substantial because it represents a 40% increase over normal velocity. also, the barrel heats at a slower rate and heats differently than with traditional bullets, lending further evidence of reduced friction in the barrel. under normal circumstances, the greatest heat in a barrel is experienced an inch or two after the chamber. in contrast, with respect to the projectiles disclosed herein, the barrel gets hottest near the muzzle. the high pressures are helping to twist the projectile through the rifling and thus lowering friction. when the pressures drop near the muzzle, the heat and the friction return to the barrel. there are many benefits of these results. with lower friction and less heating, barrels will last substantially longer. a lower rate of heating would have an impact on the manufacturing of machine guns, e.g., they could have lighter barrels that would last longer. cyclic rates could be raised; longer bursts and sustained fire would be possible. greater velocities mean flatter trajectories with the same case and similar weight projectiles. for a given projectile weight and caliber, a much smaller case could be employed. this means smaller lighter actions and more ammunition could be supplied for a given weight weapon system. the functional aspects of the projectile may eliminate the sound of the bullet in flight, i.e., the whistle associated with a projectile in flight. the supersonic crack of the bullet passing is still audible but lessened. in one series of tests, a bullet flew at supersonic velocity without a supersonic crack until destabilizing, after which a yaw resulted and whistling began. thus, a lower sound signature is provided. these projectiles fly flatter than traditional ones, i.e., they have a higher ballistic coefficient. the fact they do not make a whistle means there is less friction as they slide through the atmosphere. the penetration exhibited by these projectiles is greater than standard projectiles, and penetrate straighter than normal. also, the projectiles of the invention have righted themselves after glancing off an object. the shape lends itself to reestablishing the spin after the projectile has struck an object. when a normal projectile begins to yaw, penetration decreases rapidly. with the subject projectiles, the spin ensures that yaw does not result. the shape of the front of the projectile provides the capability to produce secondaries and enlarging wound channels. this will increase the size cavity of a wound inflicted by this projectile. the rapid sideways movement of media upon impact with this projectile may also explain the extra penetration that has been shown. in one embodiment of a method of manufacture, a projectile is manufactured comprising steps as follows: the basic projectile shape, i.e. the nose and profile, is cut using a lathe; depressions are cut using a combination cnc swiss screw machine (broadly, a combination cnc and lathe machine), swiss screw machine and/or cnc turning machine. the projectile is rotated as the mill machine is cutting the material (one turns the front half or the back half of the projectile as appropriate, that is, depending on which portion of projectile is being worked). the forward-most portion of the projectile is contacted while the projectile is rotating. a mill is used to cut depressions in a straight line while the projectile turns. then, cut any required driving bands; cut a radius on the back of the projectile as required; cut off back of projectile at base as required; and cut tail depression(s) as required (alternately, one can start tail portion of projectile and end with the nose portion of the projectile). while various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. however, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. further, the invention(s) described herein is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
058-635-221-083-65X	JP	[ "JP", "US" ]	G06F19/00,G06N5/02	2008-05-26T00:00:00	2008	[ "G06" ]	time-series data analyzing system, method, and program	<p>problem to be solved: to present a time-series data analyzing system, a method, and a program for generating a classifying model which can estimate a degree of a time-series change of events occurring on a predicted object and a time required for causing the change. <p>solution: the time-series data analyzing system classifies integrated groups composed of historical data and time invariant data grouped for each analyzing object based on an inclusive relation of the degree of the change of floating items included in the integrated groups and a numeric range represented by the event sequence and common-time invariant items, and generates a predictive model which makes the degree of the change of event items included in each group of the classified integrated data and the event sequence of the predicted object for representing the time required for causing the degree of the change associated with the event sequence together with classifying conditions relating to the classification. <p>copyright: (c)2010,jpo&inpit	1 . a time-series data analyzing apparatus comprising: a first storage unit that stores integrated data obtained by associating time-series data and time-invariant data with respect to a common analysis target for each of a plurality of analysis targets, the time-series data recording an event item quantitatively indicating a predetermined event occurred with a lapse of time, a time-varying item indicating a numerical value of an element related to occurrence of a corresponding event, and date and time of occurrence of the event, and the time-invariant data including one or a plurality of time-invariant items indicating a time-invariant setting content relating to the analysis target; a first generating unit that expands a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a specific set of integrated data to be analyzed, among sets of grouped integrated data for each of the analysis targets, and generates an event sequence expressing the numerical range including an amount of change of the time-varying item included in the set of grouped integrated data for each of other analysis targets; a second generating unit that classifies respective sets of the grouped integrated data based on an inclusion between the amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data and the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and also based on the time-invariant item common to respective sets, and generates a prediction model obtained by associating a prediction-target event sequence with the event sequence together with a classification condition related to the classification, the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of integrated data after being classified and an amount of time required for reaching the amount of change of the event item; and a second storage unit that stores the prediction model. 2 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first generating unit selects a plurality of the integrated data of a corresponding analysis target for each of common analysis targets from the integrated data stored in the first storage unit, and rearranges the integrated data in order of date and time of occurrence to group the integrated data. 3 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first generating unit gradually expands the numerical range until number of grouped analysis targets satisfying a condition of the numerical range becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined number. 4 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second generating unit classifies the prediction-target event sequences by using a decision tree classification model in which the event sequence is set as a route. 5 . the apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the second generating unit repeats to classify the prediction-target event sequences until number of prediction-target event sequences, which are leaf nodes, becomes a predetermined number. 6 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second generating unit calculates a difference in date and time of occurrence between the event items included in the sets of grouped integrated data as an amount of time required for each set of the classified integrated data, and designates a statistic of the amount of time required in each set of the integrated data as the amount of time required. 7 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the time-series data includes the time-varying item of a plurality of elements different from each other, the first generating unit generates the event sequence for each element of the time-varying item, and the second generating unit generates the prediction model for each of the event sequence. 8 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit that displays a prediction model stored in the second storage unit. 9 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a predicting unit that compares the time-series data and the time-invariant data of the prediction target with the classification condition in the prediction model, and derives an amount of change and an amount of time required of the event item expressed by the prediction-target event sequence, which is reached finally, as a prediction result, wherein the display unit displays a derived prediction result. 10 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a third storage unit that stores the time-series data; a fourth storage unit that stores the time-invariant data; and an integrating unit that integrates the time-series data stored in the third storage unit and the time-invariant data stored in the fourth storage unit with respect to a common analysis target included in the time-series data and the time-invariant data, wherein the first storage unit stores data integrated by the integrating unit. 11 . a time-series data analyzing method comprising: storing integrated data obtained by associating time-series data and time-invariant data with respect to a common analysis target for each of a plurality of analysis targets, the time-series data recording an event item quantitatively indicating a predetermined event occurred with a lapse of time, a time-varying item indicating a numerical value of an element related to occurrence of a corresponding event, and date and time of occurrence of the event, and the time-invariant data including one or a plurality of time-invariant items indicating a time-invariant setting content relating to the analysis target; expanding a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a specific set of integrated data to be analyzed, among sets of grouped the integrated data grouped for each of the analysis targets, and generating an event sequence expressing the numerical range including an amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data for each of other analysis targets; and classifying respective sets of the grouped integrated data based on an inclusion between the amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data and the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and also based on the time-invariant item common to respective sets, and generating a prediction model obtained by associating a prediction-target event sequence with the event sequence together with a classification condition related to the classification, the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of grouped integrated data after being classified and an amount of time required for reaching the amount of change of the event item. 12 . a computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for analyzing time-series data, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform: storing integrated data obtained by associating time-series data and time-invariant data with respect to a common analysis target for each of a plurality of analysis targets, the time-series data recording an event item quantitatively indicating a predetermined event occurred with a lapse of time, a time-varying item indicating a numerical value of an element related to occurrence of a corresponding event, and date and time of occurrence of the event, and the time-invariant data including one or a plurality of time-invariant items indicating a time-invariant setting content relating to the analysis target; expanding a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a specific set of integrated data to be analyzed, among sets of grouped integrated data for each of the analysis targets, and generating an event sequence expressing the numerical range including an amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data for each of other analysis targets; and classifying respective sets of the grouped integrated data based on an inclusion between the amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data and the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and also based on the time-invariant item common to respective sets, and generating a prediction model obtained by associating a prediction-target event sequence with the event sequence together with a classification condition related to the classification, the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of grouped integrated data after being classified and an amount of time required for reaching the amount of change of the event item.	cross-reference to related applications this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior japanese patent application no. 2008-137120, filed on may 26, 2008; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a time-series data analyzing apparatus, a time-series data analyzing method, and a computer program product that analyze time series data. 2. description of the related art conventionally, there have been various techniques for analyzing data that changes with a lapse of time in a time-series manner. for example, jp-a 2007-258731 (kokai) discloses a technique in which process state information associated with a state of a process obtained in a time-series manner and test result information for a target product subject to the process are input during a period when each process step constituting the process is being executed, thereby generating a model that represents the relation between a feature quantity of the process and the test result. although there is an apparatus that analyzes time-series data such as the above conventional technique, it cannot be understood that there have been provided an apparatus that is sufficiently effective in mechanically estimating the degree of time-series change of an event occurring in a prediction target and time required to the change. for example, in the technical field of maintenance of apparatuses or the like, test data in which aged deterioration of parts is recorded is stored in various databases. however, it is difficult to predict aged deterioration of the parts, unless multiple factors in which restoration history, operation frequency, and difference of application of the parts are compositely connected with each other are taken into consideration. in the time-series analysis according to the conventional technique, a predicted value can be estimated based on quantitative analysis, even if the multiple factors are not clear. however, it is difficult for a human to interpret a prediction model, and it cannot be understood that the prediction model is estimated based on reasonable grounds or reasons. also in regular-basis health examination data used in medical and nursing care sectors, physical conditions are different for each person, and alcohol drinking frequency, fitness habits, and food habit are also different. therefore, it can be considered that effective health guidance becomes possible if medical experts present improvement plans of lifestyle habit, taking these multiple factors into consideration. for example, in a case of improving levels of neutral fat, it can be considered to present an effective improvement plan for the multiple factors based on verification by data analysis, judged by a reasonable combination, such that although drinking of alcohol can be reduced only slightly, the level of neutral fat can be returned to a normal range after two years by increasing exercise frequency to 1.5 times. in the nursing care sector, nursing care services should be provided based on an analysis result of how a change in mental and physical conditions and the nursing care services relates to a change in the degree of need of nursing care, and how the change in mental and physical conditions corresponds to the change in the degree of need of nursing care. however, such an estimate cannot be performed according to the above conventional technique. summary of the invention according to one aspect of the present invention, a time-series data analyzing apparatus includes a first storage unit that stores integrated data obtained by associating time-series data and time-invariant data with respect to a common analysis target for each of a plurality of analysis targets, the time-series data recording an event item quantitatively indicating a predetermined event occurred with a lapse of time, a time-varying item indicating a numerical value of an element related to occurrence of a corresponding event, and date and time of occurrence of the event, and the time-invariant data including one or a plurality of time-invariant items indicating a time-invariant setting content relating to the analysis target; a first generating unit that expands a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a specific set of integrated data to be analyzed, among sets of grouped integrated data for each of the analysis targets, and generates an event sequence expressing the numerical range including an amount of change of the time-varying item included in the set of grouped integrated data for each of other analysis targets; a second generating unit that classifies respective sets of the grouped integrated data based on an inclusion between the amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data and the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and also based on the time-invariant item common to respective sets, and generates a prediction model obtained by associating a prediction-target event sequence with the event sequence together with a classification condition related to the classification, the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of integrated data after being classified and an amount of time required for reaching the amount of change of the event item; and a second storage unit that stores the prediction model. according to another aspect of the present invention, a time-series data analyzing method includes storing integrated data obtained by associating time-series data and time-invariant data with respect to a common analysis target for each of a plurality of analysis targets, the time-series data recording an event item quantitatively indicating a predetermined event occurred with a lapse of time, a time-varying item indicating a numerical value of an element related to occurrence of a corresponding event, and date and time of occurrence of the event, and the time-invariant data including one or a plurality of time-invariant items indicating a time-invariant setting content relating to the analysis target; expanding a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a specific set of integrated data to be analyzed, among sets of grouped the integrated data grouped for each of the analysis targets, and generating an event sequence expressing the numerical range including an amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data for each of other analysis targets; and classifying respective sets of the grouped integrated data based on an inclusion between the amount of change of the time-varying item included in the sets of grouped integrated data and the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and also based on the time-invariant item common to respective sets, and generating a prediction model obtained by associating a prediction-target event sequence with the event sequence together with a classification condition related to the classification, the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of grouped integrated data after being classified and an amount of time required for reaching the amount of change of the event item. a computer program product according to still another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to perform the method according to the present invention. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of a time-series data analyzing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a diagram of one example of data stored in a history-data storage unit shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a diagram of one example of data stored in a time-invariant-data storage unit shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 4 is a diagram of one example of integrated data generated from elements of data shown in fig. 2 and elements of data shown in fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a candidate event sequence; fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another candidate event sequence; fig. 7 is a flowchart of an event-sequence generating process procedure; fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an event sequence for an operation frequency of a part a 1 ; fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining branching of an event sequence; fig. 10 is a flowchart of a prediction-model generation process procedure; fig. 11 is a flowchart of a prediction-result output process procedure; fig. 12 is a block diagram of another mode of the embodiment; fig. 13 is a block diagram of still another mode of the embodiment; fig. 14 is a block diagram of still another mode of the embodiment; and fig. 15 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of the time-series data analyzing apparatus shown in fig. 1 . detailed description of the invention exemplary embodiments of a time-series data analyzing apparatus, a time-series data analyzing method, and a computer program product according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. a mode in which time series data of metal fatigue with age related to metal parts constituting a predetermined apparatus is set as an analysis target is explained below. however, applications of the present invention are not limited thereto. as shown in fig. 1 , the time-series data analyzing apparatus includes a history-data storage unit 11 , a time-invariant-data storage unit 12 , a data integrating unit 13 , an integrated-data storage unit 14 , a parameter input unit 15 , an event sequence generator 16 , a prediction model generator 17 , a prediction-model storage unit 18 , a target-data storage unit 19 , a time-series predicting unit 20 , and a result display unit 21 . the history-data storage unit 11 is a database or the like provided in a storage unit 34 described later, and stores history data (time-series data) in which an event item quantitatively indicating an event, which has occurred with a lapse of time in the analysis target, such as parts name (in the case of maintenance sector) or the mental and physical conditions (in the case of medical and nursing care sectors) is recorded together with a time-varying item indicating a quantitative numerical value related to the occurrence of the event and date and time of occurrence of the event. specifically, the degree of metal fatigue (levels 1 to 3 ), the operation frequency per month which is an element of occurrence of metal fatigue, and a restoration date are stored in association with each other as history data. fig. 2 is a diagram of one example of the history data stored in the history-data storage unit 11 . as shown in fig. 2 , the history data includes levels 1 to 3 quantitatively indicating the metal fatigue (event) having occurred with the lapse of time, the operation frequency (time-varying item) per month which is the element of occurrence of metal fatigue, and the restoration date corresponding to the date and time of occurrence of the event, for the respective parts to be analyzed. the history data is not limited to the example shown in fig. 2 . for example, when there is a plurality of types of time-varying items related to the occurrence of the event, these types of time-varying items can be included therein. the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 is a database or the like provided in the storage unit 34 , and stores time-invariant data items (time-invariant items) associated with the respective analysis targets stored in the history-data storage unit 11 . fig. 3 is a diagram of one example of data (time-invariant data) stored in the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 . as shown in fig. 3 , the time-invariant data stores installation site and material in association with each other, as the time-invariant items associated with the respective parts (a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , . . . ) shown in fig. 2 . the time-invariant data is not limited to the example shown in fig. 3 . the data integrating unit 13 couples the data stored in the history-data storage unit 11 and the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 for a common analysis target (parts name) to generate one integrated data, and stores the integrated data in the integrated-data storage unit 14 . fig. 4 is a diagram of one example of the integrated data generated from respective elements of data in the history-data storage unit 11 shown in fig. 2 and respective elements of data in the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 shown in fig. 3 . as shown in fig. 4 , the integrated data is obtained by integrating the history data stored in the history-data storage unit 11 and the time-invariant data stored in the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 for the common parts name, in which the operation frequency (number of times/month), installation site, material, restoration date, and metal fatigue are associated with each other for each parts. the integrated-data storage unit 14 is a database or the like provided in the storage unit 34 , and stores the integrated data generated by the data integrating unit 13 . the parameter input unit 15 inputs change granularity, prediction target item, and minimum number of events to the event sequence generator 16 and the prediction model generator 17 , as parameters to be used for a process performed by the event sequence generator 16 and the prediction model generator 17 . the “change granularity” is a parameter that specifies an expanded amount of a relaxed range described later. the “prediction target item” is a parameter that specifies items to be predicted in the prediction model described later, among respective items (operation frequency, installation site, material, restoration date, and metal fatigue) included in the integrated data. the “minimum number of events” is a parameter that specifies a minimum value of a leaf node classified in a decision tree classification model described later. when the respective parameters of change granularity, prediction target item, and minimum number of events are prestored in the storage unit 34 or the like, the parameter input unit 15 reads the respective parameters from the storage unit 34 , and inputs the parameters to the event sequence generator 16 and the prediction model generator 17 . when these parameters are input via an operating unit 36 or a communication unit 37 , the parameter input unit 15 inputs the input parameters to the event sequence generator 16 and the prediction model generator 17 , respectively. the event sequence generator 16 receives an input of the change granularity and prediction target item as the parameter, and selects at least two elements of integrated data for the same parts name (analysis target) to group these items. the event sequence generator 16 rearranges the grouped integrated data in order of time series based on the restoration date in the history data included in the integrated data. further, the event sequence generator 16 sequentially expands a numerical range of the time-varying item included in a chunk of a specific part, of sets of grouped integrated data (hereinafter, abbreviated as “chunk”), thereby generating a candidate event sequence representing the numerical range. generation of the candidate event sequence is explained below based on the integrated data shown in fig. 4 . it is assumed that the parameter input unit 15 specifies “granularity=50” as the change granularity, and “metal fatigue” and “restoration date” as the prediction target item. regarding one part in the integrated data stored in the integrated-data storage unit 14 , the event sequence generator 16 selects an item including a numerical value included in an entry regarding this part sequentially from the left. the event sequence generator 16 then arranges the integrated data in order of time course so that a value of the selected item changes on a time axis. in the case of integrated data shown in fig. 4 , regarding a part a 1 , the operation frequency was 300/month as of june 2007, whereas the operation frequency changed to 600/month as of january 2008. therefore, the event sequence generator 16 rearranges the set of these data in order of time course. in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 , a state after the items are rearranged in order of time course for the same parts is shown. subsequently, the event sequence generator 16 expands a range of the operation frequency of the data set (hereinafter, “chunk”) of the same parts by using the change granularity input from the parameter input unit 15 , to generate the candidate event sequence. specifically, the event sequence generator 16 expands the range of the operation frequency by using the following equation (1). “x” denotes a variable assigned with each operation frequency included in the data chunk, λ denotes the change granularity, and φ denotes a variable (initial value is 0) incremented in a range enlarging process described later. the range of the operation frequency calculated according to the following equation (1) is referred to as “relaxed range” r. r=[x−λ×φ, x++λ×φ] (1) in the chunk regarding the part a 1 , because the operation frequency is “300” and “600”, when the equation (1) is calculated under conditions of change granularity=50 and (φ=0, the operation frequency (relaxed range) in the case of x=300 becomes 300 (times/month), and the operation frequency (relaxed range) in the case of x=600 becomes 600 (times/month). that is, in the case of first time, that is, φ=0, there is no alleviation by the range, and thus it is determined whether other elements of data satisfy these conditions for the operation frequency itself. fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the candidate event sequence in the case of relaxed range being 300 (times/month) and 600 (times/month). in fig. 5 , reference letter e denotes the candidate event sequence, which includes a node for the operation frequency (relaxed range) of 300 (times/month) and a node for operation frequency (relaxed range) of 600 (times/month). arrow in fig. 5 denotes a timewise sequence of the respective nodes, and means that the state has changed from the node at an arrow source to the node at an arrow destination. in the following explanations, the node at the arrow source is referred to as “starting node”, and the node at the arrow destination is referred to as “ending node”. the relaxed range in the respective nodes is simply referred to as range of the starting node and range of the ending node. when the candidate event sequence is generated for one part, the event sequence generator 16 determines whether there is one or more chunks (parts) having record data corresponding to the relaxed range (the range of the starting node and the range of the ending node) of the candidate event sequence in the integrated data, other than the chunk which is a generation source of the candidate event sequence. in the case of the candidate event sequence in fig. 5 , the event sequence generator 16 determines that there is no part other than the part a 1 , in which the operation frequency changes from 300 times/month to 600 times/month. when having determined that there is no part corresponding to the candidate event sequence other than the part, which is the generation source of the candidate event sequence, the event sequence generator 16 increments the value of φ by one to gradually expand the relaxed range, and compares again a condition of the relaxed range of the candidate event sequence with the operation frequency included in the respective chunks. when φ=1, the relaxed range in the case of x=300 becomes the operation frequency of from 250 to 350 (times/month), and the relaxed range in the case of x=600 becomes the operation frequency of from 550 to 650 (times/month). fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the candidate event sequence in this case. also in the case of candidate event sequence e shown in fig. 6 , because there is no chunk, in which the relaxed range changes from 250 to 350 times/month to 550 to 650 times/month, other than the part a 1 , the event sequence generator 16 sets φ to 2, and further expands the relaxed range. when having determined that there is one or more chunks corresponding to the candidate event sequence other than the chunk, which is the generation source of the candidate event sequence, the event sequence generator 16 adopts (generates) the candidate event sequence as an event sequence. an operation of the event sequence generator 16 related to generation of the event sequence is explained with reference to a flowchart in fig. 7 . it is assumed that the respective parts included in the integrated data have been grouped. the event sequence generator 16 first initializes index i, which is an index at the time of selecting each item in the integrated data to 0 (step s 11 ). subsequently, one part (chunk) of the integrated data stored in the integrated-data storage unit 14 is set as a processing target, and the event sequence generator 16 selects item a i including a numerical value from an entry for the part (step s 12 ). “a i ” means the i-th item of the items including the numerical value in the entries. at the time of selecting the item at step s 12 , the item can be sequentially selected from the left of the entry or can be sequentially selected from the right. upon reception of change granularity λ i of item a i selected at step s 12 from the parameter input unit 15 (step s 13 ), the event sequence generator 16 sets φ to 0 for calculating the equation (1) (step s 14 ). subsequently, the event sequence generator 16 calculates the relaxed range for item a i included in the chunk to be processed as from j =x j −(φ×λ i ), to j =x j +(φ×λ i ) based on the equation (1) (step s 15 ). subscript j is an index for identifying the relaxed range for item a i , which is varied in a time-series manner. for example, in the case of a chunk for the part a 1 , the relaxed range for item a i included in data of restoration date june 2007, that is, the range of the starting node is expressed by from 1 =x 1 −(φ×λ i ) to to 1 =x 1 +(φ×λ i ). the relaxed range for item a i included in data of restoration date january 2008, that is, the range of the ending node is expressed by from 2 =x 2 −(φ×λ i ) to to 2 =x 2 +(φ×λ i ). the event sequence generator 16 compares to 1 of the starting node with from 2 of the ending node obtained from a calculation result at step s 15 and determines whether to 1 <from 2 to determine whether there is a contradiction in the time series sequence (step s 16 ). when it is determined that to 1 >from 2 , that is, it is determined that there is a contradiction in the time series sequence (no at step s 16 ), control proceeds to step s 21 . at step s 16 , when it is determined that to 1 <from 2 , that is, when it is determined that there is no contradiction in the time series sequence (yes at step s 16 ), the event sequence generator 16 sets the calculation result at step s 15 as a provisional condition of the event sequence and counts the number (frequency f) of chunks (parts) satisfying the condition (step s 17 ). subsequently, the event sequence generator 16 determines whether the value of f counted at step s 17 is larger than 1 (step s 18 ). when item a i for the chunk of the part a 1 indicates the operation frequency, from 1 =300, to 1 =300, from 2 =600, and to 2 =600 when φ=0, and thus it is determined that there is no contradiction at step s 16 . in this case, because there is no part satisfying the condition other than the part a 1 , the event sequence generator 16 counts as f=1 at step s 17 . at this time, because f>1 is not satisfied, the event sequence generator 16 cannot satisfy the condition at subsequent step s 18 (no at step s 18 ), and control proceeds to step s 19 . at step s 19 , the event sequence generator 16 assigns the value of from j to pfrom j , and also assigns the value of to j to pto j (step s 19 ). subsequently, the event sequence generator 16 increments the value of φ by 1 (step s 20 ), and returns to the process at step s 15 . when item a i for the chunk of the part a indicates the operation frequency, the calculation of the relaxed range when φ=1 is performed, assuming that φ=0+1, then, from 1 =250, to 1 =350, from 2 =550, and to 2 =650. in this case, because to 1 =350<from 2 =550, it is determined that there is no contradiction in the time series sequence at step s 16 . the event sequence generator 16 sets the relaxed range as the condition of the candidate event sequence, and counts up the number of chunks satisfying the condition of the candidate event sequence at step s 17 . also in this case, because only the part a 1 having x 1 =300 and x 2 =600 satisfies the condition and the frequency is f=1, the event sequence generator 16 performs the process of “no at step s 18 →step s 20 ”, and returns to the process at step s 15 . at step s 20 , when φ=1+1, because the calculation result at step s 15 is from 1 =200, to 1 =400, from 2 =500, and to 2 =700, it is determined that there is no contradiction at step s 16 . because the relaxed range is expanded, not only the part a 1 but also the chunk of a part a 3 satisfies the condition of the candidate event sequence. therefore, the frequency f counted at step s 17 becomes 2. in this case, because f>1 (yes at step s 18 ), control proceeds to step s 21 . the event sequence generator 16 respectively assigns the value of pfrom j to from j and the value of pto j to to j at step s 21 to generate the event sequence for item a i (step s 21 ). subsequently, the event sequence generator 16 determines whether all the items including the numerical value, of the entry for the part to be processed, have been selected. when having determined that there is an item not selected (no at step s 22 ), the event sequence generator 16 increments the value of i by 1 (step s 23 ), to select the next item at step s 12 . on the other hand, at step s 22 , when having determined that all the items including the numerical value have been selected (yes at step s 22 ), the event sequence generator 16 finishes the process. by performing the process, the event sequence for all the items including the numerical value is generated with respect to the part to be processed. the chunk for which the event sequence is to be generated can be predetermined or can be selected at random. alternatively, the event sequence can be generated for the respective chunks. referring back to fig. 1 , the prediction model generator 17 generates a prediction model for predicting a future state of the prediction target, designating the event sequence generated by the event sequence generator 16 and the time-invariant item included in the integrated data stored in the integrated-data storage unit 14 as components thereof. a generation example of the prediction model using the decision tree classification model is explained below. the prediction model generator 17 tests whether all the elements of data in the integrated data satisfy the condition of the event sequence generated by the event sequence generator 16 . when determining that the data satisfies the condition, the prediction model generator 17 sorts out parts set at the lower left of the node of the event sequence, and when determining that the data does not satisfy the condition, the prediction model generator 17 sorts out the parts set at the lower right thereof. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the event sequence for the operation frequency of the part a 1 mentioned above. the starting node of event sequence e 1 has the relaxed range of the operation frequency of from 200 to 400 times/month, and the ending node thereof has the relaxed range of the operation frequency of from 500 to 700 times/month. in this case, the prediction model generator 17 specifies parts a 1 and a 3 as the chunks corresponding to the ranges of the starting node and ending node, and specifies a part a 2 as the chunk not corresponding to these ranges. because the metal fatigue and restoration date have been specified as the prediction target item by the parameter input unit 15 , the prediction model generator 17 respectively arranges node e 2 relating to the metal fatigue of parts a 1 and a 3 at the lower left of the event sequence node, and arranges node e 3 relating to the metal fatigue of the part a 2 at the lower right of the node. in the following explanations, the node for the prediction target item is referred to as prediction-target event sequence. the prediction model generator 17 respectively calculates time information required for changing the state of metal fatigue, and provides the time information to the corresponding prediction-target event sequence. the “time information required for changing” means an amount of time required obtained by calculating statistics such as a mean value, a medium value, or a mode value of the time required by the respective parts to be predicted at each branch destination and further calculating the statistic of these values, and designating the calculated value as a boundary value. in fig. 8 , an example in which the mean value is set as the statistic is shown as a specific example. in this case, the amount of time required for the change of metal fatigue in prediction-target event sequence e 2 is 6 months obtained by averaging intervals 7 months and 5 months between the restoration dates for respective parts a 1 and a 3 in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 . further, the amount of time required for the change of metal fatigue in prediction-target event sequence e 3 is 15 months, which is the interval between the restoration dates for the part a 2 in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 . therefore, the boundary value between prediction-target event sequences e 2 and e 3 becomes a mean value 10.5 months of 6 months and 15 months. accordingly, the prediction model generator 17 designates the boundary value as the time information, and respectively provides “less than 10.5 months” to prediction-target event sequence e 2 and “equal to or more than 10.5 months” to prediction-target event sequence e 3 . e 2 and e 3 are the event sequences expressing a change from metal fatigue level 1 to level 3 ; however, in event sequence e 2 , metal fatigue may change from level 1 to level 3 and in event sequence e 3 , metal fatigue can possibly change from level 2 to level 3 depending on the data. in this case, respective mean values are calculated by using appropriate data corresponding to the change of the respective levels, which are then provided to event sequences e 2 and e 3 as the time information. the prediction model generator 17 then determines whether the branched event sequence can be further branched based on the minimum number of cases input from the parameter input unit 15 . referring to other items of parts a 1 and a 3 of prediction-target event sequence e 2 shown in fig. 8 , it is recognized that the material of these parts is the same steel, but is used in a different installation site (see fig. 4 ). at this time, when it is assumed that the minimum number of cases input from the parameter input unit 15 is “1”, because two parts of parts a 1 and a 3 are sorted at the lower left node, the prediction model generator 17 determines that the installation site can be further divided. the item itself of the installation site is the time-invariant item; however, as a characteristic of the present embodiment, not only the history data but also the time-invariant item can be included in the prediction model. however, when the minimum number of cases of the parts set at the time of reaching the final branch destination is limited to 2 to generate a more general decision tree model, addition of more items does not have to be performed. when the prediction model is further detailed for the item of installation site, as shown in fig. 9 , an upper part of the corresponding prediction-target event sequence, that is, in this case, node e 21 for the installation site is arranged at the lower left of the event sequence e 1 , and the node e 21 is branched to prediction-target event sequence e 22 regarding metal fatigue of the part a 3 and prediction-target event sequence e 23 regarding metal fatigue of the part a 1 . the prediction model generator 17 also calculates the boundary value between the branched event sequences and provides the boundary value to the respective prediction-target event sequences as the time information. in the case of the configuration shown in fig. 9 , the amount of time required for the change of metal fatigue in prediction-target event sequence e 22 branched to the lower left is a restoration interval of 5 months for the part a 3 in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 . further, the amount of time required for the change of metal fatigue in prediction-target event sequence e 23 branched to the lower middle is a restoration interval of 7 months for the part a 1 in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 . therefore, the boundary value between prediction-target event sequences e 22 and e 23 becomes 6 months, which is a mean value of 5 months and 7 months. because the amount of time required for the change of metal fatigue in prediction-target event sequence e 3 branched to the lower right is a restoration interval of 15 months for the part a 2 in the integrated data shown in fig. 4 , the boundary value between prediction-target event sequences e 23 and e 3 is 11 months, which is a mean value of 7 months and 15 months. to predict a future value of new data by using the decision tree (prediction model) generated in this manner, parts data to be predicted is input from an uppermost node e 1 in the decision tree and the nodes are traced based on the condition specified by the respective branched items, thereby enabling to predict a future condition (in the case of fig. 9 , metal fatigue and approximate amount of time required until reaching the condition) of the prediction target item from the prediction-target event sequence arrived finally. an operation of the prediction model generator 17 related to generation of the prediction model in the present embodiment is shown in fig. 10 . an operation of the prediction model generator 17 is explained with reference to fig. 10 . fig. 10 is a flowchart of a prediction-model generation process procedure executed by the prediction model generator 17 . the prediction model generator 17 sets the current position as a route (step s 31 ). the “route” represents a route node of the decision tree constituting the prediction model, and specifically, it is a node of the event sequence generated by the event sequence generator 16 . subsequently, the prediction model generator 17 selects item b i from the event sequence included in the integrated data or a candidate set of the time invariant items, that is, the chunk of the respective parts (step s 32 ), and calculates an amount of division information from data set d of item b 1 and the event sequence (route node) of item b i (step s 33 ). the amount of division information (gain ratio, gain_ratio) can be calculated according to, for example, the following equation (2). in the equation (2), b denotes an item, and x denotes data set for b. further, v denotes a value of an arbitrary item, and val(b) denotes a set of all values that can be taken by b. when the value of val(b) is a numerical value, the candidate set is branched into groups as the event sequences by using the boundary value, thereby branching the candidate set from the current position, and the range of the value indicated by the branched group is regarded as one item. xv denotes the data set of the event sequence at the branch destination divided by a=v. \|xv\| denotes the number of data included in data set xv. c denotes the prediction target item, and j denotes the number of types of the value taken by the prediction target item. in the equation (2), gain (b, x) denotes a gain of b, that is, an index indicating how much the amount of information (uncertainty) decreases before and after branched item b is arranged, which is derived according to the following equations (3) to (5). in the case of an example of metal fatigue, e 2 and e 3 in fig. 8 and e 21 , e 22 , and e 23 in fig. 9 generated by the event sequence generator 16 correspond to c j in the equation (5). gain( b, x )= i ( b, x )− i ( x ) (3) the prediction model generator 17 evaluates all items including the item of the event sequence generated by the event sequence generator 16 based on the amount of division information gain_ratio(b, x) obtained by the equation (2). subsequently, the prediction model generator 17 determines whether the process at step s 33 has been executed with respect to all the items included in the integrated data (step s 34 ). when having determined that there is an unprocessed item (no at step s 34 ), the prediction model generator 17 increments the value of i by 1 (step s 35 ), and returns to step s 32 to execute the process for the next item to be processed. on the other hand, at step s 34 , when having determined that the process at step s 33 has been executed to all the items (yes at step s 34 ), the prediction model generator 17 adopts an item having the largest amount of division information, of the amount of division information calculated at step s 33 , as an item to be branched, and arranges the node of the item to be branched at the current position (step s 36 ). when having determined that the number of data sets satisfying the condition, that is, the number of chunks satisfying the condition is not less than the minimum number of cases in any prediction-target event sequence (no at step s 37 ), the prediction model generator 17 newly updates the data set and the current position for all the branch destinations of the item to be branched, and removes the item to be branched adopted at step s 36 from the candidate set (step s 38 ). the prediction model generator 17 then designates the data set satisfying the condition of item b i as d for the branch destination at a subordinate position of item b i to update the current position to a branch destination node (step s 39 ), and returns to the process at step s 32 . the prediction model generator 17 recurrently repeats the process, and repeats the process from step s 32 to step s 39 until all the items have been tried as the item to be branched or until the number of data included in the data set at the branch destination becomes less than the minimum number of cases. when having determined that all the items have been tried as the item to be branched or the number of data included in the data set at the branch destination is less than the minimum number of cases (yes at step s 37 ), the prediction model generator 17 outputs the item to be branched arranged so far and the position thereof as the prediction model (step s 40 ), to finish the process. when there is an item to be branched having the same amount of division information, a plurality of prediction models is output, leaving multiple possibilities. when there is no item to be branched having the same amount of division information, one model is generated. after having generated the prediction model for each item b i , the prediction model generator 17 evaluates the respective prediction models regarding how accurately all the data sets could be predicted by using, for example, the following equation (6). error rate=number of data mispredicted/number of all elements of data (6) error rate, recall ratio, and relevance ratio can be considered as a reference of evaluation; however, the simplest error rate is adopted in the equation (6). the prediction model generated by the prediction model generator 17 and the value of an evaluation result are stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 . when a plurality of prediction models is generated by the prediction model generator 17 , the result display unit 21 can display the prediction models, for example, in descending order of error rate. the prediction-model storage unit 18 is a database or the like included in the storage unit 34 , and stores the prediction model generated by the prediction model generator 17 and the value of the evaluation result in association with each other. the target-data storage unit 19 stores data of a predetermined prediction target. for example, the target-data storage unit 19 stores parts to be predicted, history data (such as the operation frequency (times/month), restoration date, or metal fatigue) of the parts, and the time-invariant data (such as the installation site or material). the time-series predicting unit 20 receives an input of the data of the prediction target stored in the target-data storage unit 19 , and uses the prediction model stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 to predict a future state of the prediction target regarding the predetermined prediction target item. for example, when a part a 5 is newly input as the prediction target, if it is predicted that the operation frequency will change from 500 times/month to 700 times/month based on the past trend according to a method such as a regression formula, and when the installation site of the part a 5 is inland area, the material thereof is aluminum alloy, and the restoration date is apr. 1, 2007, information indicating that the metal fatigue will occur equal to or more than 6 months and less than 11 months, that is, from october 2007 to march 2008 is derived as a prediction result. it indicates to reach the branch destination node at the lower middle in fig. 9 (prediction-target event sequence e 23 ), and it means that the same result as that of the part a 1 is predicted. the result display unit 21 displays the prediction result derived from the prediction model by the time-series predicting unit 20 on a display unit 35 described later. the result display unit 21 also displays the prediction model stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 on the display unit 35 in response to an operation by a user via the operating unit 36 described later. when the prediction models are stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 , for example, the result display unit 21 can display the prediction model in descending order of error rate. the result display unit 21 reads the data set (chunk) corresponding to the prediction-target event sequence included in the prediction model from the integrated-data storage unit 14 to display the data set on the display unit 35 in response to the operation via the operating unit 36 . fig. 11 is a flowchart of a process procedure (prediction result output process) related to output of the prediction result executed by the time-series predicting unit 20 and the result display unit 21 . the time-series predicting unit 20 first obtains the prediction target data from the target-data storage unit 19 (step s 51 ). subsequently, the time-series predicting unit 20 refers to the prediction model stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 (step s 52 ), to trace the nodes corresponding to the prediction target data from the uppermost node in the prediction model based on the condition specified by the respective items to be branched, thereby deriving the item in the event sequence finally reached as the prediction result (step s 53 ). when the prediction models are stored in the prediction-model storage unit 18 , a prediction model having higher value of the evaluation result can be used, or other prediction models or all the prediction models can be used. when a specific prediction model is selected by the user based on the prediction model displayed by the result display unit 21 , the selected prediction model is used to derive the prediction result. subsequently, the result display unit 21 displays the prediction result derived at step s 53 on the display unit 35 (step s 54 ), and the process is finished. as described above, according to the present embodiment, the respective sets of the grouped integrated data are classified for each analysis target based on an inclusion with the numerical range expressed by the event sequence and are classified based on the common time-invariant item. the prediction model is generated by associating the prediction-target event sequence expressing an amount of change of the event item included in each set of integrated data after being classified and the amount of time required for reaching the amount of change with the event sequence, together with the classification condition. accordingly, by using the prediction model, the degree of time-series change of the event occurring for the prediction target and the amount of time required for reaching the change can be estimated. accordingly, a change in the prediction target on the future time axis can be known based on the time-series record of various events in the quality control or maintenance sector, and the degree of change and a changing process can be estimated based on the various records, thereby enabling to improve the operating effectiveness and safety. in the present embodiment, the history-data storage unit 11 and the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 are independently held; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. for example, only the data obtained by integrating the data contents of the history-data storage unit 11 and the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 (analysis target data) can be held. fig. 12 depicts a configuration holding only the analysis target data as another mode of the present embodiment. in fig. 12 , an analysis-target-data storage unit 22 stores the analysis target data. because the analysis target data has substantially the same contents of items as those of the integrated data, the data integrating unit 13 and the integrated-data storage unit 14 shown in fig. 1 are not required, and the event sequence generator 16 , the prediction model generator 17 , and the result display unit 21 refer to the analysis-target-data storage unit 22 . in the present embodiment, the prediction target data is held in the target-data storage unit 19 , however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the prediction target data can be directly input from an actual part (for example, sensor). fig. 13 depicts a configuration in which the prediction target data is directly input, as another mode of the present embodiment. in fig. 13 , a sensor unit 23 is a part to be predicted, and data output from the sensor unit 23 is input to the time-series predicting unit 20 as the prediction target data via a network n. in this case, the prediction target data from the sensor unit 23 can be input all the time or can be input at each predetermined period. as shown in fig. 14 , the configurations related to the two other modes explained with reference to figs. 12 and 13 can be combined. fig. 15 depicts a hardware configuration of the time-series data analyzing apparatus shown in fig. 1 . as shown in fig. 15 , the time-series data analyzing apparatus includes a central processing unit (cpu) 31 , a read only memory (rom) 32 , a random access memory (ram) 33 , the storage unit 34 , the display unit 35 , the operating unit 36 , and the communication unit 37 , and the respective units are connected with each other via a bus 38 . the cpu 31 uses the ram 33 as a work area to execute various processes in cooperation with a program stored in the rom 32 or the storage unit 34 and performs overall control of an operation of the time-series data analyzing apparatus. further, the cpu 31 realizes the respective functional units (the data integrating unit 13 , the parameter input unit 15 , the event sequence generator 16 , the prediction model generator 17 , the time-series predicting unit 20 , and the result display unit 21 ) in cooperation with a program stored in the rom 32 or the storage unit 34 . the rom 32 unrewritably stores a program or various pieces of setting information associated with the control of the time-series data analyzing apparatus. the ram 33 is a volatile memory such as a synchronous dynamic random access memory (sdram) or double data rate (ddr) memory, and functions as a work area for the cpu 31 . the storage unit 34 includes a magnetically or optically recordable recording medium, and rewritably stores a program or various pieces of setting information associated with the control of the time-series data analyzing apparatus. the storage unit 34 functions as the history-data storage unit 11 , the time-invariant-data storage unit 12 , the integrated-data storage unit 14 , the prediction-model storage unit 18 , the target-data storage unit 19 , and the analysis-target-data storage unit 22 by a storage/management mechanism such as a database included in the storage unit 34 . the storage unit 34 is not limited to a single recording medium, and can be a plurality of recording media provided corresponding to an application or can be an external recording medium connected via a network or the like. the display unit 35 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display (lcd), and displays characters and images under the control of the cpu 31 . the operating unit 36 is an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and receives information input by the user as an instruction signal to output the information to the cpu 31 . the communication unit 37 is an interface that communicates with an external device, and outputs the various elements of data received from the external device to the cpu 31 . the communication unit 37 transmits the various pieces of information to the external device under the control of the cpu 31 . while an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been explained above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes, substitutions, and additions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. for example, the program executed by the time-series data analyzing apparatus according to the above embodiment is assumed to be provided by being incorporated in the rom 32 or the storage unit 34 in advance. however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a compact disc-rom (cd-rom), a flexible disk (fd), a cd-recordable (cd-r), or a digital versatile disk (dvd) as a file of an installable format or an executable format and provided. further, the program can be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the internet and then downloaded via the network and provided, or the program can be provided or distributed via a network such as the internet. in the above embodiment, a mode in which the time-series data analyzing apparatus is used for the quality control or maintenance sector of predetermined devices (parts) has been explained. however, applications the present invention are not limited thereto, and the time-series data analyzing apparatus can be used for time-series analysis of health examination data in medical, health, and nursing care sectors or can be used for analyzing the time-series data associated with other fields. additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
064-629-458-255-241	EP	[ "TW", "EP", "CN", "WO", "US", "KR", "AU", "JP" ]	H04L5/00,H04L5/20,H04L45/122,H04W74/04,H04W56/00,H04L12/28,H04L12/43,H04L1/16	2014-12-16T00:00:00	2014	[ "H04" ]	method of transmitting data between network devices over a non-deterministic network	the invention relates to a method of transmitting data between network devices (110, 120, 130) over a non-deterministic network (100) with a multiple channel access method, wherein it is not possible to determine, whether a network device can access the non-deterministic network (100), wherein the non-deterministic network (100) comprises a plurality of network devices (110, 120, 130), comprising the steps of: synchronising clocks of individual network devices of the plurality of network devices (110, 120, 130) with each other, dividing time available for transmitting the data into timeslots, designating respective pairs of consecutive timeslots to the individual network devices of the plurality of network devices (110, 120, 130), wherein an individual network device (110, 120, 130) transfers data only during the respective pairs of timeslots designated to it and evaluating, whether a network device of the plurality of network devices (110, 120, 130) shall retransmit data, which it has already transmitted during a first timeslot of a pair timeslot, within the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots.	a method of transmitting data between network devices (1 10, 120, 130) over a non-deterministic network (100) with a multiple channel access method, wherein the non-deterministic network (100) comprises a plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130), comprising the steps of: synchronising clocks of individual network devices of the plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130) with each other (210), dividing time available for transmitting the data into timeslots (220), designating respective pairs of consecutive timeslots to the individual network devices of the plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130), wherein an individual network device (1 10, 120, 130) transfers data only during the respective pairs of timeslots designated to it, and evaluating, whether a network device of the plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130) shall retransmit data, which it has already transmitted during a first timeslot of a pair of timeslots, within the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots (340). the method of claim 1 , wherein media data is transmitted over the non- deterministic network (100) between network devices (1 10, 120, 130). the method of claim 1 or 2, wherein data with low latency is transmitted over the non-deterministic wireless (100) network between the network devices (1 10, 120, 130). the method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the evaluation is performed depending on a time to live (ttl) of the data to be transmitted. 5. the method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the timeslots are designated to the network devices (1 10, 120, 130) with a fixed offset at the beginning of the timeslot. 6. the method of any one of the previous claims, wherein a first clock of a first network device of the plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130) shall be synchronised (210) with a second clock of a second network device of the plurality of network devices (1 10, 120, 130), wherein the first clock of the first network device and the second clock of the second network device can differ by an offset and the offset can change over time due to a drift, wherein synchronising the first clock of the first network device with the second clock of the second network device (210) comprises the steps of: determining the drift between the first clock of the first network device and the second clock of the second network device in a first step, compensating for the determined drift between the first clock of the first network device and the second clock of the second network device in a second step, and determining and compensating for the offset between the first clock of the first network device and the second clock of the second network device in a third step.	description title method of transmitting data between network devices over a non-deterministic network the invention relates to a method of transmitting data between network devices over a non-deterministic network. prior art ieee 802.1 1 is a standard for wireless networks, which has been used for more than a decade and has created a capability for transmitting wideband data over a wireless interface. whilst the first generation (ieee 802.1 1 b) only had limited data throughput, the recent upgrade to ieee 802.1 1 η has increased this number significantly. with the addition of multiple streams (multiple input multiple output, mimo) data throughput has increased to 600 mbps and will keep on increasing in the future. already the first version of ieee 802.1 1 gave the opportunity to have a wireless extension to the ethernet network and also to be able to run all protocols that run on top of the ethernet physical layer (such as ip, tcp/ip and udp/ip) on top of the 802.1 1 phy/mac (physical layer/media access control). for the (wired) ethernet network there are various protocols to transmit media data, particularly with a low latency (e.g. cobranet, dante, ravenna, avb, livewire). all of these protocols have specific requirements on latency, packet rate and bandwidth. one of the key characteristics of the 802.1 1 mac (media access control) is that it uses a so called carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (csma ca) channel access mechanism. a multitude of network devices can be connected to the same transmission medium to transmit over it and to share its capacity. this mechanism causes non-determinism in the actual data transfer. thus, those kinds of networks are referred to as non-deterministic networks. apart from wireless networks, other examples of such non-deterministic networks are bus networks, ring networks, star networks or half-duplex point-to-point links. with this multitude of network devices sharing the non-deterministic networks, it is not possible to determine, whether a network device can access the medium. moreover, it is difficult or can even be impossible to predict, whether a network device is able to transmit data over the non-deterministic network. if a media data (media data packet) is sent to the network interface then the actual transmission might be delayed depending on whether the non-deterministic medium is sensed as busy or not. traditional media/data streaming applications take care of this non-determinism by adding (large) data buffers and only start playback when the buffer is filled. this however adds a lot of latency (often in the range of 1 s or more) to the media/data stream. moreover, these known implementations were designed for wired networks and are usually not compatible with non-deterministic networks. because of this non-determinism it is not realistic to send the above mentioned low latency protocols over a non-deterministic network using a csma like mac (like e.g. 802.1 1 ) and achieve a good performance. thus, the task of the invention is to provide a method to transmit data, particularly low latency media data, over a non-deterministic network and achieve a good performance and a low latency. disclosure of the invention according to the invention, a method of transmitting data between network devices over a non-deterministic network with the features of the independent claim 1 is suggested. non-deterministic networks are especially networks, with a (multiple) channel access method, i.e. networks, wherein it is not possible to determine a time needed for a network device to access the non-deterministic network. especially it is not possible to determine, whether a network device can access the non- deterministic network. moreover, it is not possible to determine with certainty, whether a network device can transmit data over the non-deterministic network (variable, not predictable latency). the method according to the invention comprises three phases: a synchronisation phase, a scheduling phase, and a retransmission phase. in the synchronisation phase, the network devices in the non-deterministic network are synchronised. particularly, a first clock of a first network device and a second clock of a second network device are synchronised. this way, all network devices within a plurality of network devices have the same notion of time and hence a common time base to operate with. this synchronisation is preferably achieved by a precision time protocol (ptp). with the clocks of every network device synchronised, the scheduling phase can be executed. the time, particularly available time in which data can be transmitted, is divided in timeslots. the timeslots are respectively designated to the network devices. the timeslots are divided into pairs of consecutive timeslots. those pairs of timeslots are designated to the network devices. hence, always pairs of consecutive timeslots are designated to the network devices. the individual network devices are only allowed to transmit data during their respectively designated pairs of timeslots. particularly, a master, e.g. a station controller of the non-deterministic network, designates the pairs of timeslots to the network devices. due to the synchronisation of the clocks of the network devices, this scheduling is possible. due to the common time base of all the network devices a binding schedule for all network devices can be set, which all network devices are able to stick to. this way a time division multiplex (tdm) can be defined. thus the data transmission of the network devices can be scheduled. this way it is possible to prevent self interference in the non-deterministic network. preferably, the timeslots are designated to the individual network devices with a fixed timeslot-offset at the beginning of the timeslot. hence there is a fixed timeslot-offset between the beginning of the timeslot and the beginning of the data and/or data packet. this way collision between the data and/or data packets of different network device in consecutive timeslots is avoided. the respective pairs of timeslots are preferably designated to the individual network devices according to a latency of the data to be transmitted. this way it is achieved that data with low latency is transmitted accordingly. alternatively of additionally, the respective pairs of timeslots are particularly designated to the network devices according to the current (amount of) data to be transmitted by the network devices. the respective pairs of timeslots are designated to network devices, which have to transmit data. particularly, the network devices, which have to transmit data, can make an appropriate announcement to the master. according to these announcements, the master designates the timeslots. the pairs of timeslots can also be designated a priori. particularly, the pairs of timeslots can be consecutively designated to the network devices, i.e. the individual network devices are allowed to transfer data in a fixed order and in constant time intervals. the respective pairs of timeslots can also be designated to the network devices according to priority of the individual network devices. that means network devices with a higher priority, which transmit data of a higher priority, are designated pairs of timeslots to more often. hence, the network devices with higher priority are allowed to transfer data more often than network devices with lower priority. the pairs of timeslots can also be designated to the network devices according to activity of the network devices. this means that more pairs of timeslots are designated to more active network devices, which transfer more data than less active network devices. the retransmission phase addresses the case, that a network device retransmits data. particularly, the data is compiled in data packets. the network device transmits the data/data packets during a first timeslot of a designated pair of timeslots. afterwards it is evaluated, whether the network device shall retransmit that said data/data packet, which it has already transmitted during the first timeslot of the pair timeslot, within the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots. if it is evaluated that the network device shall retransmit the data/data package, the network device retransmits the data/data package within said second timeslot of the pair of timeslots. according to the invention, a network device transmits data twice, whenever possible. it is evaluated, whether it makes sense and whether it is reasonable to retransmit the data. if that is the case, the network device retransmits the data in the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots. thus, data/data packets are generally transmitted twice by a network device. this way, it can particularly be guaranteed that data is received at the corresponding recipient. if the transmission within the first timeslot of the pair of timeslots is not received at the corresponding recipient or is received defective, it is (almost) certain, that the transmission within the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots is received. prior art solutions, like e.g. the ieee 802.1 1 standard, especially the ieee 802.1 1 mac standard, provide acknowledgement signals (ack) and retransmissions. acknowledgement signals (ack) confirm receipt of the data. data is retransmitted, until an acknowledgement signal is received. these acknowledgement signals and retransmissions cause additional traffic and strain the non-deterministic network's data transfer. these problems are overcome by the invention. according to the invention, the first timeslot of the pair of timeslots designated to a network device is reserved for transmitting the data once. the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots designated to a network device is reserved for transmitting the data a second time. thus, acknowledgement signals do not have to be applied. moreover the retransmission of data is arranged and controlled. particularly, it is evaluated whether it makes sense or whether it is possible to retransmit the data during the remaining time of the current pair of timeslots. if it is evaluated not to retransmit the data, the data is lost. the data can then again be transmitted in the next pair of timeslots designated to the corresponding network device. this evaluation and the retransmission phase are particularly executed by using a forward error correction (fec) and/or a packet loss concealment (plc). the invention prevents self interference and reduces traffic in the non- deterministic network. when a network device transmits data over the non- deterministic network, this data transmission will not be interfered with or delayed. the non-deterministic network cannot be too busy or overloaded, since only designated network devices are allowed to transmit data at any given time. moreover, the data transmission according to the invention in the non- deterministic network is deterministic. it is prevented that data transmissions are unforeseeably delayed, cancelled or disturbed. data transmission can be executed with a good performance and a low latency. with the invention, the data can be transmitted over the non-deterministic medium using established standards like csma (like e.g. 802.1 1 ), but nevertheless a good performance and a low latency can be achieved. preferably, media data is transmitted over the non-deterministic network. alternatively or additionally, data with low latency is preferably transmitted over the non-deterministic network. with the possibility of achieving good performance and low latency, the method according to the invention is especially convenient for media data and/or data with low latency. the non-deterministic network is particularly part of a media network. the network devices are particularly designed as multi-media devices like e.g. television devices or media players. the invention is especially convenient for streaming media data like audio and/or video data over the non-deterministic network. preferably, the evaluation in the retransmission phase is performed depending on the time to live (ttl) of the data. the time to live defines a time or time interval, in which it is reasonable to transfer data. when the time to live has elapsed, the data is discarded. it is particularly evaluated, whether the time to live is larger than a packet duration of the data/data packets. if this is the case, the data is retransmitted within the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots. particularly, if the remaining time to live is smaller than the packet duration, it is determined that the data shall not be retransmitted. a network device comprises at least one clock, particularly at least two clocks. particularly, one clock of a slave is a cpu clock, i.e. a master clock of the corresponding network device. particularly, another clock of a slave is a data clock, especially a time-sensitive data clock. this data clock is particularly used for data transfer over the non-deterministic network. the synchronisation of the network devices in the synchronisation phase can be achieved by numerous appropriate methods. in the following, a first network device of the non-deterministic network is considered to be a master and a second network device of the non-deterministic network is considered to be slave. a clock of the slave, particularly a data clock of the slave, is adjusted in order to adapt this clock of the slave (referred to as slave clock) to a clock of the master (referred to as master clock). for synchronising two clocks, two values or parameters are of special importance: the offset and the drift. the offset is an instantaneous difference between two clocks. the drift is an increase of this offset over time. the offset usually also takes in account a delay time (also referred to as transmit delay time or transfer delay time). this delay time is the time it takes to transmit data between the master and the slave and vice versa. offset and drift have to be zero for clocks to be in lock. particularly, the offset and drift of a slave clock is adjusted to zero in order to synchronise this slave clock with a master clock. in some known implementations, the drift is used to compensate the offset and create a control-loop. a convergence time of this control-loop depends on the absolute offset, including the delay time. usually, a certain time is required to reach the lock state, time to drift until the offset of the slave clock is zero. if the offset is large, the initial drift takes a long time. thus it can take a long time until two clocks are synchronised. an often used solution is a hard adjustment of the slave's system clock. however, this can have (stability) consequences for clocks, which are derived from this system clock. furthermore, the use of the system clock potentially introduces unwanted behaviour, for example all derived clocks (also referred to as peripherals) will have a "variable" frequency instead of only the clock that requires the synchronisation. according to a preferred method of synchronising clocks in non-deterministic networks, a deterministic approach is used instead of an adaptive approach. in course of this deterministic approach the clocks are particularly synchronised in a step based approach. the drift as well as the offset are determined directly and are compensated for specifically. this way, synchronisation of the clocks can be achieved very fast in a short time. synchronisation is particularly achieved by exchanging appropriate data, particularly appropriate messages and/or requests. this data is especially exchanged in form of data packets, i.e. appropriate synchronisation packets. in particular, the slave clock is decoupled from any other clock in the non- deterministic network. thus, all the clocks of all the network devices are decoupled from each other. particularly, each clock of a single network device is decoupled from all the other clocks of said network device, as well as decoupled from any other clock of any other network device. hence, the slave clock of the slave, which is synchronised with the master clock, is adjusted independently and separately from any other clock of any other clock of any other network device in the non-deterministic network. in particular, the slave clock, which is synchronised, is decoupled from the slave's system clock or local clock respectively, particularly from the slave's cpu clock. hence, the slave's local/system clock is not adjusted in the course of this method and does not need to be adapted in order to synchronise the slave clock and the master clock. this gives more stability to the system of the slave and to other clocks, derived from the local/system clock. this decoupling of the clocks provides numerous advantages and possibilities. thus, smooth adjustments can be made to the data clock. it is also possible to have multiple data clocks of different rates. particularly, the slave clock, which is synchronised, is a time- sensitive data clock. particularly, time of day (tod) is used as an absolute time of the master clock. the time of day contains the information year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and nanosecond. using the time of day, time-sensitive data can also be transmitted between different non-deterministic networks. in a first step of the step based approach, an analysing step, a drift of the two clocks is determined. in a second step, a drift compensation step, the drift is compensated for by adjusting the slave clock accordingly. with the drift compensated, the slave clock and the master clock are in a stable situation. particularly, this drift compensation is accomplished in a single update of the slave clock. by this update, the slave clock is forced into said stable situation. for this update, a relation between a control signal and a clock deviation must be known. this control signal is particularly a signal, with which the slave clock is adjusted, particularly by the clock deviation. after this update, the master clock and the slave clock are in a stable situation and hence there is no drift between these two clocks. but an (initial) offset between the two clocks will usually be present. in a third step, an offset correction step, the offset is determined and compensated for. particularly, also the (transfer) delay time is compensated for in this second offset correction step. particularly, the delay time does not have to be determined specifically, but is compensated for automatically along with the offset. in particular, the drift and the offset are determined as follows: the master transmits a first synchronisation message at a first transmission-time. the slave receives that first synchronisation message at a first receive-time. the master sends a second synchronisation message at a second transmission-time. the slave receives that second synchronisation message at a second receive-time. the drift between the master clock and the slave clock is determined taking into account the first and second receive-time as well as the first and second transmission-time. the determined drift is then compensated for. the offset between the slave clock and the master clock is particularly determined by a delay/response request. the master transmits a third synchronisation message at a third transmission-time and the slave receives the third synchronisation message at a third receive-time. afterwards the slave transmits a delay request at a fourth transmission-time and the master receives the delay request at a fourth receive-time. the offset is particularly determined by the third receive-time, the third transmission-time, the fourth transmission-time and the fourth receive-time. the offset is then compensated for. this preferred method of synchronising clocks in non-deterministic networks is particularly convenient for transmitting time-sensitive data, such as media data, via the non-deterministic network. for example time-sensitive data can be transmitted from the second network device to a third network device. the third network device is synchronised with the first network device, i.e. the master, in the same way as the second network device. this way, the clocks of the second and the third network device are synchronised as well. hence, the slave clock which is synchronised with the master clock is particularly a time-sensitive data clock. the master clock or the master in general is particularly a time-sensitive data master clock device. time-sensitive data can be streaming data or streaming media, which are transmitted in the non-deterministic network of an entertainment system. time- sensitive data can also be event-driven data, for example measurement or voting data. such data can for example be transmitted between electronic control units (ecu) via a non-deterministic network. the present invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which figure 1 schematically shows a non-deterministic network, which is designed to execute a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention, figure 2 schematically shows a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention as a flow chart, and figure 3 schematically shows a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention as a flow chart. detailed description in figure 1 a non-deterministic network, in particular a wireless network, which is designed to execute a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention, is schematically depicted and labelled as 100. the wireless network 100 comprises a plurality of network devices. three network devices 1 10, 120, and 130 are depicted exemplarily in figure 1 . the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 are connected with each other by a wireless link, designated 101 . the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 are considered as slaves. a master 150 constitutes a further network device, which controls the wireless network 100. the master 150 is for example designed as a station controller of the wireless network 100. the master 150 particularly controls data transmission between the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 over the wireless network 100. the wireless network 100 is particularly designed as a media network. the individual network devices 1 10, 120, 130 are particularly designed as media devices such as television devices, media players, and/or hi-fi equipment. the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 exchange data over the wireless network 100, particularly media data with low latency. in order to coordinate this data exchange, the master 150 is particularly designed to execute a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention. this preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is depicted in figure 2 schematically as a flow chart. in step 210 the master 150 during a synchronisation phase synchronises clocks of the individual network devices 1 10, 120, and 130. time distributed by a clock of the master 150 is an absolute time. the clocks of the network devices 1 10, 120, and 130 are adjusted to be in lock with the clock of the master 150. particularly, the master 150 and the network devices 1 10, 120, and 130 exchange appropriate synchronisation-data, such as e.g. sync messages and delay requests and delay responses. with the clocks of the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 and the master 150 synchronised, the master performs a scheduling phase in step 220. the master divides the time available for transmission of data in the wireless network 100 into timeslots. moreover the master 150 designates respective pairs of consecutive timeslots to the individual network devices 1 10, 120, 130. the network devices 1 10, 120, 130 transmit data only during their designated respective pairs of timeslots. in step 230 a certain pair of timeslots begins. in step 240, the corresponding network device, e.g. 1 10, transmits data over the wireless network 100 to a receiving entity, e.g. a media receiver device, during this pair of timeslots. indicated by label 250, after this pair of timeslots, the consecutive pair of timeslots begins and the corresponding network device, e.g. 120, transmits data over the wireless network 100. in figure 3 the process of transmitting data according to step 240 is depicted in detail, schematically as a flow chart. in step 310 a first timeslot of a pair of timeslots begins. a packet trigger concerning specific data and/or a specific data packet is activated/triggered. thus, the corresponding network device, e.g. 1 10, transmits this specific data/data packet in step 320. in step 330 the transmission of this specific data/data packet is completed and the first timeslot of said pair of timeslots ends. in step 340 it is evaluated, whether the network device 1 10 shall retransmit the specific data/data packet in a second timeslot of the current pair of timeslots. in step 340 it is evaluated, whether the packet duration is smaller than time to live (ttl) of the certain data/data packet if this is the case (label 341 ), the specific data/data packet is retransmitted in step 350 in the second timeslot of the pair of timeslots. if this is not the case (label 342), step 360 is performed. step 360 is also performed after the retransmitting of the specific data/data packet in step 350. in step 360 the network device 1 10 waits until another packet trigger concerning data and/or data packets is activated/triggered. then the network device 1 10 begins again with step 310. steps 310 to 360 are performed until the timeslot of network device 1 10 ends.
065-540-512-357-35X	US	[ "JP", "US", "CN", "WO", "EP" ]	B29C64/106,B29C64/264,B29C64/30,B33Y10/00,B29C64/129,B29C64/124,B29C64/135,B33Y70/00,C08L63/00,G03F7/00,G03F7/16,B29C64/379,B33Y40/20,C08G18/10,C08G18/48,B29C67/00,B33Y70/10,B29C64/336,B33Y30/00,C08G18/32,C08G18/72,C08G18/80,C08G59/00,B29C41/02	2015-12-22T00:00:00	2015	[ "B29", "B33", "C08", "G03" ]	dual precursor resin systems for additive manufacturing with dual cure resins	a method of forming a dual cure three-dimensional object by additive manufacturing may be carried out by mixing a first precursor liquid and a second precursor liquid to produce a polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component (e.g., a second reactive component) that is different from the first component (e.g., that does not contain a cationic photoinitiator, or is further solidified by a different physical mechanism, or further reacted, polymerized or chain extended by a different chemical reaction). in the foregoing: (i′) at least one reactant of the second solidifiable component is contained in the first precursor liquid, and (ii′) at least one reactant or catalyst of the second solidifiable component is contained in the second precursor liquid. once mixed, the three-dimensional object may be formed from the resin by a dual cure additive manufacturing process.	1. a combination comprising precursor resin compositions which on mixing together produce an epoxy dual cure resin useful for additive manufacturing, said combination comprising: (a) a first, pseudoplastic, precursor resin composition, comprising: (i) an organic hardener co-polymerizable with an epoxy resin, said organic hardener in solid particulate form and dispersed in said first precursor resin composition; (ii) optionally, a first photoinitiator; (iii) first monomers and/or first prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; (iv) optionally, a first light absorbing pigment or dye; (v) optionally, a first diluent; (vi) optionally, a first particulate filler; and (vii) optionally, a first co-monomer and/or a first co-prepolymer with said epoxy resin; and (b) a second precursor resin composition wherein the second precursor resin composition consists essentially of (i) said epoxy resin that is co-polymerizable with said organic hardener; (ii) a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with said first monomers and/or said first prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin, wherein said dual reactive compound is present in the second precursor resin composition in amount of 1 to 30 percent by weight; (iii) optionally, a second photoinitiator that is the same as or different from said first photoinitiator; (iv) optionally, second monomers and/or second prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light wherein said second monomers are the same as or different from said first monomers and wherein the second prepolymers are the same as or different from said first prepolymers; (v) a second light absorbing pigment or dye that is the same as or different from said first light absorbing pigment or dye; (vi) optionally, a second diluent that is the same as or different from said first diluent; (vii) optionally, a second particulate filler that is the same as or different from said first particular filler; and (viii) optionally, a second co-monomer and/or second co-prepolymer with said epoxy resin, wherein said second co-monomer is the same as or different from the first monomer and said second co-prepolymer is the same as or different from said first co-prepolymer, wherein said first photoinitiator is included in said first precursor resin composition and/or said second photoinitiator is included in said second precursor resin composition. 2. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said epoxy resin comprises a bisphenol a epoxy resin, a bisphenol f epoxy resin, a novolac epoxy resin, an aliphatic epoxy resin, a glycidylamine epoxy resin, an epoxidized vegetable oil, or a combination thereof. 3. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said hardener comprises an amine, and/or said epoxy resin comprises a catalyzed epoxy resin. 4. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said hardener comprises an acid, a phenol, an alcohol, a thiol, or an anhydride. 5. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said hardener comprises a latent hardener. 6. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said first monomers said first prepolymers, said second monomers, and/or said second prepolymers polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light comprises reactive end groups selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates, α-olefins, n-vinyls, acrylamides, methacrylamides, styrenics, epoxides, thiols, 1,3-dienes, vinyl halides, acrylonitriles, vinyl esters, maleimides, vinyl ethers, and combinations thereof. 7. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said first light absorbing pigment or dye and/or said second light absorbing pigment or dye is: (i) titanium dioxide, (ii) carbon black, and/or (iii) an organic ultraviolet light absorber. 8. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said first diluent is present in said first precursor resin composition and/or said second diluent is present in said second precursor resin composition and said first diluent and/or second diluent comprises an acrylate, a methacrylate, a styrene, an acrylic acid, a vinylamide, a vinyl ether, a vinyl ester, polymers containing any one or more of the foregoing, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing. 9. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said first particulate filler is present in said first precursor resin composition and/or said second particulate filler is present in said second precursor resin composition, and said first particulate filler and/or said second particulate filler comprises a core-shell rubber. 10. the combination of claim 1 , wherein upon mixing said first and second precursor resin compositions, is formed a polymerizable liquid comprising: from 0.1 to 4 percent by weight in total of said first photoinitiator and said second photoinitiator; from 10 to 90 percent by weight in total of said first monomers and/or first prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light and said second monomers and/or second prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; from 0.1 to 2 percent by weight in total of said first light absorbing pigment or dye and said second light absorbing pigment or dye; from 2 to 60 percent by weight of said epoxy resin; from 1 to 40 percent by weight of said organic hardener; from 1 to 30 percent by weight of said dual reactive compound; from 1 to 40 percent by weight in total of said first diluent and said second diluent, when present; and from 1 to 50 percent by weight in total of said first filler and said second filler, when present. 11. a precursor resin composition useful for making a dual cure resin which is, in turn, useful for additive manufacturing, said precursor resin composition consisting essentially of: (i) from 2 to 60 percent by weight of an epoxy resin co-polymerizable with an organic hardener; (ii) from 1 to 30 percent by weight of a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin; (iii) from 0.1 to 4 percent by weight of a photoinitiator; (iv) from 10 to 90 percent by weight of monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; (v) from 0.1 to 2 percent by weight of a light absorbing pigment or dye; (vi) from 1 to 40 percent by weight of a diluent; and (vii) optionally, from 1 to 50 percent by weight of a particulate filler. 12. the precursor resin composition of claim 11 , wherein said epoxy resin comprises a bisphenol a epoxy resin, a bisphenol f epoxy resin, a novolac epoxy resin, an aliphatic epoxy resin, a glycidylamine epoxy resin, an epoxidized vegetable oil, or a combination thereof. 13. the precursor resin composition of claim 11 , wherein said monomers and/or prepolymers polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light comprise reactive end groups selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates, α-olefins, n-vinyls, acrylamides, methacrylamides, styrenics, epoxides, thiols, 1,3-dienes, vinyl halides, acrylonitriles, vinyl esters, maleimides, vinyl ethers, and combinations thereof. 14. the precursor resin composition of claim 11 , wherein said light absorbing pigment or dye is: (i) titanium dioxide, (ii) carbon black, and/or (iii) an organic ultraviolet light absorber. 15. the precursor resin composition of claim 11 , wherein said diluent comprises an acrylate, a methacrylate, a styrene, an acrylic acid, a vinylamide, a vinyl ether, a vinyl ester, polymers containing any one or more of the foregoing, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing. 16. the precursor resin composition of claim 11 , wherein said particulate filler is present and comprises a core-shell rubber. 17. the combination of claim 1 , wherein said second precursor resin consists essentially of: from 2 to 60 percent by weight of said epoxy resin; from 1 to 30 percent by weight of said dual reactive compound; from 0.1 to 4 percent by weight of said second photoinitiator; from 10 to 90 percent by weight of said second monomers and/or second prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; from 0.1 to 2 percent by weight of said second light absorbing pigment or dye; from 1 to 40 percent by weight of said second diluent; and from 1 to 50 percent by weight of said second particulate filler when present.	related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/755,385, filed on feb. 26, 2018, which in turn is a 35 u.s.c. § 371 national phase entry of international application no. pct/us2016/067739, filed dec. 20, 2016, and which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/270,829, filed dec. 22, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. field of the invention the present invention concerns materials, methods and apparatus for the fabrication of solid three-dimensional objects from liquid materials, and objects so produced. background of the invention in conventional additive or three-dimensional fabrication techniques, construction of a three-dimensional object is performed in a step-wise or layer-by-layer manner. in particular, layer formation is performed through solidification of photo curable resin under the action of visible or uv light irradiation. two techniques are known: one in which new layers are formed at the top surface of the growing object; the other in which new layers are formed at the bottom surface of the growing object. if new layers are formed at the top surface of the growing object, then after each irradiation step the object under construction is lowered into the resin “pool,” a new layer of resin is coated on top, and a new irradiation step takes place. an early example of such a technique is given in hull, u.s. pat. no. 5,236,637, at fig. 3 . a disadvantage of such “top-down” techniques is the need to submerge the growing object in a (potentially deep) pool of liquid resin and reconstitute a precise overlayer of liquid resin. if new layers are formed at the bottom of the growing object, then after each irradiation step the object under construction must be separated from the bottom plate in the fabrication well. an early example of such a technique is given in hull, u.s. pat. no. 5,236,637, at fig. 4 . while such “bottom-up” techniques hold the potential to eliminate the need for a deep well in which the object is submerged by instead lifting the object out of a relatively shallow well or pool, a problem with such “bottom-up” fabrication techniques, as commercially implemented, is that extreme care must be taken, and additional mechanical elements employed, when separating the solidified layer from the bottom plate due to physical and chemical interactions therebetween. for example, in u.s. pat. no. 7,438,846, an elastic separation layer is used to achieve “non-destructive” separation of solidified material at the bottom construction plane. other approaches, such as the b9creator™ 3-dimensional printer marketed by b9creations of deadwood, s. dak., usa, employ a sliding build plate. see, e.g., m. joyce, us patent app. 2013/0292862 and y. chen et al., us patent app. 2013/0295212 (both nov. 7, 2013); see also y. pan et al., j. manufacturing sci. and eng. 134, 051011-1 (october 2012). such approaches introduce a mechanical step that may complicate the apparatus, slow the method, and/or potentially distort the end product. continuous processes for producing a three-dimensional object are suggested at some length with respect to “top-down” techniques in u.s. pat. no. 7,892,474, but this reference does not explain how they may be implemented in “bottom-up” systems in a manner non-destructive to the article being produced, which limits the materials which can be used in the process, and in turn limits the structural properties of the objects so produced. southwell, xu et al., us patent application publication no. 2012/0251841, describe liquid radiation curable resins for additive fabrication, but these comprise a cationic photoinitiator (and hence are limited in the materials which may be used) and are suggested only for layer by layer fabrication. velankar, pazos, and cooper, journal of applied polymer science 162, 1361 (1996), describe uv-curable urethane acrylates formed by a deblocking chemistry, but they are not suggested for additive manufacturing, and no suggestion is made on how those materials may be adapted to additive manufacturing. accordingly, there is a need for new materials and methods for producing three-dimensional objects by additive manufacturing that have satisfactory structural properties. summary of the invention described herein are methods, systems and apparatus (including associated control methods, systems and apparatus), for the production of a three-dimensional object by additive manufacturing. in preferred (but not necessarily limiting) embodiments, the method is carried out continuously. in preferred (but not necessarily limiting) embodiments, the three-dimensional object is produced from a liquid interface. hence they are sometimes referred to, for convenience and not for purposes of limitation, as “continuous liquid interface production,” “continuous liquid interphase printing,” or the like (i.e., “clip”). a schematic representation of an embodiment thereof is given in fig. 2 herein. the present invention provides a method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising: (a) (i) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween, or (ii) providing a carrier in a polymerizable liquid reservoir, the reservoir having a fill level, the carrier and the fill level defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of: (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable (or second reactive) component different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light (through the optically transparent member when present) to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and advancing (e.g., advancing concurrently—that is, simultaneously, or sequentially in an alternating fashion with irradiating steps) the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing (e.g., further reacting, polymerizing, or chain extending) the second solidifiable or reactive component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object. optionally, a wash step may be included between formation of the three-dimensional intermediate and the subsequent solidifying and/or curing step (d) by which the three-dimensional object is formed. any suitable wash liquid may be employed (e.g., bio-solv™ solvent replacement; purple power™ degreaser/cleaner; simple green® all purpose cleaner; a 50:50 volume:volume mixture of water and isopropanol, etc. see also, u.s. pat. no. 5,248,456). in some embodiments, the second component comprises: (i) a polymerizable liquid solubilized in or suspended in the first component; (ii) a polymerizable solid solubilized in the first component; or (iii) a polymer solubilized in the first component. in other embodiments, the second component comprises: (i) a polymerizable solid suspended in the first component; or (ii) solid thermoplastic or thermoset polymer particles suspended in the first component. in some embodiments, the first component comprises a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer and (optionally but in some embodiments preferably) a reactive diluent, and the second component comprises a chain extender. the first components react together to form a blocked polymer scaffold during the irradiating step, which is unblocked by heating or microwave irradiating during the second step to, in turn, react with the chain extender. in some embodiments, the reactive blocked component comprises a reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate and/or chain extender, alone or in combination with a reactive blocked prepolymer, and other unblocked constituents (e.g., polyisocyanate oligomer, diisocyanate, reactive diluents, and/or chain extender). in some embodiments, reactive blocked prepolymers, diisocyanates, branched isocyanates, and/or chain extenders are blocked by reaction of (i.e., are the reaction product of a reaction between) a polyisocyanate oligomer, an isocyanate, and/or a chain extender with an amine (meth)acrylate, alcohol (meth)acrylate, maleimide, or n-vinylformamide monomer blocking agent. in some embodiments, the three-dimensional intermediate is collapsible or compressible (e.g., elastic). in some embodiments, the scaffold is continuous; in other embodiments, the scaffold is discontinuous (e.g., an open or closed cell foam, which foam may be regular (e.g., geometric, such as a lattice) or irregular). in some embodiments, the three-dimensional object comprises a polymer blend (e.g., an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, a sequential interpenetrating polymer network) formed from the first component and the second component. in some embodiments, the polymerizable liquid comprises from 1, 2 or 5 percent by weight to 20, 30, 40, 90 or 99 percent by weight of the first component; and from 1, 10, 60, 70 or 80 percent by weight to 95, 98 or 99 percent by weight of the second component (optionally including one or more additional components). in other embodiments, the polymerizable liquid comprises from 1, 2 or 5 percent by weight to 20, 30, 40, 90 or 99 percent by weight of the second component; and from 1, 10, 60, 70 or 80 percent by weight to 95, 98 or 99 percent by weight of the first component (optionally including one or more additional components). in some embodiments, the solidifying and/or curing step (d) is carried out concurrently with the irradiating step (c) and: (i) the solidifying and/or curing step is carried out by precipitation; (ii) the irradiating step generates heat from the polymerization of the first component in an amount sufficient to thermally solidify or polymerize the second component (e.g., to a temperature of 50 or 80 to 100° c., for polymerizing polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)); and (iii) the second component (e.g., a light or ultraviolet light curable epoxy resin) is solidified by the same light as is the first component in the irradiating step. in some embodiments, the solidifying and/or curing step (d) is carried out subsequent to the irradiating step (c) and is carried out by: (i) heating or microwave irradiating the second solidifiable component; (ii) irradiating the second solidifiable component with light at a wavelength different from that of the light in the irradiating step (c); (iii) contacting the second polymerizable component to water; or (iv) contacting the second polymerizable component to a catalyst. in some embodiments, the second component comprises precursors to a polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), a silicone resin, or natural rubber, and the solidifying and/or curing step is carried out by heating or microwave irradiating. in some embodiments, the second component comprises a cationically cured resin (e.g., an epoxy resin or a vinyl ether) and the solidifying and/or curing step is carried out by irradiating the second solidifiable component with light at a wavelength different from that of the light in the irradiating step (c). in some embodiments, the second component comprises a precursor to a polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), and the solidifying and/or curing step is carried out by contacting the second component to water (e.g., in liquid, gas, or aerosol form). suitable examples of such precursors include, but are not limited to, those described in b. baumbach, silane terminated polyurethanes (bayer material science 2013). in some embodiments, the second component comprises a precursor to a polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), a silicone resin, a ring-opening metathesis polymerization resin, or a click chemistry resin (alkyne monomers in combination with compound plus azide monomers), and the solidifying and/or curing step is carried out by contacting the second component to a polymerization catalyst (e.g., a metal catalyst such as a tin catalyst, and/or an amine catalyst, for polyurethane/polyurea resins; platinum or tin catalysts for silicone resins; ruthenium catalysts for ring-opening metathesis polymerization resins; copper catalyst for click chemistry resins; etc., which catalyst is contacted to the article as a liquid aerosol, by immersion, etc.), or an aminoplast containing resin, such as one containing n-(alkoxymethyl)acrylamide, hydroxyl groups, and a blocked acid catalyst. in some embodiments, the irradiating step and/or advancing step is carried out while also concurrently: (i) continuously maintaining a dead zone (or persistent or stable liquid interface) of polymerizable liquid in contact with the build surface, and (ii) continuously maintaining a gradient of polymerization zone (e.g., an active surface) between the dead zone and the solid polymer and in contact with each thereof, the gradient of polymerization zone comprising the first component in partially cured form. in some embodiments, the first component comprises a free radical polymerizable liquid and the inhibitor comprises oxygen; or the first component comprises an acid-catalyzed or cationically polymerizable liquid, and the inhibitor comprises a base. in some embodiments, the gradient of polymerization zone and the dead zone together have a thickness of from 1 to 1000 microns. in some embodiments, the gradient of polymerization zone is maintained for a time of at least 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds, or at least 1 or 2 minutes. in some embodiments, the advancing is carried out at a cumulative rate of at least 0.1, 1, 10, 100 or 1000 microns per second. in some embodiments, the build surface is substantially fixed or stationary in the lateral and/or vertical dimensions. in some embodiments the method further comprises vertically reciprocating the carrier with respect to the build surface to enhance or speed the refilling of the build region with the polymerizable liquid. a further aspect of the invention is a polymerizable liquid substantially as described herein above and below, and/or for use in carrying out a method as described herein. in some embodiments of the methods and compositions described above and below, the polymerizable liquid (or “dual cure resin”) has a viscosity of 100, 200, 500 or 1,000 centipoise or more at room temperature and/or under the operating conditions of the method, up to a viscosity of 10,000, 20,000, or 50,000 centipoise or more, at room temperature and/or under the operating conditions of the method. one particular embodiment of the inventions disclosed herein is a method of forming a three-dimensional object comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof, the method comprising: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising at least one of: (i) a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate, or (iii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid blocked polymer scaffold and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the chain extender; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to form from the three-dimensional intermediate the three-dimensional object comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof. in some embodiments, the solidifiable or polymerizable liquid is changed at least once during the method with a subsequent solidifiable or polymerizable liquid; optionally where the subsequent solidifiable or polymerizable liquid is cross-reactive with each previous solidifiable or polymerizable liquid during the subsequent curing, to form an object having a plurality of structural segments covalently coupled to one another, each structural segment having different structural (e.g., tensile) properties. a further aspect of the inventions disclosed herein is a polymerizable liquid useful for the production of a three-dimensional object comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or a copolymer thereof by additive manufacturing, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of: (a) at least one constitutent selected from the group consisting of (i) a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate, and (iii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender,(b) optionally at least one additional chain extender,(c) a photoinitiator,(d) optionally a polyol and/or a polyamine,(e) optionally a reactive diluent,(f) optionally a non-reactive (i.e., non-reaction initiating) light absorbing, particularly a ultraviolet light-absorbing, pigment or dye which when present is included in an amount of from 0.001 or 0.01 to 10 percent by weight, and(g) optionally a filler (e.g., silica, a toughener such as a core-shell rubber, etc., including combinations thereof.);optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, subject to the proviso that the non-reactive light absorbing pigment or dye is present when the at least one constituent is only the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer. in some embodiments, polymerizable liquids used in the present invention include a non-reactive pigment or dye. examples include, but are not limited to, (i) titanium dioxide (e.g., in an amount of from 0.05 or 0.1 to 1 or 5 percent by weight), (ii) carbon black (e.g., included in an amount of from 0.05 or 0.1 to 1 or 5 percent by weight), and/or (iii) an organic ultraviolet light absorber such as a hydroxybenzophenone, hydroxyphenylbenzotriazole, oxanilide, benzophenone, thioxanthone, hydroxypenyltriazine, and/or benzotriazole ultraviolet light absorber (e.g., in an amount of 0.001 or 0.005 to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight). in some embodiments, a lewis acid or an oxidizable tin salt is included in the polymerizable liquid (e.g., in an amount of from 0.01 or 0.1 to 1 or 2 percent by weight, or more) in an amount effective to accelerate the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate object during the production thereof. a further aspect of the inventions disclosed herein is a three-dimensional object comprised of: (a) a light polymerized first component; and (b) a second solidified component (e.g., a further reacted, polymerized or chain extended component) different from the first component; optionally but in some embodiments preferably subject to the proviso that: (i) the second component does not contain a cationic polymerization photoinitiator, and/or (ii) the three-dimensional object is produced by the process of continuous liquid interface production. in some embodiments, the object further comprises: (c) a third solidified (or further reacted, polymerized, or chain extended) component different from the first and second component, with the object having at least a first structural segment and a second structural segment covalently coupled to one another, the first structural segment comprised of the second solidified component, the second structural segment comprised of the third solidified component; and both the first and second structural segments comprised of the same or different light polymerized first component. in some embodiments, the object comprises a polymer blend formed from the first component and the second component. the object may be one that has a shape that cannot be formed by injection molding or casting. in some embodiments of the foregoing, the subsequent solidifying and/or curing step decreases the rigidity, and/or increases the elasticity, of the three-dimensional intermediate (sometimes referred to as the “green” object), in the forming of the three-dimensional object, for example, by decreasing the young's modulus of the intermediate by at least 10, 20, 30 or 40 percent, up to 60, 80, 90 or 99 percent, in forming the three-dimensional object. in some embodiments, the three-dimensional object has a young's modulus of from 2, 5 or 10 percent, to 20, 40, 60 or 80 percent, of the young's modulus of the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments, the three-dimensional intermediate has a young's modulus of from 30 megapascals to 50, 100 or 200 megapascals, or more, and the three-dimensional object has a young' modulus of from 0.1 or 0.2 megapascals to 20 or 30 megapascals. in some embodiments, the constituents or ingredients of the polymerizable liquid are divided among two different precursor liquids. the methods may then be carried out by mixing the first precursor liquid and a second precursor liquid to produce the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, wherein: (i) at least one reactant of said second solidifiable component is contained in said first precursor liquid, and (ii) at least one reactant or catalyst of said second solidifiable component is contained in said second precursor liquid; then (typically within one day, and preferably within one or two hours, of said mixing step), filling the build region with the polymerizable liquid. further provided is a combination comprising first and second precursor resin compositions which on mixing together produce an epoxy dual cure resin useful for additive manufacturing, said combination comprising: (a) a first, pseudoplastic, precursor resin composition, comprising: (i) a hardener (e.g., organic hardener) co-polymerizable with an epoxy resin, said organic hardener in solid particulate form and dispersed in said resin composition; (ii) optionally (i.e., in some embodiments), a photoinitiator; (iii) optionally, monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; (iv) optionally, a light absorbing pigment or dye; (v) optionally, a diluent; (vi) optionally, a particulate filler; and (vii) optionally, a co-monomer and/or a co-prepolymer (with said epoxy resin); and (b) a second, optionally pseudoplastic, precursor resin composition, packaged separately from (i.e., not mixed with) said first precursor resin, said second precursor resin comprising: (i) an epoxy resin co-polymerizable with said organic hardener; (ii) a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin (e.g., an epoxy acrylate); (iii) optionally, a photoinitiator; (iv) optionally, monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; (i) optionally, a light absorbing pigment or dye; (vi) optionally, a diluent; (vii) optionally, a particulate filler; and (viii) optionally, a co-monomer and/or a co-prepolymer (with said epoxy resin); subject to the proviso that said photoinitiator, and said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, are each included in at least one of each of said first and second precursor resin compositions. also provided is a precursor resin composition useful for making a dual cure resin which is, in turn, useful for additive manufacturing, said precursor resin consisting essentially of: (t) an epoxy resin co-polymerizable with an organic hardener; (ii) a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin (e.g., an epoxy acrylate); (iii) optionally, a photoinitiator; (iv) optionally, monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; (v) optionally, a light absorbing pigment or dye; (vi) optionally a diluent; (vii) optionally a particulate filler; (viii) optionally, a co-monomer and/or a co-prepolymer (with said epoxy resin). non-limiting examples and specific embodiments of the present invention are explained in greater detail in the drawings herein and the specification set forth below. the disclosures of all united states patent references cited herein are to be incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a method and apparatus for carrying out the present invention, where two precursor resins are mixed to produce the polymerizable liquid. fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a method of the present invention. fig. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus of the present invention. fig. 4 is a first flow chart illustrating control systems and methods for carrying out the present invention. fig. 5 is a second flow chart illustrating control systems and methods for carrying out the present invention. fig. 6 is a third flow chart illustrating control systems and methods for carrying out the present invention. fig. 7 is a top view of a 3 inch by 16 inch “high aspect” rectangular build plate (or “window”) assembly of the present invention, where the film dimensions are 3.5 inch by 17 inch. fig. 8 is an exploded view of the build plate of fig. 7 , showing the tension ring and tension ring spring plate. fig. 9 is a side sectional view of the build plates of fig. 7 and fig. 10 , showing how the tension member tensions and rigidifies the polymer film. fig. 10 is a top view of a 2.88 inch diameter round build plate of the invention, where the film dimension may be 4 inches in diameter. fig. 11 is an exploded view of the build plate of fig. 10 . fig. 12 shows various alternate embodiments of the build plates of fig. 7 - fig. 11 . fig. 13 is a front perspective view of an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. fig. 14 is a side view of the apparatus of fig. 13 . fig. 15 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of fig. 13 . fig. 16 is a perspective view of a light engine assembly used with the apparatus of fig. 13 . fig. 17 is a front perspective view of an apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. fig. 18a is a schematic diagram illustrating tiled images. fig. 18b is a second schematic diagram illustrating tiled images. fig. 18c is a third schematic diagram illustrating tiled images. fig. 19 is a front perspective view of an apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. fig. 20 is a side view of the apparatus of fig. 19 . fig. 21 is a perspective view of a light engine assembly used with the apparatus of fig. 19 . fig. 22 is a graphic illustration of a process of the invention indicating the position of the carrier in relation to the build surface or plate, where both advancing of the carrier and irradiation of the build region is carried out continuously. advancing of the carrier is illustrated on the vertical axis, and time is illustrated on the horizontal axis. fig. 23 is a graphic illustration of another process of the invention indicating the position of the carrier in relation to the build surface or plate, where both advancing of the carrier and irradiation of the build region is carried out stepwise, yet the dead zone and gradient of polymerization are maintained. advancing of the carrier is again illustrated on the vertical axis, and time is illustrated on the horizontal axis. fig. 24 is a graphic illustration of still another process of the invention indicating the position of the carrier in relation to the build surface or plate, where both advancing of the carrier and irradiation of the build region is carried out stepwise, the dead zone and gradient of polymerization are maintained, and a reciprocating step is introduced between irradiation steps to enhance the flow of polymerizable liquid into the build region. advancing of the carrier is again illustrated on the vertical axis, and time is illustrated on the horizontal axis. fig. 25 is a detailed illustration of a reciprocation step of fig. 24 , showing a period of acceleration occurring during the upstroke (i.e., a gradual start of the upstroke) and a period of deceleration occurring during the downstroke (i.e., a gradual end to the downstroke). fig. 26a depicts a dual cure system employing a thermally cleavable end group. i. crosslinked blocked diisocyanate prepolymer containing unreacted chain extender. ii. polymer blend of: i) linear ethylenically unsaturated blocking monomer copolymerized with reactive diluent and ii) linear thermoplastic polyurethane. fig. 26b depicts a method of the present invention carried out with (meth)acrylate blocked diisocyanates (abdis). i. crosslinked blocked diisocyanate containing unreacted soft segment and chain extender. ii. polymer blend of: i) linear ethylenically unsaturated blocking monomer copolymerized with reactive diluent and ii) linear thermoplastic polyurethane. fig. 26c depicts a method of the present invention carried out with (meth)acrylate blocked chain extenders (abces). i. crosslinked blocked diisocyanate containing chain extender containing unreacted soft segment and chain extender. ii. polymer blend of: i) linear ethylenically unsaturated blocking monomer copolymerized with reactive diluent and ii) linear thermoplastic polyurethane. detailed description of illustrative embodiments the present invention is now described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. this invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. like numbers refer to like elements throughout. in the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. where used, broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. it will be further understood that the terms “comprises” or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements components and/or groups or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups or combinations thereof. as used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all possible combinations or one or more of the associated listed items, as well as the lack of combinations when interpreted in the alternative (“or”). unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. it will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and claims and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting,” etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with and/or contacting the other element or intervening elements can also be present. in contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on,” “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. it will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature can have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature. spatially relative terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe an element's or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. it will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. for example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. thus the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. the device may otherwise be oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. similarly, the terms “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “vertical,” “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only, unless specifically indicated otherwise. it will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer and/or section, from another element, component, region, layer and/or section. thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed herein could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. the sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise. “shape to be imparted to” refers to the case where the shape of the intermediate object slightly changes between formation thereof and forming the subsequent three-dimensional product, typically by shrinkage (e.g., up to 1, 2 or 4 percent by volume), expansion (e.g., up to 1, 2 or 4 percent by volume), removal of support structures, or by intervening forming steps (e.g., intentional bending, stretching, drilling, grinding, cutting, polishing, or other intentional forming after formation of the intermediate product, but before formation of the subsequent three-dimensional product). as noted above, the three-dimensional intermediate may also be washed, if desired, before further curing, and/or before, during, or after any intervening forming steps. “hydrocarbyl” as used herein refers to a bifunctional hydrocarbon group, which hydrocarbon may be aliphatic, aromatic, or mixed aliphatic and aromatic, and optionally containing one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, or 4) heteroatoms (typically selected from n, o, and s). such hydrocarbyl groups may be optionally substituted (e.g., with additional isocyanate groups) and may contain from 1, 2, or 3 carbon atoms, up to 6, 8 or 10 carbon atoms or more, and up to 40, 80, or 100 carbon atoms or more. “hard-segment” and “soft-segment” as used herein derive from the morphology of elastomeric polymers which can contain distinct phase separated regions, such regions can be detected by thermoanalysis techniques and distinguished by, for example, glass transition temperatures. generally, soft-segments of the polymer can be considered as having glass transition temperatures below room temperature whilst hard-segments can be considered as having glass transition temperatures above room temperature or even melting points if a crystallite. it is the current opinion (and hence their classification) that “soft-segment” prepolymers or resin constituents are associated with the formation of the soft-segment phase of the product and conversely that hard-segment prepolymers or resin constituents are associated with the hard-segment phase of the product. structure-property relationships of hard- and soft-segment phases are described for example by redman in “developments in polyurethanes-i” j. m. buist ed., elsevier, london—published 1978. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 5,418,259 (dow). heating may be active heating (e.g., in an oven, such as an electric, gas, or solar oven), or passive heating (e.g., at ambient temperature). active heating will generally be more rapid than passive heating and in some embodiments is preferred, but passive heating—such as simply maintaining the intermediate at ambient temperature for a sufficient time to effect further cure—is in some embodiments preferred. “isocyanate” as used herein includes diisocyanate, polyisocyanate, and branched isocyanate. “diisocyanate” and “polyisocyanate” are used interchangeably herein and refer to aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, and aromatic isocyanates that have at least 2, or in some embodiments more than 2, isocyanate (nco) groups per molecule, on average. in some embodiments, the isocyanates have, on average, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.8, or 3 isocyanate groups per molecule, up to 6, 8 or 10 or more isocyanate groups per molecule, on average. in some embodiments, the isocyanates may be a hyperbranched or dendrimeric isocyanate (e.g., containing more than 10 isocyanate groups per molecule, on average, up to 100 or 200 more isocyanate groups per molecule, on average). common examples of suitable isocyanates include, but are not limited to, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (mdi), toluene diisocyanate (tdi)), para-phenyl diisocyanate (ppdi), 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane-diisocyanate (hmdi), hexamethylene diisocyanate (hdi), isophorone diisocyanate (ipdi), triphenylmethane-4,4′4″-triisocyanate, tolune-2,4,6-triyl triisocyanate, 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triisocyanate, ethyl ester l-lysine triisocyanate, etc., including combinations thereof. numerous additional examples are known and are described in, for example, u.s. pat. nos. 9,200,108; 8,378,053; 7,144,955; 4,075,151, 3,932,342, and in us patent application publication nos. us 20040067318 and us 20140371406, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. “branched isocyanate” as used herein refers to diisocyanates or polyisocyanates as described above that have 3 or more isocyanate groups per molecule, or (with respect to mixtures of different isocyanates) more than 2 isocyanate groups per molecule, on average. in some embodiments, the branched isocyanates have, on average, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.8, or 3 isocyanate groups per molecule, up to 6, 8 or 10 or more isocyanate groups per molecule, on average. in some embodiments, the isocyanates may be a hyperbranched or dendrimeric isocyanates as discussed above (e.g., containing more than 10 isocyanate groups per molecule, on average, up to 100 or 200 more isocyanate groups per molecule, on average). oxidizable tin salts useful for carrying out the present invention include, but are not limited to, stannous butanoate, stannous octoate, stannous hexanoate, stannous heptanoate, stannous linoleate, stannous phenyl butanoate, stannous phenyl stearate, stannous phenyl oleate, stannous nonanoate, stannous decanoate, stannous undecanoate, stannous dodecanoate, stannous stearate, stannous oleate, stannous undecenoate, stannous 2-ethylhexoate, dibutyl tin dilaurate, dibutyl tin dioleate, dibutyl tin distearate, dipropyl tin dilaurate, dipropyl tin dioleate, dipropyl tin distearate, dibutyl tin dihexanoate, and combinations thereof. see also u.s. pat. nos. 5,298,532; 4,421,822; and 4,389,514, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. in addition to the foregoing oxidizable tin salts, lewis acids such as those described in chu et al. in macromolecular symposia, volume 95, issue 1, pages 233-242, june 1995 are known to enhance the polymerization rates of free-radical polymerizations and are included herein by reference. any suitable filler may be used in connection with the present invention, depending on the properties desired in the part or object to be made. thus, fillers may be solid or liquid, organic or inorganic, and may include reactive and non-reactive rubbers: siloxanes, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubbers; reactive and non-reactive thermoplastics (including but not limited to: poly(ether imides), maleimide-styrene terpolymers, polyarylates, polysulfones and polyethersulfones, etc.) inorganic fillers such as silicates (such as talc, clays, silica, mica), glass, carbon nanotubes, graphene, cellulose nanocrystals, etc., including combinations of all of the foregoing. suitable fillers include tougheners, such as core-shell rubbers, as discussed below. tougheners. one or more polymeric and/or inorganic tougheners can be used as a filler in the present invention. see generally us patent application publication no. 20150215430. the toughener may be uniformly distributed in the form of particles in the cured product. the particles could be less than 5 microns (μm) in diameter. such tougheners include, but are not limited to, those formed from elastomers, branched polymers, hyperbranched polymers, dendrimers, rubbery polymers, rubbery copolymers, block copolymers, core-shell particles, oxides or inorganic materials such as clay, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (poss), carbonaceous materials (e.g., carbon black, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, fullerenes), ceramics and silicon carbides, with or without surface modification or functionalization. examples of block copolymers include the copolymers whose composition is described in u.s. pat. no. 6,894,113 (court et al., atofina, 2005) and include “nanostrenth®” sbm (polystyrene-polybutadiene-polymethacrylate), and ama (polymethacrylate-polybutylacrylate-polymethacrylate), both produced by arkema. other suitable block copolymers include fortegra™ and the amphiphilic block copolymers described in u.s. pat. no. 7,820,760b2, assigned to dow chemical. examples of known core-shell particles include the core-shell (dendrimer) particles whose compositions are described in us20100280151a1 (nguyen et al., toray industries, inc., 2010) for an amine branched polymer as a shell grafted to a core polymer polymerized from polymerizable monomers containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, core-shell rubber particles whose compositions are described in ep 1632533a1 and ep 2123711a1 by kaneka corporation, and the “kaneace mx” product line of such particle/epoxy blends whose particles have a polymeric core polymerized from polymerizable monomers such as butadiene, styrene, other unsaturated carbon-carbon bond monomer, or their combinations, and a polymeric shell compatible with the epoxy, typically polymethylmethacrylate, polyglycidylmethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile or similar polymers, as discussed further below. also suitable as block copolymers in the present invention are the “jsr sx” series of carboxylated polystyrene/polydivinylbenzenes produced by jsr corporation; “kureha paraloid” exl-2655 (produced by kureha chemical industry co., ltd.), which is a butadiene alkyl methacrylate styrene copolymer; “stafiloid” ac-3355 and tr-2122 (both produced by takeda chemical industries, ltd.), each of which are acrylate methacrylate copolymers; and “paraloid” exl-2611 and exl-3387 (both produced by rohm & haas), each of which are butyl acrylate methyl methacrylate copolymers. examples of suitable oxide particles include nanopdx® produced by nanoresins ag. this is a master blend of functionalized nanosilica particles and an epoxy. core-shell rubbers. core-shell rubbers are particulate materials (particles) having a rubbery core. such materials are known and described in, for example, us patent application publication no. 20150184039, as well as us patent application publication no. 20150240113, and u.s. pat. nos. 6,861,475, 7,625,977, 7,642,316, 8,088,245, and elsewhere. in some embodiments, the core-shell rubber particles are nanoparticles (i.e., having an average particle size of less than 1000 nanometers (nm)). generally, the average particle size of the core-shell rubber nanoparticles is less than 500 nm, e.g., less than 300 nm, less than 200 nm, less than 100 nm, or even less than 50 nm. typically, such particles are spherical, so the particle size is the diameter; however, if the particles are not spherical, the particle size is defined as the longest dimension of the particle. in some embodiments, the rubbery core can have a glass transition temperature (tg) of less than −25° c., more preferably less than −50° c., and even more preferably less than −70° c. the tg of the rubbery core may be well below −100° c. the core-shell rubber also has at least one shell portion that preferably has a tg of at least 50° c. by “core,” it is meant an internal portion of the core-shell rubber. the core may form the center of the core-shell particle, or an internal shell or domain of the core-shell rubber. a shell is a portion of the core-shell rubber that is exterior to the rubbery core. the shell portion (or portions) typically forms the outermost portion of the core-shell rubber particle. the shell material can be grafted onto the core or is cross-linked. the rubbery core may constitute from 50 to 95%, or from 60 to 90%, of the weight of the core-shell rubber particle. the core of the core-shell rubber may be a polymer or copolymer of a conjugated diene such as butadiene, or a lower alkyl acrylate such as n-butyl-, ethyl-, isobutyl- or 2-ethylhexylacrylate. the core polymer may in addition contain up to 20% by weight of other copolymerized mono-unsaturated monomers such as styrene, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, methyl methacrylate, and the like. the core polymer is optionally cross-linked. the core polymer optionally contains up to 5% of a copolymerized graft-linking monomer having two or more sites of unsaturation of unequal reactivity, such as diallyl maleate, monoallyl fumarate, allyl methacrylate, and the like, at least one of the reactive sites being non-conjugated. the core polymer may also be a silicone rubber. these materials often have glass transition temperatures below −100° c. core-shell rubbers having a silicone rubber core include those commercially available from wacker chemie, munich, germany, under the trade name genioperl®. the shell polymer, which is optionally chemically grafted or cross-linked to the rubber core, can be polymerized from at least one lower alkyl methacrylate such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate or t-butyl methacrylate. homopolymers of such methacrylate monomers can be used. further, up to 40% by weight of the shell polymer can be formed from other monovinylidene monomers such as styrene, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and the like. the molecular weight of the grafted shell polymer can be between 20,000 and 500,000. one suitable type of core-shell rubber has reactive groups in the shell polymer which can react with an epoxy resin or an epoxy resin hardener. glycidyl groups are suitable. these can be provided by monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate. one example of a suitable core-shell rubber is of the type described in us patent application publication no. 2007/0027233 (ep 1 632 533 a1). core-shell rubber particles as described therein include a cross-linked rubber core, in most cases being a cross-linked copolymer of butadiene, and a shell which is preferably a copolymer of styrene, methyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate and optionally acrylonitrile. the core-shell rubber is preferably dispersed in a polymer or an epoxy resin, also as described in the document. suitable core-shell rubbers include, but are not limited to, those sold by kaneka corporation under the designation kaneka kane ace, including the kaneka kane ace 15 and 120 series of products, including kaneka kane ace mx 120, kaneka kane ace mx 153, kaneka kane ace mx 154, kaneka kane ace mx 156, kaneka kane ace mx170, and kaneka kane ace mx 257 and kaneka kane ace mx 120 core-shell rubber dispersions, and mixtures thereof. i. polymerizable liquids: part a dual cure systems as described herein may include a first curable system (sometimes referred to as “part a” herein) that is curable by actinic radiation, typically light, and in some embodiments ultraviolet (uv) light). any suitable polymerizable liquid can be used as the first component. the liquid (sometimes also referred to as “liquid resin” “ink,” or simply “resin” herein) can include a monomer, particularly photopolymerizable and/or free radical polymerizable monomers, and a suitable initiator such as a free radical initiator, and combinations thereof. examples include, but are not limited to, acrylics, methacrylics, acrylamides, styrenics, olefins, halogenated olefins, cyclic alkenes, maleic anhydride, alkenes, alkynes, carbon monoxide, functionalized oligomers, multifunctional cute site monomers, functionalized pegs, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of liquid resins, monomers and initiators include but are not limited to those set forth in u.s. pat. nos. 8,232,043; 8,119,214; 7,935,476; 7,767,728; 7,649,029; wo 2012129968 a1; cn 102715751 a; jp 2012210408 a. acid catalyzed polymerizable liquids. while in some embodiments as noted above the polymerizable liquid comprises a free radical polymerizable liquid (in which case an inhibitor may be oxygen as described below), in other embodiments the polymerizable liquid comprises an acid catalyzed, or cationically polymerized, polymerizable liquid. in such embodiments the polymerizable liquid comprises monomers that contain groups suitable for acid catalysis, such as epoxide groups, vinyl ether groups, etc. thus suitable monomers include olefins such as methoxyethene, 4-methoxystyrene, styrene, 2-methylprop-1-ene, 1,3-butadiene, etc.; heterocycloic monomers (including lactones, lactams, and cyclic amines) such as oxirane, thietane, tetrahydrofuran, oxazoline, 1,3, dioxepane, oxetan-2-one, etc., and combinations thereof. a suitable (generally ionic or non-ionic) photoacid generator (pag) is included in the acid catalyzed polymerizable liquid, examples of which include, but are not limited to onium salts, sulfonium and iodonium salts, etc., such as diphenyl iodide hexafluorophosphate, diphenyl iodide hexafluoroarsenate, diphenyl iodide hexafluoroantimonate, diphenyl p-methoxyphenyl triflate, diphenyl p-toluenyl triflate, diphenyl p-isobutylphenyl triflate, diphenyl p-tert-butylphenyl triflate, triphenylsulfonium hexafluororphosphate, triphenylsulfonium hexafluoroarsenate, triphenylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate, triphenylsulfonium triflate, dibutylnaphthylsulfonium triflate, etc., including mixtures thereof. see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 7,824,839; 7,550,246; 7,534,844; 6,692,891; 5,374,500; and 5,017,461; see also photoacid generator selection guide for the electronics industry and energy curable coatings (basf 2010). hydrogels. in some embodiments suitable resins includes photocurable hydrogels like poly(ethylene glycols) (peg) and gelatins. peg hydrogels have been used to deliver a variety of biologicals, including growth factors; however, a great challenge facing peg hydrogels crosslinked by chain growth polymerizations is the potential for irreversible protein damage. conditions to maximize release of the biologicals from photopolymerized peg diacrylate hydrogels can be enhanced by inclusion of affinity binding peptide sequences in the monomer resin solutions, prior to photopolymerization allowing sustained delivery. gelatin is a biopolymer frequently used in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and photographic industries. it is obtained by thermal denaturation or chemical and physical degradation of collagen. there are three kinds of gelatin, including those found in animals, fish and humans. gelatin from the skin of cold water fish is considered safe to use in pharmaceutical applications. uv or visible light can be used to crosslink appropriately modified gelatin. methods for crosslinking gelatin include cure derivatives from dyes such as rose bengal. photocurable silicone resins. a suitable resin includes photocurable silicones. uv cure silicone rubber, such as siliopren™ uv cure silicone rubber can be used as can loctite™ cure silicone adhesives sealants. applications include optical instruments, medical and surgical equipment, exterior lighting and enclosures, electrical connectors/sensors, fiber optics, gaskets, and molds. biodegradable resins. biodegradable resins are particularly important for implantable devices to deliver drugs or for temporary performance applications, like biodegradable screws and stents (u.s. pat. nos. 7,919,162; 6,932,930). biodegradable copolymers of lactic acid and glycolic acid (plga) can be dissolved in peg di(meth)acrylate to yield a transparent resin suitable for use. polycaprolactone and plga oligomers can be functionalized with acrylic or methacrylic groups to allow them to be effective resins for use. photocurable polyurethanes. a particularly useful resin is photocurable polyurethanes (including polyureas, and copolymers of polyurethanes and polyureas (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). a photopolymerizable polyurethane/polyurea composition comprising (1) a polyurethane based on an aliphatic diisocyanate, poly(hexamethylene isophthalate glycol) and, optionally, 1,4-butanediol; (2) a polyfunctional acrylic ester; (3) a photoinitiator; and (4) an anti-oxidant, can be formulated so that it provides a hard, abrasion-resistant, and stain-resistant material (u.s. pat. no. 4,337,130). photocurable thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers incorporate photoreactive diacetylene diols as chain extenders. high performance resins. in some embodiments, high performance resins are used. such high performance resins may sometimes require the use of heating to melt and/or reduce the viscosity thereof, as noted above and discussed further below. examples of such resins include, but are not limited to, resins for those materials sometimes referred to as liquid crystalline polymers of esters, ester-imide, and ester-amide oligomers, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 7,507,784; 6,939,940. since such resins are sometimes employed as high-temperature thermoset resins, in the present invention they further comprise a suitable photoinitiator such as benzophenone, anthraquinone, amd fluoroenone initiators (including derivatives thereof), to initiate cross-linking on irradiation, as discussed further below. additional example resins. particularly useful resins for dental applications include envisiontec's clear guide, envisiontec's e-denstone material. particularly useful resins for hearing aid industries include envisiontec's e-shell 300 series of resins. particularly useful resins include envisiontec's htm140iv high temperature mold material for use directly with vulcanized rubber in molding/casting applications. a particularly useful material for making tough and stiff parts includes envisiontec's rc31 resin. particularly useful resin for investment casting applications include envisiontec's easy cast ec500 resin and madesolid firecast resin. additional resin ingredients. the liquid resin or polymerizable material can have solid particles suspended or dispersed therein. any suitable solid particle can be used, depending upon the end product being fabricated. the particles can be metallic, organic/polymeric, inorganic, or composites or mixtures thereof. the particles can be nonconductive, semi-conductive, or conductive (including metallic and non-metallic or polymer conductors); and the particles can be magnetic, ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, or nonmagnetic. the particles can be of any suitable shape, including spherical, elliptical, cylindrical, etc. the particles can be of any suitable size (for example, ranging from 1 nm to 20 μm average diameter). the particles can comprise an active agent or detectable compound as described below, though these may also be provided dissolved solubilized in the liquid resin as also discussed below. for example, magnetic or paramagnetic particles or nanoparticles can be employed. the liquid resin can have additional ingredients solubilized therein, including pigments, dyes, active compounds or pharmaceutical compounds, detectable compounds (e.g., fluorescent, phosphorescent, radioactive), etc., again depending upon the particular purpose of the product being fabricated. examples of such additional ingredients include, but are not limited to, proteins, peptides, nucleic acids (dna, rna) such as sirna, sugars, small organic compounds (drugs and drug-like compounds), etc., including combinations thereof. non-reactive light absorbers. in some embodiments, polymerizable liquids for carrying out the present invention include a non-reactive pigment or dye that absorbs light, particularly uv light. suitable examples of such light absorbers include, but are not limited to: (i) titanium dioxide (e.g., included in an amount of from 0.05 or 0.1 to 1 or 5 percent by weight), (ii) carbon black (e.g., included in an amount of from 0.05 or 0.1 to 1 or 5 percent by weight), and/or (iii) an organic ultraviolet light absorber such as a a hydroxybenzophenone, hydroxyphenylbenzotriazole, oxanilide, benzophenone, thioxanthone, hydroxypenyltriazine, and/or benzotriazole ultraviolet light absorber (e.g., mayzo bls1326) (e.g., included in an amount of 0.001 or 0.005 to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight). examples of suitable organic ultraviolet light absorbers include, but are not limited to, those described in u.s. pat. nos. 3,213,058; 6,916,867; 7,157,586; and 7,695,643, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. inhibitors of polymerization. inhibitors or polymerization inhibitors for use in the present invention may be in the form of a liquid or a gas. in some embodiments, gas inhibitors are preferred. in some embodiments, liquid inhibitors such as oils or lubricants (e.g., fluorinated oils such as perfluoropolyethers) may be employed, as inhibitors (or as release layers that maintain a liquid interface). the specific inhibitor will depend upon the monomer being polymerized and the polymerization reaction. for free radical polymerization monomers, the inhibitor can conveniently be oxygen, which can be provided in the form of a gas such as air, a gas enriched in oxygen (optionally but in some embodiments preferably containing additional inert gases to reduce combustibility thereof), or in some embodiments pure oxygen gas. in alternate embodiments, such as where the monomer is polymerized by a photoacid generator initiator, the inhibitor can be a base such as ammonia, trace amines (e.g., methyl amine, ethyl amine, di and trialkyl amines such as dimethyl amine, diethyl amine, trimethyl amine, triethyl amine, etc.), or carbon dioxide, including mixtures or combinations thereof. polymerizable liquids carrying live cells. in some embodiments, the polymerizable liquid may carry live cells as “particles” therein. such polymerizable liquids are generally aqueous, and may be oxygenated, and may be considered as “emulsions” where the live cells are the discrete phase. suitable live cells may be plant cells (e.g., monocot, dicot), animal cells (e.g., mammalian, avian, amphibian, reptile cells), microbial cells (e.g., prokaryote, eukaryote, protozoal, etc.), etc. the cells may be of differentiated cells from or corresponding to any type of tissue (e.g., blood, cartilage, bone, muscle, endocrine gland, exocrine gland, epithelial, endothelial, etc.), or may be undifferentiated cells such as stem cells or progenitor cells. in such embodiments the polymerizable liquid can be one that forms a hydrogel, including but not limited to those described in u.s. pat. nos. 7,651,683; 7,651,682; 7,556,490; 6,602,975; 5,836,313; etc. ii. apparatus a non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus of the invention is shown in fig. 3 . it comprises a radiation source 11 such as a digital light processor (dlp) providing electromagnetic radiation 12 which though reflective mirror 13 illuminates a build chamber defined by wall 14 and a rigid or flexible build plate 15 forming the bottom of the build chamber, which build chamber is filled with liquid resin 16 . the bottom of the chamber 15 is constructed of a build plate comprising a rigid or flexible semipermeable member as discussed further below. the top of the object under construction 17 is attached to a carrier 18 . the carrier is driven in the vertical direction by linear stage 19 , although alternate structures can be used as discussed below. a liquid resin reservoir, tubing, pumps, liquid level sensors and/or valves can be included to replenish the pool of liquid resin in the build chamber (not shown for clarity) though in some embodiments a simple gravity feed may be employed. drives/actuators for the carrier or linear stage, along with associated wiring, can be included in accordance with known techniques (again not shown for clarity). the drives/actuators, radiation source, and in some embodiments pumps and liquid level sensors can all be operatively associated with a suitable controller, again in accordance with known techniques. build plates 15 used to carry out the present invention generally comprise or consist of a (typically rigid or solid, stationary, and/or fixed, although in some embodiments flexible) semipermeable (or gas permeable) member, alone or in combination with one or more additional supporting substrates (e.g., clamps and tensioning members to tension and stabilize an otherwise flexible semipermeable material). the semipermeable member can be made of any suitable material that is optically transparent at the relevant wavelengths (or otherwise transparent to the radiation source, whether or not it is visually transparent as perceived by the human eye—i.e., an optically transparent window may in some embodiments be visually opaque), including but not limited to porous or microporous glass, and the rigid gas permeable polymers used for the manufacture of rigid gas permeable contact lenses. see, e.g., norman g. gaylord, u.s. pat. no. re31,406; see also u.s. pat. nos. 7,862,176; 7,344,731; 7,097,302; 5,349,394; 5,310,571; 5,162,469; 5,141,665; 5,070,170; 4,923,906; and 4,845,089. in some embodiments such materials are characterized as glassy and/or amorphous polymers and/or substantially crosslinked that they are essentially non-swellable. preferably the semipermeable member is formed of a material that does not swell when contacted to the liquid resin or material to be polymerized (i.e., is “non-swellable”). suitable materials for the semipermeable member include amorphous fluoropolymers, such as those described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,308,685 and 5,051,115. for example, such fluoropolymers are particularly useful over silicones that would potentially swell when used in conjunction with organic liquid resin inks to be polymerized. for some liquid resin inks, such as more aqueous-based monomeric systems and/or some polymeric resin ink systems that have low swelling tendencies, silicone based window materials maybe suitable. the solubility or permeability of organic liquid resin inks can be dramatically decreased by a number of known parameters including increasing the crosslink density of the window material or increasing the molecular weight of the liquid resin ink. in some embodiments the build plate may be formed from a thin film or sheet of material which is flexible when separated from the apparatus of the invention, but which is clamped and tensioned when installed in the apparatus (e.g., with a tensioning ring) so that it is tensioned and stabilized in the apparatus. particular materials include teflon af® fluoropolymers, commercially available from dupont. additional materials include perfluoropolyether polymers such as described in u.s. pat. nos. 8,268,446; 8,263,129; 8,158,728; and 7,435,495. it will be appreciated that essentially all solid materials, and most of those described above, have some inherent “flex” even though they may be considered “rigid,” depending on factors such as the shape and thickness thereof and environmental factors such as the pressure and temperature to which they are subjected. in addition, the terms “stationary” or “fixed” with respect to the build plate is intended to mean that no mechanical interruption of the process occurs, or no mechanism or structure for mechanical interruption of the process (as in a layer-by-layer method or apparatus) is provided, even if a mechanism for incremental adjustment of the build plate (for example, adjustment that does not lead to or cause collapse of the gradient of polymerization zone) is provided. the semipermeable member typically comprises a top surface portion, a bottom surface portion, and an edge surface portion. the build surface is on the top surface portion; and the feed surface may be on one, two, or all three of the top surface portion, the bottom surface portion, and/or the edge surface portion. in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3 the feed surface is on the bottom surface portion, but alternate configurations where the feed surface is provided on an edge, and/or on the top surface portion (close to but separate or spaced away from the build surface) can be implemented with routine skill. the semipermeable member has, in some embodiments, a thickness of from 0.01, 0.1 or 1 millimeters to 10 or 100 millimeters, or more, depending upon the size of the item being fabricated, whether or not it is laminated to or in contact with an additional supporting plate such as glass, etc., as discussed further below. the permeability of the semipermeable member to the polymerization inhibitor will depend upon conditions such as the pressure of the atmosphere and/or inhibitor, the choice of inhibitor, the rate or speed of fabrication, etc. in general, when the inhibitor is oxygen, the permeability of the semipermeable member to oxygen may be from 10 or 20 barrers, up to 1000 or 2000 barrers, or more. for example, a semipermeable member with a permeability of 10 barrers used with a pure oxygen, or highly enriched oxygen, atmosphere under a pressure of 150 psi may perform substantially the same as a semipermeable member with a permeability of 500 barrers when the oxygen is supplied from the ambient atmosphere under atmospheric conditions. thus, the semipermeable member may comprise a flexible polymer film (having any suitable thickness, e.g., from 0.001, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 or 1 millimeters to 1, 5, 10, or 100 millimeters, or more), and the build plate may further comprise a tensioning member (e.g., a peripheral clamp and an operatively associated strain member or stretching member, as in a “drum head”; a plurality of peripheral clamps, etc., including combinations thereof) connected to the polymer film and to fix and tension, stabilize or rigidify the film (e.g., at least sufficiently so that the film does not stick to the object as the object is advanced and resiliently or elastically rebound therefrom). the film has a top surface and a bottom surface, with the build surface on the top surface and the feed surface preferably on the bottom surface. in other embodiments, the semipermeable member comprises: (i) a polymer film layer (having any suitable thickness, e.g., from 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 or 1 millimeters to 5, 10 or 100 millimeters, or more), having a top surface positioned for contacting the polymerizable liquid and a bottom surface, and (ii) a gas permeable, optically transparent supporting member (having any suitable thickness, e.g., from 0.01, 0.1 or 1 millimeters to 10, 100, or 200 millimeters, or more), contacting the film layer bottom surface. the supporting member has a top surface contacting the film layer bottom surface, and the supporting member has a bottom surface which may serve as the feed surface for the polymerization inhibitor. any suitable materials that are semipermeable (that is, permeable to the polymerization inhibitor) may be used. for example, the polymer film or polymer film layer may be a fluoropolymer film, such as an amorphous thermoplastic fluoropolymer like teflon af 1600™ or teflon af 2400™ fluoropolymer films, or perfluoropolyether (pfpe), particularly a crosslinked pfpe film, or a crosslinked silicone polymer film. the supporting member comprises a silicone or crosslinked silicone polymer member such as a polydimethylsiloxane polydimethylxiloxane member, a gas permeable polymer member, or a porous or microporous glass member. films can be laminated or clamped directly to the rigid supporting member without adhesive (e.g., using pfpe and pdms materials), or silane coupling agents that react with the upper surface of a pdms layer can be utilized to adhere to the first polymer film layer. uv-curable, acrylate-functional silicones can also be used as a tie layer between uv-curable pfpes and rigid pdms supporting layers. when configured for placement in the apparatus, the carrier defines a “build region” on the build surface, within the total area of the build surface. because lateral “throw” (e.g., in the x and/or y directions) is not required in the present invention to break adhesion between successive layers, as in the joyce and chen devices noted previously, the area of the build region within the build surface may be maximized (or conversely, the area of the build surface not devoted to the build region may be minimized). hence in some embodiments, the total surface area of the build region can occupy at least fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, or ninety percent of the total surface area of the build surface. as shown in fig. 3 , the various components are mounted on a support or frame assembly 20 . while the particular design of the support or frame assembly is not critical and can assume numerous configurations, in the illustrated embodiment it is comprised of a base 21 to which the radiation source 11 is securely or rigidly attached, a vertical member 22 to which the linear stage is operatively associated, and a horizontal table 23 to which wall 14 is removably or securely attached (or on which the wall is placed), and with the build plate fixed, either permanently or removably, to form the build chamber as described above. as noted above, the build plate can consist of a single unitary and integral piece of a semipermeable member, or can comprise additional materials. for example, a porous or microporous glass can be laminated or fixed to a semipermeable material. or, a semipermeable member as an upper portion can be fixed to a transparent lower member having purging channels formed therein for feeding gas carrying the polymerization inhibitor to the semipermeable member (through which it passes to the build surface to facilitate the formation of a release layer of unpolymerized liquid material, as noted above and below). such purge channels may extend fully or partially through the base plate: for example, the purge channels may extend partially into the base plate, but then end in the region directly underlying the build surface to avoid introduction of distortion. specific geometries will depend upon whether the feed surface for the inhibitor into the semipermeable member is located on the same side or opposite side as the build surface, on an edge portion thereof, or a combination of several thereof. any suitable radiation source (or combination of sources) can be used, depending upon the particular resin employed, including electron beam and ionizing radiation sources. in a preferred embodiment the radiation source is an actinic radiation source, such as one or more light sources, and in particular one or more ultraviolet light sources. any suitable light source can be used, such as incandescent lights, fluorescent lights, phosphorescent or luminescent lights, a laser, light-emitting diode, etc., including arrays thereof. the light source preferably includes a pattern-forming element operatively associated with a controller, as noted above. in some embodiments, the light source or pattern forming element comprises a digital (or deformable) micromirror device (dmd) with digital light processing (dlp), a spatial modulator (slm), or a microelectromechanical system (mems) mirror array, a liquid crystal display (lcd) panel, a mask (aka a reticle), a silhouette, or a combination thereof. see, u.s. pat. no. 7,902,526. preferably the light source comprises a spatial light modulation array such as a liquid crystal light valve array or micromirror array or dmd (e.g., with an operatively associated digital light processor, typically in turn under the control of a suitable controller), configured to carry out exposure or irradiation of the polymerizable liquid without a mask, e.g., by maskless photolithography. see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 6,312,134; 6,248,509; 6,238,852; and 5,691,541. in some embodiments, as discussed further below, there may be movement in the x and/or y directions concurrently with movement in the z direction, with the movement in the x and/or y direction hence occurring during polymerization of the polymerizable liquid (this is in contrast to the movement described in y. chen et al., or m. joyce, supra, which is movement between prior and subsequent polymerization steps for the purpose of replenishing polymerizable liquid). in the present invention such movement may be carried out for purposes such as reducing “burn in” or fouling in a particular zone of the build surface. because an advantage of some embodiments of the present invention is that the size of the build surface on the semipermeable member (i.e., the build plate or window) may be reduced due to the absence of a requirement for extensive lateral “throw” as in the joyce or chen devices noted above, in the methods, systems and apparatus of the present invention lateral movement (including movement in the x and/or y direction or combination thereof) of the carrier and object (if such lateral movement is present) is preferably not more than, or less than, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, or even 10 percent of the width (in the direction of that lateral movement) of the build region. while in some embodiments the carrier is mounted on an elevator to advance up and away from a stationary build plate, on other embodiments the converse arrangement may be used: that is, the carrier may be fixed and the build plate lowered to thereby advance the carrier away therefrom. numerous different mechanical configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art to achieve the same result. depending on the choice of material from which the carrier is fabricated, and the choice of polymer or resin from which the article is made, adhesion of the article to the carrier may sometimes be insufficient to retain the article on the carrier through to completion of the finished article or “build.” for example, an aluminum carrier may have lower adhesion than a poly(vinyl chloride) (or “pvc”) carrier. hence one solution is to employ a carrier comprising a pvc on the surface to which the article being fabricated is polymerized. if this promotes too great an adhesion to conveniently separate the finished part from the carrier, then any of a variety of techniques can be used to further secure the article to a less adhesive carrier, including but not limited to the application of adhesive tape such as “greener masking tape for basic painting #2025 high adhesion” to further secure the article to the carrier during fabrication. iii. controller and process control the methods and apparatus of the invention can include process steps and apparatus features to implement process control, including feedback and feed-forward control, to, for example, enhance the speed and/or reliability of the method. a controller for use in carrying out the present invention may be implemented as hardware circuitry, software, or a combination thereof. in one embodiment, the controller is a general purpose computer that runs software, operatively associated with monitors, drives, pumps, and other components through suitable interface hardware and/or software. suitable software for the control of a three-dimensional printing or fabrication method and apparatus as described herein includes, but is not limited to, the replicatorg open source 3d printing program, 3dprint™ controller software from 3d systems, slic3r, skeinforge, kisslicer, repetier-host, printrun, cura, etc., including combinations thereof. process parameters to directly or indirectly monitor, continuously or intermittently, during the process (e.g., during one, some or all of the filling, irradiating and advancing steps) include, but are not limited to, irradiation intensity, temperature of carrier, polymerizable liquid in the build zone, temperature of growing product, temperature of build plate, pressure, speed of advance, pressure, force (e.g., exerted on the build plate through the carrier and product being fabricated), strain (e.g., exerted on the carrier by the growing product being fabricated), thickness of release layer, etc. known parameters that may be used in feedback and/or feed-forward control systems include, but are not limited to, expected consumption of polymerizable liquid (e.g., from the known geometry or volume of the article being fabricated), degradation temperature of the polymer being formed from the polymerizable liquid, etc. process conditions to directly or indirectly control, continuously or step-wise, in response to a monitored parameter, and/or known parameters (e.g., during any or all of the process steps noted above), include, but are not limited to, rate of supply of polymerizable liquid, temperature, pressure, rate or speed of advance of carrier, intensity of irradiation, duration of irradiation (e.g., for each “slice”), etc. for example, the temperature of the polymerizable liquid in the build zone, or the temperature of the build plate, can be monitored, directly or indirectly with an appropriate thermocouple, non-contact temperature sensor (e.g., an infrared temperature sensor), or other suitable temperature sensor, to determine whether the temperature exceeds the degradation temperature of the polymerized product. if so, a process parameter may be adjusted through a controller to reduce the temperature in the build zone and/or of the build plate. suitable process parameters for such adjustment may include: decreasing temperature with a cooler, decreasing the rate of advance of the carrier, decreasing intensity of the irradiation, decreasing duration of radiation exposure, etc. in addition, the intensity of the irradiation source (e.g., an ultraviolet light source such as a mercury lamp) may be monitored with a photodetector to detect a decrease of intensity from the irradiation source (e.g., through routine degradation thereof during use). if detected, a process parameter may be adjusted through a controller to accommodate the loss of intensity. suitable process parameters for such adjustment may include: increasing temperature with a heater, decreasing the rate of advance of the carrier, increasing power to the light source, etc. as another example, control of temperature and/or pressure to enhance fabrication time may be achieved with heaters and coolers (individually, or in combination with one another and separately responsive to a controller), and/or with a pressure supply (e.g., pump, pressure vessel, valves and combinations thereof) and/or a pressure release mechanism such as a controllable valve (individually, or in combination with one another and separately responsive to a controller). in some embodiments, the controller is configured to maintain the gradient of polymerization zone described herein (see, e.g., fig. 2 ) throughout the fabrication of some or all of the final product. the specific configuration (e.g., times, rate or speed of advancing, radiation intensity, temperature, etc.) will depend upon factors such as the nature of the specific polymerizable liquid and the product being created. configuration to maintain the gradient of polymerization zone may be carried out empirically, by entering a set of process parameters or instructions previously determined, or determined through a series of test runs or “trial and error”; configuration may be provided through pre-determined instructions; configuration may be achieved by suitable monitoring and feedback (as discussed above), combinations thereof, or in any other suitable manner. in some embodiments, a method and apparatus as described above may be controlled by a software program running in a general purpose computer with suitable interface hardware between that computer and the apparatus described above. numerous alternatives are commercially available. non-limiting examples of one combination of components is shown in fig. 4 to fig. 6 , where “microcontroller” is parallax propeller, the stepper motor driver is sparkfun easydriver, the led driver is a luxeon single led driver, the usb to serial is a parallax usb to serial converter, and the dlp system is a texas instruments lightcrafter system. iv. general methods the three-dimensional intermediate is preferably formed from resins as described above by additive manufacturing, typically bottom-up or top-down additive manufacturing. in general, top-down three-dimensional fabrication is carried out by: (a) providing a polymerizable liquid reservoir having a polymerizable liquid fill level and a carrier positioned in the reservoir, the carrier and the fill level defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid (i.e., the resin), said polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light (typically ultraviolet light) polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component of the dual cure system; and then (c) irradiating the build region with light to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing (typically lowering) the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object and containing said second solidifiable component (e.g., a second reactive component) carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form. a wiper blade, doctor blade, or optically transparent (rigid or flexible) window, may optionally be provided at the fill level to facilitate leveling of the polymerizable liquid, in accordance with known techniques. in the case of an optically transparent window, the window provides a build surface against which the three-dimensional intermediate is formed, analogous to the build surface in bottom-up three-dimensional fabrication as discussed below. in general, bottom-up three-dimensional fabrication is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid (i.e., the resin), said polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light (typically ultraviolet light) polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component of the dual cure system; and then (c) irradiating the build region with light through said optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing (typically raising) the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object and containing said second solidifiable component (e.g., a second reactive component) carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form. in some embodiments of bottom-up or top-down three-dimensional fabrication as implemented in the context of the present invention, the build surface is stationary during the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate; in other embodiments of bottom-up three-dimensional fabrication as implemented in the context of the present invention, the build surface is tilted, slid, flexed and/or peeled, and/or otherwise translocated or released from the growing three-dimensional intermediate, usually repeatedly, during formation of the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments of bottom-up or top-down three-dimensional fabrication as carried out in the context of the present invention, the polymerizable liquid (or resin) is maintained in liquid contact with both the growing three-dimensional intermediate and the build surface during both the filling and irradiating steps, during fabrication of some of, a major portion of, or all of the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments of bottom-up or top-down three-dimensional fabrication as carried out in the context of the present invention, the growing three-dimensional intermediate is fabricated in a layerless manner (e.g., through multiple exposures or “slices” of patterned actinic radiation or light) during at least a portion of the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments of bottom up or top down three-dimensional fabrication as carried out in the context of the present invention, the growing three-dimensional intermediate is fabricated in a layer-by-layer manner (e.g., through multiple exposures or “slices” of patterned actinic radiation or light), during at least a portion of the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments of bottom up or top down three-dimensional fabrication employing a rigid or flexible optically transparent window, a lubricant or immiscible liquid may be provided between the window and the polymerizable liquid (e.g., a fluorinated fluid or oil such as a perfluoropolyether oil). from the foregoing it will be appreciated that, in some embodiments of bottom-up or top down three-dimensional fabrication as carried out in the context of the present invention, the growing three-dimensional intermediate is fabricated in a layerless manner during the formation of at least one portion thereof, and that same growing three-dimensional intermediate is fabricated in a layer-by-layer manner during the formation of at least one other portion thereof. thus, operating mode may be changed once, or on multiple occasions, between layerless fabrication and layer-by-layer fabrication, as desired by operating conditions such as part geometry. in some embodiments, the intermediate is formed by continuous liquid interface production (clip), as discussed further below. as noted above, the present invention provides (in some embodiments) a method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a carrier and a build plate, the build plate comprising a semipermeable member, the semipermeable member comprising a build surface and a feed surface separate from the build surface, with the build surface and the carrier defining a build region therebetween, and with the feed surface in fluid contact with a polymerization inhibitor; then (concurrently and/or sequentially) (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid contacting the build segment, (c) irradiating the build region through the build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in the build region, with a liquid film release layer comprised of the polymerizable liquid formed between the solid polymerized region and the build surface, the polymerization of which liquid film is inhibited by the polymerization inhibitor; and (d) advancing the carrier with the polymerized region adhered thereto away from the build surface on the stationary build plate to create a subsequent build region between the polymerized region and the top zone. in general the method includes (e) continuing and/or repeating steps (b) through (d) to produce a subsequent polymerized region adhered to a previous polymerized region until the continued or repeated deposition of polymerized regions adhered to one another forms the three-dimensional object. since no mechanical release of a release layer is required, or no mechanical movement of a build surface to replenish oxygen or other inhibitor is required, the method can be carried out in a continuous fashion, though it will be appreciated that the individual steps noted above may be carried out sequentially, concurrently, or a combination thereof. indeed, the rate of steps can be varied over time depending upon factors such as the density and/or complexity of the region under fabrication. also, since mechanical release from a window or from a release layer generally requires that the carrier be advanced a greater distance from the build plate than desired for the next irradiation step, which enables the window to be recoated, and then return of the carrier back closer to the build plate (e.g., a “two steps forward one step back” operation), the present invention in some embodiments permits elimination of this “back-up” step and allows the carrier to be advanced unidirectionally, or in a single direction, without intervening movement of the window for re-coating, or “snapping” of a pre-formed elastic release-layer. however, in other embodiments of the invention, reciprocation is utilized not for the purpose of obtaining release, but for the purpose of more rapidly filling or pumping polymerizable liquid into the build region. while the dead zone and the gradient of polymerization zone do not have a strict boundary therebetween (in those locations where the two meet), the thickness of the gradient of polymerization zone is in some embodiments at least as great as the thickness of the dead zone. thus, in some embodiments, the dead zone has a thickness of from 0.01, 0.1, 1, 2, or 10 microns up to 100, 200 or 400 microns, or more, and/or the gradient of polymerization zone and the dead zone together have a thickness of from 1 or 2 microns up to 400, 600, or 1000 microns, or more. thus the gradient of polymerization zone may be thick or thin depending on the particular process conditions at that time. where the gradient of polymerization zone is thin, it may also be described as an active surface on the bottom of the growing three-dimensional object, with which monomers can react and continue to form growing polymer chains therewith. in some embodiments, the gradient of polymerization zone, or active surface, is maintained (while polymerizing steps continue) for a time of at least 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds, up to 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes or more, or until completion of the three-dimensional product. the method may further comprise the step of disrupting the gradient of polymerization zone for a time sufficient to form a cleavage line in the three-dimensional object (e.g., at a predetermined desired location for intentional cleavage, or at a location in the object where prevention of cleavage or reduction of cleavage is non-critical), and then reinstating the gradient of polymerization zone (e.g., by pausing, and resuming, the advancing step, increasing, then decreasing, the intensity of irradiation, and combinations thereof). in some embodiments, the advancing step is carried out sequentially in uniform increments (e.g., of from 0.1 or 1 microns, up to 10 or 100 microns, or more) for each step or increment. in some embodiments, the advancing step is carried out sequentially in variable increments (e.g., each increment ranging from 0.1 or 1 microns, up to 10 or 100 microns, or more) for each step or increment. the size of the increment, along with the rate of advancing, will depend in part upon factors such as temperature, pressure, structure of the article being produced (e.g., size, density, complexity, configuration, etc.) in other embodiments of the invention, the advancing step is carried out continuously, at a uniform or variable rate. in some embodiments, the rate of advance (whether carried out sequentially or continuously) is from about 0.11, or 10 microns per second, up to about to 100, 1,000, or 10,000 microns per second, again depending on factors such as temperature, pressure, structure of the article being produced, intensity of radiation, etc as described further below, in some embodiments the filling step is carried out by forcing the polymerizable liquid into the build region under pressure. in such a case, the advancing step or steps may be carried out at a rate or cumulative or average rate of at least 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100, 500 or 1000 microns per second, or more. in general, the pressure may be whatever is sufficient to increase the rate of the advancing step(s) at least 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 times as compared to the maximum rate of repetition of the advancing steps in the absence of the pressure. where the pressure is provided by enclosing an apparatus such as described above in a pressure vessel and carrying the process out in a pressurized atmosphere (e.g., of air, air enriched with oxygen, a blend of gasses, pure oxygen, etc.) a pressure of 10, 20, 30 or 40 pounds per square inch (psi) up to, 200, 300, 400 or 500 psi or more, may be used. for fabrication of large irregular objects higher pressures may be less preferred as compared to slower fabrication times due to the cost of a large high pressure vessel. in such an embodiment, both the feed surface and the polymerizable liquid can be are in fluid contact with the same compressed gas (e.g., one comprising from 20 to 95 percent by volume of oxygen, the oxygen serving as the polymerization inhibitor. on the other hand, when smaller items are fabricated, or a rod or fiber is fabricated that can be removed or exited from the pressure vessel as it is produced through a port or orifice therein, then the size of the pressure vessel can be kept smaller relative to the size of the product being fabricated and higher pressures can (if desired) be more readily utilized. as noted above, the irradiating step is in some embodiments carried out with patterned irradiation. the patterned irradiation may be a fixed pattern or may be a variable pattern created by a pattern generator (e.g., a dlp) as discussed above, depending upon the particular item being fabricated. when the patterned irradiation is a variable pattern rather than a pattern that is held constant over time, then each irradiating step may be any suitable time or duration depending on factors such as the intensity of the irradiation, the presence or absence of dyes in the polymerizable material, the rate of growth, etc. thus in some embodiments each irradiating step can be from 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 or 10 microseconds, up to 1, 10, or 100 minutes, or more, in duration. the interval between each irradiating step is in some embodiments preferably as brief as possible, e.g., from 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, or 1 microseconds up to 0.1, 1, or 10 seconds. in example embodiments, the pattern may vary hundreds, thousands or millions of times to impart shape changes on the three-dimensional object being formed. in addition, in example embodiments, the pattern generator may have high resolution with millions of pixel elements that can be varied to change the shape that is imparted. for example, the pattern generator may be a dlp with more than 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000 or more rows and/or more than 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000 or more columns of micromirrors, or pixels in a liquid crystal display panel, that can be used to vary the shape. in example embodiments, the three-dimensional object may be formed through the gradient of polymerization allowing the shape changes to be imparted while continuously printing. in example embodiments, this allows complex three-dimensional objects to be formed at high speed with a substantially continuous surface without cleavage lines or seams. in some examples, thousands or millions of shape variations may be imparted on the three-dimensional object being formed without cleavage lines or seams across a length of the object being formed of more than 1 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm or more or across the entire length of the formed object. in example embodiments, the object may be continuously formed through the gradient of polymerization at a rate of more than 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 or more microns per second. in some embodiments the build surface is flat; in others the build surface is irregular such as convexly or concavely curved, or has walls or trenches formed therein. in either case the build surface may be smooth or textured. curved and/or irregular build plates or build surfaces can be used in fiber or rod formation, to provide different materials to a single object being fabricated, that is, different polymerizable liquids to the same build surface through channels or trenches formed in the build surface, each associated with a separate liquid supply, etc. carrier feed channels for polymerizable liquid. while polymerizable liquid may be provided directly to the build plate from a liquid conduit and reservoir system, in some embodiments the carrier includes one or more feed channels therein. the carrier feed channels are in fluid communication with the polymerizable liquid supply, for example a reservoir and associated pump. different carrier feed channels may be in fluid communication with the same supply and operate simultaneously with one another, or different carrier feed channels may be separately controllable from one another (for example, through the provision of a pump and/or valve for each). separately controllable feed channels may be in fluid communication with a reservoir containing the same polymerizable liquid, or may be in fluid communication with a reservoir containing different polymerizable liquids. through the use of valve assemblies, different polymerizable liquids may in some embodiments be alternately fed through the same feed channel, if desired. v. reciprocal feed of polymerizable liquid in an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is vertically reciprocated with respect to the build surface to enhance or speed the refilling of the build region with the polymerizable liquid. in some embodiments, the vertically reciprocating step, which comprises an upstroke and a downstroke, is carried out with the distance of travel of the upstroke being greater than the distance of travel of the downstroke, to thereby concurrently carry out the advancing step (that is, driving the carrier away from the build plate in the z dimension) in part or in whole. in some embodiments, the speed of the upstroke gradually accelerates (that is, there is provided a gradual start and/or gradual acceleration of the upstroke, over a period of at least 20, 30, 40, or 50 percent of the total time of the upstroke) until the conclusion of the upstroke, or the change of direction which represents the beginning of the downstroke. stated differently, the upstroke begins, or starts, gently or gradually. in some embodiments, the speed of the downstroke gradually decelerates (that is, there is provided a gradual termination and/or gradual deceleration of the downstroke) over a period of at least 20, 30, 40, or 50 percent of the total time of the downstroke. stated differently, the downstroke concludes, or ends, gently or gradually. while in some embodiments there is an abrupt end, or abrupt deceleration, of the upstroke, and an abrupt beginning or deceleration of the downstroke (e.g., a rapid change in vector or direction of travel from upstroke to downstroke), it will be appreciated that gradual transitions may be introduced here as well (e.g., through introduction of a “plateau” or pause in travel between the upstroke and downstroke). it will also be appreciated that, while the reciprocating step may be a single upstroke and downstroke, the reciprocations may occur in linked groups thereof, of the same or different amplitude and frequency. in some embodiments, the vertically reciprocating step is carried out over a total time of from 0.01 or 0.1 seconds up to 1 or 10 seconds (e.g., per cycle of an upstroke and a downstroke). in some embodiments, the upstroke distance of travel is from 0.02 or 0.2 millimeters (or 20 or 200 microns) to 1 or 10 millimeters (or 1000 to 10,000 microns). the distance of travel of the downstroke may be the same as, or less than, the distance of travel of the upstroke, where a lesser distance of travel for the downstroke serves to achieve the advancing of the carrier away from the build surface as the three-dimensional object is gradually formed. preferably the vertically reciprocating step, and particularly the upstroke thereof, does not cause the formation of gas bubbles or a gas pocket in the build region, but instead the build region remains filled with the polymerizable liquid throughout the reciprocation steps, and the gradient of polymerization zone or region remains in contact with the “dead zone” and with the growing object being fabricated throughout the reciprocation steps. as will be appreciated, a purpose of the reciprocation is to speed or enhance the refilling of the build region, particularly where larger build regions are to be refilled with polymerizable liquid, as compared to the speed at which the build region could be refilled without the reciprocation step. in some embodiments, the advancing step is carried out intermittently at a rate of 1, 2, 5 or 10 individual advances per minute up to 300, 600, or 1000 individual advances per minute, each followed by a pause during which an irradiating step is carried out. it will be appreciated that one or more reciprocation steps (e.g., upstroke plus downstroke) may be carried out within each advancing step. stated differently, the reciprocating steps may be nested within the advancing steps. in some embodiments, the individual advances are carried out over an average distance of travel for each advance of from 10 or 50 microns to 100 or 200 microns (optionally including the total distance of travel for each vertically reciprocating step, e.g., the sum of the upstroke distance minus the downstroke distance). apparatus for carrying out the invention in which the reciprocation steps described herein are implemented substantially as described above, with the drive associated with the carrier, and/or with an additional drive operatively associated with the transparent member, and with the controller operatively associated with either or both thereof and configured to reciprocate the carrier and transparent member with respect to one another as described above. vi. increased speed of fabrication by increased light intensity in general, it has been observed that speed of fabrication can increase with increased light intensity. in some embodiments, the light is concentrated or “focused” at the build region to increase the speed of fabrication. this may be accomplished using an optical device such as an objective lens. the speed of fabrication may be generally proportional to the light intensity. for example, the build speed in millimeters per hour may be calculated by multiplying the light intensity in milliwatts per square centimeter and a multiplier. the multiplier may depend on a variety of factors, including those discussed below. a range of multiplers, from low to high, may be employed. on the low end of the range, the multiplier may be about 10, 15, 20 or 30. on the high end of the multiplier range, the multiplier may be about 150, 300, 400 or more. the relationships described above are, in general, contemplated for light intensities of from 1, 5 or 10 milliwatts per square centimeter, up to 20 or 50 milliwatts per square centimeter. certain optical characteristics of the light may be selected to facilitate increased speed of fabrication. by way of example, a band pass filter may be used with a mercury bulb light source to provide 365±10 nm light measured at full width half maximum (fwhm). by way of further example, a band pass filter may be used with an led light source to provide 375±15 nm light measured at fwhm. as noted above, polymerizable liquids used in such processes are, in general, free radical polymerizable liquids with oxygen as the inhibitor, or acid-catalyzed or cationically polymerizable liquids with a base as the inhibitor. some specific polymerizable liquids will of course cure more rapidly or efficiently than others and hence be more amenable to higher speeds, though this may be offset at least in part by further increasing light intensity. at higher light intensities and speeds, the “dead zone” may become thinner as inhibitor is consumed. if the dead zone is lost then the process will be disrupted. in such case, the supply of inhibitor may be enhanced by any suitable means, including providing an enriched and/or pressurized atmosphere of inhibitor, a more porous semipermeable member, a stronger or more powerful inhibitor (particularly where a base is employed), etc. in general, lower viscosity polymerizable liquids are more amenable to higher speeds, particularly for fabrication of articles with a large and/or dense cross section (although this can be offset at least in part by increasing light intensity). polymerizable liquids with viscosities in the range of 50 or 100 centipoise, up to 600, 800 or 1000 centipoise or more (as measured at room temperature and atmospheric pressure with a suitable device such as a hydramotion reactavisc™ viscometer (available from hydramotion ltd, 1 york road business park, malton, york yo17 6ya england). in some embodiments, where necessary, the viscosity of the polymerizable liquid can advantageously be reduced by heating the polymerizable liquid, as described above. in some embodiments, such as fabrication of articles with a large and/or dense cross-section, speed of fabrication can be enhanced by introducing reciprocation to “pump” the polymerizable liquid, as described above, and/or the use of feeding the polymerizable liquid through the carrier, as also described above, and/or heating and/or pressurizing the polymerizable liquid, as also described above. vii. tiling it may be desirable to use more than one light engine to preserve resolution and light intensity for larger build sizes. each light engine may be configured to project an image (e.g., an array of pixels) into the build region such that a plurality of “tiled” images are projected into the build region. as used herein, the term “light engine” can mean an assembly including a light source, a dlp device such as a digital micromirror or lcd device and an optical device such as an objective lens. the “light engine” may also include electronics such as a controller that is operatively associated with one or more of the other components. this is shown schematically in fig. 18a - fig. 18c . the light engine assemblies 130 a, 130 b produce adjacent or “tiled” images 140 a, 140 b. in fig. 18a , the images are slightly misaligned; that is, there is a gap between them. in fig. 18b , the images are aligned; there is no gap and no overlap between them. in fig. 18c , there is a slight overlap of the images 140 a and 140 b. in some embodiments, the configuration with the overlapped images shown in fig. 18c is employed with some form of “blending” or “smoothing” of the overlapped regions as generally discussed in, for example, u.s. pat. nos. 7,292,207, 8,102,332, 8,427,391, 8,446,431 and u.s. patent application publication nos. 2013/0269882, 2013/0278840 and 2013/0321475, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties. the tiled images can allow for larger build areas without sacrificing light intensity, and therefore can facilitate faster build speeds for larger objects. it will be understood that more than two light engine assemblies (and corresponding tiled images) may be employed. various embodiments of the invention employ at least 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 or more tiled images. viii. dual hardening polymerizable liquids: part b as noted above, in some embodiments of the invention, the polymerizable liquid comprises a first light polymerizable component (sometimes referred to as “part a” herein) and a second component that solidifies by another mechanism, or in a different manner from, the first component (sometimes referred to as “part b” herein), typically by further reacting, polymerizing, or chain extending. numerous embodiments thereof may be carried out. in the following, note that, where particular acrylates such as methacrylates are described, other acrylates may also be used. part a chemistry. as noted above, in some embodiments of the present invention, a resin will have a first component, termed “part a.” part a comprises or consists of a mixture of monomers and/or prepolymers that can be polymerized by exposure to actinic radiation or light. this resin can have a functionality of 2 or higher (though a resin with a functionality of 1 can also be used when the polymer does not dissolve in its monomer). a purpose of part a is to “lock” the shape of the object being formed or create a scaffold for the one or more additional components (e.g., part b). importantly, part a is present at or above the minimum quantity needed to maintain the shape of the object being formed after the initial solidification. in some embodiments, this amount corresponds to less than ten, twenty, or thirty percent by weight of the total resin (polymerizable liquid) composition. in some embodiments, part a can react to form a cross-linked polymer network or a solid homopolymer. examples of suitable reactive end groups suitable for part a constituents, monomers, or prepolymers include, but are not limited to: acrylates, methacrylates, α-olefins, n-vinyls, acrylamides, methacrylamides, styrenics, epoxides, thiols, 1,3-dienes, vinyl halides, acrylonitriles, vinyl esters, maleimides, and vinyl ethers. an aspect of the solidification of part a is that it provides a scaffold in which a second reactive resin component, termed “part b,” can solidify during a second step (which may occur concurrently with or following the solidification of part a). this secondary reaction preferably occurs without significantly distorting the original shape defined during the solidification of part a. alternative approaches would lead to a distortion in the original shape in a desired manner. in particular embodiments, when used in the methods and apparatus described herein, the solidification of part a is continuously inhibited during printing within a certain region, by oxygen or amines or other reactive species, to form a liquid interface between the solidified part and an inhibitor-permeable film or window (e.g., is carried out by continuous liquid interphase/interface printing/polymerization). part b chemistry. part b may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of a mix of monomers and/or prepolymers that possess reactive end groups that participate in a second solidification reaction after the part a solidification reaction. in some embodiments, part b could be added simultaneously to part a so it is present during the exposure to actinide radiation, or part b could be infused into the object made during the 3d printing process in a subsequent step. examples of methods used to solidify part b include, but are not limited to, contacting the object or scaffold to heat, water or water vapor, light at a different wavelength than that at which part a is cured, catalysts, (with or without additional heat), evaporation of a solvent from the polymerizable liquid (e.g., using heat, vacuum, or a combination thereof), microwave irradiation, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of suitable reactive end group pairs suitable for part b constituents, monomers or prepolymers include, but are not limited to: epoxy/amine, epoxy/hydroxyl, oxetane/amine, oxetane/alcohol, isocyanate/hydroxyl, isocyanate/amine, isocyanate/carboxylic acid, anhydride/amine, amine/carboxylic acid, amine/ester, hydroxyl/carboxylic acid, hydroxyl/acid chloride, amine/acid chloride, vinyl/si—h (hydrosilylation), si—cl/hydroxyl, si—cl/amine, hydroxyl/aldehyde, amine/aldehyde, hydroxymethyl or alkoxymethyl amide/alcohol, aminoplast, alkyne/azide (also known as one embodiment of “click chemistry,” along with additional reactions including thiolene, michael additions, diels-alder reactions, nucleophilic substitution reactions, etc.), alkene/sulfur (polybutadiene vulcanization), alkene/peroxide, alkene/thiol, alkyne/thiol, hydroxyl/halide, isocyanate/water (polyurethane foams), si—oh/hydroxyl, si—oh/water, si—oh/si—h (tin catalyzed silicone), si—oh/si—oh (tin catalyzed silicone), perfluorovinyl (coupling to form perfluorocyclobutane), etc., where isocyanates include protected isocyanates (e.g., oximes)), diene/dienophiles for diels-alder reactions, olefin metathesis polymerization, olefin polymerization using ziegler-natta catalysis, ring-opening polymerization (including ring-opening olefin metathesis polymerization, lactams, lactones, siloxanes, epoxides, cyclic ethers, imines, cyclic acetals, etc.), etc. other reactive chemistries suitable for part b will be recognizable by those skilled in the art. part b components useful for the formation of polymers described in “concise polymeric materials encyclopedia” and the “encyclopedia of polymer science and technology” are hereby incorporated by reference. organic peroxides. in some embodiments, an organic peroxide may be included in the polymerizable liquid or resin, for example to facilitate the reaction of potentially unreacted double bonds during heat and/or microwave irradiation curing. such organic peroxides may be included in the resin or polymerizable liquid in any suitable amount, such as from 0.001 or 0.01 or 0.1 percent by weight, up to 1, 2, or 3 percent by weight. examples of suitable organic peroxides include, but are not limited to, 2,5-bis(tert-butylperoxy)-2,5-dimethylhexane (e.g., luperox 101™), dilauroyl peroxide (e.g., luperox lp™), benzoyl peroxide (e.g., luperox a98™), and bis(tert-butyldioxyisopropyl)benzene (e.g., vulcup r™), etc., including combinations thereof. such organic peroxides are available from a variety of sources, including but not limited to arkema (420 rue d'estienne d'orves, 92705 colombes cedex, france). elastomers. a particularly useful embodiment for implementing the invention is for the formation of elastomers. tough, high-elongation elastomers are difficult to achieve using only liquid uv-curable precursors. however, there exist many thermally cured materials (polyurethanes, silicones, natural rubber) that result in tough, high-elongation elastomers after curing. these thermally curable elastomers on their own are generally incompatible with most 3d printing techniques. in embodiments of the current invention, small amounts (e.g., less than 20 percent by weight) of a low-viscosity uv curable material (part a) are blended with thermally-curable precursors to form (preferably tough) elastomers (e.g., polyurethanes, polyureas, or copolymers thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), and silicones) (part b). the uv curable component is used to solidify an object into the desired shape using 3d printing as described herein and a scaffold for the elastomer precursors in the polymerizable liquid. the object can then be heated after printing, thereby activating the second component, resulting in an object comprising the elastomer. adhesion of formed objects. in some embodiments, it may be useful to define the shapes of multiple objects using the solidification of part a, align those objects in a particular configuration, such that there is a hermetic seal between the objects, then activate the secondary solidification of part b. in this manner, strong adhesion between parts can be achieved during production. a particularly useful example may be in the formation and adhesion of sneaker components. fusion of particles as part b. in some embodiments, “part b” may simply consist of small particles of a pre-formed polymer. after the solidification of part a, the object may be heated above the glass transition temperature of part b in order to fuse the entrapped polymeric particles. evaporation of solvent as part b. in some embodiments, “part b” may consist of a pre-formed polymer dissolved in a solvent. after the solidification of part a into the desired object, the object is subjected to a process (e.g., heat+vacuum) that allows for evaporation of the solvent for part b, thereby solidifying part b. thermally cleavable end groups. in some embodiments, the reactive chemistries in part a can be thermally cleaved to generate a new reactive species after the solidification of part a. the newly-formed reactive species can further react with part b in a secondary solidification. an exemplary system is described by velankar, pezos and cooper, journal of applied polymer science, 62, 1361-1376 (1996). here, after uv-curing, the acrylate/methacrylate groups in the formed object are thermally cleaved to generated diisocyanate or branched isocyanate prepolymers that further react with blended chain-extender to give high molecular weight polyurethanes/polyureas within the original cured material or scaffold. such systems are, in general, dual-hardening systems that employ blocked or reactive blocked prepolymers, as discussed in greater detail below. it may be noted that later work indicates that the thermal cleavage above is actually a displacement reaction of the chain extender (usually a diamine) with the hindered urea, giving the final polyurethanes/polyureas without generating isocyanate intermediates. methods of mixing components. in some embodiments, the components may be mixed (as a single batch, and/or in a continuous manner) prior to being introduced to the printer build plate or build region. this may be done using any suitable manner, such as with mixers, including static mixers, e.g., multi-barrel syringes and mixing nozzles. fig. 1 provides a schematic illustration thereof. the method may be carried out by: mixing a first precursor liquid and a second precursor liquid to produce the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and wherein: (i) at least one reactant of said second solidifiable component is contained in said first precursor liquid, and (ii) at least one reactant or catalyst of said second solidifiable component is contained in said second precursor liquid; then (typically within one day, and preferably within one or two hours, of said mixing step), proceeding to fill the build region with the polymerizable liquid. as illustrated, filling may be carried out directly from the output of the mixer, such as the static mixer. for example, part a may comprise or consist of a uv-curable di(meth)acrylate resin, part b may comprise or consist of a diisocyanate or branched isocyanate prepolymer and a polyol mixture. the polyol can be blended together in one barrel with part a and remain unreacted. a second syringe barrel would contain the diisocyanate of part b. in this manner, the material can be stored without worry of part b solidifying prematurely. additionally, when the resin is introduced to the printer in this fashion, a constant time may be defined between mixing of all components and solidification of part a. it will be appreciated that precursor liquids or resins, like the dual cure resins formed by mixing thereof, will generally be viscous liquids, and in some cases may advantageously be pseudoplastic as discussed below. pseudoplastic precursor liquids. in some embodiments, particularly where one or both precursor resin carries solid particles therein, that precursor resin(s) are pseudoplastic compositions. pseudoplastic resin compositions, and various ways to impart pseudoplastic properties to resin compositions, are known. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 9,216,543; see also u.s. pat. nos. 6,180,244; 6,172,134; 8,604,132; and 7,482,399 (the disclosures of all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. pseudoplastic (or “shear thinning”) composition as used herein refers to a composition, and in particular a precursor resin, that becomes more fluid when a force is applied, in particular a mechanical force such as shear or pressure as encountered during mixing (e.g., agitating, stirring, pumping, shaking, etc.). in the present invention, pseudoplasticity of a precursor resin that contains particulates can aid in stabilizing that precursor resin during storage (e.g., the higher viscosity during storage serves to inhibit settling of the solid particulates) yet does not unduly interfere with mixing of that resin with another precursor resin when dispensed for use. in some embodiments, the pseudoplastic resin(s) can have a shear-thinning value of at least 5, 6, or 10, up to 40, 60, 80, or 100 or more. shear thinning value can be determined in accordance with known techniques (see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 9,382,370; 8,604,132; and 8,173,750, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). in some embodiments, the resin may be inherently pseudoplastic (that is, pseudoplasticity imparted by constituents included in the precursor resin for other purposes); in other embodiments, pseudoplasticity may be imparted to that precursor resin by inclusion of one or more rheology modifiers therein, in any suitable amount (e.g., 0.1 or 1 percent by weight, up to 2, 5 or 10 percent by weight). rheology modifiers that may be used include, but are not limited to, organic and inorganic rheology modifiers and associative as well as non-associative modifiers. organic rheology modifiers comprise products based on natural materials, like cellulose, cellulose derivatives, alginates, or polysaccharides and their derivatives, like xanthan, or synthetic polymeric materials like polyacrylates, polyurethanes or polyamides. inorganic rheology modifiers comprise clays, like bentonite clays, attapulgite clays, organoclays, kaolin, and treated or untreated synthetic silicas, like fumed silicas. particular examples of rheology modifiers include, but are not limited to, alkali soluble or swellable emulsions such as acrysol™ ase-60, ase-75 and asb-95np, acusol™ 810a (rohm and haas co.), and alcogum™ l-15, l-31 and l-37 (alco chemical), alkali soluble associative emulsions such as alcogum™ sl-70 and 78 (alco chemical) or acrysol™ tt-935 or rm-5 (rohm and haas co.), and alkali swellable associative urethanes such as polyphobe™ p-104, and p-106 (union carbide), and in addition, hydrophobically-modified urethane dispersions such as nopco dsx 1514, 1550, 2000 exp and 3000 exp (henkel corporation) and acrysol™ rm-825 (rohm and haas co.). additional examples of rheology modifiers include, but are not limited to, fumed silica coated with trimethylsilane. the trimethylsilane coated silica may be prepared, for example, by treating fumed silica with a methylchlorosilane, such as dimethyl dichlorosilane or timethyl chlorosilane, or more preferably with hexamethyldisilazine, such as aerosil™ r812 (degussa limited). still another non-limiting example of a rheology modifier is fumed silica treated with silicone oil, such as aerosil™ r202 (degussa limited). additional examples of rheology modifiers include, but are not limited to, wax-based rheology modifiers, such as polyethylene glycol wax with a melting point of about 60.degree. c. or low melting point (e.g., less than 100.degree. c.) stearic acid esters. suitable commercial preparations are those sold under the trade marks thixomen™ and thixotrol st™. example precursor resins for making an epoxy dual cure resin. a non-limiting example of a pair of precursor resins, this one for producing an epoxy dual cure resin, is a combination of: (a) a first, pseudoplastic, precursor resin composition, comprising or consisting essentially of (it is desirable to package the epoxy resin and dual reactive compound separately from the hardener to avoid premature reaction and extend shelf life): (i) an organic hardener co-polymerizable with an epoxy resin, said organic hardener in solid particulate form and dispersed in said resin composition;(ii) optionally, a photoinitiator;(iii) optionally, monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light;(iv) optionally, a light absorbing pigment or dye(v) optionally a diluent;(vi) optionally a particulate filler;(vii) optionally, a co-monomer and/or a co-prepolymer (with said epoxy resin); and (b) a second, optionally pseudoplastic, precursor resin composition, packaged separately from (i.e., not mixed with) said first precursor resin; said second precursor resin comprising, or consisting essentially of (it is desirable to exclude the hardener from the second precursor resin to avoid premature reaction and extend shelf life): (i) an epoxy resin co-polymerizable with said organic hardener;(ii) a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin (e.g., an epoxy acrylate);(iii) optionally, a photoinitiator;(iv) optionally; monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light;(v) optionally, a light absorbing pigment or dye(vi) optionally a diluent;(vii) optionally a particulate filler;(viii) optionally, a co-monomer and/or a co-prepolymer (with said epoxy resin); subject to the proviso that said photoinitiator, and said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, are each included in at least one of each said first and second precursor resin compositions. the two may be packaged separately from one another by any suitable means, such as in two separate cans, bottles, or other container, in a common outer container; in separate chambers of a dual or multi chamber cartridge or dispenser; etc. the transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” means that the scope of a claim is to be interpreted to encompass the specified materials or steps recited in the claim, and also additional materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed invention as described herein. for example, in some embodiments of the compositions, the second precursor composition comprising (i) an epoxy resin co-polymerizable with the organic hardener; and (ii) a dual reactive compound having substituted thereon a first reactive group reactive with said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and a second reactive group reactive with said epoxy resin (e.g., an epoxy acrylate), is subject to the proviso that the second precursor composition does not include (or does not appreciably include) an organic hardener. in some embodiments, the epoxy resin comprises a bisphenol a epoxy resin, a bisphenol f epoxy resin, a novolac epoxy resin, an aliphatic epoxy resin, a glycidylamine epoxy resin, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, the epoxy resin comprises an epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups; in other embodiments epoxy resin can comprise an epoxy compound having a single epoxy group, for example as a reactive diliuent. numerous examples of suitable epoxy resins (and organic hardeners) are known. see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 3,945,972; 3,947,395; 4,833,226; 5,319,004; 6,355,763; 6,881,813; 8,383,025; 9,133,301; etc. in some embodiments, the epoxy resin comprises an epoxidized vegetable oil. in general, epoxidized vegetable oils can be obtained by the epoxidation of triglycerides of unsaturated fatty acids. they are made by epoxidizing the reactive olefin groups of the naturally occurring triglyceride oils. the olefin groups can be epoxidized with peracids, such as perbenzoic, peracetic and the like, and with hydrogen peroxide. suitable epoxidized vegetable oils are epoxidized linseed oil, epoxidized soybean oil, epoxidized corn oil, epoxidized cottonseed oil, epoxidized perilla oil, epoxidized safflower oil, etc. see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 3,051,671; 5,973,082; 8,481,622; and 9,169,386; see also m. stemmelen et al., a fully biobased epoxy resin from vegetable oils: from the synthesis of the precursors by thiol-ene reaction to the study of the final material, j. polym sci. part a: polym chew. 49, 2434-2444 (2011). in some embodiments, the epoxy resin comprises a catalyzed epoxy resin (which may not require a hardener). in such case, the resin may further include an epoxy homopolymerization catalyst, such as a tertiary amine or imidizole (anionic polymerization) or boron trifluoride (cationic polymerizations). any suitable hardener may be used (see references cited in connection with epoxy resins above). in some embodiments, the hardener comprises an amine or polyamine (e.g., an aromatic amine or polyamine, a cycloaliphatic amine or polyamine, an aliphatic amine or polyamine such as a polyether amine, etc.). in some embodiments, the hardener comprises an acid or polyacid (i.e., polycarboxylic acids), a phenol or polyphenol, an alcohol or polyol, or a thiol or polythiol. in some embodiments, the hardener comprises an anhydride, such as a linear or cyclic anhydride, including compounds having more than one anhydride group (for example, at least one of polysebacic or polyazelaic anhydride; methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride, tetrahydro phthalic anhydride, methyl nadic anhydride, hexahydro phthalicanhydride, and methylhexahydro phthalic anhydride; succinic anhydride, substituted succinic anhydride, citric acid anhydride, maleic anhydride, adducts of maleic anhydride, dodecyl succinic anhydride, maleic anhydride vinyl and styrene copolymers of maleic anhydride, multi-ring alicyclic anhydrides, phthalic anhydride, and/or trimellitic anhydride (see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 9,080,007)). latent hardeners. in some embodiments, the hardener comprises a latent hardener (including mixtures thereof); that is, a hardener having a low reactivity at lower temperatures, and/or which is sparingly soluble at lower temperatures, such that the hardener can be more stable at room temperature, but then activated upon heating. numerous examples of latent hardeners are known. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 8,779,036; see also u.s. pat. no. 4,859,761. particular examples include substituted guanidines and aromatic amines, such as dicyandiamide, benzoguanamine, o-tolylbiguanidine, bis(4-aminophenyl) sulfone (also known as diamino diphenylsulfone: dds), bis(3-aminophenyl) sulfone, 4,4′-methylenediamine, 1,2- or 1,3- or 1,4-benzenediamines, bis(4-aminophenyl)-1,4-diisopropylbenzene (e.g., epon 1061 from shell), bis(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-1,4-diisopropylbenzene (e.g., epon 1062 from shell), bis(aminophenyl) ether, diaminobenzophenones, 2,6-diaminopyridine, 2,4-toluenediamine, diaminodiphenylpropanes, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, xylenediamines, 1,1-bis-4-aminophenylcyclohexane, methylenebis(2,6-diethylaniline) (e.g., lonzacure m-dea from lonza), methylenebis(2-isopropyl-6-methylaniline) (e.g., lonzacure m-mipa from lonza), methylenebis(2,6-diisopropylaniline) (e.g., lonzacure m-dipa from lonza), 4-aminodiphenylamine, diethyltoluenediamine, phenyl-4,6-diaminotriazine, and lauryl-4,6-diaminotriazine. still other examples include n-acylimidazoles such as 1-(2′,4′,6′-trimethylbenzoyl)-2-phenylimidazole or 1-benzoyl-2-isopropylimidazole (see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 4,436,892 and 4,587,311); cyanoacetyl compounds such as neopentyl glycol biscyanoacetate, n-isobutylcyanoacetamide, 1,6-hexamethylene biscyanoacetate or 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol biscyanoacetate (see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 4,283,520); n-cyanoacylamide compounds such as n,n′-dicyanoadipic diamide (see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 4,529,821, 4,550,203, and 4,618,712; acylthiopropylphenols (see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 4,694,096) and the urea derivatives such as toluene-2,4-bis(n,n-dimethylcarbamide) (see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 3,386,955); and aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diamines and polyamines if they are sufficiently unreactive. an example which may be mentioned here is polyetheramines, e.g., jeffamine 230 and 400. aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diamines or polyamines whose reactivity has been reduced by steric and/or electronic influencing factors or/and are sparingly soluble or have a high melting point, e.g., jefflink 754 (huntsman) or clearlink 1000 (dorf ketal) can also be used. epoxy accelerator. an accelerator (or mixture of accelerators) may optionally be included in the polymerizable liquid, examples of which include, but are not limited to, those set forth in u.s. pat. nos. 9,080,007; 8,779,036; 7,750,107; 6,773,754; 5,198,146; 4,800,222; and 3,639,928. dual reactive compound. as noted above, in some embodiments a dual reactive compound is included in the polymerizable liquid. in general, such a dual reactive compound comprises: (i) a first reactive group reactive with (i.e., preferentially reactive with) the monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, and (ii) a second reactive group reactive with (i.e., preferentially reactive with) the epoxy resin. one or more of each reactive groups may be included. examples of suitable first reactive groups include, but are not limited to, acrylates, methacrylates, α-olefins, n-vinyls, acrylamides, methacrylamides, styrenics, thiols, 1,3-dienes, vinyl halides, acrylonitriles, vinyl esters, maleimides, and vinyl ethers. examples of suitable second reactive groups include, but are not limited to, epoxy, amine, isocyanate, alcohol, and anhydride groups. thus, particular examples of suitable dual reactive compounds include compounds of the general formula (x) n r(x′) m , wherein: x is the first reactive group, x′ is the second reactive group, n and m are each integers of from 1 or 2 to 10 or 20, and r is a hydrocarbyl or organic group (e.g., an aromatic, aliphatic, or mixed aromatic and aliphatic group, such as bis-phenol a). particular examples include but are not limited to epoxy acrylates and epoxy methacrylates, such as compounds of formula i: where r′ is h or ch 3 and r is as given above. r may be as short as —ch 2 — (e.g., glicidyl methacrylate), or may be a long chain organic polymer, itself. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 8,383,025 at column 4. other constituents such as the monomers and/or prepolymers polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light, photoinitiators, pigments, dyes, fillers/tougheners, light absorbing pigments or dyes, diluents, and the like, can be as described above and below. the ingredients may be included in each precursor in any suitable amount, for example such that the polymerizable liquid (i.e., the combination of both precursor resins when mixed together) comprises: from 0.1 to 4 percent by weight of said photoinitiator; from 10 to 90 percent by weight of said monomers and/or prepolymers that are polymerizable by exposure to actinic radiation or light; from 0.1 to 2 percent by weight of said light absorbing pigment or dye when present; from 2, 5 or 10 to 50 or 60 percent by weight of said epoxy resin; from 1 or 2 to 30 or 40 percent by weight of said organic hardener when present; from 1 or 2 to 30 or 40 percent by weight of said dual reactive compound when present; from 1 to 40 percent by weight of said diluent when present; and from 1 to 50 percent by weight of said filler when present. other additive manufacturing techniques. it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the materials described in the current invention will be useful in other additive manufacturing techniques including fused deposition modeling (fdm), solid laser sintering (sls), and ink-jet methods. for example, a melt-processed acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin may be formulated with a second uv-curable component that can be activated after the object is formed by fdm. new mechanical properties could be achieved in this manner. in another alternative, melt-processed unvulcanized rubber is mixed with a vulcanizing agent such as sulfur or peroxide, and the shape set through fdm, then followed by a continuation of vulcanization. ix. dual hardening polymerizable liquids employing blocked constituents and thermally cleavable blocking groups in some embodiments, where the solidifying and/or curing step (d) is carried out subsequent to the irradiating step (e.g., by heating or microwave irradiating); the solidifying and/or curing step (d) is carried out under conditions in which the solid polymer scaffold degrades and forms a constituent necessary for the polymerization of the second component (e.g., a constituent such as (i) a prepolymer, (ii) a diisocyanate, branched isocyanate, or polyisocyanate, and/or (iii) a polyol and/or diol, where the second component comprises precursors to a polyurethane/polyurea resin). such methods may involve the use of reactive or non-reactive blocking groups on or coupled to a constituent of the first component, such that the constituent participates in the first hardening or solidifying event, and when de-protected (yielding free constituent and free blocking groups or blocking agents) generates a free constituent that can participate in the second solidifying and/or curing event. non-limiting examples of such methods are described further below. a. dual hardening polymerizable liquids employing blocked prepolymers and thermally cleavable blocking groups. some “dual cure” embodiments of the present invention are, in general, a method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, optionally but in some embodiments preferably a reactive diluent, a chain extender, and a photoinitiator; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a (rigid, compressible, collapsible, flexible or elastic) solid blocked polymer scaffold from the blocked prepolymer and optionally the reactive diluent while concurrently advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the chain extender; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to form the three-dimensional product from the three-dimensional intermediate (without wishing to be bound to any particular mechanism, the heating or microwave irradiating may cause the chain extender to react with the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer or an unblocked product thereof). in some embodiments, the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer comprises a polyisocyanate. in some embodiments, the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer comprises a compound of the formula a-x-a or x(-a) n , where n is at least 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, or 3 (on average), x is a hydrocarbyl group and each a is an independently selected substituent of formula x: where r is a hydrocarbyl group, r′ is o or nh, and z is a blocking group, the blocking group optionally having a reactive terminal group (e.g., a polymerizable end group such as an epoxy, alkene, alkyne, or thiol end group, for example an ethylenically unsaturated end group such as a vinyl ether). in a particular example, each a is an independently selected substituent of formula (xi): where r and r′ are as given above. in some embodiments, the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer comprises a polyisocyanate oligomer produced by the reaction of at least one diisocyanate or branched isocyanate (e.g., a diisocyanate such as hexamethylene diisocyanate (hdi), bis-(4-isocyanatocyclohexyl)methane (hmdi), isophorone diisocyanate (ipdi), etc., a triisocyanate, etc.) with at least one polyol (e.g., a polyether or polyester or polybutadiene diol). in some embodiments, the reactive blocked prepolymer is blocked by reaction of a polyisocyanate with an amine (meth)acrylate monomer blocking agent (e.g., tertiary-butylaminoethyl methacrylate (tbaema), tertiary pentylaminoethyl methacrylate (tpaema), tertiary hexylaminoethyl methacrylate (thaema), tertiary-butylaminopropyl methacrylate (tbapma), acrylate analogs thereof, and mixtures thereof (see, e.g., us patent application publication no. 20130202392). note that all of these can be used as diluents, as well. there are many blocking agents for isocyanate. in preferred embodiments of the current invention, the blocking agent (e.g., tbaema) cures (e.g., from the actinic radiation or light) into the system. those skilled in the art can couple (meth)acrylate groups to known blocking agents to create additional blocking agents that can be used to carry out the present invention. still further, those skilled in the art can use maleimide, or substitute maleimide on other known blocking agents, for use in the present invention. examples of known blocking agents which can be substituted on or covalently coupled to (meth)acrylate or maleimide for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, phenol type blocking agents (e.g., phenol, cresol, xylenol, nitrophenol, chlorophenol, ethyl phenol, t-butylphenol, hydroxy benzoic acid, hydroxy benzoic acid esters, 2,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxy toluene, etc.), lactam type blocking agents (e.g., ε-caprolactam, δ-valerolactam, γ-butyrolactam, β-propiolactam, etc.), active methylene type blocking agents (e.g., diethyl malonate, dimethyl malonate, ethyl acetoacetate, methyl acetoacetate, acetyl acetone, etc.), alcohol type blocking agents (e.g., methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, n-amyl alcohol, t-amyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, methoxyethanol, glycolic acid, glycolic acid esters, lactic acid, lactic acid ester, methylol urea, methylol melamine, diacetone alcohol, ethylene chlorohydrine, ethylene bromohydrine, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, ω-hydroperfluoro alcohol, acetocyanhydrine, etc.), mercaptan type blocking agents (e.g., butyl mercaptan, hexyl mercaptan, t-butyl mercaptan, t-dodecyl mercaptan, 2-mercapto-benzothiazole, thiophenol, methyl thiophenol, ethyl thiophenyl, etc.), acid amide type blocking agents (e.g., acetoanilide, acetoanisidine amide, acrylamide, methacrylamide, acetic amide, stearic amide, benzamide, etc.), imide type blocking agents (e.g., succinimide, phthalimide, maleimide, etc.), amine type blocking agents (e.g., diphenylamine, phenylnaphthylamine, xylidine, n-phenyl xylidine, carbazole, aniline, naphthylamine, butylamine, dibutylamine, butyl phenylamine, etc.), imidazole type blocking agents (e.g., imidazole, 2-ethylimidazole, etc.), urea type blocking agents (e.g., urea, thiourea, ethylene urea, ethylene thiourea, 1,3-diphenyl urea, etc.), carbamate type blocking agents (e.g., n-phenyl carbamic acid phenyl ester, 2-oxazolidone, etc.), imine type blocking agents (e.g., ethylene imine, etc.), oxime type blocking agents (e.g., formaldoxime, acetaldoximine, acetoxime, methylethyl ketoxime, diacetylomonoxime, benzophenoxime, cyclohexanonoxime, etc.) and sulfurous acid salt type blocking agents (e.g., sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, etc.). of these, use is preferably made of the phenol type, the lactam type, the active methylene type and the oxime type blocking agents (see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 3,947,426). in some embodiments, the diisocyanate or isocyanate-functional oligomer or prepolymer is blocked with an aldehyde blocking agent, such as a formyl blocking agent. examples include but are not limited to 2-formyloxyethyl (meth)acrylate (fema) (or other aldehyde-containing acrylate or methacrylate) with a diisocyanate or isocyanate functional oligomer or polymer. see, e.g., x. tassel et al., a new blocking agent of isocyanates , european polymer journal 36(9), 1745-1751 (2000); t. haig, p. badyrka et al., u.s. pat. no. 8,524,816; and m. sullivan and d. bulpett, u.s. pat. appl. pub. no. us20120080824. the reaction product of such an aldehyde blocking agent and an isocyanate can in some embodiments possess an advantage over tbaema blocked abpus by reducing hydrogen bonding due to urea formation, in turn (in some embodiments) resulting in lower viscosity blocked isocyanates. in addition, in some embodiments, a second advantage is eliminating free amines within the final product (a product of the deblocking of tbaema from the abpu) which might oxidize and cause yellowness or lead to degradation. in some embodiments, the reactive diluent comprises an acrylate, a methacrylate, a styrene, an acrylic acid, a vinylamide, a vinyl ether, a vinyl ester (including derivatives thereof), polymers containing any one or more of the foregoing, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing (e.g., acrylonitrile, styrene, divinyl benzene, vinyl toluene, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, methyl (meth)acrylate, amine (meth)acrylates as described above, and mixtures of any two or more of these). see, e.g., us patent application publication no. 20140072806. in some embodiments, the chain extender comprises at least one diol, diamine or dithiol chain extender (e.g., ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, 1,10-decanediol, 1,11-undecanediol, 1,12-dodecanediol, 1,2-cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, the corresponding diamine and dithiol analogs thereof, lysine ethyl ester, arginine ethyl ester, p-alanine-based diamine, and random or block copolymers made from at least one diisocyanate and at least one diol, diamine or dithiol chain extender; see, e.g., us patent application publication no. 20140010858). note also that, when dicarboxylic acid is used as the chain extender, polyesters (or carbamate-carboxylic acid anhydrides) are made. in some embodiments, the polymerizable liquid comprises: from 5 or 20 or 40 percent by weight to 60 or 80 or 90 percent by weight of the blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer; from 10 or 20 percent by weight to 30 or 40 or 50 percent by weight of the reactive diluent; from 5 or 10 percent by weight to 20 or 30 percent by weight of the chain extender; and from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of the photoinitiator. optional additional ingredients, such as dyes, fillers (e.g., silica), surfactants, etc., may also be included, as discussed in greater detail above. an advantage of some embodiments of the invention is that, because these polymerizable liquids do not rapidly polymerize upon mixing, they may be formulated in advance, and the filling step carried out by feeding or supplying the polymerizable liquid to the build region from a single source (e.g., a single reservoir containing the polymerizable liquid in pre-mixed form), thus obviating the need to modify the apparatus to provide separate reservoirs and mixing capability. three-dimensional objects made by the process are, in some embodiments, collapsible or compressible (that is, elastic, e.g., has a young's modulus at room temperature of from about 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1 gigapascals to about 1, 2 or 4 gigapascals, and/or a tensile strength at maximum load at room temperature of about 0.01, 0.1, or 1 to about 50, 100, or 500 megapascals, and/or a percent elongation at break at room temperature of about 10, 20 50 or 100 percent to 1000, 2000, or 5000 percent, or more). an additional example of the preparation of a blocked reactive prepolymer is shown in the scheme below: one can use similar chemistry to that described above to form a reactive blocked diioscyanate, a reactive blocked chain extender, or a reactive blocked prepolymer. a non-limiting example of a dual cure system employing a thermally cleavable end group is shown in the fig. 26a and the scheme below: without wishing to be bound to any underlying mechanism, in some embodiments, during thermal cure, blocking agent is cleaved and diisocyanate prepolymer is re-formed and quickly reacts with chain extenders or additional soft segment to form thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), as follows: alternative mechanisms such as those described in section b below may also be implemented or involved. in the scheme above, the dual cure resin is comprised of a uv-curable (meth)acrylate blocked polyurethane (abpu), a reactive diluent, a photoinitiator, and a chain extender(s). the reactive diluent (10-50 wt %) is an acrylate or methacrylate that helps to reduce the viscosity of abpu and will be copolymerized with the abpu under uv irradiation. the photoinitiator (generally about 1 wt %) can be one of those commonly used uv initiators, examples of which include but are not limited to such as acetophenones (diethoxyacetophenone for example), phosphine oxides diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide, phenylbis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (ppo), irgacure 369, etc. after uv curing to form an intermediate shaped product having blocked polyurethane oligomers as a scaffold, and carrying the chain extender, the abpu resin is subjected to a thermal cure, during which a high molecular weight polyurethane/polyurea is formed by a spontaneous reaction between the polyurethane/polyurea oligomers and the chain extender(s). the polyurethane/polyurea oligomer can react with proper chain extenders through substitution of tbaema, n-vinylformamide (nvf) or the like by proper chain extenders, either by deblocking or displacement. the thermal cure time needed can vary depending on the temperature, size, shape, and density of the product, but is typically between 1 to 6 hours depending on the specific abpu systems, chain extenders and temperature. one advantageous aspect of the foregoing is using a tertiary amine-containing (meth)acrylate (e.g., t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, tbaema) to terminate synthesized polyurethane/polyurea oligomers with isocyanate at both ends. using acrylate or methacrylate containing hydroxyl groups to terminate polyurethane/polyurea oligomers with isocyanate ends is used in uv curing resins in the coating field. the formed urethane bonds between the isocyanate and hydroxyl groups are generally stable even at high temperatures. in embodiments of the present invention, the urea bond formed between the tertiary amine of tbaema and isocyanate of the oligomer becomes labile when heated to suitable temperature (for example, about 100° c.), regenerating the isocyanate groups that will react with the chain extender(s) during thermal-cure to form high molecular weight polyurethane (pu). while it is possible to synthesize other (meth)acrylate containing isocyanate blocking functionality as generally used (such as n-vinylformamide, ε-caprolactam, 1,2,3-triazole, methyl ethyl ketoxime, diethyl malonate, etc.), the illustrative embodiment uses tbaema that is commercially available. the used chain extenders can be diols, diamines, triols, triamines, or their combinations, or others. ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, methylene dicyclohexylamine (h12mda; or pacm as the commercial name from air products), hydroquinone bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether (hqee), 4,4′-methylenebis(3-chloro-2,6-diethylaniline) (mcdea), 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2,6 diethylaniline)(mdea), 4,4′-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline) (moca) are the preferred chain extenders. to produce an abpu, tbaema may be used to terminate the isocyanate end groups of the prepolymer, which is derived from isocyanate tipped polyols. the polyols (preferably with hydroxyl functionality of 2) used can be polyethers (especially polytetramethylene oxide (ptmo), polypropylene glycol (ppg)), polyesters (polycaprolactone (pcl), polycarbonate, etc.), polybutadiene and block copolymers such as pcl and ptmo block copolymer (capa 7201a of perstop, inc.). the molecular weight of these polyols can be 500 to 6000 da, and 500-2000 da are preferred. in the presence of a catalyst (e.g., stannous octoate with 0.1-0.3 wt % to the weight of polyol; other tin catalysts or amine catalysts), diisocyanate (e.g., toluene diisocyanate (tdi), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (mdi), hexamethylene diisocyanate (hdi), isophorone diisocyanate (ipdi), hydrogenated mdi (hmdi), para-phenyl diisocyanate (ppdi) etc.) is added to the polyol (or the reverse order; preferably the polyol being added to the isocyanate) with certain molar ratio (larger than 1:1; preferably, no less than 2:1, and 2:1 is mostly preferred) to make a prepolymer with residual isocyanate groups (50˜100° c.). tbaema is then added to the reaction [note: moles(tbaema)2+moles(oh)=moles(isocyanate)] to cap the remaining isocyanate groups, resulting in abpu (under 40-70° c.). radical inhibitors such as hydroquinone (100-500 ppm) can be used to inhibit polymerization of (meth)acrylate during the reaction. in general, a three-dimensional product of the foregoing methods comprises (i) a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), (ii) a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), or (iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with de-blocked blocking group which is copolymerized with the reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network). in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include unreacted photoinitiator remaining in the three-dimensional formed object. for example, in some embodiments, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of the photoinitiator may remain in the three-dimensional formed object, or the photoinitiator may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include reacted photoinitiator fragments. for example, in some embodiments, the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be remnants of the first cure forming the intermediate product. for example, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of reacted photoinitiator fragments may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in example embodiments, a three-dimensional product may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of all or any combination of a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, unreacted photoinitiator and reacted photoinitiator materials. while this embodiment has been described above primarily with respect to reactive blocking groups, it will be appreciated that unreactive blocking groups may be employed as well. in addition, while less preferred, it will be appreciated that processes as described above may also be carried out without a blocking agent, while still providing dual cure methods and products of the present invention. in addition, while this embodiment has been described primarily with diol and diamine chain extenders, it will be appreciated that chain extenders with more than two reactive groups (polyol and polyamine chain extenders such as triols and triamine chain extenders) may be used to form three-dimensional objects comprised of a crosslinked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). these materials may be used in bottom-up additive manufacturing techniques such as the continuous liquid interface printing techniques described herein, or other additive manufacturing techniques as noted above and below. b. dual hardening polymerizable liquids employing blocked diisocyanates and thermally cleavable blocking groups. another embodiment provides a method of forming a three-dimensional object comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), the method comprising: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate, (ii) a polyol and/or polyamine, (iii) a chain extender, (iv) a photoinitiator, and (v) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a reactive diluent (vi) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a pigment or dye, (vii) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a filler (e.g., silica), (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid blocked diisocyanate scaffold from the blocked diisocyanate, and optionally the reactive diluent, and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the chain extender and polyol and/or polyamine; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently (e.g., sufficiently to de-block the blocked diisocyanate and form an unblocked diisocyanate that, in turn, polymerizes with the chain extender and polyol and/or polyamine) to form the three-dimensional product comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), from the three-dimensional intermediate. in some embodiments, the blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate comprises a compound of the formula a′-x′-a′, or x′(-a′) n , where n is at least 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, or 3 (on average), x′ is a hydrocarbyl group and each a′ is an independently selected substituent of formula (x′): where z is a blocking group, the blocking group optionally having a reactive terminal group (e.g., a polymerizable end group such as an epoxy, alkene, alkyne, or thiol end group, for example an ethylenically unsaturated end group such as a vinyl ether). in a particular example, each a′ is an independently selected substituent of formula (xi′): other constituents and steps of these methods are carried out in like manner as described in section ix.a. above. in a non-limiting example, a blocked diisocyanate is prepared as shown in the scheme below. such blocked diisocyanates may be used in methods as shown in fig. 26b . without wishing to be bound by any particular underlying mechanism, in some embodiments, during thermal cure, the blocking agent is cleaved and the chain extender reacts to form thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or a copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), for example as shown below: in an alternative mechanism, the chain extender reacts with the blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate, eliminates the blocking agent, in the process forming thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or a copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). in general, a three-dimensional product of the foregoing methods comprises (i) a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), (ii) a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), or (iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with de-blocked blocking group which is copolymerized with the reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network). in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include unreacted photoinitiator remaining in the three-dimensional formed object. for example, in some embodiments, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of the photoinitiator may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the photoinitiator may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include reacted photoinitiator fragments. for example, in some embodiments, the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be remnants of the first cure forming the intermediate product. for example, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of reacted photoinitiator fragments may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in example embodiments, a three-dimensional product may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of all or any combination of a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, unreacted photoinitiator and reacted photoinitiator materials. while this embodiment has been described above primarily with respect to reactive blocking groups, it will be appreciated that unreactive blocking groups may be employed as well. in addition, while less preferred, it will be appreciated that processes as described above may also be carried out without a blocking agent, while still providing dual cure methods and products of the present invention. in addition, while this embodiment has been described primarily with diol and diamine chain extenders, it will be appreciated that chain extenders with more than two reactive groups (polyol and polyamine chain extenders such as triols and triamine chain extenders) may be used to form three-dimensional objects comprised of a crosslinked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). these materials may be used in bottom-up additive manufacturing techniques such as the continuous liquid interface printing techniques described herein, or other additive manufacturing techniques as noted above and below. c. dual hardening polymerizable liquids employing blocked chain extenders and thermally cleavable blocking groups. another embodiment provides a method of forming a three-dimensional object comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), the method comprising: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a polyol and/or polyamine, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender, (iii) optionally one or more additional chain extenders, (iv) a photoinitiator, and (v) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a reactive diluent (vi) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a pigment or dye, (vii) optionally but in some embodiments preferably a filler (e.g., silica); (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid blocked chain diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender scaffold from the blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender and optionally the reactive diluent, and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the polyol and/or polyamine and optionally one or more additional chain extenders; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to form the three-dimensional product comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), from the three-dimensional intermediate (e.g., heating or microwave irradiating sufficiently to de-block the blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender to form an unblocked diisocyanate chain extender that, in turn, polymerizes with the polyol and/or polyamine and optionally one or more additional chain extenders). in some embodiments, the blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate or branched isocyanate chain extender comprises a compound of the formula a″-x″-a″ or x″(-a″) n , where n is at least 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, or 3 (on average), where x″ is a hydrocarbyl group, and each a″ is an independently selected substituent of formula (x″): where r is a hydrocarbyl group, r′ is o or nh, and z is a blocking group, the blocking group optionally having a reactive terminal group (e.g., a polymerizable end group such as an epoxy, alkene, alkyne, or thiol end group, for example an ethylenically unsaturated end group such as a vinyl ether). in a particular example, each a″ is an independently selected substituent of formula (xi″): where r and r′ are as given above. other constituents and steps employed in carrying out these methods may be the same as described in section ix.a. above. an example of the preparation of a blocked diol chain extender is shown in the scheme below. an example of the preparation of a blocked diamine chain extender is shown in the scheme below: an example of method of the present invention carried out with the materials above is given in fig. 26c . without wishing to be bound to any underlying mechanism of the invention, in some embodiments, during thermal cure, (a) the blocked isocyanate-capped chain extender reacts either directly with soft segment and/or chain extender amine or alcohol groups, displacing the blocking agent; or (b) the blocked isocyanate-capped chain extender is cleaved and diisocyanate-capped chain extender is re-formed and reacts with soft segments and additional chain extender if necessary to yield thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), such as follows: an alternative mechanism analogous to that described in section ix.b. above may also be implemented or employed. in general, a three-dimensional product of the foregoing methods comprises (i) a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), (ii) a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), or (iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with de-blocked blocking group which is copolymerized with the reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network). in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include unreacted photoinitiator remaining in the three-dimensional formed object. for example, in some embodiments, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of the photoinitiator may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the photoinitiator may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include reacted photoinitiator fragments. for example, in some embodiments, the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be remnants of the first cure forming the intermediate product. for example, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of reacted photoinitiator fragments may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in example embodiments, a three-dimensional product may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of all or any combination of a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, unreacted photoinitiator and reacted photoinitiator materials. while this embodiment has been described above primarily with respect to reactive blocking groups (that is, blocking groups containing polymerizable moieties), it will be appreciated that unreactive blocking groups may be employed as well. in addition, while less preferred, it will be appreciated that processes as described above may also be carried out without a blocking agent, while still providing dual cure methods and products of the present invention. in addition, while this embodiment has been described primarily with diol and diamine chain extenders, it will be appreciated that chain extenders with more than two reactive groups (polyol and polyamine chain extenders such as triols and triamine chain extenders) may be used to form three-dimensional objects comprised of a crosslinked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). these materials may be used in bottom-up additive manufacturing techniques such as the continuous liquid interface printing techniques described herein, or other additive manufacturing techniques as noted above and below. those skilled in the art will appreciate that systems as described in ying and cheng, hydrolyzable polyureas bearing hindered urea bonds, jacs 136, 16974 (2014), may be used in carrying out the methods described herein. x. articles comprised of interpenetrating polymer networks (ipns) formed from dual hardening polymerizable liquids in some embodiments, polymerizable liquids comprising dual hardening systems such as described above are useful in forming three-dimensional articles that, in turn, comprise interpenetrating polymer networks. this area has been noted by sperling at lehigh university and k. c. frisch at the university of detroit, and others. in non-limiting examples, the polymerizable liquid and method steps are selected so that the three-dimensional object comprises the following: sol-gel compositions. this may be carried out with an amine (ammonia) permeable window or semipermeable member. in the system discussed here, tetraethyl orthosiliciate (teos), epoxy (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a), and 4-amino propyl triethoxysilane may be added to a free radical crosslinker, and in the process the free radical crosslinker polymerizes and contains the noted reactants, which are then reacted in another step or stage. reaction requires the presence of water and acid. photoacid generators (pags) could optionally be added to the mixture described above to promote the reaction of the silica based network. note that if only teos is included, one will end up with a silica (glass) network. one could then increase the temperature to remove the organic phase and be left with a silica structure that would be difficult to prepare by more conventional methods. many variations (different polymeric structures) can be prepared by this process in addition to epoxies including urethanes, functionalized polyols, silicone rubber, etc. hydrophobic-hydrophilic ipns. prior ipn research contained a number of examples for hydrophobic-hydrophilic networks for improved blood compatibility as well as tissue compatibility for biomedical parts. poly(hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate) is a typical example of a hydrophilic component. another option is to add poly(ethylene oxide) polyols or polyamines with an isocyanate to produce polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), incorporated in the reactive system. phenolic resins (resoles). precursors to phenolic resins involve either phenolic resoles (formaldehyde terminal liquid oligomers) or phenolic novolacs (phenol terminal solid oligomers crosslinkable with hexamethyltetraamine). for the present process phenolic resoles can be considered. the viscosity thereof may be high but dilution with alcohols (methanol or ethanol) may be employed. combination of the phenolic resole with the crosslinkable monomer can then provide a product formed from an ipn. reaction of the phenolic resole to a phenolic resin can occur above 100° in a short time range. one variation of this chemistry would be to carbonize the resultant structure to carbon or graphite. carbon or graphite foam is typically produced from phenolic foam and used for thermal insulation at high temperatures. polyimides. polyimides based on dianhydrides and diamines are amenable to the present process. in this case the polyimide monomers incorporated into the reactive crosslinkable monomer are reacted to yield an ipn structure. most of the dianyhdrides employed for polyimides may be crystalline at room temperature but modest amounts of a volatile solvent can allow a liquid phase. reaction at modest temperatures (e.g., in the range of about 100° c.) is possible to permit polyimide formation after the network is polymerized. conductive polymers. the incorporation of aniline and ammonium persulfate into the polymerizable liquid is used to produce a conductive part. after the reactive system is polymerized and a post treatment with acid (such as hcl vapor), polymerization to polyaniline can then commence. natural product based ipns. numerous natural product based ipns are known based on triglyceride oils such as castor oil. these can be incorporated into the polymerizable liquid along with an isocyanate. upon completion of the part, the triglycerides can then be reacted with the diisocyanate to form a crosslinked polyurethane. glycerol can, of course, also be used. sequential ipns. in this case, the molded crosslinked networks are swollen with a monomer and free radical catalyst (peroxide) and optionally crosslinker followed by polymerization. the crosslinked triacylate system should imbide large amounts of styrene, acrylate and/or methacrylate monomers allowing a sequential ipn to be produced. polyolefin polymerization. polyolefin catalysts (e.g., metallocenes) can be added to the crosslinkable reactive system. upon exposure of the part to pressurized ethylene (or propylene) or a combination (to produce epr rubber) and temperature (in the range of 100° c.) the part can then contain a moderate to substantial amount of the polyolefin. ethylene, propylene and alpha olefin monomers should easily diffuse into the part to react with the catalyst at this temperature, and as polymerization proceeds more olefin will diffuse to the catalyst site. a large number of parts can be post-polymerized at the same time. xi. fabrication products a. example three-dimensional (3d) objects. three-dimensional products produced by the methods and processes of the present invention may be final, finished or substantially finished products, or may be intermediate products for which further manufacturing steps such as surface treatment, laser cutting, electric discharge machining, etc., is intended. intermediate products include products for which further additive manufacturing, in the same or a different apparatus, may be carried out. for example, a fault or cleavage line may be introduced deliberately into an ongoing “build” by disrupting, and then reinstating, the gradient of polymerization zone, to terminate one region of the finished product, or simply because a particular region of the finished product or “build” is less fragile than others. numerous different products can be made by the methods and apparatus of the present invention, including both large-scale models or prototypes, small custom products, miniature or microminiature products or devices, etc. examples include, but are not limited to, medical devices and implantable medical devices such as stents, drug delivery depots, functional structures, microneedle arrays, fibers and rods such as waveguides, micromechanical devices, microfluidic devices, etc. thus in some embodiments the product can have a height of from 0.1 or 1 millimeters up to 10 or 100 millimeters, or more, and/or a maximum width of from 0.1 or 1 millimeters up to 10 or 100 millimeters, or more. in other embodiments, the product can have a height of from 10 or 100 nanometers up to 10 or 100 microns, or more, and/or a maximum width of from 10 or 100 nanometers up to 10 or 100 microns, or more. these are examples only; maximum size and width depends on the architecture of the particular device and the resolution of the light source and can be adjusted depending upon the particular goal of the embodiment or article being fabricated. in some embodiments, the ratio of height to width of the product is at least 2:1, 10:1, 50:1, or 100:1, or more, or a width to height ratio of 1:1, 10:1, 50:1, or 100:1, or more. in some embodiments, the product has at least one, or a plurality of, pores or channels formed therein, as discussed further below. the processes described herein can produce products with a variety of different properties. hence in some embodiments the products are rigid; in other embodiments the products are flexible or resilient. in some embodiments, the products are a solid; in other embodiments, the products are a gel such as a hydrogel. in some embodiments, the products have a shape memory (that is, return substantially to a previous shape after being deformed, so long as they are not deformed to the point of structural failure). in some embodiments, the products are unitary (that is, formed of a single polymerizable liquid); in some embodiments, the products are composites (that is, formed of two or more different polymerizable liquids). particular properties will be determined by factors such as the choice of polymerizable liquid(s) employed. in some embodiments, the product or article made has at least one overhanging feature (or “overhang”), such as a bridging element between two supporting bodies, or a cantilevered element projecting from one substantially vertical support body. because of the unidirectional, continuous nature of some embodiments of the present processes, the problem of fault or cleavage lines that form between layers when each layer is polymerized to substantial completion and a substantial time interval occurs before the next pattern is exposed, is substantially reduced. hence, in some embodiments the methods are particularly advantageous in reducing, or eliminating, the number of support structures for such overhangs that are fabricated concurrently with the article. b. example structures and geometries of 3d objects. in example embodiments, the three-dimensional (3d) object may be formed with thousands or millions of shape variations imparted on the three-dimensional object while being formed. in example embodiments, the pattern generator generates different patterns of light to activate photoinitiator in the region of the gradient of polymerization to impart different shapes as the object is extracted through the gradient of polymerization. in example embodiments, the pattern generator may have high resolution with millions of pixel elements that can be varied to change the shape that is imparted. for example, the pattern generator may be a dlp with more than 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000 or more rows and/or more than 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000 or more columns of micromirrors, or pixels in an lcd panel, that can be used to vary the shape. as a result, very fine variations or gradations may be imparted on the object along its length. in example embodiments, this allows complex three-dimensional objects to be formed at high speed with a substantially continuous surface without cleavage lines or seams. in some examples, more than a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand or million shape variations may be imparted on the three-dimensional object being formed without cleavage lines or seams across a length of the object being formed of more than 1 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm or more or across the entire length of the formed object. in example embodiments, the object may be continuously formed through the gradient of polymerization at a rate of more than 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 or more microns per second. in example embodiments, this allows complex three-dimensional (3d) objects to be formed. in some example embodiments, the 3d formed objects have complex non-injection moldable shapes. the shapes may not be capable of being readily formed using injection molding or casting. for example, the shapes may not be capable of being formed by discrete mold elements that are mated to form a cavity in which fill material is injected and cured, such as a conventional two-part mold. for example, in some embodiments, the 3d formed objects may include enclosed cavities or partially open cavities, repeating unit cells, or open-cell or closed-cell foam structures that are not amenable to injection molding and may including hundreds, thousands or millions of these structures or interconnected networks of these structures. however, in example embodiments, these shapes may be 3d formed using the methods described in the present application with a wide range of properties, including a wide range of elastomeric properties, tensile strength and elongation at break through the use of dual cure materials and/or interpenetrating polymer networks to form these structures. in example embodiments, the 3d objects may be formed without cleavage lines, parting lines, seams, sprue, gate marks or ejector pin marks that may be present with injection molding or other conventional techniques. in some embodiments, the 3d formed objects may have continuous surface texture (whether smooth, patterned or rough) that is free from molding or other printing artifacts (such as cleavage lines, parting lines, seams, sprue, gate marks or ejector pin marks) across more than 1 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm or more or across the entire length of the formed object. in example embodiments, complex 3d objects may be formed with no discrete layers visible or readily detectable from the printing process in the finished 3d object across more than 1 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm or more or across the entire length of the formed object. for example, the varying shapes imparted during the course of printing by the pattern generator may not be visible or detectable as different layers in the finished 3d object since the printing occurs through the gradient of polymerization zone (from which the 3d object is extracted as it is exposed by varying patterns projected from the pattern generator). while the 3d objects resulting from this process may be referred to as 3d printed objects, the 3d objects may be formed through continuous liquid interphase printing without the discrete layers or cleavage lines associated with some 3d printing processes. in some embodiments, the 3d formed object may include one or more repeating structural elements to form the 3d objects, including, for example, structures that are (or substantially correspond to) enclosed cavities, partially-enclosed cavities, repeating unit cells or networks of unit cells, foam cell, kelvin foam cell or other open-cell or closed-cell foam structures, crisscross structures, overhang structures, cantilevers, microneedles, fibers, paddles, protrusions, pins, dimples, rings, tunnels, tubes, shells, panels, beams (including i-beams, u-beams, w-beams and cylindrical beams), struts, ties, channels (whether open, closed or partially enclosed), waveguides, triangular structures, tetrahedron or other pyramid shape, cube, octahedron, octagon prism, icosidodecahedron, rhombic triacontahedron or other polyhedral shapes or modules (including kelvin minimal surface tetrakaidecahedra, prisms or other polyhedral shapes), pentagon, hexagonal, octagon and other polygon structures or prisms, polygon mesh or other three-dimensional structure. in some embodiments, a 3d formed object may include combinations of any of these structures or interconnected networks of these structures. in example embodiments, all or a portion of the structure of the 3d formed object may correspond (or substantially correspond) to one or more bravais lattice or unit cell structures, including cubic (including simple, body-centered or face-centered), tetragonal (including simple or body-centered), monoclinic (including simple or end-centered), orthohombic (including simple, body-centered, face-centered or end-centered), rhombohedral, hexagonal and triclinic structures. in example embodiments, the 3d formed object may include shapes or surfaces that correspond (or substantially correspond) to a catenoid, helicoid, gyroid or lidinoid, other triply periodic minimal surface (tpms), or other geometry from the associate family (or bonnet family) or schwarz p (“primitive”) or schwarz d (“diamond”), schwarz h (“hexagonal”) or schwarz clp (“crossed layers of parallels”) surfaces, argyle or diamond patterns, lattice or other pattern or structure. in example embodiments, the pattern generator may be programmed to vary rapidly during printing to impart different shapes into the gradient of polymerization with high resolution. as a result, any of the above structural elements may be formed with a wide range of dimensions and properties and may be repeated or combined with other structural elements to form the 3d object. in example embodiments, the 3d formed object may include a single three-dimensional structure or may include more than 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000 or more of these structural elements. the structural elements may be repeated structural elements of similar shapes or combinations of different structural elements and can be any of those described above or other regular or irregular shapes. in example embodiments, each of these structural elements may have a dimension across the structure of at least 10 nanometers, 100 nanometers, 10 microns, 100 microns, 1 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm, 50 cm or more or may have a dimension across the structure of less than 50 cm, 10 cm, 1 cm, 1 mm, 100 microns, 10 microns, 100 nanometers or 10 nanometers or less. in example embodiments, a height, width or other dimension across the structure may be in the range of from about 10 nanometers to about 50 cm or more or any range subsumed therein. as used herein, “any range subsumed therein” means any range that is within the stated range. for example, the following are all subsumed within the range of about 10 nanometers to about 50 square cm and are included herein: 10 nanometers to 1 micron; 1 micron to 1 millimeter; 1 millimeter to 1 centimeter; and 1 centimeter to 50 cm or any other range or set of ranges within the stated range. in example embodiments, each of the structural elements may form a volume of the 3d object in the range of from about 10 square nanometers to about 50 square cm or more or any range subsumed therein. in example embodiments, each of the structural elements may form a cavity or hollow region or gap between surfaces of the structural element having a dimension across the cavity or hollow region or gap in the range of from about 10 nanometers to about 50 cm or more or any range subsumed therein or may define a volume within the expanse of the 3d formed object in the range of from about 10 square nanometers to about 50 square cm or more or any range subsumed therein. the structural elements may be about the same size or the size may vary throughout the volume of the 3d formed object. the sizes may increase or decrease from one side of the 3d formed object to another side (gradually or step-wise) or elements of different shapes may be intermixed in regular or irregular patterns (for example, a 3d elastomeric foam with varying sizes of open-cell and/or closed-cell cavities intermixed throughout the foam). in some embodiments, the 3d formed objects may have irregular shapes with overhangs, bridging elements or asymmetries or may otherwise have an offset center of gravity in the direction being formed. for example, the 3d formed object may be asymmetric. in example embodiments, the 3d formed object may not have rotational symmetry around any axis or may have rotational symmetry only around a single axis. in example embodiments, the 3d formed object may not have reflectional symmetry around any plane through the 3d formed object or may have reflectional symmetry only around a single plane. in example embodiments, the 3d object may have an offset center of gravity. for example, the center of gravity of the 3d formed object may not be at the positional center of the object. in some examples, the center of gravity may not be located along any central axis of the object. for example, the 3d formed object may be a shoe sole or insert that generally follows the contour of a foot. the shoe sole or insert may tilt to the right or left and have different widths for the heel and toes. as a result, the 3d formed object in this example will not have reflectional symmetry from side to side or front to back. however, it may have reflectional symmetry from bottom to top if it is a uniformly flat shoe sole or insert. in other examples, the shoe sole or insert may be flat on one side and be contoured to receive the arch of a foot on the other side and, as a result, will not have reflectional symmetry from bottom to top either. other 3d formed objects for wearable, prosthetic or anatomical shapes or devices may have similar asymmetries and/or offset center of gravity. for example, a 3d formed object for a dental mold or dental implant may substantially conform to the shape of a tooth and may not have reflectional symmetry about any plane. in another example, a 3d formed component for a wearable device may substantially conform to the shape of a body party and have corresponding asymmetries, such as athletic wear such as a right or left contoured shin guard or foam padding or insert for use between a hard shin guard or a helmet or other wearable component and the human body. these are examples only and any number of 3d formed objects may be asymmetric and/or have an offset center of gravity. in example embodiments, where there are significant asymmetries or protruding elements (such as arms, bridging elements, cantilevers, brush fibers or the like) and the desired structural elements will be elastomeric, there is a potential for deformation during 3d printing or subsequent curing. for example, if a large amount of non-uv curable elastomeric resin material is included, gravity may cause deformation before final curing. while the scaffold formed from uv-curable material during 3d printing (from the initial cure in a dual cure process) helps lock-in the shape, some elastomeric compositions with highly asymmetric or protruding shapes may be susceptible to deformation. in some example embodiments, the uv curable material in the composition may be adjusted to form a more rigid scaffold to avoid deformation. in other example embodiments, objects with asymmetric shapes and/or offset center of gravity may be formed in pairs (or in other combinations) with connectors that are later removed, particularly if the 3d formed objects or protruding elements are relatively long. in an example, an elastomeric 3d object may be formed along a length, and have an asymmetry, center of gravity offset and/or protruding element transverse to the length that is more than 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% or more of the length. for example, the 3d formed object may have a length of about 1 cm to 50 cm or more or any range subsumed therein and may have a transverse or lateral asymmetry or protruding element of about 1 cm to 50 cm or more or any range subsumed therein. in an example embodiment, two or more of these objects may be formed together in a way that provides support for the transverse or protruding elements until the elastomeric material is cured and the objects are separated. for example, two shoe soles may be formed (e.g., when formed in the direction of their length) as a pair (for example, with rotated and inverted shoe soles formed together with small removable connectors between them) such that the soles provide support to one another while being formed. in other example embodiments, other support structures may be formed and removed after curing of the elastomeric material. c. example materials and compositions of 3d objects. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may have any of the above shapes or structures and may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of: (i) a linear thermoplastic polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), (ii) a cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)), and/or (iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with de-blocked blocking group which is copolymerized with the reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network), and/or (iv) photoinitiator, including unreacted photoinitiator and/or reacted photoinitiator fragments. in some example embodiments, a silicone rubber 3d object may be formed. 1. silicone polyurethanes, polyureas, or poly(urethane-ureas). in any of the preceding polyurethane examples, silicone or poly(dimethylsiloxane) (pdms) may be used as soft segment in the formation of these materials. for example, a (meth)acrylate-functional abpu could be formed by first reacting an oligomeric pdms diol or diamine with two equivalents of isocyanate to form a pdms urethane prepolymer. this material can be further reacted with tbaema or other reactive blocking agents described herein to form a reactive blocked pdms prepolymer which could be blended with chain extenders and reactive diluents as described in the examples above. 2. silicone interpenetrating polymer networks. in some embodiments, the material may comprise, consists of or consist essentially of a uv-curable pdms oligomer that is blended with a two-part thermally curable pdms oligomer system. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may have any of the above shapes or structures and may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of: (i) a thermoset silicone or pdms network cured by platinum-catalyzed hydrosilation, tin-catalyzed condensation chemistry, or peroxide initiated chemistry.(ii) a uv-curable reactive diluent that is miscible with silicone thermoset oligomers prior to curing. example: an acrylate-functional pdms oligomer.(iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network), and/or(iv) photoinitiator, including unreacted photoinitiator and/or reacted photoinitiator fragments. in an example embodiment, phenylbis(2 4 6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (ppo) is dissolved in isobornyl acrylate (iba) with a thinky′ mixer. methacryloxypropyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (dms-r31; gelest inc.) is added to the solution, followed by addition of sylgard part a and part b (corning pdms precursors), and then further mixed with a thinky™ mixer to produce a homogeneous solution. the solution is loaded into an apparatus as described above and a three-dimensional intermediate is produced by ultraviolet curing as described above. the three-dimensional intermediate is then thermally cured at 100° c. for 12 hours to produce the final silicone rubber product. 3. epoxy interpenetrating networks. in some example embodiments, an epoxy 3d object may be formed. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may have any of the above shapes or structures and may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of: (i) a thermoset epoxy network cured by the reaction of a diepoxide with a diamine. optionally, co-reactants may also be included for example: co-reactants including polyfunctional amines, acids (and acid anhydrides), phenols, alcohols, and thiols;(ii) a uv-curable reactive diluent that is miscible with the epoxy thermoset precursors prior to curing;(iii) combinations thereof (optionally blended with the reactive diluent(s), for example as an interpenetrating polymer network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network), and/or(iv) photoinitiator, including unreacted photoinitiator and/or reacted photoinitiator fragments. in an example embodiment: 10.018 g epoxacast 690 resin part a and 3.040 g part b is mixed on a thinky™ mixer. 3.484 g is then mixed with 3.013 g of rkp5-78-1, a 65/22/13 mix of sartomer cn9782/n-vinylpyrrolidone/diethyleneglycol diacrylate to give a clear blend which is cured under a dymax ultraviolet lamp to produce an elastic 3d object. in a second example embodiment, rkp11-10-1 containing 3.517 g of the above epoxy and 3.508 g of rkp5-90-3 and 65/33/2/0.25 blend of sartomer cn2920/n-vinylcaprolactam/n-vinylpyrrolidone/ppo initiator is cured similarly to form a flexible 3d object. in some example embodiments, the 3d formed object may include sol-gel compositions, hydrophobic or hydrophilic compositions, phenolic resoles, cyanate esters, polyimides, conductive polymers, natural product based ipns, sequential ipns and polyolefin as described above. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may have any of the shapes or structures described above and may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of a plurality of different materials in different regions of the 3d formed object with different tensile strength or other varying properties. in example embodiments, the differing materials may be selected from any of those describe above. in some example embodiments, the process of fabricating the product may be paused or interrupted one or more times, to change the polymerizable liquid. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may include multiple materials (which may, for example, be a thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof or silicone rubber or epoxy or combination of the foregoing) with different tensile strengths as described further below. while a fault line or plane may be formed in the intermediate by the interruption, if the subsequent polymerizable liquid is, in its second cure material, reactive with that of the first, then the two distinct segments of the intermediate will cross-react and covalently couple to one another during the second cure (e.g., by heating or microwave irradiation). thus, for example, any of the materials described herein may be sequentially changed to form a product having multiple distinct segments with different tensile properties, while still being a unitary product with the different segments covalently coupled to one another. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) or silicone rubber or epoxy or combination of the foregoing may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) or silicone rubber or epoxy or combination of the foregoing may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of an interpenetrating network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network. (i) examples of thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of linear thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). in example embodiments, the linear thermoplastic or cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of a polymer blend of (i) linear ethylenically unsaturated blocking monomer copolymerized with reactive diluent and (ii) linear thermoplastic or cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)). in example embodiments, the polymer blend may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the linear thermoplastic or cross-linked polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of linear poly(meth)acrylate. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of an interpenetrating network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network of ethylenically unsaturated monomer and crosslinked or linear polyurethane. in example embodiments, the network of ethylenically unsaturated monomer and crosslinked polyurethane may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the linear thermoplastic or cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of crosslinked poly(meth)acrylate. in example embodiments, the polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of an interpenetrating network, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network, or as a sequential interpenetrating polymer network of ethylenically unsaturated monomer and linear thermoplastic or cross-linked thermoset polyurethane. in example embodiments, the network of ethylenically unsaturated monomer and and linear thermoplastic or crosslinked thermoset polyurethane may comprise a majority of the 3d formed object by weight and may comprise more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of the 3d formed object by weight. in example embodiments, the linear thermoplastic or cross-linked thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof (e.g., poly(urethane-urea)) may comprise or consist of or consist essentially of linear poly(meth)acrylate. in some example embodiments, the 3d formed object may include sol-gel compositions, hydrophobic or hydrophilic compositions, phenolic resoles, cyanate esters, polyimides, conductive polymers, natural product based ipns, sequential ipns and polyolefins as described above. (ii) example photoinitiator and photoinitiator fragments. in example embodiments, the 3d formed object may include unreacted photoinitiator remaining in the 3d formed object. for example, in some embodiments, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of the photoinitiator may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the photoinitiator may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in some example embodiments, the three-dimensional product may also include reacted photoinitiator fragments. for example, in some embodiments, the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be remnants of the first cure forming the intermediate product. for example, from 0.1 or 0.2 percent by weight to 1, 2 or 4 percent by weight of reacted photoinitiator fragments may remain in the three-dimensional formed object or the reacted photoinitiator fragments may be present in lower amounts or only a trace amount. in example embodiments, because the systems, in part, consist of monomers and oligomers capable of being polymerized by exposure to uv light, the end products will contain residual photoinitiator molecules and photoiniator fragments. in some embodiments, a photopolymerization will undergo the transformation outlined below. in the first step, initiation, uv light cleaves the initiator into active radical fragments. these active radical fragments will go on to react with monomer group “m.” during the propagation step, the active monomer will react with additional monomers that attach to the growing polymer chain. finally, termination can occur either by recombination or by disproportionation. initiation initiator+h v →r ▪r ▪ +m→rm ▪ propagation rm ▪ +m n →rm n+1 ▪ termination combinationrm n ▪ + ▪ m m r→rm n m m rdisproportionationrm n ▪ + ▪ m m r→rm n +m m r in example embodiments, 3d formed objects generated by the processes outlined herein may contain the following chemical products after the object is created: (1) latent unreacted photoinitiator—photoinitiator is rarely 100% consumed during photopolymerization, therefore the product will typically contain unreacted photoinitiators embedded throughout the solid object: (2) photoinitiator by-products covalently attached to the polymer network. in example embodiments, photoinitiators may include the following: (a) benzoyl-chromophore based: these systems take the form where “r” is any number of other atoms, including h, o, c, n, s. these initiators cleave to form: where . represents a free radical. either of these components may go on to initiate polymerization and will therefore be covalently bound to the polymer network. an example of such an initiator is shown below (b) morpholino and amino ketones. these systems take the form: where “r” is any number of other atoms including h, o, c, n, s. these initiators cleave to form where . represents a free radical. either of these components may go on to initiate polymerization and will therefore be covalently bound to the polymer network. an example of such an initiator is shown below (c) benzoyl phosphine oxide. these systems take the form where “r” is any number of other atoms including h, o, c, n, s. these initiators cleave to form where . represents a free radical. either of these components may go on to initiate polymerization and will therefore be covalently bound to the polymer network. an example of such an initiator is shown below (d) amines. many photoinitiators may be used in combination with amines. here the photoinitiators in the excited state serve to abstract a hydrogen atom from the amine, thus generating an active radical. this radical can go on to initiator polymerization and will therefore become incorporated into the formed polymer network. this process is outlined below: either of these active species can go on to form an active polymer chain resulting in the structures below: (e) other systems. other types of photoinitiators that may be used to generate such materials and therefore will generate fragments which are covalently attached to the formed polymer network include: triazines, ketones, peroxides, diketones, azides, azo derivatives, disulfide derivatives, disilane derivatives, thiol derivatives, diselenide derivatives, diphenylditelluride derivatives, digermane derivatives, distannane derivatives, carbo-germanium compounds, carbon-silicon derivatives, sulfur-carbon derivatives, sulfur-silicon derivatives, peresters, barton's ester derivatives, hydroxamic and thiohydroxamic acids and esters, organoborates, organometallic compounds, titanocenes, chromium complexes, alumate complexes, carbon-sulfur or sulfur-sulfur iniferter compounds, oxyamines, aldehydes, acetals, silanes, phosphorous-containing compounds, borane complexes, thioxanthone derivatives, coumarins, anthraquinones, fluorenones, ferrocenium salts. (f) detection. detection of the unique chemical fingerprint of photoinitiator fragments in a cured polymer object can be accomplished by a number of spectroscopic techniques. particular techniques useful alone or in combination include: uv-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. d. example properties of 3d objects. the structural properties of the 3d formed object may be selected together with the properties of the materials from which the 3d object is formed to provide a wide range of properties for the 3d object. dual cure materials and methods described above in the present application may be used to form complex shapes with desired material properties to form a wide range of 3d objects. in some embodiments, 3d formed objects may be rigid and have, for example, a young's modulus (mpa) in the range of about 800 to 3500 or any range subsumed therein, a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 30 to 100 or any range subsumed therein, and/or a percent elongation at break in the range of about 1 to 100 or any range subsumed therein. non-limiting examples of such rigid 3d formed objects may include fasteners; electronic device housings; gears, propellers, and impellers; wheels, mechanical device housings; tools and other rigid 3d objects. in some embodiments, 3d formed objects may be semi-rigid and have, for example, a young's modulus (mpa) in the range of about 300-2500 or any range subsumed therein, a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 20-70 or any range subsumed therein, and/or a percent elongation at break in the range of about 40 to 300 or 600 or any range subsumed therein. non-limiting examples of such rigid 3d formed objects may include structural elements; hinges including living hinges; boat and watercraft hulls and decks; wheels; bottles, jars and other containers; pipes, liquid tubes and connectors and other semi-rigid 3d objects. in some embodiments, 3d formed objects may be elastomeric and have, for example, a young's modulus (mpa) in the range of about 0.5-40 or any range subsumed therein, a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 0.5-30 or any range subsumed therein, and/or a percent elongation at break in the range of about 50-1000 or any range subsumed therein. non-limiting examples of such rigid 3d formed objects may include foot-wear soles, heels, innersoles and midsoles; bushings and gaskets; cushions; electronic device housings and other elastomeric 3d objects. in examples 18-61 are given materials for the formation of polyurethane products having a variety of different tensile properties, ranging from elastomeric, to semi-rigid, to flexible, as described above. in some example embodiments, the process of fabricating the product may be paused or interrupted one or more times, to change the polymerizable liquid. in example embodiments, 3d formed objects may include multiple materials (which may, for example, be a thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof) with different tensile strengths. while a fault line or plane may be formed in the intermediate by the interruption, if the subsequent polymerizable liquid is, in its second cure material, reactive with that of the first, then the two distinct segments of the intermediate will cross-react and covalently couple to one another during the second cure (e.g., by heating or microwave irradiation). thus, for example, any of the materials described herein may be sequentially changed to form a product having multiple distinct segments with different tensile properties, while still being a unitary product with the different segments covalently coupled to one another. in some embodiments, a 3d object may be formed with a plurality of regions with different materials and properties. for example, a 3d formed object could have one or more regions formed from a first material or first group of one or more materials having a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 30-100 or any range subsumed therein, and/or one or more regions formed from a second material or second group of one or more materials having a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 20-70 or any range subsumed therein and/or one or more regions formed from a third material or third group of one or more materials having a tensile strength (mpa) in the range of about 0.5-30 or any range subsumed therein or any combination of the foregoing. for example, the 3d object could have from 1-10 or more different regions (or any range subsumed therein) with varying tensile strength selected from any of the materials and tensile strengths described above. for example, a hinge can be formed, with the hinge comprising a rigid segment, coupled to a second elastic segment, coupled to a third rigid segment, by sequentially changing polymerizable liquids (e.g., from among those described in examples 19-60 above) during the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate. a shock absorber or vibration dampener can be formed in like manner, with the second segment being either elastic or semi-rigid. a unitary rigid funnel and flexible hose assembly can be formed in like manner. e. additional examples of 3d objects. the above methods, structures, materials, compositions and properties may be used to 3d print a virtually unlimited number of products. examples include, but are not limited to, medical devices and implantable medical devices such as stents, drug delivery depots, catheters, bladder, breast implants, testicle implants, pectoral implants, eye implants, contact lenses, dental aligners, microfluidics, seals, shrouds, and other applications requiring high biocompatibility, functional structures, microneedle arrays, fibers, rods, waveguides, micromechanical devices, microfluidic devices; fasteners; electronic device housings; gears, propellers, and impellers; wheels, mechanical device housings; tools; structural elements; hinges including living hinges; boat and watercraft hulls and decks; wheels; bottles, jars and other containers; pipes, liquid tubes and connectors; foot-ware soles, heels, innersoles and midsoles; bushings, o-rings and gaskets; shock absorbers, funnel/hose assembly, cushions; electronic device housings; shin guards, athletic cups, knee pads, elbow pads, foam liners, padding or inserts, helmets, helmet straps, head gear, shoe cleats, gloves, other wearable or athletic equipment, brushes, combs, rings, jewelry, buttons, snaps, fasteners, watch bands or watch housings, mobile phone or tablet casings or housings, computer keyboards or keyboard buttons or components, remote control buttons or components, auto dashboard components, buttons, dials, auto body parts, paneling, other automotive, aircraft or boat parts, cookware, bakeware, kitchen utensils, steamers and any number of other 3d objects. the universe of useful 3d products that may be formed is greatly expanded by the ability to impart a wide range of shapes and properties, including elastomeric properties, through the use of multiple methods of hardening such as dual cure where a shape can be locked-in using continuous liquid interface printing and subsequent thermal or other curing can be used to provide elastomeric or other desired properties. any of the above described structures, materials and properties can be combined to form 3d objects including the 3d formed products described above. these are examples only and any number of other 3d objects can be formed using the methods and materials described herein. xii. washing of intermediate prior to second cure when desired, washing of the intermediate may be carried out by any suitable technique, aided with any suitable apparatus, including but not limited to those described in u.s. pat. no. 5,248,456, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. wash liquids that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, water, organic solvents, and combinations thereof (e.g., combined as co-solvents), optionally containing additional ingredients such as surfactants, chelants (ligands), enzymes, borax, dyes or colorants, fragrances, etc., including combinations thereof. the wash liquid may be in any suitable form, such as a solution, emulsion, dispersion, etc. examples of organic solvents that may be used as a wash liquid, or as a constituent of a wash liquid, include, but are not limited to, alcohol, ester, dibasic ester, ketone, acid, aromatic, hydrocarbon, ether, dipolar aprotic, halogenated, and base organic solvents, including combinations thereof. solvents may be selected based, in part, on their environmental and health impact (see, e.g., gsk solvent selection guide 2009). examples of alcohol organic solvents that may be used in the present invention include, but are not limited to, aliphatic and aromatic alcohols such as 2-ethyl hexanol, glycerol, cyclohexanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, di-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, isoamyl alcohol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, benzyl alcohol, 2-pentanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, methanol, ethanol, t-butanol, 2-propanol, 1-propanol, 2-methoxyethanol, tetrahydrofuryl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of ester organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, t-butyl acetate, n-octyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, butylenes carbonate, glycerol carbonate, isopropyl acetate, ethyl lactate, propyl acetate, dimethyl carbonate, methyl lactate, ethyl acetate, ethyl propionate, methyl acetate, ethyl formate etc., including combinations thereof. examples of dibasic ester organic solvents include, but are not limited to, dimethyl esters of succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of organic ketone organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, methylisobutyl ketone, acetone, methylethyl ketone, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of acid organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, propionic acid, acetic anhydride, acetic acid, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of aromatic organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, mesitylene, cumene, p-xylene, toluene, benzene, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of hydrocarbon (i.e., aliphatic) organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, cis-decalin, isopar g, isooctane, methyl cyclohexane, cyclohexane, heptane, pentane, methylcyclopentane, 2-methylpentane, hexane, petroleum spirit, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of ether organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, di(ethylene glycol), ethoxybenzene, tri(ethylene glycol), sulfolane, deg monobutyl ether, anisole, diphenyl ether, dibutyl ether, t-amyl methyl ether, t-butylmethyl ether, cyclopentyl methyl ether, t-butyl ethyl ether, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, diethyl ether, bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether, dimethyl ether, 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, diisopropyl ether, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of dipolar aprotic organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, dimethylpropylene urea, dimethyl sulphoxide, formamide, dimethyl formamide, n-methylformamide, n-methyl pyrrolidone, propanenitrile, dimethyl acetamide, acetonitrile, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of halogenated organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, trichloroacetonitrile, chloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, perfluorotoluene, perfluorocyclohexane, carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, perfluorohexane, fluorobenzene, chloroform, perfluorocyclic ether, trifluoracetic acid, trifluorotoluene, 1,2-dichloroethane, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of base organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, n,n-dimethylaniline, triethylamine, pyridine, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of other organic solvents that may be used to carry out the present invention include, but are not limited to, nitromethane, carbon disulfide, etc., including combinations thereof. examples of surfactants include, but are not limited to, anionic surfactants (e.g., sulfates, sulfonates, carboxylates, and phosphate esters), cationic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, etc., including combinations thereof. common examples include, but are not limited to, sodium stearate, linear alkylbenzenesulfonates, lignin sulfonates, fatty alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates, etc., including combinations thereof. numerous examples additional examples of suitable surfactants are known, some of which are described in u.s. pat. nos. 9,198,847, 9,175,248, 9,121,000, 9,120,997, 9,095,787, 9,068,152, 9,023,782, and 8,765,108. examples of chelants (chelating agents) include, but are not limited to, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, phosphates, nitrilotriacetic acid (nta), citrates, silicates, and polymers of acrylic and maleic acid. examples of enzymes that may be included in the wash liquid include, but are not limited to, proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases, etc., including mixtures thereof. see, e.g., u.s. pat. nos. 7,183,248, 6,063,206, in some embodiments, the wash liquid can be an aqueous solution of ethoxylated alcohol, sodium citrate, tetrasodium n,n-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-glutamate, sodium carbonate, citric acid, and isothiazolinone mixture. one particular example thereof is simple green® all purpose cleaner (sunshine makers inc., huntington beach, calif., usa) used per se or mixed with additional water. in some embodiments, the wash liquid can be an aqueous solution comprised of 2-butoxyethanol, sodium metasilicate, and sodium hydroxide. one particular example thereof is purple power™ degreaser/cleaner (aiken chemical co., greenville, s.c., usa), used per se or mixed with additional water. in some embodiments, the wash liquid can be ethyl lactate, alone or with a co-solvent. one particular example thereof is bio-solv™ solvent replacement (bio brands llc, cinnaminson, n.j., usa), used per se or mixed with water. in some embodiments, the wash liquid consists of a 50:50 (volume:volume) solution of water and isopropanol. when the wash liquid includes ingredients that are not desired for carrying into the further curing step, in some embodiments the initial wash with the wash liquid can be followed with a further rinsing step with a rinse liquid, such as water (e.g., distilled and/or deionized water), or a mixture of water and an alcohol such as isopropanol. xiii. alternate methods and apparatus while the present invention is preferably carried out by continuous liquid interphase/interface polymerization, as described in detail above and in further detail below, in some embodiments alternate methods and apparatus for bottom-up or top down three-dimension fabrication may be used, including layer-by-layer fabrication. examples of such methods and apparatus include, but are not limited to, those described in u.s. pat. no. 5,236,637 to hull, u.s. pat. nos. 5,391,072 and 5,529,473 to lawton, u.s. pat. no. 7,438,846 to john, u.s. pat. no. 7,892,474 to shkolnik, u.s. pat. no. 8,110,135 to el-siblani, us patent application publication nos. 2013/0292862 to joyce and 2013/0295212 to chen et al., and pct application publication no. wo 2015/164234 to robeson et al. the disclosures of these patents and applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. elements and features that may be used in carrying out the present invention are explained in pct application nos. pct/us2014/015486 (published as u.s. pat. no. 9,211,678 on dec. 15, 2015); pct/us2014/015506 (also published as u.s. pat. no. 9,205,601 on dec. 8, 2015), pct/us2014/015497 (also published as us 2015/0097316, and as u.s. pat. no. 9,216,546 on dec. 22, 2015), and in j. tumbleston, d. shirvanyants, n. ermoshkin et al., continuous liquid interface production of 3d objects, science 347, 1349-1352 (published online 16 mar. 2015). embodiments of the present invention are explained in greater detail in the following non-limiting examples. example 1 high aspect ratio adjustable tension build plate assembly fig. 7 is a top view and fig. 8 is an exploded view of a 3 inch by 16 inch “high aspect” rectangular build plate (or “window”) assembly of the present invention, where the film dimensions are 3.5 inches by 17 inches. the greater size of the film itself as compared to the internal diameter of vat ring and film base provides a peripheral or circumferential flange portion in the film that is clamped between the vat ring and the film base, as shown in side-sectional view in fig. 9 . one or more registration holes (not shown) may be provided in the polymer film in the peripheral or circumferential flange portion to aid in aligning the polymer film between the vat ring and film base, which are fastened to one another with a plurality of screws (not shown) extending from one to the other (some or all passing through holes in the peripheral edge of the polymer film) in a manner that securely clamps the polymer film therebetween. as shown in fig. 8 to fig. 9 a tension ring is provided that abuts the polymer film and stretches the film to tension, stabilize or rigidify the film. the tension ring may be provided as a pre-set member, or may be an adjustable member. adjustment may be achieved by providing a spring plate facing the tension ring, with one or more compressible elements such as polymer cushions or springs (e.g., flat springs, coil springs, wave springs etc.) therebetween, and with adjustable fasteners such as screw fasteners or the like passing from the spring plate through (or around) the tension ring to the film base. polymer films are preferably fluoropolymer films, such as an amorphous thermoplastic fluoropolymer, in a thickness of 0.01 or 0.05 millimeters to 0.1 or 1 millimeters, or more. in some embodiments we use biogeneral teflon af 2400 polymer film, which is 0.0035 inches (0.09 millimeters) thick, and random technologies teflon af 2400 polymer film, which is 0.004 inches (0.1 millimeters) thick. tension on the film is preferably adjusted with the tension ring to about 10 to 100 pounds, depending on operating conditions such as fabrication speed. the vat ring, film base, tension ring, and tension ring spring plate may be fabricated of any suitable, preferably rigid, material, including metals (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum and aluminum alloys), carbon fiber, polymers, and composites thereof. registration posts and corresponding sockets may be provided in any of the vat ring, film base, tension ring and/or spring plate, as desired. example 2 round adjustable tension round build plate assembly fig. 10 is a top view and fig. 11 is an exploded view of a 2.88 inch diameter round build plate of the invention, where the film dimension may be 4 inches in diameter. construction is in like manner to that given in example 1 above, with a circumferential wave spring assembly shown in place. tension on the film is preferably adjusted to a like tension as given in example 1 above (again depending on other operating conditions such as fabrication speed). fig. 11 is an exploded view of the build plate of fig. 10 . example 3 additional embodiments of adjustable build plates fig. 12 shows various alternate embodiments of the build plates of fig. 7 to fig. 11 . materials and tensions may be in like manner as described above. example 4 example embodiment of an apparatus fig. 13 is a front perspective view, fig. 14 is a side view and fig. 15 is a rear perspective view of an apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. the apparatus 100 includes a frame 102 and an enclosure 104 . much of the enclosure 104 is removed or shown transparent in fig. 13 - fig. 15 . the apparatus 100 includes several of the same or similar components and features as the apparatus described above in reference to fig. 3 . referring to fig. 13 , a build chamber 106 is provided on a base plate 108 that is connected to the frame 102 . the build chamber 106 is defined by a wall or vat ring 110 and a build plate or “window” such as one of the windows described above in reference to fig. 3 and fig. 7 - fig. 12 . turning to fig. 14 , a carrier 112 is driven in a vertical direction along a rail 114 by a motor 116 . the motor may be any suitable type of motor, such as a servo motor. an exemplary suitable motor is the nxm45a motor available from oriental motor of tokyo, japan. a liquid reservoir 118 is in fluid communication with the build chamber 106 to replenish the build chamber 106 with liquid resin. for example, tubing may run from the liquid reservoir 118 to the build chamber 106 . a valve 120 controls the flow of liquid resin from the liquid reservoir 118 to the build chamber 106 . an exemplary suitable valve is a pinch-style aluminum solenoid valve for tubing available from mcmaster-carr of atlanta, ga. the frame 102 includes rails 122 or other some other mounting feature on which a light engine assembly 130 ( fig. 16 ) is held or mounted. a light source 124 is coupled to the light engine assembly 130 using a light guide entrance cable 126 . the light source 124 may be any suitable light source such as a bluewave® 200 system available from dymax corporation of torrington, conn. turning to fig. 16 , the light engine or light engine assembly 130 includes condenser lens assembly 132 and a digital light processing (dlp) system including a digital micromirror device (dmd) 134 and an optical or projection lens assembly 136 (which may include an objective lens). a suitable dlp system is the dlp discovery™ 4100 system available from texas instruments, inc. of dallas, tex. light from the dlp system is reflected off a mirror 138 and illuminates the build chamber 106 . specifically, an “image” 140 is projected at the build surface or window. referring to fig. 15 , an electronic component plate or breadboard 150 is connected to the frame 102 . a plurality of electrical or electronic components are mounted on the breadboard 150 . a controller or processor 152 is operatively associated with various components such as the motor 116 , the valve 120 , the light source 124 and the light engine assembly 130 described above. a suitable controller is the propeller proto board available from parallax, inc. of rocklin, calif. other electrical or electronic components operatively associated with the controller 152 include a power supply 154 and a motor driver 158 for controlling the motor 116 . in some embodiments, an led light source controlled by pulse width modulation (pwm) driver 156 is used instead of a mercury lamp (e.g., the dymax light source described above). a suitable power supply is a 24 volt, 2.5 a, 60 w, switching power supply (e.g., part number ps1-60 w-24 (hf60 w-sl-24) available from marlin p. jones & assoc, inc. of lake park, fla.). if an led light source is used, a suitable led driver is a 24 volt, 1.4 a led driver (e.g., part number 788-1041-nd available from digi-key of thief river falls, minn.). a suitable motor driver is the nxd20-a motor driver available from oriental motor of tokyo, japan. the apparatus of fig. 13 - fig. 16 has been used to produce an “image size” of about 75 mm by 100 mm with light intensity of about 5 mw/cm 2 . the apparatus of fig. 13 - fig. 16 has been used to build objects at speeds of about 100 to 500 mm/hr. the build speed is dependent on light intensity and the geometry of the object. example 5 another example embodiment of an apparatus fig. 17 is a front perspective view of an apparatus 200 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. the apparatus 200 includes the same components and features of the apparatus 100 with the following differences. the apparatus 200 includes a frame 202 including rails 222 or other mounting feature at which two of the light engine assemblies 130 shown in fig. 16 may be mounted in a side-by-side relationship. the light engine assemblies 130 are configured to provide a pair of “tiled” images at the build station 206 . the use of multiple light engines to provide tiled images is described in more detail above. the apparatus of fig. 17 has been used to provide a tiled “image size” of about 150 mm by 200 mm with light intensity of about 1 mw/cm 2 . the apparatus of fig. 17 has been used to build objects at speeds of about 50 to 100 mm/hr. the build speed is dependent on light intensity and the geometry of the object. example 6 another example embodiment of an apparatus fig. 19 is a front perspective view and fig. 20 is a side view of an apparatus 300 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. the apparatus 300 includes the same components and features of the apparatus 100 with the following differences. the apparatus 300 includes a frame 302 including rails 322 or other mounting feature at which a light engine assembly 330 shown in fig. 21 may be mounted in a different orientation than the light assembly 130 of the apparatus 100 . referring to figs. 20 and 21 , the light engine assembly 330 includes a condenser lens assembly 332 and a digital light processing (dlp) system including a digital micromirror device (dmd) 334 and an optical or projection lens assembly 336 (which may include an objective lens). a suitable dlp system is the dlp discovery™ 4100 system available from texas instruments, inc. of dallas, tex. light from the dlp system illuminates the build chamber 306 . specifically, an “image” 340 is projected at the build surface or window. in contrast to the apparatus 100 , a reflective mirror is not used with the apparatus 300 . the apparatus of figs. 19-21 has been used to provide “image sizes” of about 10.5 mm by 14 mm and about 24 mm by 32 mm with light intensity of about 200 mw/cm 2 and 40 mw/cm 2 the apparatus of figs. 19-21 has been used to build objects at speeds of about 10,000 and 4,000 mm/hr. the build speed is dependent on light intensity and the geometry of the object. example 7 control program with lua scripting current printer technology requires low level control in order to ensure quality part fabrication. physical parameters such as light intensity, exposure time and the motion of the carrier should all be optimized to ensure the quality of a part. utilizing a scripting interface to a controller such as the parallax propeller™ microcontroller using the programming language “lua” provides the user with control over all aspects of the printer on a low level. see generally r. ierusalimschy, programming in lua (2013) (isbn-10: 859037985x; isbn-13: 978-8590379850). this example illustrates the control of a method and apparatus of the invention with an example program written utilizing lua scripting. program code corresponding to such instructions, or variations thereof that will be apparent to those skilled in the art, is written in accordance with known techniques based upon the particular microcontroller used. concepts. a part consists of slices of polymer which are formed continuously. the shape of each slice is defined by the frame that is being displayed by the light engine. frame. the frame represents the final output for a slice. the frame is what manifests as the physical geometry of the part. the data in the frame is what is projected by the printer to cure the polymer. slice. all the 2d geometry that will be outputted to a frame should be combined in a slice. slices can consist of procedural geometry, slices of a 3d model or any combination of the two. the slice generating process allows the user to have direct control over the composition of any frame. slice of a 3d model. a slice is a special type of 2d geometry derived from a 3d model of a part. it represents the geometry that intersects a plane that is parallel to the window. parts are usually constructed by taking 3d models and slicing them at very small intervals. each slice is then interpreted in succession by the printer and used to cure the polymer at the proper height. procedural geometry. procedurally generated geometry can also be added to a slice. this is accomplished by invoking shape generation functions, such as “addcircle”, “addrectangle”, and others. each function allows projection of the corresponding shape onto the printing window. a produced part appears as a vertically extruded shape or combination of shapes. coordinate spaces: stage. the coordinate system that the stage uses is usually calibrated such that the origin is 1-20 microns above the window. coordinate spaces: slice. coordinate system of the projected slice is such that origin is located at the center of the print window. quick start. the following is the most basic method of printing a part from a sliced 3d model. printing a sliced model consists of 4 main parts: loading the data, preparing the printer, printing, and shutdown. loading data. in this section of the code the sliced model data is loaded into memory. the file path to the model is defined in the constants section of the code. see the full code below for details. --loading modelmodelfilepath = “chess king.svg”numslices = loadslices(modelfilepath) preparing the printer it is important to do two things before printing. you must first turn on the light engine with the relay function, and if applicable, the desired fluid height should be set. --prepare printerrelay(true)--turn light onshowframe(−1) --ensure nothing is exposed durring setupsetlevels(.55, .6)--if available, printer set fluid pump to maintain about55% fill printing. the first step of the printing process is to calibrate the system and set the stage to its starting position by calling gotostart. next we begin a for loop in which we print each slice. the first line of the for loop uses the infoline command to display the current slice index in the sidebar. next we determine the height at which the next slice should be cured. that value is stored to nextheight. following this we move the stage to the height at which the next slice needs to be cured. to ensure a clean print it can sometimes be necessary to wait for oxygen to diffuse into the resin. therefore we call sleep for a half second (the exact time for preexposuretime is defined in the constants section as well). after this it's time to actually cure the resin so we call showframe and pass it the index of the slice we want to print, which is stored in sliceindex by the for loop. we sleep again after this for exposuretime seconds in order to let the resin cure. before moving on to the next frame, we call showframe(−1) in order to prevent the light engine from curing any resin while the stage is moving to the next height. --execute printgotostart( )--move stage to starting positionfor sliceindex =0,numslices−1 doinfoline(5, string.format(“current slice: %d”, sliceindex))nextheight = sliceheight(sliceindex)--calculate the height that the stage should be at toexpose this framemoveto(nextheight, stagespeed)--move to nextheightsleep(preexposuretime)--wait a given amount of time for oxygen to diffuse into resin ,prepexposuretime is predefined in the constants sectionshowframe(sliceindex)--show frame to exposesleep(exposuretime)--wait while frame exposes, exposuretime is predefined in theconstants sectionshowframe(−1)-- show nothing to ensure no exposure while stage is moving to next positionend shutdown. the final step in the printing process is to shut down the printer. call relay(false) to turn the light engine off. if you are using fluid control, call setlevels(0,0) to ensure the valve is shut off. finally it is a good idea to move the stage up a bit after printing to allow for easy removal of the part. --shutdownrelay(false)setlevels(0,0)--lift stage to remove partmoveby(25, 16000) fully completed code implementing instructions based on the above is set forth below. --constantsexposuretime = 1.5--in secondspreexposuretime = 0.5 -- in secondsstagespeed = 300 --in mm/hour--loading modelmodelfilepath = “chess king.svg”numslices = loadslices(modelfilepath)--calculating parametersmaxprintheight = sliceheight(numslices−1)--find the highest point in the print, this is the sameas the height of the last slice. slices are 0 indexed, hence the −1.infoline(1, “current print info:”)infoline(2, string.format(“calculated max print height: %dmm”, maxprintheight))infoline(3, string.format(“calculated est. time: %dmin”, (maxprintheight/stagespeed)60 +(preexposuretime+exposuretime)numslices/60))infoline(4, string.format(“number of slices: %d”, numslices))--prepare printerrelay(true)--turn light onshowframe(−1) --ensure nothing is exposed durring setupsetlevels(.55, .6)--if available, printer set fluid pump to maintain about 55% fill--execute printgotostart( )--move stage to starting positionfor sliceindex =0,numslices−1 doinfoline(5, string.format(“current slice: %d”, sliceindex))nextheight = sliceheight(sliceindex)--calculate the height that the stage shouldbe at to expose this framemoveto(nextheight, stagespeed)--move to nextheightsleep(preexposuretime)--wait a given amount of time for oxygen to diffuse intoresin , prepexposuretime is predefined in the constants sectionshowframe(sliceindex)--show frame to exposesleep(exposuretime)--wait while frame exposes, exposuretime is predefined inthe constants sectionshowframe(−1)-- show nothing to ensure no exposure while stage is moving to nextpositionend--shutdownrelay(false)setlevels(0,0)--lift stage to remove partmoveby(25, 16000) gotostart. the main purpose of gotostart is to calibrate the stage. this function resets the coordinate system to have the origin at the lowest point, where the limit switch is activated. calling this command will move the stage down until the limit switch in the printer is activated; this should occur when the stage is at the absolute minimum height. gotostart( ) moves stage to start at the maximum speed which varies from printer to printer.gotostart( )--moving to origin at default speedgotostart(number speed) moves stage to start at speed given in millimeters/hour.gotostart(15000)--moving stage to origin at 15000mm/hr-speed: speed, in mm/hour, at which the stage will move to the start position.movetomoveto allows the user to direct the stage to a desired height at a given speed. safe upperand lower limits to speed and acceleration are ensured internally.moveto(number targetheight, number speed)moveto(25, 15000)--moving to 25mm at 15,000mm/hrmoveto(number targetheight, number speed, number acceleration)this version of the function allows an acceleration to be defined as well as speed. the stagestarts moving at initial speed and then increases by acceleration.moveto(25, 20000, 1e7)--moving the stage to 25mm at 20,000mm/hr while accelerating at 1million mm/hr{circumflex over ( )}2moveto(number targetheight, number speed, table controlpoints, function callback)this function behaves similar to the basic version of the function. it starts at its initial speed andposition and moves to the highest point on the control point table. callback is called when thestage passes each control point.function mycallbackfunction(index)--defining the callback functionprint(“hello”)endmoveto(25, 20000, slicecontrolpoints( ), mycallbackfunction)--movingthe stage to 25mm at 20,000mm/hr while calling mycallbackfunctionat the control points generated by slicecontrolpoints( )moveto(number targetheight, number speed, number acceleration, table controlpoints,function callback) this function is the same as above except the user can pass anacceleration. the stage accelerates from its initial position continuously until itreaches the last control point.function mycallbackfunction(index)--defining the callback functionprint(“hello”)endmoveto(25, 20000, 0.5e7, slicecontrolpoints( ), mycallbackfunction)--movingthe stage to 25mm at 20,000mm/hr while accelerating at 0.5 millionmm/hr{circumflex over ( )}2 and also calling mycallbackfunction at the control pointsgenerated by slicecontrolpoints( )-targetheight: height, in mm from the origin, that the stage will move to.-initialspeed: initial speed, in mm/hour, that the stage will start moving at.-acceleration: rate, in mm/hour 2 , that the speed of the stage will increase frominitial speed.-controlpoints: a table of target heights in millimeters. after the stage reaches atarget height, it calls the function callback.-callback: pointer to a function that will be called when the stage reaches acontrol point. the callback function should take one argument which is theindex of the control point the stage has reached.movebymoveby allows the user to change the height of the stage by a desired amount at a givenspeed. safe upper and lower limits to speed and acceleration are ensured internally.moveby(number dheight, number initalspeed)1 moveby(−2, 15000)--moving down 2mm at 15,000mm/hrmoveby(number dheight, number initialspeed, number acceleration)this version of the function allows an acceleration to be defined as well asspeed. the stage starts moving at initial speed and then increases byacceleration until it reaches its destination.1 moveby(25, 15000, 1e7)--moving up 25mm at 15,000mm/hr while accelerating1e7mm/hr{circumflex over ( )}2moveby(number dheight, number initialspeed, table controlpoints, function callback)this function usage allows the user to pass the function a table of absoluteheight coordinates. after the stage reaches one of these target heights, it calls thefunction ‘callback.’ callback should take one argument which is the index of thecontrol point it has reached.function mycallbackfunction(index)--defining the callback functionprint(“hello”)endmoveby(25, 20000, slicecontrolpoints( ), mycallbackfunction)--moving the stageup 25mm at 20,000mm/hr while calling mycallbackfunction at the control pointsgenerated by slicecontrolpoints( )moveby(number dheight, number initialspeed, number acceleration, table controlpoints,function callback) this function is the same as above except the user can pass anacceleration. the stage accelerates from its initial position continuously until it reachesthe last control point.function mycallbackfunction(index)--defining the callback functionprint(“hello”)endmoveby(25, 20000, 1e7,slicecontrolpoints( ), mycallbackfunction)--moving the stageup 25mm at 20,000mm/hr while calling mycallbackfunction at the control points generated byslicecontrolpoints( ) and accelerating at 1e7mm/hr{circumflex over ( )}2-dheight: desired change in height, in millimeters, of the stage.-initialspeed: initial speed, in mm/hour, at which the stage moves.-acceleration: rate, in mm/hour 2 , that the speed of the stage will increase frominitial speed.-controlpoints: a table of target heights in millimeters. after the stage reaches atarget height, it calls the function callback.-callback: pointer to a function that will be called when the stage reaches acontrol point. the callback function should take one argument which is theindex of the control point the stage has reached. light engine control light relay is used to turn the light engine on or off in the printer. the light engine must be on in order to print. make sure the relay is set to off at the end of the script. relay(boolean lighton)relay(true)--turning light on-lighton: false turns the light engine off, true turns the lightengine on. adding procedural geometry functions in this section exist to project shapes without using a sliced part file. every function in this section has an optional number value called figureindex. each figure in a slice has its own index. the figures reside one on top of another. figures are drawn so that the figure with the highest index is ‘on top’ and will therefore not be occluded by anything below it. by default indexes are assigned in the order that they are created so the last figure created will be rendered on top. one can, however, change the index by passing the desired index into figureindex. every function in this section requires a sliceindex argument. this value is the index of the slice that the figure will be added to. note that generating this procedural geometry does not guarantee that it will be visible or printable. one must use one of the functions such as fillmask or linemask outlined below. addcircleaddcircle(number x, number y, number radius, number sliceindex) addcircle draws acircle in the specified slice slice.addcircle(0,0, 5, 0)--creating a circle at the origin of the first slice with a radius of 5mm-x: is the horizontal distance, in millimeters, from the center of the circle to the origin.-y: is the vertical distance, in millimeters, from the center of the circle to the origin.-radius: is the radius of the circle measured in millimeters.-sliceindex: index of the slice to which the figure will be added.returns: figure index of the figure.addrectangleaddrectangle(number x, number y, number width, number height number sliceindex)addrectangle draws a rectangle in the specified slice.addrectangle(0,0, 5,5, 0)--creating a 5mm x 5mm square with its top left corner at theorigin.-x: horizontal coordinate, in millimeters, of the top left corner of the rectangle.-y: vertical coordinate, in millimeters, of the top left corner of the rectangle.-width: width of the rectangle in millimeters.-height: height of the rectangle in millimeters.-sliceindex: index of the slice to which the figure will be added.returns: figure index of the figure.addlineaddline(number x0, number y0, number x1, number y1 number sliceindex) addline drawsa line segment.addline(0,0, 20,20, 0)--creating a line from the origin to 20mm along the x and y axis on thefirst slice.-x0: horizontal coordinate of the first point in the segment, measured in millimeters.-y0: vertical coordinate of the first point in the segment, measured in millimeters.-x1: horizontal coordinate of the second point in the segment, measured in millimeters.-y2: vertical coordinate of the second point in the segment, measured in millimeters.-sliceindex: index of the slice to which the figure will be added. returns: figure index ofthe figure.addtexttext(number x, number y, number scale, string text, number sliceindex) addtextdraws text on the specified slice starting at position ‘x, y’ with letters of size ‘scale’.addtext(0,0, 20, “hello world”, 0)--writing hello world at the origin of the first slice-x: horizontal coordinate, measured in millimeters, of the top left corner of thebounding box around the text.-y : vertical coordinate, measured in millimeters, of the top left corner of thebounding box around the text.-scale: letter size in millimeters, interpretation may vary depending on theunderlying operating system (windows, osx, linux, etc).-text: the actual text that will be drawn on the slice.-sliceindex: index of the slice to which the figurewill be added. returns: figure index of thefigure.fill and line controlfillmaskfillmask(number color, number sliceindex, number figureindex) fillmask is used tocontrol how the procedural geometry is drawn, fillmask tells the figure inquestion to fill the entirety of its interior with color.-color: can be any number on the range 0 to 255. where 0 is black and 255 iswhite, any value in between is a shade of grey interpolated linearly betweenblack and white based on the color value. any value less than 0 will produce atransparent color.mycircle = addcircle(0,0,5,0)--creating the circle to fillfillmask(255, 0, mycircle)--creating a white filled circle-sliceindex:the index of the slice that should be modified.-figureindex:the is used to determine which figure on the slice should be filled.each figure has its own unique index. if no figureindex is passed, the fill appliesto all figures in the slice.linemasklinemask(number color, number sliceindex, number figureindex) linemask is usedto control how the procedural geometry is drawn. linemask tells a figure todraw its outline in a specific color. the width of the outline is defined by thefunction linewidth.mycircle = addcircle(0,0,20,0)--creating the circle to filllinemask(255, 0, mycircle)--setting the outline of the circle to be whitefillmask(150,0, mycircle)--setting the fill of the circle to be grey-color: can be any number on the range 0 to 255. where 0 is black and 255 iswhite, any value in between is a shade of grey interpolated linearly betweenblack and white based on the color value. any value less than 0 will produce atransparent color.-sliceindex: the index of the slice that should be modified.-figureindex: is used to determine which figure on the slice should be filled.each figure has its own unique index. if no figureindex is passed, the fill appliesto all figures in the slice.linewidthlinewidth(number width, number sliceindex, number figureindex)linewidth is used to set the width of the line that linemask willuse to outline the figure.linewidth(2,0)--setting the line width for every figure on the first slice to 2mm-sliceindex: the index of the slice that should be modified.-figureindex: is used to determine which figure on the slice should have itsoutline changed. each figure has its own unique index, see section 2.3 (pg. 10)for more details. if no figureindex is passed, the fill applies to all figures in theslice.loadmaskloadmask(string filepath) loadmask allows for advanced fill control. it enables theuser to load a texture from a bitmap file and use it to fill the entirety of a figurewith the texture.texture = loadmask(“voronoi_noise.png”)--loading texture. voronoi_noise.png is in thesame directory as the script.mycircle = addcircle(0,0,20,0)--creating the circle to fillfillmask(texture, 0, mycircle)--filling the circle with voronoi noisefilepath: file path to image filereturns: a special data type which can be passed into a fillmask or linemaskfunction as the color argument.framesshowframeshowframe(number sliceindex) showframe is essential to the printing process. thisfunction sends the data from a slice to the printer. call showframes on a framethat doesn't exist to render a black frame e.g., showframe(−1).showframe(2)--showing the 3rd slice-sliceindex: the index of the slice to send to the printer.framegradientframegradient(number slope) framegradient isdesigned to compensate for differences in lightintensity.calcframecalcframe( )calcframe is designed to analyze the construction of a slice calculates the lastframe shown.showframe(0)calcframe( )returns: the maximum possible distance between any point in the figure andthe edge.2.5.4 loadframeloadframe(string filepath)loadframe is used to load a single slice froma supported bitmap file.loadframe(“slice.png”)--slice.png is in the same directory as the script-filepath: file path to slice image.slicesaddsliceaddslice(number sliceheight) addslice creates a new slice at a given height at the end of theslice stack.addslice(.05)--adding a slice at .05mmaddslice(number sliceheight, number sliceindex)addslice(.05, 2)--adding a slice at .05mm and at index 2. this pushes all layers 2 and higherup an index.addslice creates a new slice at a given height and slice index.-sliceheight: height, in millimeters, of the slice.-sliceindex: index at which the sliceshould be added. returns: slice index.loadslicesloadslices(string filepath) loadslices isused to load all the slices from a 2dslice file.loadslices(“chess king.svg”)--loading all the slices from the chess king.svg file-filepath: file path to the sliced model. acceptable formatsare .cli and .svg. returns: number of slices.sliceheightsliceheight(number sliceindex) sliceheight isused to find the height of a slice in mm offthe base.addslice(.05,0)--setting the first slice to .05mmsliceheight(0)--checking the height of slice 0, in this example it should return .05-sliceindex: index of the slice to check. returns: slice height in mm.2.6.4slicecontrolpointsslicecontrolpoints( ) slicecontrolpoints is a helper function which creates a controlpoint for each slice of a model. these control points can be passed to themoveto or moveby function to set it to callback when the stage reaches theheight of each slice. make sure loadslices has been called prior to calling thisfunction.loadslices(“chess king.svg”)controlpoints = slicecontrolpoints( )returns: lua table of control points.timingsleepsleep(number seconds) sleep allows the user to pause the execution of the program for a setnumber of seconds.sleep(.5)--sleeping for a half second-seconds: number of seconds to pause script execution.clockclock( ) clock returns the current time in seconds. it is accurate at least up to the millisecondand should therefore be used instead of lua's built in clock functionality. clock shouldbe used as a means to measure differences in time as the start time for the second countvaries from system to system.t1 = clock( )loadslices(“chess king.svg”)deltatime = clock( )-t1returns: system time in seconds. fluid control this set of functions can be used with printer models that support fluid control. before the script finishes executing, setlevels(0,0) should be called to ensure that the pump stops pumping fluid into the vat. getcurrentlevelgetcurrentlevel( ) getcurrentlevel returnsthe percentage of the vat that is full.print( string.format(“vat is %d percent full.”, getcurrentlevel( )100) )returns: a floating point number on the range 0 to 1 that represents thepercentage of the vat that is full.setlevelssetlevels(number min, number max) setlevels allows the user to define how muchfluid should be in the vat. the fluid height will be automatically regulated by apump. the difference between min and max should be greater than 0.05 toensure that the valve is not constantly opening and closing.setlevels(.7,.75)--keeping vat about 75 percent full-min: the minim percentage of the vat that should be full. entered as a floating point numberfrom 0 to 1.-max: the max percentage of the vat that should be full. entered as a floatingpoint number from 0 to 1.user feedbackinfolineinfoline(int lineindex, string text) infoline allows the user to display up to 5 lines oftext in a constant position on the sidebar of the programmable printer platform.this function is often used to allow the user to monitor several changingvariables at once.infoline(1, string.format(“vat is %d percent full.”, getcurrentlevel( )100) )-lineindex: the index of the line. indexes should be in the range 1 to 5, 1 beingthe upper most line. -text, text to be displayed at line index. global configuration table. before a print script is executed, all global variables are loaded into a configuration table called cfg. most of the data in this table has already been read by the programmable printer platform by the time the users script executes, therefore, changing them will have no effect. however, writing to the xscale, yscale, zscale, xorig and yorig fields of the cfg, will effect all the loadslices and addlayer calls that are made afterwards. if the users script is designed to be run at a specific scale and/or position, it is good practice to override the cfg with the correct settings to ensure the scale and position can't be accidentally changed by the programmable printer platform. cfg.xscale = 3 --overriding global settings to set scale on the x axis to 3cfg.yscale = 2 --overriding global settings to set scale on the y axis to 2cfg.zscale = 1 --overriding global settings to set scale on the z axis to 1cfg.xorig = −2.0 --overriding global settings to set the origin on the x axis2mm leftcfg.yorig = 0.25 --overriding global settings to set the origin on the y axis.25mm in the positive directionfields in cfg:-serialport: name of serial port (changing this variable wont effect code)-xscale: x scale -yscale: y scale-zscale: z scale-xorig: x origin -yorig; y origin-hw xscale: pixel resolution in x direction (changing this variable won'teffect code)-hw yscale: pixel resolution in y direction (changing this variable won'teffect code) useful lua standard libraries. the math standard library contains several different functions that are useful in calculating geometry. the string object is most useful in printing for manipulating info strings. for details contact lablua at departamento de informatica, puc-rio, rua marques de sao vicente, 225; 22451-900 rio de janeiro, rj, brazil example 8 lua script program for continuous print this example shows a lua script program corresponding to example 7 above for continuous three dimension printing. --constantsslicedepth = .05--in millimetersexposuretime = .225-- in seconds--loading modelmodelfilepath = “chess king.svg”numslices = loadslices(modelfilepath)controlpoints = slicecontrolpoints( )--generate control points--calculating parametersexposuretime = exposuretime/(6060)--converted to hoursstagespeed = slicedepth/exposuretime--required distance/required timemaxprintheight = sliceheight(numslices−1)--find the highest point in the print, thisis the same as the height of the last slice. slices are 0 indexed, hence the −1.infoline(1, “current print info:”)infoline(2, string.format(“calulated stage speed: %dmm/hr\n”, stagespeed))infoline(3, string.format(“calculated max print height: %dmm”, maxprintheight))infoline(4, string.format(“calculated est. time: %dmin”,(maxprintheight/stagespeed)60))--create callback function for use with movetofunction movetocallback(controlpointindex)showframe(controlpointindex)end--prepare printerrelay(true)--turn light onsetlevels(.55, .6)--if available, printer set fluid pump to maintain about 50% fill--execute printgotostart( )-move stage to starting positionmoveto(maxprintheight, stagespeed, controlpoints, movetocallback)--shutdownrelay(false)setlevels(0,0)--lift stage to remove partmoveby(25, 160000) example 9 lua script program for cylinder and buckle this example shows a lua script program for two fitted parts that use procedural geometry. cylinder:--constantsexposuretime = 1.5-- in secondspreexposuretime = 1 -- in secondsstagespeed = 300 --in mm/hourslicedepth = .05numslices = 700--generating modelradius = 11thickness = 4smallcirclerad = 1.4for sliceindex = 0,numslices−1 doaddlayer(slicedepth(sliceindex+1), sliceindex)--the depth of a sliceits index =height of slicelargecircle = addcircle(0,0,radius, sliceindex)linewidth(thickness, sliceindex, largecircle)linemask(255, sliceindex, largecircle)for i=0,2math.pi, 2math.pi/8 doaddcircle(math.cos(i)radius, math.sin(i)radius, smallcirclerad, sliceindex)endfillmask(0,sliceindex)end--calculating parametersmaxprintheight = sliceheight(numslices−1)--find the highest point in the print, this is thesame as the height of the last slice. slices are 0 indexed, hence the −1.infoline(1, “current print info:”)infoline(2, string.format(“calculated max print height: %dmm”, maxprintheight))infoline(3, string.format(“calculated est. time: %dmin”, (maxprintheight/stagespeed)60 +(preexposuretime+exposuretime)numslices/60))infoline(4, string.format(“number of slices: %d”, numslices))--prepare printerrelay(true)--turn light onshowframe(−1) --ensure nothing is exposed durring setupsetlevels(.55, .6)--if available, printer set fluid pump to maintain about 55% fill--execute printgotostart( )--move stage to starting positionfor sliceindex =0,numslices−1 doinfoline(5, string.format(“current slice: %d”, sliceindex))nextheight = sliceheight(sliceindex)--calculate the height that the stageshould be at to expose this framemoveto(nextheight, stagespeed)--move to nextheightsleep(preexposuretime)--wait a given amount of time for oxygen to diffuse intoresin , prepexposuretime is predefined in the constants sectionshowframe(sliceindex)--show frame to exposesleep(1.5)--wait while frame exposes, exposuretime is predefined in the constantssectionshowframe(−1)-- show nothing to ensure no exposure while stage is moving to nextpositionend--shutdownrelay(false)setlevels(0,0)--lift stage to remove partmoveby(25, 160000)buckle:--constantsexposuretime = 1.5-- in secondspreexposuretime = 0.5 -- in secondsstagespeed = 300 --in mm/hourslicedepth = .05numslices = 900--generating modelbaseradius = 11thickness = 3innercirclerad = 7.5for sliceindex = 0,numslices−1 doaddlayer(slicedepth(sliceindex+1))--the depth of a sliceits index = height ofsliceif(sliceindex < 100) then --baseaddcircle(0,0, baseradius, sliceindex)fillmask(255, sliceindex)else -- inner circleinnercircle = addcircle(0,0, innercirclerad, sliceindex)linewidth(thickness, sliceindex, innercircle)linemask(255, sliceindex, innercircle)for i = 0,42math.pi/8, 2math.pi/8 dox = math.cos(i)(innercirclerad+thickness)y = math.sin(i)(innercirclerad+thickness)cutline = addline(x,y, −x,−y, sliceindex)linewidth(3, sliceindex, cutline)linemask(0, sliceindex, cutline)endif (sliceindex > 800) then --tipsr0 = innercirclerad +2if (sliceindex < 850) thenr0 = innercirclerad + (sliceindex−800)(2/50)endfor i = 0,42math.pi/8, 2math.pi/8 doang = i + (2math.pi/8)/2x = math.cos(ang)(r0)y = math.sin(ang)(r0)nubline = addline(x,y, −x,−y, sliceindex)linewidth(2, sliceindex, nubline)linemask(255, sliceindex, nubline)endfillmask(0,sliceindex, addcircle(0,0, innercirclerad−(thickness/2),sliceindex))endendshowframe(sliceindex)sleep(.02)end--calculating parametersmaxprintheight = sliceheight(numslices−1)--find the highest point in the print, this is the sameas the height of the last slice. slices are 0 indexed, hence the −1.infoline(1, “current print info:”)infoline(2, string.format(“calculated max print height: %dmm”, maxprintheight))infoline(3, string.format(“calculated est. time: %dmin”, (maxprintheight/stagespeed)60 +(preexposuretime+exposuretime)*numslices/60))infoline(4, string.format(“number of slices: %d”, numslices))--prepare printerrelay(true)--turn light onshowframe(−1) --ensure nothing is exposed durring setupsetlevels(.55, .6)--if available, printer set fluid pump to maintain about 55% fill--execute printgotostart( )--move stage to starting positionfor sliceindex =0,numslices−1 doinfoline(5, string.format(“current slice: %d”, sliceindex))nextheight = sliceheight(sliceindex)--calculate the height that the stage shouldbe at to expose this framemoveto(nextheight, stagespeed)--move to nextheightsleep(preexposuretime)--wait a given amount of time for oxygen to diffuse into resin,prepexposuretime is predefined in the constants sectionshowframe(sliceindex)--show frame to exposesleep(1.5)--wait while frame exposes, exposuretime is predefined in the constantssectionshowframe(−1)-- show nothing to ensure no exposure while stage is moving to nextpositionend--shutdownrelay(false)setlevels(0,0)--lift stage to remove partmoveby(25,160000) example 10 continuous fabrication with intermittent irradiation and advancing a process of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 22 , where the vertical axis illustrates the movement of the carrier away from the build surface. in this embodiment, the vertical movement or advancing step (which can be achieved by driving either the carrier or the build surface, preferably the carrier), is continuous and unidirectional, and the irradiating step is carried out continuously. polymerization of the article being fabricated occurs from a gradient of polymerization, and hence creation of “layer by layer” fault lines within the article is minimized. an alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 23 . in this embodiment, the advancing step is carried out in a step-by-step manner, with pauses introduced between active advancing of the carrier and build surface away from one another. in addition, the irradiating step is carried out intermittently, in this case during the pauses in the advancing step. we find that, as long as the inhibitor of polymerization is supplied to the dead zone in an amount sufficient to maintain the dead zone and the adjacent gradient of polymerization during the pauses in irradiation and/or advancing, the gradient of polymerization is maintained, and the formation of layers within the article of manufacture is minimized or avoided. stated differently, the polymerization is continuous, even though the irradiating and advancing steps are not. sufficient inhibitor can be supplied by any of a variety of techniques, including but not limited to: utilizing a transparent member that is sufficiently permeable to the inhibitor, enriching the inhibitor (e.g., feeding the inhibitor from an inhibitor-enriched and/or pressurized atmosphere), etc. in general, the more rapid the fabrication of the three-dimensional object (that is, the more rapid the cumulative rate of advancing), the more inhibitor will be required to maintain the dead zone and the adjacent gradient of polymerization. example 11 continuous fabrication with reciprocation during advancing to enhance filling of build region with polymerizable liquid a still further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 24 . as in example 10 above, this embodiment, the advancing step is carried out in a step-by-step manner, with pauses introduced between active advancing of the carrier and build surface away from one another. also as in example 10 above, the irradiating step is carried out intermittently, again during the pauses in the advancing step. in this example, however, the ability to maintain the dead zone and gradient of polymerization during the pauses in advancing and irradiating is taken advantage of by introducing a vertical reciprocation during the pauses in irradiation. we find that vertical reciprocation (driving the carrier and build surface away from and then back towards one another), particularly during pauses in irradiation, can serve to enhance the filling of the build region with the polymerizable liquid, apparently by pulling polymerizable liquid into the build region. this is advantageous when larger areas are irradiated or larger parts are fabricated, and filling the central portion of the build region may be rate-limiting to an otherwise rapid fabrication. reciprocation in the vertical or z axis can be carried out at any suitable speed in both directions (and the speed need not be the same in both directions), although it is preferred that the speed when reciprocating away is insufficient to cause the formation of gas bubbles in the build region. while a single cycle of reciprocation is shown during each pause in irradiation in fig. 24 , it will be appreciated that multiple cycles (which may be the same as or different from one another) may be introduced during each pause. as in example 10 above, as long as the inhibitor of polymerization is supplied to the dead zone in an amount sufficient to maintain the dead zone and the adjacent gradient of polymerization during the reciprocation, the gradient of polymerization is maintained, the formation of layers within the article of manufacture is minimized or avoided, and the polymerization/fabrication remains continuous, even though the irradiating and advancing steps are not. example 12 acceleration during reciprocation upstroke and deceleration during reciprocation downstroke to enhance part quality we observe that there is a limiting speed of upstroke, and corresponding downstroke, which if exceeded causes a deterioration of quality of the part or object being fabricated (possibly due to degradation of soft regions within the gradient of polymerization caused by lateral shear forces a resin flow). to reduce these shear forces and/or enhance the quality of the part being fabricated, we introduce variable rates within the upstroke and downstroke, with gradual acceleration occurring during the upstroke and gradual deceleration occurring during the downstroke, as schematically illustrated in fig. 25 . example 13 dual cure with pegda+egda+polyurethane (hmdi based) 5 g of the following mixture was mixed for 3 minutes in a high-shear mixer. 1 g of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (mn=700 g/mol) containing 12 wt % of diphenyl(2 4 6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (dpo).1 g of diethyleneglycol diacrylate containing 12 wt % dpo1 g of “part a” polyurethane resin (methylene bis(4-cyclohexylisocyanate) based: “clearflex 50” sold by smooth-on® inc.2 g of “part b” polyurethane resin (polyol mixture): “clearflex 50” sold by smooth-on® inc.0.005 g of amorphous carbon black powder after mixing, the resin was 3d formed using an apparatus as described herein. a “honeycomb” object was formed at a speed of 160 mm/hr using a light intensity setting of 1.2 mv (when measured using a volt meter equipped with a optical sensor). total printing time was approximately 10 minutes. after printing, the part was removed from the print stage, rinsed with hexanes, and placed into an oven set at 110° c. for 12 hours. after heating, the part maintained its original shape generated during the initial printing, and it had transformed into a tough, durable, elastomer having an elongation at break around 200%. example 14 dual cure with egda+polyurethane (tdi based) 5 g of the following mixture was mixed for 3 minutes in a high-shear mixer. 1 g of diethyleneglycol diacrylate containing 12 wt % dpo2 g of “part a” polyurethane resin (toluene diisocyanate) based: “vytaflex 30” sold by smooth-on® inc.2 g of “part b” polyurethane resin (polyol mixture): “vytaflex 30” sold by smooth-on® inc. after mixing, the resin was 3d formed using an apparatus as described herein. the cylindrical object was formed at a speed of 50 mm/hr using a light intensity setting of 1.2 mv (when measured using a volt meter equipped with an optical sensor). total printing time was approximately 15 minutes. after printing, the part was removed from the print stage, rinsed with hexanes, and placed into an oven set at 110° c. for 12 hours. after heating, the part maintained its original shape generated during the initial printing, and it had transformed into a tough, durable, elastomer having an elongation at break around 400% example 15 synthesis of a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer for dual cure add 200 g of melted anhydrous 2000 da, polytetramethylene oxide (ptmo2k) into a 500 ml 3-neck flask charged with an overhead stirrer, nitrogen purge and a thermometer. then 44.46 g ipdi is added to the flask and stirred to homogeneous solution with the ptmo for 10 min, followed by addition of 140 ul tin(ii) catalyst stannous octoate. raise the temperature to 70° c., and keep reaction for 3 h. after 3 h, gradually lower the temperature to 40° c., and gradually add 37.5 g tbaema using an additional funnel within 20 min. then set the temperature to 50° c. and add 100 ppm hydroquinone. keep the reaction going on for 14 h. pour out the final liquid as the product. example 16 synthesis of a second reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer for dual cure add 150 g dried 1000 da, polytetramethylene oxide (ptmo1k) into a 500 ml 3-neck flask charged with an overhead stirrer, nitrogen purge and a thermometer. then 50.5 g hdi is added to the flask and stirred to homogeneous solution with the ptmo for 10 min, followed by addition of 100 ul tin(ii) catalyst stannous octoate. raise the temperature to 70° c., and keep reaction for 3 h. after 3 h, gradually lower the temperature to 40° c., and gradually add 56 g tbaema using an additional funnel within 20 min. then set the temperature to 50° c. and add 100 ppm hydroquinone. keep the reaction going on for 14 h. pour out the final liquid as the product. in the above examples, the ptmo can be replaced by polypropylene glycol (ppg, such as 1000 da ppg (ppg1k)) or other polyesters or polybuadiene diols. ipdi or hdi can be replaced by other diisocyanates or branched isocyanates. the molar stoichiometry of the polyol:diisocyanate:tbaema is preferably 1:2:2. preferably use 0.1-0.3 wt % stannous octoate to the weight of the polyol. example 17 printing and thermal curing with a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymers abpu resins can be formed (optionally but preferably by continuous liquid interphase/interface printing) at up to 100 mm/hr using the formulations in table 1 to generate elastomers with low hysteresis after thermally cured at 100° c. for 2 to 6 hours, depending on the diisocyanates used in abpu and the chain extender(s). table 1parts by weightabpu320reactive diluent40-80ethylene glycol8-20h12mda8-20ppo1-4 dog-bone-shaped specimens were formed by continuous liquid interface printing with different abpus (varying the diisocyanate and polyol used for the synthesis) and reactive diluents. table 2 shows the mechanical properties of some of the thermally cured dog-bone samples at room temperature. table 2tensile stress atabpureactivemaximum load% elongationdiisocyanatepolyoldiluent(mpa)at breakipdiptmo2kmethyl25650methacrylateipdippg1kcyclohexane7.5368methacrylatemdiptmo2ktbaema13.4745hdiptmo1ktbaema13490hmdiptmo1ktbaema13.6334 examples 18-61 additional polyurethane dual cure materials, testing and tensile properties the following abbreviations are used in the examples below: “degma” means di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate; “ibma” means isoboronyl methacrylate; “pacm” means 4,4′-diaminodicyclohexyl methane; “bdo” means 1,4-butanediol; “ppo” means phenylbis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide; “mdea” means 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2,6-diethylaniline); “2-ehma” means 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate; and “pegdma” means poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (mw=700 da). example 18 testing of tensile properties in the examples above and below, tensile properties were tested in accordance with astm standard d638-10 , standard test methods for tensile properties of plastics (astm international, 100 barr harbor drive, po box c700, west conshohocken, pa., 19428-2959 usa). briefly, tensile specimens (sometimes referred to as “dog-bone samples” in reference to their shape), were loaded onto an instron 5964 testing apparatus with instron bluehill3 measurement software (instron, 825 university ave, norwood, mass., 02062-2643, usa). the samples are oriented vertically and parallel to the direction of testing. cast and flood cured samples were fully cured using a dnmax 5000 ec-series enclosed uv flood lamp (225 mw/cm 2 ) for from thirty to ninety seconds of exposure. table 3 below summarizes the types of tensile specimens tested, general material property (rigid or non-rigid), and the associated strain rate. table 3dogbonestrain ratetypematerialtype(mm/min)ivrigid5vrigid1ivnon-rigid50vnon-rigid10dogbone type iv is used to test elastomeric samples. the samples were tested at a rate such that the sample ruptures at a time between 30 seconds to 5 minutes to ensure that sample strain rate is slow enough to capture plastic deformation in the samples. measured dogbone samples that do not rupture in the middle rectangular section are excluded. samples that break in the grips or prior to testing are not representative of the anticipated failure modes and are excluded from the data. persuant to astm d-638, measure the young's modulus (modulus of elasticity) (slope of the stress-strain plot between 5-10% elongation), tensile strength at break, tensile strength at yield, percent elongation at break, percent elongation at yield. a strain rate is chosen such that the part with the lowest strain-at-break (%) will fail within 5 minutes. this often means that a slower strain rate will be necessary for rigid samples. example 19 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer components as shown in table 4, except pacm, were added to a container and thoroughly mixed (either by an overhead stirrer or a centrifugation mixer such as thinky™ mixer) to obtain a homogeneous resin. then pacm was added to the resin and mixed for another 2-30 min depending on the volume and viscosity of resin. the resin was formed by clip as described above into d638 type iv dog-bone-shaped specimens followed by thermal curing at 125° c. for 2 h. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 4. table 4parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)697degma82ibma123pacm83ppo5tensile strength (mpa)13.1% elongation at break395 example 20 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 19 but using the formulation in table 5. the cured specimens were tested following astm standard on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 5. table 5parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)721degma84ibma126pacm54ppo5tensile strength (mpa)26.8% elongation at break515 example 21 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 19 but using the formulation in table 6. the cured specimens were tested following astm standard on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 6. table 6parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + hmdi + tbaema)728degma86ibma128pacm53ppo5tensile strength (mpa)23.1% elongation at break456 example 22 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer components as shown in table 7 were added to a container and thoroughly mixed (either by an overhead stirrer or a centrifugation mixer such as thinky™ mixer) to obtain a homogeneous resin. the resin was casted into a square mold (with dimensions of 100×100×4 mm), and uv flood cured for 1 min, followed by thermal curing at 125° c. for 2 h. the obtained elastomer sheet was die-cut into rectangular bars with dimensions of 100×20×4 mm. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 7. table 7parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)6662-ehma131ibma66mdea123ppo10tensile strength (mpa)14.4% elongation at break370 example 23 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 8. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 8. table 8parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)692degma1022-ehma102pegdma14pacm80ppo10tensile strength (mpa)6.42% elongation at break388 example 24 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 9. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 9. table 9parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + ipdi + tbaema)700degma206pegdma10pacm74ppo10tensile strength (mpa)11.26% elongation at break366 example 25 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 10. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 10. table 10parts byweightabpu(ptmolk + mdi + tbaema)6722-ehma248pegdma10pacm60ppo10tensile strength (mpa)24.93% elongation at break320 example 26 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 11. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 11. table 11parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + mdi + tbaema)698degma208pegdma10pacm74ppo10tensile strength (mpa)20.14% elongation at break355 example 27 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 12. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 12. table 12parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + hmdi + tbaema)2000degma4002-ehma200pegdma66pacm145ppo14tensile strength (mpa)16.7% elongation at break476 example 28 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 13. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 13. table 13parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + hmdi + tbaema)2000degma4002-ehma200pacm145ppo14tensile strength (mpa)16.9% elongation at break499 example 29 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 14 by mixing all the components together. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 14. table 14parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + hmdi + tbaema)2000degma4002-ehma200pegdma66bdo62ppo14tensile strength (mpa)2.14% elongation at break188 example 30 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 15. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 15. table 15parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)2000degma4202-ehma180pegdma67pacm149ppo14tensile strength (mpa)8.37% elongation at break386 example 31 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 16. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 16. table 16parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)24002-ehma700pacm179ppo16tensile strength (mpa)17.2% elongation at break557 example 32 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 17. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 17. table 17parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)24002-ehma630pegdma70pacm179ppo16tensile strength (mpa)13.4% elongation at break520 example 33 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 18. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 18. table 18parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)2000degma4002-ehma200pacm149ppo14tensile strength (mpa)13.6% elongation at break529 example 34 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 19. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 19. table 19parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)2000degma5002-ehma500pacm149ppo14tensile strength (mpa)9.32% elongation at break485 example 35 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 20. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 20. table 20parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)2000degma6502-ehma750pacm149ppo14tensile strength (mpa)5.14% elongation at break440 example 36 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 21. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 21. table 21parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)2000degma580pacm246ppo14tensile strength (mpa)6.48% elongation at break399 example 37 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 22. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 22. table 22parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)2000degma580pegdma60pacm246ppo14tensile strength (mpa)6.49% elongation at break353 example 38 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 23. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 23. table 23parts byweightabpu(ptmo1k + hdi + tbaema)2000degma6202-ehma180pacm246ppo14tensile strength (mpa)6.83% elongation at break415 example 39 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 24. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 24. table 24parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + hmdi + tbaema)2000degma4002-ehma200pegdma66pacm145ppo14tensile strength (mpa)15.6% elongation at break523 example 40 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 22 but using the formulation in table 25. the elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 25. table 25parts byweightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + tbaema)2000degma4202-ehma180pegdma67pacm149ppo14tensile strength (mpa)13.2% elongation at break480 example 41 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer components as shown in table 26, except pacm, were added to a container and thoroughly mixed (either by an overhead stirrer or thinky™ mixer) to obtain a homogeneous resin. then pacm was added to the resin and mixed for another 30 min. the resin was cast into dog-bone-shaped specimens by uv flood cure for 60 seconds followed by thermal curing at 125° c. for 4 h. the cured specimens were tested following astm standard on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 26. table 26componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi61.78reactive diluentibma30.89chain extenderpacm6.56initiatorppo0.77tensile strength (mpa)31.7modulus (mpa)680elongation (%)273 example 42 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 27. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 27. table 27componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi53.51reactive diluentibma40.13chain extenderpacm5.69initiatorppo0.67tensile strength (mpa)26.2modulus (mpa)1020elongation (%)176 example 43 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 28. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 28. table 28componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi47.2reactive diluentibma47.2chain extenderpacm5.01initiatorppo0.59tensile strength (mpa)29.5modulus (mpa)1270elongation (%)3.21 example 44 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 29. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 29. table 29componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi42.22reactive diluentibma52.77chain extenderpacm4.49initiatorppo0.53tensile strength (mpa)19.3modulus (mpa)1490elongation (%)1.42 example 45 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 30. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 30. table 30componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi61.13reactive diluentibma30.57chain extenderpacm7.54initiatorppo0.76tensile strength (mpa)19.3modulus (mpa)1490elongation (%)1.42 example 46 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 31. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 31. table 31componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi61.55reactive diluentibma30.78chain extenderpacm6.9initiatorppo0.77tensile strength (mpa)34.1modulus (mpa)713elongation (%)269 example 47 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 32. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 32. table 32componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi61.98reactive diluentibma30.99chain extenderpacm6.25initiatorppo0.77tensile strength (mpa)39.7modulus (mpa)664elongation (%)277 example 48 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 33. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 33. table 33componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi63.75reactive diluentibma31.87chain extenderpacm3.59initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)21.3modulus (mpa)265elongation (%)207 example 49 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 34. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 34. table 34componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi63.75reactive diluentibma31.87chain extenderpacm5.02initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)22.7modulus (mpa)312elongation (%)211 example 50 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 35. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 35. table 35componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi63.75reactive diluentibma31.87chain extenderpacm5.71initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)28.4modulus (mpa)407elongation (%)222 example 51 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 36. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 36. table 36componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi63.03reactive diluentibma31.51chain extenderbamn4.67initiatorppo0.79tensile strength (mpa)25.1modulus (mpa)155elongation (%)297 example 52 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 37. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 37. table 37componentweight %abpuabpu-1k-mdi63.03reactive diluentibma31.35chain extenderbamn5.2initiatorppo0.79tensile strength (mpa)21.7modulus (mpa)214elongation (%)291 example 53 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 38. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 38. table 38componentweight %abpuabpu-650-hmdi52.62reactive diluentibma39.47chain extenderpacm7.26initiatorppo0.66tensile strength (mpa)31.7modulus (mpa)1460elongation (%)3.65 example 54 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 39. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 39. table 39componentweight %abpuabpu-650-hmdi60.6reactive diluentibma30.29chain extenderpacm8.36initiatorppo0.76tensile strength (mpa)29.4modulus (mpa)864elongation (%)191 example 55 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 40. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 40. table 40componentweight %abpuabpu-650-hmdi30.53abpuabpu-1k-mdi30.53reactive diluentibma30.53chain extenderpacm7.63initiatorppo0.76tensile strength (mpa)29.1modulus (mpa)492elongation (%)220 example 56 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 41. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 41. table 41componentweight %abpuabpu-650-hmdi54.6reactive diluentibma27.6crosslinkerdudma9.9chain extenderpacm7.1initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)59.3modulus (mpa)1880elongation (%)91 example 57 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 42. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 42. table 42componentweight %abpuabpu-650-hmdi54.6reactive diluentibma18.8reactive diluentpema18.8chain extenderpacm7.1initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)32.5modulus (mpa)1050elongation (%)178 example 58 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 43. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 43. table 43componentweight %abpuptmo-1k-mdi53.6reactive diluentibma23.1reactive diluentpema7.1crosslinkerdudma9.7chain extenderpacm5.7initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)43.8modulus (mpa)1030elongation (%)135 example 59 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 44. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 44. table 44componentweight %abpuptmo-650-hmdi55.1reactive diluentibma33.1crosslinkerbpadma3.7chain extenderpacm7.2initiatorppo0.9tensile strength (mpa)33modulus (mpa)1390elongation (%)57 example 60 dual-cure material from reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured specimens were prepared in the same manner as in example 41 but using the formulation in table 45. the specimens were tested following astm standard d638-10 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are summarized in table 45. table 45componentweight %abpuptmo-650-hmdi52.6reactive diluentibma14.9reactive diluentpema5.0crosslinkersr23919.9chain extenderpacm6.9initiatorppo0.8tensile strength (mpa)44.5modulus (mpa)1520elongation (%)12.4 example 61 elastomer from a reactive blocked polyurethane prepolymer cured elastomer specimens are prepared in the same manner as in example 20 but using the formulation in table 46 below. the cure specimens give elastomeric properties similar to those disclosed above. table 46parts by weightabpu(ptmo2k + ipdi + nvf)721degma84isobornyl acrylate126pacm54ppo5 example 62 a flexible, “pvc-like” photo-curable polyurethane this example describes dual cure polyurethane resins that produce materials and products having physical properties similar to that of plasticized pvc. the material is made by combining a part a with a part b, photo-curing the mixture to solidify its shape, and then baking it at a certain temperature to access the desired final properties. below is a sample formulation: reactantweight (g)% wt.part aabpu-2522.448.20937%ibma5.612.08355%lma13.4528.94714%tmptma0.270.58260%tpo0.5941.27841%wikoff black0.120.258264%part bpacm4.038.67338% abpu-25: this component is an acrylate blocked polyurethane. it contains a mixture of two oligomers. one is a 650 da diol, poly(tetramethylene oxide) [ptmo-650] capped with methylene bis(4-cyclohexylisocyanate) [hmdi] that has been capped once more with 2-(tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate [tbaema]. the second oligomer is tbaema capped hmdi. the final stoichiometric ratio of tbaema:hmdi:ptmo is 3.4:2.7:1. ibma: isobornyl methacrylate, reactive diluents. lma: lauryl methacrylate, reactive diluents. tmptma: trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, crosslinker. tpo: diphenyl (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide, photo-initiator. wikoff black: dispersion of black pigment. pacm: 4,4′-methylenebiscyclohexylamine, chain extender. part a is synthesized by adding all of the individual components into a container and mixing until homogeneous. it is easiest to make a stock solution using one of the reactive diluents (lma for example) and the photoinitiator, which is a powder. this stock solution can be added to the abpu and the other components and makes it easier to incorporate the photo-initiator. part b can be added directly to part a in a 1:22 ratio by weight. once both parts have been mixed thoroughly in an orbital or overhead mixer the liquid resin can be photo-cured. after photo-curing the solid part may be washed in a solution of isopropyl alcohol or green power chemical rapid rinse to clean the surface of any un-cured material. the part may be dried by patting down with a towel or with the use of compressed air. after drying, the part should be placed onto a non-stick pan and placed into an oven at 120 degrees celsius for up to 4 hours. after baking the part should be placed on a counter-top to cool down. let the part sit out for at least 24 hours before use. example 63 representative polyurethane products produced from dual-cure materials polymerizable materials as described in the examples, or detailed description, above (or variations thereof that will be apparent to those skilled in the art) provide products with a range of different elastic properties. examples of those ranges of properties, from rigid, through semi-rigid (rigid and flexible), to flexible, and to elastomeric. particular types of products that can be made from such materials include but are not limited to those given in table 47 below. the products may contain reacted photoinitiator fragments (remnants of the first cure forming the intermediate product) when produced by some embodiments of methods as described above. it will be appreciated that the properties may be further adjusted by inclusion of additional materials such as fillers and/or dyes, as discussed above. the properties of the product, as characterized by the columns set forth in table 47, can be influenced in a variety of ways. in general, increasing the amount of amount of hard segment in the polymer as compared to soft segment in the polymer will favor the production of more rigid, or rigid and flexible, materials. in one specific example, increasing the amount of tbaema will increase the amount of hard segment, and will favor the production of more rigid, or rigid and flexible, materials. blending the constituents of the polymerizable liquid to generate more phases (e.g., 2 or 3) in the final polymerized product will tend to favor the production of more resilient final products. for example, in some embodiments, a blend that generates 1 phase in the product will favor the production of a rigid, or rigid and flexible, material, while a blend that generates three phases in the material will, in some embodiments, favor the production of a flexible or elastomeric product. washing of the intermediate, and choice of wash liquid, can be used to influence the properties of the product. for example, a wash liquid that solubilizes a chain extender in the intermediate product and extracts chain extender from the intermediate may soften the material, and favor the production of less rigid products. altering the ratio of constituents that participate in the first curing step, as compared to the constituents that participate in the second curing step, may also be used to alter the properties of the resulting product. the inclusion of a filler in the resin, and the choice of filler (e.g., silica, tougheners such as core-shell rubbers, etc.) may be used to change the properties of the final product. table 47polyurethane products by properties and example products 2rigid andflexiblerigid(semi-rigid)flexibleelastomericyoung's800-3500300-250025-2500.5-40modulus(mpa)tensile30-10020-703-200.5-30strength(mpa)% elongation1-10040-300 or 600100-17550-1000at breakphase(s) of1 or 21 or 21, 2, or 32 or 3material 1non-limitingfasteners;structuralautomotivefoot-ware soles,exampleelectronic deviceelements; hingesinterior partsheels, innersolesproductshousings; gears,including living(handles,and midsoles;propellers, andhinges; boat anddashboards,bushings andimpellers; wheels,watercraft hullsetc.); toys;gaskets; cushions;mechanicaland decks; wheels;figurines, etc.electronic devicedevice housings;bottles, jars andhousings, etc.tools, etc.other containers;pipes, liquid tubesand connectors,etc.1 the number of phases in the product material corresponds directly to the number of peaks the material exhibits by dynamic mechanical analysis, such as with a seiko exstar 6000 dynamic mechanical analyzer. where the material is a composite of a matrix polymer and a filler, the number of phases in this row refers to the number of phases of the matrix polymer.2 in the table above, the following general terms and phrases include the following non-limiting specific examples:“fastener” includes, but is not limited to, nuts, bolts, screws, expansion fasteners, clips, buckles, etc,“electronic device housing” includes, but is not limited to, partial and complete cell phone housings, tablet computer housings, personal computer housings, electronic recorder and storage media housings, video monitor housings, keyboard housings, etc.,“mechanical device housing” includes, but is not limited to, partial and complete gear housings, pump housings, motor housings, etc.“structural elements” as used herein includes, but is not limited to, shells, panels, rods, beams (e.g., i-beams, u-beams, w-beams, cylindrical beams, channels, etc), struts, ties, etc., for applications including architectural and building, civil engineering, automotive and other transportation (e.g., automotive body panel, hood, chassis, frame, roof, bumper, etc.), etc.“tools” includes, but is not limited to, impact tools such as hammers, drive tools such as screwdrivers, grasping tools such as pliers, etc., including component parts thereof (e.g., drive heads, jaws, and impact heads).“toys” includes single unitary formed items or component parts thereof, examples of which include but are not limited to model vehicles (including airplanes, rockets, space ships, automobiles, trains), dolls and figurines (including human figurines, animal figurines, robot figurines, fantasy creature figurines, etc.), etc., including composites thereof and component parts thereof. example 64 polyurethane products having multiple structural segments and/or multipletensile properties in examples 18-61 are given materials for the formation of polyurethane products having a variety of different tensile properties, ranging from elastomeric, to semi-rigid, to flexible, as described in example 62 above. because the polyurethane polymer is formed by curing the intermediate product (e.g., by heating or microwave irradiating), the process of fabricating the product may be paused or interrupted one or more times, to change the polymerizable liquid. while a fault line or plane may be formed in the intermediate by the interruption, if the subsequent polymerizable liquid is, in its second cure material, reactive with that of the first, then the two distinct structural segments of the intermediate will cross-react and covalently couple to one another during the second cure (e.g., by heating or microwave irradiation). thus, for example, any of the materials described in examples 19-60 above may be sequentially changed to form a product having multiple distinct structural segments with different tensile properties, while still being a unitary product with the different segments covalently coupled to one another. for example, a hinge can be formed, with the hinge comprising a rigid segment, coupled to a second elastic segment, coupled to a third rigid segment, by sequentially changing polymerizable liquids (e.g., from among those described in examples 19-60 above) during the formation of the three-dimensional intermediate. a shock absorber or vibration dampener can be formed in like manner, with the second segment being either elastic or semi-rigid. a unitary rigid funnel and flexible hose assembly can be formed in like manner. sequential changing of the polymerizable liquid can be carried out with a multi-port, feed-through carrier, system, such as described in pct application publication no. wo 2015/126834, or, where the polymerizable liquid is supplied in a reservoir positioned above the build surface, providing the reservoir and build surface as interchangeable cartridges that can be changed out or swapped during a pause in fabrication. example 65 silicone rubber product phenylbis(2 4 6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (ppo) is dissolved in isobornyl acrylate (iba) with a thinky™ mixer. methacryloxypropyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (dms-r31; gelest inc.) is added to the solution, followed by addition of sylgard part a and part b (corning pdms precursors), and then further mixed with a thinky™ mixer to produce a homogeneous solution. the solution is loaded into an apparatus as described above and a three-dimensional intermediate is produced by ultraviolet curing as described above. the three-dimensional intermediate is then thermally cured at at 100° c. for 12 hours to produce the final silicone rubber product. parts by weight and tensile properties are given in table 48 below. table 48parts by weightdms-r3140iba20sylgard 184part a40sylgard 184 part b4ppo1tensile strength (mpa)1.3% elongation at break130 example 66 epoxy dual cure product 10.018 g epoxacast 690 resin prat a and 3.040 g part b were mixed on a thinky™ mixer. 3.484 g was then mixed with 3.013 g of rkp5-78-1, a 65/22/13 mix of sartomer cn9782/n-vinylpyrrolidone/diethyleneglycol diacrylate to give a clear blend which was cured in a “dog bone” shaped sample mold (for tensile strength testing) for 2 minutes under a dymax ultraviolet lamp to give a very elastic but weak dog bone sample. a second sample, rkp11-10-1 contained 3.517 g of the above epoxy and 3.508 g of rkp5-90-3 and 65/33/2/0.25 blend of sartomer cn2920/n-vinylcaprolactam/n-vinylpyrrolidone/ppo initiator cured similarly to give a very flexible dog bone. a third 1:1 sample made with rkp5-84-8 50/20/30/0.25 cn2920/cn9031/nvf/ppo did not cure completely and was discarded. later, first samples of an epoxy/acrylate dual cure resins were made, as follows: smooth-on epoxacure 690 is an eew 190 epoxy (probably the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a) sold with a diaminopropyleneglycol oligomer curing agent and offering a 5 hr open time/24 hr room temperature cure.this was blended 1:1 with three print formulations. two samples were good homogeneous blends that gave highly elastic, but very weak dog bone samples on standard 2 minute uv cure.subsequent thermal cure of the samples at 84° c. for 5 hrs gave reasonably strong and stiff, but flexible samples, in one case with tenacious adhesion to the polystyrene petri dish on which it was cured. tensiles were in the modest 5-8 mpa range, less than the base acrylate resins. later, rkp1-17-2d a 66/33/1 mix of cn2920/nvc/dpo initiator was blended with epoxacure 690 in a 1:1 ratio and 2:1 ratio the 1:1 epoxy/acrylate dual cure formulation previously prepared failed to print in a clip apparatus as described above, at 100 or 60 mm/hr, but a 1:2 ratio gave a decent argyle pattern at 60 mm/hr. the smooth-on epoxacure 690/cn2920/nvc argyle was post-cured at room temperature to a clear, flexible, if tacky, sample. dog bones were also prepared. examples 67-72 in some embodiments, when abdi is used rather than abpu to make dual-cured parts, especially elastomers, an advantage is obtained in that the uv-cured part can generally have higher stiffness than a corresponding part from the abpu strategy. because of the low molecular weight of abdi, the high cross-linking density ensures a higher tg of the uv-cured part. during the following thermal cure, the isocyanate groups in abdi unblock to react with the added polyol or polyamine, chain extender, and or cross-linker, to form an elastomer. this change in the stiffness of the material allows for the more accurate production of more complicated elastomer geometries, or are difficult to produce through the abpu strategy, as the green samples (intermediate objects) are soft (usually with young's modulus<1 mpa). in a typical formulation using the abdi strategy, the green sample usually have young's modulus>30 mpa. example 67 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate components as shown in table 34, except the amines, were added to a container and thoroughly mixed (either by an overhead stirrer or a centrifugation mixer such as thinky™) to obtain a homogeneous resin. then amines were added to the resin and mixed for another 2-30 min depending on the volume of resin. the resin was printed by clip into d412 type iv dog-bone-shaped specimens followed by thermal curing at 125° c. for 2 h. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 49. table 49parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate4peg600 dimethacrylate0.4jeffamine d20009laromin c2602.14tpo0.5tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure4.62% elongation at break after thermal cure182young's modulus after thermal cure18young's modulus of green sample58 example 68 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate samples were prepared similar to in example 67. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 50. table 50parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate2stearyl methacrylate1.2peg600 dimethacrylate1.2jeffamine thf1006.75jeffamine d4002.52jeffamine t4030.26tpo0.4tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure5.49% elongation at break after thermal cure234young's modulus after thermal cure2.55young's modulus of green sample35 example 69 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate samples were prepared similar to in example 67. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 51. table 51parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate4jeffamine d200012laromin c2601.79tpo0.45tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure3.0% elongation at break after thermal cure210young's modulus after thermal cure8.3young's modulus of green sample46 example 70 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate samples were prepared similar to in example 67. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 52. table 52parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate2stearyl methacrylate1.2jeffamine thf10011.4laromin c2600.5tpo0.45tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure1.53% elongation at break after thermal cure786young's modulus after thermal cure1.79young's modulus of green sample32 example 71 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate samples were prepared similar to in example 67. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 53. table 53parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate2stearyl methacrylate1.2peg600 dimethacrylate1.2jeffamine thf10011.4jeffamine d4000.78jeffamine t4030.08tpo0.45tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure3.39% elongation at break after thermal cure401young's modulus after thermal cure1.58young's modulus of green sample33 example 72 elastomer from a reactive blocked isocyanate samples were prepared similar to in example 67. the cured elastomer specimens were tested following astm standard d412 on an instron apparatus for mechanical properties as described above, which properties are also summarized in table 54. table 54parts by weightabdi(tbaema-ipdi-tbaema)8lauryl methacrylate2stearyl methacrylate1.2peg600 dimethacrylate1.2jeffamine d4005.04jeffamine t4030.52tpo0.27tensile strength (mpa) after thermal cure6.98% elongation at break after thermal cure106young's modulus after thermal cure34.4young's modulus of green sample62 example 73 pseudoplastic precursor resin system a pair of precursor resins was prepared. when mixed together, the precursor resins form a single “dual cure” resin useful for additive manufacturing. each precursor resin contained the following ingredients: precursor resin i: 51.4% neopentyl glycol dimethacrylate (sr248): 51.4%3,3′ diamino diphenyl sulfone (dds, sum particles): 25.6%bisphenol a diglycidyl dimethacrylate (pro13515): 21.3%diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (tpo) photoinitiator: 1.7% precursor resin ii: bisphenol f epoxy with rubber modifiers, mx136: 80.1%acrylated bisphenol a epoxy, cn153: 19.7%sun chemical black pigment: 0.2% all of the light-curable “part a” components of the dual cure resin are in precursor resin i. in addition, precursor resin i contained dds, which, when mixed with the epoxies in precursor resin ii, form a second, heat-curable, “part b” component of the dual cure resin. in precursor resin i, the reactive dds was in particulate form. however, the dds also imparted pseudoplastic properties to precursor resin i, advantageously enhancing the storage stability thereof. the pair of precursor resins are stored in separate containers, which separate containers may be connected to one another, or further contained in a common package. advantageous are dual chamber dispensers, such as those described in u.s. pat. nos. 3,311,265; 5,335,827; and 6,458,095. the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention, and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. the invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.
070-006-080-054-320	US	[ "US" ]	G06F9/45,G06F9/44,G06F11/36,G06F8/30,G06F8/41,G06F8/71	2011-06-20T00:00:00	2011	[ "G06" ]	systems and methods for incremental software development	methods and systems for facilitating incremental software development are disclosed. for example, a method can include receiving a plurality of binary software libraries sufficient for building a software project. a request from a user to modify source code for at least one of the plurality of binary libraries is received, in response to receiving the request, the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries is retrieved. the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries is presented to the user. modified source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries is received. the modified source code is compiled to produce compiled modified code. a revised version of the software project is built using the compiled modified code and the plurality of binary libraries.	1 . a method, comprising: receiving a plurality of binary libraries sufficient for building a software project; receiving a request from a user to modify source code for at least one of the plurality of binary libraries; in response to receiving the request, retrieving the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries; presenting the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries to the user; receiving modified source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries; compiling the modified source code to produce compiled modified code; and building a revised version of the software project using the compiled modified code and the plurality of binary libraries. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: notifying the user if the modified source code necessitates a modification to any of those of the plurality of binary libraries not including the least one of the plurality of binary libraries. 3 . the method of claim 2 , the notifying of the user occurring while the user is modifying the source code. 4 . the method of claim 2 , the notifying of the user occurring after the user saves the modified source code. 5 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: retrieving dependency information identifying the plurality of binary libraries from among a second plurality of binary libraries comprising the plurality of binary libraries; the receiving of the plurality of libraries comprising identifying the plurality of libraries based on the dependency information. 6 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a request to retrieve binary libraries associated with a code version identifier; the receiving of the plurality of binary libraries comprising identifying the plurality of binary libraries based on the code version identifier. 7 . the method of claim i, further comprising: testing the revised version of the software project; if the testing identifies a. failure, informing the user of the failure; and if the testing does not identify a failure, identifying the binary libraries and the compiled modified code with a code version identifier associated with the revised version of the software project. 8 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising: if the testing does not identify a failure, producing at least one revised binary library for the revised version of the software project; storing the at least one revised binary library in a repository; and associating the at least one revised binary library with the code version identifier. 9 . a system comprising at least one processor and a plurality of modules providing instructions to be executed by the at least one processor, the modules comprising: a repository to provide access to a plurality of binary libraries sufficient for building a software project; a source control system to provide access to source code for the plurality of binary libraries; and a development environment to retrieve the plurality of binary libraries from the repository, to receive a request from a user to modify source code for at least one of the plurality of binary libraries, to retrieve the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries from the source control system in response to the request, to present the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries to the user, to modify the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries in response to instructions from the user, to compile the modified source code to produce compiled modified code; and to build a revised version of the software project using the compiled modified code and the plurality of binary libraries. 10 . the system of claim 9 , the development environment to notify the user if the modified source code necessitates a modification to any of those of the plurality of binary libraries not including the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries. 11 . the system of claim 9 : the repository to provide access to other binary libraries in addition to the plurality of binary libraries; and the development environment to generate dependency information identifying the plurality of binary libraries, and to retrieve the plurality of binary libraries based on the dependency information. 12 . the system of claim 9 , the development environment to receive a request to retrieve binary libraries associated with a code version identifier, and to retrieve the plurality of binary libraries by identifying the plurality of binary libraries via the repository based on the code version identifier. 13 . the system of claim 9 , the modules further comprising: a validation environment to test the revised version of the software project, to inform the user if the testing identifies a failure, and to identify the binary libraries and the compiled modified code with a code version identifier associated with the revised version of the software project if the testing does not identify a failure. 14 . the system of claim 13 , the development environment to produce at least one revised binary library for the revised version of the software project if the testing does not identify a failure, to store the at least one revised binary library via the repository, and to associate the at least one revised binary library with the code version identifier. 15 . the system of claim 14 , the development environment to store the at least one revised binary library via the repository by associating each of the at least one revised binary libraries with each software project in which the associated at least one revised binary library is employed. 16 . a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive a plurality of binary libraries sufficient for building a software project; receive a request from a user to modify source code for at least one of the plurality of binary libraries; in response to receiving the request, retrieve the source code for the at east one of the plurality of binary libraries; present the source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries to the user; receive modified source code for the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries; compile the modified source code to produce compiled modified code; and build a revised version of the software project using the compiled modified code and the plurality of binary libraries. 17 . the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to notify the user if the modified source code necessitates a modification to any of those of the plurality of binary libraries not including the at least one of the plurality of binary libraries. 18 . the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to receive a request to retrieve binary libraries associated with a code version identifier, and to retrieve the plurality of binary libraries by identifying the plurality of binary libraries from a repository based on the code version identifier. 19 . the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to: test the revised version of the software project; if the testing identifies a failure, inform the user of the failure; and if the testing does not identify a failure, identify the binary libraries and the compiled modified code with a code version identifier associated with the revised version of the software project. 20 . the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to: if the testing does not identify a failure, produce at least one revised binary library for the revised version of the software project; store the at least one revised binary library in a repository; and associate the at least one revised binary library with the code version identifier.	a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. the following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings that form a part of this document: copyright 2011, ebay inc. all rights reserved. technical field this application relates generally to software development and, more specifically, to systems and methods for the incremental development of large-scale software projects. background as both the speed and functionality of computer systems increase, along with the size and capacity of their corresponding program and data storage devices, the size and complexity of software applications or projects executing on such systems continue to follow a similar trend. to develop atypical large-scale application, such as an online commercial service website, a large team of software developers working in parallel to generate the application is often employed, along with a testing group to ensure that the resulting software performs according to a predefined set of functionality, reliability, and performance specifications. to allow the software developers to generate their specific portions of the project concurrently, each member of the development team often possesses access to an integrated development environment (ide) to facilitate the development and testing tasks. in some implementations, an ide is an integrated set of software tools often including a source code editor to allow a developer to write and edit one or more source code “modules” or files in a programming language of choice, a compiler to transform the written source code into machine-level instructions understandable by the computing processor or platform on which the application is to be executed, and a tinker to link the various compiled modules together so that the resulting application may be executed on the chosen platform. in some cases, the ide may also include build automation tools that allow the development team to automate the compilation, linking, and other tasks normally associated with generating the resulting executable binary image. the ide may also include a debugger to aid the developer in ascertaining the cause of problems or errors associated with execution of the application. even with the functionality normally provided by an ide, the initial generation of source files, along with a workable compilation and linking environment, is typically difficult and time-consuming, even if the development project is based on a preexisting application. further, even once the initial set of modules is generated and verified, incremental changes to the existing modules, and the addition of new modules, by a developer may often introduce problems or faults to the overall application that impede the progress of other developers. brief description of the drawings some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example software development system; fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for software development using the system of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another example software development system; fig. 4a is an annotated block diagram of an example software development system illustrating a first portion of an example method for software development; fig. 4b is a flow diagram illustrating the first portion of the example method depicted in fig. 4a ; fig. 5a is an annotated block diagram of the system of fig. 4a illustrating a second portion of the example method for software development; fig. 5b is a flow diagram illustrating the second portion of the example method depicted in fig. 5a ; fig. 6 is a graphical representation of the libraries in the binary repository after execution of the example method for software development depicted in figs. 4a , 4 b, 5 a, and 5 b; and fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example form of a computer system within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. detailed description example methods and systems for incremental software development are discussed. the systems and methods for developing software, in some example embodiments, may involve use of a development environment in conjunction with one or more additional systems. in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. it will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. it will also be evident that the types of software development described herein are not limited to the examples provided and may include other scenarios not specifically discussed. example software development system and method in accordance with an example embodiment, fig. 1 illustrates a software development system 100 including a development environment 102 , a binary repository 104 , and a source control system 106 . fig. 1 is annotated with references to at least some of the operations discussed below in conjunction with fig. 2 . in one example, the development environment 102 allows a user, such as a software developer, to write and modify source code 116 , such as software written in a particular programming language (for example, c, c++, c#, java, and the like). the source control system 106 stores source code 116 for one or more software applications or projects, while the binary repository 104 stores one or more binary libraries 114 for the applications. each library 114 is a compiled binary representation of some portion of the source code 116 , wherein each library 114 may be linked with other libraries 114 and/or other binary code to form an executable software image that may be loaded onto a computer or other processing system for execution. fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 200 for software development in reference to the software development system 100 of fig. 1 . however, other software development systems utilizing different components or systems may employ the method depicted in fig. 2 in other examples. in the method 200 , a plurality of binary libraries sufficient for building a software project is received by the development environment 102 from the binary repository 104 (operation 202 ). a request is received from a user to modify source code 116 for at least one of the plurality of binary libraries 114 (operation 204 ). as shown in fig. 1 , the user request results in a request for the source code 116 that may be forwarded as a source code request 204 a from the development environment 102 to the source control system 106 . in response to the user request of operation 204 , the source code 116 for the at least one of the plurality of libraries 114 is retrieved from the source control system 106 into the development environment 102 (operation 206 ). the retrieved source code 116 may take the form of one or more source files that may be edited by the user. the development environment 102 may present the received source code 116 to the user (operation 208 ), who may then modify the received source code 116 , such as by way of the development environment 102 . upon receiving the modified source code (operation 210 ), the development environment 102 (or another system not specifically shown in fig. 1 ) may compile the modified source code to produce compiled modified code (operation 212 ) and build a revised version of the software project using the compiled modified code and the plurality of libraries 114 (operation 214 ). in another example, the method 200 may be encoded as instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as, for example, an integrated circuit, magnetic disk, or optical disk, which are readable and executable by one or more computers or other processing systems. in employing the method 200 , access to source code 116 at the development environment 102 may be limited to those portions of source code 116 that a developer is interested in the updated version of an application or project may then be built by compiling the modified source code and linking the resulting compiled code with previously-generated binary libraries 114 . as the binary libraries 114 are more compact than their associated source code, the storage and communication bandwidth requirements of the development environment 102 are reduced when compared to development systems in which the project is built using all of the original source code. other example software development systems and methods are described below, other example software development systems and methods fig. 3 depicts a software development system 300 , including a development environment 302 , a dependency metadata system 308 , a binary repository 304 , a source control system 306 , and a validation environment 310 . each of the components 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 310 of the software development system 300 may reside on separate computer systems, incorporated into a single computer system, or apportioned among a plurality of computer systems in some other manner, in other systems, one or more of the components 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 310 may be omitted. in one embodiment, the development environment 302 facilitates the writing and modification of source code, such as one or more source files or modules written in a particular programming language, such as, for example, c, c+c#, or java, by way of a source code editor. the writing or modification may be based on instructions received from a user 320 , such as a software developer. the source code may then be compiled to generate one or more binary files that may be linked or combined with other binary files to produce or build a desired application or program. in one example, the development environment 302 may be an integrated development system (ide) that incorporates a number of other tools for the benefit of the user. these tools may include, but are not limited to, a source code compiler, a linker, a debugger, and one or more build automation took communicatively coupled with the development environment 302 is a dependency metadata system 308 configured to maintain dependency metadata 318 , or to at least provide access thereto. 111 one embodiment, the dependency metadata 318 includes information that determines which code elements, such as source files and binary libraries, are to be included for a particular project or application, which source files are to be compiled before linking, and the like. in another example, the dependent metadata 318 may also include information regarding which versions of each library or source file should be included in a build to form a particular version of the application. such version information may be associated with a particular “checkpoint” identifying the code or application version. in one example, the checkpoint is associated with a particular feature, functionality, or performance level (such as, for example, a version that is known to have passed a number of verification tests) associated with the resulting application version. in one embodiment, the dependency metadata 318 may include information useful for “pre-build” activities (such as, for example, checking for the presence of all libraries and source files to be included for the build, verifying the correct versions of such files, converting source files from one language to another before compilation, and checking for a sufficient amount of data storage space in which to perform the build), and “post-build” activities (for example, checking of the resulting application to ensure that the correct version was built, and running of one or more verification tests on the application). in another example, the dependency metadata 318 may be incorporated within the development environment 302 or one of the other components 304 , 306 , 310 of the software development system 300 . also communicatively coupled with the development environment 302 may be a binary repository 304 , which maintains, or provides access to, multiple binary libraries 314 . in one example, each of the libraries 314 includes machine-language binary code generated from the compilation of one or more source files or modules. examples of a library 314 may include, but are not limited to, a static library, a dynamically-linked library (dll), and a bytecode file for a java virtual machine (jvm). the binary repository 304 may also include multiple versions of the same library 314 that are intended to be used for different projects, or for different versions or checkpoints of the same project. as is described in greater detail below, the libraries 314 of the repository 304 may be organized in a hierarchy so that a library 314 may be associated with more than one application or project. another system coupled with the development environment 302 may be a source control system 306 containing or providing access to source code 316 . generally, the source control system 306 tracks and controls changes to the source code 316 made by multiple users 320 . in some embodiments, the source control system 306 may be referred to as aversion control system (vcs) or a revision control system (rcs). the source code 316 may be embodied as multiple source files or modules that may be modified or revised by the user 320 locally in the development environment 302 . in one example, the source code 316 may be stored in the source control system 306 , and/or transmitted to the development environment 302 , as one or more compressed files, such as zip files. to gain access to the source code 316 of interest, the user 320 may “check out” one or more source files for retrieval and modification in the development environment 302 . in one example, while the source files are checked out, the user 320 that checked out the source files is the only user that may modify those files to prevent parallel changes being made to the same source code file. after the desired modifications are made, the user 320 may then “check in” the modified source code to allow other users to access the modified source code. in one example, the source control system 306 maintains older versions of each source file so that the user 320 may return to an older version of one or more of the source files to eliminate errors introduced into the application by a more recent modification to the source code 316 . also included in the software development system 300 of fig. 3 is a validation environment 310 that may perform any number of tests on an application to validate various aspects of the application. such tests may include, in one embodiment, unit tests (to test a particular portion or unit of the application), compatibility tests (to verify the compatibility of the application with some predefined standard), performance tests (to measure execution speed, response time, latency, and the like, for example), and/or regression tests (to test the functionality or performance of the application that was verified in a previous version of the application). such testing may be performed in response to modified source code 116 being checked into the source control system 306 , according to some predetermined schedule, or in response to some other input or stimulus, such as from the user 320 . as described more fully below, the validation environment 310 may perform or initiate other functions, such as test result notification and library 314 generation, depending on the results of one or more of the tests being performed in the validation environment 310 . as the validation environment 310 is separate from the development environment 302 , the validation of one or more code versions may proceed in parallel with source code development occurring in the development environment 302 . a block diagram of an example software development system 400 , including one or more development environments 402 , a dependency metadata system 408 , a binary repository 404 , and a source control system 406 , is presented in fig. 4a . a validation environment 410 is also included in the system 400 (as shown in fig. 5a ), but is not explicitly depicted in fig. 4a to simplify the following discussion. each of the components 402 , 404 , 406 , 408 , 410 of the software development system 400 may provide functionality similar to their counterpart components 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 310 of the software development system 300 described above in conjunction with fig, 3 . in one example, each developer for one or more software projects may be associated with a separate development environment 402 to allow each of the developers to work concurrently. fig. 4b illustrates a first portion 450 of a method of facilitating incremental software development using the software development system 400 of fig. 4a . in such an environment, small incremental changes in the source code 416 of an application are the typical process by which the application is developed. in one example, the initial code for a particular project is provided solely by a set of binary libraries 414 residing in the binary repository 404 for a previous project. in other examples, during subsequent phases of the development of the project, the compiled code modules are reincorporated into one or more libraries 414 from time to time and stored in the binary repository 404 , thus reducing the amount of source code 416 that is accessed and downloaded to the development environment 402 . in the first portion 450 of the method of fig. 4b , the development environment 402 requests dependency metadata 418 for a particular project from the dependency metadata system 408 (operation 452 ). in the example presented in fig. 4a , the desired project is labeled “project x”. in response to the request, the dependency metadata system 408 returns the metadata 418 associated with project x (operation 454 ). according to the dependency metadata 418 associated with that project, binary libraries a, b, and c are sufficient to build the project. as a result, in one example, the dependency metadata 418 aids in identifying only those libraries 414 of the repository 404 that are needed for the project x build, thus preventing the development environment from also downloading additional libraries 414 that are unnecessary for the project of interest. in one example, the dependency metadata 418 is also associated with a previously set checkpoint, labeled cpi. in this case, the checkpoint cp 1 may indicate that the version of the libraries a, b, and c associated with the checkpoint cp 1 represent a functionally stable revision of the project available to various developers working on the project. as shown in fig. 4a , the checkpoint cp 1 and the libraries a, b, c associated with the checkpoint cp 1 are marked with horizontal line segments to distinguish that version of the libraries a, b, c with libraries associated with other checkpoints. as described above, the dependency metadata 418 may include other data for pre-build activities, post-build activities, and other activities or purposes. after the development environment 402 receives the dependency metadata for project x (operation 454 ), the development environment 402 requests the libraries 414 referenced in the dependency metadata 418 from the binary repository 404 (operation 456 ). the request may include the identity of the desired libraries 414 , including aversion number or other identifier to distinguish between different versions of the same library 414 . as depicted in fig, 4 a, the binary repository 404 includes the desired libraries 414 for project x, as well as additional libraries d, e, f for one or more other projects. as shown, the additional libraries d, e, f are associated with a different checkpoint by way of the diagonal line segments marking those libraries d, e, f. to aid in verifying that the correct versions of the desired libraries a, b, c are indeed the ones being retrieved from the repository 404 , the dependency metadata 418 may include some unique identifier for each library 414 that is based on the actual content of the library 414 . in one example, a hash value computed from the content of the library 414 , such as, for example, md5 (message-digest algorithm 5), may be included in the dependency metadata 418 and compared with a hash value either stored in the binary repository 404 , or computed by either the repository 404 or the development environment 402 , to verify the identity of the library 414 . other embodiments may employ any of a wide variety of hash values or other unique identifiers generated from the content of the libraries 414 . after the libraries a, b, c associated with the first checkpoint cp 1 for project x are downloaded into the development environment 402 (operation 458 ) in response to the request for the libraries a, b, c, the project may be built and executed on the development environment 402 in one example. typically, the user of the development environment 402 may desire to alter the source code 416 associated with one or more of the libraries a, b, c to improve or alter the operation of the project in some way. in the specific example of fig. 4a , the user indicates via the development environment 402 that modification of a couple of source components a 1 , a 2 associated with the library a is desired. in one example, the components a 1 , a 2 are separate source files that have been compiled and combined to form at least a portion of the library a. in response to the user request, the development environment 402 issues a request to the source control system 406 for the source components a 1 , a 2 associated with the library a (operation 460 ). in response to receiving the request from the development environment 402 , the source control system 406 returns the requested source code 416 (operation 462 ), which in this case is contained in two files: a 1 .src and a 2 .src. in one example, the source control system 406 maintains older versions of each source file. as a result, the request for the source code 416 from the development environment 402 may include some indication as to the version of the source files to be retrieved, such as the checkpoint identifier cpi for the current project revision. after the desired source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src are received at the development environment 402 , the developer accessing the development environment 402 may modify the source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src (operation 464 ), possibly via a source code editor providing a graphical user interface (gui) to facilitate the modifications. in an embodiment, the development environment 402 may monitor the changes made to the source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src to determine if any incompatibilities exist between the modifications and the libraries a, b, c to which the compiled versions of the source files a 1 .src, a. 2 .src are to be linked. for example, the developer may modify a 1 .src to change the number of input parameters received by a particular procedure or method defined therein. as a result, any calls to that procedure from any of the libraries a, b, c associated with the current project will need to be modified as well, or else compilation and/or linking errors will result during a subsequent project build. to that end, the development environment 402 may inform the developer of any interface incompatibilities or other potential compilation or linking problems caused by the source code modifications, as well as identify the particular libraries a, b, c and/or corresponding source code involved. further, the development environment 402 may retrieve the impacted source code 416 from the source control system 406 in response to the modifications, or in response to approval of the developer. in one implementation, the development environment 402 notifies the developer of the incompatibilities as soon as the developer has made the corresponding modifications to the source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src. in another example, the development environment 402 notifies the developer of the incompatibilities once the modifications to the source files a. 1 .src, a 2 .src have been completed or saved. the developer may also initiate a build of the project using the modified source tiles a 1 .src, a 2 .src, as welt as perform any number of tests, in the development environment 402 . to this end, the development environment 402 may use the dependency metadata 418 for the current project that was retrieved earlier from the dependency metadata system 408 , possibly including the current checkpoint cp 1 . in one embodiment, when performing a build, the development environment 402 is structured such that the modified source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src are compiled to generate their associated binary components before the earlier versions of those components residing in the previously downloaded library a are linked as part of the build, thus ensuring that the newer modified components are employed. figs. 5a and 5b depict the software development system 400 as a result of execution of a second portion 500 of the method for facilitating incremental software development. after the developer has modified the source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src in the development environment 402 (operation 464 of fig. 4b ), the developer may check-in the modified source files (labeled a 1 .src (mod) and a 2 .src (mod) in fig. 5a ) into the source control system 406 (operation 502 ). the same modified source files may also be forwarded by either the development environment 402 or the source control system 406 to the validation environment 410 (operation 504 ). the validation environment 410 may then build the project by compiling the modified source files a 1 .src (mod), a 2 .src (mod) and linking them with the binary libraries b, c associated with the checkpoint cp 1 (operation 508 ). in one example, the validation environment 410 accesses the dependency metadata 418 associated with the current project to perform the build and other associated activities. in one embodiment, the validation environment 410 may perform a build for each of multiple projects if the modified source code a 1 .src (mod), a 2 .src (mod) affects multiple projects, as indicated by the dependency metadata 418 . if the build is not successful, the validation environment 410 may inform the developer via the development environment 402 of the problem so that the developer may further modify the source code 416 to remedy the discovered problems. instead, presuming that each project build in the validation environment 410 was successful, the validation environment 410 may then conduct one or more tests on the resulting projects (operation 510 ), possibly including, but not limited to, unit tests, compatibility tests, performance tests, and regression tests, as diseased above. if any of the tests (or at least some of the more important tests) are unsuccessful (operation 512 ), the validation environment 410 may inform the user via the development environment 402 of the errors or faults encountered during its testing of the revised projects (operation 514 ). the user may then modify the source files a 1 .src, a 2 .src further in an attempt to eliminate the errors. if instead, the tests executed in the validation environment 410 , or some minimum set of the tests, were successful, the validation environment 410 may generate one or more new libraries (and possibly associated dependency metadata 418 ) (operation 516 ), and associate the new libraries with a new checkpoint. in the example of fig. 5a , the validation environment 410 may combine the compiled code derived from the modified source files a 1 .src (mod), a 2 .src (mod) with the remaining binary code in the associated library a to generate a new version of the library a (labeled library a′ in fig. sa) associated with a new checkpoint cp 2 . the validation environment 410 may then publish the new library a′ (designated in fig. sa by way of vertical line segments associated with the new checkpoint cp 2 ) to the binary repository 404 (operation 518 ). also, the validation environment 410 may also publish new dependency metadata 418 and the new checkpoint cp 2 to the dependency metadata system 408 . in one example, the validation environment 410 may also inform the developer via the development environment 402 that the tests were successful, and that the new checkpoint cp 2 was generated. fig. 6 illustrates an organization of he libraries 414 in the binary repository 404 according to one example, in reference to the example of figs. 5a and 5b , the validation environment 410 has published the new library a′ associated with the new checkpoint cp 2 to the repository 404 , with the new library a′ residing in the repository 404 with the previous version of the library a corresponding to the (previous checkpoint cp 1 . thus, depending upon which checkpoint is being requested, the development environment 402 may download the older library a (if checkpoint cp 1 is desired), or the most recent library a′ (if the new checkpoint cp 2 is being requested). since multiple projects or applications may be serviced via the same binary repository 404 , at least some of the libraries 414 of the repository 404 may be employed in more than one project. as depicted in fig. 6 , a hierarchical structure may be employed in the repository 404 such that a single library 414 may be associated with multiple projects, such as the library c being associated with both project x and project y. also indicated in fig. 6 is that the library c may be associated with multiple checkpoints cp 1 and cp 2 (for project x) and checkpoint cp 3 (for project y). similarly, library b is associated with both the first checkpoint cp 1 and the new checkpoint cp 2 . fig. 6 also depicts the two separate versions of the library a: the original library a associated with the previous checkpoint cp 1 , and the newer library a′ corresponding to the new checkpoint cp 2 , so that the code associated with either checkpoint cp 1 , cp 2 for project x may be downloaded to the development environment 402 upon request of the developer. in some embodiments, the hierarchical organization of the binary repository 404 may be determined by way of directories, “folders,” or other file organization structures. at this point in the example, all of the code associated with the new checkpoint cp 2 is incorporated into the libraries a′, b, c corresponding to project x, without the need for access to the source code 416 from the source control system 406 , as was the case with the previous checkpoint cp 1 . as a result, in order to allow a developer to work with the code associated with the new checkpoint cp 2 , the development environment 402 may retrieve the new library a′ (possibly in addition to libraries b, c, if not already downloaded to the development environment 402 ) based on the new checkpoint cp 2 , without the need for access to the source code 416 of the source control system 406 at that point. if the developer then desires to modify any of the libraries a′, b, c associated with project x, the development environment 402 may retrieve only the specific source code 416 from the source control system 406 associated with the library 414 to be modified to start the modification/build/validation process over again. in some examples, instead of modifying preexisting source code 416 , the developer may write new source code modules to be integrated within the current project. in this case, the development environment 402 , under the direction of the developer, may update the dependency metadata 418 associated with the project to include the necessary references to the new source code 416 . once the developer completes the new source code 416 using the development environment 402 , the new source code 416 may be forwarded to the validation environment 410 , which may build and test the resulting project in a fashion similar to that described above. presuming the tests complete successfully, the validation environment 410 may then incorporate the binary code associated with the new source code 416 into a preexisting or new library, and publish the library, along with a new checkpoint, to the binary repository 404 and the dependency metadata system 408 . as a result of at least some of the embodiments discussed herein, the amount of source code 416 that is retrieved from the source control system 406 and maintained in the development environment 402 is held at a reduced level throughout the development cycle of the project, and is frequently reduced to zero each time a new checkpoint is generated and published. additionally, as the libraries 414 are more compact and space-efficient than their corresponding source code 416 , the amount of data storage space included in each development environment 402 may be reduced compared to systems in which most or all of the source code 416 is stored in the development environment 402 . further, if a new project is generated from a checkpoint associated with a previous project, the new project may be initiated with none of the source code 416 of the previous project being downloaded to the development environment 402 at that time. as with ongoing projects, any changes made to the new project would only involve access to those source files that include any incremental changes desired by the developer at that point. initiating a new project by leveraging the binary libraries 414 from a previous project thus accelerates the initial development of the new project, which can be one of the more difficult and time-consuming phases for any development. team. in some examples, each development checkpoint identifies its affiliated code version as being validated or verified for a particular feature, functionality, or level of performance, as determined by the validation environment, thus distinguishing that code version from other versions associated with other source code check-ins that were not validated successfully. thus, each developer may use any of the checkpoints as a safe basis upon which to further modify and develop the application. oppositely, the use by a developer of a code version that has not been validated, and thus not associated with a recent checkpoint, may cause any of a number of problems for the developer, such as compilation or linking errors, functionality problems, and reliability or performance issues. modules, components, and logic certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. modules may constitute either software modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a transmission signal) or hardware modules. a hardware module is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. in example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware module that operates to perform certain operations as described herein. in various embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically or electronically. for example, a hardware module may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gate array (fpga) or an application-specific integrated circuit (asic)) to perform certain operations. a hardware module may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. it will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations. accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or to perform certain operations described herein, considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. for example, where the hardware modules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective different hardware modules at different times. software may accordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time. hardware modules can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware modules. accordingly, the described hardware modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. where multiple such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connect the hardware modules. in embodiments in which multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. for example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. a further hardware module may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. hardware modules may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information). the various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions, the modules referred to herein may, in some example embodiments, comprise processor-implemented modules. similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented. for example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or processors or processor-implemented modules. the performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. in some example embodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across a number of locations. the one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (saas). for example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., apis). electronic apparatus and system example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, or software, or in combinations thereof. example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product (e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier in a machine-readable medium) for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers). a computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. a computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communications network. in example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. method operations can also be performed by, and apparatus of example embodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry (e.g., a field programmable gate array (fpga) or an application-specific integrated circuit (asic)). the computing system can include clients and servers. a client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on their respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. in embodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will be appreciated that both hardware and software architectures may be considered. specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice of whether to implement certain functionality in permanently configured hardware (e.g., an asic), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., a combination of software and a programmable processor), or a combination of permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a design choice. below are set forth hardware (e.g., machine) and software architectures that may be deployed in various example embodiments. example machine architecture and machine-readable medium fig. 7 is a block diagram of a machine in the example form of a computer system 700 within which instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. in alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. in a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. the machine may be a personal computer (pc), a tablet pc, a set-top box (stb), a personal digital assistant (pda), cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. the example computer system 700 includes a. processor 702 (e.g., a central processing unit (cpu), a graphics processing unit (gpu), or both), a main memory 704 , and a. static memory 706 , which communicate with each other via a bus 708 . the computer system 700 may further include a video display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (lcd) or a cathode ray tube (crt)). the computer system 700 also includes an alphanumeric input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (ui) navigation device 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716 , a signal generation device 718 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 720 . machine-readable medium the disk drive unit 716 includes a machine-readable medium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures and instructions 724 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. the instructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704 and/or within the processor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700 , the main memory 704 and the processor 702 also constituting machine-readable media. while the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more instructions 724 or data structures. the term “non-transitory machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present subject matter, or that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such instructions. the term “non-transitory machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. specific examples of non-transitory machine-readable media include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory, including by way of example, semiconductor memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (eeprom), and flash memory devices), magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and cd-rom and dvd-rom disks. transmission medium the instructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a computer network 750 using a transmission medium. the instructions 724 may be transmitted using the network interface device 720 and any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., http). examples of communication networks include a local area network (lan), a wide area network (wan), the internet, mobile telephone networks, plain old telephone service (pots) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., wifi and wimax networks). the term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. conclusion thus, a method and system to facilitate incremental software development have been described. although the present subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the subject matter. for example, while the majority of the discussion above notes the use of the embodiments with respect to general-purpose computer systems and applications, other software- or firmware-based systems, such as electronic products and systems employing embedded firmware, may also be developed in a similar manner to that discussed herein. accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter my be practiced. the embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. this detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. this disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. all publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. in the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls. in this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” in this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “a or b” includes “a but not b,” “b but not a,” and “a and b,” unless otherwise indicated. in the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-english equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended; that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. the abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with 37 c.f.r. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. the abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. in addition, in the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
070-516-963-733-829	US	[ "US" ]	F16N7/32,G01N9/32,G01N33/28	1998-06-22T00:00:00	1998	[ "F16", "G01" ]	oil mist gauge	an oil mist density gauge for determining the density of oil mist flowing through an oil mist lubrication system. the oil mist density gauge comprises: a gauge body having an oil mist inlet for connecting the density gauge to the oil mist lubrication system and an air outlet for venting air therefrom; a filter device carried by the gauge body and by which oil mist flowing therethrough is separated into oil and oil-free air; and a collection reservoir attached to the gauge body for collecting and measuring oil separated from the oil mist. an eductor device may be provided in the gauge body for drawing oil mist from the oil mist inlet and for introducing air and entrained oil mist into the filter device under a positive pressure.	1. an oil mist density gauge for determining the density of oil mist flowing through an oil mist lubrication system, said oil mist density gauge comprising: a gauge body having an oil mist inlet for connecting said density gauge to said oil mist lubrication system and an air outlet for venting air therefrom; oil and air filtering means carried by said gauge body and by which oil mist flowing therethrough is separated into oil and oil-free air; and oil collection means attached to said gauge body for collecting and measuring oil separated from said oil mist; said oil mist density gauge being further characterized by one or more fluid passages through said gauge body for flow of oil mist from said oil mist inlet to said filtering means, an air inlet being connected with said one or more fluid passages downstream of said oil mist inlet to provide pressurized air for entrainment of said oil mist therewith to said filtering means. 2. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 1 including eductor means carried within one of said one or more flow passages through which air from said air inlet may flow for drawing said oil mist from said oil mist inlet and for introducing said air and entrained oil mist into said filtering means under a positive pressure. 3. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 2 in which said eductor means comprises an air metering nozzle and, downstream thereof, a reduced diameter flow nozzle, said air metering nozzle being for receiving and metering air from said air inlet and for increasing the velocity of said air to draw said oil mist thereinto, said flow nozzle preventing reverse fluid flow and cooperating with said air metering nozzle for said introduction of said air and entrained oil mist into said filtering means under positive pressure. 4. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 3 in which said flow nozzle comprises a converging entrance and a reduced diameter cylindrical throat. 5. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 1 including a bypass passage providing fluid communication between said oil mist inlet and said filtering means downstream of said oil mist inlet but prior to introduction of pressurized air from said air inlet. 6. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 1 in which said filtering means comprises a chamber in which is disposed a tubular filter element formed by a hollow core surrounded by a wall of oil coalescing filter media, said filter media being pervious to air, allowing air in said air and said entrained oil mist when introduced into said hollow core of said filter element to pass through said filter element wall into said surrounding chamber for venting through said air outlet. 7. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 6 including a drain passage connecting said chamber to said collection means and through which oil separated from air by said filtering means may drain into said collection means for said collecting and measuring thereof. 8. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 1 in which said filtering means comprises a chamber in which is disposed a filter element, said filter element being interposed between said oil mist inlet and said air outlet, for separating said oil mist into oil and oil-free air, said oil-free air for venting through said air outlet, said oil for draining from said chamber into said collection means. 9. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 8 in which said oil mist inlet is provided with orifice means by which some of the oil in said oil mist is condensed for draining into said collection means, said oil mist inlet being in fluid communication with said collection means and said one or more flow passages through which the remaining oil mist may flow into said filtering means. 10. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 9 including eductor means carried in one of said one or more passages and through which air may be introduced from a source of pressurized air, providing a draft for drawing said oil mist through said one or more passages and providing a positive pressure for forcing said air and said oil mist drawn therewith through said filtering means. 11. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 9 including a bypass passage providing fluid communication between said filtering means chamber and said one or more flow passages. 12. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 1 including a drain passage connecting said filter means to said collection means and through which oil separated from air by said filtering means may drain into said collection means for said collecting and measuring thereof. 13. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 12 in which said oil mist inlet is provided with orifice means by which some of the oil in said oil mist is condensed for draining into said collection means for said collecting and measuring thereof without passing through said filtering means. 14. an oil mist density gauge as set forth in claim 12 in which said collection means comprises a calibrated container having an upper end of which is in fluid communication with said drain passage for said collecting and measuring of said oil separated from said oil mist by said filtering means.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention pertains to lubrication systems for lubricating the bearings of bearing equipped items. more specifically, the present invention pertains to lubrication systems in which an oil mist is formed by combining air and oil and then distributed in the form of a dry oil mist to the bearings to be lubricated. more specifically, the present invention pertains to an oil mist gauge for determining the density of oil mist flowing through an oil mist lubrication system. 2. description of the prior art for many years bearings were lubricated by a "one shot" application of grease and/or oil to a grease or oil fitting with a grease gun or oil can. although attempts were made to apply the grease or oil at periodic frequencies, many times too much oil and/or grease was used and, at other times, not enough oil and/or grease was provided for lubrication. for this reason, lubrication systems which apply the lubricant at timed periodic intervals or on a continuous basis were developed. u.s. pat. no. 4,445,168 discloses a computer controlled lubrication system in which individual "shots" of lubricant are periodically delivered based on either a time cycle or a machine stroke cycle. u.s. pat. no. 4,527,661 utilizes what is referred to in the industry as an "air-oil lubrication system" in which separate oil and air streams are brought to and combined by a mixing device, i.e. an atomizer, at a point immediately adjacent to the bearing being lubricated. these systems require two sets of piping (one for oil and one for air) and individual mixing devices at each point of lubrication. in more recent years, oil mist lubrication systems have been developed to provide continuous, more effective lubrication to anti-friction bearings of rotating equipment such as centrifugal pumps, electric motors, speed turbines, gear boxes, blowers and fans. an oil mist lubrication system typically comprises an oil mist generator in which a compressed air stream, in turbulent flow, is combined with a liquid lubricant to create a fine mist of oil particles suspended in an air stream. these oil particles are typically one to five microns in diameter. the oil mist is transported through a piping system and delivered to the bearing housings of rotating equipment. the oil mist continuously lubricates the bearings of the equipment and maintains a slight positive pressure in the bearing housing to reduce contamination from outside sources. when oil mist is generated by such a system, the oil is atomized into very fine particles, typically one to five microns in diameter, so that the oil mist will remain stable and can be transferred relatively long distances with minimum wetting out on the walls of the pipe in which it is being conveyed. these fine particles, referred to as "dry oil mist", must be converted into larger particles, referred to as "wet oil mist", in order to wet out on the metal surfaces of the equipment bearings being lubricated. this is accomplished by passing the dry mist through a specially designed restriction orifice known as a "reclassifier". the reclassifier induces turbulence in the stream to combine small particles into larger ones before the mist (wet oil mist) enters the equipment bearing housing. these reclassifiers serve the additional purpose of metering the amount of lubricant to each bearing to avoid over or under lubrication. selection of the correct reclassifier for each application point in the system is based upon an understanding of the exact bearing configuration for each piece of equipment to be lubricated. such a system is described in u.s. pat. no. 5,125,480. u.s. pat. no. 5,318,152 discloses an even more advanced oil mist lubrication system in which oil mist from an oil mist generator is distributed through a distribution assembly which includes one or more reclassifiers for converting the dry oil mist to a wet oil mist just prior to application to be bearing to be lubricated. this system also provides collection means into which excess oil and oil mist may flow and accumulate after lubrication of bearings. the excess oil mist and, in some cases, the excess oil collected may be returned for recycling and reuse. a demisting filter may be provided for separating the returned excess oil mist into oil and oil-free air, the oil accumulating for reuse and the oil-free air being vented to the atmosphere. to assure that an oil mist lubrication system is supplying sufficient lubricating oil, the quantity of oil in the oil mist of an operating oil mist system must be determined. if the quantity of oil is too low, the bearings of the system may not be sufficiently lubricated. if the quantity of oil in the oil mist is too high, too much lubricating fluid will be wasted. a waste of oil, such as mineral oil, could be expensive and a waste of synthetic oil, typically more costly than mineral oil, could be very expensive. thus, it is important to measure or monitor the density of oil in the oil mist of an oil mist system. in prior procedures, the quantity of oil in the oil mist of an operating oil mist system (referred to in the industry as the mist density) have been difficult to carry out and do not yield good results. the procedure most commonly followed is a "consumption test". in such a test, oil usage over a set period of time is measured and based on the scfm (system cubic feet per minute) of the system, as defined by totaling the flow of all reclassifiers, the mist density is supposedly measured. such a test not only takes a long period of time, in most cases over 24 hours, but is not technically accurate. a typical consumption test procedure follows: 1. the consumption test involves measuring the change in the oil level as shown on the level gauge of a central oil mist generator reservoir. 2. the automatic oil fill option on the generator is turned off during the test which runs over a 24 hour period. automated drain legs are also deactivated. 3. the change in level on the level gauge is converted to a volume measure by applying the known cross-sectional area of the generator reservoir to the level change, thus determining the amount of oil sent out of the unit over the duration of the test. 4. the input air volume of the system is assumed to be equal to the sum of the rated flow of all reclassifiers in the system. 5. the flow rate through each reclassifier is assumed to be the design value for a system operating at 20 inches of water column pressure; 501 .perspectiveto.0.09 scfm, 502 .perspectiveto.0.18 scfm, etc. 6. a physical count of the reclassifiers is made, a difficult and time consuming task on large mist systems. 7. the system is set to operate at 20 inches of water column pressure. 8. mist density or oil/air ratio is then calculated by taking the cubic inches of oil sent out of the generator over the test period and dividing this figure by the presumed air consumption of the system. 9. the figure is normalized to an hourly rate so that the result is presented as "cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm". such a procedure can be demonstrated as being obviously inaccurate by considering two mist systems which are the same (head size, flow rate, number of lubrication points, etc.) except that with one the mist header is sloped away from the generator while in the other the header is sloped toward the generator. assume that in such a consumption test of both systems the reduction in oil level of the two generators was the same over the 24 hour test period. the test calculations as defined in the above procedure would then show that oil consumption and therefore, implied oil mist density, was the same for each system because the outputs of oil from each reservoir were identical. one can easily see, however, that the mist density of the two systems is not identical. the system with the header pipe sloped toward the generator must produce a much denser oil mist to achieve the same reduction in oil level in the reservoir since all of the oil mist coalescing in the header flows back to the generator reservoir. the system with the header pipe sloped away from the generator needs only to produce a much leaner oil mist to achieve the same measured consumption rate. the reason for this is the oil that coalesces in the header does not flow back to the generator reservoir. in measuring such a system in which the header pipe slopes back toward the generator, it may be assumed that 25% of the oil mist coalesced into liquid and collected in the header. this quantity of coalesced oil has a significant effect on measuring the oil consumption. in the assumed specific case of 25% return in a system where the header slopes toward the generator, the true mist density produced by the mist generating head must be 0.87 cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm to achieve a net output of oil equal to 0.65, requiring a 33% richer and denser mist. thus, measuring mist density by the traditional consumption test is inaccurate as the results are influenced by the header sloping. it has been determined that mist flow to a bearing should be based on a target mist density of 0.65 cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm. there is no need to be above this level and in fact many believe that the oil/air ratio can be less than 0.65. a more accurate method and apparatus for measuring oil mist density (oil/air ratio) is very much needed. a device for quantitatively and absolutely measuring the amount of oil in the oil mist stream, independent of header slope, is needed. summary of the present invention in the present invention a stand alone oil mist density gauge for determining the density of oil mist flowing through an oil mist lubrication system is disclosed which is extremely accurate and independent of the slope of header piping. the mist density gauge of the present invention operates by stripping oil from a sample stream of oil mist. during operation, the oil is collected in a calibrated sight bottle and, after one hour of continuous operation, a direct reading of the air/oil ratio can be ascertained. all readings are measured as cubic inches of oil/hour/scfm of flow. the oil mist density gauge of the present invention provides a body having an oil mist inlet for connecting the oil mist density gauge to the oil mist lubrication system and an air outlet for venting air therefrom. a filter assembly is carried by the body for separating the oil mist flowing therethrough into oil and oil-free air. a collection reservoir or bottle is provided for collecting and measuring oil separated from the oil mist. the oil mist density gauge is provided with an air inlet and an eductor assembly by which air and entrained oil mist are introduced into the filter assembly under a positive pressure. the filter assembly comprises a chamber in which is disposed a filter element, the filter element being interposed between the oil mist inlet and the air outlet, for separating the oil mist into oil and oil-free air, the oil-free air for venting through the air outlet and the oil for draining from the chamber into the collection reservoir. as stated, a mist system in a refinery or a petrochemical plant when generating oil mist at the target density of 0.65 cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm will consume about one gallon of oil per day. if the oil mist generator is not properly adjustable, actual mist density could be double the target. at 1.3 cubic inches of oil per hour the oil consumption would be two gallons per day. if the client were using synthetic oil in the mist system at $14.00/gallon, proper monitoring could save over $5,000.00 per year simply by calibrating the system to the target of 0.65 level. if the cost of oil were only $4.00/gallon, typical of mineral oil, the yearly savings would still be more than $1,400.00 per year. the cost of monitoring and regulating oil with the oil gauge of the present system, at less than $400.00 per year, is thus easily justified with either type of lubricating fluid. furthermore, refineries and petrochemical plants are seeking ways to minimize stray mist not only to reduce lubricant consumption but to reduce air pollution. many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from reading the description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an oil mist lubrication system, utilizing an oil mist density gauge, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for determining the density of oil mist flowing therein; fig. 2 is an elevation view, partially in section, of an oil mist density gauge for use in determining the mist density of oil mist being distributed in an oil mist lubrication system such as the one illustrated in fig. 1, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the oil mist density gauge of fig. 2, taken along lines 3--3 thereof. description of a preferred embodiment referring first to fig. 1 there is a shown an oil mist is lubricating system for continuous lubrication of a plurality of bearings of one or more bearing equipped items. for illustration purposes, this system is shown being used to lubricate bearings of pumps and electric motors of electric motor driven pumps p1 and p2. of course, the system could be used to lubricate many other numbers and types of items such as centrifugal pumps, steam turbines, gear boxes, blowers, fans, etc. the oil mist lubrication system shown in fig. 1 may comprise an oil mist generator generally depicted as being enclosed in a mist generator housing 1. for present purposes, it is sufficient to understand that the oil mist generator is provided with a source of compressed air (not shown). the source of oil may be an oil collection/supply vessel 2. the oil and air are properly heated, pressurized and flow regulated and brought together in the oil mist generator using a vortex or other type of mist head, creating an oil mist in which the oil is atomized into very fine particles which can be conveyed over long distances with a minimum wetting out on the walls of pipe through which it is being conveyed. these fine particles, are generally referred to as a "dry mist" in which the oil particles are typically one to five microns in diameter. the dry oil mist generated in the oil mist generator then flows through a distribution header 3 and a plurality of pipe branches 4 and 5 to oil mist header manifolds 6 and 7. the supply header 3 and substantially horizontal portions of the mist distribution piping preferably slope downwardly in a direction toward the mist generator housing 1. from the mist manifolds 6, 7, the oil mist flows through reclassifiers 8 and 9 which convert the small particles of oil in the dry oil mist supplied to the mist manifolds 6 and 7 to larger particles of oil (wet oil mist) for supplying wet oil mist to individual points of lubrication such as the bearings of the electric motor driven pumps p1, p2. the particular size and type of reclassifier 8, 9 is selected for the type of bearing to which the oil mist is to be supplied. some of the oil mist passing to points of lubrication may coalesce and be collected in collection containers 10 and 11. excess oil mist, may be returned through risers 11 and 12 to a return header 14 which is connected to the oil collection/supply vessel 2. the oil collection/supply vessel 2 may be provided with a demister in which the returned oil mist is separated into oil and air. the oil is collected in the oil collection/supply vessel for return and reuse by the oil mist generator 1 and the oil-free air is vented to the atmosphere. in some cases, oil collected in the containers 10 and 11 may also be returned, by pumping or other means of transfer, to the oil collection/supply vessel 2 for reuse. to measure and determine the density of oil mist being distributed to points of lubrication, an oil mist density gauge 20, according to the present invention, may be provided. since a source of compressed air is available, the density gauge 20 is easily connected to a location very near the oil mist generator housing 1. in fig. 1 the oil mist density gauge 20 is shown connected to the distribution header 3 through a valve 21 and conduit 22. although shown to be connected adjacent the oil mist generator, the oil mist density gauge 20 may be utilized to verify the mist density at any point in the oil mist header system. for example, verification of target mist density to specific equipment (p1, p2) can be determined by connecting an oil mist density gauge to manifolds 4 and 5. the mist density gauge only needs a source of pressurized air. in fig. 1, an air conduit 23 is shown connecting the gauge 20 to a source of pressurized air in the mist generator housing 1 through an air controlled valve 24. referring now also to figs. 2 and 3, the mist density gauge 20 will be described in greater detail. the oil mist density gauge 20 may comprise a gauge body 30 having an oil mist inlet 31 for connecting the gauge to the oil mist lubrication system through the conduit 22. it is also provided with an air inlet 32 which, as previously described is connected to a source of pressurized air through the conduit 23 and valve 24. in the preferred embodiment, the valve 24 is a needle valve utilized to adjust the volume of air from the source of pressurized air. connected to the gauge body 30 and depending therefrom is a collection bottle 33. the collection bottle 33 is preferably of a clear material having lines of calibration thereon, each line representing 0.1 cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm. an intermediate line 35 is provided between the lines representing 0.6 and 0.7, indicating oil/air ratio of 0.65 cubic inches of oil/hour/scfm of mist flow. the upper end of the collection bottle 33 is sealingly engaged by a seal 34 with a corresponding cylindrical recess in a lower portion of the gauge body 30 and is attached thereto in any suitable manner. carried within a cylindrical chamber 40 of the gauge body 30 is a filter assembly which includes a filter element 41 having a hollow core 42 surrounded by a wall of oil coalescing media 43. the outer surfaces of the filter element 41 and the walls of the chamber 40 define an annular space 44 which is vented to the atmosphere through an air vent 45. the chamber 40 may be provided with a closure member 46 which may be removed for installation and replacement of filter element 41. it will also be noted that an inclined drain passage 47 connects the bottom of the filter chamber 40 with the upper end of the collection bottle 33. the oil mist inlet 31 is also connected, through a small passage 48 in which is provided a condensing orifice 49, to the upper end of the collection bottle 33. a fluid passage 50, vertically disposed above the collection bottle 33, intersects a horizontally disposed fluid passage 51 which is in fluid communication with the air inlet 32 and, through an outlet 52, with the hollow core 42 of the filter element 41. a bypass 57 also connects the first passage 50 with the annular space 44 surrounding the filter element 41. the second fluid passage 51 carries an eductor assembly 60 which includes an air metering nozzle 61 and downstream thereof a reduced diameter flow nozzle 62. the flow nozzle 62 is provided with a converging entrance 63 and a reduced diameter cylindrical throat 64. when oil mist flows into the oil mist inlet 31, it flows through the condensing orifice 49 of the passage 48. some of the oil is condensed and drains into the collection bottle 33. the remaining oil mist flows upward through the passage 50 and into the second flow passage 51 or through the bypass passage 57 into the filter chamber 40. if pressurized air has been introduced into the air inlet 32, the air metering nozzle 61 increases the velocity of air to draw oil mist into the second flow passage 51 from the first flow passage 50. the flow nozzle 62 prevents reverse fluid flow through the second passage 51 and cooperates with the air metering nozzle 61 to introduce air and entrained oil mist into the core of the filter element 41 under positive pressure. the filter media 43 of the filter element 41 is pervious to air, allowing air in the air and entrained oil mist introduced into the filter assembly to pass through the filter element wall into the surrounding annular space 44 for venting through the air inlet 45. oil coalescing and separated by the filter element 41 drains into the bottom of the chamber 40 and through the drain passage 47 into the collection bottle 33. the flow rate of oil mist through the condensing orifice 49 is critical to proper operation of the oil mist density gauge. the orifice is designed to have a specific flow rate at a specified difference in pressure between its inlet and discharge sides. the design flow rate and pressure for the exemplary device is 0.16 scfm .perspectiveto.20 inches water. the inlet pressure of 20 inches water was selected because it is the most common oil mist system design operating pressure. since the assumption is made that the separation of oil from air is 100% efficient, the volume of oil contained in 9.6 cubic feet of air (0.16 scfm.times.60 minutes of operation) is what the device must quantify. in order to accomplish a direct method of measurement, the geometry of the collection bottle 33 bore is also critical. for this purpose, the bore preferably has a flat bottom and a specified diameter. to ensure correct readings during incremental adjustments and at test conclusion, the dimension between each line of calibration is equally important. since the geometry of the oil collection bottle and the condensing orifice are fixed, if the pressure differential across the condensing orifice 49 (mist header pressure) is something other than 20 inches water, the flow rate changes. when this occurs the direct measurement of the mist density becomes skewed. this will require a mist pressure factoring table. a very important function of the bypass passage 57 connecting the filter chamber 40 and the first vertical passage 50, is to maintain proper operating pressure differential across the condensing orifice 49. air flow through the air metering nozzle 61 is varied by adjusting the air valve 24. as the valve is opened, air pressure, flow and velocity through the air metering nozzle increases. without the bypass passage 57, if the air valve 24 is opened too much, excess air flow through the air metering nozzle 61 will create a negative pressure in the first air passage 50. a negative pressure in the first air passage 50 would be communicated to the discharge of the condensing orifice 49. the result is loss of calibration due to a differential pressure greater than 20 inches water across the condensing orifice 49. also note that as the oil mist density gauge operates over time the coalescing filter element 42 becomes saturated with oil. as the oil saturation point is approached, the required pressure to maintain flow through the filer element 42 increases. once saturated with oil, if the air flow is too low, insufficient pressure is developed at the discharge of the reduced diameter cylindrical throat 64 being communicated to the core of the coalescing filter element 42. without the bypass passage 57 a positive pressure results in the first vertical passage 50 and is communicated to the discharge of the condensing orifice 49. the result of this operating condition is loss of calibration due to a differential pressure less than 20 inches water across the condensing orifice. a possible reverse flow condition through the condensing orifice occurs once the pressure in the first passage becomes greater than 20 inches water. the bypass passage 57 provides an atmospheric reference to the condensing orifice discharge. if the air supply to the air metering nozzle 61 is low, the pressure that results is relieved through the bypass passage, around the filter element 42 and out the discharge port 45 to atmosphere. this condition is noted during start-up by mist being visible as it escapes with the vented air. the operation of the oil mist density gauge is contingent upon the specified quantity of mist (9.6 cubic feet) being pushed through the coalescing filter 42 after one hour of operation. the addition of a small quantity of clean air does not affect its operation as long as the maximum flow rating for the coalescing filter element is not exceeded. operation of the oil mist density gauge requires opening the air needle valve just until visible mist discharging from the vent connection ceases. having sufficient pressure to pass through the filter element 42 and the differential pressure across the condensing orifice 49 is not affected. without the bypass passage 57, adjustment to an operating atmospheric reference to the condensing orifice discharge would be virtually impossible. in operation, the mist density gauge 20 is positioned, as shown in fig. 1, so that the mist inlet connection 31 is lower than the connection point on the header 3. the connection conduit 22 should slope from the header connection to the gauge 20 without low points or pockets which would collect oil or restrict flow. the air needle valve 24 is initially closed and connected to the air supply through the air supply line 23. with the air supply valve 24 closed and the oil mist system operating, stray mist will flow into the gauge body 30 through first passage 50 and bypass 57 into the chamber 40 and will escape through the air vent 45. the needle valve 24 should then be slowly opened until there are no visible signs of stray mist escaping from the air vent 45. it may be helpful to cup one hand over the vent hole 45 so that escaping mist is slowed down. this will also usually make it easier to detect the escaping mist. in addition, viewing the mist against a dark background will make it easier to see. the oil mist density gauge will be operated until oil starts to collect in the oil collection sight bottle 33. if the gauge is being used for the first time, or if a new filter has been installed, the gauge should be operated until the filter element is saturated with oil. to verify that the filter has been saturated, the oil collection bottle 33 may be removed by grasping it and pulling it down to remove it from the gauge body. saturation has occurred when oil can be seen dripping from the drain port 47. prior to taking measurements, the oil collection bottle 33 should be cleaned. any oil therein should be wiped from the bottle. this could be done by inserting a paper towel into the bore of the bottle and twisting it in a direction to wipe out all oil therein. no solvents or paint thinners should be utilized in cleaning the bottle as this may cause the bottle of certain materials to be discolored or clouded so that the oil level therein would become difficult to observe. after cleaning, the collection bottle 33 should be inserted into the gauge body 30. it is held in place by an interference fit between the o-ring 34 and the monitor body 30. the bottle can simply be pushed up into the cylindrical recess until the o-ring is compressed in the recess. the pressure of the oil system and the mist header 3 should be set at 20 inches of water. while the oil mist system is operating, the air vent 45 should be checked for stray mist. if stray mist can be seen, the needle valve 24 should be further opened until there are no visible signs of stray mist escaping from the air vent 45. again it may be helpful to cup one hand over the vent hole so that the escaping mist is slowed down or viewing the mist against a dark background to make it easier to see. the mist density gauge is designed to give a direct reading of the oil/air ratio after exactly one hour of operation at a mist pressure of 20 inches of water. if the system operates at a mist header pressure other than 20 inches of water the direct reading option at the conclusion of the test must be factored to obtain a correct reading. a mist pressuring factor table could be utilized for this purpose. after one hour of operation, the oil level and the oil collection sight glass may be viewed. as indicated, each line of the site glass represents 0.1 cubic inches of oil per hour per scfm. there is an intermediate line 35 between the sixth and seventh line which represents the target oil/air ratio of 0.65 cubic inches of oil/hour/scfm of mist flow. when oil mist density is properly set at 0.65, while operating, the bottle should fill at a rate of approximately one line every ten minutes. by observing as oil fills the bottle, incremental adjustments can be made early in the test without waiting a full hour between mist head adjustments. once the mist head has been adjusted to an output that appears to be acceptable, the oil consumption may be verified as described above. at the conclusion of testing, all oil may be drained from the collection bottle and wiped clean and if desired, the oil mist gauge may be removed and stored for future test. thus, the present invention provides a stand alone oil mist density gauge for determining and controlling oil/air density in a much more effective and accurate manner than the prior art. the cost of monitoring is easily offset by savings in lubricating fluids by preventing over-lubrication. the method utilized with the oil mist gauge of the present invention is quickly and accurately performed. although a single embodiment of the invention has been described herein, many alternate embodiments may be envisioned by those skilled in the art. accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the claims which follow.
071-079-983-462-900	US	[ "EP", "WO", "CN", "US" ]	H05B37/02,H05B44/00,H05B47/19,H05B47/175,H05B45/30,H05B45/60,H05B47/195,G05F1/00	2013-11-14T00:00:00	2013	[ "H05", "G05" ]	resettable lighting system and method	a lighting system, including: light emitting elements; a reset switch operable in a first and second state; non-volatile reset memory configured to record the state of the reset switch when power is provided to the system; a wireless communication system; non-volatile communication memory configured to store default settings and configuration settings; a control system operable, in response to initial power provision to the control system, between: a configured mode when an instantaneous reset switch state matches the recorded state, the configured mode including: connecting the wireless communication system to a remote device based on the configuration settings, receiving instructions from the remote device, and controlling light emitting element operation based on the instructions; and a reset mode when the instantaneous reset switch state differs from the recorded state, the reset mode including: erasing the configuration settings from the communication memory and operating the system based on the default settings.	claims we claim: l. a method for power-independent lighting system reset, the lighting system including a computing system, nonvolatile communication memory, and non-volatile reset memory, the method comprising: • receiving power at the computing system from an external power source; • while power is being received from the external power source: • receiving a set of configuration settings for a first remote device from a second remote device different from the first remote device; • storing a set of configuration settings in non-volatile communication memory; and • storing a first instantaneous reset switch state in non-volatile reset memory; • detecting termination of power supply from the external power source to the computing system and non-volatile reset memory; • storing the first instantaneous reset switch state in the non-volatile reset memory while the non-volatile reset memory is unpowered; • detecting power supply from the external power source to the computing system after power supply termination; • interrogating the reset memory for the stored reset switch state in response to power supply from the external power source to the computing system after power supply termination; • determining a second instantaneous reset switch state in response to power supply from the external power source to the computing system after power supply termination; • comparing the stored reset switch state and the second instantaneous reset switch state in response to power supply from the external power source to the computing system after power supply termination; • determining that the stored reset switch state matches the second reset switch state; • in response to the stored reset switch state matching the second instantaneous reset switch state: • connecting the computing system to the first remote device based on the set of configuration settings; • controlling lighting system operation with the computing system based on instructions received from the first remote device; and • storing the second instantaneous reset switch state in non-volatile reset memory; • determining that the stored reset switch state differs from the second reset switch state; and • in response to the stored reset switch state differing from the second instantaneous reset switch state: • erasing the set of configuration settings from the communication memory; and • initiating an initiation routine. 2. the method of claim l, further comprising: • detecting a reset switch state change while power is received from the external power source; and • rebooting the computing system in response to detection of the reset switch state change while power is received from the external power source. 3. a method for power-independent lighting system reset, the lighting system including a computing system, nonvolatile communication memory, and non-volatile reset memory, the method comprising: • receiving power at the computing system from a power source; • during power receipt from the power source: • storing a set of configuration settings for the lighting system in nonvolatile communication memory; and • storing a first instantaneous reset switch state in non-volatile reset memory; • detecting power supply termination; • in response to power receipt from the power source at the computing system after power supply termination, the computing system: • interrogating the reset memory for the stored reset switch state; • determining a second instantaneous reset switch state; • comparing the stored reset switch state and the second instantaneous reset switch state, further comprising: ■ in response to the stored reset switch state matching the second instantaneous reset switch state, connecting the computing system to a remote device based on the set of configuration settings; and controlling lighting system operation with the computing system based on instructions received from the remote device; and ■ in response to the stored reset switch state differing from the second instantaneous reset switch state, erasing the set of customized connecting settings from the communication memory; and initiating a configuration routine. 4. the method of claim 3, further comprising storing a set of default settings in the non-volatile reset memory; wherein the configuration routine further comprises operating the computing system based on the set of default settings. 5. the method of claim 3,wherein the power source comprises a power fixture electrically controlled by a power switch operable between a first mode, wherein power is supplied through he power fixture to the lighting system, and a second mode, wherein power supply to the lighting system through the power fixture is terminated. 6. the method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises detecting physical lighting system connection to the power fixture. 7. the method of claim 6, wherein the lighting system comprises a secondary battery, wherein receiving power from a power source comprises receiving power from the secondary battery. 8. the method of claim 7, further comprising: • detecting physical lighting system disconnection from the power fixture; and • electrically disconnecting the secondary battery from the computing system in response to lighting system disconnection from the power fixture. 9. the method of claim 3, wherein controlling lighting system operation with the computing system based on instructions received from the remote device comprises: • controlling a wireless communication module to connect to a wireless router, wherein the remote device comprises the wireless router; • receiving the instructions from the wireless router, wherein the instructions are received by the wireless router from a second remote device different from the wireless router; and • controlling operation parameters of a light emitting element based on the instructions. 10. the method of claim 9, further comprising receiving the set of configuration settings from the second remote device. 11. the method of claim 9, wherein the configuration routine comprises: • controlling a wireless communication module to broadcast an identifier for the lighting system and associated credentials; • receiving a connection request from the second remote device, the connection request comprising the identifier and associated credentials; and • sending a connection verification notification to the second remote device; • wherein the set of configuration settings are received after the connection verification notification is sent. 12. the method of claim 11, wherein the configuration routine further comprises controlling the light emitting element to present a reset notification sequence. 13. the method of claim 3,wherein the set of configuration settings comprises a set of remote device identifiers and respective credentials. 14. a lighting system, comprising: • a set of light emitting elements; • a reset switch operable in a first and second state; • non-volatile reset memory connected to the reset switch and configured to record the state of the reset switch during power provision to the system; • a wireless communication system; • non-volatile communication memory electrically connected to the wireless communication system and configured to store default settings and configuration settings; • a control system electrically connected to the reset switch, the reset memory, the wireless communication system, and the communication memory, the control system operable, in response to initial power provision to the control system, between: o a configured mode in response to an instantaneous reset switch state matching the recorded state, wherein the control system controls the wireless communication system to connect to a remote device based on the configuration settings, receives instructions from the remote device through the wireless communication system, and controls operation of the light emitting elements based on the instructions; and o a reset mode in response to an instantaneous reset switch state differing from the recorded state, wherein the control system erases the configuration settings from the communication memory and operates based on the default settings. 15. the system of claim 14, further comprising a secondary battery electrically connected to the control system. 16. the system of claim 15, further comprising an external power connector electrically connected to the control system, wherein the control system is operable between the configured mode and the reset mode in response to initial power receipt from the external power connector. 17. the system of claim 16, further comprising a connection indicator operable between a connected mode when the external power connector is connected to a power fixture and a disconnected mode when the external power connector is disconnected from the power fixture. 18. the system of claim 14, wherein the reset switch comprises a toggle switch. 19. the system of claim 14, wherein the set of light emitting elements comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in an array. 20. the system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication system comprises a wifi module. 21. a system adapted to perform the method claimed in any preceding claim. 22. a method for resetting a connected system, comprising: operating the connected system based on stored configuration settings received from a first remote device; detecting a reset trigger event; and • initiating a configuration routine. 23. the method of claim 22, wherein operating the connected system based on stored configuration settings received from a first remote device comprises connecting to a second remote device based on the configuration settings, the method further comprising operating the connected system based on operation instructions received from the second remote device, the operation instructions differing from the configuration settings. the method of claim 22, further comprising the method claimed in any of claims	resettable lighting system and method cross-reference to related applications [0001] this application claims the benefit of us provisional application number 61/904,101 filed 14-nov-2013, which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference. technical field [0002] this invention relates generally to the lighting systems field, and more specifically to a new and useful resettable lighting system in the lighting systems field. brief description of the figures [0003] figure 1 is a flowchart diagram of the method of resetting a connected system. [0004] figure 2 is a flowchart diagram of a first variation of the method. [0005] figure 3 is a flowchart diagram of a second variation of the method. [0006] figure 4 is a schematic representation of a first variation of the connected system. [0007] figure 5 is a schematic representation of a second variation of the connected system. [0008] figure 6 is a schematic representation of a lighting system interaction with an external power source, a primary remote device, and a secondary remote device. [0009] figure 7 is a schematic representation of a variation of the connected system installed in a recessed lighting fixture. [0010] figure 8 is a cutaway view of an example of the lighting system. [0011] figure 9 is a schematic representation of a first recorded power pattern 236' substantially matching a power feature pattern. [0012] figure 10 is a schematic representation of a mismatch between a second recorded power pattern 236" and a power feature pattern. [0013] figure 11 is a schematic representation of a first example of the method, including initiating a configuration routine in response to detection of reset switch toggling. [0014] figure 12 is a schematic representation of a second example of the method, including operating the connected system based on the configuration settings and operating the connected system based on operating instructions received from a remote device. [0015] figure 13 is a schematic representation of a first, second, and third example of operating the connected system based on a pattern of external power provision, respectively. description of the preferred embodiments [0016] the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. 1. system. [0017] as shown in figure 4, a connected system 100 capable of being reset without continuous power supply includes a reset switch 200, reset memory 220 connected to the reset switch 200, configuration memory 300, and a control system 400. the connected system 100 can be a lighting system that additionally includes light emitting elements 500, but can alternatively be any other suitable connected device (e.g., appliance). in one variation, the lighting system is substantially similar to the lighting system disclosed in us application no. 14/512,669, filed 13-oct-2014, incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. however, the lighting system can be any other suitable lighting system. the lighting system functions to provide light based on a set of operating instructions received from a remote device, wherein the lighting system can connect to the remote device using a set of configuration settings stored by the lighting system. the connected system 100 can additionally function as a communication transceiver (e.g., a wifi repeater), a notification system (e.g., during emergencies), an immersive system (e.g., be responsive to an audio/video system), or perform any other suitable functionality. [0018] the inventors have discovered that connected devices, particularly connected appliances, require mechanisms to reboot (e.g., hard or soft reboot) and/or entirely reconfigure (e.g., factory reset or master reset) the device. rebooting mechanisms can be required or desirable to troubleshoot the connected device, switch operating systems used by the connected device, clear corrupted or inadequately allocated memory, or for any other suitable purpose. rebooting the connected system too can include closing all pending programs and finalizes the input and output operations, or otherwise rebooting the system. performing a master reset on the connected system 100 can function to clear the configuration settings of the device to the default settings (e.g., such that the user can regain access to the connected device), remove a file or virus, clear memory space on the device, remove personal information from the device (e.g., prior to secondary sale or resale), remove data, settings, and/or applications on the device, or otherwise erase all or most of the customized information stored on the device. resetting the connected system 100 can include erasing all information aside from the default settings from the connected system 100, or otherwise resetting the connected system 100. [0019] a persistent reset mechanism (e.g., a reset mechanism that does not need to be powered during the reset trigger event) can be desirable in connected devices that are configured to be located in difficult-to-reach places (e.g., connected to difficult-to- reach power fixtures 40). this is due to the requirement that such connected appliances typically need to be removed from the power fixture 40 to access a reset switch 200 arranged along the device body. this problem can be particularly relevant to connected lighting systems (e.g., light bulbs), even more relevant to lighting systems that are independently operable (e.g., do not rely on a common hub), because lighting systems are not only difficult to reach when installed in ceiling fixtures, but must also be removed from the lighting fixture (e.g., particularly recessed lighting fixtures) to expose the reset mechanism for use. some conventional reset mechanisms can be inadequate for such purposes, because they require the reset system to be powered to detect the reset trigger event (e.g., depression of a reset switch 200). removal of the lighting system from the lighting fixture effectively disconnects the lighting system from power, which prevents such conventional reset mechanisms from detecting the trigger event and resetting the device. thus, there is a need in the connected lighting systems field to create a new and useful powerless resettable lighting system. this invention provides such new and useful powerless resettable lighting system. [0020] in a first variation of the connected system 100, as shown in figure 4, the connected system 100 includes a physical reset switch 200, operable between a first and a second state, and non-volatile reset memory 220 configured to record the reset switch 200 state prior to system powering off (e.g., prior to power termination), and remember the reset switch 200 state while the system is unpowered. when a master reset is desired, the user can switch the reset switch 200 state to the opposing state. upon the system powering on (e.g., upon power receipt), the connected system 100 can compare the instantaneous reset switch 200 state with the prior state stored by the reset memory 220. the system can initiate a master reset in response to the instantaneous reset switch 200 state differing from the stored switch state. the system can operate the system based on the stored configuration settings (e.g., operate in a normal operation state) in response to the instantaneous reset switch 200 state matching the stored switch state. [0021] in a second variation of the connected system 100, the connected system 100 operates in substantially the same manner as the first variation, and can additionally include rebooting the system in response to determination that the reset switch 200 state has been toggled (e.g., changed) while the connected system 100 is powered (e.g., while power is being supplied to the connected system 100). [0022] in a third variation of the connected system 100, as shown in figure 5, the connected system 100 includes a toggle detector 230 configured to monitor patterns of power supplied to the connected system 100 (e.g., power cycling pattern). this variation can be particularly relevant to connected systems 100 coupled to power fixtures 40, wherein the power fixtures 40 are intermittently connected to a power grid based on the position of a power switch 50 (e.g., wall switch). the power supply patterns detected by the connected system 100 can be established by a user toggling the power switch 50 or generated in any other suitable manner. the connected system 100 can automatically initiate a master reset in response to detection of a first power supply pattern. the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively automatically initiate a reboot in response to detection of a second power supply pattern, different from the first power supply pattern. the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively operate in a different operation mode (e.g., control the light emitting elements 500 to emit light having a different set of light parameters) in response to detection of a third power supply pattern, different from the first and/or second power supply patterns. this variation can function to simultaneously reset a plurality of connected systems 100 (e.g., all connected systems 100 whose power supply is controlled by the same power switch 50). however, the connected system 100 can include any other suitable reset mechanism and be reset, rebooted, or otherwise configured in any other suitable manner. [0023] the connected system 100 can be used with a power fixture, which functions to provide external power 32 to the connected system 100, an example of which is shown in figure 6. the power fixture 40 can be a light fixture, such as a recessed light fixture (e.g., as shown in figure 7), surface-mounted light fixture, or any other suitable light fixture. more preferably, the power fixture 40 is a lightbulb socket (e.g., a conventional lightbulb socket), such as an edison screw socket, bayonet socket bi-post socket, or any other suitable socket. however, the power fixture 40 can be a power outlet, such as a usb port or a socket (e.g., a nema connector socket), or be any other suitable power supply mechanism connectable to an external power source 30, such as a power grid or power system (e.g., generator system, solar powered system, etc.). the power fixture 40 can supply power to the connected system 100 when power is supplied to the power fixture 40, and does not supply power to the connected system 100 when the power fixture 40 is unpowered or disconnected from the external power source 30. however, the power fixture 40 can selectively control power provision to the connected system 100, or operate in any other suitable manner. [0024] the power fixture 40 can be electrically connected to a power switch 50 that functions to control power supply from the external power source 30 to the power fixture 40. the power switch 50 can be operable between a closed position, wherein power is supplied to the power fixture 40, and an open position, wherein power supply to the power fixture 40 is terminated. the power fixture 40 can be electrically connected to the external power source 30 when the power switch 50 is in the closed position, and can be electrically disconnected from the external power source 30 when the power switch 50 is in the open position. however, the power fixture 40 can be otherwise selectively powered, unpowered, connected, or disconnected from the external power source 30. [0025] the connected system 100 can be used with a primary remote device 10 that functions to communicate information to and/or from the connected system 100. the primary remote device 10 can be associated with one or more identifiers. the identifiers can be unique identifiers (e.g., ip addresses), non-unique identifiers (e.g., user-set names), or be any other suitable identifier. the primary remote device 10 can be associated with one or more credentials, wherein the credentials can be associated with one or more identifiers associated with the primary remote device 10. the credentials can include a password, encryption key (e.g., public and/or private), or any other suitable set of credentials. the primary remote device 10 can be simultaneously connected to one or more connected systems 100, wherein each connected system 100 can store an identifier and/or set of credentials associated with the primary remote device 10 in the customized configuration settings. additionally or alternatively, a connected system 100 can connect one or more primary remote devices 10 (e.g., wherein the connected system 100 can function as a network hub or repeater). the primary remote device 10 is preferably a networking device, such as a router (e.g., a wireless router), but can alternatively be a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop, computer, etc.), a second connected system 100, or be any other suitable device remote (e.g., physically disconnected from) the connected system 100. [0026] the connected system 100 can be used with a secondary remote device 10 that functions to communicate information to and/or from the connected system 100. the information can include operation instructions, primary remote device 10 connection information (e.g., identifiers and/or credentials), or any other suitable information. the secondary remote device 10 can communicate information directly to the connected system 100, communicate information indirectly to the connected system too (e.g., through the primary remote device 10), or be connected to the connected system too in any other suitable manner. the secondary remote device 10 can be associated with one or more identifiers, such as social networking system identifiers (e.g., usernames), device identifiers, cellular service identifiers (e.g., phone number), connection identifiers (e.g., ip address), or any other suitable identifiers. the connected system too can store the identifiers in the customized configuration settings, wherein connected system too control can be selectively permitted to secondary remote devices to having associated identifiers stored by the connected system 100. however, the connected system 100 identifiers can be utilized in any other suitable manner. the secondary remote device 10 can additionally or alternatively be associated with a set of credentials, wherein the credentials can be used by the connected system 100 to connect to the secondary remote device 10. alternatively, the secondary remote device 10 can store a set of credentials associated with the connected system 100, wherein connected system 100 control can be limited to secondary remote devices 10 storing the connected system 100 credentials. however, the secondary remote device 10 can store or be associated with any other suitable information. the secondary remote device 10 is preferably a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop, computer, etc.), but can alternatively be a networking device, such as a router (e.g., a wireless router), a second connected system 100, or be any other suitable device remote (e.g., physically disconnected from) the connected system 100. [0027] the reset switch 200 of the connected system 100 functions to record a user action indicative of a desire to reset or reboot the connected system 100. the reset switch 200 is preferably a physical switch, but can alternatively be an electrical switch or digital switch. the reset switch 200 is preferably operable between a first and a second state (e.g., an open and closed state, respectively), but can alternatively be operable in any other suitable number of states. the switch is preferably a toggle-type or non- momentary switch (e.g., a flip switch for continuous "on" or "off"), but can alternatively be a momentary-type switch (e.g., push for "on" or push for "off") or any other suitable switch. the switch can include a set of contacts actuated by an actuator. the actuator can be a toggle, a rocker, a rotary linkage, a push-button, or any other suitable mechanical linkage. the switch can be non-biased or biased. however, the reset switch 200 can be any other suitable mechanical switch. alternatively, the reset switch 200 can be an electronic switch, such as a relay, analog switch, power transistor, mosfet, or any other suitable electronic switch operable in at least a first and second mode. the reset switch 200 is preferably a single pole, single throw switch (spst switch), but can alternatively be a single pole, double throw switch (spdt switch), double pole, single throw switch (dpst switch), or have any other suitable contact arrangement. in one variation, the reset switch 200 is a binary switch. in a second variation, the reset switch 200 is operable in two or more modes. however, the reset switch 200 can be any other suitable switch. the reset switch 200 is preferably arranged on or accessible through the system exterior, but can alternatively be arranged on or accessible through the system interior, system end, or through any other suitable portion of the system. the reset switch 200 can be arranged along a longitudinal surface of the system, but can alternatively be arranged along a perimeter of the system (e.g., along an edge of a casing proximal the active surface of the connected system 100), an end of the system, or along any other suitable surface. the reset switch 200 can be arranged such that the switch actuates in a direction having a vector substantially parallel to the system longitudinal axis, but can alternatively be arranged such that the actuation axis is substantially perpendicular to the system longitudinal axis or arranged in any other suitable configuration. [0028] the reset memory 220 of the connected system 100 functions to record a state (position) of the reset switch 200. the reset memory 220 preferably records the reset switch 200 state while the connected system 100 or component thereof is powered (e.g., while power is supplied to the connected system 100, light emitting elements 500, control system 400, and/or reset memory 220), but can additionally or alternatively record the reset switch 200 state while the connected system 100 or component thereof is unpowered, or record the reset switch 200 state at any other suitable time. the reset memory 220 can record the reset switch 200 state in response to detection of a change in the reset switch 200 state, record the reset switch 200 state at a predetermined frequency, record the reset switch 200 state in response to the occurrence of a record event (e.g., power provision cessation, reset memory 220 interrogation, system initiation or startup, etc.), or record the reset switch 200 state at any other suitable time. the reset memory 220 can record only the instantaneous reset switch 200 state, record both the instantaneous reset switch 200 state and one or more prior reset switch 200 states, record only the prior reset switch 200 state, or record any suitable reset switch 200 state. [0029] the reset memory 220 is preferably non-volatile and retains its memory when power is turned off (e.g., when the reset memory 220 is unpowered), but can alternatively be volatile and maintain data only for as long as power is maintained. in the latter variation of the reset memory 220, the reset memory 220 can additionally include a separate power source that functions to supply power to the reset memory 220 when the remainder of the connected system 100 is unpowered. alternatively, the reset memory 220 can be powered by an on-board power source (e.g., the secondary power source 900) when the connected system 100 is disconnected from the external power source 30. alternatively, the latter variation of the reset memory 220 can be unpowered and lose any stored information upon power provision cessation. examples of nonvolatile reset memory 220 include flash memory, eeprom, f-ram, and mram, and can additionally include organic memory, mechanically addressed memory, or any other suitable non-volatile memory. alternatively, the reset memory 220 can include a cpu, microprocessor, or any other suitable computing system. the reset memory 220 is preferably read/write memory, but can alternatively be read-only, write-only, or have any other suitable characteristic. the reset memory 220 is preferably connected to the reset switch 200, more preferably constantly connected to the reset switch 200, but can alternatively be disconnected from the reset switch 200, intermittently connected to the reset switch 200, or otherwise connected to the reset switch 200. the reset memory 220 is preferably directly connected to the reset switch 200, but can alternatively be indirectly connected to the reset switch 200 (e.g., through the control system 400) or otherwise connected to the reset switch 200. the reset memory 220 can be connected to one or more terminals of the reset switch 200. the reset memory 220 can be connected to the control system 400, and/or to any other suitable connected system component. [0030] the configuration memory 300 of the connected system 100 functions to store configuration settings. the configuration settings can include remote device identifiers, credentials associated with the identifiers (e.g., one or more network identifiers and associated passwords, secondary remote device 10 identifiers, etc.), user settings (e.g., preferred operation parameter settings), user information (e.g., social networking system account identifier and password), applications, user-assigned identifier and/or credentials for the connected system 100, or any other suitable information. the configuration settings can be received from the primary remote device 10, the secondary remote device 10, a tertiary remote device (e.g., a server system associated with the connected system 100), automatically generated (e.g., learned based on historical settings), or otherwise determined. the configuration memory 300 can additionally store default settings (e.g., factory settings), which can include the operating system, initialization sequence, default connected system 100 identifier, default connected system 100 credentials, and/or any other suitable default information. [0031] the configuration memory 300 is preferably separate and distinct from the reset memory 220, but can alternatively be a portion of the reset memory 220, be part of the same memory as the reset memory 220, or be related to the reset memory 220 in any other suitable manner. the configuration memory 300 is preferably nonvolatile memory, but can alternatively be volatile memory. in the latter variation, the volatile configuration memory 300 can be selectively powered in the manner discussed above for the volatile reset memory 220, or can be powered in any other suitable manner. the volatile configuration memory 300 is preferably powered asynchronously of the volatile reset memory 220, but can alternatively be concurrently powered with the volatile reset memory 220. the volatile configuration memory 300 is preferably powered with a separate power source from the volatile reset memory 220, but can alternatively be powered with the same power source as the volatile reset memory 220. examples of non-volatile configuration memory 300 include flash memory, eeprom, f-ram, and mram, and can additionally include organic memory, mechanically addressed memory, or any other suitable non-volatile memory. alternatively, the configuration memory 300 can include a cpu, microprocessor, or any other suitable computing system. the configuration memory 300 is preferably read/write memory, but can alternatively be read-only, write-only, or have any other suitable characteristic. the configuration memory 300 is preferably electrically connected to the control system 400, but can alternatively or additionally be electrically connected to the communication system 600, the reset memory 220, or any other suitable connected system component. [0032] the control system 400 of the connected system 100 functions to control connected system 100 operation (e.g., connected system component operation). the control system 400 can operate the connected system 100 in a configured mode (normal mode), wherein the connected system 100 is operated based on the configuration settings. for example, the control system 400 can operate the light emitting elements 500, the communication system 600, or any other suitable connected system component based on the configuration settings. in a specific example, when the connected system 100 includes a communication system 600, the control system 400 can control the communication system 600 (e.g., wireless communication system 600) to connect to a remote device based on the configuration settings, can receive instructions from the remote device through the communication system 600, and can control operation of the light emitting elements 500 based on the instructions. however, the control system 400 can operate the connected system 100 in the normal mode in any other suitable manner. the control system 400 can additionally or alternatively operate the connected system 100 in a reset mode (configuration mode), wherein the control system 400 erases stored configuration settings from the configuration memory 300 and executes an initialization routine or operates the connected system 100 based on the default settings. the control system 400 can additionally or alternatively operate the connected system 100 in any other suitable mode. the control system 400 can additionally function to select the operation mode. for example, the control system 400 can select the configuration mode in response to the stored reset switch 200 state differing from the instantaneous reset switch 200 state or in response to receipt of a power cycle substantially matching a predetermined power cycling pattern, and otherwise select the normal mode. the control system 400 can additionally function to distribute or otherwise control power provision to connected system components, detect whether external power is being provided to the connected system 100, or perform any other suitable functionalities. the control system 400 can be electrically connected to the reset switch 200, the reset memory 220, the configuration memory 300, the light emitting elements 500, the communication system 600, and/or any other suitable connected system component. the control system 400 can be one or more cpus, microprocessors, microcontrollers, or any other suitable set of computing units. [0033] the connected system 100 can be a lighting system and include a set of light emitting elements 500. the light emitting elements 500 function to emit light having properties (e.g., intensity, wavelength, saturation, color temperature, etc.) determined by the control system 400. the lighting system can include one or more light emitting elements 500. when multiple light emitting elements 500 are included, the light emitting elements 500 can be arranged in an array (e.g., rectangular array), a circle, about a system perimeter, in concentric circles, randomly, or distributed in any other suitable configuration. the light emitting element can be a light emitting diode (led), oled, an incandescent bulb, an rf diode, or any other suitable light emitting element. alternatively or additionally, the system can include any other suitable em wave emitter (e.g., electromagnet, ultrasound emitter, etc.). the light emitting element can emit visible light, rf, ir, uv, or light at any other suitable spectrum. in one variation, the set of light emitting elements 500 cooperatively emit at least 500 lumens. however, the set of light emitting elements 500 can cooperatively emit 750 lumens, 1,000 lumens, or any other suitable number of lumens. the system preferably includes at least 10 light emitting elements 500 or light emitting element clusters (e.g., each cluster including one or more light emitting diodes configured to emit different wavelengths of light), but can alternatively include a single light emitting element or cluster, at least 30 light emitting elements 500 or clusters, or any other suitable number of light emitting elements 500. [0034] the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively include a communication system 600, which functions to communicate information between the control system 400 and a device. the communication system 600 is preferably a wireless communication system 600, wherein the device is a remote device (e.g., the primary or secondary device), but can alternatively be a wired communication system 600 (e.g., powerline communication, ethernet communication, etc.), wherein the device is a proximal or physically connected device. the connected system 100 can include one or more communication systems 600. [0035] the wireless communication system 600 can be a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, repeater, or any other suitable wireless communication system 600. the wireless communication system 600 can simultaneously be connected to one or more remote devices (e.g., one or more secondary and/or primary devices), be configured to connect to a single remote device, or be configured to connect to any other suitable number of devices. the wireless communication system 600 can connect to the devices using the configuration settings (e.g., using the credentials stored in the configuration settings), default settings, or connect to the devices in any other suitable manner. the wireless communication system 600 preferably automatically connects to the remote device, but can alternatively or additionally connect to the remote device in response to receipt of a notification from a second remote device, detection of a predetermined power cycling pattern, or in response to any other suitable trigger event. additionally or alternatively, the remote device can connect to the wireless communication system 600 using credentials broadcast by the wireless communication system 600, credentials stored by the remote device (e.g., wherein the credentials for the lighting system were set by a remote device), or connect to the wireless communication system 600 in any other suitable manner. the wireless communication system 600 can send information to a targeted endpoint (e.g., a single device, a specified set of devices), broadcast information, function as a router or wlan provider, or have any other suitable functionality. the wireless communication system 600 can receive information from a single endpoint, multiple endpoints (e.g., wherein the endpoints are associated or unassociated with encryption keys or other credentials), or from any other suitable information source. the wireless communication system 600 can be a short-range communication system 600 or long range communication system 600. examples of short-range communication systems 600 that can be used include bluetooth, ble, rf, ir, and ultrasound, but any other suitable communication system 600 can be included. alternatively, the light emitting elements 500 can function as the wireless communication system 600, wherein information can be controlled through light modulation or any other suitable methodology. examples of long-range communication systems 600 that can be used include wifi, cellular, and zigbee, but any other suitable communication system 600 can be included. the system can include one or more communication systems 600. [0036] the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively include an external power connector 700 that functions to electrically connect the connected system 100 to an external power source 30. the external power connector 700 can be electrically connected to the control system 400, the reset memory 220, the configuration memory 300, the wireless communication system 600, secondary power source 900, and/or any other suitable connected system component. in one variation of the connected system 100, the external power connector 700 is directly electrically connected to the control system 400, wherein the control system 400 conditions and/or distributes power to the remaining connected system components. in another variation of the connected system 100, the external power connector 700 is electrically connected to individual connected system components. however, the connected system 100 can be wired in any other suitable manner. the external power connector 700 can be a lightbulb base (e.g., edison screw base, bayonet style base, bi-post connector, wedge base, lamp base, etc.), a plug, socket, power connector (e.g., ac power plug, dc connector, nema connector, etc.), or any other suitable form of electrical connector. the external power connector 700 is preferably arranged along the exterior of the connected system 100, but can alternatively be recessed within the body of the connected system 100. the external power connector 700 is preferably arranged along an end of the connected system 100 (e.g., along an end distal the light emitting elements 500 in a lighting system), but can alternatively be arranged along a side of the connected system 100 or along any other suitable portion of the connected system 100. [0037] the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively include a connection indicator 800 that functions to detect external power connector 700 connection with a power fixture 40, as shown in figure 8. the connection indicator 800 can be operable between a connected mode when the external power connector 700 is connected to a power fixture 40 and a disconnected mode when the external power connector 700 is disconnected from the power fixture 40, or can be operable between any other suitable set of modes. the connection indicator 800 can be a physical switch (e.g., biased in the open direction associated with the disconnected mode when physically decoupled from the power fixture 40), electromagnetic switch (e.g., a ferrous material or wire winding configured to detect an applied electromagnetic field when the external power connector 700 is connected to the power fixture 40, etc.), or be any other suitable detection mechanism. the connection indicator 800 can be arranged proximal the external power connector 700, along the external power connector 700 (e.g., along the side or end of the external power connector 700), distal the external power connector 700, or be arranged in any other suitable position. [0038] the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively include a secondary power source 900 that functions to provide power to the connected system components. the secondary power source 900 can additionally function to condition external power for connected system components, supply power for standby operation (e.g., power a battery management system when the connected system 100 is otherwise unpowered), or perform any other suitable functionality. in a first variation, the secondary power source 900 provides power to the connected system components when the connected system 100 is electrically connected to the external power source 30. in a second variation, the secondary power source 900 provides power to all connected system components when power from the external power source 30 has ceased (e.g., when the connected system 100 is physically disconnected from the power fixture 40, when power provision from the external power source 30 to the fixture is terminated, etc.). in a third variation, the secondary power source 900 provides power to a select set of connected system components (e.g., the reset memory 220) when power from the external power source 30 has ceased (e.g., wherein the secondary power source 900 is only connected to the select set of connected system components or is connected to more than the select set of connected system components). in a fourth variation, the secondary power source 900 provides power to the connected system components in response to the occurrence of a trigger event, such as receipt of an emergency signal from a remote device, determination that external power provision ceased but the power switch 50 is in the open position, or any other suitable trigger event. the secondary power source 900 can be electrically connected to all connected system components, a subset of connected system components, or any other suitable set of connected system components. the secondary power source 900 is preferably electrically connected to and charged by the external power connector 700, but can alternatively be electrically disconnected and/or substantially isolated from the external power connector 700. the secondary power source 900 can be substantially permanently connected to the connected system components, selectively connected to the connected system components, or otherwise connected to the connected system components. the connected system 100 can include one or more secondary power sources 900, wherein multiple secondary power sources 900 can be connected to the same connected system components or to different connected system components. alternatively, the connected system 100 can lack or exclude secondary power sources 900. the secondary power source 900 can be a secondary (rechargeable) battery (e.g., having lithium chemistry, nickel chemistry, cadmium chemistry, magnesium chemistry, platinum chemistry, etc.), a fuel cell system, a solar cell system, a piezoelectric system, or any other suitable source of power. [0039] the connected system 100 can additionally or alternatively include toggle detector 230 that functions to record (e.g., count) a recorded power pattern 236 reflecting the number of times external power provision to the connected system 100 has been cycled (e.g., turned on and off, switched between high and low power, etc.). the recorded power pattern 236 can be subsequently analyzed in light of a set of stored power feature patterns 234, wherein a connected system operation mode can be selected based on whether the recorded power pattern 236 substantially matches a power feature pattern 234. however, the recorded power pattern 236 can be otherwise used. the toggle detector 230 is preferably electrically connected to the external power connector 700, but can alternatively or additionally be electrically connected to the control system 400 or any other suitable connected system component. the recorded power pattern 236 is preferably recorded in the reset memory, but can alternatively be recorded in any other suitable memory. for example, a cycle count stored in the reset memory 220 or any other suitable memory can be increased each time the external power is provided to the system, each time the external power is removed from the system, each time the external power is provided then removed within a predetermined period of time, or in response to any other suitable trigger event. the recorded power pattern 236 can be stored with a timestamp (e.g., universal or relative) or stored without a timestamp. the recorded power pattern 236 can be erased at a predetermined frequency (e.g., every 10 minutes), erased in response to the occurrence of an erase event (e.g., execution of a configuration routine), be persistent, or edited in any other suitable manner. in one variation, the toggle detector 230 includes a winding connected to the external power connector 700 or a transistor (e.g., mosfet) connected therebetween, a set of resistor voltage dividers, a rectifier diode, and a filter capacitor. the diode can rectify the ac voltage of the power from the external power connector 700, the resistor voltage dividers can divide the rectified bias ac voltage, and the capacitor can filter out voltage ripple. the diode, voltage divider, and capacitor can cooperatively monitor whether bias ac voltage is applied across the winding, wherein bias ac voltage will be applied when external power is supplied to the external power connector 700, and bias ac voltage will not be applied to the winding when the external power connector 700 is unpowered. in a second variation, the toggle detector 230 can include a rising edge detector and/or falling edge detector connected to the external power connector 700. however, the toggle detector 230 can include any other suitable circuitry configured to determine when external power is provided and/or removed from the connected system 100. [0040] the connected system 100 can additionally include a set of sensors 520 that function to measure ambient environment parameters, system parameters, or any other suitable set of parameters. examples of parameters that can be measured include ambient light (e.g., visible light, ir, etc.), ambient sound (e.g., audio, ultrasound, etc.), ambient temperature, ambient pressure, geographic location, system temperature, system voltage, system current, system operating time, system position, and system acceleration, but any other suitable parameter can be measured. the connected device can include one or more sensors or types of sensors. the set of sensors 520 can include a light sensor (e.g., camera), sound sensor (e.g., microphone, ultrasound sensor), accelerometer, gyroscope, gps, or any other suitable sensor. 2. method. [0041] as shown in figure 1, the method of resetting the connected system includes receiving power at the connected system from a power source sioo, detecting a reset trigger event s200, and initiating a configuration routine in response to detection of the reset trigger event s300. the method functions to reset the connected system without receiving reset instructions from a remote device. the method is preferably performed by the system 100 disclosed above, but can alternatively be performed by any other suitable connected system. [0042] in a first variation, examples of which are shown in figures 2 and 11, the method includes receiving power at the connected system from a power source sioo, interrogating reset memory for a stored reset switch state s220, determining an instantaneous reset switch state s222, comparing the stored reset switch state with the instantaneous reset switch state s224, operating the connected system in the reset mode by initiating a configuration routine in response to the stored reset switch state differing from the instantaneous reset switch state s300, and operating the connected system in the configured mode in response to the stored reset switch state matching the instantaneous reset switch state s400. in this variation, the method can detect the reset trigger event even though the system is disconnected from power when the reset switch state is switched. this can enable a user to trigger a master reset of the system by removing the connected system from the power fixture such that the system is unpowered by external power, switching the reset switch state, reconnecting the connected system to the power fixture, and supplying external power to the connected system. [0043] in a second variation, an example of which is shown in figure 3, the method includes receiving power at the connected system from a power source sioo, detecting a pattern of external power supply to the connected system within a predetermined time period s240, and operating the connected system in the reset mode by initiating a configuration routine in response to the detected pattern substantially matching a predetermined reset pattern s300, and operating the connected system in the configured mode in response to the stored reset switch state substantially differing from the predetermined reset pattern s400. in this variation, the method can enable the user to substantially simultaneously reset or reboot a set of connected systems (e.g., one or more connected systems) electrically connected to the same power circuit without physically accessing each connected system. however, the method can include any other suitable reboot or reset method. [0044] receiving power at the connected system sioo from a power source functions to initiate trigger event monitoring. receiving power at the connected system can additionally function to provide power to the connected system components. the power source is preferably an external power source (e.g., a power grid or power system), but can alternatively be an internal power source (e.g., the secondary power source) or any other suitable power source. in variations of the method wherein the power is received from the internal power source, the internal power source can power the connected system components only when the connected system is physically connected to an external power source, power the connected system components irrespective of connected system physical or electrical connection to the external power source, or supply power to the connected system components at any other suitable time. receiving power can include detecting applied power at the connected system. detecting power at the connected system can include determining that the current through a connection system component exceeds a baseline current, determining that the voltage across a connection system component exceeds a baseline voltage, or sensing supplied power in any other suitable manner. [0045] receiving power at the connected system from a power source sioo can include detecting initial power receipt at the connected system sno. detecting initial power receipt can include detecting the rising edge of a power curve with a rising edge detector. detecting initial power receipt can additionally or alternatively include detecting a pattern of power termination then power supply. detecting power termination can include detecting a falling edge of the power curve, determining that the current through a connection system component falls below a current threshold, determining that the voltage across a connection system component falls below a baseline voltage, or determining power cessation or supplied power drop in any other suitable manner. detecting supplied power can include detecting the rising edge of a power curve, determining that the current through a connection system component exceeds a baseline current, determining that the voltage across a connection system component exceeds a baseline voltage, or determining supplied power in any other suitable manner. however, initial power receipt can be detected in any other suitable manner. [0046] receiving power at the connected system sioo can additionally include detecting physical system connection to an external power source. detecting physical connected system connection to an external power source can be used to determine whether the secondary power source should be controlled to power the connected system components, or be used in any other suitable manner. for example, the secondary power source can be electrically connected to the system components in response to physical connected system connection to the external power source. in another example, the secondary power source can be electrically disconnected from the system components in response to physical connected system connection to the external power source. however, the physical system connection detection can be otherwise used. [0047] detecting physical system connection to an external power source preferably includes detecting physical system connection to a power fixture, but can alternatively include detecting external power provision to the connected system or be detected in any other suitable manner. in a first variation, detecting physical system connection to an external power source includes detecting actuation of the connection indicator (e.g., depression of a connection indicator switch, etc.). in a second variation, detecting physical system connection to an external power source includes detecting completion or closure of a circuit that is open when the system is disconnected from the power fixture, and closed when the system is connected to the power fixture. however, physical system connection to an external power source can be otherwise detected. [0048] receiving power at the connected system sioo can additionally include detecting physical lighting system disconnection from the external power source. detecting physical lighting system disconnection from an external power source can be used to determine whether the secondary power source should be controlled to power the connected system components, or be used in any other suitable manner. for example, the secondary power source can be electrically connected to the system components in response to physical connected system disconnection from the external power source. in another example, the secondary power source can be electrically disconnected from the system components in response to physical connected system disconnection from the external power source. however, the physical system disconnection detection can be otherwise used. [0049] detecting physical system disconnection from an external power source preferably includes detecting physical system disconnection from a power fixture, but can alternatively include detecting cessation of external power provision to the connected system, or be detected in any other suitable manner. in a first variation, detecting physical system disconnection from an external power source includes detecting actuation of the connection indicator (e.g., depression of a connection indicator switch, etc.). in a second variation, detecting physical system disconnection from an external power source includes detecting the opening or disconnection of a circuit that is closed when the system is connected to the power fixture. however, physical system disconnection from an external power source can be otherwise detected. [0050] receiving power at the connected system sioo can additionally include detecting termination of power supplied from the power source s120. the power supply termination or disconnection can be detected for a connected system component (e.g., the reset memory, the configuration memory, the control system, the communication system, etc.), a set of connected system components, the entire connected system, or for any other suitable combination of connected system components. the power source is preferably the external power source, but can alternatively or additionally be the secondary power source or any other suitable power source. [0051] receiving power at the connected system sioo can additionally include storing a reset switch state prior to power supply termination in the reset memory s700, which functions to store the reset switch state prior to system power down, such that the reset switch state can be retrieved and compared after the system is powered. the reset switch state is preferably determined and initially stored when the connected system is powered, but can alternatively be determined and/or stored when the connected system is unpowered. in one example, the reset switch state can be determined and stored only when external power is supplied to the connected system. the reset switch state is preferably retained (e.g., stored) while the reset memory and/or connected system is unpowered, wherein the reset memory is preferably non-volatile memory or be volatile memory including a power source, but can alternatively be erased once the reset memory is unpowered. the reset switch state can be stored in response to the occurrence of a storage event or stored at any other suitable time. the storage event can be the satisfaction of a predetermined period of time (e.g., wherein the reset switch state is determined and/or stored at a predetermined frequency), the comparison of the instantaneous reset switch state and a prior switch state, a reset switch state change, receipt of a state storage request, the execution of a configuration routine, or be any other suitable storage event. [0052] detecting a reset trigger event s200 functions to identify when the reset or reboot routine should be executed. the reset trigger event is preferably detected by the control system, but can alternatively be detected by a dedicated trigger event detection module, or by any other suitable component. [0053] in a first variation of the method, the reset trigger event is the determination that a prior reset switch state is different from the instantaneous switch state. the determination can be made in response to detection of a reset switch state change (e.g., the pulse received from reset switch, when the system is powered), in response to a comparison between the instantaneous reset switch state and a prior reset switch state stored in the reset memory (e.g., wherein the prior reset switch state was stored a predetermined period of time beforehand, stored before the system was powered off then powered on, or stored at any other suitable time), or determined in any other suitable manner. in this variation, the method can include interrogating the reset memory for the stored reset switch state s220, determining an instantaneous reset switch state s222, and comparing the stored reset switch state and the instantaneous reset switch state s224, but can alternatively include any other suitable process. [0054] interrogating the reset memory for the stored reset switch state s220 functions to determine the prior reset switch state. the prior reset switch state can be the reset switch state before initial power supply to the system was detected, the state that the reset switch was in the last time the reset switch state was checked, or be the reset switch state at any other suitable time. the stored reset switch state is preferably retrieved or referenced from the reset memory, but can alternatively be requested (e.g., received in response to a sent request) or otherwise determined. the reset memory is preferably interrogated for the prior switch state during system initiation (e.g., power up, in response to initial power receipt, etc.), but can alternatively be interrogated in response to power receipt, at a predetermined frequency, in response to a storage trigger event, or interrogated at any other suitable time. the reset memory is preferably interrogated by the control system, but can alternatively be interrogated by any other suitable component. [0055] determining an instantaneous reset switch state s222 functions to determine the current reset switch state for comparison with the prior reset switch state. the instantaneous reset switch state is preferably determined by the control system (e.g., by interrogating the reset switch), but can alternatively be determined by any other suitable system. the instantaneous reset switch state is preferably determined from the reset switch, but can alternatively be determined (e.g., retrieved or received) from an intermediary reset switch system or from any other suitable source. in one example, the instantaneous reset switch state can be received from the reset memory, wherein the reset memory stores both the last reset switch state (e.g., instantaneous reset switch state) and the prior reset switch state. however, the instantaneous reset switch state can be otherwise determined. the instantaneous reset switch state is preferably determined during system initiation (e.g., power up, in response to initial power receipt, etc.), but can alternatively be determined in response to power receipt, at a predetermined frequency, in response to a storage trigger event, or determined at any other suitable time. [0056] comparing the stored reset switch state and the instantaneous reset switch state s224 functions to determine whether there was a change in the reset switch state. in particular, comparing the prior and instantaneous reset switch states can function to determine whether the reset switch was toggled while the connected system was unpowered. the prior and instantaneous reset switch states are preferably compared by the control system, but can alternatively be compared by the reset memory, reset switch system, or any other suitable system. the prior and instantaneous reset switch states are preferably compared during system initiation (e.g., power up, in response to initial power receipt, etc.), but can alternatively be compared in response to power receipt, at a predetermined frequency, in response to a storage trigger event, or compared at any other suitable time. comparing the prior and instantaneous reset switch states can include determining the difference between the prior and instantaneous reset switch states, estimating, measuring, noting the similarity or dissimilarity between the stored and instantaneous states, or otherwise comparing the prior and instantaneous reset switch states. [0057] the comparison can additionally function to trigger different routines. for example, a configuration routine can be initialized in response to a mismatch between the prior and current reset switch states, while a configured or normal routine can be initialized in response to a match between the prior and current reset switch states. [0058] the comparison can be power transition dependent or independent. in an example of the former, a master reset routine can be initialized in response to a mismatch between the prior and instantaneous reset switch states, wherein the prior and instantaneous reset switch states bound an initial power provision event, a restart routine can be initialized in response to mismatch between the prior and instantaneous reset switch states, wherein the prior and instantaneous reset switch states do not bound an initial power provision event, and a configured or normal routine can be initialized in response to a match between the prior and current reset switch states. in an example of the latter, a master reset routine can be initialized in response to a mismatch between the prior and instantaneous reset switch states, irrespective of whether the prior and current reset switch states bound an initial power provision event, while a configured or normal routine can be initialized in response to a match between the prior and current reset switch states. [0059] the comparison can be time- or history-independent, or be time- or history-dependent. in an example of the former, the master reset routine can be initialized each time the prior and current reset switch states differ. in an example of the latter, the master reset routine can be initialized when the prior and current reset switch states differ, in addition to the prior reset switch state remaining substantially constant for a predetermined period of time (e.g., based on timestamps associated with the prior reset switch state), while the master reset routine will not be initialized when the prior and current reset switch states differ, but the prior reset switch state had changed within the predetermined period of time. in another example of the latter, the master reset routine can be initialized in response to determination that the prior and current reset switch states differ, and that an initial power provision event occurred between the timestamps associated with the prior and current reset switch states, respectively, while a restart routine can be initialized in response to determination that the prior and current reset switch states differ, but an initial power provision event did not occur between the associated timestamps. however, the comparison can trigger any other suitable system operation. [0060] in a second variation of the method, the reset trigger event is the determination that a pattern of power provision to the connected system substantially meets a predetermined reset pattern. the power monitored for the pattern is preferably external power, but can alternatively be internal power (e.g., supplied by the secondary power source). for example, the system can determine that a system on/off pattern substantially matches a predetermined on/off pattern associated with a reset routine. the power provision is preferably monitored while the connected system is substantially continuously physically connected to the power fixture (e.g., the connection indicator indicates that the connected system is connected to the power fixture), but can alternatively be monitored when the connected system is intermittently physically connected to the power fixture (e.g., wherein the connected system is physically removed from the power fixture in between consecutive power cycle feature recordations), or monitored over any other suitable time period. this variation can include recording power transition events s242, analyzing the pattern of power transition events s244, and performing one of a set of operations based on the power transition event pattern s246, but can alternatively include any other suitable process. [0061] recording the power transition events s242 functions to monitor a feature of the power cycle (power feature pattern), and can include increasing a counter in response to detection of a rising or falling edge of a power curve, increasing a counter in response to detection of applied voltage across the system or current through the system, or monitoring the power transition events in any other suitable manner. the power transition events can be detected by the toggle detector, control system, or other system. the power transition events can be recorded by the reset memory, the control system, configuration memory, or any other suitable memory. [0062] analyzing the pattern of power transition events s244 can include comparing the recorded pattern with a predetermined pattern, overlaying the recorded pattern over a predetermined pattern, or otherwise analyzing the pattern of power transition events. a recorded pattern preferably substantially matches a predetermined pattern when the recorded pattern falls within a predetermined percentage or standard deviation of the predetermined pattern (e.g., an example of which is shown in figure 9), and does not match the predetermined pattern when the recorded pattern deviates beyond a threshold deviation from the predetermined pattern (e.g., an example of which is shown in figure 10), but can alternatively substantially match or not match the predetermined pattern in any other suitable manner. the recorded pattern can be analyzed for one or more predetermined patterns. [0063] performing one of a set of operations based on the power transition event pattern s246 can include selecting an operation from a set of predetermined operations based on the determined pattern and controlling the system to execute the selected operation, examples of which are shown in figure 13. the operation is preferably selected and/or performed by the control system, but can alternatively be selected and/or performed by any other suitable component. [0064] when the set of operations include multiple operations, a different power transition event pattern is preferably associated with each operation, wherein different power transition event patterns preferably have different pattern parameters. pattern parameters can include the duration of the pattern (e.g., how long the power transition events should be monitored for), a minimum, maximum, average, or mean duration of time between each power transition event (e.g., the duration that the external power should be supplied, the duration that the external power should be shut off, etc., such as a pattern including power provision for 30 seconds, power shutoff for 30 seconds, and power provision for 30 seconds), a power transition event frequency, a power transition event amplitude (e.g., patterns in the voltage or current magnitude supplied to the system), or include any other suitable parameter. the patterns associated with each operation can be determined by a manufacturer, received from a remote device (e.g., wherein the pattern is associated by a user), received from the external power source in response to receipt of a pattern association notification, or determined in any other suitable manner. [0065] in a first specific variation, the connected system records a pattern of intermittent external power supply to the connected system, compares the recorded pattern to a predetermined power cycling pattern, and initializes the reset routine in response to the recorded power provision pattern substantially matching the predetermined power cycling pattern. [0066] in a second specific variation, the connected system records a pattern of intermittent external power supply to the connected system. the control system initializes the reset routine in response to the recorded pattern substantially matching a first predetermined power cycling pattern, initializes a restart routine in response to the recorded pattern substantially matching a second predetermined power cycling pattern different from the first predetermined power cycling pattern, and operates the connected system in a different operation mode in response to the recorded pattern substantially matching a second predetermined power cycling pattern different from the first and second predetermined power cycling patterns. in one example, the different operation mode can be a different lighting scene wherein the light emitting elements emit light having a different parameter from that previously emitted. [0067] in a third variation, the reset or reboot trigger event can be the receipt of a notification (e.g., a reset notification, reboot notification, etc.) or other communication from a remote device. in a fourth variation, the reset or reboot trigger event can be the detection of a signal received at a sensor. for example, the trigger event can include detecting an audio pattern substantially matching a predetermined audio pattern (e.g., received at a microphone), a sound pattern substantially matching a predetermined sound pattern (e.g., received at a transducer or other sound sensor), a vibration pattern substantially matching a predetermined vibration pattern (e.g., a tapping or knocking pattern on the connected system, received at a vibration sensor), a light pattern substantially matching a predetermined light pattern, or detection of any other suitable signal input associated with the reset or reboot operation. in a fifth variation, the reset or reboot trigger event can be the detection of an error in system operation. however, the reset trigger event can be any other suitable event indicative of a request to reset the system. [0068] initiating a reset routine (configuration routine) s300 functions to perform a master reset on the system. the reset routine is preferably initiated and performed by the control system, but can alternatively be initiated and/or performed by the communication system or any other suitable component. the reset routine is preferably initiated in response to trigger event detection, but can alternatively be performed at any other suitable time. performing the reset routine can include erasing information from the connected system and initiating an initializing routine. erasing information from the connected system can include erasing all information on the device except the default settings, erasing the configuration settings from the configuration memory, or erasing any other suitable information from the system. [0069] performing the initializing routine functions to enable device connection to the connected system. the initializing routine is preferably performed by the control system, but can alternatively be performed by any other suitable component. the initializing routine can be automatically performed in response to determination that the prior reset switch position differs from the instantaneous reset switch position, in response to determination that the power cycling pattern substantially matches a predetermined pattern, performed as part of the configuration routine, performed in response to determination that no configuration settings are stored, performed in response to power provision to the connected system after the configuration settings have been erased, or be performed at any other suitable time. performing the initializing routine preferably includes operating the system based on the default settings stored by the system, but can alternatively or additionally include retrieving default settings from a remote system (e.g., remote server system) and operating the system based on the retrieved settings, or operating the system in any other suitable manner. [0070] in one variation, performing the initializing routine includes broadcasting a default system identifier and/or credentials, receiving a connection request from a remote device (e.g., secondary remote device, such as a user device), wherein the connection request can include the broadcast information (e.g., default system identifier and/or credentials), verifying the received information, sending a connection verification to a remote device, wherein the remote device can be the remote device from which the connection request was received or a different remote device, receiving a set of configuration settings, and storing the set of configuration settings. the set of configuration settings can include a set of remote device identifiers and respective credentials, wherein the set of remote device identifiers and respective credentials are preferably primary remote device identifiers and credentials, but can alternatively be secondary remote device identifiers, secondary remote device credentials, secondary connected system identifiers, secondary connected system credentials, and/or be any other suitable set of configuration settings. the configuration settings are preferably received after the connection verification is sent, wherein the remote device receives the connection verification and prompts the user for configuration setting entry. alternatively, the remote device can automatically determine the configuration settings (e.g., retrieve the configuration settings from remote device memory) and send the configuration settings to the connected system. however, the configuration settings can be otherwise obtained. [0071] performing the initializing routine can additionally include providing a visual or audio indicator to a user s320, which functions to notify the user that the connected system is undergoing an initializing routine. in one example, the visual indicator can include controlling the light emitting elements to display a reset notification sequence including predetermined light pattern (e.g., red, green, blue, white). in a second example, the audio indicator can include controlling a speaker to emit a predetermined tone or set of tones. in a third example, the connected system can broadcast a reset notification to remote devices. however, the system can be initialized in any other suitable manner. [0072] the method can additionally include operating the connected system based on the configuration settings s400, which functions to operate the connected system based on user preferences. the connected system is preferably operated based on the configuration settings (e.g., in the normal mode) by the control system, but can alternatively be performed by any other suitable component. the connected system can be automatically operated based on the configuration settings in response to determination that the trigger event has not occurred, but can be operated based on the configuration settings at any other suitable time. the connected system can be operated based on the configuration settings in response to determination that the prior reset switch position substantially matches the instantaneous reset switch position, in response to determination that the power cycling pattern differs from a predetermined pattern, in response to determination that configuration settings are stored by the connected system, in response to power provision to the connected system, in response to determination of a trigger event non-occurrence, or operated in the normal mode at any other suitable time. operating the connected system based on the configuration settings can include operating the connected system according to the configuration settings (e.g., operating the light emitting elements according to instructions or parameter settings stored in the configuration settings), operating the connected system using the configuration settings (e.g., connecting to a remote device using an identifier and credentials stored in the configuration settings), or operating the connected system based on the configuration settings in any other suitable manner. [0073] in one example, operating the lighting system based on the configuration settings s400 can include retrieving operating instructions from the configuration settings and controlling the light emitting elements according to the operating instructions. [0074] in a second example, as shown in figure 12, operating the lighting system based on the configuration settings s400 can include connecting the connected system to a remote device (e.g., primary remote device or secondary remote device) using the respective remote device identifier and credentials (e.g., encryption keys) stored in the configuration settings, receiving operating instructions from the remote device s800, and controlling system operation based on the operating instructions s900. this method can be performed by the control system using the communication system, or be performed by any other suitable component. the connected system can simultaneously connect to a single remote device, multiple remote devices, or any suitable number of remote devices. controlling system operation based on the operating instructions can include controlling light emitting element operation (e.g., controlling the emitted light parameters), controlling communication system operation (e.g., controlling which remote devices the system connects to, communication system connection permissions, etc.), controlling data processing (e.g., controlling data compression, encryption, transmission channels, endpoints, etc.), or controlling any other suitable aspect of connected system operation based on the information received from the remote device. a second set of configuration settings can additionally or alternatively be received from the remote device, wherein the second set of configuration settings can overwrite the first set of configuration settings or be stored with the first set of configuration settings. [0075] in a first specific example, operating the lighting system based on the configuration settings can include connecting the connected system to a wireless router using credentials stored in the configuration settings, receiving operation instructions from one or more secondary remote devices connected to the network supported by the wireless router, and controlling the set of light emitting elements or any other suitable output based on the operation instructions. the operation instructions can be directly received from the secondary remote devices connected to the network, or can be indirectly received from the secondary remote devices connected to the network through the router. the operation instructions can be sent by the secondary remote devices to the primary remote device (the router) in association with a connected system identifier identifying the connected system and/or with connected system credentials associated with the connected system. alternatively, the operation instructions can be or sent to the primary remote device without identifiers, credentials, or other information associated with the connected system. the primary remote device preferably sends the operation instructions to the connected system identified by the connected system identifier or associated with the connected system credentials, but can alternatively broadcast the operation instructions to the set of connected systems connected to the primary remote device, wherein the connected system associated with the identifier or credentials can receive and unpack the operation instructions, retrieve the operation instructions from the source secondary remote device, or otherwise obtain the operation instructions. however, the connected system can be otherwise operated based on the configuration settings. [0076] the method can additionally include receiving the set of configuration settings s500. the set of configuration settings are preferably received and stored prior to system operation based on the configuration settings, as part of the configuration routine or initialization routine, but can alternatively be received at any other suitable time. the configuration settings are preferably only received when the connected system is powered (e.g., is receiving external power, is powered by the internal power source, etc.), but can alternatively or additionally be received when the connected system is unpowered. the configuration settings are preferably received from a remote device, but can alternatively be received from a second connected device or from any other suitable source. in one variation, the configuration settings are received from a remote device different from the remote device to which the configuration settings provide access. in one example, the configuration settings can be a network identifier and password for a router, and can be received from a user device different from the router. alternatively, the configuration settings can be received from the same remote device to which the configuration settings provide access. alternatively, the configuration settings can be received and stored in lieu of the default credentials for the connected system. however, the configuration settings can be received in any other suitable manner. [0077] the method can additionally include storing the configuration settings s600. the configuration settings are preferably stored in configuration memory, more preferably non-volatile configuration memory, but can alternatively be stored in volatile configuration memory, the reset memory, a remote system (e.g., a remote server system), or stored in any other suitable storage system. the configuration settings are preferably retained while the connected system is unpowered (e.g., when the connected system is removed from external power), but can alternatively be erased when the connected system is unpowered. [0078] the method can additionally include storing default settings. the default settings are preferably stored in configuration memory, more preferably non-volatile configuration memory, but can alternatively be stored in volatile configuration memory, the reset memory, a remote system (e.g., a remote server system), or stored in any other suitable storage system. the default settings are preferably retained while the connected system is unpowered (e.g., when the connected system is removed from external power), but can alternatively be erased when the connected system is unpowered. the default settings can include a default identifier for the connected system, default credentials for the connected system (e.g., default passwords, encryption keys, etc.), default operation settings or parameters, the initialization routine, the configuration routine, performance maps, operating system, and/or any other suitable default operation. the default settings are preferably determined and stored on the connected system by a manufacturer, but can alternatively be determined and/or stored by a user or by any other suitable entity. [0079] in a first example of the controlling the system based on the stored configuration settings, the method includes controlling a wireless communication module to connect to a wireless router, wherein the remote device comprises the wireless router; receiving operating instructions from the wireless router at the wireless communication module and/or control system, wherein the instructions were received by the wireless router from a second remote device different from the wireless router; and controlling the operation parameters of a light emitting element based on the operation instructions. [0080] in a second example of the controlling the system based on the stored configuration settings, the method includes receiving a connection request form a secondary remote device including a set of credentials, verifying the credentials with a set of credentials stored in the configuration settings, permitting the secondary remote device to connect to the communication system and/or control system, receiving operation instructions from the connected secondary remote device, and controlling the operation parameters of a light emitting element based on the operation instructions. however, the system can be otherwise controlled based on the stored configuration settings. [0081] an alternative embodiment preferably implements the above methods in a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. the instructions are preferably executed by computer-executable components preferably integrated with a lighting system. the lighting system can include a reset system including a reset switch coupled to non-volatile reset memory configured to record the reset switch state after an initialization check has been performed in response to a lighting system power-on event, non-volatile configuration memory configured to store configuration settings received from a remote device and default settings, a control system configured to perform an initialization check in response to a lighting system power-on event, the initialization checking including determining whether the reset switch position is the same as the stored position, erasing the stored configuration settings if the reset switch position is different from the stored position, and operating the lighting system based on the configuration settings if the reset switch position is similar to or the same as the stored position. the computer-readable medium can be stored on any suitable computer readable media such as rams, roms, flash memory, eeproms, optical devices (cd or dvd), hard drives, floppy drives, or any suitable device. the computer-executable component is preferably a processor but the instructions may alternatively or additionally be executed by any suitable dedicated hardware device. [0082] although omitted for conciseness, the preferred embodiments include every combination and permutation of the various system components and the various method processes. [0083] as a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention defined in the following claims.
072-224-835-008-92X	US	[ "US" ]	E02F5/10	1983-03-11T00:00:00	1983	[ "E02" ]	vibratory plow assembly	a vibratory plow assembly which eliminates the need for elastic torque cushioning elements. the plow assembly includes a vertically extending support frame and a vertically extending shaker frame having an elongated plow blade attached thereto with an oscillating mechanism supported on the shaker frame for reciprocating the shaker frame and plow blade. the support and shaker frames are interconnected adjacent their upper ends by conventional connecting links. the lower ends of the support and shaker frames are interconnected by a generally planar, horizontally disposed, spring plate member which is fixedly attached to the support frame at one end and is secured to the bottom of the shaker frame at its opposite end. the spring plate member withstands the loading imposed upon it by the shaker frame and plow blade while being flexible to deflect vertically thereby permitting the vibratory motion from the oscillating mechanism to be transmitted to the plow blade. further, the vibratory movement imparted to the shaker frame by the oscillating mechanism is also transmitted to the spring plate member which results in a reinforcement or prolongation of the vibratory movement imparted to the plow blade.	1. a plow assembly for laying an elongated flexible element such as a cable in the slot cut by the plow in the ground, comprising: a vertically extending support frame adapted to be connected to a vehicle, a vertically extending generally c-shaped shaker frame having an elongated plow blade attached thereto and an oscillating mechanism supported on said shaker frame for vertically reciprocating said shaker frame and plow blade, said support frame being spaced from and generally parallel to said shaker frame, means for suspending said generally c-shaped shaker frame from said support frame, said suspending means consisting of links connecting the upper end of said shaker frame to the upper end of said support frame with each link being pivotally attached at one end to said shaker frame and pivotally attached at its opposite end to said support frame, said suspending means further consisting of a generally planar, horizontally disposed, spring plate member which interconnects the lower end of said shaker frame to the lower end of said support frame, and said spring plate member being fixedly attached at one end to the bottom of said support frame and being secured at its other end to the bottom of said generally c-shaped shaker frame whereby said support frame restrains one end of said spring plate member during vertical vibratory movement of said shaker frame on the opposite end of said plate member such that the vibrational movement imparted to said shaker frame by said oscillating mechanism being transmitted to said spring plate member for reinforcing or prolonging the vibratory movement imparted to said plow blade. 2. the plow assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring plate member including recesses in its opposite ends for adjusting the amplitude of the vibratory movement imparted to said spring plate member.	background of the invention plows of the type disclosed herein having an elongated vertical blade have been utilized for several years to lay cable, flexible pipe, etc. the cable or pipe may either be pulled through the cut of the plow blade or a cable chute may be provided on the trailing edge of the blade which guides the cable into the ground from a drum mounted on the prime mover. more recently, various types of vibrators have been mounted on the plow blade or the supporting frame which effectively reduces the drawbar pull or force required to pull the blade through the ground, such as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 3,363,423. vibration of the blade of a cable laying plow results in several advantages including less ground disturbance, faster cable laying installation, etc. following the development of vibratory cable laying plows, several improvements have been made, particularly relating to isolation of the vibrating blade. for example, u.s. pat. no. 3,618,237 discloses a frame support for a cable laying plow having torque cushioning elements which absorb the reciprocable motion of the support and substantially isolate the frame from the supporting structure. while it is desirable that the vibrator be isolated from the tractor or prime mover, these torque cushioning elements add significantly to the expense and complexity of the frame support. the vibratory cable plow suspension of the present invention provides a relatively simple and inexpensive support for the vibratory blade and eliminates the requirement for torque cushioning elements to isolate the vibrator from the prime mover. summary of the invention the vibratory cable laying assembly of the present invention includes a flat, elongated blade having a vertical ground slitting edge at the forward end thereof. the blade has a cable guide supported thereon for receiving a cable which is continuously fed into and along the bottom of a ground slit formed by the blade. the blade is fixedly supported to a shaker frame having a power driven oscillating mechanism supported thereon for reciprocating the blade vertically between upper and lower limits. the blade, shaker frame, and oscillating mechanism are suspended and adjustably secured to a swing frame on a prime mover, such as a conventional tractor. the swing and shaker frames are interconnected adjacent the upper ends thereof by a pair of opposed connecting links. the lower ends of the swing frame and shaker frame are interconnected by a generally rectangular shaped, tempered, spring plate. the spring plate withstands the loading imposed upon it by the shaker frame and plow blade while being flexible to deflect vertically thereby permitting the vibratory motion from the oscillating mechanism to be transmitted to the plow blade. thus, the spring plate provides suspension for the entire shaker assembly including the shaker frame, oscillating mechanism, and plow blade. in operation, the swing frame and tractor act as a stationary support or restraint for one end of the spring plate during the vertical vibratory movement of the shaker frame on the opposite, unrestrained end of the spring plate. the shaker frame sits on the cantilevered, unrestrained end of the spring plate and the vibrational movement imparted to the shaker frame by the oscillating mechanism is also transmitted to the spring plate. this results in a reinforcement or prolongation of the vibratory movement imparted to the plow blade because the spring plate resonates or undulates thereby increasing the efficiency, duration and movement of the plow blade vibratory cutting action. the amplitude of the resonance or undulation created within the spring plate may be adjusted by forming recesses in the opposite ends of the plate to adjust the amplitude of the oscillating motion. thus, the present invention provides for the elimination of the elastic torque cushioning elements that have heretofore formed the connection between the opposite ends of the links between the shaker frame and swing frame thereby providing a relatively simple and inexpensive construction. further, the spring plate accentuates the vibratory reciprocal motion of the shaker frame thereby providing for increased efficiency, duration and movement of the plow blade cutting action. other advantages and meritorious features of the vibratory cable plow suspension of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment, the appended claims, and the drawing, a brief description of which follows. brief description of drawing fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tractor and vibratory cable laying plow having the suspension system of the present invention. fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the vibratory cable plow suspension. fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spring plate. fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring plate with recesses in its opposite ends to adjust the amplitude of oscillating motion. detailed description of the invention referring to fig. 1, a cable laying implement 10 is shown supported on a tractor 12. the underground cable laying implement 10 includes a flat, elongated blade 14 having a vertical ground slitting edge at the forward end thereof. blade 14 has a cable guide 16 supported thereon for receiving a cable (not shown) which is continuously fed into and along the bottom of the ground slit formed by blade 14, as is conventional. the upper end of blade 14 is fixedly supported to a generally c-shaped shaker frame 18 by pins 20. shaker frame 18 has a power driven oscillating mechanism 22 supported thereon for reciprocating blade 14 vertically between upper and lower limits. blade 14, cable guide 16, shaker frame 18 and oscillating mechanism 22 are suspended and adjustably secured to a swing frame 24 on tractor 12. the vertically extending swing and shaker frames 18 and 24 are interconnected adjacent the upper ends thereof by a pair of opposed connecting links 26. each link 26 has one end supported on swing frame 24 by pivot pin 28 and an opposite end supported on shaker frame 18 by pivot pin 30. the lower ends of the swing frame 24 and shaker frame 18 are interconnected by spring plate 32 which is attached to frames 24 and 18 by fastening members 34 that pass through openings 36 adjacent the corners of plate 32. referring to fig. 3, spring plate 32 is generally rectangular in shape and is tempered such that it will withstand the loading imposed upon it by the shaker frame 18 and plow blade 14 while being flexible to deflect vertically thereby permitting the vibratory motion from oscillating mechanism 22 to be transmitted to plow blade 14. thus, plate 32 provides a spring suspension for the entire shaker assembly including frame 18, oscillating mechanism 22 and plow blade 14. in operation, frame 24 acts as a stationary support or restraint for one end of the spring plate 32 during the vertical vibratory movement of shaker frame 18 on the opposite unrestrained end of plate 32. shaker frame 18 sits on the cantilevered, unrestrained end of spring plate 32 and the vibrational movement imparted to shaker frame 18 by oscillating mechanism 22 is also transmitted to spring plate 32. this results in a reinforcement or prolongation of the vibratory movement imparted to plow blade 14 because spring plate 32 resonates or undulates thereby increasing the efficiency, movement and duration of the plow blade vibratory cutting action. referring to fig. 4, the amplitude of the resonance or undulation created within spring plate 32 may be adjusted by forming recesses 38 in the opposite ends of plate 32 to adjust the amplitude of the oscillating motion. thus, the present invention provides for the elimination of the elastic torque cushioning elements that have heretofore formed the connection between the opposite ends of the links between shaker frame 18 and swing frame 24 thereby providing a relatively simple and inexpensive construction. further, the spring plate 32 accentuates the vibratory reciprocal motion of shaker frame 18 thereby providing for increased efficiency, movement and duration of the plow blade cutting action. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing disclosure is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting, the invention being limited only by the appended claims.
073-175-998-752-962	JP	[ "EP", "DE", "US", "CN", "WO", "JP" ]	B41J2/175,B41J2/165,B41J29/393,B41J2/195	2010-01-29T00:00:00	2010	[ "B41" ]	ink cartridge, recording device, and method for controlling recording device	an ink cartridge includes: an ink accommodating unit; and a storing unit. the ink accommodating unit is configured to accommodate ink therein. the storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within a mounting unit in a recording device, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit.	1 . an ink cartridge, comprising: an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; and a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within a mounting unit in a recording device, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit. 2 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the length of time is defined dependently on an amount of ink accommodated in the ink accommodating unit. 3 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a detecting unit that is configured to detect that the ink cartridge is located at the second position. 4 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising: an ink delivery path that is in fluid communication with the ink accommodating unit; and a valve that is provided in the ink delivery path and that is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state; wherein the detecting unit detects that the valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state. 5 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a first detecting unit that is configured to detect that the ink cartridge is located at the first position; and a second detecting unit that is configured to detect that the ink cartridge is located at the second position. 6 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising: an ink delivery path that is in fluid communication with the ink accommodating unit at one end and that has an ink delivery opening at another end; a first valve that is provided in the another end of the ink delivery path and that is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state; and a second valve that is provided in the ink delivery path at a location between the one end and the another end and that is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state; wherein the first detecting unit detects that the first valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state, and the second detecting unit detects that the second valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state. 7 . a recording device, comprising: a recording head that is configured so as to eject ink therefrom; an ink cartridge that has an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; a mounting unit, in which the ink cartridge is mounted; a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within the mounting unit, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit; a first detecting unit that is configured to output a first detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the first position; a second detecting unit that is configured to output a second detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the second position; a calculating unit that calculates a length of time taken by the ink cartridge to move from the first position to the second position based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal; a comparing unit that compares the calculated length of time with the length of time indicated by the time length data; an ink discharging unit that is configured to forcibly eject ink from the recording head; and a control unit that controls the ink discharging unit based on a comparing result by the comparing unit. 8 . a recording device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the ink cartridge further comprises: an ink delivery path that is in fluid communication with the ink accommodating unit at one end and that has an ink delivery opening at another end; and a moving body that is provided movable in the ink delivery path, the moving body being configured so as to be movable by being pushed by a hollow tube, the hollow tube being configured to enter the ink delivery path from the ink delivery opening to take up ink, wherein the first detecting unit is provided within the mounting unit and is configured to detect that the ink cartridge is located at the first position by contacting the ink cartridge that is being mounted in the mounting unit, and wherein the second detecting unit is provided within the ink cartridge and is configured to detect that the moving body is located at a predetermined position within the ink delivery path. 9 . a recording device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the storing unit further stores ink amount data indicative of an amount of ink stored in the ink accommodating unit, wherein the recording device further comprises an overwriting unit that overwrites the ink amount data based on an amount of ink expended from the ink accommodating unit, wherein the storing unit stores a plurality of sets of time length data in accordance with a plurality of different ink amount ranges, and wherein the comparing unit compares the calculated length of time with a time length indicated by one set of time length data that corresponds to an ink amount range, in which an ink amount indicated by the ink amount data falls. 10 . a recording device as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising an ink supplying path that is configured to supply ink from the ink cartridge to the recording head, a subsidiary tank being provided in the ink supplying path, the subsidiary tank being configured to store ink supplied from the ink cartridge, wherein the ink discharging unit includes an ink forcibly supplying unit that is configured to forcibly supply ink from the subsidiary tank to the recording head, and wherein the control unit determines whether or not to drive the ink forcibly supplying unit based on the comparing result by the comparing unit. 11 . a method for controlling a recording device, the recording device comprising: a recording head that is configured so as to eject ink therefrom; an ink cartridge that has an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; a mounting unit, in which the ink cartridge is mounted; a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within the mounting unit, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit; a first detecting unit that is configured to output a first detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the first position; a second detecting unit that is configured to output a second detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the second position; and an ink discharging unit that is configured to forcibly eject ink from the recording head, the method comprising: calculating a length of time taken by the ink cartridge to move from the first position to the second position based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal; comparing the calculated length of time with the length of time indicated by the time length data; and controlling the ink discharging unit based on a comparing result by the comparing unit. 12 . the method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising judging whether the time length data is read from the storing unit, and notifying an error when it is judged that the time length data is not read from the storing unit. 13 . an ink cartridge, comprising: a casing; an ink accommodating unit that is provided in the casing; a first moving body that is provided in the casing and that is movable relative to the casing; a second moving body that is provided in the casing and that is movable relative to the casing; a first detecting unit that is configured to detect that the first moving body is located at a first relative position relative to the casing; a second detecting unit that is configured to detect that the second moving body is located at a second relative position relative to the casing; and a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time defined from when the first moving body reaches the first relative position and until when the second moving body reaches the second relative position. 14 . an ink cartridge, comprising: an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; an ink delivery path that is in fluid communication with the ink accommodating unit at one end and that has an ink delivery opening at another end; a first valve that is provided in the another end of the ink delivery path and that is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state; a second valve that is provided in the ink delivery path between the one end and the another end and that is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state; a first detecting unit that is configured to detect whether the first valve is in the opened state or the closed state; a second detecting unit that is configured to detect whether the first valve is in the opened state or the closed state; and a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time defined from when the first valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state and until when the second valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state. 15 . an ink cartridge, comprising: an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; and a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move for a predetermined distance. 16 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the storing unit stores, in correspondence with the time length data, data indicative of whether or not it is necessary to perform an ink forcibly ejecting operation to forcibly eject ink from a recording head, to which ink is supplied from the ink accommodating unit. 17 . the ink cartridge as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the storing unit stores, in correspondence with the time length data, ink flowing amount data indicative of an amount of ink flowing out of the ink accommodating unit.	cross reference to related application this application claims priority from japanese patent application no. 2010-019332 filed jan. 29, 2010. the entire content of each of these priority applications is incorporated herein by reference. technical field the present invention relates to an ink cartridge, a recording device, and a method for controlling a recording device. background a conventional ink cartridge houses an ink bag. a valve is attached to the ink bag for controlling the supply of ink to a recording device. when the user mounts the ink cartridge into the recording device, an ink supply needle provided in the recording device opens the ink bag valve, allowing ink in the ink bag to be supplied to the recording device through the ink supply needle. there is another conventional inkjet printer, in which a subsidiary tank is provided between a main tank and an inkjet head. the subsidiary tank is for separating air from ink and for generating a desired pressure head difference between the inkjet head and the subsidiary tank. summary however, if the user mounts the conventional ink cartridge into a recording device quickly or abruptly, there occurs a sudden deceleration in the ink cartridge from a point during the mounting motion (while the ink cartridge is moving at a high velocity) to the point that mounting is completed (when the ink cartridge has come to a halt). such a great deceleration of the ink cartridge applies a large force to the ink accommodated in the ink bag, producing a large change in ink pressure. this change in pressure is transmitted to the recording head, breaking the meniscus formed in nozzles formed in the recording head and, hence, allowing ink to leak from the nozzles. if printing is resumed in this state, the recording head may not attain desired ink ejection characteristics. in addition, if the subsidiary tank is provided between the inkjet print head and an ink cartridge, such a great deceleration of the ink cartridge may cause ink to flow from the ink cartridge into the subsidiary tank. the height of the liquid surface of the ink in the subsidiary tank may change and the pressure head difference between the subsidiary tank and the inkjet head will go beyond a desirable range. the negative pressure applied to ink within the nozzles will go beyond a desirable range. if printing is resumed in this state, the recording head may not attain desired ink ejection characteristics. in view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge, a recording device, and a method for controlling a recording device, which are capable of maintaining desirable ink ejection characteristics. in order to attain the above and other objects, the present invention provides an ink cartridge, including: an ink accommodating unit; and a storing unit. the ink accommodating unit is configured to accommodate ink therein. the storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within a mounting unit in a recording device, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit. according to another aspect, the present invention provides a recording device, including: a recording head; an ink cartridge; a mounting unit; a storing unit; a first detecting unit; a second detecting unit; a calculating unit; a comparing unit; an ink discharging unit; and a control unit. the recording head is configured so as to eject ink therefrom. the ink cartridge has an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein. the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit. the storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within the mounting unit, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit. the first detecting unit is configured to output a first detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the first position. the second detecting unit is configured to output a second detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the second position. the calculating unit calculates a length of time taken by the ink cartridge to move from the first position to the second position based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal. the comparing unit compares the calculated length of time with the length of time indicated by the time length data. the ink discharging unit is configured to forcibly eject ink from the recording head. the control unit controls the ink discharging unit based on a comparing result by the comparing unit. according to another aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a recording device, the recording device including: a recording head that is configured so as to eject ink therefrom; an ink cartridge that has an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; a mounting unit, in which the ink cartridge is mounted; a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move from a first position to a second position different from the first position, the first position and the second position being defined within the mounting unit, the ink cartridge reaching the first position before reaching the second position when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit; a first detecting unit that is configured to output a first detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the first position; a second detecting unit that is configured to output a second detection signal upon detecting that the ink cartridge is located at the second position; and an ink discharging unit that is configured to forcibly eject ink from the recording head. the method includes: calculating a length of time taken by the ink cartridge to move from the first position to the second position based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal; comparing the calculated length of time with the length of time indicated by the time length data; and controlling the ink discharging unit based on a comparing result by the comparing unit. according to another aspect, the present invention provides an ink cartridge, including: a casing; an ink accommodating unit; a first moving body; a second moving body; a first detecting unit; a second detecting unit; and a storing unit. the ink accommodating unit is provided in the casing. the first moving body is provided in the casing and is movable relative to the casing. the second moving body is provided in the casing and is movable relative to the casing. the first detecting unit is configured to detect that the first moving body is located at a first relative position relative to the casing. the second detecting unit is configured to detect that the second moving body is located at a second relative position relative to the casing. the storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time defined from when the first moving body reaches the first relative position and until when the second moving body reaches the second relative position. according to another aspect, the present invention provides an ink cartridge, including: an ink accommodating unit; an ink delivery path; a first valve; a second valve; a first detecting unit; a second detecting unit; and a storing unit. the ink accommodating unit is configured to accommodate ink therein. the ink delivery path is in fluid communication with the ink accommodating unit at one end and has an ink delivery opening at another end. the first valve is provided in the another end of the ink delivery path and is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state. the second valve is provided in the ink delivery path between the one end and the another end and is configured so as to be capable of being switched between an opened state and a closed state. the first detecting unit is configured to detect whether the first valve is in the opened state or the closed state. the second detecting unit is configured to detect whether the first valve is in the opened state or the closed state. the storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time defined from when the first valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state and until when the second valve is switched from the closed state to the opened state. according to another aspect, the present invention provides an ink cartridge, including: an ink accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate ink therein; and a storing unit that is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by the ink cartridge to move for a predetermined distance. brief description of the drawings in the drawings: fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2( a ) is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the inkjet printer in fig. 1 , in which inkjet heads are in a printing position; fig. 2( b ) is a schematic diagram showing an ink supplying system of the inkjet printer in fig. 1 ; figs. 3( a ) and 3 ( b ) are perspective views of a maintenance unit, in which fig. 3( a ) shows the configuration of caps and an inner frame part of the maintenance unit, and fig. 3( b ) shows an outer frame of the maintenance unit; figs. 4( a )- 4 ( c ) are partial side views of the inkjet printer for illustrating a capping operation, wherein fig. 4( a ) shows the state where the inkjet heads are moved from a printing position to a retracted position, while caps are in an initial position, fig. 4( b ) shows the state where the caps are moved in a sub scanning direction to be in confrontation with ejection surfaces of the inkjet heads, and fig. 4( c ) shows the state where the caps are moved to a capping position covering the ejection surfaces of the inkjet heads; fig. 5 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the ink cartridge in fig. 5 ; fig. 7( a ) is a partial cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge when first and second valves are closed; fig. 7( b ) is a partial cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge when the first and second valves are open; fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the inkjet printer and ink cartridge; figs. 9( a ) and 9 ( b ) are partial cross-sectional views showing the state how the ink cartridge is mounted in a mounting unit of the printer, wherein fig. 9( b ) shows the state prior to when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit, and fig. 9( b ) shows the state how the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit; fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a control process performed by controllers in the inkjet printer and the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit of the printer; fig. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an ink supplying system of an inkjet printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention; fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a control process performed by controllers in the inkjet printer and the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit of the printer; and fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of an inkjet printer and an ink cartridge according to a modification. detailed description next, embodiments of the present invention will be described while referring to the accompanying drawings. first embodiment in a first embodiment of the present invention, the recording device is an inkjet printer 1 (recording device). as shown in fig. 1 , the inkjet printer 1 has a casing 1 a formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. three openings 10 d , 10 b , and 10 c are formed in order from top to bottom in the front surface of the casing 1 a (the surface on the near side in fig. 1 ). doors 1 d and 1 c are disposed in the openings 10 d and 10 c , respectively, so as to be flush with the front surface of the casing 1 a . the doors 1 d and 1 c can be opened and closed about a horizontal axis passing through their respective lower edges. a paper supply unit 1 b is inserted into the opening 10 b . a paper discharging unit 11 is provided on the top of the casing 1 a . the door 1 d is disposed on the same level vertically as a conveying unit 21 described later, facing the conveying unit 21 in a main scanning direction of the inkjet printer 1 (toward the far side in fig. 1 ). next, the internal structure of the inkjet printer 1 will be described with reference to figs. 2( a ) and 2 ( b ). as shown in fig. 2( a ), the interior of the casing 1 a is partitioned into three spaces g 1 -g 3 in order from top to bottom. within the space g 1 are disposed four inkjet heads 2 (recording heads) that eject ink droplets in the respective colors magenta, cyan, yellow, and black; a maintenance unit 30 (ink discharging unit), and the conveying unit 21 . the paper supply unit 1 b is disposed in the space g 2 , and four ink cartridges 40 are disposed in the space g 3 . the paper supply unit 1 b and the four ink cartridges 40 are mounted in and removed from the casing 1 a along the main scanning direction (the direction orthogonal to the surface of the paper in fig. 2( a )). in the embodiment, a sub scanning direction is a direction in which a sheet p is conveyed by the conveying unit 21 , while the main scanning direction is a horizontal direction orthogonal to the sub scanning direction. the inkjet printer 1 is further provided with a controller 100 that controls the paper supply unit 1 b , maintenance unit 30 , conveying unit 21 , and inkjet heads 2 . the four inkjet heads 2 are supported in the casing 1 a by means of a frame 3 and are juxtaposed in the sub scanning direction. each inkjet head 2 is elongated in the main scanning direction. in other words, the inkjet printer 1 of the embodiment is a line-type color inkjet printer. an elevating mechanism (not shown) is also provided for moving the frame 3 vertically within the casing 1 a . the controller 100 controls the elevating mechanism to move the inkjet heads 2 mounted in the frame 3 between a printing position (the position shown in fig. 2( a )) and a retracted position (see fig. 4( a )) higher than the printing position. each inkjet head 2 has a laminated body formed by bonding a channel unit and a plurality of actuators (both not shown in the drawings) together. the channel unit has a plurality of ink channels and a plurality of pressure chambers formed therein, and the actuators apply pressure to ink in the pressure chambers. the bottom surface of each inkjet head 2 is an ejection surface 2 a . a plurality of ejection holes (not shown) for ejecting ink droplets from the plurality of pressure chambers are formed in each ejection surface 2 a. the bold arrows in fig. 2( a ) indicate a paper-conveying path formed in the inkjet printer 1 along which sheets p are conveyed from the paper supply unit 1 b to the paper discharging unit 11 . the paper supply unit 1 b includes a paper tray 23 capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets p, and a feeding roller 25 mounted on the paper tray 23 . when a drive force is applied to the feeding roller 25 by a feeding motor (not shown) controlled by the controller 100 , the feeding roller 25 feeds the topmost sheet p accommodated in the paper tray 23 . the sheet p fed by the feeding roller 25 is guided along guides 27 a and 27 b , and a pair of conveying rollers 26 grip and convey the sheet p to the conveying unit 21 . as shown in fig. 2( a ), the conveying unit 21 includes two belt rollers 6 and 7 and an endless conveying belt 8 looped around both belt rollers 6 and 7 and stretched taut therebetween. the belt roller 7 is a drive roller that is rotated clockwise in fig. 2( a ) when the controller 100 controls a conveying motor (not shown) to apply a drive force to a shaft of the belt roller 7 . the belt roller 6 is a follow roller that also rotates clockwise in fig. 2( a ) when the conveying belt 8 is circulated by the rotating belt roller 7 . an outer surface 8 a of the conveying belt 8 is coated with silicone to give the outer surface 8 a tackiness. a nip roller 4 is disposed along the paper-conveying path at a position confronting the belt roller 6 through the conveying belt 8 . the nip roller 4 holds the sheet p conveyed from the paper supply unit 1 b against the outer surface 8 a of the conveying belt 8 . once pressed against the outer surface 8 a , the sheet p is conveyed rightward in fig. 2( a ) (in the paper-conveying direction) while being held on the outer surface 8 a by the tacky coating. a separating plate 5 is also disposed on the paper-conveying path at a position opposing the belt roller 7 through the conveying belt 8 . the separating plate 5 functions to separate the sheet p from the outer surface 8 a of the conveying belt 8 . once separated, the sheet p is guided toward pairs of conveying rollers 28 by guides 29 a and 29 b , and the conveying rollers 28 grip and discharge the sheet p onto the paper discharging unit 11 through an opening 12 formed in the top of the casing 1 a . a feeding motor (not shown) controlled by the controller 100 applies a drive force to one of the conveying rollers 28 in each pair. a platen 19 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is disposed within the loop of the conveying belt 8 at a position opposite the four inkjet heads 2 . the top surface of the platen 19 contacts the inner surface of the conveying belt 8 on the upper portion of the loop and supports this upper loop portion from the inner surface of the conveying belt 8 . accordingly, the outer surface 8 a on the upper loop portion of the conveying belt 8 is maintained parallel and opposite the ejection surfaces 2 a , with a slight gap formed between the ejection surfaces 2 a and the outer surface 8 a . this gap constitutes part of the paper-conveying path. as a sheet p held on the outer surface 8 a of the conveying belt 8 is conveyed directly beneath the four inkjet heads 2 in sequence, the inkjet heads 2 are controlled by the controller 100 to eject ink droplets of their respective colors onto the top surface of the sheet p, thereby forming a desired color image on the sheet p. of the four ink cartridges 40 , the leftmost ink cartridge 40 shown in fig. 2( a ) stores black ink. as shown in fig. 2( a ), the leftmost ink cartridge 40 has a larger dimension in the sub scanning direction than the other three ink cartridges 40 and, hence, a greater ink capacity than the other three ink cartridges 40 . the remaining three ink cartridges 40 possess an identical ink capacity and store ink in the colors magenta, cyan, and yellow, respectively. to replace one of the ink cartridges 40 , the operator opens the door 1 c on the casing 1 a , removes the ink cartridge 40 from the printer body, and mounts a new ink cartridge 40 in the printer body. although the ink cartridges 40 are mounted individually in the printer body in the embodiment, the four ink cartridges 40 may instead be placed in a single cartridge tray to form an ink unit, and the entire ink unit can be mounted in the printer body. next will be described ink supplying systems provided in the inkjet printer 1 . four ink supplying systems are provided for the four inkjet print heads 2 , respectively. the ink supplying systems have the same configurations with one another. one of the ink supplying systems will be described below while referring to fig. 2( b ), but the following description is in common to the other ink supplying systems. as shown in fig. 2( b ), in each ink supplying system, one inkjet head 2 is connected via a flexible tube 102 (ink supplying path) to one ink supply channel 154 described later (see fig. 9( a )). the ink channels formed in the inkjet head 2 are in fluid communication with the flexible tube 102 . a pump 104 (ink discharging unit, ink forcibly supplying unit) is provided in the midway portion of the tube 102 connecting the inkjet head 2 and the ink supply channel 154 . when one ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the body of the printer (the casing 1 a ), the ink cartridge 40 is connected to one ink supply channel 154 so that ink can be supplied from the ink cartridge 40 to the corresponding inkjet head 2 . the pump 104 is controlled by the controller 100 to forcibly supply ink from the ink cartridge 40 to the inkjet head 2 . this pump 104 is included in a maintenance unit 30 to be described later. as shown in fig. 2( a ), the maintenance unit 30 is provided between the four inkjet heads 2 and the conveying unit 21 . the maintenance unit 30 functions to resolve ejection failures in the inkjet heads 2 . the maintenance unit 30 includes four plate-shaped members 32 disposed at equal intervals along the sub scanning direction, and four caps 31 fixed to respective plate-shaped members 32 and being capable of covering the ejection surfaces 2 a of the respective inkjet heads 2 . as shown in fig. 3( a ), the caps 31 are elongated in the main scanning direction, with their longitudinal dimension oriented parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the inkjet heads 2 . the caps 31 are formed of an elastic material, such as rubber, and have a recessed part formed in the top thereof. in their initial state, the four caps 31 are disposed upstream of their corresponding inkjet heads 2 with respect to the paper-conveying direction. more specifically, the cap 31 positioned farthest upstream is disposed upstream of the inkjet head 2 positioned farthest upstream, and the remaining three caps 31 are disposed between adjacent pairs of inkjet heads 2 . as the maintenance unit 30 is moved from this initial state, the four caps 31 move rightward and upward in fig. 2( a ) against the corresponding inkjet heads 2 . as shown in fig. 3( a ), the maintenance unit 30 also has a pair of inner frame parts 33 disposed one on either longitudinal end of the plate-shaped members 32 . each of the inner frame parts 33 has corner parts 33 a protruding upward from both ends thereof. pinion gears 34 fixed to the shaft of a drive motor (not shown) controlled by the controller 100 are provided respectively on one corner part 33 a of each inner frame part 33 for engaging with respective rack gears 35 arranged horizontally. note that only one of the pinion gears 34 (on the near-side inner frame part 33 ) is shown in fig. 3( a ). as shown in fig. 3( b ), the maintenance unit 30 also has an outer frame 36 disposed around the pair of inner frame parts 33 . the rack gears 35 shown in fig. 3( a ) (only one is shown in fig. 3( a )) are fixed to the inside of the outer frame 36 . in addition, a pinion gear 37 fixed to the shaft of a drive motor (not shown) controlled by the controller 100 is also provided on the outer frame 36 for engaging with a rack gear 38 arranged vertically. the rack gear 38 is provided on the inner surface of the casing 1 a. with this construction, the controller 100 can control the pair of inner frame parts 33 to move along the sub scanning direction by rotating the two pinion gears 34 in synchronization. the controller 100 can also control the outer frame 36 to move along the vertical by rotating the pinion gear 37 . more specifically, when the maintenance unit 30 is in its initial position shown in fig. 2( a ), three openings 39 a between pairs of adjacent plate-shaped members 32 and an opening 39 b between the plate-shaped member 32 positioned farthest downstream and the corner parts 33 a on the downstream side respectively oppose the ejection surfaces 2 a . when a capping operation for covering the ejection surfaces 2 a with the caps 31 is initiated from this initial state, the elevating mechanism moves the inkjet heads 2 from the printing position to the retracted position, as illustrated in fig. 4( a ). next, the inner frame parts 33 are moved downstream in the paper-conveying direction until the caps 31 are positioned directly opposite the corresponding ejection surfaces 2 a , as illustrated in fig. 4( b ). next, the outer frame 36 is lifted vertically to a capping position in which the caps 31 are pressed against and cover the ejection surfaces 2 a , as illustrated in fig. 4( c ). through these steps, each of the caps 31 now covers a corresponding ejection surface 2 a . when the steps are performed in reverse, the caps 31 can be returned to their initial position, and the inkjet heads 2 to the printing position. next, the ink cartridges 40 will be described with reference to figs. 5 through 8 . note that the bold lines in fig. 8 indicate power supply lines, while the normal lines indicate signal lines. as shown in figs. 5 and 6 , each ink cartridge 40 includes a case 41 having a substantially parallelepiped shape. as shown in fig. 6 , inside the case 41 are provided: an ink bag 42 (ink accommodating unit) that is filled with ink; an ink delivery tube 43 (ink delivery path) in communication with the ink bag 42 on one end; a controller 90 ; and a photosensor 66 (detecting unit, second detecting unit) and a storage unit 125 which are connected to the controller 90 . as shown in fig. 6 , the interior of the case 41 is partitioned into two chambers 41 a and 41 b . the ink bag 42 is provided in the chamber 41 a on the right in fig. 6 , while the ink delivery tube 43 , photosensor 66 , controller 90 , and storage unit 125 are disposed in the other chamber 41 b . an air communication through-hole (not shown) is formed through the case 41 to communicate the interior of the case 41 to the outside. with this configuration, the ink bag 42 is applied with an atmospheric pressure. so, when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the inkjet printer 1 , ink in the inkjet head 2 is applied with a negative pressure that is generated due to the pressure head difference between the inkjet head 2 and the ink bag 42 . as mentioned earlier, the ink cartridge 40 for accommodating black ink is larger in size and has greater ink storage capacity than the other three ink cartridges 40 , but this difference is simply reflected in the chamber 41 a and ink bag 42 being larger in the sub scanning direction. since the four ink cartridges 40 have essentially the same structure, the following description of the ink cartridge 40 will pertain to all ink cartridges 40 . as shown in fig. 7( a ), the ink delivery tube 43 includes a tube 44 connected to a connector 42 a provided on the ink bag 42 , and a tube 45 fitted into the left end of the tube 44 . an ink channel 43 a (ink delivery path) is formed inside the ink delivery tube 43 . the ink channel 43 a extends in the main scanning direction and is in communication with the ink bag 42 . in the embodiment, both the tubes 44 and 45 are constructed of a transparent resin material. by forming the tubes 44 and 45 of a transparent resin material, the photosensor 66 can detect a valve member 62 (moving body, second moving body), as will be described later. a cover 46 is provided over one end of the tube 45 . an ink outlet 46 a is formed in the cover 46 . as shown in figs. 5-7 , an annular flange 47 is formed on one end of the tube 44 . as shown in fig. 7 , the annular flange 47 is formed with a circular cylinder part 49 surrounding the outer periphery of the annular flange 47 . the annular flange 47 is further formed with an annular protrusion 48 which is provided with an o-ring 48 a . with this construction, the o-ring 48 a seals the gap between the case 41 and annular protrusion 48 , as shown in fig. 7 . the annular flange 47 of the embodiment forms part of the wall defining the chamber 41 b. as indicated in figs. 5-8 , a contact point 91 is formed on the outer surface of the annular flange 47 . the contact point 91 is juxtaposed with the ink outlet 46 a along the sub scanning direction. the contact point 91 is connected to the controller 90 . as a variation of the embodiment, the contact point 91 can be disposed at any position, provided that the contact point 91 is not positioned vertically below the ink outlet 46 a . disposing the contact point 91 of the signal transmission system at a position that is not directly beneath the ink outlet 46 a can prevent ink from dripping out of the ink outlet 46 a onto the contact point 91 . in addition, a power input unit 92 is disposed on a side surface of the case 41 on the ink outlet 46 a side. a stepped surface 41 c is formed on the case 41 so that the case 41 is recessed from the annular flange 47 toward the ink bag 42 in the main scanning direction between the ink outlet 46 a and the power input unit 92 . the power input unit 92 is provided on the stepped surface 41 c and is positioned on the opposite side of the ink outlet 46 a with respect to the contact point 91 in the sub scanning direction. in other words, the power input unit 92 is separated farther from the ink outlet 46 a in the sub scanning direction than is the contact point 91 . as shown in fig. 8 , the power input unit 92 is electrically connected to the controller 90 and the photosensor 66 . through an electrical connection with a power output part 162 in the recording device 1 side described later, the power input unit 92 supplies electricity to the controller 90 and the photosensor 66 . as a variation of the embodiment, the power input unit 92 may be disposed at any position, provided that the position is not directly beneath the ink outlet 46 a. disposing the power input unit 92 of the power transmission system at a position not directly beneath the ink outlet 46 a in this way prevents ink dripping out of the ink outlet 46 a from depositing on the power input unit 92 . further, by separating the power input unit 92 from the ink outlet 46 a even farther than the contact point 91 , it is even less likely that ink will become deposited on the power input unit 92 , thereby ensuring that the power input unit 92 does not short-circuit and damage the controller 90 or the like. further, by forming the stepped surface 41 c between the power input unit 92 and ink outlet 46 a , the power input unit 92 and ink outlet 46 a are separated considerably in the main scanning direction as well as the sub scanning direction, thereby further ensuring that ink does not become deposited on the power input unit 92 . as shown in fig. 7( a ), a first valve 50 is disposed inside the tube 45 of the ink delivery tube 43 . a second valve 60 is disposed inside the tube 44 of the ink delivery tube 43 . the first valve 50 includes a flexible sealing member 51 for sealing the opening formed in the left end of the tube 45 (the ink delivery opening), a spherical member 52 (first moving body), and a coil spring 53 . the cover 46 prevents the sealing member 51 from coming out of the tube 45 . one end of the coil spring 53 contacts the spherical member 52 , and the other end contacts a stepped part 45 a formed on the inner end of the tube 45 for constantly urging the spherical member 52 toward the sealing member 51 . in the embodiment, the coil spring 53 is used as an urging member, but the urging member may be implemented by means other than a coil spring, provided that the spherical member 52 is urged toward the sealing member 51 . the sealing member 51 is configured of an elastic member formed of rubber or the like. the sealing member 51 has a slit 51 a penetrating the center of the sealing member 51 in the main scanning direction, an annular protrusion 51 b that can be fitted into the end of the tube 45 , and a curved part 51 c constituting the surface of the sealing member 51 opposing the spherical member 52 in the region surrounded by the annular protrusion 51 b . the curved part 51 c has a shape that conforms to the outer surface of the spherical member 52 . the cross-sectional diameter of the slit 51 a is slightly smaller than the diameter of a hollow needle 153 described later. accordingly, when the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the slit 51 a , the sealing member 51 elastically deforms so that the inner surface of the slit 51 a is in close contact with the outer surface of the hollow needle 153 , preventing ink from leaking between the slit 51 a and the hollow needle 153 . the inner diameter of the annular protrusion 51 b is slightly smaller than the diameter of the spherical member 52 , and the slit 51 a is sealed when the spherical member 52 contacts the inner surface of the annular protrusion 51 b . more specifically, the slit 51 a is sealed through contact between the spherical member 52 and curved part 51 c . further, the slit 51 a formed in the sealing member 51 facilitates insertion of the hollow needle 153 into the sealing member 51 . further, because the slit 51 a is formed in the sealing member 51 , although the hollow needle 153 scrapes against the sealing member 51 when being inserted therein, shaving matter from the sealing member 51 is restricted from being generated and entering the hollow needle 153 . therefore, the shaving matter from the sealing member 51 can be prevented from entering the ink channel of the inkjet head 2 . with this construction, when the hollow needle 153 is inserted through the ink outlet 46 a into the slit 51 a , the distal end of the hollow needle 153 contacts the spherical member 52 and pushes the spherical member 52 away from the curved part 51 c and annular protrusion 51 b , as shown in fig. 7( b ). at this time, the first valve 50 switches from a closed state to an open state. further, a hole 153 b formed in the hollow needle 153 described later has passed through the slit 51 a when the first valve 50 is in the open state. so, the hollow needle 153 is in communication with the ink channel 43 a . conversely, when the hollow needle 153 moves in the opposite direction for being extracted from the slit 51 a , the urging force of the coil spring 53 moves the spherical member 52 toward the annular protrusion 51 b . when the spherical member 52 comes into contact with the annular protrusion 51 b , the first valve 50 is shifted from the open state back to the closed state. as the hollow needle 153 is further pulled out of the slit 51 a , the spherical member 52 tightly contacts the curved part 51 c . in this way, the first valve 50 takes on either the open state for allowing communication with the ink delivery tube 43 or the closed state for interrupting communication with the ink delivery tube 43 based on insertion or retraction of the hollow needle 153 . further, since the first valve 50 is provided with the coil spring 53 for urging the spherical member 52 toward the sealing member 51 , the first valve 50 can suppress ink from leaking out of the first valve 50 through a simple construction. as shown in fig. 7( a ), the second valve 60 includes a valve seat 61 , the valve member 62 , and a coil spring 63 . the valve seat 61 is configured of an elastic member formed of rubber or the like. a flange 61 a formed on the valve seat 61 is interposed between the stepped part 45 a of the tube 45 and an annular protrusion 44 a protruding inward from the inner surface of the tube 44 at a region near the center thereof. a through-hole 61 b is formed in the center of the valve seat 61 and penetrates the valve seat 61 in the main scanning direction to allow communication between the tube 44 and tube 45 . one end of the coil spring 63 contacts the valve member 62 , while the other end contacts the connector 42 a . the coil spring 63 constantly urges the valve member 62 toward the valve seat 61 . in other words, the coil spring 63 urges the valve member 62 in a direction toward the sealing member 51 . by contacting the end of the valve seat 61 (the right end in fig. 7( a ); the peripheral edge of the through-hole 61 b ), the valve member 62 interrupts communication in the ink channel 43 a , i.e., interrupts communication between the tube 44 and tube 45 and placing the second valve 60 in a closed state. at this time, the right end of the valve seat 61 is elastically deformed by the urging force of the coil spring 63 . further, since the coil spring 63 urges the valve member 62 in a direction toward the sealing member 51 and the elements constituting the first and second valves 50 and 60 are aligned in the main scanning direction, the first and second valves 50 and 60 can be opened and closed by the insertion and removal of the hollow needle 153 with respect to the sealing member 51 . further, the second valve 60 can be configured through a simple construction that reduces the chance of malfunctions. here, an urging member other than a coil spring may be used in place of the coil spring 63 the valve member 62 has a columnar shape extending in the main scanning direction and can slide along the inner surface of the tube 44 . the endface of the valve member 62 on the connector 42 a side protrudes farther in the main scanning direction in the center region thereof. the coil spring 63 is fixed to the valve member 62 by fitting the coil spring 63 over the protruding part of the valve member 62 . a pressing member 70 is also disposed inside the ink delivery tube 43 between the spherical member 52 and valve member 62 . the pressing member 70 moves the valve member 62 against the urging force of the coil spring 63 when the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the first valve 50 . the pressing member 70 is rod-shaped and extends in the main scanning direction. the pressing member 70 is integrally formed with the valve member 62 on the end opposing the valve seat 61 . the pressing member 70 has a smaller diameter than the through-hole 61 b and is disposed within the through-hole 61 b . the length of the pressing member 70 is such a value that forms a gap between the distal end of the pressing member 70 and the spherical member 52 when the first valve 50 changes from the open state to the closed state (i.e., when the spherical member 52 moves from a position separated from the sealing member 51 and contacts the annular protrusion 51 b ) while the valve member 62 is in contact with the valve seat 61 (the second valve 60 is in the closed state). with this construction, after the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the first valve 50 and the first valve 50 switches to the open state, the hollow needle 153 pushes the spherical member 52 and the spherical member 52 contacts the distal end of the pressing member 70 , as shown in fig. 7( b ). as the hollow needle 153 is inserted further, the pressing member 70 and valve member 62 continue to move, and the valve member 62 separates from the valve seat 61 , causing the second valve 60 to change from the closed state to the open state. since communication is now established between parts of the ink channel 43 a in the tubes 44 and 45 , ink in the ink bag 42 flows into the hollow needle 153 . conversely, when the hollow needle 153 is pulled out of the first valve 50 , the urging force of the coil spring 63 moves the valve member 62 and the pressing member 70 until the valve member 62 is pressed tightly against the valve seat 61 , thereby changing the second valve 60 from an open state to a closed state, as described above for the first valve 50 . accordingly, the second valve 60 also enters either the open state for providing communication throughout the ink channel 43 a of the ink delivery tube 43 or the closed state for interrupting communication in the ink channel 43 a based on insertion and retraction of the hollow needle 153 . the photosensor 66 is capable of detecting the presence of an object without contact. the photosensor 66 is disposed in a position for opposing the downstream end of the valve member 62 when the second valve 60 blocks communication within the ink channel 43 a , as shown in fig. 7( a ), and so as not to oppose the valve member 62 when the second valve 60 does not interrupt communication within the ink channel 43 a , as shown in fig. 7( b ). the photosensor 66 may be configured of a reflective-type optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, for example. in this case, at least a portion of the valve member 62 is formed of a reflective surface capable of reflecting light. therefore, when the valve member 62 is opposite the photosensor 66 , light emitted from the light-emitting element is reflected off the reflective surface of the valve member 62 and received by the light-receiving element. upon receiving the reflected light, the photosensor 66 outputs, to the controller 90 , a signal indicating that the light-receiving element has received light (hereinafter referred to as a signal a). this signal a is relayed from the controller 90 to the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 1 , as indicated by the signal lines in fig. 8 . on the other hand, when the valve member 62 is not positioned opposite the photosensor 66 , light emitted by the light-emitting element is not reflected off the reflective surface of the valve member 62 and, hence, the light-receiving element does not receive reflected light. at this time, the photosensor 66 outputs, to the controller 90 , a signal indicating that the light-receiving element is not receiving light (hereinafter referred to as a signal b). this signal b is also relayed from the controller 90 to the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 1 . upon receiving these signals, the controller 100 can distinguish when the second valve 60 is in the open state and the closed state. in the embodiment, the controller 100 detects that the second valve 60 is in the closed state when receiving the signal a indicating that the light-receiving element has received light and detects that the second valve 60 is in the open state upon receiving the signal b indicating that the light-receiving element is not receiving light. while the photosensor 66 is described as a reflective sensor in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this type of sensor. for example, the photosensor 66 may be configured of a transmissive-type optical sensor. the storage unit 125 stores the data shown in table 1 below. table 1 indicates the necessity for a maintenance operation (ink forcibly ejecting operation to forcibly eject ink from a recording head) on an inkjet head 2 and the amount of ink leakage from ejection holes in the inkjet head 2 (the amount of ink flowing out of the ink accommodating unit) when an ink cartridge 40 is mounted in a mounting unit 150 described later. more specifically, table 1 indicates the necessity for a maintenance operation and the quantity of ink leakage for each of combinations of: four time ranges t 1 -t 4 ; and four ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 . in this example, time range t 1 is set to a range greater than or equal to 0 seconds and less than 0.5 seconds, time range t 2 to a range greater than or equal to 0.5 seconds and less than 1.5 seconds, time range t 3 to a range greater than or equal to 1.5 seconds and less than 2.5 seconds, and time range t 4 to a range greater than or equal to 2.5 seconds. further, ink volume range v 1 is set to a range greater than or equal to 0 ml and less than 500 ml, ink volume range v 2 to a range greater than or equal to 500 ml and less than 700 ml, ink volume range v 3 to a range greater than or equal to 700 ml and less than 800 ml, and ink volume range v 4 to a range greater than or equal to 800 ml and less than 1,000 ml. table 1ink volume rangev1v2v3v4timet1maintenancemaintenancemaintenancemaintenancerangenot requiredrequiredrequiredrequiredno inkink leakageink leakageink leakageleakageoccurs (ink ofoccurs (veryoccursoccursalmost 0 ml)slight amount(some ink)of ink)t2maintenancemaintenancemaintenancemaintenancenot requirednot requiredrequiredrequiredno inkno ink leakageink leakageink leakageleakageoccursoccurs (ink ofoccurs (veryoccursalmost 0 ml)slightamountof ink)t3maintenancemaintenancemaintenancemaintenancenot requirednot requirednot requiredrequiredno inkno ink leakageno ink leakageink leakageleakageoccursoccursoccursoccurs(ink ofalmost 0 ml)t4maintenance not requiredno ink leakage occurs hence, for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 40 has an ink volume falling within ink volume range v 1 , the table 1 indicates that no ink leakage occurs and that maintenance is not necessary, regardless of which time range t 1 -t 3 corresponds to the mounting time. here, the mounting time indicates the time elapsed between the moment that the ink cartridge 40 was beginning to be mounted in the mounting unit 150 and the moment that the second valve 60 in the ink cartridge 40 switched from the closed state to the open state. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 40 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 2 , the table 1 indicates that ink leakage with an amount of almost zero (0) ml occurs and maintenance is necessary only when the mounting time falls within time range t 1 . in other words, the table 1 indicates that a small amount of ink may possibly leak and maintenance is necessary when the mounting time is less than 0.5 seconds. thus, 0.5 seconds is the threshold for indicating whether or not maintenance will be required. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 40 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time falls within time range t 1 , the table 1 indicates that a very slight amount of ink leaks (approximately 1 ml, for example) and that maintenance is necessary. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 40 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time falls within time range t 2 , the table 1 indicates that ink of almost zero (0) ml leaks and that maintenance is necessary. in other words, maintenance is required when the ink volume of the mounted ink cartridge 40 falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time is less than 1.5 seconds, but unnecessary if the mounting time is longer. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 40 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 4 , the table 1 indicates that maintenance is necessary, regardless of which time range t 1 -t 3 corresponds to the mounting time. the table 1 also indicates that a small amount of ink leaks (about 3 ml, for example) when the mounting time falls within time range t 1 , that a very slight amount of ink leaks when the mounting time falls within time range t 2 , and that ink of almost zero (0) ml leaks when the mounting time falls within time range t 3 . it is noted that the table 1 further indicates that ink does not leak and maintenance is unnecessary when the mounting time is greater than 2.5 seconds, that is, when the mounting time falls in a time range t 4 , if the volume of ink in the ink cartridge 40 is less than 1,000 ml. in this way, the storage unit 125 stores data specifying prescribed threshold times (0, 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 seconds) corresponding to the respective ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 for which maintenance becomes necessary. in other words, the storage unit 125 stores the prescribed time 0 seconds for ink volume range v 1 , the prescribed time of 0.5 seconds for ink volume range v 2 , the prescribed time of 1.5 seconds for ink volume range v 3 , and the prescribed time of 2.5 seconds for ink volume range v 4 . these prescribed times are increased further as the quantities of ink specified by ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 are increased. a manufacturer of the ink cartridge 40 creates the table 1 by performing an experiment. during the experiment, the manufacturer prepares a plurality of ink cartridges 40 that are filled with ink of various volumes. the manufacturer mounts the ink cartridges 40 in the mounting unit 150 of the inkjet printer 1 at various speeds. the manufacturer measures the amount of ink leakage from the ejection holes of the inkjet head 2 . the storage unit 125 is configured of flash memory that can be overwritten by the controller 90 or an external device, such as the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 1 , and stores data specifying quantity of ink stored in the ink cartridge 40 that is provided with the storage unit 125 . hence, after performing a printing operation or a purge operation, the controller 100 can subtract the quantity of ink consumed in the printing operation or purge operation from the ink quantity in the ink cartridge 40 prior to the operation and update the data stored in the storage unit 125 with the resulting quantity of residual ink. further, since the storage unit 125 stores the quantity of leaked ink, the quantity of remaining ink can be corrected when overwriting the ink quantity in the storage unit 125 . that is, the controller 90 can update the quantity of remaining ink by subtracting the amount of ink that is leaked when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted. accordingly, the storage unit 125 can accurately store the current amount of residual ink. further, when an ink cartridge 40 that has run out of ink is refilled in order to be reused in the inkjet printer 1 , the data indicating the quantity of ink in the ink cartridge 40 can easily be overwritten, even when the specifications of the ink cartridge 40 itself have changed, such as when the quantity of ink dispensed or refilled at the factory or the like is greater than or less than the original prescribed quantity. moreover, since the storage unit 125 is provided in the ink cartridge 40 , the storage capacity of memory in the printer body itself can be reduced. next, mounting units 150 formed in the body of the inkjet printer 1 will be described with reference to figs. 8 and 9 . four of the mounting units 150 juxtaposed in the sub scanning direction are provided in the printer body for receiving the respective ink cartridges 40 when mounting the ink cartridges 40 in the printer body. since the mounting units 150 have substantially the same structure, only one of the mounting units 150 will be described below. as shown in fig. 9 , the mounting unit 150 has a recessed part 151 that conforms to the outer shape of the ink cartridge 40 . the recessed part 151 has the most inward part 151 a in the main scanning direction. on the most inward part 151 a , there are provided the hollow needle 153 (hollow tube), the ink supply channel 154 , a contact point 161 electrically connected to the controller 100 , and the power output part 162 for outputting electricity produced by a power supply unit 110 (see fig. 8 ) provided in the printer body. the hollow needle 153 is fixedly disposed at a position opposite the slit 51 a of the mounted ink cartridge 40 and is longitudinally oriented in the main scanning direction. the hollow needle 153 has an inner hollow region 153 a in fluid communication with the ink supply channel 154 , and a hole 153 b formed near the distal end thereof for providing external communication with the hollow region 153 a (see also fig. 7( b )). with this construction, the hollow needle 153 is in a state of communication with the tube 45 side of the ink channel 43 a when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the printer body and the hole 153 b has passed through the slit 51 a . however, communication between the hollow needle 153 and the ink channel 43 a is interrupted when the hole 153 b is inside the slit 51 a as the ink cartridge 40 is being removed from the printer body. note that while communication between the hollow needle 153 and ink channel 43 a is established when the hole 153 b passes through the slit 51 a , ink does not flow from the ink bag 42 into the hollow region 153 a until the second valve 60 has changed to an open state. further, the paths from the hole 153 b of the hollow needle 153 to the ejection holes in the inkjet head 2 are hermetically sealed channels that are not exposed to the outside air. accordingly, it is possible to suppress an increase in ink viscosity since the ink in these channels is not exposed to air. the contact point 161 is juxtaposed with the hollow needle 153 in the sub scanning direction and positioned opposite the contact point 91 of the mounted ink cartridge 40 . the contact point 161 is configured of a rod-shaped member that extends in the main scanning direction and is slidably supported in a hole 151 c that is formed in the most inward part 151 a and that is elongated in the main scanning direction. a spring 151 d is provided in the hole 151 c and urges the contact point 161 outward from the hole 151 c so that the contact point 161 makes an electrical connection with the contact point 91 just prior to the hollow needle 153 being inserted into the sealing member 51 when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the printer body. in other words, the contact point 161 is electrically connected to the contact point 91 before the first valve 50 changes to an open state. conversely, when the ink cartridge 40 is removed from the printer body, the contact point 161 remains electrically connected to the contact point 91 until the hollow needle 153 is extracted from the sealing member 51 . the power output part 162 is provided in a stepped surface 151 b formed on the most inward part 151 a . the power output part 162 is disposed at a position opposing the power input unit 92 of the mounted ink cartridge 40 . the power output part 162 also has a contact point 163 that protrudes outward in the main scanning direction. when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the printer body, the contact point 163 is inserted into the power input unit 92 and forms an electrical connection with the same. as with the contact point 161 , the contact point 163 becomes electrically connected to the power input unit 92 just before the hollow needle 153 enters the sealing member 51 . a sensor 170 (first detecting unit) is also provided in the recessed part 151 of each mounting unit 150 . the sensor 170 is connected to the controller 100 and serves to detect the case 41 of the ink cartridge 40 . specifically, the sensor 170 is a mechanical switch-type sensor that detects the presence of an object through contact. the sensor 170 includes a detecting part 171 that is urged out of the sensor 170 into the recessed part 151 . when the stepped surface 41 c of the case 41 of the ink cartridge 40 contacts the detecting part 171 and pushes the detecting part 171 into the sensor 170 , the sensor 170 outputs a signal indicating the retracted state of the detecting part 171 (hereinafter referred to as signal c) to the controller 100 . when the ink cartridge 40 is removed from the mounting unit 150 , eliminating contact between the case 41 and detecting part 171 and enabling the detecting part 171 to emerge again from the sensor 170 , the sensor 170 outputs a signal indicating this protruding state of the detecting part 171 (hereinafter referred to as signal d) to the controller 100 . upon receiving these signals, the controller 100 can determine whether the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 . in the embodiment, the controller 100 determines that the ink cartridge 40 is either mounted in the mounting unit 150 or positioned near the mounting position within the mounting unit 150 upon receiving signal c indicating that the detecting part 171 is retracted in the sensor 170 , and determines that the ink cartridge 40 is not mounted in the mounting unit 150 upon receiving signal d indicating that the detecting part 171 is protruding from the sensor 170 . the sensor 170 may also be configured of a photosensor and the like and is not limited to a mechanical switch-type sensor. as shown in fig. 2( a ), the inkjet printer 1 also includes a buzzer 13 (notifying unit) disposed in the casing 1 a . the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit various sounds. the sounds are designed to alert the user when, for example, no data is stored in the storage unit 125 , the ink cartridge 40 is not mounted correctly, and it is ok to print. the sounds are designed also to ask the user as to whether a maintenance operation should be performed. as shown in fig. 8 , a storage unit 120 is provided in the casing 1 a . the storage unit 120 is electrically connected to the controller 100 and power supply unit 110 . a program executed by the controllers 100 and 90 as will be described with reference to fig. 10 is stored in the storage unit 120 . a mounting time limit to be described later is also stored in the storage unit 120 . additionally, a manipulation unit (not shown) is provided in the casing 1 a , enabling the user to input his/her instruction, such as an instruction to or not to perform a maintenance operation. next, operations performed by the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 1 and the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 40 when an ink cartridge 40 is being mounted into the printer body will be described with reference to the flowchart in fig. 10 . the process described in fig. 10 begins when the operator opens the door 1 c on the printer body to mount one of the four ink cartridges 40 in the respective mounting unit 150 . at this time, in si of the process in fig. 10 , the controller 100 determines whether mounting of the ink cartridge 40 in the mounting unit 150 has begun. the controller 100 makes this determination when the case 41 of the ink cartridge 40 contacts the detecting part 171 of the sensor 170 , causing the signal outputted from the sensor 170 to change from signal d to signal c and the controller 100 to receive this signal c. the position of the ink cartridge 40 relative to the direction in which the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 when the signal outputted from the sensor 170 changes from signal d to signal c will be called the “first position.” while continuing to receive the signal d from the sensor 170 , the controller 100 determines that mounting has not begun and continues to wait. when the signal c is received from the sensor 170 , the controller 100 determines that mounting has begun and advances to s 2 . in s 2 the controller 100 determines whether a mounting time limit has elapsed since the signal c was received and before a signal b has been received from the photosensor 66 . specifically, the controller 100 determines whether the amount of elapsed time after the signal c was received has exceeded the mounting time limit stored in the storage unit 120 (see fig. 8 ). if the elapsed time exceeds the mounting time limit (s 2 : yes), in s 3 the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit a sound for notifying the user that the ink cartridge 40 is not properly mounted in the mounting unit 150 . the process returns from s 3 back to s 1 . some reasons in which the ink cartridge 40 was not properly mounted in the mounting unit 150 might include damage to the tip of the hollow needle 153 that prevents the hollow needle 153 from moving the valve member 62 or a break in the pressing member 70 that prevents the pressing member 70 from moving the valve member 62 . on the other hand, if the signal b was received from the photosensor 66 before the elapsed time exceeds the mounting time limit (s 2 : no), the controller 100 advances to s 4 . in s 4 the controller 100 determines whether the second valve 60 is in an open state. the controller 100 makes this determination based on whether the signal outputted from the photosensor 66 and received through the controller 90 has changed from signal a to signal b as the valve member 62 moves to a position not opposite the photosensor 66 . the position of the ink cartridge 40 relative to the mounting direction when the signal outputted from the photosensor 66 changes from signal a to signal b will be called the “second position.” the controller 100 returns to s 2 when determining that the second valve 60 is in a closed state because the received signal is signal a, and advances to s 5 when determining that the second valve 60 is in the open state because the received signal is signal b. the operations that occur after the sensor 170 outputs the signal c and until the second valve 60 changes to the open state are as follows. first, in the period after the sensor 170 outputs the signal c to the controller 100 and until the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the slit 51 a , the contact point 91 and contact point 161 become electrically connected and the contact point 163 of the power output part 162 and the power input unit 92 become electrically connected. these connections enable the two controllers 90 and 100 to be electrically connected to each other and to exchange signals and allow power to be supplied to the controller 90 and photosensor 66 . further, the connection formed between the contact points 91 and 161 enable the controller 100 to output a time signal to the controller 90 indicating the time at which the sensor 170 detected the start of the mounting operation (the time at which the controller 100 received the signal c from the sensor 170 ). next, as the hollow needle 153 is inserted through the slit 51 a , the tip of the hollow needle 153 contacts the spherical member 52 , moving the spherical member 52 rightward in fig. 7( b ) away from the curved part 51 c and annular protrusion 51 b until the first valve 50 changes from the closed state to the open state. subsequently, the spherical member 52 contacts the distal end of the pressing member 70 , moving the pressing member 70 and valve member 62 rightward in fig. 7( b ). as the valve member 62 separates from the valve seat 61 , the second valve 60 changes from the closed state to the open state. since the contact point 91 and contact point 161 are electrically connected at this time, the controller 100 can receive the signal b outputted from the controller 90 when the second valve 60 enters the open state. in this way, the method for determining when the second valve 60 is in the open state in s 4 also serves for determining whether the hollow needle 153 is properly inserted into the ink cartridge 40 . in other words, it is possible to detect whether the hollow needle 153 has been properly inserted into the ink channel 43 a by using the photosensor 66 to detect whether the valve member 62 is in a prescribed position separated from the valve seat 61 and, hence, to confirm whether an ink channel has been properly formed from the ink cartridge 40 to the printer body. in s 5 the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 40 calculates the mounting time elapsed between the moment that a signal b was received from the photosensor 66 and the moment that the mounting operation was first detected based on the time signal received from the controller 100 . specifically, the controller 90 calculates this mounting time by finding the difference between the time at which the ink cartridge 40 arrives at the first position in the mounting unit 150 (i.e., the time at which the sensor 170 transmitted the signal c) and the time at which the ink cartridge 40 arrives at the second position in the mounting unit 150 (i.e., the time at which the photosensor 66 transmitted the signal b). in s 6 the controller 90 reads the current ink quantity and the data indicated in table 1 stored in the storage unit 125 . in s 7 the controller 90 determines whether data was read from the storage unit 125 in s 6 . if the controller 90 was unable to read the above data because the data is not stored in the storage unit 125 (s 7 : no), then the controller 90 outputs an error signal to the controller 100 and, upon receiving this error signal, the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 in s 8 to emit a sound alerting the user of a problem with the storage unit 125 . the process proceeds from s 8 to s 14 , in which the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit a sound asking the user whether to or not to perform a maintenance operation. if the user inputs, to the manipulation unit (not shown), his/her instruction to perform a maintenance operation (yes in s 14 ), the process proceeds to s 10 to be described later. if the user inputs his/her instruction not to perform a maintenance operation (no in s 14 ), the process proceeds to s 12 to be described later. however, if the controller 90 determines that data was successfully read from the storage unit 125 (s 7 : yes), the controller 90 advances to s 9 . in s 9 the controller 90 determines within which of the time ranges t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 the mounting time calculated in s 5 falls, determines within which of the ink volume ranges v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 the volume of ink in the mounted ink cartridge 40 falls, and determines whether maintenance has to be performed for the newly mounted ink cartridge 40 by referring to the table 1. in other words, the controller 90 determines whether the mounting time for the current ink cartridge 40 (t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , or t 4 ) is shorter than the prescribed time indicating the threshold for determining whether maintenance is required with respect to the ink volume range (v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , or v 4 ), within which the ink volume in the currently mounted ink cartridge 40 falls. if the controller 90 determines that maintenance is not required at this time (s 9 : no), the controller 90 determines that no ink leaked from the inkjet head 2 and, therefore, advances to s 12 and enters a standby state, i.e., a print-ready state. however, if the controller 90 determines that maintenance is required (s 9 : yes), in s 10 the controller 90 outputs a signal to the controller 100 requesting that maintenance be started. upon receiving this signal, the controller 100 first controls the elevating mechanism to move the inkjet heads 2 from the printing position (see fig. 2( a )) to the retracted position (see fig. 4( a )) in order to perform a purge operation to purge ink from the inkjet head 2 . next, the controller 100 controls a drive motor to move the caps 31 to positions opposing the ejection surfaces 2 a (see fig. 4( b )). next, the controller 100 controls a drive motor to move the caps 31 toward the respective ejection surfaces 2 a and into a capping position (see fig. 4( c )). subsequently, the controller 100 drives the pump 104 for a prescribed time in order to forcibly supply ink from the ink cartridge 40 to the inkjet head 2 , thereby purging a prescribed quantity of ink from the inkjet head 2 while the inkjet head 2 is covered by the cap 31 . next, the controller 100 controls drive motors for returning the caps 31 from the capping position to their initial position. at this time, the controller 100 may also control a wiper mechanism in the maintenance unit 30 that includes a wiper and a drive motor for operating the wiper (not shown), for example, to wipe off ink deposited on the ejection surface 2 a . next, the controller 100 controls the elevating mechanism to return the inkjet heads 2 from the retracted position to the printing position. once the inkjet heads 2 are returned to the printing position, the maintenance operation is complete. after performing this maintenance operation, the controller 100 outputs a signal to the controller 90 indicating that maintenance is complete. upon receiving notification that maintenance was completed, in s 11 the controller 90 overwrites the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 . more specifically, the controller 90 first determines whether the amount of leaked ink is “ink of almost zero ml,” a “very slight amount of ink,” or “some ink,” by referring to the table 1, subtracts this determined quantity of leaked ink and the quantity of ink expended in a purging operation from the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 , and updates the ink quantity in the storage unit 125 with the result. this is because it is known that ink of the same amount with the leaked ink flows out of the ink cartridge 40 when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 . the quantity of ink expended during a purge operation may be set to a fixed amount, or may be suitably adjusted with consideration for environmental factors such as temperature. in the latter case, the controller 100 must notify the controller 90 of the amount of ink expended during the purge operation. next, the controller 100 enters the standby state, i.e., the print-ready state, in s 12 . in s 13 the controller 90 outputs a signal to the controller 100 indicating that the ink cartridge 40 is print-ready. after receiving this signal, the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit a sound for notifying the user that the printer 1 is ready to print, and the operation for mounting the ink cartridge 40 is complete. the operation for updating the ink quantity of the ink cartridge 40 described in s 11 may instead be performed after the operation in s 13 and before the controller 100 begins a printing operation. it is noted that during the printing process, the controller 100 does not drive the pump 104 . when ink is ejected from the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2 to perform printing operation, ink of the same amount with the ejected ink is drawn into the inkjet head 2 from the ink cartridge 40 due to a capillary force. with the inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment, the controller 100 or the controller 90 updates the quantity of residual ink in the ink cartridges 40 not only in s 11 of the mounting operation, but also after printing operations by subtracting the quantity of ink consumed during the printing operation or the like from the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 before the printing operation was performed. it is noted that the quantity of ink consumed during the printing operation is determined based on print data based on which the printing operation is executed. thus, if an ink cartridge 40 containing at least some residual ink is temporarily removed from the mounting unit 150 and subsequently remounted in the mounting unit 150 , the controller 100 can limit the maintenance operations performed on the inkjet heads 2 to only those cases in which the mounting time calculated by the controller 90 during the mounting operation is less than a prescribed time associated with the quantity of residual ink in the mounted ink cartridge 40 , thereby reducing the number of unnecessary maintenance operations. next, the operations performed when an ink cartridge 40 is removed from the printer body will be described. when an ink cartridge 40 has run out of ink, for example, the operator opens the door 1 c and removes the ink cartridge 40 from the printer body. as the ink cartridge 40 moves out of the printer body, the spherical member 52 , valve member 62 , and pressing member 70 move leftward in fig. 7( b ) by the urging forces of the coil springs 53 and 63 while remaining in contact with each other. that is, the spherical member 52 , pressing member 70 , and valve member 62 operate in reverse to that described when the hollow needle 153 is inserted. thus, the valve member 62 contacts the valve seat 61 , shifting the second valve 60 from the open state to the closed state and halting the flow of ink from the ink cartridge 40 into the hollow needle 153 . at this time, the signal outputted from the photosensor 66 to the controller 90 changes from signal b to signal a, at which time the controller 90 detects that the second valve 60 is in the closed state. subsequently, only the spherical member 52 moves with the hollow needle 153 so as to separate from the distal end of the pressing member 70 . the first valve 50 changes from the open state to the closed state when the spherical member 52 contacts the annular protrusion 51 b and curved part 51 c . in this way, the first valve 50 and second valve 60 are automatically switched from their open states to their closed states as the hollow needle 153 is withdrawn, with the first valve 50 changing to the closed state after the second valve 60 changes to the closed state. after the hollow needle 153 is extracted from the sealing member 51 , the contact point 91 and contact point 161 are disconnected and the power input unit 92 and contact point 163 are disconnected as the ink cartridge 40 continues to be removed. when the case 41 separates from the detecting part 171 so that the detecting part 171 protrudes out from the sensor 170 , the sensor 170 outputs the signal d to the controller 100 , by which signal the controller 100 can determine that the ink cartridge 40 has been removed from the printer body. thereafter, the operator replaces the ink cartridge 40 that was removed from the printer body with a new ink cartridge 40 , mounting the new ink cartridge 40 in the printer body according to the procedure described above. next, steps performed when manufacturing and recycling an ink cartridge will be described. to manufacture a new ink cartridge in the embodiment, first the case 41 is manufactured in halves. components of the ink cartridge 40 , such as the ink bag 42 and ink delivery tube 43 are then assembled in one half of the case 41 , as shown in fig. 6 . next, the other half of the case 41 is joined with the first half, thereby completing the basic structure of an empty cartridge not yet filled with ink. next, a dispenser is used to dispense a prescribed quantity of ink into the ink bag 42 of the cartridge. then, data indicating the values shown in table 1 and data indicating the quantity of dispensed ink are copied from a storage device into the storage unit 125 of the ink cartridge 40 , thereby completing the ink cartridge manufacturing process. as a variation of this process, when assembling the components of the ink cartridge 40 in one half of the case 41 , the ink bag 42 may be pre-filled with ink before being installed in the case 41 . subsequently, the other half of the case 41 is joined with the first half, and the prescribed data is copied from a storage device into the storage unit 125 . on the other hand, when restoring a used ink cartridge 40 for reuse, the insides of the ink bag 42 and ink delivery tube 43 must first be cleaned. next, a dispenser is used to refill the ink bag 42 with a prescribed amount of ink. then, the old data stored in the storage unit 125 of the ink cartridge 40 indicating the residual ink quantity before the ink cartridge 40 was cleaned and refilled is overwritten by using a storage device by data indicating the quantity of ink dispensed during the refilling operation. this completes the process to recycle the ink cartridge 40 . with the inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment described above, the controller 90 calculates the mounting time for an ink cartridge 40 when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in its corresponding mounting unit 150 . more specifically, by considering a first position to be the position of the ink cartridge 40 in the mounting direction when the sensor 170 detects the ink cartridge 40 (when the case 41 of the ink cartridge 40 contacts the detecting part 171 of the sensor 170 , causing the signal outputted from the sensor 170 to change from signal d to signal c) and a second position to be the position of the ink cartridge 40 in the mounting direction when the second valve 60 changes to the open state (when the valve member 62 moves from a position confronting the photosensor 66 to a position not confronting the photosensor 66 , causing the signal outputted from the photosensor 66 to change from signal a to signal b), it is possible to determine how fast the ink cartridge 40 was mounted in the mounting unit 150 by calculating the time required for the ink cartridge 40 to move between the first and second positions since the distance between these positions in the mounting direction is a fixed distance (predetermined distance). the calculated time is referred to as the “mounting time.” for example, if the ink cartridge 40 is mounted slowly, the mounting time will be long, resulting in a small change in ink pressure during the mounting operation. on the other hand, if the ink cartridge 40 is mounted quickly, the mounting time will be short, resulting in a large fluctuation in ink pressure during the mounting operation. next, the controller 90 determines whether the calculated mounting time is less than a prescribed time based on the data shown in table 1, i.e., whether maintenance is required. therefore, it is possible to ensure that maintenance is performed on the inkjet head 2 when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 abruptly, maintaining the ink ejection characteristics of the inkjet head 2 to a desirable state. in addition, the storage unit 125 stores a prescribed time for each of the ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 as a threshold value for determining whether maintenance is required. hence, it is possible to restrict when maintenance operations are performed on an inkjet head 2 to those cases in which the mounting time calculated by the controller 90 is less than the prescribed time associated with the relevant ink volume range v 1 -v 4 , thereby reducing the number of unnecessary maintenance operations. these prescribed times serving as threshold values can be increased as the quantities of ink indicated by the ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 grows larger. in this way, the need for maintenance on an inkjet head 2 can be more accurately determined in order to more reliably maintain the ink ejection characteristics of the inkjet head 2 at the desirable state. with the ink cartridge 40 according to the embodiment, the maintenance unit 30 provided in the printer body and the controller 100 for controlling the maintenance unit 30 can perform maintenance on an inkjet head 2 when the mounting time is determined to be less than the prescribed time stored in the storage unit 125 , thereby maintaining the ink ejection characteristics of the inkjet head 2 to the desirable state. further, according to the method of recycling the ink cartridge 40 of the embodiment, the ink cartridge 40 having the above effects can be reused. as a first variation of the first embodiment, the sensor 170 may be disposed at a position for detecting the case 41 of the ink cartridge 40 when the first valve 50 changes from the closed position to the open position. in this case, the mounting start signal outputted from the sensor 170 to the controller 100 indicates that the first valve 50 is in the open state, while the removal signal indicates that the first valve 50 is in the closed state. in this variation, the annular protrusion 51 b could be elongated in the main scanning direction, for example, so that the first valve 50 becomes open after the second valve 60 opens when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 . thus, the mounting time could be calculated as the time between the moment that the first valve 50 switches to the open state and the moment that the second valve 60 switches to the open state. in this way, the variation of the first embodiment can achieve the same effects as described in the first embodiment. in a second variation of the first embodiment, a moving body may be provided in place of the second valve 60 , whereby the moving body moves when contacted by the hollow needle 153 as the hollow needle 153 is inserted into the ink channel 43 a . for example, the valve seat 61 may be omitted from the second valve 60 so that the second valve 60 will serve as a moving body but not as a valve. in this case, in s 4 the controller 100 does not determine whether the second valve 60 is in an open state, but merely determines whether the hollow needle 153 was properly inserted into the ink cartridge 40 . further, an urging member is preferably provided for restricting movement of the moving body to within a prescribed range and for urging the moving body in a direction opposite the insertion direction of the hollow needle 153 . the photosensor 66 may function to detect the position of the moving body. the second variation of the first embodiment can obtain the same effects as described in the first embodiment. however, the first valve 50 will require greater integrity to ensure that ink does not leak. second embodiment next, an ink cartridge 240 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 11 . in the ink cartridge 240 according to the second embodiment, the ink delivery tube 43 has a tube 244 , and the tube 45 that is fitted into the tube 244 similar to the structure in the first embodiment. however, the portion of the tube 244 in which the tube 45 is fitted is formed longer than that in the first embodiment so that the ink outlet 46 a is closer to the annular flange 47 formed on the end of the tube 244 . a photosensor 266 (first detecting unit) is also disposed in the case 41 in the second embodiment for detecting the open and closed states of the first valve 50 . the photosensor 266 may be configured of a reflective-type optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, for example. in this case, a reflective surface capable of reflecting light is formed on at least part of the spherical member 52 . the photosensor 266 is connected to both the controller 90 and the power input unit 92 . the remaining structure of the ink cartridge 240 is identical to the ink cartridge 40 described in the first embodiment and like parts and components are designated with the same reference numerals to avoid duplicating description. as shown in fig. 11 , the photosensor 266 is disposed in a position so as not to oppose the spherical member 52 when the spherical member 52 is in contact with the annular protrusion 51 b and so as to oppose the spherical member 52 when the spherical member 52 has separated from the annular protrusion 51 b , as depicted by the dashed line. when the spherical member 52 is positioned opposite the photosensor 266 , the photosensor 266 outputs a signal indicating that the light-receiving element has received light (hereinafter referred to as signal e). however, when the spherical member 52 is not positioned opposite the photosensor 266 , the photosensor 266 outputs a signal indicating that the light-receiving element does not receive reflected light (hereinafter referred to as signal f). these signals are transmitted to the controller 100 via the controller 90 . upon receiving the signals, the controller 100 can distinguish when the first valve 50 is in the open state and the closed state. in the embodiment, the controller 100 detects that the first valve 50 is in the open state when receiving the signal e indicating that the light-receiving element has received light and detects that the first valve 50 is in the closed state when receiving the signal f indicating that the light-receiving element is not receiving light. next, operations performed by the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 1 and the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 240 when an ink cartridge 240 is being mounted into the printer body will be described with reference to the flowchart in fig. 10 . as in the first embodiment described above, the ink cartridges 240 according to the second embodiment are mounted into respective mounting units 150 . here, the controller 100 performs the same processes described in s 1 -s 4 of the first embodiment. by the time the first valve 50 shifts to the open state, the contact point 91 and contact point 161 become electrically connected and the contact point 163 of the power output part 162 and the power input unit 92 become electrically connected, enabling the two controllers 90 and 100 to be electrically connected to each other and to exchange signals and enabling power to be supplied to the controller 90 and the photosensors 66 and 266 . hence, in s 2 the controller 100 may determine whether the time elapsed after the signal e was received from the photosensor 266 until the signal b was received from the photosensor 66 exceeds the mounting time limit as a variation of the second embodiment. in this case, the mounting time limit is previously adjusted appropriately for this determination. further, the controller 90 may be configured to execute the process in s 2 by storing this mounting time limit in the storage unit 125 . the controller 90 may also be configured to determine in s 4 whether the second valve 60 is in the open state. in this case, the controller 90 may not output a signal to the controller 100 indicating that the second valve 60 is in the open state. as in the first embodiment, the determination in s 4 in the second embodiment also serves for determining whether the hollow needle 153 was properly inserted into the ink cartridge 40 . in s 5 the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 240 calculates the mounting time elapsed between the moment that the signal e was received from the photosensor 266 and the moment that the signal b was received from the photosensor 66 . the remaining process is identical to the process described in the first embodiment for steps s 6 -s 14 . since one factor described in the first embodiment for calculating the mounting time, i.e., the moment at which the signal c is received from the sensor 170 is changed to the moment at which the signal e is received from the photosensor 266 (i.e., the moment that the first valve 50 changes from the closed state to the open state), the data in table 1 should be adjusted appropriately. next, the operations performed when an ink cartridge 240 is removed from the printer body will be described. as the ink cartridge 240 moves out of the printer body in the second embodiment, the spherical member 52 , valve member 62 , and pressing member 70 move leftward in fig. 11 by the urging forces of the coil springs 53 and 63 while remaining in contact with each other. that is, the spherical member 52 , pressing member 70 , and valve member 62 operate in reverse to that when the hollow needle 153 is inserted. thus, the valve member 62 contacts the valve seat 61 , shifting the second valve 60 from the open state to the closed state. at this time, the signal outputted from the photosensor 66 to the controller 90 changes from signal b to signal a, and the controller 90 detects that the second valve 60 is in the closed state. subsequently, when the spherical member 52 contacts the annular protrusion 51 b , i.e., when the first valve 50 changes from the open state to the closed state, the signal outputted from the photosensor 266 to the controller 90 changes from signal e to signal f and the controller 90 detects that the first valve 50 is in the closed state. after the hollow needle 153 is extracted from the sealing member 51 , the contact point 91 and contact point 161 are disconnected and the power input unit 92 and contact point 163 are disconnected as the ink cartridge 240 continues to be removed. when the case 41 separates from the detecting part 171 so that the detecting part 171 protrudes out from the sensor 170 , the sensor 170 outputs the signal d to the controller 100 , by which signal the controller 100 can determine that the ink cartridge 240 has been removed from the printer body. thereafter, as described in the first embodiment, the operator replaces the ink cartridge 240 that was removed from the printer body with a new ink cartridge 240 , mounting the new ink cartridge 240 in the printer body according to the procedure described above. with the inkjet printer 1 according to the second embodiment described above, the controller 90 calculates the mounting time for an ink cartridge 240 when the ink cartridge 240 is mounted in its corresponding mounting unit 150 to determine whether maintenance is required. hence, the inkjet printer 1 according to the second embodiment can obtain the same effects described in the first embodiment. further, by providing the photosensor 266 for detecting when the first valve 50 is in an open or closed state, the controller 90 can calculate the mounting time more accurately than in the first embodiment as the reception time difference between signals received from the photosensors 66 and 266 indicating the open states of the first and second valves 50 and 60 , respectively, because the moving distance of the ink cartridge 240 used to calculate the mounting time is short. by reducing the moving distance (predetermined distance) used in the calculation, the calculation is less likely to be influenced by human error introduced by the user mounting the cartridge, that is, the user's induced problem that the mounting speed varies while the ink cartridge is being mounted, thereby resulting in a more accurate calculation of the mounting speed, more specifically, the mounting speed around the time when the second valve 60 opens to communicate the ink cartridge 240 with the ink supply channel 154 . in the embodiment, the sensor 170 may be eliminated since the mounting time is computed based on the timings at which the first and second valves 50 and 60 change to their open states. as a variation of the second embodiment, the annular protrusion 51 b could be elongated in the main scanning direction, for example, so that the first valve 50 becomes open after the second valve 60 opens when the ink cartridge 240 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 . thus, the mounting time could be calculated as the time between the moment that the first valve 50 switches to the open state and the moment that the second valve 60 switches to the open state. in this way, this variation can obtain the same effects described in the first and second embodiments. in a variation of the first and second embodiments, the controller 100 may be used in place of the controller 90 to perform the same control operations as the controller 90 . hence, the controller 100 could perform the control processes in s 5 -s 7 , s 9 , and s 11 in place of the controller 90 . in this case, the controller 90 may be eliminated from the ink cartridge 40 , despite which the same effects described in the first and second embodiments can be obtained. as another variation of the embodiments, the storage unit 125 may be provided in the printer body rather than in the ink cartridge 40 and ink cartridge 240 . further, the storage unit 125 may store different prescribed times (threshold times for determining whether maintenance is required) in association with different types of printer bodies in which the ink cartridge 40 or 240 can be used, or coefficients for multiplying the pre-stored prescribed times. more specifically, the storage unit 125 may store separate prescribed times that are shorter than reference times or a coefficient that can be used to shorten the reference times through multiplication when the length of the ink channel from the hollow needle 153 to the ejection holes formed in the inkjet head 2 is longer than a reference distance, and may store separate prescribed times longer than the reference times or a coefficient for lengthening the reference times when the ink channel is shorter than the reference distance. further, the separate prescribed times or coefficients may be associated with the pressure resistance of the ink meniscus rather than the length of the ink channel. specifically, the storage unit 125 could store separate prescribed times that are shorter than the reference times or a coefficient for reducing the reference times through multiplication when the ejection openings in the inkjet head 2 have a greater diameter than a reference diameter (a smaller meniscus pressure resistance than the reference pressure resistance), and separate prescribed times longer than the reference times or a coefficient for increasing the reference times when the diameter of the ejection openings is smaller than the reference diameter. here, a controller may be suitably used to identify the type of printer and, based on the printer type, to select either the reference times or separate prescribed times, or to calculate and apply new prescribed times by multiplying the reference times by a coefficient. in addition, the storage unit 125 may store separate quantities of ink leakage associated with different printer types or coefficients for multiplying pre-stored quantities of ink leakage. third embodiment an inkjet printer 300 (recording device) and an ink cartridge 340 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to figs. 12-13 . in the inkjet printer 1 of the first embodiment, each ink cartridge 40 is directly connected to the corresponding inkjet head 2 via the tube 102 . however, according to the inkjet printer 300 of the present embodiment, a subsidiary tank 310 is provided between each ink cartridge 40 and the corresponding inkjet head 2 . the subsidiary tank 310 is for separating air from ink and for establishing a pressure head difference between the subsidiary tank 310 and the inkjet head 2 . the inkjet printer 300 of the present embodiment is the same as the inkjet printer 1 of the first embodiment except that the inkjet printer 300 is provided with ink supply systems described below and that the inkjet printer 300 operates as described below. the ink cartridge 340 of the present embodiment is the same as the ink cartridge 40 of the first embodiment except that a table 2 to be described later is stored in the storing unit 125 instead of the table 1. components in the inkjet printer 300 and the ink cartridge 340 the same as those of the first embodiment are designated with the same reference numerals to avoid duplicating description. next, the ink supply systems for the inkjet printer 300 will be described with reference to fig. 12 . similarly to the first embodiment, four ink supplying systems are provided for the four inkjet print heads 2 , respectively. the ink supplying systems have the same configurations with one another. one of the ink supplying systems will be described below while referring to fig. 12 , but the following description is in common to the other ink supplying systems. as shown in fig. 12 , one subsidiary tank 310 is provided for each inkjet head 2 . in each ink supplying system, one inkjet head 2 is connected via a flexible tube 352 (ink supplying path) to one subsidiary tank 310 . a purge/circulation pump 330 (ink discharging unit, ink forcibly supplying unit) is provided in the midway portion of the tube 352 connecting the inkjet head 2 and the subsidiary tank 310 . the inkjet head 2 is connected also via a flexible tube 354 to the subsidiary tank 310 . an open/close valve 360 is provided in the midway portion of the tube 354 connecting the inkjet head 2 and the subsidiary tank 310 . the subsidiary tank 310 is connected via a flexible tube 350 (ink supplying path) to one ink supply channel 154 . an ink supply pump 320 is provided in the midway portion of the tube 350 connecting the subsidiary tank 310 and the ink supply channel 154 . when one ink cartridge 340 is mounted in the body of the printer 300 (the casing 1 a ), the ink cartridge 340 is connected to one ink supply channel 154 so that ink can be supplied from the ink cartridge 340 via the corresponding subsidiary tank 310 to the corresponding inkjet head 2 . the ink supply pump 320 is for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 . the purge/circulation pump 330 is for forcibly supplying ink from the subsidiary tank 300 to the inkjet head 2 , thereby discharging ink from the subsidiary tank 300 . the purge/circulation pump 330 is also for circulating ink between the subsidiary tank 310 and the inkjet head 2 . the open/close valve 360 is closed when ink is discharged from the subsidiary tank 310 through the inkjet head 2 . the open/close valve 360 is opened when ink is circulated between the subsidiary tank 310 and the inkjet head 2 . the subsidiary tank 310 is formed with an opening 316 . the interior of the subsidiary tank 310 is in fluid communication with atmospheric air through the opening 316 . air is separated from ink when the ink is introduced into the subsidiary tank 310 . a pressure head difference within a desired range can be generated between ink in the inkjet head 2 and ink in the subsidiary tank 310 if the level of the liquid surface of the ink stored in the subsidiary tank 310 is within a predetermined range in the vertical direction, that is, if the level of the liquid surface of the ink is between a predetermined upper level l 1 and a predetermined lower level l 2 shown in fig. 12 . according to the present embodiment, the controller 100 performs a control operation to maintain the level of the liquid surface of the ink within the subsidiary tank 310 at the upper level l 1 . the controller 100 further performs a control operation to control the liquid surface of the ink not to fall below the lower level l 2 during a printing process. the subsidiary tank 310 is provided with an upper sensor 312 and a lower sensor 314 , both of which are for detecting the liquid surface of ink in the subsidiary tank 310 . the upper sensor 312 and a lower sensor 314 are provided at the locations corresponding to the upper level l 1 and the lower level l 2 , respectively. the upper sensor 312 outputs an on signal when the liquid surface of ink is at the same level with or at the higher level than the upper level l 1 . the upper sensor 312 outputs an off signal when the liquid surface of ink is at the lower level than the upper level l 1 . the lower sensor 314 outputs an on signal when the liquid surface of ink is at the same level with or at the higher level than the lower level l 2 . the lower sensor 314 outputs an off signal when the liquid surface of ink is at the lower level than the lower level l 2 . the controller 100 is configured to receive those signals outputted from the upper sensor 312 and the lower sensor 314 . at the initial stage where ink is not yet supplied to the subsidiary tank 310 , the controller 100 drives the ink supply pump 320 to supply ink from the ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 . as ink is supplied to the subsidiary tank 310 , the output signal from the lower sensor 314 switches from the off state to the on state before the output signal from the upper sensor 312 switches from the off state to the on state. when the output signal from the upper sensor 312 switches to the on state, the controller 100 stops driving the ink supply pump 320 . the controller 100 can perform an ink discharging operation (purge operation) to forcibly eject ink from the subsidiary tank 310 through the ejecting surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2 , by driving the purge/circulation pump 330 while maintaining the open/close valve 360 in the closed state. it is noted that before performing the ink discharging operation, similarly to the maintenance process in the first embodiment, the inkjet heads 2 are moved to the retracted position and the caps 31 are moved to the capping position. according to the present embodiment, the purge/circulation pump 330 is included in the maintenance mechanism 30 . the controller 100 can also perform an ink circulating operation, by driving the purge/circulation pump 330 while opening the open/close valve 360 . with this ink circulating operation, air bubbles accumulated in the ink channels in the inkjet head 2 can be discharged. during the printing process, the controller 100 does not drive the ink supply pump 320 or the purge/circulation pump 330 . when ink is ejected from the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2 to perform printing operation, ink of the same amount with the ejected ink is drawn into the inkjet head 2 from the subsidiary tank 310 due to a capillary force. the controller 100 continuously checks the output signals from the upper sensor 312 and the lower sensor 314 during the printing process. as ink in the subsidiary tank 310 is consumed, the output signal from the upper sensor 312 switches from on to off, before the output signal from the lower sensor 314 switches from on to off. when the output signal from the lower sensor 314 switches from on to off, the controller 100 starts driving the ink supply pump 320 to supply ink from the ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 . when the output signal from the upper sensor 312 switches from off back to on, the controller 100 stops driving the ink supply pump 320 . with the above described control, the liquid surface of ink in the subsidiary tank 310 is usually maintained at the upper level l 1 . during the printing process, the liquid surface of ink in the subsidiary tank 310 is maintained between the upper level l 1 and the lower level l 2 . when the ink cartridge 340 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 , if the mounting speed is high, ink happens to flow from the ink cartridge 340 into the subsidiary tank 310 . the liquid surface of ink in the subsidiary tank 310 will possibly rise and exceed the upper level l 1 , and therefore go beyond the range between the upper level l 1 and the lower level l 2 . considering this problem, according to the present embodiment, the storing unit 125 provided in the ink cartridge 340 stores data of the table 2 shown below instead of the table 1. similarly to table 1, table 2 stores data in correspondence with each of combinations of: four time ranges t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 for the mounting time of the ink cartridge 340 and four ink volume ranges v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 for the ink cartridge 340 . data for each combination of the time range and the ink volume range indicates the amount of ink flowing from the ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 (the amount of ink flowing out of the ink accommodating unit) and whether ink has to be discharged from the subsidiary tank 310 through the inkjet head 2 (whether or not it is necessary to perform ink forcibly ejecting operation to forcibly eject ink from a recording head). the concrete values of the time ranges t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 are the same as those in the first embodiment. that is, t 1 is set to a range greater than or equal to 0 seconds and less than 0.5 seconds, time range t 2 to a range greater than or, equal to 0.5 seconds and less than 1.5 seconds, time range t 3 to a range greater than or equal to 1.5 seconds and less than 2.5 seconds, and time range t 4 to a range greater than or equal to 2.5 seconds. similarly, the concrete values of the ink volume ranges v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , v 4 are the same as those in the first embodiment. that is, ink volume range v 1 is set to a range greater than or equal to 0 ml and less than 500 ml, ink volume range v 2 to a range greater than or equal to 500 ml and less than 700 ml, ink volume range v 3 to a range greater than or equal to 700 ml and less than 800 ml, and ink volume range v 4 to a range greater than or equal to 800 ml and less than 1,000 ml. table 2ink volume rangev1v2v3v4timet1inkink dischargingink discharginginkrangedischargingoperationoperationdischargingoperationrequiredrequiredoperationnot requiredrequiredno inkink inflowink inflowink inflowinflowoccurs (ink ofoccurs (veryoccursoccursalmost 0 ml)slight amount(some ink)of ink)t2inkink dischargingink discharginginkdischargingoperation notoperationdischargingoperationrequiredrequiredoperationnot requiredrequiredno inkno ink inflowink inflowink inflowinflowoccursoccurs (ink ofoccursoccursalmost 0 ml)(very slightamount ofink)t3inkink dischargingink discharginginkdischargingoperation notoperation notdischargingoperation notrequiredrequiredoperationrequiredrequiredno inkno ink inflowno ink inflowink inflowinflowoccursoccursoccursoccurs(ink ofalmost 0 ml)t4ink discharging operation not requiredno ink inflow occurs hence, for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 340 has an ink volume falling within ink volume range v 1 , the table 2 indicates that no ink inflow occurs and that an ink discharging operation is not necessary, regardless of which time range t 1 -t 3 corresponds to the mounting time. here, the mounting time indicates the time elapsed between the moment that the ink cartridge 340 was beginning to be mounted in the mounting unit 150 and the moment that the second valve 60 in the ink cartridge 340 switched from the closed state to the open state. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 340 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 2 , the table 2 indicates that ink inflow with an amount of almost zero (0) ml occurs and an ink discharging operation is necessary only when the mounting time falls within time range t 1 . in other words, the table 2 indicates that a small amount of ink may possibly flow into the subsidiary tank 310 and an ink discharging operation is necessary when the mounting time is less than 0.5 seconds. thus, 0.5 seconds is the threshold for indicating whether or not an ink discharging operation will be required. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 340 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time falls within time range t 1 , the table 2 indicates that a very slight amount of ink flows into the subsidiary tank 310 (approximately 1 ml, for example) and that an ink discharging operation is necessary. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 340 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time falls within time range t 2 , the table 2 indicates that ink of almost zero (0) ml flows into the subsidiary tank 310 and that an ink discharging operation is necessary. in other words, an ink discharging operation is required when the ink volume of the mounted ink cartridge 340 falls within ink volume range v 3 and the mounting time is less than 1.5 seconds, but unnecessary if the mounting time is longer. for the case where the mounted ink cartridge 340 has an ink volume that falls within ink volume range v 4 , the table 2 indicates that an ink discharging operation is necessary, regardless of which time range t 1 -t 3 corresponds to the mounting time. the table 2 also indicates that a small amount of ink flows into the subsidiary tank 310 (about 3 ml, for example) when the mounting time falls within time range t 1 , that a very slight amount of ink flows into the subsidiary tank 310 when the mounting time falls within time range t 2 , and that ink of almost zero (0) ml flows into the subsidiary tank 310 when the mounting time falls within time range t 3 . the table 2 further indicates that ink does not flow into the subsidiary tank 310 and an ink discharging operation is unnecessary when the mounting time is greater than 2.5 seconds, that is, when the mounting time falls in a time range t 4 , if the volume of ink in the ink cartridge 340 is less than 1,000 ml. in this way, similarly to the table 1 in the first embodiment, the table 2 stores data specifying prescribed threshold times (0, 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 seconds) corresponding to the respective ink volume ranges v 1 -v 4 for which an ink discharging operation becomes necessary. a manufacturer of the ink cartridge 340 creates the table 2 by performing an experiment. during the experiment, the manufacturer prepares a plurality of ink cartridges 340 that are filled with ink of various volumes. the manufacturer mounts the ink cartridges 340 in the mounting unit 150 of the inkjet printer 300 at various speeds. the manufacturer measures the amount of ink flowing from each ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 . the controller 100 of the inkjet printer 300 and the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 340 execute operations as shown in fig. 13 instead of the operations shown in fig. 10 when an ink cartridge 340 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 . in the flowchart of fig. 13 , the processes of s 1 -s 5 are the same as those of s 1 -s 5 in fig. 10 . after calculating the mounting time in s 5 , in s 20 , the controller 90 reads out data of the current ink volume and data of the table 2 stored in the storage unit 125 . next in s 22 , the controller 90 determines whether data was read from the storage unit 125 in s 20 . the process proceeds from s 22 to s 24 if the controller 90 determines that data was successfully read from the storage unit 125 . in s 24 , the controller 100 checks whether the output signal from the upper sensor 312 is on or off. if the output signal from the upper sensor 312 is on (on in s 24 ), the controller 100 informs the controller 90 that the upper sensor 312 is on. in s 26 , the controller 90 determines within which of the time ranges t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 the mounting time calculated in s 5 falls, determines within which of the ink volume ranges v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 the volume of ink in the mounted ink cartridge 340 falls, and determines whether an ink discharging operation has to be performed for the newly mounted ink cartridge 340 by referring to the table 2. if the controller 90 determines that an ink discharging operation is required (s 26 : yes), in s 28 the controller 90 outputs a signal to the controller 100 requesting that an ink discharging operation be started. upon receiving this signal, the controller 100 performs the ink discharging operation by driving the purge/circulation pump 330 for a predetermined period of time while the open/close valve 360 is in the closed state. it is noted that the controller 100 starts driving the purge/circulation pump 330 after moving the inkjet heads 2 to the retracted position and moving the caps 31 to the capping position, similarly to s 10 in the first embodiment. in this way, ink is discharged from the subsidiary tank 310 via the inkjet head 2 . next, in s 30 , the controller 100 checks whether the output signal from the upper sensor 312 turns from on to off. if the output signal from the upper sensor 312 maintains on (on in s 30 ), the process returns to s 28 , and the controller 100 continues the ink discharging operation. when the output signal from the upper sensor 312 turns from on to off (off in s 30 ), it is known that the liquid surface of ink in the subsidiary tank 310 has declined to reach the upper level l 1 . so, the controller 100 stops driving the purge/circulation pump 330 , returns the caps 31 to the initial position and returns the inkjet heads 2 to the printing position, and notifies the controller 90 that the ink discharging operation is complete. then, the process proceeds to s 32 . upon receiving notification that the ink discharging operation was complete, in s 32 , the controller 90 overwrites the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 . more specifically, the controller 90 first determines whether the ink inflow amount is “ink of almost 0 ml,” a “very slight amount of ink,” or “some ink,” by referring to the table 2, subtracts this determined quantity of flowing ink from the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 , and updates the ink quantity in the storage unit 125 with the result. next, the process advances to s 34 and enters a standby state, i.e., a print-ready state. next, in s 36 the controller 90 outputs a signal to the controller 100 indicating that the ink cartridge 340 is print-ready. after receiving this signal, the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit a sound for notifying the user that the printer 300 is ready to print, and the operation for mounting the ink cartridge 340 is complete. the operation for updating the ink quantity of the ink cartridge 340 described in s 32 may instead be performed after the operation in s 36 and before the controller 100 begins a printing operation. on the other hand, if it is determined in s 26 that an ink discharging operation is not necessary (no in s 26 ), the process proceeds from s 26 directly to s 34 . if the output from the upper sensor 312 is off in s 24 (off in s 24 ), the process proceeds to s 38 . in s 38 , the controller 100 drives the ink supply pump 320 to supply ink from the ink cartridge 340 to the subsidiary tank 310 . next, in s 40 , the controller 100 checks whether the output from the upper sensor 312 turns on. if the output from the upper sensor 312 maintains off (off in s 40 ), the process returns to s 38 , and the controller 100 continues the ink supplying operation. when the output from the upper sensor 312 turns on (on in s 40 ), the controller 100 stops driving the ink supply pump 320 , notifies the controller 90 that the ink supply is complete, and the process proceeds to s 32 . when executing the process of s 32 upon receiving notification that ink supply is complete, the controller 90 overwrites the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 by subtracting the quantity of ink expended in the ink supplying operation from the quantity of ink stored in the storage unit 125 , and updates the ink quantity in the storage unit 125 with the result. on the other hand, if the controller 90 was unable to read data because the data is not stored in the storage unit 125 (s 22 : no), then the controller 90 outputs an error signal to the controller 100 and, upon receiving this error signal, the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 in s 42 to emit a sound alerting the user of a problem with the storage unit 125 . then, the process proceeds from s 42 to s 44 . in s 44 , the controller 100 controls the buzzer 13 to emit a sound asking the user whether to or not to perform an ink discharging operation. if the user inputs, to the manipulation unit (not shown), his/her instruction to perform an ink discharging operation (yes in s 44 ), the process proceeds to s 46 , in which an ink discharging operation is executed in the same manner as in s 28 . then, the process proceeds to s 34 . if the user inputs his/her instruction not to perform an ink discharging operation (no in s 44 ), the process proceeds from s 44 directly to s 34 . with the above-described configuration, if the ink cartridge 340 is mounted in the mounting unit 150 at a high speed and therefore ink flows from the ink cartridge 340 into the subsidiary tank 310 and the liquid surface level of the ink in the subsidiary tank 310 exceeds the upper level l 1 , the ink discharging operation is executed to discharge ink from the subsidiary tank 310 to return the liquid surface level back to the upper level l 1 . so, the negative pressure applied to the ink within the nozzles in the inkjet head 2 can be maintained in the desired range. so, the inkjet head 2 can maintain desirable ink ejection characteristics. the ink discharging operation is not executed when the ink cartridge 340 is mounted at a low speed. so, ink is not consumed in vain. <modifications> the inkjet printer 300 of the third embodiment can be modified so that the ink cartridge 240 of the second embodiment can be mounted therein. more specifically, the flowchart of fig. 13 is modified so that in s 5 the controller 90 of the ink cartridge 240 calculates the mounting time elapsed between the moment that the signal e was received from the photosensor 266 and the moment that the signal b was received from the photosensor 66 . the ink cartridge 240 is modified so that the storage unit 125 of the ink cartridge 240 stores data of table 2 instead of table 1. it is noted that data in table 2 should be adjusted appropriately since one factor for calculating the mounting time, i.e., the moment at which the signal c is received from the sensor 170 is changed to the moment at which the signal e is received from the photosensor 266 . in a variation of the third embodiment, the controller 100 may be used in place of the controller 90 to perform the same control operations as the controller 90 . hence, the controller 100 could perform the control processes in s 5 -s 22 , s 26 , and s 32 in place of the controller 90 . in this case, the controller 90 may be eliminated from the ink cartridge 340 , despite which the same effects described in the third embodiment can be obtained. as another variation of the present embodiment, the storage unit 125 may be provided in the printer body rather than in the ink cartridge 340 . further, the storage unit 125 may store different prescribed times (threshold times for determining whether an ink discharging operation is required) in association with different types of printer bodies in which the ink cartridge 340 can be used, or coefficients for multiplying the pre-stored prescribed times. more specifically, the storage unit 125 may store separate prescribed times that are shorter than reference times or a coefficient that can be used to shorten the reference times through multiplication when the length of the ink channel from the hollow needle 153 to the subsidiary tank 310 is longer than a reference distance, and may store separate prescribed times or a coefficient for lengthening the reference times when the ink channel is shorter than the reference distance. here, a controller may be suitably used to identify the type of printer and, based on the printer type, to select either the reference times or separate prescribed times, or to calculate and apply new prescribed times by multiplying the reference times by a coefficient. in addition, the storage unit 125 may store separate ink flowing quantities associated with different printer types or coefficients for multiplying pre-stored ink flowing quantities. in addition, the various variations for the ink cartridge 40 of the first embodiment can be applied in a similar manner to the ink cartridge 340 of the third embodiment. while the invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the attached claims. for example, the pressing member 70 may be integrally formed with the spherical member 52 . the pressing member 70 may be integrally formed with both of the spherical member 52 and the valve member 62 . alternatively, the pressing member 70 may be provided separately and not integrally formed with the spherical member 52 or valve member 62 . as another variation, the first valve 50 may be configured as merely a sealing member for sealing the opening formed in the end of the tube 45 . in this case, the hollow needle 153 , per se. will press the pressing member 70 . also in this case, it is not necessary to form the slit 51 a in the sealing member 51 . in this case, the hollow needle 153 will penetrate the sealing member 51 to open the first valve 50 . the first valve may have a structure different from that described in the embodiments, provided that the first valve is disposed in the ink delivery tube and can be selectively moved between an open state for allowing communication in the ink delivery tube and a closed state for interrupting communication in the ink delivery tube. the second valve may also have a different structure than that described in the embodiments, provided that the second valve is disposed in the ink delivery tube between the ink bag and the first valve and can be selectively changed between an open state for allowing communication in a channel of the ink delivery tube extending from the ink bag to the first valve and a closed state for interrupting communication along this channel based on the insertion of the hollow needle 153 . alternatively, a movable member may be provided in place of the second valve, whereby the movable member is urged by an urging member so that movement of the movable member is restricted to a prescribed range, and the photosensor 66 may be configured to detect the position of the movable member. this configuration requires that the first valve have greater integrity so that ink does not leak therefrom. further, sensors other than the photosensors 66 and 266 described in the embodiments may be used to detect the open and closed states of the first and second valves 50 and 60 . the casing 1 a may also be provided with a display for providing notifications to the user in place of the buzzer 13 by displaying images rather than emitting sound. alternatively, both notification devices (the buzzer and display) may be used in concert. in the first through third embodiments described above, power is supplied to internal components of the ink cartridge (the photosensors 66 , 266 , controller 90 , etc.) by mounting the ink cartridge in the printer body. however, as shown in fig. 14 , a battery 94 may be provided in the ink cartridge in place of the power input unit 92 and a mechanical switch 96 may be provided in the ink cartridge for regulating the supply of power from the battery 94 to the components. in this case, the mechanical switch 96 contacts the surface of a wall forming the recessed part 151 of the mounting unit 150 when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit 150 , enabling the supply of power from the battery 94 to the internal components of the ink cartridge. this supply of power to the internal components is halted when the mechanical switch 96 separates from the wall surface. it is preferable that the mechanical switch 96 be configured such that power is supplied from the battery 94 to the internal components of the ink cartridge at the same timing that the power input unit 92 and power output part 162 become electrically connected. in this way, the same effects described in the first through third embodiments can be obtained.
073-253-744-080-861	GB	[ "EP", "DE", "CA", "US" ]	G12B9/10,H05K7/14	1982-09-03T00:00:00	1982	[ "G12", "H05" ]	apparatus for securing an electronic unit to an avionics tray	apparatus for removing and securing a plug-in electronic unit or the like to or from an avionics tray comprises a threaded spindle carrying a transverse pin at one end thereof and having an arrangement of three concentric sleeves located about the spindle. stop members are provided to limit the movement of the sleeves in both axial directions along the threaded spindle. a rotatable grip is fitted about the innermost of the three concentric sleeves at that end of the sleeve remote from the transverse pin. a ring member is positioned about the middle of the three sleeves and cooperates with an extended flange of the latter to define an annular recess which contains a resilient element. a torque- limiting arrangement is provided between the rotatable grip and a cooperating surface portion of the middle of the three sleeves. the outermost sleeve has, at its end closest to the transverse pin, a radial flange which together with said ring member defines an annular recess capable of receiving a hook forming part of the attachment mechanism of an electronic unit. in use, rotation of the rotatable grip allows an electronic unit to be inserted into an avionics tray with a predetermined degree of force, this being adjusted via the torque limiting arrangement. rotation of the rotatable grip in the opposite sense effects removal of the electronic unit from the avionics tray.	1. apparatus for removing and securing a plug-in electronic unit or the like from or to an avionics tray, which apparatus comprises (i) a threaded spindle (1) one end of which includes a transverse pin (2) for pivotally mounting the spindle in a retaining member attached to or forming part of the avionics tray such that the spindle (1) can move about the transverse axis of said pin (2) but cannot rotate about its own axis; (ii) a first sleeve (3) having a first portion (4) relatively remote from the transverse pin (2) and having a second, internally threaded portion (5) which is threaded onto the spindle (1), the internal diameter of the first portion (4) being slightly greater than the external diameter of the spindle (1) ; (iii) a first stop member (6) formed in or attached to the end of the first sleeve (3) nearest to the transverse pin (2); (iv) a second stop member (7) arranged to limit the movement of the first sleeve (3) with respect to the spindle (1) in a direction away from the transverse pin (2); (v) a rotatable grip (8) fitted about that end of the first sleeve (3) remote from the transverse pin (2); (vi) a second sleeve (9) coaxial with, and positioned around the first sleeve (3) and having at its end remote from the transverse pin (2) a radial flange (10) including a shoulder (11) facing towards the transverse pin (2), and an annular recess (12) which cooperates with the rotatable grip (8) and the first sleeve (3) to define an annular cavity around the first sleeve (3); (vii) a torque limiting arrangement (13) positioned in said annular cavity and serving to interconnect the rotating grip (8) and the first sleeve (3) such that rotation of the grip (8) in the direction towards the transverse pin (2) causes the first sleeve (3) to move along the threaded portion of the spindle (1) towards the transverse pin (2) so long as the torque between grip (8) and said first sleeve (3) is less than a predetermined value; (viii) a ring member (14) including (a) a sleeve portion (15) coaxial with and positioned for sliding movement on the outer surface of the second sleeve (9), (b) an internal surface (16) open towards the transverse pin (2), and (c) a shoulder (23) facing inwards, and capable of abutting, the shoulder (11) of the second sleeve (9); (ix) a third sleeve (17) coaxial with and positioned for relative sliding movement over that part of the outer surface of the second sleeve (9) nearest to the transverse pin (2), the third sleeve (17) being retained at its end nearest to the transverse pin by the first stop member (6) and having, at that end, (a) a radially inwardly facing abutment (18) which holds the third sleeve (17) away from the first sleeve (3) and which defines in cooperation with the inner surface of the third sleeve (17) the outer surface of the first sleeve (3) and the end of the second sleeve (9), a sheath like cavity (21) around the first sleeve, and (b) a radially outwardly extending flange (19), the other end of said third sleeve (17) being in contact with the radially inward part of the ring (14); (x) a resilient element (20) located in said sheath-like cavity (21) and arranged so as to tend to urge the second and third sleeves (9; 17) away from one another in the axial direction of the spindle (1); (xi) a generally cylindrical, elastomeric spacer element (22) held between the radial flange (10) of the second sleeve (9) and that end of the ring member (14) remote from the transverse pin (2), the arrangement being such that when the ring member (14) and said radial flange (10) move towards each other, their respective shoulders (11; 23) come into abutment so as to retain the compressed elastomeric spacer element (22) within a cavity defined between the ring member (14) and said radial flange (10); and (xii) means (24; 25) for urging the rotating grip (8) towards the torque limiting arrangement (13). 2. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second sleeve (9) is fixed to said first sleeve (3). 3. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second sleeve (9) is free to slide over said first sleeve (3). 4. apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein said torque limiting arrangement (13) comprises a plurality of ball bearings (31) held against the surface of a drive plate (26), which surface is formed with a number of indents (33) 5. apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said indents (33) is generally "l"-shaped in section. 6. apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein said drive plate (26) is keyed to the spindle (1). 7. apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said torque limiting arrangement (13) comprises a pack of disc springs (25) housed in an annular cavity formed between an outer wall portion of said rotating grip (8) and the outer surface of said first sleeve (3), the disc springs (25) being urged towards an inner face of the rotating grip (8) through the action of an adjustable screw arrangement (24). 8. apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rotating grip (8) or at least an outer surface portion thereof is colour-coded to indicate the maximum limiting torque to which the torque limiting arrangement (13) can be set.	this invention relates to apparatus for securing an electronic unit or the like to an avionics tray. electronic equipment for use in aircraft has been generally standardised into set sizes of electronic units. these units are supported on avionics trays which are likewise of standardised sizes. when an electronic unit is mounted onto an avionics' tray, electrical connections must be made in order to allow the proper functioning of the equipment. usually, the electronic unit is provided with a bank of pins which meet with a corresponding socket provided in or on the avionics tray. because of the delicacy of the equipment and the need to ensure proper electrical connections, the method of mounting the unit on an avionics tray, and correspondingly of extracting the unit from the avionics tray, assumes an important role. in order to ensure proper electrical connection, an appropriate degree of force is required to insert the pins into their respective sockets. too much force, however, could lead to damage to the electronic unit or to the connections, and therefore the appropriate insertion forces for a particular electronic unit can be defined within a relatively narrow range. early avionics equipment hold-downs consisted of a threaded spindle pivoted at one end on a pivot axis transverse to the longitudinal extent of the spindle; the spindle carried a butterfly nut having attached thereto a taper ring having a taper surface resembling a jaw facing the spindle pivot. by screwing the butterfly nut down towards the pivot, the taper ring could engage with a projecting hook provided on the front end of the electronics unit. at this stage, little attention was given to the question of force applied to the electronics unit. an arrangement of the kind just described is disclosed in arinc specification no.404 relating to air transport equipment cases and racking, which was issued in may, 1956. page 53 of the specification (data sheet 9b) states that care should be taken in the design of the hold-down screw arrangement in order to maintain proper relationship of the horizontal force tending to move the electronic equipment into the electrical connectors and the vertical force holding the equipment down on slide rails which are associated with the avionics tray. according to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for removing and securing a plug-in electronic unit or the like from or to an avionics tray, which apparatus comprises: (i) a threaded spindle one end of which includes a transverse pin for pivotally mounting the spindle in a retaining member attached to or forming part of the avionics tray such that the spindle can move about the transverse axis of said pin but cannot rotate about its own axis; (ii) a first sleeve having a first portion relatively remote from the transverse pin and having a second, internally threaded portion which is threaded onto the spindle, the internal diameter of the first portion being slightly greater than the external diameter of the spindle; (iii) a first stop member formed in or attached to the end of the first sleeve nearest to the transverse pin; (iv) a second stop member arranged to limit the movement of the first sleeve with respect to the spindle in a direction away from the transverse pin; (v) a rotatable grip fitted about that end of the first sleeve remote from the transverse pin; (vi) a second sleeve coaxial with, and positioned around the first sleeve and having at its end remote from the transverse pin a radial flange including a shoulder facing towards the transverse pin,and an annular recess which co-operates with the rotatable grip and the first sleeve to define an annular cavity around the first sleeve; (vii) a torque limiting arrangement positioned in said annular cavity and serving to interconnect the rotating grip and the first sleeve such that rotation of the grip in the direction towards the transverse pin causes the first sleeve to move along the threaded portion of the spindle towards the transverse pin so long as the torque between grip and said first sleeve is less than a predetermined value; (viii) a ring member including (a) a sleeve portion coaxial with and positioned for sliding movement on the outer surface of the second sleeve, (b) an internal surface open towards the transverse pin, and (c) a shoulder facing towards, and capable of abutting, the shoulder of the second sleeve; (ix) a third sleeve coaxial with and positioned for relative sliding movement over that part of the outer surface of the second sleeve nearest to the transverse pin, the third sleeve being retained at its end nearest to the transverse pin by the first stop member and having, at that end, (a) a radially inwardly facing abutment which holds the third sleeve away from the first sleeve and which defines, in co- operation with the inner surface of the third sleeve, the outer surface of the first sleeve, and the end of the second sleeve,a sheath-like cavity around the first sleeve, and (b) a radially outwardly extending flange, the other end of said third sleeve being in contact with the radially inward part of the ring; (x) a resilient element located in said sheath-like cavity and arranged so as to tend to urge the second and third sleeves away from one another in the axial direction of the spindle; (xi) a generally cylindrical, elastomeric spacer element held between the radial flange of the second sleeve and that end of the ring manber remote from the transverse pin, the arrangement being such that when the ring member and said radial flange move towards each other their respective shoulders come into abutment so as to retain the compressed elastomeric spacer element within a cavity defined between the ring member and said radial flange; and (xii) means for urging the rotating grip towards the torque limiting arrangement. the second sleeve may be disposed for sliding movement around the first sleeve or it may be fixed to the first sleeve.. the torque limiting arrangement preferably comprises a plurality of ball bearings held against the surface of a drive plate, which surface is formed with a number of indents corresponding to the number of ball bearings. each of the indents can conveniently be generally "l"-shaped in section. the drive plate is preferably keyed to the spindle. the means for urging the rotating grip towards the torque limiting arrangement preferably comprises a pack of disc springs such as belleville washers housed in an annular cavity formed between the outer wall portion of the rotating grip and the outer surface of the first sleeve, the disc springs being urged towards an inner face of the rotating grip through the action of an adjustable screw arrangement, e.g. in the form of an adjustment disc threadedly engaged with that end of the first sleeve remote from the transverse pin. by adjusting such a disc, the torque at which the torque limiting arrangement will slip can be varied. it is preferred that the outer surface of the rotating grip be formed of rubber and be shaped so as to facilitate manual operation thereof. it is also preferred that the outer surface of the rotating grip or at least a portion thereof be colour coded, a specific colour corresponding to the predetermined value of the torque at which the torque limiting arrangenent will slip. the transverse pin can be mounted in a slot which is inclined with respect to the support surface of the avionics tray, that end of the slot furthest from the rotating grip being slightly higher than the other end of the slot, when the avionics tray is in a horizontal position. alternatively, the spindle may be provided with a pair of parallel and spaced transverse pins which ride over corresponding surfaces of an inclined ramp. for a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention; figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view along the lines a-a of figure 1; figure 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of figure 2, but showing the apparatus in a first, operative configuration; figure 4, is similar to figure 2, but with the apparatus in a second, operative configuration; figure 5 is a view of an alterantive form of retaining device for the apparatus of figure 1; and figure 6 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of part of the apparatus shown in figures 1 and 2. referring now to figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the apparatus comprises a threaded spindle 1 one end of which includes a transverse pin 2 for pivotally mounting the spindle in a retaining member attached to, or forming part of, an avionics tray (not shown). in use, this pivotal mounting will be such that the spindle can move about the transverse axis of pin 2, while being unable to rotate about its own longitudinal axis. a first sleeve 3 includes a first portion 4 remote from pin 2 and a second, internally threaded portion 5 which is screw-threaded onto the spindle 1. the internal diameter of portion 4 of sleeve 3 is slightly greater than the external diameter of spindle 1. the end of sleeve 3 closest to transverse pin 2 flares outwardly to constitute a first stop member 6. a second stop member 7, in this embodiment in the form of a cap threaded internally into spindle 1, is arranged to limit the movement of the first sleeve 3 with respect to spindle 1 in the direction away from transverse pin 2. a rotatable grip 8 is fitted about the end of first sleeve 3 remote from transverse pin 2. the grip comprises a colour-coded rubber grip surface 27 secured to the periphery of a cylindrical section 29. cylindrical section 29 has, at its right-hand end as seen in figure 2, a recess in which are disposed a pack of disc springs (e.g. belleville washers) 25. these are held in position by an adjustable disc 24 which is threaded onto the end of the first sleeve 3 furthest from pin 2. this disc 24 urges the disc springs 25 against inner surface 30 of the rotating grip 8. a second sleeve 9 is coaxial with and positioned around the first sleeve 3. sleeve 9 is preferably secured to the first sleeve 3. a radial flange 10 is formed at the end of sleeve 9 remote from pin 2. flange 10 includes a shoulder 11 facing towards the pin 2 and an annular recess 12 which co-operates with the rotatable grip 8 and the first sleeve 3 to define an annular cavity around the first sleeve. in this cavity a torque limiting arrangement 13 is positioned. this comprises a drive plate 26 which is keyed to sleeve 3 and a plurality of ball bearings 31. cavity 13 also includes a spacer member 32. a partial sectional view along lines b-b is shown in figure 6. as can be seen from this figure, the drive plate 26 is associated with four ball bearings 31 each of which is seated in an indent 33. each indent is "l"-shaped, having a relatively shallow sloping surface 34 and a relatively steep sloping surface 35. these . two surfaces lie in planes which are 90 degrees apart. as seen from figure 6, the keying of drive plate 26 is effected through flats 36 formed in sleeve 3. the torque limiting arrangement 13 is arranged such that rotation of the grip 8 in the direction causing sleeve 3 to move towards the transverse pin 2 continues so long as the torque between grip 8 and the sleeve 3 is less than a predetermined value. by adjusting screw 24, this predetermined torque value can be set appropriately. annular ring 14 is mounted for sliding movement on the outer surface of the second sleeve 9. the ring 14 includes a sleeve portion 15 coaxial with the second sleeve 9, and an internal surface 16 open towards the transverse pin 2. a shoulder 23 is also provided on the ring, this shoulder facing towards, and being capable of abutting, the shoulder 11 of sleeve 9. a generally cylindrical, elastomeric spacer element 22 is held captive between the radial flange 10 of second sleeve 9 and the right- facing end of the ring 14. when the ring 14 and flange 10 move towards each other, their respective shoulders 11 and 23 come into abutment so as to retain the compressed elastomeric spacer element 22 within the cavity formed between members 14 and 10. a third sleeve 17 is coaxial with and positioned for relative sliding movement over that part of the outer surface of second sleeve 9 nearest to the transverse pin 2. sleeve 17 is retained at the left hand end as seen in figure 2 by stop member 6. at the same end, the third sleeve 17 has a radially inwardly facing abutment 18 which holds the third sleeve 17 away from the first sleeve 3. abutment 18 also defines, in co-operation with the inner surface of the third sleeve 17, the outer surface of the first sleeve 3 and the end of the second sleeve 9, a sheath-like cavity 21 around first sleeve 3. a resilient element 20 is located in cavity 21 and is arranged so as to tend to urge the third sleeve 17 away from second sleeve 9 in the axial direction of the spindle 1. third sleeve 17 also includes a radially outwardly extending flange 19 at the end adjacent to transverse pin 2. the other end of sleeve 17 is in contact with the radially inward part of the ring 14. the operation of the apparatus illustrated in figures 1 and 2 will now be described with reference to figures 2, 3, 4 and 5. as shown in figures 3 and 4, the transverse pin 2 is located in a slot 40 formed in a retaining member 41. the retaining member 41 is secured to the lower part 42 of an avionics rack (not shown). the avionics rack supports an electronic unit which includes a front plate 43 having attached thereto a generally l-shaped hook 44. front plate 43 includes a lower portion 45 which extends somewhat below the generally flat, bottom surface of the electronics unit which is supported on rack 42. in figure 3, the apparatus of this invention is shown in the configuration applicable to its use in extracting the electronics unit from the rack or tray on which it is supported. in this configuration, the lower part 45 of front plate 43 and the toe of hook 44 are engaged between flanges 19 and 14 of the apparatus. rotating grip 8'is rotated in a direction such as to move first sleeve 3 towards the right-hand end of spindle 1 as shown in the drawing. torque is transferred through the arrangement 13 to plate 26, which as shown in figure 6 is keyed onto sleeve 3. second sleeve 9 is fixed with respect to first sleeve 3, and third sleeve 17 is held in position between ring 14 and the enlarged end portion 6 of first sleeve 3, whic.h acts as a retaining member. the jaw-like flange 19 of third sleeve 17 is thus caused to exert force on the rear portion 45 of front plate 43, thus pulling the electronics unit to the right as shown in figure 3, thereby extracting the unit from its support tray and simultaneously effecting disconnection of the electronic connections associated with the unit. during an extraction operation, the transverse pin 2 is held in slot 40 in the position illustrated in figure 3. the slot 40 is generally similar in function to that described and illustrated in u..s. patent specification no. 3,147,005. when the apparatus of the invention is used to insert an electronics unit, the configuration shown in figure 4 is adopted. rotating grip 8 is turned in the direction causing sleeve 3 to move to the left as shown in the drawing, the overall effect being that the inward facing surface 16 of ring 14 pushes against the toe of hook 44, thus moving the electronics unit to the left and effecting the necessary electrical connections. as the apparatus moves from the configuration shown in figure 3 to that shown in figure 4, rotation of grip 8 initially brings the toe of hook 44 into engagement with the surface 16 of ring 14. as the grip is tightened further, shoulders 11 and 23 are brought together against the force of the elastomeric coupling element 22. eventually, shoulders 11 and 23 meet to give the arrangement shown in figure 4, where element 22 is trapped in the cavity defined by co-operating surfaces of ring 14 and flange 10., further rotation of the grip 8 acts to move the electronics unit to the left, as indicated above. the torque limiting arrangement 13 is effective during the insertion mode. by adjusting the disc springs25 via threaded disc 24, the limiting torque can be varied according to that desired for any particular application. when the electronics unit is fully seated on the avionics tray and the electrical connections have been effected, further rotation of rotating grip 8 will have no effect other than to cause the torque limiting arrangement 13 to slip. in the embodiment illustrated, the torque limiting arrangement 13 is effective only in the insertion mode: in other words, the arrangement 13 acts as a direct drive when rotating grip 8 is rotated in the sense required to extract the electronics unit from the rack, i.e. as described above with reference to figure 3. figure 5 shows an alternative mounting arrangement for apparatus of this invention. instead of a slot 40, the mounting means 41 includes an inclined ramp 46 the opposite surfaces of which co-operate with two transverse pins 2a and 2b respectively.
073-583-041-047-944	US	[ "US" ]	G06F3/033,G06F3/00,G06F3/048,G06F3/01	2008-01-04T00:00:00	2008	[ "G06" ]	gesture movies	the display of gesture movies is disclosed to assist users in performing gestures. gesture movies can be short, unintrusive, and available on demand. a list box can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel, containing a list of gestures that can be displayed. if a user clicks on a gesture in the list, a video, movie or animation of the gesture being performed appears in one box, and a video, movie or animation of the action being performed on a particular object is displayed in another box. thus, a hand can be shown performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel, while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object being manipulated by the gesture is displayed.	1. a method of demonstrating a gesture for manipulating a user input device, comprising: detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device; displaying a menu of the one or more gestures; detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu; initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a gesture movie includes displaying a first movie of the gesture being performed; and displaying a second movie, synchronous with the first, in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first movie. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes displaying a list box of gestures that can be selected for demonstration. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein detecting a user input on the user input device further includes detection of one or more contacts on a touch sensor panel having movement below a certain threshold for a predetermined amount of time. 4. the method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the one or more effects as a function of a context in which the demonstration was initiated. 5. the method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a hand performing the gesture as either a right or left hand based upon a pattern of one or more contacts detected on a touch sensor panel. 6. the method of claim 1 , further comprising providing audio or visual feedback when the gesture causes a touch upon a touch sensor panel. 7. the method of claim 1 , further comprising cycling through demonstrations of each of a set of gestures. 8. the method of claim 1 , wherein the movie is a video of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel. 9. the method of claim 1 , wherein the movie is an animation of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel. 10. the method of claim 9 , the animation comprising: displaying the hand using a transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand; and displaying expected contact points with the touch sensor panel under the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand. 11. the method of claim 10 , further comprising fading the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand over time so that only the expected contact points remain over the touch sensor panel. 12. the method of claim 9 , the animation of the gesture comprising displaying animated arrows indicating expected movements of the hand to perform the gesture. 13. the method of claim 12 , wherein the animated arrows can appear, disappear, move, grow, shrink, blink, or change color. 14. the method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes: displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts; displaying a plurality of second bubbles on the gesture selection panel representing possible gestures to be demonstrated; and wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes moving the first bubble against a particular second bubble to select the gesture associated with the particular second bubble to be demonstrated. 15. the method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes: displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts; displaying a virtual gesture movie control ring on the gesture selection panel around the first bubble, the virtual gesture movie control ring indicating one or more possible gestures to be demonstrated; and wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes rotating the first bubble to select a gesture to be demonstrated. 16. the method of claim 1 , wherein the first movie is superimposed over the second movie in a single viewing area. 17. a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising: detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device; displaying a menu of the one or more gestures; detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu; initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture. 18. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes displaying a list box of gestures that can be selected for demonstration. 19. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising displaying the one or more effects as a function of a context in which the demonstration was initiated. 20. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising displaying a hand performing the gesture as either a right or left hand based upon a pattern of one or more contacts detected on a touch sensor panel. 21. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising providing audio or visual feedback when the gesture causes a touch upon a touch sensor panel. 22. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising cycling through demonstrations of each of a set of gestures. 23. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising: presenting the visual representation as an animation of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel; displaying the hand using a transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand; displaying expected contact points with the touch sensor panel under the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand; and fading the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand over time so that only the expected contact points remain over the touch sensor panel. 24. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes: displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts; displaying a plurality of second bubbles on the gesture selection panel representing possible gestures to be demonstrated; and wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes moving the first bubble against a particular second bubble to select the gesture associated with the particular second bubble to be demonstrated. 25. the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes: displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts; displaying a virtual gesture movie control ring on the gesture selection panel around the first bubble, the virtual gesture movie control ring indicating one or more possible gestures to be demonstrated; and wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes rotating the first bubble to select a gesture to be demonstrated. 26. a mobile telephone including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising: detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device; displaying a menu of the one or more gestures; detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu; initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture. 27. a media player including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising: detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device; displaying a menu of the one or more gestures; detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu; initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture. 28. a personal computer including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising: detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device; displaying a menu of the one or more gestures; detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu; initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture.	cross-reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 61/019,223 filed on jan. 4, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. field of the invention this relates generally to input devices for computing systems, and more particularly, to the display of gesture movies to aid a user in performing gestures on an input device such as a trackpad. background of the invention many types of input devices are presently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, joysticks, trackballs, trackpads, touch screens and the like. touch screens can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface. the touch sensor panel can be positioned in front of a display screen so that the touch-sensitive surface covers part of all of the viewable area of the display screen. touch screens can allow a user to make selections and move a cursor by simply touching the display screen via one or more fingers or a stylus. in general, touch screens can recognize the touch and position of the touch on the display screen, and a computing system can interpret the touch and thereafter perform an action based on the touch event. trackpads can also include a touch sensor panel, but the panel need not be transparent because no display screen is involved. with touch screens and trackpads as described above, a number of gestures can be recognized by a computing system processing the obtained images of touch. however, it can be difficult for a user to remember the gestures that can be performed, particularly if the available gestures are dependent on the application being executed. summary of the invention this relates to the display of gesture movies to assist users in performing gestures. gesture movies can be short, unintrusive, and available on demand. a list box can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel containing a list of gestures that can be demonstrated. if a user clicks on a gesture in the list, a video, movie or animation of the gesture being performed can appear in one box, while a video, movie or animation of the action being performed on a particular object can be displayed in another box. thus, for example, a hand can be shown performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel, while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object being manipulated by the gesture can be displayed. the object displayed while the gesture is being performed can be predetermined, or it can be a function of the gesture and/or context in which the demonstration is invoked. if the gesture movie is an animation, a hand can be shown performing the gesture, with dots, outlines or other indicators indicating the touch points of the fingers on the touch sensor panel. in some embodiments, the hand can then fade out, leaving only the dots remaining to show the gestures being performed. in other embodiments, arrows can appear, disappear, move, grow, shrink, or otherwise appear in other animated ways to indicate the direction and order that fingers or palms should move, and audio may accompany the video or animations, including but not limited to finger touchdown sounds, explanations of the gesture being performed, and the like. other options would be to light up the area of finger touchdowns, create a “water ripple” effect to show finger touchdowns, or show side or perspective views of the hand in additional boxes to show when the fingers actually touch down. a user could possibly start a gesture by touching fingers down on a touch sensor panel, and then pause or “freeze up,” not remembering the particular gesture for a given application. in this case, another embodiment of the invention can have the preference panel and a particular gesture movie (video or animation) such as those described above pop up automatically if a touchdown accompanied by a freeze in motion is detected, the video or animation showing how to complete the gesture for that particular application. a motion freeze can be defined in terms of the contact points having movement below a certain threshold for a predetermined amount of time. the particular gesture movie that appears automatically can be a gesture whose starting positions most closely match the fingers or objects touching down on the touch sensor panel. in some embodiments, the displayed gesture movie can reflected the apparent “handedness” of the touchdown points. in other words, if the touchdown points suggest a left hand, the displayed gesture movie can feature a left hand performing the gesture. for touch screens such as those on handheld devices, there may not be the luxury of having separate boxes for a list of gestures, the gesture itself, and an object being manipulated by the gesture. therefore, a list box of gestures can first appear on the touch screen. after the user has selected a gesture from the list, the list box can be replaced with a gesture movie. because important user interface (ui) features of the object being manipulated may be hidden under the gesture being performed, a semi-transparent hand can appear over the touch screen, with the object being manipulated visible under the hand. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 a illustrates a display showing an exemplary preference panel including a gesture movie according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 1 b illustrates a display showing an alternative exemplary gesture movie according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary popup panel that can appear automatically when finger touchdowns are detected followed by a freeze in motion according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 3 a illustrates an exemplary virtual gesture movie control ring according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 3 b illustrates another exemplary virtual gesture movie control ring according to embodiments of the invention. fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary touch screen showing gesture movies according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary computing system operable with a touch sensor panel to implement gesture movies and associated features according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 6 a illustrates an exemplary mobile telephone that can include a touch sensor panel and computing system for implementing gesture movies and associated features according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 6 b illustrates an exemplary digital media player that can include a touch sensor panel and computing system for implementing gesture movies and associated features according to one embodiment of this invention. fig. 6 c illustrates an exemplary personal computer that can include a touch sensor panel and computing system for implementing gesture movies and associated features according to one embodiment of this invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment in the following description of preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. it is to be understood that other embodiments can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this invention. this relates to the display of gesture movies to assist users in performing gestures. gesture movies can be short, unintrusive, and available on demand. a list box can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel, containing a list of gestures that can be demonstrated. if a user clicks on a gesture in the list, a movie (e.g. a video or animation) of the gesture being performed can appears in one box, while a movie (e.g. a video or animation) of the action being performed on a particular object can be displayed in another box. thus, a hand can be shown performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel, while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object being manipulated by the gesture can be displayed. fig. 1 a illustrates a display 100 showing an exemplary gesture movie according to embodiments of the invention. in the example of fig. 1 , a list box 102 can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel 104 containing a list of gestures that can be displayed. the preference panel 104 can be called up manually by a user, or can pop up automatically as described in other embodiments below. if a user clicks on a gesture in the list 102 , a movie (e.g. video or animation) of the gesture being performed can appear at 106 , and a movie (e.g. video or animation) of the action being performed on a particular object can be displayed at 108 . thus, box 106 can show an actual hand 110 (including one or more fingers and optionally a palm) performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel 112 , while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object 114 being manipulated by the gesture can be displayed. for example, if the gesture is a simple two-finger zoom out gesture, while box 106 shows two fingers spreading apart, box 108 can show a map being zoomed out. the object displayed while the gesture is being performed can be predetermined, or it can be a function of the gesture and/or context in which the demonstration is invoked. for example, if the preference panel is invoked, either manually by the user or automatically while an image such as a photo is being displayed, the object may be a smaller version of the actual image being displayed, or in other embodiments it could be a sample image. in another example, if the preference panel is invoked while a list is being displayed, the object may be a smaller version of the actual list being displayed, or in other embodiments it could be a sample list. in yet another example, if the preference panel is invoked while a desktop of icons is being displayed, the object may be a smaller version of the actual desktop being displayed, or in other embodiments it could be a desktop of representative icons. in contrast, if a zoom gesture is selected for demonstration while a list is being displayed, because the zoom gesture may be incompatible with a list (i.e. lists are generally not subjected to zooming in or out), the object manipulated may not be a list, but rather a representative image. fig. 1 b illustrates the display 100 showing an alternative exemplary gesture movie according to embodiments of the invention. in the example of fig. 1 b , box 106 can show a hand 110 performing the gesture, with dots, outlines or other indicators 116 indicating the touch points of the fingers on the touch sensor panel 112 . in some embodiments, the hand can then fade out, leaving only the dots remaining to show the gestures being performed. in other embodiments, arrows 124 can appear, disappear, move, grow, shrink, or otherwise appear in other animated ways to indicate the direction and order that fingers or palms should move. in other embodiments, audio 118 may accompany the video or animations, including but not limited to finger touchdown sounds, explanations of the gesture being performed, and the like. other options would be to light up the area of finger touchdowns, create a “water ripple” effect to show finger touchdowns, or show side or perspective views of the hand in additional boxes to show when the fingers actually touch down. in other embodiments, if the gesture preference panel is not removed, the panel can automatically cycle through the entire list of gestures, playing the movie of the gesture and showing an application of the gesture in boxes 106 and 108 . alternatively, the same selected gesture can be cycled through repeatedly. because different touches and gestures can mean different things in different applications, a user could possibly start a gesture by touching fingers down on a touch sensor panel, and then pause or “freeze up,” not remembering the particular gesture for that application. in this case, another embodiment of the invention can have the preference panel and a particular gesture movie (video or animation) such as those described above with respect to figs. 1 a and 1 b pop up automatically if a touchdown accompanied by a freeze in motion is detected, the video or animation showing how to complete the gesture for that particular application. a motion freeze can be defined in terms of the contact points having movement below a certain threshold for a predetermined amount of time. the particular gesture movie that appears automatically can be a gesture whose starting positions most closely match the fingers or objects touching down on the touch sensor panel. in some embodiments, the displayed gesture movie can reflected the apparent “handedness” of the touchdown points. in other words, if the touchdown points suggest a left hand, the displayed gesture movie can feature a left hand performing the gesture. because a number of gestures may start from the same or similar pattern of contacts touching down on the touch sensor panel, in some embodiments the pop-up preference panel may cycle through the possible gestures for the detected pattern of contacts. in alternative embodiments, the user may be forced to continue the gesture just long enough until firmware can determine a particular gesture movie to show. in other embodiments, the list box may display a list of possible gestures corresponding to the detected contacts, and the user can then select a gesture from the list. in still other embodiments, the particular gesture of interest can be selected as described below. fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary popup panel 200 that can appear automatically when finger touchdowns are detected followed by a freeze or pause in motion according to embodiments of the invention. at the center is the detected finger touches 202 , with a bubble 204 formed around the finger touches. surrounding bubble 204 are other bubbles 206 , 208 , 210 and 212 indicating possible gestures that start with the detected finger touches. each bubble 206 , 208 , 210 and 212 can provide an indication (e.g. text or graphic) of a gesture that could be performed using the detected finger touches. if the user moves his fingers from location (a) to (b) so that bubble 204 follows the contacts and pushes against bubble 212 , for example, that bubble can light up or provide some other indication that it has been selected. when the user stops touching the touch sensor panel, a gesture movie associated with bubble 212 can start playing as described above. although fig. 2 illustrates bubbles, it should be understood that other shapes or user interface arrangements capable of allowing users to slide their fingers to different areas to select a particular gesture can be employed. fig. 3 a illustrates an exemplary virtual gesture movie control ring 300 according to embodiments of the invention. in the example of fig. 3 a , virtual gesture movie control ring 300 appears around contact points 302 when a finger touchdown is detected. on the perimeter of virtual gesture movie control ring 300 can be gesture movie activation ring 304 and a gesture ring 306 , the gesture movie activation ring having an “open” end and a “close” end. by rotating the user's fingers until either the open end or the close end of ring 304 touches ring 306 , a gesture movie associated with the gesture ring 306 can either be made to appear or disappear. thus, at any point in time, a user can touch fingers down on a certain area of a touch sensor panel and call up a gesture movie associated with the particular finger touches. fig. 3 b illustrates another exemplary virtual gesture movie control ring 300 according to embodiments of the invention. in the example of fig. 3 b , the perimeter of virtual gesture movie control ring 300 may contain different areas 308 , one area for each possible gesture that may be performed from the detected starting position. a user can rotate the contact points and move pointer 310 until a particular gesture is selected for display. thus, fig. 3 b is an alternative to fig. 2 in that in allows for selection of a particular gesture by rotation rather than sliding. fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary touch screen showing gesture movies according to embodiments of the invention. for touch screens such as those on handheld devices, there may not be the luxury of having separate boxes for a list of gestures, the gesture itself, and an object being manipulated by the gesture. therefore, in the example of fig. 4 , a list box 402 of gestures can first appear on the touch screen at 420 . after the user has selected a gesture from the list, the list box 402 can be replaced with a gesture movie at 422 . because important user interface (ui) features of object 414 may be displayed under the gesture being performed, instead of a movie showing an opaque hand, a semi-transparent hand 410 can appear over the touch screen, with the object 414 being manipulated appearing under the hand. fig. 5 illustrates exemplary computing system 500 that can include one or more of the embodiments of the invention described above. computing system 500 can include one or more panel processors 502 and peripherals 504 , and panel subsystem 506 . peripherals 504 can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (ram) or other types of memory or storage, watchdog timers and the like. panel subsystem 506 can include, but is not limited to, one or more sense channels 508 , channel scan logic 510 and driver logic 514 . channel scan logic 510 can access ram 512 , autonomously read data from the sense channels and provide control for the sense channels. in addition, channel scan logic 510 can control driver logic 514 to generate stimulation signals 516 at various frequencies and phases that can be selectively applied to drive lines of touch sensor panel 524 at a voltage established by charge pump 515 . in some embodiments, panel subsystem 506 , panel processor 502 and peripherals 504 can be integrated into a single application specific integrated circuit (asic). touch sensor panel 524 can include a capacitive sensing medium having a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines, although other sensing media can also be used. each intersection, adjacency or near-adjacency of drive and sense lines can represent a capacitive sensing node and can be viewed as picture element (pixel) 526 , which can be particularly useful when touch sensor panel 524 is viewed as capturing an “image” of touch. (in other words, after panel subsystem 506 has determined whether a touch event has been detected at each touch sensor in the touch sensor panel, the pattern of touch sensors in the multi-touch panel at which a touch event occurred can be viewed as an “image” of touch (e.g. a pattern of fingers touching the panel).) each sense line of touch sensor panel 524 can drive sense channel 508 (also referred to herein as an event detection and demodulation circuit) in panel subsystem 506 . computing system 500 can also include host processor 528 for receiving outputs from panel processor 502 and performing actions based on the outputs that can include, but are not limited to, moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or panning, adjusting control settings, opening a file or document, viewing a menu, making a selection, executing instructions, operating a peripheral device coupled to the host device, answering a telephone call, placing a telephone call, terminating a telephone call, changing the volume or audio settings, storing information related to telephone communications such as addresses, frequently dialed numbers, received calls, missed calls, logging onto a computer or a computer network, permitting authorized individuals access to restricted areas of the computer or computer network, loading a user profile associated with a user's preferred arrangement of the computer desktop, permitting access to web content, launching a particular program, encrypting or decoding a message, and/or the like. host processor 528 can also perform additional functions that may not be related to panel processing, and can be coupled to program storage 532 and display device 530 such as an lcd display for providing a ui to a user of the device. display device 530 together with touch sensor panel 524 , when located partially or entirely under the touch sensor panel, or partially or entirely integrated with the touch sensor panel, can form touch screen 518 . note that one or more of the functions described above can be performed by firmware stored in memory (e.g. one of the peripherals 504 in fig. 5 ) and executed by panel processor 502 , or stored in program storage 532 and executed by host processor 528 . the firmware can also be stored and/or transported within any computer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. in the context of this document, a “computer-readable storage medium” can be any storage medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the computer readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (ram) (magnetic), a read-only memory (rom) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom) (magnetic), a portable optical disc such a cd, cd-r, cd-rw, dvd, dvd-r, or dvd-rw, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secured digital cards, usb memory devices, memory sticks, and the like. the firmware can also be propagated within any transport medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. in the context of this document, a “transport medium” can be any medium that can communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the transport readable medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic or infrared wired or wireless propagation medium. fig. 6 a illustrates exemplary mobile telephone 636 that can include touch sensor panel 624 and computing system 642 for implementing gesture movies and associated features described above according to embodiments of the invention. fig. 6 b illustrates exemplary digital media player 640 that can include touch sensor panel 624 and computing system 642 for implementing gesture movies and associated features described above according to embodiments of the invention. fig. 6 c illustrates exemplary personal computer 644 that can include touch sensor panel (e.g. trackpad) 624 and computing system 642 for implementing gesture movies and associated features described above according to embodiments of the invention. the mobile telephone, media player, and personal computer of figs. 6 a , 6 b and 6 c can advantageously benefit from the gesture movies and associated features described above because users can easily learn or recall gestures that can be performed on those devices. although embodiments of this invention have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of embodiments of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
075-894-269-812-391	US	[ "US" ]	E21B43/26,E21B33/138,C04B26/28,C09K8/44,C09K8/512,C09K8/514,C09K8/516,C09K8/68,C09K8/88,C09K8/90	2010-03-12T00:00:00	2010	[ "E21", "C04", "C09" ]	method of re-fracturing using borated galactomannan gum	a well treatment fluid containing borated galactomannan may be used to isolate a productive zone in a well having multiple productive zones. the fluid is particularly useful in treatment of wells containing a mechanical zonal isolation system in the productive zone of interest. the fluid is pumped into the well in a substantially non-hydrated form. the well treatment fluid is therefore highly effective in preferentially sealing or blocking productive zones in the formation since delayed hydration of the fluid may be controlled for up to several hours. the seal may be degraded and a productive zone subjected to re-fracturing by introducing a viscosity reducing agent into the well.	1 . a method of re-fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a well comprising: (a) pumping into the well a viscosity reducing agent and reducing the viscosity of a gelled temporary seal, the gelled temporary seal isolating a fractured productive zone within the well, wherein the gelled temporary seal is a product of an unhydrated borated galactomannan gum and a crosslinking agent and further wherein the viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well at a pressure insufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the subterranean formation; and (b) pumping into the well a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within a pre-determined productive zone within the well. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: (c) pumping into the well near a pre-determined productive zone of the well a well treatment fluid comprising an unhydrated borated galactomannan gum; (d) isolating the pre-determined productive zone from another zone of the well by hardening the well treatment fluid of step (c). 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein steps (a) through (d) are repeated at least once. 4 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the pre-determined productive zone of step (c) is the isolated fractured productive zone. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the well is a vertical well. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is an acid. 7 . the method of claim 6 , wherein the acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, formic acid, sulfamic acid or a mixture thereof. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is an oxidative breaker or an enzyme breaker or a combination thereof. 9 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal peroxides, metal peroxides, organic peroxides, hydrochlorite bleaches, persulfate salts, chromous salts, sodium bromate, sodium perchlorate, sodium perborate, magnesium perborate, calcium perborate and galactomannanase and mixtures thereof. 10 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean formation is shale. 11 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the well is a horizontal well. 12 . a method of fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a well having a previously fractured productive zone isolated from another zone of the well by a temporary blocking gel derived from a borated galactomannan gum, the method comprising: (a) pumping into the well a viscosity reducing agent and reducing the viscosity of the temporary blocking gel wherein the viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well at a pressure not sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the subterranean formation; and (b) re-fracturing the previously fractured productive zone by subjecting the previously fractured productive zone to hydraulic fracturing by introducing into the previously fractured productive zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture; (c) introducing above the re-fractured productive zone of step (b) a well treatment fluid comprising an unhydrated galactomannan gum; and (d) isolating the re-fractured zone by hardening the well treatment fluid. 13 . the method of claim 12 , further comprising repeating steps (a) through (d) in one or more productive zones of the well. 14 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the well is a vertical well. 15 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is an acid. 16 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is an oxidative breaker or an enzyme breaker or a combination thereof. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the well is a vertical well. 18 . a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation penetrated by a well having multiple productive zones comprising: (a) pumping a well treatment fluid comprising a viscosity reducing agent into a previously fractured productive zone within the well wherein the previously fractured productive zone is isolated from a second productive zone of the well by a temporary blocking gel derived from a borated galactomannan gum; (b) reducing the viscosity of the temporary blocking agent and removing the temporary blocking agent from the well; (c) pumping into the well a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to initiate or enlarge a fracture within the subterranean formation and re-fracturing the previously fractured productive zone; and (d) pumping into the well fluid a well treatment fluid comprising borated galactomannan gum; and (e) isolating the re-fractured productive zone by hardening the well treatment fluid comprising borated galactomannan gum. 19 . the method of claim 18 , wherein the viscosity reducing agent is an acid or a breaker or a combination thereof. 20 . the method of claim 18 , wherein the subterranean formation is a shale formation.	this application is a continuation-in-part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/723,509, filed on 12 mar. 2010, herein incorporated by reference. field of the invention the invention relates to the use of a well treatment fluid containing borated galactomannan gum as a temporary seal to effectuate zonal isolation between intervals of a wellbore as well as an alternative to cement. the invention further relates to a method of re-fracturing a subterranean formation wherein the temporary seal is removed from the well by exposing the temporary seal to a viscosity reducing agent. background of the invention typically, a subterranean formation penetrated by a well has a plurality of distinct zones or formations of interest. during production of fluids from the well, it usually is desirable to establish communication with only the zone or formations of interest such that stimulation treatments do not inadvertently flow into a non-productive zone or a zone of diminished interest. selective stimulation (such as by hydraulic fracturing and acid stimulation) becomes pronounced as the life of the well declines and productivity of the well decreases. conventionally, selective stimulation was done by one or more perforating guns wherein the gun was conveyed on a wireline or tubing into the well and the gun was positioned adjacent to the zone and/or formation of interest and then selectively fired to perforate the zone and/or formation. the gun was then repositioned by the wireline to another zone or formation and the zone or formation of interest was then selectively perforated. this procedure was repeated until all of the zones and/or formations of interest were perforated; the perforating gun was then retrieved to the surface by means of the wireline. when fracturing was desired, the fracturing fluid was then pumped into the well under pressure exceeding the pressure at which the zone and/or formations would fracture. in order to prevent the fracturing fluid from flowing into zones having greater porosity and/or lower pressure, a mechanical device, such as a straddle packer, or plug or sand fill was first set in the well between the zone just fractured and the zone to be fractured to isolate the stimulated zone from further contact with the fracturing fluid. this procedure was repeated until all of the zones of interest were perforated and fractured. once the completion operation was finished, each plug had to be drilled out of or otherwise removed from the well to permit fluid to be produced to the surface through the well. the necessity of tripping in and out of the wellbore to perforate and stimulate each of the multiple zones and the use of such plugs to isolated previously treated zones and/or formations from further treatment fluid contact was both time consuming and expensive. various methods and assemblies have been reported for effectuating zonal isolation between intervals of the wellbore that did not depend on the removal of perforating equipment in and out of the well when completing multiple zones of interest. at the same time, such methods and assemblies isolated selected targeted productive intervals of the wellbore from non-productive intervals. more recently, the use of isolation assemblies have been reported to provide zonal isolation and which allow for selected treatment of productive (or previously producing intervals) in multiple interval wellbores. for instance, u.s. pat. no. 6,386,288 discloses a mechanical zonal isolation system which may be provided on the outside of the casing string (cemented to the wellbore) to permit an interval of the formation to be completed and stimulated and/or treated independent of the others. in this manner, selected intervals of the subterranean formation may be stimulated and/or treated. such assemblies may include the use of flapper valve assemblies positioned between perforating gum assemblies. see further, u.s. pat. no. 7,575,062 which discloses an isolation assembly containing screen-wrapped sleeves and a plurality of swellable packers disposed in a liner and a tool within the liner for shilling openings fix the control of fluids from the wellbore. zonal isolation assemblies are expensive. when held in place by a cementitious slurry, such assemblies may only be removed from the wellbore by damaging or destroying the assembly. alternative methods are further needed which will hold the casing in place in the wellbore. in addition, alternatives have been sought for securing casing to the wellbore. traditionally, cementitious slurries are used to cement the well pipe and casing to the wellbore. typically, the slurry is pumped down the inside of the pipe or casing and back up the outside of the pipe or casing through the annular space between the exterior of the casing and the wellbore. the cement slurry is then allowed to set and harden to hold the casing in place. the use of conventional cementitious slurries is undesirable for use with zonal isolation assemblies since, in order to be removed from the well, damage to or destruction of the zonal isolation assembly becomes necessary. alternatives have also been sought for methods of re-fracturing a selectively stimulated formation having a plurality of distinct production zones. re-fracturing is often desirable when a production zone within the well may not have been adequately fractured. this typically results in inadequate production from the production zone. even if the formation was adequately fractured, the production zone may no longer be producing at adequate levels. over an extended period of time, the production from a previously fractured horizontal wellbore may decrease below a minimum threshold level. one technique to increase the hydrocarbon production is the addition of new fractures within the subterranean formation. summary of the invention the well treatment fluid described herein provides isolation during completion of a well and may be removed after or during post job flow-back. as a result, the well treatment fluid defined herein is capable of leaving the face of the formation virtually damage free after post fracturing production. the well treatment fluid contains a borated galactomannan gum, crosslinking agent and preferably a breaker. the borated galactomannan, prior to being cured or hardened with the crosslinking agent, contains borate ions. the borated polygalactomannan may be pumped into a well which penetrates a formation unhydrated in water as a powder or as a hydrocarbon slurry. preferred galactomannans are guar gum and its derivatives, such as carboxymethyl ether derivatives and hydroxyalkyl ether derivatives. in addition, underivatized guar may also be preferred. hydration of the well treatment fluid may be controlled by adjusting the ph and/or a crosslinking agent, such as a heat delayed crosslinking agent. thus, hydration of the well treatment fluid may be delayed until the fluid reaches its downhole destination. the well treatment fluid can therefore be effectively placed for preferentially sealing or blocking productive zones in the formation since delayed hydration of the fluid may be controlled for up to several hours. the fluids are especially useful in the treatment of formations having multiple productive zones. typically, the well to be treated contains a zonal isolation system in the zone of interest. the treatment fluid may be used in vertical as well as non-vertical wells. in such instances, the well may be perforated and then fractured without the use of any cement. thus, in an embodiment of the disclosure, a method of enhancing the productivity of a formation penetrated by a well is provided wherein an unhydrated borated galactomannan gum and a crosslinking agent is pumped into the well. the unhydrated borated galactomannan gum contains borate ions prior to being crosslinked or cured. in another embodiment, a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation penetrated by a well having multiple productive zones is provided. in the method, an unhydrated borated galactomannan gum and a crosslinking agent are introduced near a pre-determined productive zone of the well; the borate ions being incorporated into the unhydrated borated galactomannan gum prior to being crosslinked. the pre-determined productive zone is isolated from the other zones of the well by hardening the well treatment fluid. the isolated pre-determined productive zone is then perforated. the perforated pre-determined productive zone of the well is then hydraulically fractured by introducing into the perforated pre-determined productive zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to fracture the perforated pre-determined productive zone. in another embodiment, a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation penetrated by a cemented vertical well having a casing and multiple productive zones is disclosed. in this embodiment, the productive zone of the well is perforated. the perforated productive zone is then subjected to hydraulic fracturing by introducing into the perforated productive zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to fracture the perforated productive zone. a well treatment fluid containing borated galactomannan gum and a crosslinking agent is then introduced into the casing above the fractured perforated productive zone; the borated galactomannan gum containing incorporated borate ions prior to being crosslinked. the treatment fluid is then hardened. in another embodiment, a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation is provided. in this method, a well treatment fluid comprising an unhydrated borated guar and a crosslinking agent is introduced into an annulus between a wall of the wellbore and a pipe string disposed in the wellbore. the pipe string has disposed therein a zonal isolation assembly. the unhydrated borated guar, prior to being crosslinked, contains incorporated borate ions. the well treatment fluid is then hardened and a productive zone within the formation is isolated. the isolated productive zone is then perforated within the zonal isolation assembly. the isolated productive zone is then subjected to hydraulic fracturing by introducing into the zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to fracture the isolated productive zone. in another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation penetrated by a non-vertical well is disclosed. in this embodiment, a first packer is introduced into the well. a zonal isolation assembly unit is introduced into the well adjacent to the first packer. a second packer is then introduced into the well until the area defined by the zonal isolation assembly unit is defined by first packer and the second packer. an unhydrated borated guar and a crosslinking agent is then introduced into the well. the unhydrated borated guar is then hardened. the unhydrated borate guar contains borate ions prior to hardening. the area defined by the first packer and second packer is then sealed from other areas of the well. the isolated zone is then subjected to hydraulic fracturing by introducing into the zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to fracture the isolated zone. these steps may be repeated in another area of the well. in another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of re-fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a well is provided. in this method, a viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well. the viscosity of a gelled temporary seal is then reduced. the gelled temporary seal is a product of an unhydrated borated galactomannan gum and a crosslinking agent. the viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well at a pressure insufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the subterranean formation. a fracturing fluid is then pumped into the well at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within a pre-determined productive zone within the well. in another embodiment is disclosed a method of re-fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a well wherein a previously fractured productive zone is isolated from another zone in the well by a temporary blocking gel. the temporary blocking gel is derived from a borated galactomannan gum. a viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well at a pressure not sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the subterranean formation. the viscosity of the temporary blocking gel is reduced. the previously fractured productive zone may then be re-fractured by introducing into the previously fractured productive zone a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture. a well treatment fluid comprising an unhydrated galactomannan gum is then introduced above the re-fractured productive zone. the re-fractured zone is then isolated by hardening the well treatment fluid. in another embodiment, a method of enhancing the productivity of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation penetrated by a well having multiple productive zones is provided. in this method a well treatment fluid comprising a viscosity reducing agent is pumped into a previously fractured productive zone within the well. the previously fractured productive zone is isolated from a second productive zone of the well by a temporary blocking gel derived from a borated galactomannan gum. the viscosity of the temporary blocking agent may then be reduced and the temporary blocking agent removed from the well. the previously fractured productive zone may then be re-fractured by pumping a fracturing fluid into the well at a pressure sufficient to initiate or enlarge a fracture. a well treatment fluid comprising borated galactomannan gum may then be pumped into the well. the re-fractured productive zone may then be isolated from another productive zone within the well by hardening the well treatment fluid comprising the borated galactomannan gum. brief description of the drawings in order to more fully understand the drawings referred to in the detailed description of the present invention, a brief description of each drawing is presented, in which: fig. 1 illustrates the use of the well treatment fluid in a horizontal well which contains a zonal isolation system. fig. 2 illustrates the effect of varying levels of ph on the start of gel hydration. fig. 3 illustrates the effect of a delayer on the start of gel hydration. fig. 4 illustrates the effect of varying levels of ph with a delayer on the start of gel hydration. fig. 5 illustrates the effect of varying levels of ph with a delayer on the start of gel hydration. fig. 6 illustrates the ability of the gel to maintain high viscosity under low shear conditions for isolation. fig. 7 illustrates the testing conditions used in the examples. detailed description of the preferred embodiments the borated galactomannan gum used in the well treatment fluids described herein are galactomannan gums which, prior to being crosslinked or cured, have incorporated borate ions. such borated galactomannan gums are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 3,808,195, herein incorporated by reference. the borated polygalactomannan may be prepared by introducing the galactomannan to a material containing a borate ion, i.e., a material which can contribute a borate ion to the reaction. unhydrated borated galactomannan may be pumped as a powder or as a slurry either in water or in mineral oil added to water. typically, the amount of borated galactomannan pumped into the formation is between from about 100 pounds per thousand gallons of water (ppt) to about 1000 ppt, preferably from about 250 ppt to about 750 ppt. when a hydrocarbon slurry is used, the amount of borated galactomannan in the slurry is between from about 3 pounds per gallon of hydrocarbon to 5 pounds per gallon of hydrocarbon. preferred galactomannans for use in the invention are guar gum and its derivatives, including natural or underivatized guar, enzyme treated guar gum (having been obtained by treating natural guar gum with galactosidase, mannosidase, or another enzyme) and derivatized guar. the derivatives of polygalactomannans include the water soluble derivatives such as carboxyalkyl ethers, for example, carboxymethyl ether derivatives, hydroxyalkyl ether derivatives such as hydroxyethyl ethers and hydroxypropyl ethers of polygalactomannan, carbamylethyl ethers of polygalactomannan; cationic polygalactomannans and depolymerized polygalactomannans. further, suitable derivatized guars are those prepared by treating natural guar gum with chemicals to introduce carboxyl groups, hydroxyl alkyl groups, sulfate groups, phosphate groups, etc. preferred are or a hydroxyalkylated guar (such as hydroxypropyl guar, hydroxyethyl guar, hydroxybutyl guar) or modified hydroxyalkylated guars like carboxylated guars such as carboxyalkylated guars, like carboxy methyl guar as well as carboxylated alkylated hydroxyalkyl guars, such as carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (cmhpg), including those having a molecular weight of about 1 to about 3 million. the carboxyl content of the such guar derivatives may be expressed as degree of substitution (“ds”) and ranges from about 0.08 to about 0.18 and the hydroxypropyl content may be expressed as molar substitution (ms) (defined as the number of moles of hydroxyalkyl groups per mole of anhydroglucose) and ranges between from about 0.2 to about 0.6. generally, the borated galactomannan is prepared by soaking polygalactomannan in an alkaline water solution of a material containing borate ions, allowing the polygalactomannan to absorb all of the solution and then milling and drying the polygalactomannan. the amount of water in the alkaline water solution is about equal to the amount of polygalactomannan. the solution is made alkaline with alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide. the concentration of the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide in the solution is about 0.3% to 0.5% by weight based on the weight of the polygalactomannan. after the polygalactomannan is absorbed, it is milled and dried at temperature generally between from about 150° c. to about 250° c. to about the original moisture level of untreated polygalactomannan, generally containing about 9% to 12% water by weight. further processes of preparing the borated polygalactomannan and its derivatives are set forth in u.s. pat. no. 3,808,195. preferred as the material containing a borate ion are alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonium salts of borate anions. borate anions include the tetraborate, metaborate and perborate anions. assuming the molecular weight of the galactomannan unit as 200, the substituting groups are in a 0.1 molar to 3 molar ratio in the reaction mixtures producing molar substitution of at least 0.1. the molar substitution is the average number of substituting radical substituted per mole of anhydrohexose unit of polygalactomannan gum. the concentration of borate ion is expressed as borax, na 2 b 4 o 7 .10h 2 o. borated guars, prepared from the reaction of the borate ion and polygalactomannan gum, are dispersible in water and exhibit a limited ability to be crosslinked when the polygalactomannan is hydrated and the ph of the resulting sol is alkaline. generally, the polygalactomannan will disperse in water at the same ph level as the untreated polymer. since the rate of hydration of the borated polygalactomannan is greatest at nearly neutral or acidic ph conditions, the borated polygalactomannan does not hydrate at higher ph values. because the well treatment fluid is pumped at most only best partially hydrated into the formation, it has a low viscosity which minimizes friction pressures and which allows placement of the well treatment fluid, such as at low pump rates or with coiled tubing. by controlling hydration by adjusting the ph, such as with a ph adjustment agent, and then crosslinking the borated polygalactomannan (preferably with an additional crosslinking agent), viscosity of the well treatment fluid may be controlled and maintained at a desired temperature. suitable ph adjustment agents include soda ash, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and alkaline and alkali carbonates and bicarbonates, may be used to maintained the desired ph. typical the desired ph for hardening of the well treatment fluid is greater than 8.0, more preferably greater than 9.0. the well treatment fluid is therefore highly effective in preferentially sealing or blocking productive zones in the formation since delayed hydration of the fluid may be controlled for up to several hours by the amount of borate used on the guar or guar derivative, as well as the ph of the system. for instance, the viscosity of the fluid may be decreased, typically by use of ph or temperature controlled breakers, when the passive isolation of the zones is no longer desired. by adjusting the ph to highly basic conditions, crosslinking of the borated polygalactomannan may further be delayed to high temperatures, for example, up to 120° f.; and often to as high as 350° f. thus, the crosslinking agent used in the fluid of the invention is typically a delayed crosslinking agent (in order to delay hydration of the polygalactomannan), though other crosslinking agents may be used. in many instances, hydration may be controlled for up to 24 to 36 hours prior to forming a gel of sufficient viscosity to function as a sealant. especially at high temperatures, the crosslinking agent is borax. in addition to borax other borate ion releasing compounds may be used as well as organometallic or organic complexed metal ions comprising at least one transition metal or alkaline earth metal ion as well as mixtures thereof. borate ion releasing compounds which can be employed include, for example, any boron compound which will supply borate ions in the composition, for example, boric acid, alkali metal borates such as sodium diborate, potassium tetraborate, sodium tetraborate (borax), pentaborates and the like and alkaline and zinc metal borates. such borate ion releasing compounds are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 3,058,909 and u.s. pat. no. 3,974,077 herein incorporated by reference. in addition, such borate ion releasing compounds include boric oxide (such as selected from h 3 bo 3 and b 2 o 3 ) and polymeric borate compounds. an example of a suitable polymeric borate compound is a polymeric compound of boric acid and an alkali borate which is commercially available under the trademark polybor® from u.s. borax of valencia, calif. mixtures of any of the referenced borate ion releasing compounds may further be employed. such borate-releasers typically require a basic ph (e.g., 8.0 to 12) for crosslinking to occur. further preferred crosslinking agents are reagents, such as organometallic and organic complexed metal compounds, which can supply zirconium iv ions such as, for example, zirconium lactate, zirconium lactate triethanolamine, zirconium carbonate, zirconium acetylacetonate and zirconium diisopropylamine lactate; as well as compounds that can supply titanium iv ions such as, for example, titanium ammonium lactate, titanium triethanolamine, and titanium acetylacetonate. zr (iv) and ti (iv) may further be added directly as ions or oxy ions into the composition. such organometallic and organic complexed metal crosslinking agents containing titanium or zirconium in a +4 valence state include those disclosed in british pat. no. 2,108,122, herein incorporated herein by reference, which are prepared by reacting zirconium tetraalkoxides with alkanolamines under essentially anhydrous conditions. other zirconium and titanium crosslinking agents are described, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 3,888,312; u.s. pat. no. 3,301,723; u.s. pat. no. 4,460,751; u.s. pat. no. 4,477,360; europe pat. no. 92,755; and u.s. pat. no. 4,780,223, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. such organometallic and organic complexed metal crosslinking agents containing titanium or zirconium in a +4 oxidation valance state may contain one or more alkanolamine ligands such as ethanolamine (mono-, di- or triethanolamine) ligands, such as bis(triethanolamine)bis(isopropyl)-titanium (iv). further, the compounds may be supplied as inorganic oxides, such as zirconium or titanium dioxide. such crosslinking agents are typically used at a ph also in the range from about 6 to about 13. any suitable crosslinking metal ion, metal containing species, or mixture of such ions and species may further be employed. in a preferred embodiment, the crosslinking agent for use in the thermal insulating composition of the invention are reagents capable of providing zn (ii), calcium, magnesium, aluminum, fe (ii), and fe (iii) to the composition. these may be applied directly to the composition as ions or as polyvalent metallic compounds such as hydroxides and chlorides from which the ions may be released. the crosslinking ions or species may be provided, as indicated, by dissolving into the solution compounds containing the appropriate metals or the metal ion per se. the concentration of crosslinking agent is dependent on factors such as polymer concentration and the temperature in the annuli and will normally range from about 5 ppm to about 2000 ppm, preferably from about 100 ppm to about 900 ppm. it is an important advantage of the invention that higher levels of the crosslinking metal ion or metal containing species may be employed, thereby insuring improved crosslinking. well treatment fluids containing the borated galactomannan gum have particular applicability in the treatment of formations where multiple productive zones are known to be present. for instance, in certain formations, such as shale, it may be desired to frac the formation in numerous stages, between from 6 to 40 stages. the well treatment fluid may function as an isolation system for several hours up to several days. the treatment fluid may be used in vertical as well as non-vertical wells, most notably horizontal wells. the well treatment fluid has particular applicability for use as passive chemical annular isolation systems to isolate zones of interest for stimulation. the fluid may be introduced into a well having a casing lining or into an open hole. the well treatment fluid defined herein has particular applicability when used in conjunction with a mechanical zonal isolation system. in such methods, it is usually desired to perforate and fracture the isolated zone without the use of any cement. as shown in fig. 1 , a horizontal well 10 penetrating formation 12 and having surface casing 15 and intermediary string 20 is equipped with piping 25 and mechanical zonal isolation assembly 30 . the well treatment fluid 27 is introduced into the wellbore and fills the space between piping 25 and casing 15 . once the fluid is hardened, string 20 at a desired location is perforated and formation 12 then is subjected to hydraulic fracturing wherein fractures 40 are created. after fracturing is completed, viscosity of the fluid is broken by interaction of a breaker. after the fluid is removed from the well, intermediary string 20 , piping 25 and mechanical zonal isolation assembly 30 may further be removed from the well. in another embodiment, a productive zone of a well having multiple productive zones may be first perforated. a fracturing fluid may then be introduced into the perforated productive zone at a pressure sufficient to fracture the perforated productive zone. the well treatment fluid defined herein may then be introduced into the fractured perforated productive zone. the perforated productive zone may then be isolated by hardening the well treatment fluid. if desired, another productive zone of the well may be perforated and the process repeated. this procedure is typically done by cementing a vertical well to the annulus prior to perforation of the first zone. in addition, one or more of the productive zones may contain a zonal isolation assembly as previously described. in another embodiment of the invention, the well treatment fluid described herein may be introduced into a pre-determined productive zone of a well containing multiple productive zones. the fluid in the pre-determined productive zone is then hardened, thereby isolating the pre-determined productive zone from the other zones of the well. the zone may then be perforated the zone may then be subjected to hydraulic fracturing since the zone of interest is sealed from other zones. the treatment fluid may further be used in a method which also uses a mechanical device, such as a packer, plug or sand fill. such mechanical devices may be first set in the well between a zone to be fractured and an adjacent zone of the well. this method is more practical for use in non-vertical wells. a zonal isolation assembly unit may be present in one or more of the zones to be fractured, the area defined by the two packers containing the zonal isolation assembly unit. the well treatment fluid defined herein may then be introduced into the well. upon hardening of the well treatment fluid, the area between the first and second packers is sealed off of other zones within the well. the sealed area may then be subjected to fracturing. the process may then be repeated over successive periods in order to fracture other zones of interest within the well. after the gel defining the fluid of the well treatment fluid is broken, any zonal isolation system may be removed from the well. along with providing effective zonal isolation following stimulation, the well treatment fluid further minimizes cementing of natural fractures. when conventional cements are used within the wellbore, it is not uncommon for the cement to enter into natural fractures following drilling and/or perforation of the formation. this causes clogging of the natural fractures. as an alternative to cement, the well treatment fluid defined herein may be used in place of, or in addition to, cement. in such instances, a fluid containing a slurry of the borated galactomannan may be introduced into a slurry of the fluid may be introduced into the annulus of the well between a wall of the wellbore and a pipe string disposed in the wellbore. in a preferred embodiment, the pipe string has disposed therein a zonal isolation assembly. in such instances, after the fluid is hardened, an isolated productive zone within the zonal isolation assembly may then be perforated. the zonal isolation assembly may be multi-interval fracture treatment isolation assembly, such as that known in the prior art, including that type of assembly disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,386,288. the well may then be subject to hydraulic fracturing at a pressure which is sufficient to fracture the isolated productive zone. in such instances, the well may be a non-vertical well. in an alternative embodiment, the well contains only tubing and does not contain a casing. the mechanical isolation assembly is joined to the tubing. the fluid provides passive zonal isolation in that the borated galactomannan may be removed from the well by breaking of the gel. the fluid may therefore be used in place of a mechanical packer. the passive zonal isolation methods described herein therefore provide for annular isolation, like conventional cements, without damaging the formation. thus, in a preferred mode of operation, the annular isolation system provided by the crosslinked gel exits the well during post job flow-back operations, leaving the formation face virtually damage free for post frac production. the well treatment fluids defined herein are particularly effective in those applications where re-fracturing the formation may be ultimately desired. a seal containing the borated galactomannan gum may be broken and the borated galactomannan gum removed from the well by introducing into the well a viscosity reducing agent. the viscosity reducing agent at least partially degrades the gelled borated galactomannan gum and the borated galactomannan gum becomes less viscous and thus removable from the well. as such, seals which isolate a fractured productive zone from another zone within the formation with a borated galactomannan gum as defined herein may be removed from the well such that the formerly isolated productive zone may be subjected again to a fracturing operation. the fluid containing the viscosity reducing agent is pumped into the well at a pressure which is insufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the formation. thus, after the seal has been degraded (and the borated galactomannan gum preferably is removed from the well), a fracturing fluid may be pumped into the well at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture within the formation. in this manner, a previously fractured productive zone within the formation may be subjected to hydraulic fracturing. typically, the formation is re-fractured by pumping the fracturing fluid into a pre-determined productive zone of a well that has been previously fractured or was attempted to be fractured and which contains multiple productive zones. thus, for example, a location of a formation of a multizone wellbore may be re-fractured by hydraulically isolating a first location from a portion of the multizone wellbore uphole from the first location, the first location having been previously hydraulically fractured at least once and hydraulically re-fracturing the first location. after the formation is re-fractured, a well treatment fluid containing an unhydrated galactomannan gum may be introduced into the well as described herein and the re-fractured zone isolated by hardening the well treatment fluid. it will be understood that the method of re-fracturing may consist of multiple re-fracturing operations wherein a fluid containing the viscosity reducing agent is introduced into the well and the temporary seal blocking a productive zone from another zone within the formation is removed, the formation is subjected to fracturing, a fluid containing the borated galactomannan gum is introduced into the well and hardened to isolate the re-fractured productive zone from other productive zones within the formation and the process then repeated. suitable viscosity reducing agents include any material(s) suitable for imparting viscosity reduction characteristics to the borated galactomannan gum fluid. examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, oxidizing agents (such as sodium bromate), amines, acids, acid salts, acid-producing materials, enzyme breakers, encapsulated breakers, etc., and combinations thereof. the viscosity reducing agents facilitate the degradation of the borated galactomannan gum in the well treatment fluid, whereby the degraded fluid may be removed from the subterranean formation to the well surface. suitable acids include hydrochloric acid, formic acid or sulfamic acid as well as acid salts, such as sodium bisulfate. suitable oxidizing agents include alkaline earth and metal peroxides (like magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide and zinc peroxide), organic peroxides, hydrochlorite bleaches, persulfate salts (used either as is or encapsulated) such as ammonium persulfate, sodium persulfate, ammonium peroxydisulfate and potassium persulfate, chromous salts, sodium bromate, sodium perchlorate, sodium perborate, magnesium perborate, calcium perborate, etc. enzyme breakers capable of breaking the backbone of the crosslinked gel into monosaccharide and disaccharide fragments, such as galactomannases, may also be used. the viscosity reducing agent is introduced into the well in an amount sufficient to at least partially degrade the borated galactomannan gum such that the temporary seal isolating the previously fractured productive zone may be removed. the following examples are illustrative of some of the embodiments of the present invention. other embodiments within the scope of the claims herein will be apparent to one skilled in the art from consideration of the description set forth herein. it is intended that the specification, together with the examples, be considered exemplary only, with the scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the claims which follow. all percentages set forth in the examples are given in terms of weight units except as may otherwise be indicated. examples the following materials are used in the examples below: polymer refers to borated guar, commercially available from baker hughes incorporated as gw-26. borax is used as the delay hydration additive (which also acts as a cross-linking agent). gbw-25, a breaker, is sodium bromate, commercially available from baker hughes incorporated. viscosity was measured using a chandler high pressure high temperature (hpht) 5550 viscometer. example 1 the effect of varying levels of ph on the start of gel hydration was tested using viscosity measurements. the results are set forth in fig. 2 . for each test run, the gel was created using 100 ppt polymer in water. this slurry had a ph of 8.84. the ph was increased with a sodium hydroxide solution (10% by weight in water) to values of 9.5, 9.75 and 10.1. the slurry was loaded in to the viscometer and viscosity measured at a shear rate of 100 sec-1. the temperature of the viscometer was ramped from 70° f. to 250° f. in two hours and was then kept constant at 250° f. for an additional hour. fig. 2 demonstrates that ph affects the viscosity in the following manner: a. ph higher than 9.75 caused the gel not to hydrate and become viscous at all;b. at a ph of 9.5, the gel's viscosity starts to increase after 60-65 minutes, but the viscosity was short lived; andc. at a ph of 8.84, the gel's viscosity starts to increase after 30 minutes, much like its performance at room temperature in tap water. fig. 2 further shows that the start time of hydration may be controlled by ph. example 2 using the above procedure, the effect of adding borax as a delayer while maintaining a ph of 9.5 was examined. the results are set forth in fig. 3 . for each run, the gel was created using 100 ppt polymer in water and sodium hydroxide solution to adjust the ph. borax was added in 1%, 2%, 3% by weight of polymer as a delaying agent. the slurry was loaded in to the viscometer and viscosity measured at a shear rate of 100 sec-1. the temperature of the viscometer was ramped from 70° f. to 250° f. in two hours and was then kept constant at 250° f. for an additional hour. the results show that borax by itself (without any ph adjustment) did little to delay hydration, however, when coupled with an increase of ph from 8.84 to 9.5, made a significant difference in slowing the hydration rate. specifically: a. the control run of the gel at the natural ph of 8.84 and 2% borax by weight of polymer showed little difference in hydration;b. the gel adjusted to a ph of 9.5 with 1% borax by weight of polymer delayed hydration to about 80 minutes;c. the gel adjusted to a ph of 9.5 with a 2% borax by weight of polymer delayed hydration to about 120 minutes; andd. the gel adjusted to a ph of 9.5 with a 3% borax by weight of polymer delayed start of hydration to about 100 minutes, with complete hydration delayed to 140 minutes. to further illustrate, the gel was adjusted to a ph of 9.5 from example 1 was also included in fig. 3 . it is clear that the addition of a delayer along with an increase of ph to 9.5 enables a greater control of the time hydration starts. example 3 the effect of ph and delayer on hydration time was examined and the results are set forth in fig. 4 . for each test run, the gel was created using 100 ppt polymer in water. this slurry had a ph of 8.84. the ph to lower values was obtained by adding acetic acid until ph values of 8.5 and 8.75 were obtained. the ph to higher levels was obtained by the addition of a sodium hydroxide solution (10% by weight in water) to ph values of 9 and 9.2. the slurry was loaded in to the viscometer and viscosity measured at a shear rate of 100 sec −1 . the temperature of the viscometer was ramped from 70° f. to 100° f. in 30 minutes and was then kept constant at 100° f. for an additional 90 minutes. in some of the runs, borax was added as a delayer. the results show that hydration time can be changed with changes in ph. specifically: a. the gel at the natural ph of 8.84 and 3% borax by weight of polymer showed little difference in hydration;b. the gel with no delayer and adjusted to a ph of 9.2 and the gel at ph 8.75 with 1% delayer showed no appreciable hydration; andc. the gel with no delayer and adjusted ph of 9.0; the gel with no delayer and adjusted ph of 8.75; and the gel with 1% delayer and adjusted ph of 8.5 all showed a delay in hydration, but the onset of hydration (where viscosity starts to increase and reach an ultimate minimum 1000 cp viscosity) varied from 25 to 52 minutes. example 4 using the above procedure, the effect of both ph and delayer on hydration time was examined. for each test run, the gel was created using 100 ppt polymer in water. this slurry had a ph of 8.84. the ph was increased with sodium hydroxide solution (10% by weight in water) to 9 and 9.25. the slurry was loaded in to the viscometer and viscosity measured at a shear rate of 100 sec −1 . the temperature of the viscometer was ramped from 70° f. to 150° f. in 30 minutes and was then kept constant at 150° f. for an additional 90 minutes. the results show that hydration time can be changed with changes in both delayer concentration and ph. specifically, the onset of hydration time varied from 35 minutes to 90 minutes, a greater variation than was shown in example 3. example 5 using the above procedure, the optimum result of the above examples (3% borax and ph of 9.65) was further examined to determine if high viscosity for isolation could be achieved. the results are set forth in fig. 6 . for this test, the gel was created using 500 ppt polymer in water, 10% sodium hydroxide solution to adjust the ph and borax to act as a delayer. the slurry was loaded in to the viscometer and viscosity measured at a shear rate of 100 sec −1 . the temperature of the viscometer was ramped from 70° f. to 250° f. in two hours and was then kept constant at 250° f. for an additional 6 hours. in this test the constant shear was reduced from 100 sec −1 to 0.1 sec-1 after the initial two hour ramp (to simulate static conditions of the blocking gel after placement). this test shows that at low shear conditions the result is a viscosity of over a million cp. example 6 the ability of a gel to be pumped into a horizontal position and to be held at differential pressure was determined by use of two high pressure fluid loss cells (about eight inches in length and two inches in diameter), one positioned horizontally and one vertically. these cells were positioned as illustrated in fig. 7 . the horizontal cell 50 , which will contain the temporary blocking gel, has the addition of either a slotted insert 60 a or a <1 and ceramic core 60 b at the end 70 of the cell. the slotted insert simulates a formation with perforation. the ceramic core simulates formation without perforation. unless specifically stated in the example, the default is the slotted insert. when desired, jack 65 was used to raise or lower the horizontal cell to a desired angle. tubing 75 connected the bottom of vertical cell 55 with the side of horizontal cell 50 . tubing 75 simulates the heel of the wellbore. a heater was placed around the horizontal cell to heat and control temperature. a temperature ramp was used to elevate the temperature of the gel in the horizontal cell. the gel was pumped from the vertical cell 55 to the horizontal cell as a slurry in tap water via tubing and pressured to 100 psi. after pumping the gel into horizontal cell 50 and allowing a two hour residence time at temperature to crosslink the gel, vertical cell 55 was filled with dyed tap water. additional pressure was then applied to the top of the vertical cell and the volume of water lost from the vertical cell to the horizontal cell was used as the measure of isolation. in addition, the amount of gel extruded through the slotted insert was also measured. example 7 example 7 illustrates the ability of the well treatment fluid of the invention to act as a block for a period of time at pressure duplicating formation with no perforation. the test procedure was to create a composition of the gel used in example 5 (500 ppt polymer and water with 3% borax by weight of polymer buffered to a ph of 9.65 with the addition of 10% sodium hydroxide solution). the protocol was the same as with example 6 with the exception of a <1md ceramic core was used. the gel was pumped from the vertical cell to the horizontal cell and allowed to heat up to 250 f for two hours at 100 psi to crosslink the gel. the vertical cell was filled with dyed tap water. additional pressure to 500 psi for one hour was then applied to the top of the vertical cell. there was no water breakthrough after the initial hour showing good isolation. the cell was shut in overnight at 500 psi pressure and opened again the next morning. again, there was no water breakthrough. the pressure was again increased in 100 psi increments to 1000 psi. each pressure was maintained for 5 minutes to observe any water break through before going to the next level. at 1000 psi differential pressure, the cell was monitored for 6 hours without any water break through. the cell was again shut in at the temperature and pressure condition overnight. the cell was opened the next morning and observed for a total of 24 hours at 1000 psi without any water break through. this example illustrates that the gel has the ability to be a blocking agent. example 8 example 8 illustrates the ability to pump a stimulation fluid through the blocking gel in a formation with perforation. the test procedure was to create a composition of the gel used in example 5 (500 ppt polymer and water with 3% borax by weight of polymer buffered to a ph of 9.65 with the addition of 10% sodium hydroxide solution). the protocol was the same as example 6 with the slotted insert simulating perforation. the gel was pumped from the vertical cell to the horizontal cell and allowed to heat up to 250 f for two hours at 100 psi to crosslink the gel. the vertical cell was filled with dyed tap water. when pressure was increased, there was water breakthrough at 125 psi—a water channel was created through the gel near the center of the gel pack. this example indicates that a stimulation fluid can be successfully pumped through the blocking gel to a formation with a perforation. example 9 a series of tests was designed to evaluate how to break the gel, once its utility as a blocker was over. the results are set forth in tables 1 and 2. these tests used two different breakers in various concentrations. the test procedure was to create a composition of the gel used in example 5 (500 ppt polymer and water with 3% borax by weight of polymer buffered to a ph of 9.65 with the addition of 10% sodium hydroxide solution). the breakers as described in the tables 1 and 2 were added to the gels. 400 ml of the gels were then placed in the horizontal fluid loss cell as described before and heated to indicated temperature at 1000 psi. the cells were opened periodically to see if the gels were broken. table 1 shows results using the gbw-25, as breaker, and table 2 shows results using the breaker high perm crb (encapsulated ammonium persulfate) table 1gbw-25 as a breakertemperature250° f.250° f.250° f.250° f.concen-50ppt25ppt25ppt10ppttrationtime18hours18hours48hours24hoursresultfully broken250 mlsmost of the100 mlsof 400 mlsstructure gone,of 400 mlsbrokenviscositybrokenreduced table 2high perm crb as a breakertemperature150° f.150° f.150° f.150° f.concen-10ppt20ppt30ppt50ppttrationtime24hours48hours24hours24hoursresultbeginningmost of thefully brokenfully brokento breakstructure gone,viscosityreduced these results show that the gel can be broken and that the time to brake is variable, providing more flexibility to the invention. from the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the invention.
076-345-641-435-997	US	[ "AU", "IL", "WO", "US" ]	G06F15/16,G06Q30/00	2002-07-23T00:00:00	2002	[ "G06" ]	communication system for matching subscribers based on events	a system and method for facilitating contact between people attending common events. the system comprises a members' database, including at least pictures of the members and contact information. a member attending an event notifies the system of his location and may subsequently browse through the pictures of the other participants to locate another person he wishes to contact.	claims 1. event-based communication system comprising: a computer-based server, said server running a server application of said communication system; a plurality of electronic devices communicating with said server; and a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least pictures of subscribers to said communication system, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers, wherein said electronic devices communicate with said server application regarding a specific event, for updating and retrieving said database information of said specific event, or for updating and retrieving therefrom information regarding one or more participants in said specific event, said information regarding participants comprising at least pictures or video-clips. 2. the event-based communication system of claim 1 , wherein at least one said events is virtual. 3. the event-based communication system of claim 1 , wherein said electronic devices comprise wireless devices. 4. the event-based communication system of claim 1 , wherein said electronic devices comprise at least one computer running a client application of said communication system. 5. the system of claim 1 , wherein said information regarding subscribers comprises personal identification data and contact data. 6. the system of claim 4, wherein said client application comprises sending commands to said server. 7. the system of claim 6, wherein said commands prompt said server to manipulate said database. 8. the system of claim 4, wherein said client application comprises sending queries to said server and receiving replies from said server. 9. the system of claim 1 , wherein said electronic devices comprise at least one contact center, communicating with said server, said contact center comprising at least input means for entering identification data into said server. 10. the system of claim 9, wherein said input means comprise one of a barcode reader and a magnetic-card reader. 11. the system of claim 9, wherein said contact center additionally comprises a computer-based system running a contact center application. 12. the system of claim 11 , wherein said contact center additionally comprises at least one of a digital camera, and a printer. 13. the system of claim 11 , wherein said input means additionally comprise input means for entering queries into said contact center application, and wherein said contact center application comprises means for sending said queries to said server and receiving responses to said queries from said server. 14. the system of claim 13, wherein said responses comprise at least one of textual responses, pictures and video-clips. 15. a method of enabling communication with a person attending an specific event, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, information regarding events, and cross- correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers, said server communicating with at least one electronic device, wherein said communication with said at least one electronic device comprises communication regarding said specific event, for updating said database information of said specific event, or for retrieving therefrom information regarding one or more participants in said specific event, said information regarding participants comprising at least pictures or video-clips; and receiving present location information of at least one said subscribers. 16. the method of claim 15, wherein said receiving present location information comprises receiving automatic location information from a gps, wireless or bluetooth device. 17. the method of claim 15, wherein said receiving present location information comprises receiving an mms message or an sms message indicating said location. 18. the method of claim 15, wherein at least one said events is virtual. 19. the method of claim 15, wherein said electronic devices comprise wireless devices. 20. the method of claim 15, wherein said electronic devices comprise at least one computer running a client software application of said communication system. 21. the method of claim 15, wherein said information regarding subscribers comprises personal identification data and contact data. 22. the method of claim 15, wherein said communication with said at least one electronic device comprises receiving commands from said electronic device. 23. the method of claim 15, wherein said communication with said at least one electronic device comprises receiving queries from said electronic device and sending replies to said electronic device. 24. the method of claim 23, wherein said replies comprise at least one of text, picture and video-clip. 25. the method of claim 23, wherein said communication with said at least one electronic device additionally comprises receiving a further communication from said electronic device, following said step of sending a reply. 26. the method of claim 25, additionally comprising the step of forwarding said received further communication to said person attending said specific event. 27. the method of either of claims 25 and 26, wherein said further communication comprises a mms message. 28. the method of claim 15, wherein said electronic devices comprise at least one contact center communicating with said server, said contact center comprising at least input means for entering identification data into said server. 29. the method of claim 28, wherein said contact center additionally comprises a computer-based system running contact center software application. 30. the method of claim 28, wherein said input means comprise at least one of a barcode reader and a magnetic-card reader. 31. the method according to claim 28, wherein said receiving present location information comprises using said input means for reading said present location information. 32. the method of claim 29, wherein said contact center additionally comprises at least one of a digital camera and a printer. 33. the method of claim 30, wherein said input means additionally comprise input means for entering queries into said contact center application, and wherein said contact center application comprises using said contact center for sending said queries to said server and receiving responses to said queries from said server. 34. the method of claim 33, wherein said responses comprise at least one of textual responses, pictures and video-clips. 35. a method of contacting a person attending an event, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, said information about subscribers comprising at least pictures or video-clips, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers; providing a contact center in the location of said event and at the time of said event, said contact center comprising at least a computer with internet access, a contact center software application and input means for entering identification data into said contact center software application; and using said input means of said contact center application for communicating with said server. 36. the method of claim 35, wherein said input means comprise at least one of a barcode reader and a magnetic-card reader. 37. the method of claim 35, wherein said contact center comprises at least one of a digital camera and a printer. 38. the method of claim 35, wherein said using said input means comprises entering commands into said contact center application. 39. the method of claim 35, wherein said using said input means comprises entering a query into said contact center application and receiving a response to said query from said contact center application. 40. the method of claim 39, additionally comprising the step of sending a command to said contact center application, following said receiving a response. 41. the method of claim 39, additionally comprising the step of contacting said person attending said event, following said receiving a response. 42. the method of claim 39, wherein said query comprises requesting a list of said subscribers attending said event and wherein said response comprises said list of said subscribers attending said event. 43. the method of claim 39, wherein said query comprises requesting the pictures of said subscribers attending said event and wherein said response comprises said pictures of said subscribers attending said event. 44. a contact center for communicating between people attending an event and a location-based contact server, said server comprising a database, said contact center comprising: a computer-based system with internet access; and a contact center software application running on said computer, said software application enabling said people attending said event to send queries to said server and receive responses from said server, said queries and responses relating to other people attending said event. 45. the contact center of claim 44, wherein said software application additionally enables said people attending said event to send commands to said server. 46. the contact center of claim 45, wherein said commands prompt said server to manipulate said database. 47. the contact center of claim 44, additionally comprising a digital camera controlled by said computer. 48. the contact center of claim 47, wherein said software application additionally enables said people attending said event to use said digital camera for taking their own picture and wherein said pictures are transferred by said contact center to said database. 49. the contact center of claim 44, additionally comprising a printer controlled by said computer. 50. a method of identifying a person previously located in at least one of a series of locations, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, said information about subscribers comprising at least pictures or video-clips, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers; providing at least one electronic location device in communication with said server; using said at least one electronic location device to transmit a starting present location to said server; and further using said at least one location device to transmit a subsequent series of locations to said server. 51. the method of claim 50, additionally comprising the steps of: sending a query to said server regarding people present in at least one of said series of locations at the time said location was transmitted; and receiving a reply from said server, said reply comprising at least one picture of at least one person.	event based communication system cross-reference to related applications the present application claims the benefit of the filing date of co- pending u.s. provisional application, s/n 60/397,857 filed july 23 2002, entitled "event and location based contact system". field of the invention the present invention provides a computerized client-server system, intended to facilitate contact between people participating in common events. background of the invention in modern life, especially in the western world, where people tend to get married at a relatively older age, on the one hand, and divorce is very common, on the other hand, the population of single men and women has grown to very large dimensions. single people who wish to meet others may do so while going about their daily routine, such as at their working place, school, or any recreation facility, or attend special location and/or events, such as singles bars/parties. with the advent of the internet, new opportunities for matchmaking arose, and indeed numerous websites dedicated to matching singles exist and flourish. these systems all work on a similar basis; a person wishing to join the service as a subscriber must fill-in his/her own personal data and data relating to the desired partner. the system holds these in a database and may perform periodical or on- demand scans of the database to come up with the best fit. wo02/01405 to hancock, discloses a system that allows users to locate people with the common interests, or to find people who would satisfy a current need (e.g. a job vacancy). the system can make use of existing telecommunication and networking services as well as the internet, wap, gps, and other protocols to provide location information. alternatively, various locations may have card readers installed at which users update their "location" field in the database by swiping their card through the reader. micromaps can also be provided to further pinpoint the user's location. each user of the system provides a personal profile of their business, social or private interests. the users may login to the system via an internet access device or a mobile phone and search the database for compatible matches. any matche may be sent a text message in which the sender's anonymity is preserved. the user may also subscribe to various services that deliver information depending on the user's location. such services may deliver information regarding movies, taxis, performances, traffic conditions, etc. ail these existing systems use databases, whether static or dynamic, to match people according to predefined information, such as hobbies, interests, education, religion, and so forth. there is need for a new "matching" mechanism, to help people "meet" someone they already know by sight, or by name, or by any one of other identification parameters. summary of the invention the present invention provides means for facilitating contact between people attending common events, before, during or after the event has taken place. in one aspect of the present invention there is provided an event-based communication system comprising: a computer-based server, said server running a server application of said communication system; a plurality of electronic devices communicating with said server; and a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least pictures of subscribers to said communication system, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers, wherein said electronic devices communicate with said server application regarding a specific event, for updating and retrieving said database information of said specific event, or for updating and retrieving therefrom information regarding one or more participants in said specific event, said information regarding participants comprising at least pictures or video-clips. at least one said events may be virtual. the electronic devices may comprise wireless devices. the electronic devices may comprise at least one computer running a client application of the communication system. the information regarding subscribers may comprise personal identification data and contact data. the client application may comprise sending commands to the server. the commands may prompt the server to manipulate said database. the client application may comprise sending queries to the server and receiving replies from the server. the electronic devices may comprise at least one contact center, communicating with the server, said contact center comprising at least input means for entering identification data into the server. the input means may comprise a barcode reader and/or a magnetic-card reader, or any other suitable identification mechanism. the contact center may additionally comprise a computer- based system running a contact center application. the contact center may additionally comprise a digital camera and/or a printer. the input means may additionally comprise input means for entering queries into the contact center application, and the contact center application may comprises means for sending the queries to the server and receiving responses to said queries from the server. the responses may comprise textual responses, pictures or video-clips. in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of enabling communication with a person attending a specific event, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, information regarding events, and cross- correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers, said server communicating with at least one electronic device, wherein said communication with said at least one electronic device comprises communication regarding said specific event, for updating said database information of said specific event, or for retrieving therefrom information regarding one or more participants in said specific event, said information regarding participants comprising at least pictures or video-clips; and receiving present location information of at least one said subscribers. receiving present location information may comprise receiving automatic location information from a gps, wireless or bluetooth device. receiving present location information may comprise receiving an mms message or an sms message indicating said location. at least one said events may be virtual. the electronic devices may comprise wireless devices. the electronic devices may comprise at least one computer running a client software application of said communication system. the information regarding subscribers may comprise personal identification data and contact data. communication with said at least one electronic device may comprise receiving commands from said electronic device. communication with said at least one electronic device may comprise receiving queries from said electronic device and sending replies to said electronic device. the replies may comprise at least one of text, picture and video- clip. communication with said at least one electronic device may additionally comprise receiving a further communication from said electronic device, following said step of sending a reply. the received further communication may be forwarded to said person attending said specific event. the further communication may comprise an mms message. the electronic devices may comprise at least one contact center, communicating with said server, said contact center comprising: a computer-based system running contact center software application; and input means for entering identification data into said contact center software application. the input means may comprise at least one of a barcode reader and a magnetic-card reader, or any other suitable identification mechanism receiving present location information may comprise using said input means for reading said present location information. the contact center may additionally comprise a digital camera and/or a printer. the input means may additionally comprise input means for entering queries into said contact center application, and wherein said contact center application comprises using said contact center for sending said queries to said server and receiving responses to said queries from said server. the responses may comprise textual responses, pictures and video-clips. in a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of contacting a person attending an event, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, said information about subscribers comprising at least pictures or video-clips, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers; providing a contact center in the location of said event and at the time of said event, said contact center comprising at least a computer with internet access, a contact center software application and input means for entering identification data into said contact center software application; and using said input means of said contact center application for communicating with said server. the input means may comprise a barcode reader and/or a magnetic-card reader. the contact center may comprise a digital camera and/or a printer. using said input means may comprise entering commands into said contact center application. using said input means may comprise entering a query into said contact center application and receiving a response to said query from said contact center application. a command may be sent to said contact center application, following said receiving a response. said person attending said event may be contacted, following said receiving a response. the query may comprise requesting a list of said subscribers attending said event and wherein said response comprises said list of said subscribers attending said event. the query may comprise requesting the pictures of said subscribers attending said event and wherein said response comprises said pictures of said subscribers attending said event. in yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a contact center for communicating between people attending an event and a location-based contact server, said server comprising a database, said contact center comprising: a computer-based system with internet access; and a contact center software application running on said computer, said software application enabling said people attending said event to send queries to said server and receive responses from said server, said queries and responses relating to other people attending said event. the software application may additionally enable said people attending said event to send commands to said server. the commands may prompt said server to manipulate said database. the contact center may additionally comprise a digital camera controlled by said computer. the software application may additionally enable said people attending said event to use said digital camera for taking their own picture and wherein said pictures are communicated by said contact center to said database. the contact center may additionally comprise a printer controlled by said computer. in another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of identifying a person previously located in at least one of a series of locations, the method comprising the steps of: providing an event-based communication system comprising a computer-based server, said server running a server software application of said communication system, said server additionally comprising a database residing on said server, said database comprising at least information regarding subscribers to said communication system, said information about subscribers comprising at least pictures or video-clips, information regarding events, and cross-correlation between said events and participants in said events from among said subscribers; providing at least one electronic location device in communication with said server; using said at least one electronic location device to transmit a starting present location to said server; further using said at least one location device to transmit a subsequent series of locations to said server; sending a query to said server regarding people present in at least one of said series of locations at the time said location was transmitted; and receiving a reply from said server, said reply comprising at least one picture of at least one person. brief description of the drawings for a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, purely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. with specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. in this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. in the accompanying drawings: fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the system according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic description of the contact center according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a schematic description of the database according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a block diagram of one exemplary mode of operation of present invention; and fig. 5 is a block diagram of a second exemplary mode of operation of present invention. detailed description of preferred embodiments before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. the invention is applicable to other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. event, in the context of the present invention, refers to a combination of time and location. for example, sitting on a beach on a saturday morning is an event; people in a fitness club on a certain day are participating in an event; people in a cafe in a certain time frame are participating in an event; two people glancing at each other in the traffic light may also be considered as sharing an event, etc. an event may also be a party, a wedding, a sports event, a cruise, a week in a resort club, etc. an event can alternatively be a virtual event - people chatting in a chat room on the internet, or people watching the same tv show or channel. the actual contact between participants in an event, with the aid of the system of the present invention, may take place before, during, or after the event. fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the system's architecture. the core of the system is an internet server 10, or server farm, or distributed network, comprising one or more databases 20. the server runs a server application. various client applications, such as internet browser running on a pc 30, cellular phone 40 or pda 50 may be connected to the server 10 through a cellular carrier or through any other 3 rd party service company. an additional device that may be connected to the server is a "contact center" 60. the contact center 60, as shown in detail in fig. 2, to which attention is now drawn, is a specially designed system that may be installed in any public or private location, comprising a computer 70 with internet connection, with any combination of touch screen or regular monitor 80, a digital video camera (regular or web cam) 90, a barcode reader or magnetic card reader 100, or any suitable identification mechanism, lighting mechanism 110, a color printer and/or a thermal printer 120. the printer may be any kind of printer, such as a label printer, a photo printer etc. optionally, several touch screens may be connected to the contact center. an additional option is to connect an external screen 130, e.g. a big plasma screen. the minimum configuration of a contact center may comprise only a suitable identification mechanism such as magnetic-card reader connected to the server through a modem or other networking device. in an offline mode, the contact center may operate without internet connection. the operation of the contact center 60 will be described in detail hereinbelow. fig. 3 is a schematic description of the database 20 residing on the server 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. the database 20 comprises subscribers' records and files 140, each containing personal information 150 provided by the subscriber, such as subscriber's name, subscriber's picture, video clip showing subscriber, and contact information, such as e-mail address and/or cellular phone number. the subscriber's file 140 may additionally comprise storage space 160 for incoming voice messages and account information 170. the subscriber's file 140 additionally comprises, or is related to an event-table 180, listing recent, present and future events attended by subscriber and storing subscriber's pictures and video clips from the event. the database 20 additionally comprises a central events table 190, and a locations table 200, both common to all subscribers. central events table 190 holds information about all the events registered in the system, including a definition of the event, as a combination of location and time, general pictures, video clips and other media related to the event. the media may include general or personalized sponsors' advertisements. central events table 190 additionally comprises, for each event, a list of attending subscribers. an event may be a past, present or future event. a cross-correlation exists between the events listed in, say, subscriber x's event-table 180 and the entry holding the participants list in each event. locations are defined in central locations table 200. server application the server may be implemented, for example, as an xml/http web service, with an api (application interface) that allows third party companies, vendors, web site owners, developers, etc. to manipulate the database using their own proprietary user interface. for example, if a convention producer wishes to use the service in a convention he produces he may implement his own user interface, using the published api of the system, and get the full range of services. charging may be done by number of api calls, number of events operating the system, etc. the server application comprises queries and updates to the database, such as: - register user - upload picture - insert event - delete contact - send message - mutual request: a special service that will notify members of a contact match only if both parties have asked for it. - fake user report - when user a has a suspicion about the honesty of user b he may report that suspicion to the server; the server tracks these reports and signals for users that are: a. suspected of being fake (many users have reported about them), b. suspected of reporting about fake users with no real reason. both types of users will be suspended from the service and their cellular phone number (or other unique identification) "black-listed" against future attempts to rejoin the service. client application the client application, running on any client device such as pc, pda or cell phone, comprises queries and updates to the server's database, such as: - register - show all events (in a city/area) - select event - show all event members - show member's picture - compose message - send password - in case user has forgotten it - increase user credit the client applications get the data from the server in xml format and may use xsl transformations, for example, to display the data in the correct layout, according to the specific client device properties, such as screen size and shape. in sms mode, the user may send any of the available queries as sms commands. the cellular carrier transfers the command either directly or via third-party service company (mediator) to the system. the system receives the content of the message and the originating phone number, handles the query and may send back a response. all system-originated messages may be sent by e-mail, sms or mms, not requiring that the receiver be on-line when message is sent. mode of operation the system of the present invention provides the user with the ability to contact other users who are concurrently at the same place (either physical or virtual, as mentioned above), or who have attended the same event regardless of the exact time, or who intend to attend the same event. the particular method of the present invention addresses, for example, the case where a person attends an event, such as a party, a sports event, a convention, an exhibition, etc., or is at a certain location such as a pub, a restaurant, a swimming pool, etc. or in a certain virtual location such as web site or cable tv channel. the person may "see" (in the physical or virtual sense) another person on such an occasion, with whom he desires to make contact and for various reasons does not have the opportunity to do so. alternatively, a person may have prior information regarding someone he would like to meet and who is supposed to be at the same event, but has no idea what the other person looks like; he may only know the other person's name, or phone number, or the company he works for, or his member id in the service of the present invention, etc. the method of the present invention provides solutions to the above-mentioned cases. fig. 4 is a block diagram of one exemplary mode of operation of the present invention. in step 210, subscriber arrives at a certain location. in step 220, system is informed about subscriber's location. this may be done in one of several ways; the subscriber may use his/her cellular phone or pda to log-in to the system via internet connection, or any cellular / wireless connection and web technology such as bluetooth, infrared, gps, gprs, wap, j2me, 3 rd generation, wifi etc. alternatively, a unique electronic device may be placed in predefined locations to communicate with cellular phones or other personal devices people carry, such as bluetooth, wifi or infrared hubs. this unique device collects signals from such carried electronic devices and notifies the system by sms, or internet connection, or any other mechanism, that user x is in a location y on time z. wifi technology, for example, is highly compatible with such a workflow. in a further embodiment, the present location of a member may be identified automatically by any available technological means such as gps, wifi or bluetooth and will be sent automatically to the system. large convening locations, such as convention centers, exhibition halls, big pubs or clubs, shopping malls, hotels, cruise lines, club resorts, wedding halls and gardens, may install an especially designed contact center in their premises, as described above in conjunction with fig. 2. alternatively, a contact center may be installed in e.g. a private house, for a specific event. in yet another embodiment, the control center's application may be installed on any pc or laptop computer, thus turning it into a functioning control center terminal. the system of the present invention may also be operated on train rides, airplane flights etc., serving as events, with or without a control center positioned in main terminals such as train stations and airports. people attending the event may get, upon entrance, a special card with a unique barcode printed on it, or a magnetic card, or identification by the cellular device, or by typing login and password, or by infra-red beam, bluetooth, or smart card, or digital id card etc. at the contact center, the reader reads the user identification information into the system and may prompt the user to assume a certain position for his picture or video to be taken. pictures and/or video clips of registered or yet unregistered members, taken by the contact center during an event, will be automatically uploaded to the relevant event on the server. additionally, general pictures taken by digital or video cameras during an event may be uploaded to the system by connecting the capture devices to a special port in the contact center's terminal, or by transmitting the digital images to the contact center via infrared connection, or bluetooth connection, or any other suitable communication mode. the pictures will be transferred to the server and connected automatically to the relevant event in the database. the pictures or video clips may be displayed on the contact center's monitor or on a large screen at the location or out side the location. the member may ask the system to send a specific media file e.g. certain photo or video clip in mms or e-mail to another member, e.g. a friend or a family member. the pictures/video clips may also be sent to the system from the member's home computer. member may request to download some or all of the event's pictures, taken by him and/or others. all the pictures/video clips sent or displayed by the system may contain general or personalized sponsors' advertisement. when the member has returned home, or to any other location where he has computer connection, or wireless internet connection e.g. cellular, he may login to the system with his card id, identification by phone number + login + password or any other unique identification in the system, and fill-in missing information required by the system. referring back to fig. 4, in step 230 the subscriber sees another person and wishes to establish contact. if the subscriber has not logged-in to the system yet, he may now do so (step 240), using any one of the methods described above. once a member has logged-in to the service, he/she may browse through a list of pre-registered events or locations. alternatively, the member may dial-in the location and time, or other description of the event, as it is taking place. in yet another alternative, the member may send an sms command to the servers, notifying his current location, or use any known in the art wireless communication method such as bluetooth or gps. if the database does not hold a picture or video clip of the member, or if the member wishes to update his/her picture or video, he may now do so by using the digital camera or digital video camera of his cellular phone, such as foma d2101v and foma p2101v, available from ntt docomo, japan, or samsung 932 or nokia 7650. having logged into the system, the member may now query the system for other participants in the same event (step 250), particularly the person who has aroused his/her interest, by browsing through the pictures or videos of the subscribers registered under the current event. once the person of interest has been located in the database, he may be contacted through the server. contact may now be made, in steps 260, 280, in any of the available manners, such as, but not limited to: - send message via the server - send email via the server - send sms via the server - send mms (multimedia message which includes voice and/or video and/or photo data) via the server - establish voice conversation via the server - establish video conversation via the server - establish chat conversation via the server alternatively, if the person of interest who has been located in the database, had chosen to publish personal contact information - a direct connection between the users may now take place in any of the available manners, such as, but not limited to: - send direct email - send direct sms - send direct mms (multimedia message which includes voice and/or video and/or photo data) - establish direct voice conversation - establish direct video conversation in another exemplary embodiment, as schematically described in the fig. 5, the member may query the system about a specific name of a person, a member id number, or any other known identification detail, to find out whether that person is attending the same event, or to locate a person he/she knows only by the known identification detail (step 235). having logged-in to the system in a similar manner as described above in conjunction with fig. 4, the subscriber may now browse the current event's participants' list (step 290) to search for his desired contact person by the known identification detail. if the person matching the known identification detail is found, contact may be established in any one of the manners as described above in conjunction with fig. 4. member may also ask for some or all of the pictures of members attending the event (and of general pictures that were taken during the event) to be printed, whether on the printer 120 at the contact center, or on their home printer, depending on the member's whereabouts. members may alternatively ask the system to receive the pictures and/or clips by email or mms. members may also browse through all the pictures or videos of other members participating in the same event and get contact information. a member may mark some of his/her favorite users and subsequently get notification when some of these favorite persons attend the same event. service members who do not participate in a certain event may also get the possibility to browse through the event's pictures and contact participants, preferably in accordance with the participants' account settings. in an additional operation mode of the system, each member attending an event may print a special tag on the contact center's printer, using his member id. the member may carry this tag on his shirt during the event. others can now send him messages via the system, directly and immediately, according to this id. this can be achieved by sending sms with the id number and text to the server, who will deliver the message to the recipient, or by wireless internet in cellular phones, or by special messaging terminals distributed in the location. the system of the present invention may also serve for organizing social games in an event. for example, two participating members are each shown a picture of the other (for example by mms) and they have one minute to locate each other and send validation by sms; or, a member is shown a picture of another member and has to guess the other person's age, name, etc. other games, such as bingo, or participation in a lottery, or any other contest or survey may also be conducted between users using sms / mms messages (e.g. choose the most beautiful girl, the funniest clip, etc.). another service provided by the system of the present invention enables automatic creation of a website for the event / party by uploading all the media gathered in the control center to the new website, including user clips, user photos, general clips, general photos, forums, chats etc. - ail related to the event. the system may be used for other applications - like collecting handwriting from users and sending a graphological analysis back by sms, email etc. user may also get a list of candidates attending the same event, who seem to match user's preferences according to the graphological analysis. alternatively, the system may use any other matching criterion to recommend and/or establish communication between members, including members' specific indication that they are interested in establishing contact. virtual events may also be created by the system. users who wish to participate in a virtual event send sms with the virtual event or location code and are now all participants in the same virtual event and can communicate accordingly. the database of the system, as described above, may serve as a research and marketing tool; the database holds information about which events users prefer, ages, hot locations, etc., data of great value for event organizers or other companies (e.g. coca cola wants to advertise to 18 years old girls who frequent night clubs) for sending promotion, advertisements and coupons. coupons may be sent to a member during an event, printed on the control center's printer and used on the spot, or at a later time. alternatively, cellular coupons and advertisements may be sent to members using sms or mms. alternatively, sponsors may use the system for sales promotion in various other manners, such as rewarding picture/video clips senders with a prize. in an additional application of the system of the present invention, the definition of an event may be broadened to include any location a person visits at any given time, or during a certain time-span. for example, a member of the service may notify the system, by his cellular phone or any gps device, or any other location device, that he is presently at a certain location, and send a special command indicating that he is entering a "follow me" mode. in the "follow me" mode the system is informed continuously, or at pre-determined intervals, of the member's whereabouts, until the members send an "end follow me" command. this mode of operation enables the member to "find", at a later point in time, any other member who had crossed his path during the active "follow me" period and who has informed the system of his location during that period. it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. rather the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.
081-791-898-533-163	KR	[ "US", "KR", "CN" ]	G06F3/041,G06F3/044,H10K59/00,H10K50/80,H10K71/00,H10K59/121,H10K59/123,H10K59/126,H10K59/131	2021-11-29T00:00:00	2021	[ "G06", "H10" ]	display device and method of manufacturing the same	a display device includes a substrate; a pixel electrode disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer disposed on the substrate and defining a pixel opening exposing a portion of the pixel electrode; a dummy pixel defining layer disposed on the pixel electrode in the pixel opening, and spaced apart from the pixel defining layer; a light emitting element disposed between the pixel electrode and the dummy pixel defining layer in the pixel opening; a common electrode covering the pixel defining layer, the dummy pixel defining layer, and the light emitting element; an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode; and a touch sensing layer including a light blocking pattern, wherein light blocking pattern is disposed on the encapsulation layer and overlaps at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view.	1 . a display device comprising: a substrate; a pixel electrode disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer disposed on the substrate and defining a pixel opening exposing a portion of the pixel electrode; a dummy pixel defining layer disposed on the pixel electrode in the pixel opening, and spaced apart from the pixel defining layer; a light emitting element disposed between the pixel defining layer and the dummy pixel defining layer in the pixel opening; a common electrode covering the pixel defining layer, the dummy pixel defining layer, and the light emitting element; an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode; and a touch sensing layer comprising a light blocking pattern, wherein the light blocking pattern is disposed on the encapsulation layer and overlaps at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view. 2 . the display device of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensing layer further comprises: a first sensing pattern disposed on the encapsulation layer and overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view; a first insulating layer covering the first sensing pattern; and a second sensing pattern disposed on the first insulating layer, overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view, and electrically connected to the first sensing pattern. 3 . the display device of claim 2 , wherein the light blocking pattern is insulated from each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern. 4 . the display device of claim 2 , wherein the light blocking pattern comprises an upper light blocking pattern disposed in a same layer as the second sensing pattern. 5 . the display device of claim 4 , wherein the light blocking pattern comprises a lower light blocking pattern disposed in a same layer as the first sensing pattern. 6 . the display device of claim 5 , wherein the upper light blocking pattern overlaps the lower light blocking pattern in the plan view. 7 . the display device of claim 2 , wherein each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern is disposed in a mesh form surrounding the light emitting element in the plan view, and overlaps at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. 8 . the display device of claim 1 , wherein an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view is more than or equal to about 80 percentages (%) and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. 9 . the display device of claim 1 , further comprising: a first light blocking layer disposed on the touch sensing layer, and overlapping at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view; and a second light blocking layer disposed on the touch sensing layer, and overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. 10 . the display device of claim 9 , wherein the second light blocking layer surrounds the first light blocking layer, and is spaced apart from the first light blocking layer. 11 . the display device of claim 9 , wherein the light blocking pattern overlaps at least a portion of the first light blocking layer in the plan view. 12 . the display device of claim 9 , further comprising: a color filter layer disposed between the touch sensing layer and the first light blocking layer. 13 . the display device of claim 9 , wherein an area of the first light blocking layer in the plan view is equal to or larger than the area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view, and is equal to or smaller than the area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. 14 . a method of manufacturing a display device comprising: forming a pixel electrode on a substrate; forming a pixel defining layer and a dummy pixel defining layer on the substrate, wherein the pixel defining layer defines a pixel opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode, and the dummy pixel defining layer is disposed on the pixel electrode in the pixel opening and is spaced apart from the pixel defining layer; forming a light emitting element disposed between the pixel defining layer and the dummy pixel defining layer in the pixel opening; forming a common electrode covering the pixel defining layer, the dummy pixel defining layer, and the light emitting element; forming an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode; and forming a touch sensing layer on the encapsulation layer, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a light blocking pattern overlapping at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view. 15 . the method of claim 14 , wherein forming the touch sensing layer comprises: applying a first conductive material on the encapsulation layer; forming a first sensing pattern overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view by patterning the first conductive material; forming a first insulating layer covering the first sensing pattern; applying a second conductive material on the first insulating layer; and forming a second sensing pattern and the light blocking pattern by patterning the second conductive material, wherein the second sensing pattern overlaps at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. 16 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the light blocking pattern is insulated from each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern. 17 . the method of claim 14 , wherein an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view is equal to or more than about 80% and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. 18 . the method of claim 14 , further comprising: applying a light blocking material on the touch sensing layer; and forming a first light blocking layer and a second light blocking layer by patterning the light blocking material, wherein the first light blocking layer overlaps at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view, and the second light blocking layer overlaps at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. 19 . the method of claim 18 , wherein the second light blocking layer surrounds the first light blocking layer, and is spaced apart from the first light blocking layer. 20 . the method of claim 18 , wherein an area of the first light blocking layer in the plan view is equal to or larger than an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view, and is equal to or smaller than an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view.	this application claims priority to korean patent application no. 10-2021-0167081, filed on nov. 29, 2021, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 u.s.c. § 119, the content of which in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference. background 1. field embodiments provide generally to a display device and a method of manufacturing the display device. 2. description of the related art a display device may include a plurality of pixels emitting light. the display device may display an image by combining light emitted from each of the plurality of pixels. the display device may be frequently used in public places, and accordingly, there is growing need for the display device capable of displaying an image with a narrow viewing angle in order to protect personal information. summary embodiment provides a display device in which a viewing angle is controlled. embodiment provides a method of manufacturing the display device. a display device according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a pixel electrode disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer disposed on the substrate and defining a pixel opening exposing a portion of the pixel electrode; a dummy pixel defining layer disposed on the pixel electrode in the pixel opening, and spaced apart from the pixel defining layer; a light emitting element disposed between the pixel defining layer and the dummy pixel defining layer in the pixel opening; a common electrode covering the pixel defining layer, the dummy pixel defining layer, and the light emitting element; an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode; and a touch sensing layer including a light blocking pattern, wherein the light blocking pattern is disposed on the encapsulation layer and overlaps at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view. in an embodiment, the touch sensing layer may further include: a first sensing pattern disposed on the encapsulation layer and overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view; a first insulating layer covering the first sensing pattern; and a second sensing pattern disposed on the first insulating layer, overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view, and electrically connected to the first sensing pattern. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern may be insulated from each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern may include an upper light blocking pattern disposed in the same layer as the second sensing pattern. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern may include a lower light blocking pattern disposed in the same layer as the first sensing pattern. in an embodiment, the upper light blocking pattern may overlap the lower light blocking pattern in the plan view. in an embodiment, each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern may be disposed in a mesh form surrounding the light emitting element in the plan view, and may overlap at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view may be more than or equal to about 80 percentages (%) and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the display device may further include: a first light blocking layer disposed on the touch sensing layer and overlapping at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view, and a second light blocking layer disposed on the touch sensing layer and overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the second light blocking layer may surround the first blocking layer, and may be spaced apart from the first light blocking layer. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern may overlap at least a portion of the first light blocking layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the display device may further include a color filter layer disposed between the touch sensing layer and the first light blocking layer. in an embodiment, an area of the first light blocking layer in the plan view may be equal to or larger than an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view, and may be equal to or smaller than an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. a method of manufacturing a display device according to an embodiment includes: forming a pixel electrode on a substrate; forming a pixel defining layer and a dummy pixel defining layer on the substrate, where the pixel defining layer defines a pixel opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode, and the dummy pixel defining layer is disposed on the pixel electrode in the pixel opening and is spaced apart from the pixel defining layer; forming a light emitting element disposed between the pixel defining layer and the dummy pixel defining layer in the pixel opening; forming a common electrode covering the pixel defining layer, the dummy pixel defining layer, and the light emitting element; forming an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode; and forming a touch sensing layer on the encapsulation layer, where the touch sensing layer includes a light blocking pattern overlapping at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view. in an embodiment, forming the touch sensing layer may include: applying a first conductive material on the encapsulation layer; forming a first sensing pattern overlapping at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view by patterning the first conductive material; forming a first insulating layer covering the first sensing pattern; applying a second conductive material on the first insulating layer; and forming a second sensing pattern and the light blocking pattern by patterning the second conductive material, where the second sensing pattern overlaps at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern may be insulated from each of the first sensing pattern and the second sensing pattern. in an embodiment, an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view may be equal to more than about 80% and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the method may further include: applying a light blocking material on the touch sensing layer; and forming a first light blocking layer and a second light blocking layer by patterning the light blocking material, where the first light blocking layer overlaps at least a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer in the plan view, and the second light blocking layer overlaps at least a portion of the pixel defining layer in the plan view. in an embodiment, the second light blocking layer may surround the first light blocking layer, and may be spaced apart from the first light blocking layer. in an embodiment, an area of the first light blocking layer in the plan view may be equal to or greater than an area of the light blocking pattern in the plan view, and may be equal to or smaller than an area of the dummy pixel defining layer in a plan view in the plan view. in the display device according to an embodiment, the dummy pixel defining layer and the light blocking pattern may block a portion of light emitted from the light emitting element, accordingly, the display device may display an image with relatively narrow viewing angle. brief description of the drawings illustrative, non-limiting embodiments will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display device according to an embodiment. fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a display panel included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating a touch sensing layer included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 4a is a plan view enlarging an area a of fig. 3 . fig. 4b is a plan view illustrating a display panel and a touch sensing layer included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating a first pixel included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line i-i′ of fig. 5 . fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating a second pixel included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line ii-ii′ of fig. 7 . fig. 9 , fig. 10 , fig. 11 , fig. 12 , fig. 13 , and fig. 14 are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 15 and fig. 16 are diagrams illustrating a pixel included in a display device according to another embodiment. fig. 17 and fig. 18 are diagrams illustrating a pixel included in the display device according to still another embodiment. detailed description it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. in contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. it will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. these terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein. the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. as used herein, “a”, “an,” “the,” and “at least one” do not denote a limitation of quantity, and are intended to include both the singular and plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. for example, “an element” has the same meaning as “at least one element,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. “at least one” is not to be construed as limiting “a” or “an.” “or” means “and/or.” as used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. it will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” or “includes” and/or “including” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. “about” or “approximately” as used herein is inclusive of the stated value and means within an acceptable range of deviation for the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, considering the measurement in question and the error associated with measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). for example, “about” can mean within one or more standard deviations, or within ±30%, 20%, 10% or 5% of the stated value. furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top,” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. it will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. for example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. the term “lower,” can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending on the particular orientation of the figure. similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. the terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below. hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and redundant descriptions of the same components will be omitted. fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display device according to an embodiment. referring to fig. 1 , a display device 1000 may include a display panel dp and a touch sensing layer isu. the display panel dp may display an image. the display panel dp may include a pixel emitting light and a driving part for driving the pixel. the touch sensing layer isu may be disposed on the display panel dp. the touch sensing layer isu may detect touch of the user of the display device 1000 . the touch sensing layer isu may transmit the light emitted from the pixel. fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a display panel included in the display device of fig. 1 . referring to fig. 2 , the display panel dp may include a display area da and a non-display area na. the pixel may be disposed in the display area da. the pixel may include a first pixel px 1 and a second pixel px 2 . light emitted from the first pixel px 1 may have a relatively narrow viewing angle, and light emitted from the second pixel px 2 may have a relatively wide viewing angle. accordingly, when light is emitted from the first pixel px 1 and light is not emitted from the second pixel px 2 , the display device 1000 may display an image with relatively narrow viewing angle. the first pixel px 1 and the second pixel px 2 may be arranged in a matrix form. in an embodiment, for example, the first pixel px 1 and the second pixel px 2 may be alternately arranged along a first direction dr 1 , and at the same time, the first pixel px 1 and the second pixel px 2 may be alternately arranged along a second direction dr 2 perpendicular to the first direction dr 1 . the non-display area na may be disposed adjacent to at least one side of the display area da. the driving part may be disposed in the non-display area na. fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating a touch sensing layer included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 4a is a plan view enlarging an area a of fig. 3 . fig. 4b is a plan view illustrating a display panel and a touch sensing layer included in the display device of fig. 1 . as used herein, the plan view is a view in a third direction dr 3 , and the third direction dr 3 is a thickness direction of the display panel dp, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction dr 1 and the second direction dr 2 . referring to fig. 3 , the touch sensing layer isu may include a sensing area sa and a peripheral area pa. a sensing electrode may be disposed in the sensing area sa. the sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode se 1 and a second sensing electrode se 2 . the first sensing electrode se 1 may be extend in the second direction dr 2 , and may be arranged in the first direction dr 1 . the first sensing electrode se 1 may include a first sensing unit su 1 arranged in the second direction dr 2 . the second sensing electrode se 2 may be extend in the first direction dr 1 , and may be arranged in the second direction dr 2 . the second electrode se 2 may include a second sensing unit su 2 arranged in the first direction dr 1 . the first sensing unit su 1 and the second sensing unit su 2 may detect touch of the user. the peripheral area pa may be disposed adjacent to at least one side of the sensing area sa. a sensing wire electrically connected to the first sensing electrode se 1 or the second sensing electrode se 2 may be disposed in the peripheral area pa. in an embodiment, the sensing area sa may overlap the display area da of the display panel dp in a plan view. accordingly, the display device 1000 may detect touch of the user in an area displaying an image (for example, the display area da). referring to fig. 4a and fig. 4b , the second sensing unit su 2 may include a sensing pattern sp and a light blocking pattern bp. the sensing pattern sp may detect touch of the user. in an embodiment, the sensing pattern sp may be disposed in a mesh form. in this case, the sensing pattern sp may not overlap an emitting area (for example, ea of fig. 5 ) of the first pixel px 1 , and may not overlap an emitting area (for example, ea′ of fig. 7 ) of the second pixel px 2 in a plan view. the light blocking pattern bp may be spaced apart from the sensing pattern sp. the light blocking pattern bp may be electrically insulated from the sensing pattern sp. the light blocking pattern bp may overlap the first pixel px 1 , and may not overlap the second pixel px 2 in a plan view. the light blocking pattern bp may block a portion of light emitted from the first pixel px 1 , and accordingly, light emitted from the first pixel px 1 may have a relatively narrow viewing angle. the first sensing unit su 1 may be substantially same as the second sensing unit su 2 . in an embodiment, for example, as shown in the fig. 4a and fig. 4b , the first sensing unit su 1 may include the sensing pattern sp disposed in a mesh form and the light blocking pattern bp spaced apart from the sensing pattern sp. fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating a first pixel included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line i-i′ of fig. 5 . referring to fig. 5 and fig. 6 , the first pixel px 1 may include a substrate sub, a pixel electrode pxe, a pixel defining layer pdl, a dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, a light emitting element el, a common electrode cme, an encapsulation layer en, a capping layer cpl, a touch sensing layer, a third insulating layer i 3 , a first light blocking layer bl 1 , a second light blocking layer bl 2 , and a fourth insulating layer i 4 . the touch sensing layer (e.g., isu in figs. 1 and 3 ) may include the sensing pattern sp, a first insulating layer i 1 , a second insulating layer i 2 , and a light blocking pattern bp. the sensing pattern sp may include a first sensing pattern sp 1 and a second sensing pattern sp 2 . the substrate sub may include glass, plastic, etc. the substrate sub may include at least one transistor. in an embodiment, the substrate sub may include a material having flexibility, and thus, the substrate sub may have a flexibility. the pixel electrode pxe may be disposed on the substrate sub. the pixel electrode pxe may include a conductive material. the pixel electrode pxe may be electrically connected to the transistor. in an embodiment, the pixel electrode pxe may be referred to as an anode electrode. the pixel defining layer pdl may be disposed on the substrate sub. the pixel defining layer pdl may include an organic material. the pixel defining layer pdl may define a pixel opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode pxe. the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may be disposed on the pixel electrode pxe in the pixel opening. the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may include the same material as the pixel defining layer pdl. in an embodiment, for example, the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may include an organic material. the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may be spaced apart from the pixel defining layer pdl. the light emitting element el may be disposed between the pixel defining layer pdl and the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in the pixel opening. in an embodiment, the light emitting element el may include an organic light emitting element. the pixel defining layer pdl, the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, and the light emitting element el may define a peripheral non-emitting area pna, an emitting area ea, and a central non-emitting area cna, respectively. the central non-emitting area cna may be defined as an area in which the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl is disposed, the emitting area ea may be defined as an area in which the light emitting element el is disposed, and the peripheral non-emitting area pna may be defined as an area in which the pixel defining layer pdl is disposed. as shown in the fig. 5 , the light emitting area ea may surround the central non-emitting area cna, the peripheral non-emitting area pna may surround the central non-emitting area cna and the light emitting area ea. the peripheral non-emitting area pna may be spaced apart from the central non-emitting area cna. in fig. 5 , an embodiment in which the central non-emitting area cna has a ‘+’ shape on a plan view is illustrated, but the central non-emitting area cna may have various shapes. in an embodiment, for example, the central non-emitting area cna may have a circle shape, an ellipse shape, a square shape, or a polygon shape in a plan view. the common electrode cme may cover the pixel defining layer pdl, the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, and the light emitting element el. the common electrode cme may include a transparent conductive material. in an embodiment, the common electrode cme may be referred to as a cathode electrode. the encapsulation layer en may cover the common electrode cme. the encapsulation layer en may include a first inorganic encapsulation layer en 1 covering the common electrode cme, an organic encapsulation layer en 2 covering the first encapsulation layer en 1 , and the second encapsulation layer en 3 covering the organic encapsulation layer en 2 . the encapsulation layer en may protect the common electrode cme, the light emitting element el, and the pixel electrode pxe from moisture and gas. the capping layer cpl may be disposed on the encapsulation layer en. in an embodiment, the capping layer cpl may include an inorganic insulating material. in another embodiment, the capping layer cpl may include a plurality of insulating layers. in an embodiment, for example, the capping layer cpl may include a plurality of inorganic insulating layers. for another example, the capping layer cpl may include a plurality of inorganic insulating layers and a plurality of organic insulating layers. the touch sensing layer may be disposed on the capping layer cpl. specifically, the first sensing pattern sp 1 may be disposed on the capping layer cpl, the first insulating layer i 1 may be disposed on the capping layer cpl and may cover the first sensing pattern sp 1 , the second sensing pattern sp 2 and the light blocking pattern bp may be disposed on the first insulation layer i 1 , and the second insulation layer i 2 may be disposed on the first insulation layer i 1 and may cover the second sensing pattern sp 2 and the light blocking pattern bp. in this case, the second sensing pattern sp 2 may be electrically connected to the first sensing pattern sp 2 through the through hole penetrating the first insulating layer i 1 . in addition, the light blocking pattern bp may be insulated from each of the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 by the first insulating layer i 1 and the second insulating layer i 2 . the sensing pattern sp may be a pattern included in the first sensing electrode se 1 described with fig. 3 . or, the sensing pattern sp may be a pattern included in the second sensing electrode se 2 . in an embodiment, the sensing pattern sp may be disposed in a mesh form. in an embodiment, for example, each of the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 may surround the light emitting element el. in an embodiment, the first sensing pattern sp 1 may be disposed to overlap a portion of the pixel defining layer pdl. in other words, the first sensing pattern sp 1 may be disposed in the peripheral non-emitting area pna. the second sensing pattern sp 2 may be disposed in the peripheral non-emitting area pna to overlap the first sensing pattern sp 1 in a plan view. each of the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 may include a conductive material having relatively high conductivity. in an embodiment, each of the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 may have a tri-layer structure of ti/al/ti (titanium/aluminum/titanium). the light blocking pattern bp may overlap a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl. or, the light blocking pattern bp may completely overlap the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. in other words, the light blocking pattern bp may be disposed in the central non-emitting area cna. in this case, the second sensing pattern sp 2 may surround the light blocking pattern bp, and may be spaced apart from the light blocking pattern bp. in an embodiment, an area of the light blocking pattern bp in a plan view may be equal to or more than about 80% and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. when the area of the light blocking pattern bp in a plan view is smaller than about 80% of the area of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, the light blocking pattern bp may not effectively block light having a relatively wide viewing angle. when the area of the light blocking pattern bp in a plan view is larger than about 100% of the area of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, light emitted perpendicular to an upper surface of the light emitting element el may be blocked by the light blocking pattern bp, so light efficiency of the first pixel px 1 may be reduced. in an embodiment, the second sensing pattern sp 2 may include a material having a relatively large conductivity and blocking light, and the light blocking pattern bp may include the same material as the second sensing pattern sp 2 . the third insulating layer i 3 may be disposed on the second insulating layer i 2 . the third insulating layer i 3 may include an insulating material. in an embodiment, the third insulating layer i 3 may be a color filter layer. in this case, the third insulating layer i 3 may transmit light having a specific wavelength and block light having a wavelength different from the specific wavelength. the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may be disposed on the third insulating layer i 3 . the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may include a light blocking material. in an embodiment, for example, the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may include an organic light blocking material. the first light blocking layer bl 1 may overlap a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl. or, the first light blocking layer bl 1 may completely overlap the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. the second light blocking layer bl 2 may overlap a portion of the pixel defining layer pdl. in an embodiment, the second light blocking layer bl 2 may define a transmissive opening completely overlapping the pixel opening in a plan view. in another embodiment, the second light blocking layer bl 2 may define a transmissive opening having an area larger than the area of the pixel opening. the second light blocking layer bl 2 may surround the first light blocking layer bl 1 , and may be spaced apart from the first light blocking layer bl 1 . the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may not overlap the emitting area ea in a plan view. accordingly, light emitted perpendicular to the upper surface of the light emitting element el may not be blocked by the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 . the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may define a central light blocking area cba, a peripheral light blocking area pba, and a transmissive area ta. the central light blocking area cba may be defined as an area in which the first light blocking layer bl 1 is disposed, the peripheral light blocking area pba may be defined as an area in which the second light blocking layer bl 2 is disposed, and the transmissive area ta may be defined as an area in which the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 is not disposed. the peripheral light blocking area pba may surround the central light blocking area cba, and may be spaced apart from the central light blocking area cba. the transmissive area ta may be disposed between the central light blocking area cba and the peripheral light blocking area pba. in an embodiment, the transmissive area ta may completely overlap the emitting area ea in a plan view. in an embodiment, the light blocking pattern bp may overlap a portion of the first light blocking layer bl 1 in a plan view. in this case, an area of the first light blocking layer bl 1 in a plan view may be larger than an area of the light blocking pattern bp in a plan view, and may be smaller than or substantially same as an area of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. in an embodiment, a portion of the sensing pattern sp may overlap a portion of the second light blocking layer bl 2 in a plan view. the fourth insulating layer i 4 may be disposed on the third insulating layer i 3 . the fourth insulating layer i 4 may cover the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 . the fourth insulating layer i 4 may include an insulating material. fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating a second pixel included in the display device of fig. 1 . fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line ii-ii′ of fig. 7 . description of a configuration substantially same as the configuration described with reference to fig. 5 and fig. 6 may be omitted. referring to fig. 7 and fig. 8 , the second pixel px 2 may include a substrate sub, a pixel electrode pxe, a pixel defining layer pdl, a light emitting element el, a common electrode cme, an encapsulation layer en, a capping layer cpl, a touch sensing layer, a third insulating layer i 3 , a fourth insulating layer i 4 . the touch sensing layer may include the sensing pattern sp, a first insulating layer i 1 , and a second insulating layer i 2 , and a sensing pattern sp may include a first sensing pattern sp 1 and a second sensing pattern sp 2 . the pixel electrode pxe may be disposed on the substrate sub. the pixel defining layer pdl may be disposed on the substrate sub, and may define a pixel opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode pxe. the light emitting element el may be disposed in the pixel opening. the light emitting element el and the pixel defining layer pdl included in the second pixel px 2 may define a emitting area ea′ and a non-emitting area na′. the emitting area ea′ may be defined as an area in which the light emitting element el is disposed, and the non-emitting area na′ may be defined as an area in which the pixel defining layer pdl is disposed. the non-emitting area na′ may surround the emitting area ea′. the common electrode cme may cover the pixel electrode pxe, the pixel defining layer pdl, and the light emitting element el, and the encapsulation layer en may cover the common electrode cme. the capping layer cpl may be disposed on the encapsulation layer en. the touch sensing layer (e.g., isu in figs. 1 and 3 ) may be disposed on the capping layer cpl. the touch sensing layer may be substantially same as the touch sensing layer described with reference to fig. 5 and fig. 6 except for including the light blocking pattern bp. in other words, the touch sensing layer of the second pixel px 2 may not include the light blocking pattern bp. the third insulating layer i 3 may be disposed on the second insulating layer i 2 , and the fourth insulating layer i 4 may be disposed on the third insulating layer i 3 . in an embodiment, the third insulating layer i 3 may be a color filter layer. referring again to fig. 5 , fig. 6 , fig. 7 , and fig. 8 , unlike the second pixel px 2 , the first pixel px 1 may include the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, the light blocking pattern bp, the first light blocking layer bl 1 , and the second light blocking layer bl 2 . accordingly, light emitted from the first pixel px 1 may have relatively narrow viewing angle, and light emitted from the second pixel px 2 may have relatively wide viewing angle. fig. 9 , fig. 10 , fig. 11 , fig. 12 , fig. 13 , and fig. 14 are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the display device of fig. 1 . here, fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line iii-iii′ of fig. 9 , fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line iv-iv′ of fig. 11 , fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line v-v′ of fig. 13 , description of a configuration substantially same as the configuration described with reference to fig. 1 , fig. 2 , fig. 3 , fig. 4 , fig. 5 , and fig. 6 may be omitted. referring to fig. 9 and fig. 10 , a pixel electrode pxe, a pixel defining layer pdl, a dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, and a light emitting element el may be formed on a substrate sub. in addition, after forming a common electrode cme covering the pixel defining layer pdl, the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, and the light emitting element el, an encapsulation layer en covering the common electrode cme and a capping layer cpl disposed on the encapsulation layer en may be formed. in an embodiment, the pixel defining layer pdl and the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may be integrally formed. in an embodiment, for example, the pixel defining layer pdl and the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl may be formed by coating an organic material on the substrate sub to cover the pixel electrode pxe and then patterning the organic material. as described above with reference to fig. 5 and fig. 6 , the pixel defining layer pdl, the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, and the light emitting element el may define a peripheral non-emitting area pna, a central non-emitting area cna, and an emitting area ea. referring to fig. 11 and fig. 12 , after forming a touch sensing layer including a sensing pattern sp, a first insulating layer i 1 , a second insulating layer i 2 , and a light blocking pattern bp on the capping layer cpl, a third insulating layer i 3 may be formed on the touch sensing layer. in an embodiment, the second sensing pattern sp 2 and the light blocking pattern bp may be integrally formed. in an embodiment, for example, a method of forming the touch sensing layer may include applying a first conductive material on the capping layer cpl, forming the first sensing pattern sp 1 by patterning the first conductive material, forming the first insulating layer i 1 covering the first sensing pattern sp 1 , applying a second conductive material on the first insulating layer i 1 , and forming the second sensing pattern sp 2 and the light blocking pattern bp by patterning the second conductive material. in this case, the method of forming the touch sensing layer may further include electrically connecting the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 by forming a through hole penetrating the first insulating layer i 1 . referring to fig. 13 and fig. 14 , after forming a first light blocking layer bl 1 and a second light blocking layer bl 2 on the third insulating layer i 3 , a fourth insulating layer i 4 covering the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may be formed on the third insulating layer i 3 . in an embodiment, the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 may be integrally formed. in an embodiment, for example, after applying a light blocking material on the third insulating layer, the light blocking material may be patterned to form the first light blocking layer bl 1 and the second light blocking layer bl 2 . fig. 15 and fig. 16 are diagrams illustrating a pixel included in a display device according to another embodiment. fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line vi-vf of fig. 15 . description of a configuration substantially same as the configuration described with reference to fig. 1 , fig. 2 , fig. 3 , fig. 4 , fig. 5 , and fig. 6 may be omitted. referring to fig. 15 and fig. 16 , a display device according to another embodiment may include a first pixel px 1 ′ emitting light having a relatively narrow viewing angle. the first pixel px 1 ′ may include a substrate sub, a pixel electrode pxe, a pixel defining layer pdl, a dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, a light emitting element el, a common electrode cme, an encapsulation layer en, a capping layer cpl, a touch sensing layer, a third insulating layer i 3 , a first light blocking layer bl 1 , a second light blocking layer bl 2 , and a fourth insulating layer i 4 . the touch sensing layer (e.g., isu in figs. 1 and 3 ) may include a sensing pattern sp, a first insulating layer i 1 , a second insulating layer i 2 , and a lower light blocking pattern bp′, and the sensing pattern sp may include a first sensing pattern sp 1 and a second sensing pattern sp 2 . the lower light blocking pattern bf may be disposed in the same layer as the first sensing pattern sp 1 . in an embodiment, for example, the lower light blocking pattern bf may be disposed on the capping layer cpl. the lower light blocking pattern bp′ may overlap a portion of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl. or, the lower light blocking pattern bp′ may completely overlap the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. in other words, the lower light blocking pattern bf may be disposed in a central non-emitting area cna. in this case, the first sensing pattern sp 1 may surround the lower light blocking pattern bp, and may be spaced apart from the lower light blocking pattern bp′. in an embodiment, an area of the lower light blocking pattern bf in a plan view may be equal to or more than about 80% and less than about 100% of an area of the dummy pixel defining layer dpdl in a plan view. the lower light blocking pattern bp′ may be insulated from the sensing pattern sp. in an embodiment, for example, the lower light blocking pattern bp′ may be insulated from the first sensing pattern sp 1 and the second sensing pattern sp 2 by the encapsulation layer en, the first insulating layer i 1 , and the second insulating layer i 2 . in an embodiment, the first sensing pattern sp 1 may include a material having a relatively high conductivity and blocking light, and the lower light blocking pattern bp′ may include the same material as the first sensing pattern sp 1 . fig. 17 and fig. 18 are diagrams illustrating a pixel included in the display device according to still another embodiment. fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line vii-vii′ of fig. 17 . description of a configuration substantially same as the configuration described with reference to fig. 1 , fig. 2 , fig. 3 , fig. 4 , fig. 5 , fig. 6 , fig. 15 , and fig. 16 may be omitted. referring to fig. 17 and fig. 18 , a display device according to still another embodiment may include a first pixel px 1 ″ emitting light having a relatively narrow viewing angle. the first pixel px 1 ″ may include a substrate sub, a pixel electrode pxe, a pixel defining layer pdl, a dummy pixel defining layer dpdl, a light emitting element el, a common electrode cme, an encapsulation layer en, a capping layer cpl, a touch sensing layer, a third insulating layer i 3 , a first light blocking layer bl 1 , a second light blocking layer bl 2 , and a fourth insulating layer i 4 . the touch sensing layer (e.g., isu in figs. 1 and 3 ) may include a sensing pattern sp, a first insulating layer i 1 , a second insulating layer i 2 , a light blocking pattern bp, and a lower light blocking pattern bp′, and the sensing pattern sp may include a first sensing pattern sp 1 and a second sensing pattern sp 2 . the light blocking pattern bp may be disposed in the same layer as the second sensing pattern sp 2 , and the lower light blocking pattern bf may be disposed in the same layer as the first sensing pattern sp 1 . in this case, the light blocking pattern bp may be named as an upper light blocking pattern. the lower light blocking pattern bf may be insulated from the light blocking pattern bp. in an embodiment, the lower light blocking pattern bf may completely overlap the light blocking pattern bp in a plan view. the present invention can be applied to various display devices that may include a display device. in an embodiment, for example, the present invention can be applied to high-resolution smartphones, mobile phones, smart pads, smart watches, tablet pcs, in-vehicle navigation systems, televisions, computer monitors, notebook computers, and the like. the foregoing is illustrative of embodiments and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. although a few embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various embodiments and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
083-692-305-273-95X	US	[ "US", "WO", "EP" ]	A61B17/072,A61B17/00,A61B17/29	2021-03-22T00:00:00	2021	[ "A61" ]	stapling instrument comprising tissue compression systems	a surgical stapling instrument comprising an end effector including a jaw closure actuator which is actuated by an initial stroke of a staple firing drive is disclosed.	1 . a surgical stapling instrument, comprising: a housing; a shaft extending from said housing; an end effector, comprising: a cartridge jaw; a staple cartridge positioned in said cartridge jaw, wherein said staple cartridge comprises staples removably stored therein; an anvil rotatable relative to said cartridge jaw between an open position and a clamped position about a jaw pivot, wherein said anvil comprises: a proximal portion; a distal end; and a longitudinal shoulder comprising a ramp adjacent said proximal portion; an end effector frame; a closure actuator rotatably mounted to said end effector frame about a pivot pin, wherein said closure actuator comprises a closure arm extending distally relative to said pivot pin and a compression arm extending proximally relative to said pivot pin and proximally relative to said jaw pivot; and a spring positioned intermediate said proximal portion of said anvil and said compression arm, wherein said spring is proximal to said jaw pivot; and a firing member movable distally during a closure stroke to move said anvil into said clamped position and distally during a staple firing stroke to eject said staples from said staple cartridge, wherein said firing member comprises: a first cam configured to engage said cartridge jaw during said staple firing stroke; a second cam, wherein said second cam is not engaged with said longitudinal shoulder of said anvil during said closure stroke, wherein said second cam is configured to engage said closure arm of said closure actuator during said closure stroke to rotate said compression arm toward said proximal portion of said anvil and push said anvil into said clamped position via said spring, wherein said second cam is engaged with said longitudinal shoulder during said staple firing stroke, and wherein said first cam and said second cam co-operatively hold said anvil in position relative to said cartridge jaw during said staple firing stroke; and a tissue cutting knife. 2 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , wherein said staple cartridge is replaceable. 3 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , further comprising an electric motor configured to drive said firing member through said closure stroke and said staple firing stroke. 4 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 3 , further comprising a drive screw operably coupled with an output of said electric motor and said firing member. 5 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 4 , further comprising an articulation region rotatably connecting said end effector to said shaft, wherein said drive screw extends through said articulation region. 6 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 3 , further comprising a firing bar operably coupled with an output of said electric motor and said firing member. 7 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 3 , wherein said housing is configured to be attached to a robotic surgical system. 8 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 3 , wherein said housing comprises a handle. 9 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , further comprising: a latch rotatably mounted to said cartridge jaw; and a spring configured to bias said latch from a disengaged position to an engaged position, wherein said latch is not engaged with said closure actuator when said latch is in said disengaged position, wherein said latch is engaged with said closure actuator when said latch is in said engaged position to hold said anvil in said clamped position, wherein said firing member holds said latch in said disengaged position prior to said closure stroke, wherein said firing member releases said latch to move into said engaged position during said closure stroke, and wherein said firing member is movable from a proximal unfired position to a distal fired position during said staple firing stroke. 10 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , wherein said cartridge jaw comprises a longitudinal cavity, wherein said first cam is positioned within said longitudinal cavity and is configured to slide within said longitudinal cavity during said staple firing stroke, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal gap height at said proximal end and a distal gap height at said distal end, and wherein said proximal gap height is larger than said distal gap height. 11 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 1 , wherein said cartridge jaw comprises a bottom wall, a first sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, and a second sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, wherein said staple cartridge is positioned between said first sidewall and said second sidewall, wherein said bottom wall defines a longitudinal cavity, wherein said first cam is positioned within said longitudinal cavity and is configured to slide within said longitudinal cavity during said staple firing stroke, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein said bottom wall comprises a proximal thickness at said proximal end and a distal thickness at said distal end, and wherein said distal thickness is thicker than said proximal thickness. 12 . a surgical stapling instrument, comprising: a housing; a shaft extending from said housing; an end effector, comprising: a first jaw; a staple cartridge comprising staples removably stored therein; a second jaw rotatable relative to said first jaw between an open position and a clamped position about a jaw pivot, wherein said second comprises: a proximal portion; a distal end; and a longitudinal shoulder comprising a ramp adjacent said proximal portion; and a closure actuator rotatably mounted to said proximal portion about a pivot pin, wherein said closure actuator comprises a closure arm extending distally relative to said pivot pin and a compression arm extending proximally relative to said pivot pin and said jaw pivot; and a firing member movable distally during a closure stroke to move said second jaw into said clamped position and distally during a staple firing stroke to eject said staples from said staple cartridge, wherein said firing member comprises: a first cam configured to engage said first jaw during said staple firing stroke; and a second cam, wherein said second cam is not engaged with said longitudinal shoulder of said second jaw at the outset of said closure stroke, wherein said second cam is configured to engage said closure arm of said closure actuator during said closure stroke to rotate said compression arm toward said proximal portion of said second jaw and push said second jaw into said clamped position, wherein said second cam is engaged with said longitudinal shoulder during said staple firing stroke, and wherein said first cam and said second cam co-operatively hold said second in position relative to said first jaw during said staple firing stroke. 13 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 12 , wherein said firing member further comprises a tissue cutting edge. 14 . the surgical stapling instrument of clam 12 , wherein said staple cartridge is replaceable. 15 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 12 , further comprising: a latch rotatably mounted to said first jaw; and a spring configured to bias said latch from a disengaged position to an engaged position, wherein said latch is not engaged with said closure actuator when said latch is in said disengaged position, wherein said latch is engaged with said closure actuator when said latch is in said engaged position to hold said second in said clamped position, wherein said firing member holds said latch in said disengaged position prior to said closure stroke, wherein said firing member releases said latch to move into said engaged position during said closure stroke, and wherein said firing member is movable from a proximal unfired position to a distal fired position during said staple firing stroke. 16 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 15 , wherein said cartridge jaw comprises a longitudinal cavity, wherein said first cam is positioned within said longitudinal cavity and is configured to slide within said longitudinal cavity during said staple firing stroke, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal gap height at said proximal end and a distal gap height at said distal end, and wherein said proximal gap height is larger than said distal gap height. 17 . the surgical stapling instrument of claim 12 , wherein said first jaw comprises a bottom wall, a first sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, and a second sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, wherein said staple cartridge is positioned between said first sidewall and said second sidewall, wherein said bottom wall defines a longitudinal cavity, wherein said first cam is positioned within said longitudinal cavity and is configured to slide within said longitudinal cavity during said staple firing stroke, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein said bottom wall comprises a proximal thickness at said proximal end and a distal thickness at said distal end, and wherein said distal thickness is thicker than said proximal thickness. 18 . a surgical stapling instrument, comprising: a shaft; an end effector, comprising: a first jaw, comprising: a bottom wall; a first sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall; a second sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom wall; and a longitudinal cavity defined in said bottom wall; and a second jaw rotatable relative to said first jaw between an open position and a clamped position about a jaw pivot, wherein said second comprises: a proximal portion; a distal end; and a longitudinal shoulder comprising a ramp adjacent said proximal portion; and a firing member movable distally during a closure stroke to move said second jaw into said clamped position and a staple firing stroke to eject staples from a staple cartridge seated in said end effector, wherein said firing member comprises: a first cam configured to engage said first jaw during said staple firing stroke, wherein said first cam is positioned within said longitudinal cavity and is configured to slide within said longitudinal cavity during said staple firing stroke, wherein said longitudinal cavity comprises a proximal cavity end and a distal cavity end, wherein said bottom wall comprises a proximal thickness at said proximal cavity end and a distal thickness at said distal cavity end, and wherein said distal thickness is thicker than said proximal thickness; and a second cam configured to engage said second jaw during said staple firing stroke.	background the present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges for use therewith that are designed to staple and cut tissue. brief description of the drawings various features of the embodiments described herein, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows: fig. 1 is an elevational view of a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 2 is an elevational view of a handle of the surgical stapling instrument of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is an elevational view of a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment illustrated with some components removed; fig. 4 is a detail view of a staple firing system of the surgical stapling instrument of fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is a detail view of the staple firing system of fig. 4 illustrating a first actuation of the staple firing system; fig. 6 is a detail view of the staple firing system of fig. 4 illustrating a pawl of the staple firing system being retracted after the first actuation; fig. 7 is a detail view of the staple firing system of fig. 4 illustrating a second actuation of the staple firing system; fig. 8 is a perspective view of an end-of-stroke sensor in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 9 is a schematic of a control circuit in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 10 is a schematic of a control circuit in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 11 is a schematic of a control circuit in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 12 illustrates a motor-driven firing drive in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 12a is a schematic of a control circuit in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 12b illustrates the control circuit of fig. 12a in a different switch state; fig. 13 illustrates a solenoid-driven firing drive in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 13a is a control circuit of the firing drive of fig. 13 ; fig. 14 is an elevational view of a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment illustrated with some components removed; fig. 15 is an elevational view of the stapling instrument of fig. 14 illustrating a firing drive in a closed configuration; fig. 16 is an elevational view of the stapling instrument of fig. 14 illustrating the firing drive in a staple firing mode; fig. 17 is an elevational view of the stapling instrument of fig. 14 illustrating the firing drive being retracted before performing a staple firing actuation; fig. 18 is an elevational view of the stapling instrument of fig. 14 illustrating the firing drive during the staple firing actuation; fig. 19 is a graph depicting the operation of a stapling instrument comprising a firing drive including a shiftable transmission in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 20 is a partial cross-sectional view of a stapling instrument comprising a firing drive including a slip clutch in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 20a is a cross-sectional view of the slip clutch of fig. 20 ; fig. 21 is a partial perspective view of a stapling instrument comprising a bailout drive in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 22 is a partial elevational view of a stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment illustrated with some components removed; fig. 22a is a schematic of an indicator system of the stapling instrument of fig. 22 ; fig. 23 is a partial elevational view of a stapling instrument comprising a loading unit release actuator in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 24 is an elevational view of a stapling instrument comprising a detachable shaft in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 25 illustrates a proximal end of a detachable shaft in an open configuration in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 25a is a top view of the proximal shaft end of fig. 25 ; fig. 26 is a partial exploded view of a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 26a is a partial perspective view of a firing member in a locked condition; fig. 26b is a partial exploded view of a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 26c is a partial perspective view of a firing member in a locked condition by two sets of lockouts; fig. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the staple cartridge of fig. 26 and the firing member of fig. 26a in an unlocked condition; fig. 28 is a partial cross-sectional view of the staple cartridge of fig. 26 and the firing member of fig. 26a in the locked condition of fig. 26a ; fig. 29 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge and a firing member in an unlocked condition in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 30 is a partial cross-sectional view of the staple cartridge and firing member of fig. 29 illustrating the firing member in a locked condition; fig. 31 illustrates a spent cartridge/missing cartridge lockout in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 31a illustrates a staple cartridge including a sled holding the lockout of fig. 31 in an unlocked condition; fig. 31b illustrates the sled of fig. 31a being advanced distally through a staple firing stroke by a firing member; fig. 31c illustrates the firing member of fig. 31b being retracted after the staple firing stroke; fig. 31d illustrates the lockout of fig. 31 in a locked condition preventing the firing member from being moved through another firing stroke; fig. 32 illustrates a spent cartridge/missing cartridge lockout in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 33 illustrates the lockout of fig. 32 in a locked condition; fig. 34 is a partial perspective view of a stapling instrument including a cartridge lock configured to lock a staple cartridge into a cartridge jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 35 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge seated in the cartridge jaw of fig. 34 illustrating the cartridge lock of fig. 34 in an unlocked state; fig. 36 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the cartridge lock of fig. 34 in a locked state; fig. 37 is a cross-sectional end view of the cartridge jaw of fig. 34 ; fig. 38 is a cross-sectional end view of the staple cartridge of fig. 35 locked in the cartridge jaw of fig. 34 ; fig. 39 is a partial cross-sectional view of a surgical stapling instrument comprising a firing member that has been moved distally to close an anvil jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 40 is a partial cross-sectional view of the stapling instrument of fig. 39 illustrating the firing member advanced distally to drive the anvil jaw downwardly; fig. 41 is a partial cross-sectional view of the anvil jaw of fig. 39 in an open position after the firing member has been retracted following a staple firing stroke; fig. 42 is a partial cross-sectional view of an end effector of a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment illustrated in an open configuration; fig. 43 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector of fig. 42 illustrated in a closed configuration; fig. 44 is a partial cross-sectional view of an end effector in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 44a is a cross-sectional view of the end effector of fig. 44 taken along line 44 a- 44 a in fig. 44 ; fig. 44b is a cross-sectional view of the end effector of fig. 44 taken along line 44 b- 44 b in fig. 44 ; fig. 45 is a perspective view of a sled in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 45a is an elevational view of the sled of fig. 45 ; fig. 45b is a cross-sectional view of the sled of fig. 45 ; fig. 46 is a partial perspective view of a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 46a is a diagram depicting the staples of the staple cartridge of fig. 46 as they are deformed and after they are deformed; fig. 46b is a diagram depicting staples as they are deformed and after they are deformed in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 47 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of an anvil jaw and a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment illustrated with some components removed; fig. 48 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw and a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 49 is a diagram illustrating the staples of the staple cartridge of fig. 48 ; fig. 50 is a cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 51 is a cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 52 is a cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 52a is a cross-sectional view of the anvil jaw of fig. 52 after the components of the anvil jaw have been welded; fig. 53 is a cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 54 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge and an anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 55 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw and a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 55a is a detail view of the anvil jaw and staple cartridge of fig. 55 ; fig. 55b is a detail view of an alternative embodiment to fig. 55 ; fig. 56 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil jaw and a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 56a is a detail view of the anvil jaw and staple cartridge of fig. 56 ; fig. 56b is a detail view of an alternative embodiment to fig. 56 ; fig. 57 is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 58 is a partial elevational view of an end effector including an anvil jaw and a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 59 is a partial perspective view of the anvil jaw of fig. 58 including a detachable adjunct in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 60 is a partial perspective view of the staple cartridge of fig. 58 comprising a detachable adjunct seated in a cartridge jaw in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 61 is a cross-sectional view of the end effector of fig. 58 ; fig. 61a is cross-sectional view of an end effector in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 61b is a partial cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 62 is an elevational view of a loading unit comprising an articulation joint in accordance with at least one embodiment; fig. 63 is a detail view of the articulation joint of fig. 62 illustrated in an unarticulated condition; fig. 64 is a detail view of the articulation joint of fig. 62 illustrated in an articulated condition; fig. 65 is a control schematic of a stapling instrument in accordance with at least one embodiment; and fig. 66 is a schematic of a stapling instrument comprising an articulation joint and an articulation drive including a load limiting interface. corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. the exemplifications set out herein illustrate various embodiments of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. detailed description applicant of the present application also owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application, entitled method of shifting a surgical stapling instrument; attorney docket no. end9246usnp1/200061-1m; u.s. patent application, entitled stapling instrument comprising a pulsed motor-driven firing rack; attorney docket no. end9246usnp2/200061-2; u.s. patent application, entitled surgical stapling instrument comprising a retraction system; attorney docket no. end9246usnp3/200061-3; u.s. patent application, entitled surgical instrument comprising a firing drive including a selectable leverage mechanism; attorney docket no. end9246usnp4/200061-4; u.s. patent application, entitled staple cartridge comprising staples configured to apply different tissue compression; attorney docket no. end9246usnp5/200061-5; u.s. patent application, entitled staple cartridge comprising a firing lockout; attorney docket no. end9246usnp6/200061-6; and u.s. patent application, entitled staple cartridge comprising an implantable layer; attorney docket no. end9246usnp7/200061-7. applicant of the present application also owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on feb. 26, 2021 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,269, entitled method of powering and communicating with a staple cartridge; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,273, entitled method of powering and communicating with a staple cartridge; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,276, entitled adjustable communication based on available bandwidth and power capacity; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,283, entitled adjustment to transfer parameters to improve available power; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,345, entitled monitoring of manufacturing life-cycle; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,350, entitled monitoring of multiple sensors over time to detect moving characteristics of tissue; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,353, entitled monitoring of internal systems to detect and track cartridge motion status; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,357, entitled distal communication array to tune frequency of rf systems; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,364, entitled staple cartridge comprising a sensor array; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,373, entitled staple cartridge comprising a sensing array and a temperature control system; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,378, entitled staple cartridge comprising an information access control system; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,407, entitled staple cartridge comprising a power management circuit; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,421, entitled stapling instrument comprising a separate power antenna and a data transfer antenna; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,438, entitled surgical instrument system comprising a power transfer coil; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/186,451, entitled stapling instrument comprising a signal. antenna. applicant of the present application also owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on oct. 29, 2020 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,179, entitled surgical instrument comprising a releasable closure drive lock; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,190, entitled surgical instrument comprising a stowed closure actuator stop; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,198, entitled surgical instrument comprising an indicator which indicates that an articulation drive is actuatable; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,205, entitled surgical instrument comprising an articulation indicator; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,258, entitled method for operating a surgical instrument; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,206, entitled surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,215, entitled surgical instrument comprising a jaw alignment system; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,229, entitled surgical instrument comprising sealable interface; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,180, entitled surgical instrument comprising a limited travel switch; u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/756,615, application entitled surgical stapling assembly; u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/756,620, entitled surgical stapling assembly; u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,188, entitled surgical instrument comprising a staged voltage regulation start-up system; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 17/084,193, entitled surgical instrument comprising a sensor configured to sense whether an articulation drive of the surgical instrument is actuatable. applicant of the present application also owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on apr. 11, 2020 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,303, entitled methods for stapling tissue using a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345353; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,304, entitled articulation actuators for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345354; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,305, entitled articulation directional lights on a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345446; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,307, entitled shaft rotation actuator on a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345349; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,308, entitled articulation control mapping for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345355; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,309, entitled intelligent firing associated with a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345356; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,310, entitled intelligent firing associated with a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345357; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,311, entitled rotatable jaw tip for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345358; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,312, entitled tissue stop for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345359; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/846,313, entitled articulation pin for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0345360. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on jun. 26, 2019 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,273, entitled method for providing an authentication lockout in a surgical stapler with a replaceable cartridge, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261080; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,283, entitled surgical stapling assembly with cartridge based retainer configured to unlock a firing lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261081; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,289, entitled surgical stapling assembly with cartridge based retainer configured to unlock a closure lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261082; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,302, entitled universal cartridge based key feature that unlocks multiple lockout arrangements in different surgical staplers, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261075; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,310, entitled staple cartridge retainers with frangible retention features and methods of using same, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261083; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,330, entitled staple cartridge retainer with frangible authentication key, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261084; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,335, entitled staple cartridge retainer with retractable authentication key, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261078; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,343, entitled staple cartridge retainer system with authentication keys, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261085; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,355, entitled insertable deactivator element for surgical stapler lockouts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261086; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,369, entitled dual cam cartridge based feature for unlocking a surgical stapler lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261076; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,391, entitled staple cartridges with cam surfaces configured to engage primary and secondary portions of a lockout of a surgical stapling device, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261077; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,413, entitled surgical staple cartridges with movable authentication key arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261087; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,423, entitled deactivator element for defeating surgical stapling device lockouts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261088; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/453,429, entitled surgical staple cartridges with integral authentication keys, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0261089. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. design patent applications that were filed on jun. 25, 2019, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/696,066, entitled surgical staple cartridge retainer with firing system authentication key; u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/696,067, entitled surgical staple cartridge retainer with closure system authentication key; and u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/696,072, entitled surgical staple cartridge. the entire disclosure of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/866,208, entitled staple cartridges with features for defeating lockouts in surgical stapling devices, filed jun. 25, 2019, is hereby incorporated by reference herein. the entire disclosure of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/840,715, entitled surgical instrument comprising an adaptive control system, filed apr. 30, 2019, is hereby incorporated by reference herein. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on feb. 21, 2019 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,658, entitled methods for controlling a powered surgical stapler that has separate rotary closure and firing systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298350; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,670, entitled staple cartridge comprising a lockout key configured to lift a firing member, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298340; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,675, entitled surgical staplers with arrangements for maintaining a firing member thereof in a locked configuration unless a compatible cartridge has been installed therein, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298354; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,685, entitled surgical instrument comprising co-operating lockout features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298341; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,693, entitled surgical stapling assembly comprising a lockout and an exterior access orifice to permit artificial unlocking of the lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298342; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,704, entitled surgical stapling devices with features for blocking advancement of a camming assembly of an incompatible cartridge installed therein, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298356; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,707, entitled stapling instrument comprising a deactivatable lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298347; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,741, entitled surgical instrument comprising a jaw closure lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298357; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,762, entitled surgical stapling devices with cartridge compatible closure and firing lockout arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298343; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,666, entitled surgical stapling devices with improved rotary driven closure systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298352; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,672, entitled surgical stapling devices with asymmetric closure features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298353; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,678, entitled rotary driven firing members with different anvil and channel engagement features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298355; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/281,682, entitled surgical stapling device with separate rotary driven closure and firing systems and firing member that engages both jaws while firing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0298346. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications that were filed on feb. 19, 2019 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/807,310, entitled methods for controlling a powered surgical stapler that has separate rotary closure and firing systems; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/807,319, entitled surgical stapling devices with improved lockout systems; and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/807,309, entitled surgical stapling devices with improved rotary driven closure systems. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on mar. 28, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,302, entitled interactive surgical systems with encrypted communication capabilities; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,294, entitled data stripping method to interrogate patient records and create anonymized record; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,300, entitled surgical hub situational awareness; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,309, entitled surgical hub spatial awareness to determine devices in operating theater; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,310, entitled computer implemented interactive surgical systems; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,291, entitled use of laser light and red-green-blue coloration to determine properties of back scattered light; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,296, entitled adaptive control program updates for surgical devices; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,333, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for customization and recommendations to a user; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,327, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for security and authentication trends and reactive measures; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,315, entitled data handling and prioritization in a cloud analytics network; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,313, entitled cloud interface for coupled surgical devices; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,320, entitled drive arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,307, entitled automatic tool adjustments for robot-assisted surgical platforms; and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,323, entitled sensing arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent application, filed on mar. 30, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,887, entitled surgical systems with optimized sensing capabilities. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent application, filed on dec. 4, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/209,423, entitled method of compressing tissue within a stapling device and simultaneously displaying the location of the tissue within the jaws, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200981. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on aug. 20, 2018 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,101, entitled method for fabricating surgical stapler anvils, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054323; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,183, entitled reinforced deformable anvil tip for surgical stapler anvil, now u.s. pat. no. 10,912,559; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,150, entitled surgical stapler anvils with staple directing protrusions and tissue stability features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054326; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,098, entitled fabricating techniques for surgical stapler anvils, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054322; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,140, entitled surgical stapler anvils with tissue stop features configured to avoid tissue pinch, now u.s. pat. no. 10,779,821; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,081, entitled method for operating a powered articulatable surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054320; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,094, entitled surgical instruments with progressive jaw closure arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054321; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,097, entitled powered surgical instruments with clutching arrangements to convert linear drive motions to rotary drive motions, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054328; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,104, entitled powered articulatable surgical instruments with clutching and locking arrangements for linking an articulation drive system to a firing drive system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,842,492; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,119, entitled articulatable motor powered surgical instruments with dedicated articulation motor arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2020/0054330; u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/105,160, entitled switching arrangements for motor powered articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,856,870; and u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/660,252, entitled surgical stapler anvils. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications and u.s. patents that are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,185, entitled surgical stapling instruments and replaceable tool assemblies thereof, now u.s. pat. no. 10,639,035; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,230, entitled articulatable surgical stapling instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168649; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,221, entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors, now u.s. pat. no. 10,835,247; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,209, entitled surgical end effectors and firing members thereof, now u.s. pat. no. 10,588,632; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,198, entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors and replaceable tool assemblies, now u.s. pat. no. 10,610,224; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,240, entitled surgical end effectors and adaptable firing members therefor, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168651; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,939, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein, now u.s. pat. no. 10,835,246; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,941, entitled surgical tool assemblies with clutching arrangements for shifting between closure systems with closure stroke reduction features and articulation and firing systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,736,629; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,943, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils, now u.s. pat. no. 10,667,811; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,950, entitled surgical tool assemblies with closure stroke reduction features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,588,630; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,945, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein, now u.s. pat. no. 10,893,864; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,946, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168633; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,951, entitled surgical instruments with jaw opening features for increasing a jaw opening distance, now u.s. pat. no. 10,568,626; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,953, entitled methods of stapling tissue, now u.s. pat. no. 10,675,026; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,954, entitled firing members with non-parallel jaw engagement features for surgical end effectors, now u.s. pat. no. 10,624,635; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,955, entitled surgical end effectors with expandable tissue stop arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,813,638; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,948, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168584; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,956, entitled surgical instruments with positive jaw opening features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,588,631; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,958, entitled surgical instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation unless an unspent staple cartridge is present, now u.s. pat. no. 10,639,034; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,947, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein, now u.s. pat. no. 10,568,625; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,896, entitled method for resetting a fuse of a surgical instrument shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168597; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,898, entitled staple-forming pocket arrangement to accommodate different types of staples, now u.s. pat. no. 10,537,325; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,899, entitled surgical instrument comprising improved jaw control, now u.s. pat. no. 10,758,229; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,901, entitled staple cartridge and staple cartridge channel comprising windows defined therein, now u.s. pat. no. 10,667,809; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,902, entitled surgical instrument comprising a cutting member, now u.s. pat. no. 10,888,322; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,904, entitled staple firing member comprising a missing cartridge and/or spent cartridge lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,881,401; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,905, entitled firing assembly comprising a lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,695,055; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,907, entitled surgical instrument system comprising an end effector lockout and a firing assembly lockout, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168608; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,908, entitled firing assembly comprising a fuse, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168609; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,909, entitled firing assembly comprising a multiple failed-state fuse, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168610; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,920, entitled staple-forming pocket arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,499,914; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,913, entitled anvil arrangements for surgical staplers, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168614; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,914, entitled method of deforming staples from two different types of staple cartridges with the same surgical stapling instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168615; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,893, entitled bilaterally asymmetric staple-forming pocket pairs, now u.s. pat. no. 10,682,138; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,929, entitled closure members with cam surface arrangements for surgical instruments with separate and distinct closure and firing systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,667,810; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,911, entitled surgical staplers with independently actuatable closing and firing systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,448,950; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,927, entitled surgical stapling instruments with smart staple cartridges, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168625; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,917, entitled staple cartridge comprising staples with different clamping breadths, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168617; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,900, entitled staple-forming pocket arrangements comprising primary sidewalls and pocket sidewalls, now u.s. pat. no. 10,898,186; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,931, entitled no-cartridge and spent cartridge lockout arrangements for surgical staplers, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168627; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,915, entitled firing member pin angle, now u.s. pat. no. 10,779,823; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,897, entitled staple-forming pocket arrangements comprising zoned forming surface grooves, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168598; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,922, entitled surgical instrument with multiple failure response modes, now u.s. pat. no. 10,426,471; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,924, entitled surgical instrument with primary and safety processors, now u.s. pat. no. 10,758,230; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,910, entitled anvil having a knife slot width, now u.s. pat. no. 10,485,543; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,903, entitled closure member arrangements for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,617,414; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,906, entitled firing member pin configurations, now u.s. pat. no. 10,856,868; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,188, entitled stepped staple cartridge with asymmetrical staples, now u.s. pat. no. 10,537,324; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,192, entitled stepped staple cartridge with tissue retention and gap setting features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,687,810; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,206, entitled staple cartridge with deformable driver retention features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168586; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,226, entitled durability features for end effectors and firing assemblies of surgical stapling instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168648; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,222, entitled surgical stapling instruments having end effectors with positive opening features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168647; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/386,236, entitled connection portions for deposable loading units for surgical stapling instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168650; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,887, entitled method for attaching a shaft assembly to a surgical instrument and, alternatively, to a surgical robot, now u.s. pat. no. 10,835,245; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,889, entitled shaft assembly comprising a manually-operable retraction system for use with a motorized surgical instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168590; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,890, entitled shaft assembly comprising separately actuatable and retractable systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,675,025; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,891, entitled shaft assembly comprising a clutch configured to adapt the output of a rotary firing member to two different systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168592; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,892, entitled surgical system comprising a firing member rotatable into an articulation state to articulate an end effector of the surgical system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,918,385; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,894, entitled shaft assembly comprising a lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,492,785; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,895, entitled shaft assembly comprising first and second articulation lockouts, now u.s. pat. no. 10,542,982; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,916, entitled surgical stapling systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168575; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,918, entitled surgical stapling systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168618; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,919, entitled surgical stapling systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168619; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,921, entitled surgical staple cartridge with movable camming member configured to disengage firing member lockout features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,687,809; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,923, entitled surgical stapling systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168623; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,925, entitled jaw actuated lock arrangements for preventing advancement of a firing member in a surgical end effector unless an unfired cartridge is installed in the end effector, now u.s. pat. no. 10,517,595; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,926, entitled axially movable closure system arrangements for applying closure motions to jaws of surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168577; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,928, entitled protective cover arrangements for a joint interface between a movable jaw and actuator shaft of a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168578; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,930, entitled surgical end effector with two separate cooperating opening features for opening and closing end effector jaws, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168579; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,932, entitled articulatable surgical end effector with asymmetric shaft arrangement, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2018/0168628; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,933, entitled articulatable surgical instrument with independent pivotable linkage distal of an articulation lock, now u.s. pat. no. 10,603,036; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,934, entitled articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector in an articulated position in response to actuation of a jaw closure system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,582,928; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,935, entitled laterally actuatable articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector of a surgical instrument in an articulated configuration, now u.s. pat. no. 10,524,789; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/385,936, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with articulation stroke amplification features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,517,596; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/318,996, entitled fastener cartridges including extensions having different configurations, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0297228; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,006, entitled fastener cartridge comprising fastener cavities including fastener control features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,010,324; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/318,991, entitled surgical fastener cartridges with driver stabilizing arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,833,241; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,004, entitled surgical end effectors with firing element monitoring arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,844,369; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,008, entitled fastener cartridge comprising non-uniform fasteners, now u.s. pat. no. 10,299,792; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/318,997, entitled fastener cartridge comprising deployable tissue engaging members, now u.s. pat. no. 10,561,422; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,002, entitled fastener cartridge comprising tissue control features, now u.s. pat. no. 9,877,721; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,013, entitled fastener cartridge assemblies and staple retainer cover arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0297233; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/319,016, entitled fastener cartridge including a layer attached thereto, now u.s. pat. no. 10,470,768. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on jun. 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/191,775, entitled staple cartridge comprising wire staples and stamped staples, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0367695; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/191,807, entitled stapling system for use with wire staples and stamped staples, now u.s. pat. no. 10,702,270; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/191,834, entitled stamped staples and staple cartridges using the same, now u.s. pat. no. 10,542,979; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/191,788, entitled staple cartridge comprising overdriven staples, now u.s. pat. no. 10,675,024; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/191,818, entitled staple cartridge comprising offset longitudinal staple rows, now u.s. pat. no. 10,893,863. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on jun. 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/569,218, entitled surgical fastener, now u.s. design pat. no. d826,405; u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/569,227, entitled surgical fastener, now u.s. design pat. no. d822,206; u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/569,259, entitled surgical fastener cartridge, now u.s. design pat. no. d847,989; and u.s. design patent application ser. no. 29/569,264, entitled surgical fastener cartridge, now u.s. design pat. no. d850,617. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on apr. 1, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,325, entitled method for operating a surgical stapling system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0281171; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,321, entitled modular surgical stapling system comprising a display, now u.s. pat. no. 10,271,851; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,326, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a display including a re-orientable display field, now u.s. pat. no. 10,433,849; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,263, entitled surgical instrument handle assembly with reconfigurable grip portion, now u.s. pat. no. 10,307,159; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,262, entitled rotary powered surgical instrument with manually actuatable bailout system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,357,246; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,277, entitled surgical cutting and stapling end effector with anvil concentric drive member, now u.s. pat. no. 10,531,874; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,296, entitled interchangeable surgical tool assembly with a surgical end effector that is selectively rotatable about a shaft axis, now u.s. pat. no. 10,413,293; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,258, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a shiftable transmission, now u.s. pat. no. 10,342,543; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,278, entitled surgical stapling system configured to provide selective cutting of tissue, now u.s. pat. no. 10,420,552; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,284, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a contourable shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0281186; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,295, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a tissue compression lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,856,867; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,300, entitled surgical stapling system comprising an unclamping lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,456,140; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,196, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw closure lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,568,632; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,203, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw attachment lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,542,991; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,210, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a spent cartridge lockout, now u.s. pat. no. 10,478,190; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,324, entitled surgical instrument comprising a shifting mechanism, now u.s. pat. no. 10,314,582; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,335, entitled surgical stapling instrument comprising multiple lockouts, now u.s. pat. no. 10,485,542; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,339, entitled surgical stapling instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0281173; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,253, entitled surgical stapling system configured to apply annular rows of staples having different heights, now u.s. pat. no. 10,413,297; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,304, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a grooved forming pocket, now u.s. pat. no. 10,285,705; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,331, entitled anvil modification members for surgical staplers, now u.s. pat. no. 10,376,263; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,336, entitled staple cartridges with atraumatic features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,709,446; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,312, entitled circular stapling system comprising an incisable tissue support, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0281189; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,309, entitled circular stapling system comprising rotary firing system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,675,021; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/089,349, entitled circular stapling system comprising load control, now u.s. pat. no. 10,682,136. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on dec. 30, 2015 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/984,488, entitled mechanisms for compensating for battery pack failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,292,704; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/984,525, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,368,865; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/984,552, entitled surgical instruments with separable motors and motor control circuits, now u.s. pat. no. 10,265,068. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on feb. 9, 2016, which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,220, entitled surgical instrument with articulating and axially translatable end effector, now u.s. pat. no. 10,245,029; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,228, entitled surgical instruments with multiple link articulation arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,433,837; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,196, entitled surgical instrument articulation mechanism with slotted secondary constraint, now u.s. pat. no. 10,413,291; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,206, entitled surgical instruments with an end effector that is highly articulatable relative to an elongate shaft assembly, now u.s. pat. no. 10,653,413; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,215, entitled surgical instruments with non-symmetrical articulation arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0224332; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,227, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with single articulation link arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0224334; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,235, entitled surgical instruments with tensioning arrangements for cable driven articulation systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,245,030; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,230, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with off-axis firing beam arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,588,625; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/019,245, entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,470,764. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on feb. 12, 2016, which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/043,254, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,258,331; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/043,259, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,448,948; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/043,275, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0231627; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/043,289, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0231628. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on jun. 18, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,925, entitled surgical end effectors with positive jaw opening arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,182,818; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,941, entitled surgical end effectors with dual cam actuated jaw closing features, now u.s. pat. no. 10,052,102; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,933, entitled surgical stapling instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation when a cartridge is spent or missing, now u.s. pat. no. 10,154,841; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,914, entitled movable firing beam support arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,405,863; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,900, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with composite firing beam structures with center firing support member for articulation support, now u.s. pat. no. 10,335,149; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,885, entitled dual articulation drive system arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,368,861; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/742,876, entitled push/pull articulation drive systems for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,178,992. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on mar. 6, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,746, entitled powered surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,808,246; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,795, entitled multiple level thresholds to modify operation of powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,441,279; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,832, entitled adaptive tissue compression techniques to adjust closure rates for multiple tissue types, now u.s. pat. no. 10,687,806; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,935, entitled overlaid multi sensor radio frequency (rf) electrode system to measure tissue compression, now u.s. pat. no. 10,548,504; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,831, entitled monitoring speed control and precision incrementing of motor for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,895,148; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,859, entitled time dependent evaluation of sensor data to determine stability, creep, and viscoelastic elements of measures, now u.s. pat. no. 10,052,044; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,817, entitled interactive feedback system for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,924,961; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,844, entitled control techniques and sub-processor contained within modular shaft with select control processing from handle, now u.s. pat. no. 10,045,776; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,837, entitled smart sensors with local signal processing, now u.s. pat. no. 9,993,248; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,765, entitled system for detecting the mis-insertion of a staple cartridge into a surgical stapler, now u.s. pat. no. 10,617,412; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,799, entitled signal and power communication system positioned on a rotatable shaft, now u.s. pat. no. 9,901,342; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/640,780, entitled surgical instrument comprising a lockable battery housing, now u.s. pat. no. 10,245,033. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on feb. 27, 2015, and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,576, entitled surgical instrument system comprising an inspection station, now u.s. pat. no. 10,045,779; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,546, entitled surgical apparatus configured to assess whether a performance parameter of the surgical apparatus is within an acceptable performance band, now u.s. pat. no. 10,180,463; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,560, entitled surgical charging system that charges and/or conditions one or more batteries, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249910; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,566, entitled charging system that enables emergency resolutions for charging a battery, now u.s. pat. no. 10,182,816; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,555, entitled system for monitoring whether a surgical instrument needs to be serviced, now u.s. pat. no. 10,321,907; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,542, entitled reinforced battery for a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,931,118; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,548, entitled power adapter for a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 10,245,028; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,526, entitled adaptable surgical instrument handle, now u.s. pat. no. 9,993,258; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,541, entitled modular stapling assembly, now u.s. pat. no. 10,226,250; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/633,562, entitled surgical apparatus configured to track an end-of-life parameter, now u.s. pat. no. 10,159,483. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on dec. 18, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/574,478, entitled surgical instrument systems comprising an articulatable end effector and means for adjusting the firing stroke of a firing member, now u.s. pat. no. 9,844,374; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/574,483, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising lockable systems, now u.s. pat. no. 10,188,385; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,139, entitled drive arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,844,375; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,148, entitled locking arrangements for detachable shaft assemblies with articulatable surgical end effectors, now u.s. pat. no. 10,085,748; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,130, entitled surgical instrument with an anvil that is selectively movable about a discrete non-movable axis relative to a staple cartridge, now u.s. pat. no. 10,245,027; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,143, entitled surgical instruments with improved closure arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 10,004,501; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,117, entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and movable firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,943,309; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/575,154, entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and improved firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,968,355; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/574,493, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a flexible articulation system, now u.s. pat. no. 9,987,000; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/574,500, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a lockable articulation system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,117,649. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on mar. 1, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,295, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with conductive pathways for signal communication, now u.s. pat. no. 9,700,309; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,323, entitled rotary powered articulation joints for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,782,169; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,338, entitled thumbwheel switch arrangements for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0249557; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,499, entitled electromechanical surgical device with signal relay arrangement, now u.s. pat. no. 9,358,003; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,460, entitled multiple processor motor control for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,554,794; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,358, entitled joystick switch assemblies for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,326,767; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,481, entitled sensor straightened end effector during removal through trocar, now u.s. pat. no. 9,468,438; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,518, entitled control methods for surgical instruments with removable implement portions, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246475; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,375, entitled rotary powered surgical instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, now u.s. pat. no. 9,398,911; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/782,536, entitled surgical instrument soft stop, now u.s. pat. no. 9,307,986. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on mar. 14, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,097, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, now u.s. pat. no. 9,687,230; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,193, entitled control arrangements for a drive member of a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,332,987; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,053, entitled interchangeable shaft assemblies for use with a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,883,860; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,086, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,210, entitled sensor arrangements for absolute positioning system for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,808,244; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,148, entitled multi-function motor for a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 10,470,762; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,066, entitled drive system lockout arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,629,623; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,117, entitled articulation control system for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,351,726; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,130, entitled drive train control arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,351,727; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/803,159, entitled method and system for operating a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,888,919. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent application that was filed on mar. 7, 2014 and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/200,111, entitled control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 9,629,629. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on mar. 26, 2014 and are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,106, entitled power management control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272582; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,099, entitled sterilization verification circuit, now u.s. pat. no. 9,826,977; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,094, entitled verification of number of battery exchanges/procedure count, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272580; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,117, entitled power management through sleep options of segmented circuit and wake up control, now u.s. pat. no. 10,013,049; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,075, entitled modular powered surgical instrument with detachable shaft assemblies, now u.s. pat. no. 9,743,929; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,093, entitled feedback algorithms for manual bailout systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,028,761; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,116, entitled surgical instrument utilizing sensor adaptation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272571; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,071, entitled surgical instrument control circuit having a safety processor, now u.s. pat. no. 9,690,362; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,097, entitled surgical instrument comprising interactive systems, now u.s. pat. no. 9,820,738; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,126, entitled interface systems for use with surgical instruments, now u.s. pat. no. 10,004,497; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,133, entitled modular surgical instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272557; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,081, entitled systems and methods for controlling a segmented circuit, now u.s. pat. no. 9,804,618; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,076, entitled power management through segmented circuit and variable voltage protection, now u.s. pat. no. 9,733,663; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,111, entitled surgical stapling instrument system, now u.s. pat. no. 9,750,499; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/226,125, entitled surgical instrument comprising a rotatable shaft, now u.s. pat. no. 10,201,364. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on sep. 5, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,103, entitled circuitry and sensors for powered medical device, now u.s. pat. no. 10,111,679; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,119, entitled adjunct with integrated sensors to quantify tissue compression, now u.s. pat. no. 9,724,094; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/478,908, entitled monitoring device degradation based on component evaluation, now u.s. pat. no. 9,737,301; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/478,895, entitled multiple sensors with one sensor affecting a second sensor's output or interpretation, now u.s. pat. no. 9,757,128; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,110, entitled polarity of hall magnet to identify cartridge type, now u.s. pat. no. 10,016,199; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,098, entitled smart cartridge wake up operation and data retention, now u.s. pat. no. 10,135,242; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,115, entitled multiple motor control for powered medical device, now u.s. pat. no. 9,788,836; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/479,108, entitled local display of tissue parameter stabilization, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066913. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on apr. 9, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,590, entitled motor driven surgical instruments with lockable dual drive shafts, now u.s. pat. no. 9,826,976; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,581, entitled surgical instrument comprising a closing drive and a firing drive operated from the same rotatable output, now u.s. pat. no. 9,649,110; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,595, entitled surgical system comprising first and second drive systems, now u.s. pat. no. 9,844,368; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,588, entitled powered linear surgical stapler, now u.s. pat. no. 10,405,857; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,591, entitled surgical instrument comprising a gap setting system, now u.s. pat. no. 10,149,680; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,584, entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with alignment features for aligning rotary drive shafts with surgical end effector shafts, now u.s. pat. no. 9,801,626; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,587, entitled powered surgical stapler, now u.s. pat. no. 9,867,612; u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,586, entitled drive system decoupling arrangement for a surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 10,136,887; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/248,607, entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with status indication arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,814,460. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on apr. 16, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/812,365, entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/812,376, entitled linear cutter with power; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/812,382, entitled linear cutter with motor and pistol grip; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/812,385, entitled surgical instrument handle with multiple actuation motors and motor control; and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/812,372, entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, entitled interactive surgical platform; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,340, entitled cloud-based medical analytics; and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,339, entitled robot assisted surgical platform. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on mar. 28, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,302, entitled interactive surgical systems with encrypted communication capabilities; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,294, entitled data stripping method to interrogate patient records and create anonymized record; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,300, entitled surgical hub situational awareness; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,309, entitled surgical hub spatial awareness to determine devices in operating theater; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,310, entitled computer implemented interactive surgical systems; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,291, entitled use of laser light and red-green-blue coloration to determine properties of back scattered light; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,296, entitled adaptive control program updates for surgical devices; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,333, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for customization and recommendations to a user; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,327, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for security and authentication trends and reactive measures; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,315, entitled data handling and prioritization in a cloud analytics network; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,313, entitled cloud interface for coupled surgical devices; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,320, entitled drive arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms; u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,307, entitled automatic tool adjustments for robot-assisted surgical platforms; and u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,323, entitled sensing arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,641, entitled interactive surgical systems with encrypted communication capabilities, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0207911; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,648, entitled interactive surgical systems with condition handling of devices and data capabilities, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206004; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,656, entitled surgical hub coordination of control and communication of operating room devices, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201141; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,666, entitled spatial awareness of surgical hubs in operating rooms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206551; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,670, entitled cooperative utilization of data derived from secondary sources by intelligent surgical hubs, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201116; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,677, entitled surgical hub control arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201143; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,632, entitled data stripping method to interrogate patient records and create anonymized record, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0205566; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,640, entitled communication hub and storage device for storing parameters and status of a surgical device to be shared with cloud based analytics systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200863; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,645, entitled self describing data packets generated at an issuing instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 10,892,899; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,649, entitled data pairing to interconnect a device measured parameter with an outcome, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0205567; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,654, entitled surgical hub situational awareness, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201140; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,663, entitled surgical system distributed processing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201033; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,668, entitled aggregation and reporting of surgical hub data, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201115; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,671, entitled surgical hub spatial awareness to determine devices in operating theater, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201104; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,686, entitled display of alignment of staple cartridge to prior linear staple line, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201105; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,700, entitled sterile field interactive control displays, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0205001; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,629, entitled computer implemented interactive surgical systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201112; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,704, entitled use of laser light and red-green-blue coloration to determine properties of back scattered light, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206050; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,722, entitled characterization of tissue irregularities through the use of mono-chromatic light refractivity, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200905; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,742, entitled dual cmos array imaging, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200906. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,636, entitled adaptive control program updates for surgical devices, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206003; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,653, entitled adaptive control program updates for surgical hubs, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201114; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,660, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for customization and recommendations to a user, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206555; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,679, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for linking of local usage trends with the resource acquisition behaviors of larger data set, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201144; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,694, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for medical facility segmented individualization of instrument function, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201119; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,634, entitled cloud-based medical analytics for security and authentication trends and reactive measures, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201138; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,706, entitled data handling and prioritization in a cloud analytics network, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206561; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,675, entitled cloud interface for coupled surgical devices, now u.s. pat. no. 10,849,697. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on mar. 29, 2018, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,627, entitled drive arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201111; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,637, entitled communication arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201139; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,642, entitled controls for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201113; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,676, entitled automatic tool adjustments for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201142; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,680, entitled controllers for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201135; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,683, entitled cooperative surgical actions for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201145; u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,690, entitled display arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201118; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,711, entitled sensing arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201120. numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. the reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. as a result, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. the terms “proximal” and “distal” are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. the term “proximal” refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term “distal” refers to the portion located away from the clinician. it will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. however, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. however, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in numerous surgical procedures and applications including, for example, in connection with open surgical procedures. as the present detailed description proceeds, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into a body in any way, such as through a natural orifice, through an incision or puncture hole formed in tissue, etc. the working portions or end effector portions of the instruments can be inserted directly into a patient's body or can be inserted through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of a surgical instrument can be advanced. a surgical stapling system can comprise a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. the end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. the first jaw comprises a staple cartridge. the staple cartridge is insertable into and removable from the first jaw; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which a staple cartridge is not removable from, or at least readily replaceable from, the first jaw. the second jaw comprises an anvil configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge. the second jaw is pivotable relative to the first jaw about a closure axis; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the first jaw is pivotable relative to the second jaw. the surgical stapling system further comprises an articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be rotated, or articulated, relative to the shaft. the end effector is rotatable about an articulation axis extending through the articulation joint. other embodiments are envisioned which do not include an articulation joint. the staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body. the cartridge body includes a proximal end, a distal end, and a deck extending between the proximal end and the distal end. in use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of the tissue to be stapled and the anvil is positioned on a second side of the tissue. the anvil is moved toward the staple cartridge to compress and clamp the tissue against the deck. thereafter, staples removably stored in the cartridge body can be deployed into the tissue. the cartridge body includes staple cavities defined therein wherein staples are removably stored in the staple cavities. the staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of a longitudinal slot and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of the longitudinal slot. other arrangements of staple cavities and staples may be possible. the staples are supported by staple drivers in the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between a first, or unfired position, and a second, or fired, position to eject the staples from the staple cavities. the drivers are retained in the cartridge body by a retainer which extends around the bottom of the cartridge body and includes resilient members configured to grip the cartridge body and hold the retainer to the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between their unfired positions and their fired positions by a sled. the sled is movable between a proximal position adjacent the proximal end and a distal position adjacent the distal end. the sled comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces configured to slide under the drivers and lift the drivers, and the staples supported thereon, toward the anvil. further to the above, the sled is moved distally by a firing member. the firing member is configured to contact the sled and push the sled toward the distal end. the longitudinal slot defined in the cartridge body is configured to receive the firing member. the anvil also includes a slot configured to receive the firing member. the firing member further comprises a first cam which engages the first jaw and a second cam which engages the second jaw. as the firing member is advanced distally, the first cam and the second cam can control the distance, or tissue gap, between the deck of the staple cartridge and the anvil. the firing member also comprises a knife configured to incise the tissue captured intermediate the staple cartridge and the anvil. it is desirable for the knife to be positioned at least partially proximal to the ramped surfaces such that the staples are ejected ahead of the knife. a stapling instrument 1000 is illustrated in fig. 1 . the stapling instrument 1000 comprises a handle 1100 , a shaft 1200 extending from the handle 1100 , and a loading unit 1300 that is removably attachable to the shaft 1200 . the shaft 1200 comprises a distal connection 1220 that is releasably attached to a proximal connection end 1320 of the loading unit 1300 . the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 5,865,361, entitled surgical stapling apparatus, which issued on feb. 2, 1999 is incorporated by reference herein. the loading unit 1300 further comprises an end effector 1400 and an articulation joint 1500 . the end effector 1400 comprises an anvil jaw 1410 and a cartridge jaw 1420 . the cartridge jaw 1420 is configured to receive a staple cartridge, such as staple cartridge 1900 , for example, and is rotatable between an open unclamped position and a closed clamped position relative to the anvil jaw 1410 . in various other embodiments, the anvil jaw 1410 is rotatable relative to the cartridge jaw 1420 . in either embodiment, the stapling instrument 1000 comprises a firing drive actuatable to close the end effector 1400 and, during a separate actuation (or actuations), fire the staples from the staple cartridge 1900 . referring to fig. 1 , the firing drive includes a firing trigger 1120 which, when actuated ( fig. 2 ), advances a firing rod 1690 distally. when the loading unit 1300 is attached to the shaft 1200 , the firing rod 1690 is coupled to a firing member 1390 of the loading unit 1300 which is advanced distally by the firing rod 1690 when the firing rod 1690 is advanced distally. further to the above, the firing trigger 1120 is actuated a first time to advance the firing rod 1690 and the firing member 1390 distally to close the end effector 1400 . when the firing trigger 1120 is actuated toward a grip 1110 of the handle 1100 , the firing trigger 1120 compresses a trigger spring, such as a torsion spring, for example, between the firing trigger 1120 and a frame of the handle 1100 . the firing trigger 1120 is then released and the trigger spring returns the firing trigger 1120 back into its unactuated position. notably, the firing rod 1690 and the firing member 1390 are not retracted proximally when the firing trigger 1120 is returned to its unactuated position. instead, the firing rod 1690 and the firing member 1390 remain in their distally-advanced positions. the firing drive further comprises a retraction knob 1710 coupled to the firing rod 1690 . if the clinician is unsatisfied with the positioning of the jaws 1410 and 1420 on the patient tissue, the clinician can pull the retraction knob 1710 proximally to manually retract the firing rod 1690 and the firing member 1390 proximally and open the end effector 1400 . in at least one embodiment, the end effector 1400 comprises one or more springs, such as coil springs, for example, positioned between the jaws 1410 and 1420 such that the springs push the end effector 1400 open when the firing member 1390 is retracted by the firing rod 1690 . if the clinician is satisfied with the position of the jaws 1410 and 1420 on the patient tissue, further to the above, the clinician can depress a mode switch, which is discussed further below. when depressed, the mode switch electronically and/or mechanically shifts the stapling instrument 1000 from a closure mode to a staple firing mode. as a result, a second actuation of the firing trigger 1120 drives the firing rod 1690 and firing member 1390 distally through a firing stroke to eject staples from the staple cartridge 1900 . in at least one embodiment, the staple firing stroke is about 15 mm, for example. in some embodiments, a 15 mm staple firing stroke is sufficient to fire all of the staples of the staple cartridge 1900 while, in other embodiments, more than one staple firing stroke is needed to fire all of the staples from the staple cartridge 1900 . in such multi-stroke embodiments, the firing trigger 1120 is releasable after the second actuation and then reactuated a third time to produce a second staple firing stroke. like the first staple firing stroke, the second staple firing stroke is also about 15 mm. in various embodiments, the firing trigger 1120 is actuatable to produce a third staple firing stoke and/or a fourth staple firing stroke, or as many firing strokes that are needed, to fire all of the staples of the staple cartridge 1900 . regardless of the number of staple firing strokes needed to fully fire the staple cartridge 1900 , the clinician can pull the retraction actuator 1710 proximally after less than all of the staple firing strokes have been completed to open the end effector 1400 and remove the stapling instrument 1000 from the patient. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 10,433,842, entitled surgical handle assembly, which issued on oct. 8, 2019, is incorporated by reference herein. further to the above, an entire staple firing stroke can be comprised of multiple staple firing actuations, especially in embodiments comprising a reciprocating mechanism such as those discussed below, for example. that said, in various instances, each staple firing actuation can be referred to as a staple firing stroke even though each such staple firing stroke does not fire all of the staples of a staple cartridge. in such instances, such staple firing strokes are part of an entire staple firing stroke to eject all of the staples from a staple cartridge. a surgical stapling instrument 2000 is illustrated in fig. 3 . the stapling instrument 2000 is similar to the stapling instrument 1000 in many respects which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 2000 comprises a handle 2100 and a firing drive 2600 . the handle 2100 comprises a grip 2110 and a firing actuator 2120 which includes an actuatable switch 2125 . the firing drive 2600 comprises an electric motor 2630 and a battery 2640 configured to supply power to the electric motor 2630 through an electronic circuit 2620 that is controlled by the firing actuator 2120 . the electric motor 2630 is mounted in the handle 2100 and comprises a rotatable motor output 2635 operably engaged with a gear train 2650 of the drive system 2600 . the gear train 2650 comprises a drive gear 2655 operably engaged with a drive crank 2660 of the drive system 2600 which is rotatably mounted to the handle 2100 about a pivot 2665 . the drive crank 2660 comprises a gear portion comprising gear teeth meshingly engaged with the drive gear 2655 and is rotatable about the pivot 2665 by the drive gear 2655 . the drive system 2600 further comprises a pawl 2670 and a firing rack 2680 . the pawl 2670 is rotatably connected to the drive crank 2660 about a pin 2675 and comprises a drive tooth 2672 configured to engage a longitudinal array of ratchet teeth 2682 defined on the bottom of the firing rack 2680 and drive the firing rack 2680 distally along longitudinal axis la during a firing stroke. as discussed above, the electronic circuit 2620 controls the operation of the electric motor 2630 in response to inputs from the firing actuator 2120 . in various embodiments, the motor 2630 comprises a direct current (dc) motor, for example, but can comprise any suitable motor. in various embodiments, the electronic circuit 2620 comprises a microprocessor comprising at least one input gate in communication with the firing actuator switch 2125 and at least one output gate in communication with a relay configured to control the supply of power from the battery 2640 to the electric motor 2630 . although not illustrated in fig. 3 , the electronic circuit 2620 comprises electrical conductors, wires, and/or flex circuits, for example, which connect the components of the electronic circuit such as the motor 2630 and the battery 2640 , for example. in certain embodiments, the electronic circuit 2620 does not comprise a microprocessor and, instead, relies on switch logic to control the operation of the electric motor 2630 . such embodiments may be advantageous when the stapling instrument 2000 is exposed to a harsh sterilization process, for example. thus, while the discussion provided below is presented using an embodiment including a microprocessor, the reader should appreciate that an equivalent analog circuit could be used to perform the same functions and operations discussed herein. in use, referring to fig. 4 , the firing actuator 2120 is actuated a first time to close the end effector 1400 of the stapling instrument 2000 . the actuation of the firing actuator 2120 closes the switch 2125 which is detected by the microprocessor. in response, the microprocessor applies a voltage potential to the electric motor 2630 from the battery 2640 to rotate the motor output 2635 in a first direction and drive the pawl 2670 distally. the firing drive comprises a pawl spring 2685 mounted to the pawl 2670 and the frame of the handle 2100 which applies a biasing force to the pawl 2670 to bias the drive tooth 2672 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 2682 defined on the firing rack 2680 . when the pawl 2670 is advanced distally in response to the first actuation of the firing actuator 2120 , referring to fig. 5 , the pawl 2670 drives the firing rack 2680 distally which, in turn, drives the firing rod 1690 and the firing member 1390 distally to close the end effector 1400 . stated another way, the pawl 2670 , the firing rack 2680 , the firing rod 1690 , and the firing member 1390 are all advanced distally a closure stroke in response to the first actuation of the firing actuator 2120 . after the microprocessor determines that the closure stroke is complete, further to the above, the microprocessor stops the motor 2630 by disconnecting the voltage potential from the battery 2640 . at such point, referring to fig. 6 , the pawl spring 2685 , which was resiliently stretched when the pawl 2670 was advanced distally through the closure stroke, resiliently contracts and pulls the pawl 2670 proximally back into its unactuated position. notably, the ratchet teeth 2682 defined on the firing rack 2680 are shaped to permit the drive tooth 2672 of the pawl 2670 to slide proximally relative to the ratchet teeth 2682 when the pawl 2670 is retracted. in such instances, the pawl spring 2685 can backdrive the electric motor 2630 . in various alternative embodiments, the microprocessor can reverse the polarity of the voltage potential being applied to the motor 2630 to operate the motor output 2635 in an opposite direction to drive the pawl 2670 proximally. such embodiments can be useful to overcome the inertia of the gear train 2650 . also, in such embodiments, the firing drive can include a beginning-of-stroke sensor in communication with the microprocessor which is closed when the pawl 2670 is retracted back into its unactuated position. when the beginning-of-stroke sensor is closed, the microprocessor disconnects the voltage polarity from the motor 2630 . as discussed above, the microprocessor is configured to determine when the closure stroke is complete. in various embodiments, the firing drive further comprises an encoder in communication with the microprocessor which is configured to monitor and count the rotations of the motor output 2635 . in at least one such embodiment, a magnetic element is positioned on and/or within the motor output 2635 and the encoder is configured to detect the disturbances in a magnetic field created by the encoder when the motor output 2635 is rotated. once the rotation count reaches a predetermined count threshold, the microprocessor disconnects and/or reverses the polarity being applied to the motor 2630 . in various embodiments, the firing drive comprises an end-of-stroke sensor in communication with the microprocessor that is closed by the pawl 2670 when the pawl 2670 reaches the end of its stroke. the microprocessor is configured to sense the closure of the end-of-stroke sensor and, in response, disconnect and/or reverse the polarity being applied to the motor 2630 . after the pawl 2670 has been reset after the closure stroke, the clinician may decide to re-open the end effector 1400 by pulling the retraction knob 1710 proximally or initiate the staple firing stroke. to initiate the staple firing stroke, the clinician must first depress a mode switch in communication with the microprocessor, which is discussed further below. if the mode switch is not depressed, the microprocessor and motor 2630 are not responsive to a subsequent actuation of the firing actuator 2120 . after the mode switch is depressed, referring to fig. 7 , the microprocessor and motor 2630 are responsive to a subsequent actuation of the firing actuator 2120 . in such instances, the motor output 2635 is rotated in the first direction once again to drive the pawl 2670 distally through a second actuation stroke. in this actuation stroke, the pawl 2670 drives the firing member 1390 partially through the staple cartridge 1900 to eject staples therefrom. once the pawl 2670 reaches the end of the second actuation stroke, the pawl 2670 closes the end-of-stroke switch and the microprocessor reverses the polarity of the voltage being applied to the electric motor 2630 such that the direction of the motor output 2635 is reversed and the pawl 2670 is retracted. this process is repeated automatically until either the microprocessor determines that the maximum number of staple firing strokes has been performed or the clinician releases the firing actuator 2120 . in various instances, each staple firing stroke is about 15 mm, for example, and in embodiments configured to deploy a 60 mm staple pattern, for example, the maximum number of staple firing strokes is four. in such instances, the pawl 2670 would be reciprocated once for the closure stroke and then four times to deploy the staples. if the clinician releases the firing actuator 2120 prior to the maximum number of staple firing strokes being reached, further to the above, the microprocessor disconnects the voltage polarity from the electric motor 2630 . in various embodiments, the inertia of the gear train 2650 holds the pawl 2670 in position and the firing drive is held in a paused condition. in certain embodiments, in such instances, the microprocessor can apply a voltage potential to the electric motor 2630 that is sufficient to temporarily hold the pawl 2670 in position. if the clinician no longer wishes to continue deploying the staples, the clinician can pull the retraction knob 1710 proximally to retract the firing rack 2680 proximally. to reset the stapling firing rive in such instances, the clinician can depress the mode switch once again which causes the microprocessor to return the pawl 2670 back into its unactuated position. if the clinician wishes to continue deploying the staples, on the other hand, the clinician can re-depress the firing actuator 2120 to re-start the motor 2630 . as discussed above, the stapling instrument 2000 can comprise an analog control circuit for controlling the above-described series of operations. referring to fig. 9 , the stapling instrument 2000 can comprise a control circuit 2620 ′ configured to control the operation of the motor 2630 . the control circuit 2620 ′ comprises a firing actuator 2120 ′, a mode switch 2720 ′, and a relay 2730 ′. the firing actuator 2120 ′ comprises a mom-off-mom switch, for example, in communication with the mode switch 2720 ′ and the relay 2730 ′. the relay 2730 ′ comprises a set/re-set function capable of reversing the voltage polarity applied to the motor 2630 . the control circuit 2620 ′ further comprises an end-of-stroke switch 2740 and a beginning-of-stroke switch 2750 . in various instances, the operation of the motor 2630 is changed or interrupted if one or both of the switches 2740 and 2750 is opened, for example. in at least one such embodiment, the end-of-stroke switch 2740 is opened by the firing rack 2680 when the firing rack 2680 has been advanced through the maximum number of staple firing actuations. similarly, in at least one such embodiment, the beginning-of-stroke switch 2750 is opened by the firing rack 2680 when the firing rack 2680 has been returned to its proximal unactuated position. further to the above, referring to fig. 8 , the surgical instrument 2000 can comprise an end-of-stroke switch 2790 that is closed by the drive gear 2655 at the end of an actuation stroke of the pawl 2670 . the drive gear 2655 is fixedly mounted to a gear shaft 2652 and the drive gear 2655 is rotatably mounted in the handle 2100 about the gear shaft 2652 . the gear shaft 2652 comprises a switch key 2654 extending therefrom which, during an initial portion of the drive gear 2655 rotation, is not in contact with a ring stack 2780 including a first switch ring 2782 and a second switch ring 2786 which are rotatably supported by the gear shaft 2652 and do not rotate with the gear shaft 2652 during the initial rotation of the drive gear 2655 . as the drive gear 2655 is rotated, however, the switch key 2654 contacts the first switch ring 2782 and, as a result, the first switch ring 2782 and the gear shaft 2652 begin to rotate together. notably, though, the second switch ring 2786 does not immediately rotate with the first switch ring 2782 and the gear shaft 2652 ; rather, the first switch ring 2782 and the gear shaft 2652 rotate relative to the second switch ring 2786 until a drive shoulder 2784 of the first switch ring 2782 contacts the second switch ring 2786 . at such point, the gear shaft 2652 , the first switch ring 2782 , and the second switch ring 2786 rotate together until a switch key 2788 of the second switch ring 2786 contacts a switch element 2798 of the end-of-stroke switch 2790 and closes the end-of-stroke switch 2790 . the pawl 2670 reaching the end of its actuation stroke coincides with the closure of the end-of-stroke switch 2790 and the closure of the end-of-stroke switch 2790 reverses the motor 2630 to retract the pawl 2670 . referring again to fig. 3 , the motor 2630 of the stapling instrument 2000 is positioned in the grip 2110 of the handle 2100 . in various other embodiments, the motor 2630 is positioned proximally relative to the grip 2110 within the handle 2100 . in at least one such embodiment, the motor 2630 can drive a jack screw arrangement to move the firing rack 2680 . a stapling instrument 3000 is illustrated in fig. 12 . the stapling instrument 3000 comprises a motor-driven firing system that does not use a pawl. instead, the firing drive 3600 of the stapling instrument 3000 comprises an electric motor 3630 including a gear output 3635 , a drive gear 3655 operably intermeshed with the gear output 3635 , and a firing rack 3680 including a longitudinal array of gear teeth 3682 intermeshed with the drive gear 3655 . in use, a first voltage polarity is applied to the motor 3630 to rotate the gear output 3635 in a first direction and a second, or opposite, voltage polarity is applied to the motor 3630 to rotate the gear output 3635 in a second, or opposite, direction. the firing rack 3680 and the firing rod 2690 are driven distally when the motor 3630 is operated in the first direction and retracted proximally when the motor 3630 is operated in the second direction. further to the above, the stapling instrument 3000 comprises a control circuit including a firing actuator 2120 comprising a firing actuation switch 2125 that, when actuated, closes a sub-circuit that applies the first voltage polarity to the motor 3630 to advance the firing rack 3670 through a closure stroke to close the end effector 1400 . the stapling instrument 3000 further comprises an end-of-closure-stroke switch that is opened when the firing rack 3680 reaches the end of the closure stroke to stop the electric motor 3630 . the stapling instrument 3000 also comprises a second, or reverse, actuation switch that, when actuated, closes a sub-circuit that applies the second voltage polarity to the motor 3630 to retract the firing rack 3680 and the firing rod 2690 and open the end effector 1400 . once the end effector 1400 is closed and the clinician is satisfied with the position of the end effector 1400 on the patient tissue, the clinician can depress a mode switch of the control circuit that, when depressed, re-closes the end-of-closure-stroke switch such that the motor 3630 is responsive to the firing actuator switch 2125 once again. when the firing actuator 2120 is re-actuated by the clinician, at such point, the motor 3630 is operated in the first direction once again to advance the firing rack 3680 and the firing rod 2690 distally to perform the staple firing stroke. the stapling instrument 3000 further comprises an end-of-firing-stroke switch that is opened when the firing rack 3680 reaches the end of the staple firing stroke to stop the electric motor 3630 . to retract the firing rack 3680 and the firing rod 2690 back into their unfired position, the clinician can depress the reverse actuation switch to apply the opposite voltage polarity to the electric motor 3630 . as discussed above, the motor 3630 is responsive to the actuation switch 2125 of the firing actuator 2120 being closed. fig. 12a depicts a staple firing circuit 3620 including the actuation switch 2125 and the motor 3630 with the actuation switch 2125 being in a closed, or actuated, condition. the control circuit 3620 further comprises a clamp, or end-of-closure-stroke, switch 2770 and an end-of-firing-stroke switch 2750 . when the end effector 1400 is in an open, or unclamped, configuration, as illustrated in fig. 12b , the clamp switch 2770 is in an open condition thereby decoupling the battery 2640 from the electric motor 3630 and preventing the staple firing stroke from being performed even if the actuation switch 2125 is closed, or actuated, by the clinician. when the end effector 1400 is in a closed, or clamped, configuration, the clamp switch 2770 is closed. the end-of-firing-stroke switch 2750 is in a normally-closed condition and is opened by the firing drive at the end of the staple firing stroke, as discussed above, which opens the firing circuit to stop the electric motor 3630 . in various alternative embodiments, the motor 3630 is operated in a first direction in response to the firing actuator 2120 being actuated to perform the staple firing stroke. the motor 3630 continues to turn so long as the firing actuator 2120 is depressed and the firing rack 3680 is driven distally until the teeth 3682 of the firing rack 3680 run off the drive gear 3655 . at such point, the staple firing stroke is complete and the firing rack 3680 is no longer advanced distally by the motor 3630 even though the firing actuator 2120 is depressed. to reset the staple firing system, the firing actuator 2120 is released and the retraction handle 1710 is pulled proximally to retract the firing rack 3680 and the firing rod 2690 back into their unfired positions. in such instances, pulling the firing rack 3680 proximally will, absent other considerations, backdrive the motor 3630 . in at least one embodiment, the drive gear 3655 can be biased out of engagement with the firing rack 3680 as the firing rack 3680 is retracted proximally and then re-engaged with the firing rack 3680 after the firing rack 3680 has been returned to its proximal unfired position. in at least one embodiment, the handle of the surgical instrument comprises an actuator, such as a toggle switch, for example, that is actuated to disengage the drive gear 3655 from the firing rack 3680 before the retraction stroke of the firing rack 3680 and then switched back after the retraction stroke of the firing rack 3680 is completed. in various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument comprises an actuator including an actuator switch and an electric motor 3630 operated by the actuator which drives the firing rack 3680 distally from a proximal unfired position when the actuator switch is closed. the stapling instrument further comprises an end-of-stroke switch which, when opened by the firing rack 3680 at the end of the staple firing stroke, automatically reverses the operation of the electric motor 3630 to retract the firing rack 3680 proximally. the stapling instrument further comprises a beginning-of-stroke switch which is opened by the firing rack 3680 when the firing rack 3680 is returned to its proximal unfired position to stop the electric motor 3630 . in various alternative embodiments, the switch logic of such a stapling instrument can comprise one or more normally-open switches instead of a normally-closed switch. in any event, the staple firing stroke is stopped when the actuator is released by the clinician. if the clinician desires to return the firing rack 3680 back into its proximal unfired position without finishing the staple firing stroke, the clinician can retract the firing rack 3680 proximally by the retraction handle 1710 . in various embodiments, referring to fig. 10 , a stapling instrument can comprise a control circuit 2620 ″. the control circuit 2620 ″ comprises a double pole, double throw momentary switch 2730 ″ configured to control the operation of the motor 2630 . the momentary switch 2730 ″ comprises a mom-off-mom switch that is switchable from an off state to a first on-state and a second-on state, but any suitable switch could be used. in the first on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″, a first voltage polarity is applied to the motor 2630 from the battery 2640 which advances the firing rack 2680 distally. in the second on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″, a second, or opposite, voltage polarity is applied to the motor 2630 from the battery 2640 which retracts the firing rack 2680 proximally. a control circuit 2620 ′″, which is similar to the control circuit 2620 ″ in many respects, is illustrated in fig. 11 . in addition to the above, the control circuit 2620 ′″ further comprises a normally-closed end-of-firing-stroke switch 2750 ′″ which is opened by the firing rack 2680 when the firing rack 2680 reaches the end of the staple firing stroke. in such instances, further to the above, the power supplied to the motor 2630 from the battery 2640 is disconnected at the end of the staple firing stroke. at such point, the motor 2630 is no longer responsive to the first on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″. that said, the motor 2630 is responsive to the second on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″. in order to retract the firing rack 2680 back into its unactuated position, the clinician must close the second on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″ to operate the motor 2630 in reverse. notably, the control circuit 2620 ′″ further comprises a normally-closed switch 2740 ′″ that is opened when the firing rack 2680 has been fully retracted. when the switch 2740 ′″ is opened by the firing rack 2680 , the circuit connecting the motor 2630 to the battery 2640 is opened and the motor 2630 is no longer responsive to the second on-state of the momentary switch 2730 ″. in various instances, further to the above, the switch 2750 ′″ is resettable so that the stapling instrument can be used to perform a second staple firing stroke after the spent staple cartridge in the end effector 1400 has been replaced with an unspent staple cartridge. in at least one embodiment, the switch 2750 ′″ is manually reset. in at least one embodiment, the switch 2750 ′″ comprises a biasing element, or feature, configured to automatically reset the switch 2750 ′″ when the firing rack 2680 is retracted. in embodiments including a microprocessor, the switch 2750 ′″ can be electronically reset. in at least one embodiment, seating an unspent staple cartridge in the end effector 1400 can be sensed by the microprocessor which then resets the switch 2750 ″″. similarly, the switch 2740 ′″ is resettable so that the firing rack 2680 can be retracted by the motor 2630 after the second staple firing stroke. in at least one embodiment, the switch 2740 ′″ is manually reset. in at least one embodiment, the switch 2740 ′″ comprises a biasing element, or feature, configured to automatically reset the switch 2740 ′″ when the firing rack 2680 is advanced distally to perform the second staple firing stroke. in embodiments including a microprocessor, the switch 2740 ′″ can be electronically reset. in at least one embodiment, seating an unspent staple cartridge in the end effector 1400 can be sensed by the microprocessor which then resets the switch 2740 ″″. a firing drive including a ratcheting solenoid mechanism is illustrated in figs. 13 and 13a . the firing drive comprises a solenoid 4630 including a linear actuator 4635 which is moved proximally and distally by the solenoid 4630 , depending on the voltage polarity applied to the solenoid 4630 . when a first voltage polarity is applied to the solenoid, the linear actuator 4635 is advanced distally. notably, the linear actuator 4635 comprises a slot and a pawl element 4632 movably seated within the slot which is biased into engagement with the firing rack 2680 by a biasing element, such as a spring 4634 , for example, contained in the linear actuator 4635 . when the linear actuator 4635 is advanced distally, the pawl element 4632 is engaged with the pawl teeth 2682 defined in the bottom of the firing rack 2680 which drives the firing rack 2680 distally. at the end of the actuation stroke of the solenoid 4630 , a second, or opposite, voltage polarity is applied to the solenoid 4630 to retract the linear actuator 4635 proximally. in such instances, the pawl element 4632 can slide relative to the pawl teeth 2682 defined in the firing rack 2680 . once the linear actuator 4635 has been retracted, the first voltage polarity can be applied to the solenoid once again to perform another actuation stroke. this process can be repeated until the closing stroke and/or staple firing stroke has been completed. in various instances, further to the above, the first actuation stroke of the linear actuator 4635 closes the end effector 1400 and the second actuation stroke, and any subsequent actuation strokes, fire the staples from the staple cartridge, for example. in various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument can comprise an electric motor including a rotatable output, a drive gear operably engaged with the rotatable output, and a pawl pivotably mounted to the drive gear. the pawl is engaged with a longitudinal rack of ratchet teeth defined on a firing rack and is configured to drive the firing rack distally when the drive gear is rotated in a first direction and slide relative to the firing rack when the drive gear is rotated in an opposite direction. to advance the firing rack through a staple firing stroke, the voltage polarity applied to the electric motor is repeatedly flipped between a positive polarity and a negative polarity to drive the gear back and forth within a drive range that is less than a full rotation of the drive gear. a surgical stapling instrument 5000 including a handle 5100 and a firing drive 5600 is illustrated in figs. 14-18 . the stapling instrument 5000 is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 and 2000 and other stapling instrument disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the firing dive 5600 comprises an electric motor 5630 including a helical gear output 5635 meshingly engaged with a rack of teeth 5655 defined on a slideable rack 5650 . when a first polarity is applied to the motor 5630 owing to the actuation of a firing actuator 5120 , the motor 5630 is rotated in a first direction which drives the rack 5650 from an unactuated position ( fig. 14 ) to an actuated position ( fig. 15 ). similar to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 comprises an end-of-actuation sensor 2750 which changes state in response to the rack 5650 reaching its fully-actuated position to stop the motor 5630 . the firing drive 5600 further comprises a drive crank 5660 pivotably mounted to the handle 5100 about one of a first pivot 5722 and a second pivot 5724 , as discussed further below. the drive crank 5660 is coupled to the rack 5650 at a connection which allows the rack 5650 to drive the drive crank 5660 about its pivot and, at the same time, permit the drive crank 5660 to rotate relative to the rack 5650 . in at least one instance, the drive crank 5660 comprises a pin 5661 which extends into a pin slot 5651 defined in the rack 5650 which permits such relative motion therebetween. the firing drive 5600 further comprises a pawl 5670 rotatably supported in a seat defined in the opposite end of the drive crank 5660 about a pawl pin 5675 . the firing drive 5600 also comprises a firing rack 5680 which is slid distally by the pawl 5670 , as discussed below. further to the above, the pawl 5670 comprises two drive teeth—a closure tooth 5674 and a staple firing tooth 5672 . the closure tooth 5674 is in an extended position ( figs. 14 and 15 ) during the initial actuation of the firing drive 5600 and a retracted position ( figs. 16-18 ) after the initial actuation. when the closure tooth 5674 is in its extended position, referring to fig. 14 , the closure tooth 5674 extends into a closure drive aperture 5684 defined in the firing rack 5680 and, when the pawl 5670 is advanced distally during the initial actuation, referring to fig. 15 , the closure tooth 5674 pushes the firing rack 5680 and the firing rod 2690 distally through a closure stroke to close the end effector 1400 . at such point, the electric motor 5630 is operated in a second, or opposite, direction to drive the rack 5650 back into its unactuated position, as illustrated in fig. 16 . similar to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 comprises a beginning-of-actuation sensor 2740 which changes state in response to the rack 5650 reaching its fully-retracted position to stop the motor 5630 . notably, the closure tooth 5674 is in its retracted position when the pawl 5670 is reset by the rack 5650 . in this embodiment, the closure tooth 5674 is pivotably coupled to the pawl 5670 and, when the pawl 5670 is retracted proximally after the initial actuation, the closure tooth 5674 contacts a backwall of the closure drive aperture 5684 and is rotated, or flipped, downwardly into its retracted position. in various alternative embodiments, a pawl tooth actuator in communication with a controller of the surgical instrument 5000 controls the position of the closure tooth 5674 . referring again to fig. 14 , the drive crank 5660 further comprises a plate 5655 mounted thereto. the plate 5655 is mounted to the drive crank 5660 such that the plate 5655 rotates with the drive crank 5660 . the firing drive 5600 further comprises a retraction spring 5685 —coupled to the plate 5655 and the frame of the handle 5100 —which resiliently stretches when the drive crank 5660 is rotated distally to drive the pawl 5670 through an actuation stroke. at the end of the actuation stroke, as discussed above, an end-of-actuation switch is opened and power is no longer supplied to the motor 5630 . as also discussed above, an opposite polarity can be applied to the motor 5630 to drive the drive crank 5660 and the pawl 5670 proximally after the actuation stroke. that said, the retraction spring 5685 can resiliently contract to pull the drive crank 5660 and pawl 5670 proximally after the actuation stroke without the motor 5630 being operated in reverse. in such instances, the proximal movement, or retraction, of the drive crank 5660 and the pawl 5670 can be limited by a physical stop in the handle 5100 . in any event, the motor 5630 can be actuated a second time to advance the drive crank 5660 and pawl 5670 distally once again. during the second actuation, however, the closure tooth 5674 is in its retracted position and not engaged with the firing rack 5680 . instead, referring to fig. 17 , the staple firing tooth 5672 of the pawl 5670 is engaged with the ratchet teeth 5682 defined on the bottom of the firing rack 5680 . thus, during the second actuation, the pawl 5670 drives the firing rack 5680 distally via the staple firing tooth 5672 to eject staples from the staple cartridge. the reciprocation of the pawl 5670 can be repeated until all of the staples from the staple cartridge have been ejected. in various embodiments, two actuations, or reciprocations, of the pawl 5670 eject all of the staples while, in other embodiments, all of the staples of the staple cartridge are ejected as a result of four actuations of the pawl 5670 , for example. in various embodiments, a separate actuation of the firing actuator 5120 is required to perform each actuation of the firing drive 5600 . in other embodiments, a first actuation of the firing actuator 5120 performs the initial, or closure, actuation while a second actuation of the firing actuator 5120 performs all of the staple firing actuations sequentially unless the firing actuator 5120 is released. further to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 transitions between from an end effector closure mode to a staple firing mode between the first, or closure, actuation of the motor 5630 and the second, or staple firing, actuation of the motor 5630 . further to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 comprises a mode switch which must be depressed by a clinician after the closure actuation to place the stapling instrument 5000 in the staple firing mode such that the stapling instrument is responsive to a second actuation of the firing actuator 5120 to perform the staple firing actuation. if the clinician does not depress the mode switch after the closure actuation, the motor 5630 is not responsive to the second actuation of the firing actuator 5120 . the stapling instrument 5000 further comprises a controller, such as a processor, for example, in communication with the switches and/or sensors of the stapling instrument 5000 . the stapling instrument 5000 also comprises a status indicator array 5800 in communication with the processor. the status indicator array 5800 comprises a first indicator 5810 , a second status indicator 5820 , and a third status indicator 5830 , but could comprise any suitable number of indicators. each status indicator 5810 , 5820 , and 5830 comprises a light emitting diode (led), for example, in communication with the processor. in at least one embodiment, the stapling instrument 5000 comprises a sensor configured to detect the presence of an unspent staple cartridge in the end effector 1400 in communication with the processor. if an unspent staple cartridge seated in the end effector 1400 is detected by the processor, the processor applies a voltage potential to the first status indicator 5810 to illuminate the first status indicator 5810 . if an unspent staple cartridge is not detected by the processor, the processor does not apply a voltage potential to the first status indicator 5810 . in at least one embodiment, the stapling instrument 5000 can comprise a sensor in communication with the processor which is configured to detect the attachment of a loading unit 1300 to the stapling instrument. if a loading unit 1300 is detected by the sensor, the processor applies a voltage potential to the second status indicator 5820 to illuminate the second status indicator 5820 . if a loading unit 1300 is not detected by the sensor, the processor does not apply a voltage potential to the second status indicator 5820 . further to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 further comprises a sensor configured to detect the closure of the end effector 1400 in communication with the processor. if the processor determines that the end effector 1400 is closed, or at least sufficiently closed, the processor applies a voltage potential to the third status indicator 5830 to illuminate the third status indicator 5830 . if the processor determines that the end effector 1400 is open, the processor does not apply a voltage potential to the third status indicator 5830 . in addition, the mode switch is in communication with the processor and the processor is configured to determine whether or not the mode switch has been depressed. if the processor determines that the mode switch has been depressed, the processor applies a voltage potential to a fourth status indicator to illuminate the fourth status indicator. if the processor does not determine that the mode switch has been depressed, the processor does not apply a voltage potential to the fourth status indicator. when the stapling instrument 5000 is in its end effector closure mode ( figs. 14 and 15 ), the drive crank 5660 is rotatable about the first pivot 5722 . when the stapling instrument 5000 is in its staple firing mode ( figs. 17 and 18 ), the drive crank 5660 is instead rotatable about the second pivot 5724 . the first pivot 5722 comprises a first pin that extends into a first pin aperture defined in the drive crank 5660 when the mode switch is in an unactuated position. notably, the second pivot 5724 is not engaged with the drive crank 5660 when the mode switch is in the unactuated position. the second pivot 5724 comprises a second pin that extends into a second pin aperture defined in the drive crank 5660 when the mode switch is in an actuated position. notably, the first pivot 5722 is not engaged with the drive crank 5660 when the mode switch is in the actuated position. in at least one embodiment, the mode switch comprises a rocker switch having two positions—a first position in which the first pivot 5722 is engaged with the drive crank 5660 and a second position in which the second pivot 5724 is engaged with the drive crank 5660 . in at least one embodiment, the mode switch is in communication with a first solenoid and a second solenoid. when the mode switch is in its first position, the first solenoid is actuated to extend the first pin and, when the mode switch is in its second position, the second solenoid is actuated to extend the second pin. when the mode switch is in its first position and the stapling instrument 5000 is in its end effector closure mode, referring to fig. 15 , the drive crank 5660 defines two torque arms about the first pivot 5722 . more specifically, a first torque arm d 1 is defined between the pin 5661 and the first pivot 5722 and a second torque arm l 1 is defined between the first pivot 5722 and the pawl pin 5675 . notably, the first torque arm d 1 is longer than the second torque arm l 1 . when the mode switch is in its second position and the stapling instrument 5000 is in its staple firing mode, referring to fig. 17 , the drive crank 5660 defines two torque arms about the second pivot 5724 . more specifically, a first torque arm d 2 is defined between the pin 5661 and the second pivot 5724 and a second torque arm l 2 is defined between the second pivot 5724 and the pawl pin 5675 . notably, the first torque arm d 1 is longer than the second torque arm d 2 . also, notably, the torque arm l 2 is longer than the torque arm l 1 . as a result of the above, the staple-firing actuations of the pawl 5670 and the firing rack 5680 are longer than the end effector closing actuation of the pawl 5670 and the firing rack 5680 . such an arrangement is useful as a short closure actuation allows the end effector 1400 to be closed quickly and longer staple firing actuations may reduce the number of pawl reciprocations that are needed to complete the entire staple firing stroke. further to the above, referring to fig. 16 , the stapling instrument 5000 is switched from its closure mode to its staple firing mode after the closure actuation has been completed but before the driver crank 5660 and the pawl 5670 are retracted. in this position, the first pin aperture in the drive crank 5660 is aligned with the first pivot 5722 and the second pin aperture in the drive crank 5660 is aligned with the second pivot 5724 . as a result, this particular position of the drive crank 5660 can be used to switch from the first pivot 5722 to the second pivot 5724 and, likewise, from the second pivot 5724 back to the first pivot 5722 . that said, any other suitable position of the drive crank 5660 can be used to switch between the first pivot and the second pivot in other embodiments. in at least one embodiment, the mode switch is in communication with the control system of the stapling instrument 5000 and the control system is not responsive to the mode switch until after the closure stroke has been completed. that said, various other embodiments are envisioned in which the stapling instrument 5000 is switchable from a first state to a second state between any two actuations of the stapling instrument 5000 . in such embodiments, for instance, the controller can switch the stapling instrument 5000 from a first, or low, leverage state to a second, or high, leverage state in which a larger drive force is transmitted to the firing rack 5680 during a subsequent actuation than during a previous actuation. in at least one such embodiment, the clinician can sense that the force being transmitted to the staple firing member is high and then selectively actuate an actuator in communication with the controller which, in response, stops the reciprocation of the driver crank 5660 and the pawl 5670 in the transition position and switches the stapling instrument from the first state to the second state. once the stapling instrument has been switched into its second state by the controller, the controller is responsive to the firing actuator 5120 to finish the staple firing stroke. in various embodiments, further to the above, the controller of a stapling instrument is configured to automatically switch the stapling instrument from a first state to a second state between the pawl reciprocations of a staple firing stroke. in at least one such embodiment, the controller comprises a sensing system configured to sense the force being transmitted through the firing rack 5680 to the firing rod 5690 and the firing member 1390 which is configured to switch the stapling instrument from the first state to the second state when the force exceeds a predetermined force threshold. in at least one embodiment, the sensing system comprises a load cell sensor configured to directly measure the force being transmitted through the firing rack 5680 . in at least one embodiment, the sensing system comprises a strain gauge mounted to the firing rack 5680 configured to measure the strain in the firing rack 5680 which is a proxy for the force being transmitted through the firing rack 5680 . in such instances, the sensing system switches the stapling instrument from the first state to the second state when the measured strain exceeds a predetermined strain threshold. in at least one embodiment the sensing system comprises a current sensor configured to measure the current through the electric motor 5630 which is a proxy for the force being transmitted through the firing rack 5680 . in such instances, the sensing system switches the stapling instrument from the first state to the second state when the measured current exceeds a predetermined current threshold. in any event, in the second state of the stapling instrument, the stapling instrument transmits a larger firing load to the firing rack 5680 for the remainder of the staple firing stroke. in various embodiments, the controller is configured to switch the stapling instrument back into the first state when the sensed firing load, or a sensed parameter related to the firing load, falls below the corresponding threshold. in various embodiments, referring to fig. 19 , a firing drive of a stapling instrument can comprise a transmission including a high speed, low torque gear or gear set (a “high speed gear h”) and a low speed, high torque gear or gear set (a “low speed gear l”). in at least one such embodiment, the low speed gear l comprises a first low speed gear l 1 and the stapling instrument further comprises a second low speed gear l 2 . the second low speed gear l 2 is slower than the first low speed gear l 1 and has a higher torque than the first low speed gear l 1 . that said, a transmission can comprise any suitable number of gears or gear sets. in use, the stapling instrument shifts between the high speed gear h, the first low speed gear l 1 , and the second low speed gear l 2 . the transmission comprises an automatic transmission configured to shift from the high speed gear h to the first low speed gear l 1 when the force transmitted through the firing drive exceeds a first force threshold f 1 . the automatic transmission is also configured to shift from the first low speed gear l 1 to the second low speed gear l 2 when the force transmitted through the firing drive exceeds a second force threshold f 2 . fig. 19 comprises a graph 5200 describing the operational steps of the stapling instrument and the transmission shifting during those operational steps, as described further below. at step 5205 , further to the above, the firing trigger of the stapling instrument is closed to clamp the end effector. neither force threshold f 1 nor force threshold f 2 are exceeded during step 5205 and, as a result, the transmission remains in its high speed gear h. if the force threshold f 1 had been exceeded during step 5205 , the transmission would have shifted from the high speed gear h to the first low speed gear l 1 . if the force threshold f 2 had been exceeded during step 5205 , the transmission would have shifted to the second low speed gear l 2 . at step 5210 , the motor is operated in reverse and the end effector is unclamped. during step 5210 , the force threshold f 1 was exceeded and the transmission shifted from the high speed gear h to the first low speed gear l 1 . notably, the force threshold f 2 was not exceeded during step 5210 and, thus, the transmission did not shift into the second low speed gear l 2 . if the force threshold f 2 had been exceeded during step 5210 , then the transmission would have shifted into the second low speed gear l 2 . during step 5215 , the end effector is re-closed. notably, the step 5215 is operationally similar to the step 5205 ; however, the step 5215 may be operationally different owing to changes in the fluid content of the tissue being clamped. also, notably, the operation of the surgical instrument does not require steps 5210 and 5215 . instead, steps 5210 and 5215 can be skipped and the operation of the surgical instrument can skip from step 5205 to step 5220 which comprises shifting the stapling instrument from the end effector closure mode to the staple firing mode, which is discussed below. once step 5220 is complete, further to the above, the staple firing stroke can be initiated which is represented by step 5225 . during the staple firing stroke, the firing force can fluctuate greatly. at step 5225 , the firing force has exceeded the force threshold f 1 , but not the force threshold f 2 . as such, the transmission is in the first low speed gear l 1 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. at step 5230 , the firing force has exceeded the force threshold f 2 and, as a result, the transmission is in the second low speed gear l 2 . the firing force can increase as the result of the tissue cutting knife of the firing member and/or the staples passing through tough, dense, and/or thick tissue, for example, during the staple firing stroke. at step 5235 , the firing force fell back below the force threshold f 2 but remained above the force threshold f 1 and, as a result, the transmission shifted into the first low speed gear l 1 . had the firing force fallen back below the force threshold f 1 , the transmission would have shifted in the high speed gear h, as it did during step 5240 which is at the end of the staple firing stroke. that said, the firing force may not always drop below the force threshold f 1 at the end of the staple firing stroke and, in such instances, the transmission would not shift into the high speed gear h. in fact, it's possible for the firing force to exceed the force threshold f 2 at the end of the staple firing stroke which would cause the transmission to shift into the second low gear l 2 . that said, embodiments are envisioned in which the controller of the stapling instrument holds the transmission in a particular gear during a particular part of the staple firing stroke. for instance, embodiments are envisioned in which the firing drive moves slowly during the beginning and/or end of the staple firing stroke resulting in a “soft start” and/or “soft stop” to the staple firing stroke. in such embodiments, the stapling instrument may be in the first low speed gear l 1 or the second low speed gear l 2 at the beginning and/or end of the firing stroke regardless of the measured firing force. in any event, the tissue cutting knife is retracted after the staple firing stroke has been completed such that the end effector can be re-opened which is represented by step 5250 . notably, the transmission is in the first low speed gear l 1 during step 5250 despite the fact that there is very little force being transmitted through the firing drive. similar to the above, in this embodiment, the stapling instrument controller can hold the transmission in the first low speed gear l 1 , for example, when the tissue cutting knife is being retracted. the entire disclosures of u.s. pat. no. 9,028,529, entitled motorized surgical instrument, which issued on may 12, 2015 and u.s. pat. no. 8,602,287, entitled motor driven surgical cutting instrument, which issued on dec. 10, 2013 are incorporated by reference herein. as discussed above, a stapling instrument can comprise a shifting device to increase the firing force being transmitted through a firing drive. in some instances, though, the increased firing force may exceed the strength of one or more components in the firing drive. in various embodiments, a firing drive can comprise a slip clutch to limit the force transmitted by the firing drive. one such stapling instrument, i.e., stapling instrument 6000 , is illustrated in fig. 20 . the stapling instrument 6000 is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 and 2000 and other stapling instruments disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 6000 comprises a handle 6100 , a firing drive 6600 , and a controller 6800 . the handle 6000 comprises a grip 6110 and a rotatable firing trigger 6120 . the firing drive 6600 comprises a motor 6630 , a gear train 6650 operably engaged with the motor 6630 , a slip clutch 6670 operably engaged with a drive gear 6654 of the gear train 6650 , a firing rack 6680 operably engaged with the slip clutch 6670 , and a firing rod 6690 mounted to and translatable with the firing rack 6680 . the controller 6800 is in communication with the motor 6630 , a battery 2640 , and a firing trigger switch 6125 which is closed by the firing trigger 6120 when the firing trigger 6120 is actuated. when the controller 6800 detects that the firing trigger switch 6125 has been closed, the controller 6800 supplies power to the electric motor 6630 from the battery 2640 . further to the above, referring to fig. 20a , the slip clutch 6670 comprises an input gear 6674 including a full circumference of gear teeth (not illustrated) operably engaged with the drive gear 6654 of the gear train 6650 . the slip clutch 6670 further comprises an output gear 6672 operably engaged with a longitudinal array of teeth 6682 defined on the bottom of the firing rack 6680 . the slip clutch 6670 further comprises a shaft 6676 and a bearing 6675 which rotatably supports the shaft 6676 . the input gear 6674 is fixedly mounted to the shaft 6676 such that the rotation of the input gear 6674 is transmitted to the shaft 6676 . the slip clutch 6670 further comprises an array of annular clutch plates 6678 mounted to the shaft 6676 and an array of annular friction plates 6679 mounted to the output gear 6672 which are engaged with the clutch plates 6678 . when the static friction threshold between the clutch plates 6678 and the friction plates 6679 is not exceeded, the output gear 6672 rotates with the shaft 6676 and the input gear 6674 . on the other hand, the clutch plates 6678 , the shaft 6676 , and the input gear 6674 slip relative to the friction plates 6679 and the output gear 6672 when the static friction threshold between the clutch plates 6678 and the friction plates 6679 has been exceeded. as a result, the firing force that can be transmitted to the firing rack 6680 is limited by the slip clutch 6670 . further to the above, a surgical stapling instrument can comprise any suitable force limiting device to prevent the staple firing drive from being overloaded. in at least one such embodiment the bottom of the firing rack comprises a rough surface and the gear drive comprises a friction wheel including a grit perimeter in contact with the rough surface. when the force transmitted from the friction wheel to the firing rack is below the static friction threshold, the friction wheel drives the firing rack proximally or distally depending on the direction in which the friction wheel is rotated. when the force transmitted from the friction wheel to the firing rack exceeds the static friction threshold, the friction wheel slips relative to the firing rack and does not drive the firing rack. a stapling instrument 7000 is illustrated in fig. 21 and is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 and 2000 and other stapling instruments disclosed herein in many respects, most of which are not discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 7000 comprises a handle 7100 and a firing drive 7600 . the firing drive 7600 comprises an electric motor 7630 , a gear train 7650 , a firing rack 7680 , and a firing rod 7690 mounted to the firing rack 7680 . the gear train 7650 comprises a planetary gear arrangement 7654 operably coupled to an output of the electric motor 7630 and a drive gear 7652 which operably couples the planetary gear arrangement 7654 to the firing rack 7680 . the motor 7630 is operated in a first direction when a first voltage potential is supplied to the motor 7630 from a battery 2640 in response to an actuation of a firing actuator 6120 . in such instances, the gear train 7650 drives the firing rack 7680 and firing rod 7690 distally. the motor 7630 is operated in an opposite direction when an opposite polarity is applied to the motor 7630 from the battery 2640 . in such instances, the gear train 7650 drives the firing rack 7680 and the firing rod 7690 proximally. in various instances, however, the motor 7630 may fail and/or the battery 2640 may not be able to suitably supply power the motor 7630 to retract the firing rack 7680 and the firing rod 7690 . as such, the stapling instrument 7000 further comprises a manually-driven bailout drive 7900 which is operable to retract the firing rack 7680 and firing rod 7690 proximally, as discussed below. the bailout drive 7900 , referring again to fig. 21 , comprises a bailout lever 7902 rotatably mounted to a housing of the handle 7100 and a bailout rack 7904 coupled to the bailout lever 7902 at a pin joint 7903 which transmits the motion of the bailout lever 7902 to the bailout rack 7904 . the bailout rack 7904 comprises an array of teeth 7906 defined thereon which are meshingly engaged with a bailout gear 7656 of the gear drive 7650 . when the bailout lever 7902 is in a stowed position, i.e., in a position lying flat against the handle housing, the bailout rack 7904 is not engaged with the bailout gear 7656 . in such instances, the bailout gear 7656 rotates relative to the bailout rack 7904 when the gear drive 7650 is driven by the electric motor 7630 . when the bailout lever 7902 is moved out of its stowed position, i.e., rotated away from the handle housing, the bailout lever 7902 is rotated into an engaged position in which the bailout rack 7904 is engaged with the bailout gear 7656 . at such point, the bailout lever 7902 is rotatably cranked from its engaged position to an actuated position to drive the bailout rack 7904 upwardly and rotate the bailout gear 7656 . notably, the bailout gear 7656 and the planetary gear arrangement 7654 are driven by a common input shaft in the gear train 7650 such that, when the bailout gear 7656 is driven by the rack 7904 , the bailout gear 7656 drives the planetary gear arrangement 7654 which drives the firing rack 7680 and firing rod 7690 proximally. in such instances, the tissue cutting knife in the end effector 1400 is retracted proximally such that the end effector 1400 can be opened and released from the patient tissue. in various embodiments, a single actuation of the bailout lever 7902 sufficiently opens the end effector 1400 . in other embodiments, the bailout lever 7902 is ratcheted back and forth to sufficiently retract the tissue cutting knife. in at least one embodiment, the rack teeth 7906 comprise ratchet teeth which slide over the bailout gear 7656 when the bailout rack 7904 is retracted. in at least one embodiment, the rack 7680 lifts away from the bailout gear 7656 when the bailout lever 7656 is rotated from its actuated position back into its engaged position and then re-engages with the bailout gear 7656 when the bailout 7656 is re-actuated. in at least one embodiment, the rack teeth 7906 comprise gear teeth which are operably intermeshed with the teeth of the bailout gear 7656 and, in this embodiment, the bailout gear 7656 comprises a ratchet face engaged with the input shaft extending into the planetary gear arrangement 7654 . as a result of the ratchet face being driveable in only one direction, the bailout gear 7656 is not driven by the electric motor 7630 but is driveable by the bailout drive. in any event, the actuation of the bailout drive 7900 does not destroy the firing drive 7600 and, as a result, the stapling instrument 7000 can be used once again once the issue that required the bailout drive 7900 to be used is resolved. in various embodiments, a stapling instrument can comprise a firing drive configured to advance and retract a firing rack and bailout drive configured to retract the firing rack. in at least one such embodiment, the firing drive comprises a firing gear drive operably engaged with the firing rack which drives and/or retracts the firing rack in response to a rotational input. the bailout drive comprises a bailout gear drive which is selectively engageable with the firing drive. more specifically, the stapling instrument comprises a shiftable gear which is shiftable between a first position in which the a stapling instrument 5000 ′ is illustrated in fig. 22 and is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 and 5000 and other stapling instruments disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 5000 ′ comprises a handle 5100 ′ including a firing drive 5600 ′ which includes the motor 5630 powered by the battery 2640 , the rack 5650 which is driven by the motor 5630 , and the drive crank 5660 which is driven by the rack 5650 . the firing drive 5600 ′ is operated in a similar manner to that of the firing drive 5600 , but the firing drive 5600 ′ further comprises a pawl 5670 ′ instead of the pawl 5670 and a firing rack 5680 ′ instead of a firing rack 5680 . unlike the pawl 5670 , the pawl 5670 ′ comprises a single drive tooth 5672 ′ which engages a longitudinal array of ratchet teeth 5682 ′ defined on the bottom of the firing rack 5680 ′ to drive the firing rack 5680 ′ distally during every actuation, or reciprocation, of the pawl 5670 ′. further to the above, the stapling instrument 5000 ′ further comprises a control system including an indicator array 5800 ′ configured to indicate the status of the stapling instrument 5000 ′. the indicator array 5800 ′ comprises four indicator lights 5810 , 5820 , 5830 , and 5840 , but could comprise any suitable number of indicator lights. the control system further comprises a proximal switch 2740 ′ and a distal switch 2750 ′. when the firing rack 5680 ′ is in its proximal-most, unactuated, position ( fig. 22 ), the firing rack 5680 ′ is in contact with the proximal switch 2740 ′ which holds the proximal switch 2740 ′ in an open state. the stapling instrument 5000 ′ further comprises a mode switch 5720 ′ in communication with the indicator array 5800 ′ that is switchable between a first position to place the stapling instrument 5000 ′ in an end effector closure mode and a second position to place the stapling instrument 5000 ′ in a staple firing mode. when the mode switch 5720 ′ is in its first position and the firing rack 5680 ′ is in its proximal-most position, referring now to fig. 22a , the indicator light 5840 is illuminated by the battery 2640 . when the firing rack 5680 ′ is advanced distally to perform the closure stroke, the firing rack 5680 ′ disengages from the proximal switch 2740 ′ which allows the proximal switch 2740 ′ to close. in such instances, the indicator light 5840 is no longer illuminated and, instead, the indicator light 5830 is illuminated. this change in the indicator lights indicates to the clinician that the end effector 1400 is closed. once the mode switch 2740 ′ is shifted to its second position, neither of the indicator lights 5830 and 5840 are illuminated and, instead, the indicator light 5810 is illuminated owing to the distal switch 2750 ′ being in a normally-closed condition. at the end of the staple firing stroke, the firing rack 5680 ′ contacts the distal switch 2750 ′ and opens the distal switch 2750 ′. in such instances, the indicator light 5810 is no longer illuminated and, instead, the indicator light 5820 is illuminated. this change in the indicator lights indicates to the clinician that the staple firing stroke has been completed. in various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument comprises a firing drive including an electric motor and a firing rack driven distally by the electric motor to perform a closure stroke and then a staple firing stroke. in at least one embodiment, the firing drive further comprises a closure actuator and a separate firing actuator in communication with a processor of the stapling instrument. when the closure actuator is actuated to close the end effector, the electric motor is rotated in a first direction to drive the firing rack distally. when the end effector is closed, the processor stops the electric motor. that said, the processor is not responsive to an actuation of the firing actuator while the end effector is open. after the end effector has been closed, the processor is no longer responsive to an actuation of the closure actuator. to open the end effector, at such point, the firing rack is retraced proximally when a retraction knob extending from the firing rack is pulled proximally. once the end effector has been closed, the processor is now responsive to an actuation of the firing actuator to operate the electric motor in the first direction to perform the staple firing stroke. once the staple firing stroke has been completed, the processor stops the electric motor. once the electric motor has been stopped—either at the end of the staple firing stroke or before the end of the staple firing stroke—the firing rack can be retracted proximally by the retraction knob to re-open the end effector. in various embodiments, the stapling instrument comprises a retraction actuator in communication with the processor that, when actuated, operates the electric motor in an opposite direction to retract the firing rack and open the end effector. in various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument comprises two firing drives—a manually-driven closure drive and a motor-driven staple firing drive. the manually-driven closure drive comprises a rotatable trigger and a firing rack. the trigger is engaged with the firing rack such that an actuation of the trigger drives the firing rack distally through a closure stroke. when the trigger is rotated into its actuated position, the trigger is releasably held in its actuated position by a trigger lock. if the clinician wants to re-open the end effector, the clinician can release the trigger lock and allow a trigger spring to bias the trigger back into its unactuated position and drive the firing rack proximally. the motor-driven staple firing drive comprises an electric motor configured to drive the firing rack distally through a staple firing stroke once the firing rack has been moved through the closure stroke. the closure stroke moves the firing rack from a proximal unactuated position in which the firing rack is not operably engaged with the electric motor to an actuated position in which the firing rack is operably engaged with the electric motor. at such point, a firing actuator in communication with the electric motor is actuatable to operate the electric motor to drive the firing rack through the staple firing stroke. in at least one embodiment, the electric motor is controlled by a processor and, prior to the end effector being closed, the processor is not responsive to an actuation of the firing actuator. once the end effector has been closed, the processor is responsive to the firing actuator. in any event, the closure trigger is disengaged from the firing rack once the end effector has been closed. in such instances, as a result, the staple firing stroke is performed without the closure trigger being operably engaged with the firing rack. once the staple firing stroke has been completed, the processor automatically operates the electric motor in an opposite direction to retract the firing rack. alternatively, a retraction knob extending from the firing rack can be pulled proximally to retract the firing rack. when the firing rack is retracted back to the actuated position, i.e., the position between the closure stroke and the staple firing stroke, the firing rack is re-engaged with the closure trigger. once the firing trigger is re-engaged with the closure trigger, the closure trigger can be released to drive the firing rack back into its unactuated position to re-open the end effector. further to the above, a manually-driven closure system allows the clinician to feel the clamping load being applied to the tissue captured within the end effector via the trigger. if the clamping load is high, for instance, the clinician can feel the force needed to clamp the end effector thereby giving the clinician an intuitive feel of what is occurring in the end effector. that said, the force needed to drive the firing rack distally to fire the staples and cut the tissue is often very high, or at least high enough that some clinicians may struggle to advance the firing rack distally with a manual trigger. a motor-driven staple firing drive can alleviate this issue and make the stapling instrument easy to operate by all clinicians. in various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument comprises a pneumatic firing drive. the firing drive comprises an air pump in communication with an air reservoir configured to store compressed air supplied to the air reservoir from the air pump. the firing drive further comprises a normally-closed valve in communication with the air reservoir and a linear air piston. the linear air piston comprises a firing rod that is moved distally when the valve is opened by a rotatable trigger. the linear air piston further comprises a pawl rotatably mounted to the firing rod. when the firing rod is driven distally, the pawl drives a firing rack of the firing drive distally through an actuation stroke. when the valve is re-closed, the compressed air in the air piston is exhausted through the valve and the firing rod and the pawl are retracted proximally by a compression spring positioned in the linear air piston. in such instances, the pawl slides proximally relative to the firing rack back into an unactuated position. at such point, the valve can be re-opened to drive the pawl and firing rack distally through another actuation stroke. in various instances, the first actuation stroke can comprise a closure stroke to close the end effector and the second actuation stroke can comprise a staple firing stroke. in such instances, the firing drive can be actuated as many times as needed to fire all of the staples from the staple cartridge. referring again to fig. 1 , the loading unit 1300 is removably attachable to the shaft 1200 of the stapling instrument 1000 . in various instances, the loading unit 1300 comprises a lock that releasably locks the loading unit 1300 to the shaft 1200 . when the stapling instrument 1000 is not positioned in the patient, a clinician can easily move the lock from a locked position to an unlocked position and detach the loading unit 1300 from the shaft 1200 . if, however, the loading unit 1300 is positioned in a patient, such as through a trocar or tube, for example, the clinician may not be able to access the lock to disconnect the loading unit 1300 from the shaft 1200 . as a result, the options for a clinician to resolve a failure in the stapling instrument 1000 may be limited. referring to fig. 23 , a stapling instrument 8000 comprises a handle 1100 and a shaft 8200 that is rotatably coupled to the shaft 8200 about a rotation joint positioned within a nozzle grip 8210 of the shaft 8200 . similar to the stapling instrument 1000 , the stapling instrument 8000 comprises a loading unit that is releasably attachable to the shaft 8200 . the stapling instrument 8000 further comprises a loading unit lock release 8900 which is configured to unlock the loading unit from the shaft 8200 . notably, the lock release 8900 is supported by the shaft 8200 adjacent the handle 1100 . more specifically, the lock release 8900 comprises an actuator 8910 slideably mounted to the nozzle grip 8210 such that a clinician holding the handle 1100 can access the actuator 8910 with the same hand and pull the actuator 8910 proximally. the lock release 8900 further comprises an elongate lock bar 8990 including a first end mounted to the actuator 8910 and a second end releasably engaged with the loading unit lock. when the actuator 8910 is in its unactuated position, the loading unit is locked to the shaft 8200 . when the actuator 8910 is slid into its actuated position, the loading unit lock is unlocked and the shaft 8200 can be detached from the loading unit. in at least one embodiment, the loading unit lock is rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position when the actuator 8910 is moved proximally. the lock release 8900 further comprises a spring configured to bias the actuator 8910 back into its actuated position when the clinician releases the actuator 8910 . as a result of the above, a clinician can easily unlock the loading unit from the shaft 8200 to resolve a failure in the stapling instrument 8000 , such as when the tissue cutting knife in the loading unit becomes stuck during the staple firing stroke and/or cannot otherwise be retracted. as discussed above, a stapling instrument can comprise a loading unit that is removably attached to a shaft of the stapling instrument. a stapling instrument 9000 is illustrated in fig. 24 and is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 , 2000 , and 8000 in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 9000 comprises a handle 9100 and a releasable shaft assembly 9200 . the shaft assembly 9200 comprises an end effector 1400 , an articulation joint 1500 , an elongate portion 9230 extending proximally from the articulation joint 1500 , and a proximal attachment end 9240 configured to be attached to a rotatable nozzle grip 9210 of the handle 9100 . the nozzle grip 9210 comprises a door, or hatch, 9220 that is rotatable from a closed position to an open position. when the door 9220 is in its closed position, a clinician cannot access the interconnection between the proximal attachment end 9240 and the handle 9100 . when the door 9220 is in its open position, however, a clinician can access the interconnection between the proximal attachment end 9240 and the handle 9100 and decouple the shaft assembly 9200 from the handle 9100 . the shaft assembly 9200 comprises a shaft frame that is disengageable from a frame of the handle 9100 . the shaft assembly 9200 further comprises a firing member 9290 that is disengageable from a firing rack in the handle 9100 and an articulation actuator that is disengageable from an articulation input actuator 1510 ( fig. 23 ) supported on the nozzle grip 9210 . when the shaft assembly 9200 is detached from the handle 9100 , the clinician can pull on the proximal end of the firing member 9290 to retract the firing member 9290 proximally and open the end effector 1400 . such an arrangement can be particularly useful in situations where the end effector 1400 has been inserted into a patient through a trocar, or tube, and the end effector 1400 is stuck on the patient tissue, for example. in such instances, the firing member 9290 is accessible from outside of the patient and the trocar. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 7,624,902, entitled surgical stapling apparatus, which issued on dec. 1, 2009 is incorporated by reference herein. a linear pull bailout, such as those described herein, for example, is usable with the stapling instruments disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 7,624,902, among others. in any event, the shaft assembly 9200 can be re-assembled to the handle 9100 and re-used once the issue that required the bailout to be used is resolved. in various alternative embodiments, referring to fig. 25 , a shaft assembly 9200 ′ comprises a nozzle grip 9210 ′ and an elongate portion 9230 ′ mounted to the nozzle grip 9210 ′ where the nozzle grip 9210 ′ is releasably attachable to a handle. similar to the handle nozzle grip 9210 , the shaft nozzle grip 9210 ′ comprises an openable door, or hatch, 9220 rotatably mounted to the nozzle grip 9210 ′. when the door 9220 is open, referring primarily to fig. 25a , the clinician has access to a bailout mechanism 9250 ′ which is actuatable to engage a ratchet pawl 9270 ′ with a longitudinal rack 9280 ′ defined on the proximal end of a firing member 9290 ′ extending through the shaft 9200 ′. thus, when the shaft assembly 9200 ′ has been detached from the handle, the clinician can manually drive the firing member 9290 ′ proximally by ratcheting the bailout mechanism 9250 ′ and open the end effector 1400 . the shaft assembly 9200 ′ can be re-assembled to the handle and re-used once the issue that required the bailout to be used is resolved. a staple cartridge 10900 for use with a stapling instrument is illustrated in fig. 26 . the staple cartridge 10900 comprises a cartridge body 10910 including a proximal end 10912 , a distal end, a deck 10913 extending between the proximal end 10912 and the distal end, and longitudinal rows of staple cavities 10920 defined in the deck 10913 . the cartridge body 10910 further comprises a longitudinal slot 10914 extending from the proximal end 10912 toward the distal end. the staple cavities 10920 are arranged in three longitudinal rows on each side of the longitudinal slot 10914 , although embodiments are envisioned in which the staple cavities 10920 are arranged in two longitudinal rows on each side of the longitudinal slot 10914 . that said, the staple cavities 10920 can be arranged in any suitable number of longitudinal rows and/or oriented in any suitable manner. a staple is removably stored in each staple cavity 10920 ; however, alternative embodiments are envisioned in which a staple is not positioned in each staple cavity 10920 . in at least one such embodiment, the outermost rows of staple cavities 10920 do not have a staple in each staple cavity 10920 . such an embodiment may provide a more flexible staple line in the stapled tissue. the cartridge body 10910 further comprises lock supports 10916 and 10918 extending proximally from the proximal end 10912 , which are discussed in greater detail further below. the staple cartridge 10900 further comprises staple drivers and a sled 10950 . the sled 10950 is positioned in the cartridge body 10910 and is movable from a proximal unfired position to a distal fired position by a firing member 10990 during a staple firing stroke. the sled 10950 comprises a center portion 10954 positioned in the longitudinal slot 10914 and ramps 10952 positioned on opposite sides of the central portion 10954 . as the sled 10950 is progressed distally by the firing member 10990 during the staple firing stroke, the ramps 10952 contact the staple drivers and drive the staple drivers and the staples toward an anvil of the stapling instrument positioned opposite the staple cartridge 10900 . the sled 10950 further comprises lock supports 10956 and 10958 extending proximally therefrom. when the sled 10950 is in its proximal unfired position, referring to fig. 27 , the lock support 10956 of the sled 10950 extends under the lock support 10916 of the cartridge body 10910 and, similarly, the lock support 10958 of the sled 10950 extends under the lock support 10918 of the cartridge body 10910 . in such instances, the sled lock supports 10956 and 10958 co-operate with the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 to hold a firing lockout of the stapling instrument in an unlocked position. more specifically, the firing lockout comprises two lock arms 10980 rotatably mounted to a shaft of the stapling instrument about pivot pins 10982 which are held in an unlocked position by the lock supports 10916 , 10918 , 10956 , and 10958 when the sled 10950 is in its proximal unfired position, as illustrated in fig. 27 . in such instances, the distal ends 10988 of the lock arms 10980 are held in position by the lock supports 10916 , 10918 , 10956 , and 10958 against a biasing force applied to their proximal ends by springs 10985 compressed between the lock arms 10980 and a shaft frame of the stapling instrument. moreover, each lock arm 10980 further comprises an inwardly-extending lock 10986 that, in such instances, is not engaged with a lock window 10996 defined in the firing member 10990 and, as a result, the firing member 10990 can be moved distally to push the sled 10950 through the staple firing stroke. when the sled 10950 is advanced distally during the staple firing stroke, referring to fig. 28 , the sled lock supports 10956 and 10958 are no longer positioned under the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 . the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 are not strong enough by themselves to support the lock arms 10980 in their unlocked positions owing to the biasing forces being applied to the proximal ends of the lock arms 10980 by the springs 10985 . as such, the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 , which comprise cantilevers, deflect downwardly under the load being applied thereto thereby allowing the lock arms 10980 to rotate into the locked positions. notably, at this point, the firing member 10990 has already been advanced distally, at least partially, and the lock windows 10996 defined in the firing member 10990 are no longer aligned with the inwardly-extending locks 10986 of the lock arms 10980 . as such, the distal movement of the firing member 10990 during the rest of the staple firing stroke is unimpeded by the lock arms 10980 . when the firing member 10990 is retracted back into its unactuated position after the staple firing stroke, however, the inwardly-extending locks 10986 of the lock arms 10980 swing into the lock windows 10996 of the firing member 10990 . in such instances, the lock arms 10980 provide a gate that prevents the firing member 10990 from being advanced distally through another staple firing stroke through the now-spent staple cartridge 10900 positioned in the cartridge jaw. in order to reset the stapling instrument so that it can be used once again, the spent staple cartridge 10900 must be removed from the cartridge jaw and replaced with another unspent staple cartridge 10900 . in such instances, the lock arms 10980 are rotated back into their unlocked positions by the lock supports 10916 , 10918 , 10956 , and 10958 of the new, or unspent, staple cartridge 10900 . the reader should appreciate that this lockout system serves as both a spent cartridge lockout and as a missing cartridge lockout. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 9,566,064, entitled surgical stapling apparatus, which issued on feb. 14, 2017 is incorporated by reference herein. further to the above, the sled lock supports 10956 and 10958 are in contact with the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 when the sled 10950 is in its proximal unfired position. in such instances, the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 releasably hold the sled 10950 in its proximal unfired position until the sled 10950 is pushed distally by the firing member 10990 owing to frictional resistance between the cartridge lock supports 10916 and 10918 and the sled lock supports 10956 and 10958 , respectively. such an arrangement can prevent, or at least inhibit, the sled 10950 from being moved distally accidentally prior to the staple firing stroke. in various embodiments, further to the above, the lock arms 10980 can also serve as a closure lockout. more specifically, as discussed above, the firing member 10990 is advanceable distally to close the end effector of the surgical instrument and then advanceable distally again to perform a staple firing stroke. if the firing member 10990 is not unlocked by the staple cartridge 10900 as discussed above, then the lock arms 10980 would be engaged with the firing member 10990 at the outset of the closure stroke and, as a result, the firing member 10990 would not be advanceable distally to close the end effector. in various alternative embodiments, the lock windows 10996 defined in the firing member 10990 are sized and configured to permit the firing member 10990 to move distally far enough to close the end effector even if the lock arms 10980 have not been moved into their unlocked positions by an unfired staple cartridge 10900 . in such embodiments, referring to figs. 26b and 26c , the stapling instrument can further comprise a separate closure lockout which prevents the end effector from closing if a staple cartridge is missing from the stapling instrument, as discussed further below. in various embodiments, a surgical instrument can further comprise lock arms 10980 ′ which are rotatable between a locked position in which they are engaged with a sidewall of a lock window 10986 ′ defined in a firing member 10990 ′ and an unlocked position in which the lock arms 10980 ′ are not engaged with the firing member 10990 ′. a staple cartridge 10900 ′, which is similar to the staple cartridge 10900 in many respects, comprises closure keys 10916 ′ extending from a cartridge body 10910 ′ of the staple cartridge 10900 ′ which can engage the lock arms 10986 ′ and move the lock arms 10986 ′ into their unlocked position. in at least one embodiment, the closure keys 10916 ′ of the staple cartridge 10900 ′ unlock the lock arms 10986 ′ when the staple cartridge 10900 ′ is seated in the surgical instrument. at such point, the firing member 10990 ′ is in an unlocked closure state and can be advanced distally to perform a closure stroke to close the end effector. that said, whether or not the firing member 10990 ′ is an unlocked firing state to then perform a staple firing stroke is determined by the position of the lock arms 10980 , as discussed above. in various alternative embodiments, further to the above, the closure keys 10916 ′ do not automatically unlock the lock arms 10980 ′ when the staple cartridge 10900 ′ is seated in the surgical instrument. instead, the closure keys 10916 ′ can engage the lock arms 10980 ′ when the cartridge jaw supporting the staple cartridge 10990 ′ is moved toward its closed, or clamped, position. in such embodiments, the lock window 10996 ′ defined in the firing member 10990 ′ is sized and configured to permit some initial distal movement of the firing member 10990 ′ when the closure stroke is initiated and, if the closure keys 10916 ′ engage and unlock the lock arms 10980 ′ during this initial movement, the firing member 10990 ′ enters into its unlocked closure state and can be advanced distally to complete the closure stroke. if, however, the staple cartridge seated in the cartridge jaw does not comprise the closure keys 10916 ′, the lock arms 10980 ′ are not unlocked by the initial movement of the firing member 10990 ′ and the lock arms 10980 ′ will stop the firing member 10990 ′ from completing the closure stroke. such an arrangement can prevent incompatible staple cartridges from being used with a surgical instrument. the firing lockout discussed above in connection with figs. 26-26c keys off of the presence of the sled 10950 being positioned in the proximal end of the staple cartridge 10900 when the staple firing stroke is initiated. another embodiment is illustrated in fig. 29 which comprises a staple cartridge 11900 for use with a stapling instrument comprising a firing lockout. the staple cartridge 11900 comprises a cartridge body, staple drivers, and staples removably stored in staple cavities defined in the cartridge body. the staple cartridge 11900 further comprises a sled 11950 including a lock support 11958 that is moved from a proximal unfired position ( fig. 29 ) to a distal fired position ( fig. 30 ) by a tissue cutting knife 11990 of the stapling instrument during a staple firing stroke. the staple cartridge 11900 further comprises a pan 11960 attached to the cartridge body which prevents the staple drivers and/or staples from falling out of the bottom of the cartridge body. the pan 11960 comprises a lock support 11968 which sits on top of the lock support 11958 of the sled 11950 when the sled 11950 is in its proximal unfired position ( fig. 29 ). in such instances, the pan lock support 11968 and the sled lock support 11958 co-operate to hold a lock arm 11980 of the stapling instrument in an unlocked position against a biasing force being applied to the lock arm 11980 by a biasing spring 11985 positioned intermediate the lock arm 11980 and a frame of the stapling instrument. in such instances, a lock end 11986 of the lock arm 11980 is not positioned in a lock notch 11996 defined in the tissue cutting knife 11990 and, as a result, the tissue cutting knife 11990 can be moved distally through the staple firing stroke. when the sled 11950 is moved distally by the tissue cutting knife 11990 , referring to fig. 30 , the sled lock support 11958 no longer supports the pan lock support 11968 and, as a result, the biasing spring 11985 pushes the lock arm 11980 downwardly which bends, or deflects, the pan lock support 11968 downwardly. at such point, the lock notch 11996 is no longer aligned with the lock end 11986 of the lock arm 11980 and, as a result, the lock end 11986 is pushed against the bottom of the tissue cutting knife 11990 by the spring 11985 throughout the remainder of the staple firing stroke. when the tissue cutting knife 11990 is retracted, however, the lock notch 11996 is re-aligned with the lock end 11986 which is pushed into the lock notch 11996 by the spring 11985 . in such instances, the tissue cutting knife 11990 is locked from being advanced distally through another staple firing stroke without the spent staple cartridge 11900 being replaced with an unspent staple cartridge 11900 . the reader should appreciate that this lockout system serves as both a spent cartridge lockout and as a missing cartridge lockout. a staple cartridge 12900 comprising a spent cartridge lockout is illustrated in figs. 31-31d . the staple cartridge 12900 comprises a cartridge body including longitudinal rows of staple cavities, staples positioned within the staple cavities, and a sled 12950 movable from a proximal unfired position ( fig. 31a ) to a distal fired position ( fig. 31b ) to eject the staples from the staple cavities. the staple cartridge 12900 is seatable in a cartridge jaw 12420 of a stapling instrument such that the sled 12950 is positioned in front of a tissue cutting knife 12990 of the stapling instrument. when the sled 12950 is in its proximal unfired position, referring to fig. 31a , the sled 12950 is held in position between two springs 12980 extending from the cartridge body positioned on opposite sides of the sled 12950 . referring to fig. 31 , each spring 12980 comprises an apex 12982 , a proximal side 12984 on the proximal side of the apex 12982 , and a distal side 12986 on the distal side of the apex 12982 . when the sled 12950 is in its proximal unfired position, as illustrated in fig. 31a , the sled 12950 is wedged between the apexes 12982 of the springs 12980 and compresses the springs 12980 laterally. stated another way, the sled 12950 holds open a larger opening between the springs 12980 such that the tissue cutting knife 12990 can move between the springs 12980 to push the sled 12950 distally through the staple firing stroke, which is illustrated in fig. 31b . during the staple firing stroke, the springs 12980 resiliently return to their unflexed states to partially close the gap between the apexes 12982 of the springs 12980 owing to the absence of the sled 12950 positioned therebetween. after the staple firing stroke, referring to fig. 31c , the tissue cutting knife 12990 is retracted proximally until it contacts the distal sides 12986 of the springs 12980 . the distal sides 12986 are angled, or sloped, such that the tissue cutting knife 12990 can deflect the springs 12980 laterally as the tissue cutting knife 12990 is retracted proximally until the tissue cutting knife 12990 passes by the springs 12980 . at such point, the springs 12980 resiliently return to their unflexed configurations to partially close the gap between the spring apexes 12988 , as illustrated in fig. 31d . notably, the sled 12950 is not retracted proximally with the tissue cutting knife 12990 and, as such, the sled 12950 is not positioned to expand the gap between the spring axes 12982 after the staple firing stroke. if the tissue cutting knife 12990 is advanced distally once again without replacing the now-spent staple cartridge 12900 , the tissue cutting knife 12990 contacts the proximal sides 12984 of the springs 12980 in their unflexed state and, owing to slope or angle of the proximal sides 12984 , the tissue cutting knife 12990 is unable to pass by the springs 12980 . such an arrangement, as a result, provides a spent cartridge lockout. when the spent staple cartridge is replaced with an unspent staple cartridge, the tissue cutting knife 12990 can be advanced distally through another staple firing stroke. as described above, referring again to fig. 31 , the proximal sides 12984 of the springs 12980 and the distal sides 12986 of the springs 12980 extend at different angles. more specifically, the distal sides 12986 extend at more shallow angles than the proximal sides 12984 . another way of describing this arraignment is that the distal sides 12986 have a length l 1 which is longer than the length l 2 of the proximal sides 12984 . in various embodiments, the springs 12980 are comprised of metal, for example. in at least one such embodiment, the springs 12980 are part of a metal pan extending under and attached to the staple cartridge 12900 . in another embodiment, the springs 12980 comprise metal inserts in a plastic cartridge body of the staple cartridge 12900 . in various other embodiments, the springs 12980 are comprised of plastic and are integrally formed with a plastic cartridge body of the staple cartridge 12900 , for example. an alternative spent cartridge lockout comprising springs 13980 is illustrated in fig. 32 . the springs 13980 are connected to the cartridge body and/or the pan of the staple cartridge at a pivot 13981 and, similar to the springs 12980 , are held in a compressed state by the sled 12950 when the sled 12950 is in its proximal unfired position such that the tissue cutting knife 12990 can pass between the springs 13980 to push the sled 12950 through its staple firing stroke. each spring 13980 comprises a proximal link 13984 and a distal link 13986 connected at an apex 13982 of the spring 13980 . the apex 13982 comprises a pivot joint connecting the proximal link 13984 and the distal link 13986 . in at least one embodiment, the apex 13982 includes a score or notch in the body of the spring 13980 which allows the links 13984 and 13986 to pivot relative to one another. each spring 13980 further comprises a base link 13988 pivotably mounted to the proximal link 13984 at a pivot 13985 . similar to the above, the pivot 13985 can comprise a score or notch in the body of the spring 13980 , for example. notably, the base link 13988 comprises a free end which is unconnected to any other portion of the staple cartridge that allows the base link 13988 to slide relative to the cartridge body. when the tissue cutting knife 12990 is retracted after the staple firing stroke, referring to fig. 32 , the tissue cutting knife 12990 passes over the pivots 13981 and contacts the distal links 13986 . owing to the free ends of the base links 13988 , the springs 13980 collapse to permit the tissue cutting knife 12990 to be retracted to its proximal unfired position. in such instances, the base links 13988 slide proximally to accommodate this change in the configuration of the springs 13980 . once the tissue cutting knife 12990 is retracted past the springs 13980 , the springs 13980 resiliently return to their unflexed shape. if the spent staple cartridge is not replaced and the tissue cutting knife 12990 is advanced distally once again, referring to fig. 33 , the tissue cutting knife 12990 contacts the proximal links 13984 of the springs 13980 and pushes the base links 13988 distally which, in turn, pushes the opposing apexes 13982 toward one another to close the gap between the springs 13980 to prevent the tissue cutting knife 12990 from being moved through the spent staple cartridge. when the spent staple cartridge is replaced with an unspent staple cartridge, the tissue cutting knife 12990 can be advanced distally through another staple firing stroke. in various embodiments, as discussed above, a spent staple cartridge is replaceable with an unspent staple cartridge. in certain embodiments, referring to fig. 1 , a staple cartridge, such as staple cartridge 1900 , for example, is snap-fit into the cartridge jaw 1420 . in at least one such embodiment, the staple cartridge 1900 is positioned between the anvil jaw 1410 and the cartridge jaw 1420 with the pan of the staple cartridge 1900 facing toward the cartridge jaw 1420 and the deck of the staple cartridge 1900 generally facing the anvil jaw 1410 . with the proximal end of the staple cartridge 1900 being aligned with the proximal end of the cartridge jaw 1420 and the distal nose of the staple cartridge 1900 extending from the distal end of the cartridge jaw 1420 , the clinician pushes down on the deck of the staple cartridge 1900 to seat the staple cartridge 1900 in the cartridge jaw 1420 . in many instances, a considerable amount of force is needed to insert the staple cartridge 1900 into the cartridge jaw 1420 . to remove the staple cartridge 1900 from the cartridge jaw 1420 , an impact force is often applied to the nose of the staple cartridge 1900 to dislodge the staple cartridge 1900 from its snap-fit arrangement with the cartridge jaw 1420 . although this design is suitable for its intended purpose, improvements to this design are discussed below. referring to figs. 34-36 , a stapling instrument comprises a cartridge jaw 14420 configured to releasably receive a staple cartridge 14900 therein. similar to the cartridge jaw 1420 , the cartridge jaw 14420 comprises a bottom wall 14422 and opposing lateral sidewalls 14424 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 14422 . the walls 14422 and 14424 are comprised of metal, such as stainless steel, for example, but could be comprised of any suitable metal. the staple cartridge 14900 is configured to be closely received between the lateral sidewalls 14420 when the staple cartridge 14900 is seated in the cartridge jaw 14420 such that there is no relative lateral movement between the staple cartridge 14900 and the cartridge jaw 14420 . in various instances, there is a line-to-line lateral fit between the staple cartridge 14900 and the cartridge jaw 14420 with little, if any, clearance therebetween. the cartridge jaw 14420 further comprises alignment notches 14425 defined in the lateral sidewalls 14424 which are configured to closely receive alignment projections 14905 extending from the staple cartridge 14900 . the alignment notches 14425 and the alignment projections 14905 are sized and configured to co-operatively align the staple cartridge 14900 longitudinally within the cartridge jaw 14420 . moreover, the alignment notches 14425 and the alignment projections 14905 are sized and configured such that there is no relative longitudinal movement between the staple cartridge 14900 and the cartridge jaw 14420 . in various instances, there is a line-to-line fit between the alignment notches 14425 and the cartridge jaw 14420 with little, if any, clearance therebetween. in various instances, further to the below, the fit between the staple cartridge 14900 and the cartridge jaw 14420 may be a slight friction fit and/or a zero-insertion-force (zif) fit. further to the above, the cartridge jaw 14420 further comprises a cartridge lock, such as cartridge lock 14980 , for example, which is configured to lock the staple cartridge 14900 into the cartridge jaw 14420 . the cartridge lock 14980 is slideable between an unlocked position ( fig. 35 ) and a locked position ( fig. 36 ) to engage the cartridge lock 14980 with the staple cartridge 14900 after the staple cartridge 14900 has been positioned in the cartridge jaw 14420 . the cartridge lock 14980 comprises a base 14982 ( figs. 37 and 38 ) slideable along the base wall 14422 of the cartridge jaw 14420 and lock arms 14984 extending distally therefrom. the cartridge lock 14980 is comprised of stamped stainless steel, for example, but could be comprised of any suitable material. when the cartridge lock 14980 is moved from its unlocked position ( fig. 35 ) to its locked position ( fig. 36 ), the lock arms 14984 engage lock windows 14904 defined in the staple cartridge 14900 . in various embodiments, the cartridge lock 14980 further comprises a biasing spring configured to push the cartridge lock into its locked position. in at least one embodiment, the lateral sidewalls 14424 of the cartridge jaw 14420 comprise cam features which cam the lock arms 14984 into the lock windows 14904 . in at least one embodiment, the lock arms 14984 are resiliently flexed outwardly when the staple cartridge 14900 is seated in the cartridge jaw 14420 and then relax inwardly into the lock windows 14904 when the cartridge lock 14980 is moved into its locked position. to unlock the staple cartridge 14900 and remove the staple cartridge 14900 from the cartridge jaw 14420 , the cartridge lock 14980 is pulled proximally into its unlocked position to disengage the cartridge lock 14980 from the staple cartridge 14900 . such an arrangement can avoid the need to apply an impact force to the staple cartridge 14900 to remove the staple cartridge 14900 from the cartridge jaw 14420 . as discussed herein, a firing member, such as a tissue cutting knife, for example, is movable distally to close an end effector of a stapling instrument and then movable distally once again to perform a staple firing stroke. referring to figs. 27 and 28 once again, the firing member 10990 comprises a first cam 10991 configured to engage a cartridge jaw, such as cartridge jaw 1420 , for example, and a second cam 10992 configured to engage an anvil jaw, such as anvil jaw 1410 , for example. when the firing member 10990 is advanced distally from an unactuated position, the firing member 10990 contacts the anvil jaw 1410 and the cartridge jaw 1420 to close the end effector 1400 . in such instances, the cams 10991 and 10992 co-operatively work together during a closure stroke to move the cartridge jaw 1420 from an open, unclamped position to a closed, clamped position. to re-open the end effector 1400 , the firing member 10990 is retracted proximally to disengage the cam 10991 from the cartridge jaw 1420 so that the cartridge jaw 1420 can be re-opened. once the end effector 1400 is closed and the clinician is satisfied with the position of the end effector 1400 on the patient tissue, the firing member 10990 is moved distally once again to perform the staple firing stroke. notably, the cams 10991 and 10992 co-operate to the hold the cartridge jaw 1420 in position relative to the anvil jaw 1410 during the staple firing stroke. also, notably, various embodiments are envisioned in which the anvil jaw 1410 rotates relative to the cartridge jaw 1420 between an open position and a closed position and the above-described arrangement is applicable to such embodiments. a stapling instrument 15000 is illustrated in figs. 39-41 and is similar to stapling instruments 1000 and 2000 and/or other stapling instruments disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. referring to fig. 29 , the stapling instrument 15000 comprises a shaft 15200 , an end effector 15400 , and a staple cartridge 15900 positioned in the end effector 15400 . the staple cartridge 15900 comprises a cartridge body 15910 including staple cavities, staples removably stored in the staple cavities, staple drivers, and a sled 15950 movable from a proximal unfired position ( fig. 39 ) to a distal fired position ( fig. 41 ) during a staple firing stroke. the end effector 15400 comprises a cartridge jaw 15420 and an anvil jaw 15410 rotatable relative to the cartridge jaw 15420 about a jaw pivot 15405 between an open, unclamped position and a closed, clamped position. the stapling instrument 15000 further comprises a firing drive including a tissue cutting knife 15990 which is movable distally during a closure stroke to close the end effector 15400 and then movable distally once again during the staple firing stroke to push the sled 15950 distally and eject the staples from the staple cavities. the tissue cutting knife 15990 comprises a cartridge cam 15991 , an anvil cam 15993 , and a tissue cutting edge 15995 positioned intermediate the cartridge cam 15991 and the anvil cam 15993 , and is discussed in greater detail below. the stapling instrument 15000 further comprises a tissue compression lever 15800 which is engaged by the tissue cutting knife 15990 during the closure stroke to close the anvil jaw 15410 . the tissue compression lever 15800 is rotatably mounted to a frame of the shaft 15200 about a pivot 15801 and comprises a distal end 15803 which extends distally relative to the pivot 15801 and a proximal end 15805 which extends proximally relative to the pivot 15801 . when the anvil jaw 15410 is in its open position, the tissue cutting knife 15990 is not engaged with the tissue compression lever 15800 . when the tissue cutting knife 15990 is advanced distally during the closure stroke, referring to fig. 39 , the anvil cam 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 contacts the distal end 15803 of the tissue compression lever 15800 and rotates the distal end 15803 downwardly. this rotation of the tissue compression lever 15800 causes the proximal end 15805 of the tissue compression lever 15800 to rotate upwardly. a spring 15810 is positioned intermediate the anvil jaw 15410 and the proximal end 15805 of the tissue compression lever 15800 at location which is proximal to the jaw pivot 15405 . another spring 15290 pushes the tissue cutting knife 15990 downwardly to hold the tissue cutting knife 15990 in contact with the compression lever 15800 . as a result of the above, the distal movement of the tissue cutting knife 15990 rotates the tissue compression lever 15800 in a direction which, not only pushes the anvil jaw 15410 closed as illustrated in fig, 39 , but pushes the anvil jaw 15410 into an over-compressed orientation as illustrated in fig. 40 . such over-compression of the tissue occurs before the staple firing stroke and advantageously pushes some of the fluid contained in the tissue clamped between the jaws 15410 and 15420 into the adjacent tissue. in many instances, the clinician may pause for about 10 seconds, for example after the closure stroke before performing the staple firing stroke to permit more fluid to flow out of the tissue. as a result of the above, the tissue may be thinner when it is stapled and/or the deformation of the staples against the anvil 15410 may be more consistent. further to the above, the anvil jaw 15410 comprises a longitudinal slot 15411 defined therein which is configured to receive the anvil cam 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 during the staple firing stroke. the longitudinal slot 15411 comprises a proximal ramp 15413 positioned adjacent to the distal end 15803 of the tissue compression lever 15800 when the anvil jaw 15410 is in a closed position after the closure stroke. at the outset of the staple firing stroke, the tissue cutting knife 15990 moves distally such that the anvil cam 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 disengages from the tissue compression lever 15800 and contacts the proximal ramp 15413 of the longitudinal slot 15411 . at such point, the pre-compression provided by the tissue compression lever 15800 is relieved and the compression of the tissue during the staple firing stroke is controlled by the anvil cam 15993 which slides along the bottom surface of the slot 15411 and the cartridge cam 15991 which slides along the bottom surface of the anvil jaw 15420 . in such instances, the cams 15991 and 15993 co-operatively control the position of the anvil jaw 15410 relative to the staple cartridge 15900 and, also, co-operatively control the staple forming gap between the forming pockets in the anvil jaw 15410 and the drivers in the staple cartridge 15900 as the drivers are lifted toward the anvil jaw 15410 during the staple firing stroke. the tissue cutting knife 15990 also comprises a lateral flange 15992 which extends into a longitudinal slot 15421 defined in the cartridge jaw 15420 which can also assist in controlling the relative positioning of the anvil jaw 15410 and the cartridge jaw 15420 . when the tissue cutting knife 15990 is retracted after the staple firing stroke, referring to fig. 41 , the anvil cam 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 exits the longitudinal slot 15411 , contacts the tissue compression lever 15880 , and then disengages from the tissue compression lever 15880 as the tissue cutting knife 15990 is reset into its proximal unactuated position. at such point, the anvil jaw 15410 is pushed open by one or more jaw opening springs 15401 ( fig. 41 ) positioned intermediate the anvil jaw 15410 and the cartridge jaw 15420 that were resiliently compressed during the closure stroke. the entire disclosures of u.s. pat. no. 7,143,923, entitled surgical stapling instrument having a firing lockout for an unclosed anvil, which issued on dec. 5, 2006; u.s. pat. no. 7,044,352, surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing, which issued on may 16, 2006; u.s. pat. no. 7,000,818, surgical stapling instrument having separate distinct closing and firing systems, which issued on feb. 21, 2006; u.s. pat. no. 6,988,649, surgical stapling instrument having a spent cartridge lockout, which issued on jan. 24, 2006; and u.s. pat. no. 6,978,921, surgical stapling instrument incorporating an e-beam firing mechanism, which issued on dec. 27, 2005, are incorporated by reference herein. further to the above, referring now to figs. 42 and 43 , a stapling instrument 16000 comprises a cartridge jaw 16420 and an anvil jaw 16410 rotatable relative to the cartridge jaw 16420 . the stapling instrument 16000 further comprises a tissue cutting knife 16990 movable distally from a proximal unfired position ( fig. 42 ) to a distal position ( fig. 43 ) to perform a closure stroke and then a distal fired position to perform a staple firing stroke. the stapling instrument 16000 also comprises a tissue compression lever 16800 which, similar to the tissue compression lever 15800 , is contacted by the tissue cutting knife 16990 to close the anvil jaw 16410 and apply a compression force to the tissue captured between the anvil jaw 16410 and the staple cartridge seated in the cartridge jaw 16420 . also similar to the tissue compression lever 15800 , the tissue compression lever 16800 is rotatably coupled to the shaft of the stapling instrument 16000 about a pivot 16801 and comprises a distal end 16803 and a proximal end 16805 . the tissue cutting knife 16990 comprises an anvil cam 16993 and, at the outset of the closure stroke, referring to fig. 43 , the anvil cam 16993 contacts the distal end 16803 of the tissue compression lever 16800 to rotate the tissue compression lever 16800 and apply a closing force to the anvil jaw 16993 via a compression spring 16810 . notably, as illustrated in fig. 43 , the anvil cam 16993 has moved distally off of the tissue compression lever 16800 by the end of the closure stroke and does not hold the tissue compression lever 16800 in its rotated position. instead, as also illustrated in fig. 43 , the distal advancement of the tissue cutting knife 16990 to perform the closure stroke releases a spring-loaded closure latch 16820 which engages the tissue compression lever 16800 and holds the tissue compression lever 16800 in its rotated position and, as a result, holds the anvil jaw 16410 in its closed position. the latch 16820 is rotatably mounted to the frame of the stapling instrument 16000 and is held in an unlocked position ( fig. 42 ) by a lateral shoulder 16992 extending from the tissue cutting knife 16990 when the tissue cutting knife 16990 is in its proximal unactuated position. during the close stroke, the lateral shoulder 16992 disengages from the latch 16820 which, owing to a spring force applied to the latch 16820 by a torsion spring, for example, the latch 16820 rotates into a locked position ( fig. 42 ) in which a lock 16822 extending from the latch 16820 engages a lock shoulder 16802 defined in the tissue compression lever 16800 . at such point, the latch 16820 is able to hold the anvil jaw 16410 in its closed position while the anvil cam 16993 of the tissue cutting knife 16900 transfers off of the tissue compression lever 16800 onto a ramp 16413 of a longitudinal slot 16411 defined in the anvil jaw 16410 . notably, the latch 16820 holds the tissue compression lever 16800 in a position which is distal to the jaw pivot connecting the anvil jaw 16410 and the cartridge jaw 16420 . further to the above, the tissue cutting knife 16990 further comprises a cartridge cam 16991 that enters into a longitudinal slot 16421 defined in the cartridge jaw 16420 during the closure stroke of the tissue cutting knife 16990 . as the tissue cutting knife 16990 is advanced distally through a staple firing stroke, the anvil cam 16993 and the cartridge cam 16991 co-operate to hold the anvil jaw 16410 in its closed position. that said, the latch 16820 also holds the anvil jaw 16410 in its closed position and provides a second jaw holding mechanism. when the tissue cutting knife 16990 is retracted proximally after the staple firing stroke, the lateral shoulder 16992 extending from the tissue cutting knife 16990 contacts the latch 16820 and pushes the latch 16820 back into its unlocked position ( fig. 42 ). at such point, the anvil jaw 16410 is no longer locked in position by the latch 16820 and/or the anvil cam 16993 and, as a result, the anvil jaw 16410 can be re-opened. further to the above, the shape and configuration of the longitudinal slot 16421 defined in the cartridge jaw 16420 is constant, or at least substantially constant, along the length thereof. similarly, the shape and configuration of the longitudinal slot 16411 defined in the anvil jaw 16410 is constant, or at least substantially constant, along the length thereof. in this embodiment, the anvil cam 16991 and the cartridge cam 16992 co-operate to hold the anvil jaw 16410 at a fixed, or an at least substantially fixed, distance relative to the cartridge jaw 16420 during the staple firing stroke. a stapling instrument 17000 is illustrated in fig. 44 and is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 and 2000 and other stapling instruments disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein out of the sake of brevity. the stapling instrument 17000 comprises an end effector 17400 including a cartridge jaw 17420 and an anvil jaw 17410 , a staple cartridge 15900 , for example, positioned in the cartridge jaw 17420 , and a firing drive including a tissue cutting knife 15990 . the cartridge jaw 17420 is pivotably coupled to the anvil jaw 17410 and is movable relative to the anvil jaw 17410 from an open position to a closed position during the closure stroke of the tissue cutting knife 15990 . the anvil jaw 17410 comprises a longitudinal slot 17411 defined therein which is configured to receive an anvil cam 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 during the staple firing stroke of the tissue cutting knife 15990 . the anvil longitudinal slot 17411 comprises a proximal end 17413 and a distal end 17415 and a cam surface 17419 extending between the proximal end 17413 and the distal end 17415 . when the tissue cutting knife 15990 is advanced distally through the staple firing stroke, the anvil cam 15993 slides along the cam surface 17419 of the anvil jaw 17410 . similar to the above, the cartridge jaw 17420 comprises a longitudinal slot 17421 defined therein which is configured to receive a cartridge cam 15991 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 during the staple firing stroke. the cartridge longitudinal slot 17421 comprises a proximal end 17423 and a distal end 17425 and a cam surface 17429 extending between the proximal end 17423 and the distal end 17425 . when the tissue cutting knife 15990 is advanced distally through the staple firing stroke, the cartridge cam 15991 slides along the cam surface 17429 of the cartridge jaw 17420 . in various instances, the tissue compressed between the anvil jaw 17410 and the staple cartridge 15900 provides a resilient spring force to the anvil jaw 17410 and the staple cartridge 15900 which acts to push the jaws 17410 and 17420 away from one another. owing to the cams 15991 and 15993 of the tissue cutting knife 15990 , however, the relative position of the jaws 17410 and 17420 is constrained by the tissue cutting knife 15990 . further to the above, referring to figs. 44-44b , the cartridge jaw 17420 comprises a bottom wall 17422 configured to support the staple cartridge 15900 and lateral sidewalls 17424 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 17422 which are sized and configured to closely receive the staple cartridge 15900 therebetween. the staple cartridge 15900 further comprises a tissue supporting deck 15913 which faces the anvil jaw 17410 when the cartridge jaw 17420 is in its closed, or clamped, position, as illustrated in figs. 44-44b . the anvil jaw 17410 comprises a tissue supporting portion 17412 which is positioned opposite the deck 15913 of the staple cartridge 15900 and comprises longitudinal rows of staple forming pockets defined therein configured to deform the staples ejected from the staple cartridge 15900 during the staple firing stroke. notably, referring primarily to fig. 44 , the tissue supporting portion 17412 also defines the longitudinal cam surface 17419 and comprises a constant thickness, or an at least substantially constant thickness, along the longitudinal length thereof. also, notably, the bottom wall 17422 of the cartridge jaw 17420 defines the longitudinal cam surface 17429 and comprises a thickness that is not constant along the longitudinal length thereof. rather, the thickness of the bottom wall 17422 is thinner at the proximal end 17423 and thicker at the distal end 17425 . the thickness of the bottom wall 17422 tapers linearly, or at least substantially linearly, between the proximal end 17423 and the distal end 17425 . that said, the thickness of the bottom wall 17422 can taper in any suitable manner. owing to this arrangement, the distance between the anvil jaw cam surface 17419 and the cartridge jaw cam surface 17429 would change along the longitudinal length of the end effector 17400 for a given position of the cartridge jaw 17420 . in many instances, however, the cartridge jaw 17420 moves relative to the anvil jaw 17410 during the staple firing stroke owing to the compressed tissue positioned between the staple cartridge 15900 and the anvil jaw 17410 . during the staple firing stroke, the sloped longitudinal cam surface 17429 of the cartridge jaw 17420 causes the tissue cutting knife 15990 to draw the cartridge jaw 15420 toward the anvil jaw 15410 and narrow the gap, i.e., the tissue gap, between the staple cartridge 15900 and the anvil jaw 15410 . this movement of the cartridge jaw 17420 can be readily noticed when comparing fig. 44a , which depicts the beginning of the staple firing stroke, and fig. 44b , which depicts the end of the staple firing stroke. as can be seen in figs. 44a and 44b , the tissue gap g p closes significantly. such an arrangement applies a larger clamping force and/or clamping pressure to the tissue at the distal end of the end effector 15400 as the staple firing stroke progresses which can inhibit the tissue from being pushed out the distal end of the end effector 15400 . moreover, such an arrangement can compensate for situations where the anvil jaw 17410 flexes away from the cartridge jaw 17420 during the staple firing stroke. further to the above, referring again to figs. 44-44b , the height of the anvil longitudinal slot 17411 narrows along the length thereof. that said, the height of the cartridge longitudinal slot 17421 also narrows along the length thereof but the thickness of the cartridge support 17422 increases along the length thereof. various other embodiments are envisioned in which the thickness of the cartridge support 17422 increases along the longitudinal length thereof but the height of the longitudinal slot 17421 does not change, or at least substantially change. whether or not the longitudinal slots 17411 and 17421 are tapered, various embodiments are envisioned in which one or both of the longitudinal slots 17411 and 17421 comprise enlarged proximal openings so that they can reliably receive the tissue cutting member cams 15993 and 15991 , respectively. in various instances, the anvil jaw cam 15993 is longitudinally longer than the cartridge jaw cam 15991 . such an arrangement can reliably hold the tissue cutting edge 15995 in alignment with the tissue captured between the staple cartridge 15900 and the anvil jaw 17410 . in embodiments where the anvil jaw 17410 is rotatable and the cartridge jaw 17420 does not rotate, the cartridge jaw cam 15991 can be longer than the anvil jaw cam 15993 to achieve the same result. that said, the cams 15991 and 15993 can comprise any suitable length and/or configuration. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 9,844,369, entitled surgical end effectors with firing element monitoring arrangements, which issued on dec. 19, 2017 is incorporated by reference herein. referring again to figs. 44a and 44b , the cartridge jaw 17420 defines a closed-bottom channel. in at least one embodiment, the bottom of the cartridge channel below the tissue cutting knife 15990 is entirely closed along the entire bottom of the cartridge jaw 17420 . in such instances, the cartridge jaw 17420 is quite stiff and does not bend, or at least substantially bend, during the staple firing stroke. in at least one such embodiment, the bottom of the cartridge channel can be considered closed even though viewing windows are defined in the cartridge channel which can be used by a clinician to observe the position of the tissue cutting knife 15990 . in other embodiments, the bottom of the cartridge channel is open, i.e., a longitudinal slot is defined therein which opens to the bottom of the cartridge jaw 17420 such that a portion of the tissue cutting knife 15990 is positioned outside of the cartridge jaw 17420 . the reader should appreciate that an open cartridge channel may not be as stiff as a closed cartridge channel. in at least one embodiment, a portion of the sled extends down into the longitudinal slot of an open cartridge channel so as to stiffen the cartridge jaw 17420 . the entire disclosure of u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0297228, entitled fastener cartridges including extensions having different configurations, which published on oct. 22, 2015 is incorporated by reference herein. as discussed above, a staple cartridge can be configured to fire three longitudinal rows of staples on each side of an incision made in patient tissue during a staple firing stroke. in various instances, the staple cartridge, and the stapling instrument used to fire the staples from the staple cartridge, is configured to deform all of the staples to the same, or at least substantially the same, deformed height. in other instances, the staple cartridge and the stapling instrument are configured to deform the staples to different formed heights. in at least one such instance, the staple cartridge and the stapling instrument are configured to fire six longitudinal rows of staples—three rows on each side of the incision—such that the innermost two rows of staples are deformed to a first height, the intermediate rows of staples adjacent the innermost two rows are deformed to a second height that is larger than the first deformed height, and the outermost rows of staples are deformed to a third height that is larger than the second deformed height. such different deformed heights can be created in a number of different ways. for instance, the staple forming pockets in the anvil of the stapling instrument can be shallower in the innermost rows of forming pockets and deeper in the intermediate rows of forming pockets. similarly, the staple forming pockets in the anvil can be deeper in the outermost rows of forming pockets than the intermediate rows of forming pockets. also, for instance, the staple drivers that drive the innermost rows of staples can lift the innermost staples closer to the anvil than the intermediate staple drivers. similarly, the staple drivers that drive the intermediate rows of staples can lift the intermediate staples closer to the anvil than the outermost staple drivers. in at least one such embodiment, the innermost staple drivers, the intermediate staple drivers, and the outermost staple drivers are unconnected to one another. in other embodiments, some of the staple drivers are connected to one another. in at least one such embodiment, an innermost staple driver, an intermediate staple driver, and an outermost staple driver are connected to one another such that they are lifted together by the cartridge sled. the entire disclosures of u.s. pat. no. 8,317,070, entitled surgical stapling devices that produce formed staples having different lengths, which issued on nov. 27, 2012, international publication no. 2003/094747, entitled surgical stapler and disposable loading unit having different size staples, and u.s. patent application publication no. 2010/0243707, entitled surgical stapling apparatus, which published on sep. 30, 2010 are incorporated by reference herein. regardless of how the staples are deformed into different deformed heights during the staple firing stroke, further to the above, the innermost staples—which are deformed to a shorter deformed height than the intermediate staples—can apply a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue than the intermediate staples. similarly, the intermediate staples—which are deformed to a shorter deformed height than the outermost staples—can apply a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue than the outermost staples. as a result of the above, the innermost staples and the intermediate staples can seal, or at least substantially seal, the incised margin of the patient tissue while the larger outermost staples can support the patient tissue while affording some flexibility to the tissue captured within the staples. as discussed above, the innermost staples are deformed to a first deformed height, the intermediate staples are deformed to a second deformed height that is taller than the first deformed height, and the outermost staples are deformed to a third deformed height that is taller than the second deformed height. these first, second, and third deformed heights are set during the staple firing stroke, but it should be understood that these deformed heights may increase, or grow, slightly after the stapled tissue is released from between the jaws of the stapling instrument. this phenomenon can be referred to as “spring back” and is the result of the internal pressure created within the captured tissue and the resiliency of the metal staples, among other things. that said, even after the spring back has increased the deformed heights of the innermost staples, the intermediate staples, and the outermost staples, the deformed innermost staples are still shorter than the deformed intermediate staples and, likewise, the deformed intermediate staples are shorter than the deformed outermost staples. for easy reference, the deformed height of the staples immediately after they are deformed can be called the “as-formed height” and the deformed height of the staples after they have relaxed—owing to spring back—can be called the “post-formed height”. further to the above, a staple cartridge 19900 is illustrated in fig. 46 and is similar to the staple cartridge 1900 and other staple cartridges disclosed herein in many respects, most of which are not discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the staple cartridge 19900 comprises a cartridge body 19910 including a deck 19913 configured to support patient tissue, a longitudinal slot 19914 configured to receive a tissue cutting knife, and longitudinal rows of staple cavities 19920 a, 19920 b, and 19920 c defined in the deck 19913 on each side of the longitudinal slot 19914 . the longitudinal rows of staple cavities 19920 a adjacent the longitudinal slot 19914 comprise the innermost staple cavities, the longitudinal rows of staple cavities 19920 b comprise intermediate staple cavities, and the longitudinal rows of staple cavities 19920 c comprise the outermost staple cavities. the staple cartridge 19900 further comprises first staples 19970 a removably positioned in the innermost staple cavities 19920 a, second staples 19970 b removably positioned in the intermediate staple cavities 19920 b, and third staples 19970 c removably positioned in the outermost staple cavities 19920 c. in at least one embodiment, the first staples 19970 a have a first unformed height, the second staples 19970 b have a second unformed height, and the third staples 19970 c have a third unformed height where the first unformed height, the second unformed height, and third unformed height are the same. the reader should appreciate that the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c have the same unformed height despite variations to the unformed heights owing to manufacturing tolerances. for instance, in at least one embodiment, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c have the same unformed height when their unformed heights fall between 3.8 mm and 4.2 mm, for example. in another embodiment, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c have the same unformed height when their unformed heights fall between 1.9 mm and 2.1 mm, for example. in various alternative embodiments, the first unformed height is shorter than the second unformed height, and the second unformed height is shorter than the third unformed height. in at least one such embodiment, the first unformed height is about 2.0 mm, the second unformed height is about 3.0 mm, and the third unformed height is about 4.0 mm, for example. further to the above, fig. 46a depicts the progression of the first staples 19970 a, the second staples 19970 b, and the third staples 19970 c from their unformed heights to their as-formed heights and then to their post-formed heights. notably, the staple cartridge 19900 is usable with a stapling instrument which is configured to co-operatively deform the first staples 19970 a, the second staples 19970 b, and the third staples 19970 c to the same formed height. the reader should appreciate that, owing to manufacturing tolerances and/or variances in tissue thickness and density, that the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c will not all be deformed to the exact same height. rather, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c are deformed to the same formed height when their formed heights fall within the same range of heights. for instance, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c are deformed to the same formed height when their formed heights are within a range of 1.90 mm-2.10 mm, for example. in other instances, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c are deformed to the same formed height when their formed heights are within a range of 1.35 mm-1.65 mm, for example. that said, any suitable formed height, or formed height range, can be used. notably, referring again to fig. 46a , the first staples 19970 a do not relax much, if at all, between their as-formed height and their post-formed height. that said, the second staples 19970 b relax a larger amount between their as-formed height and their post-formed height than the first staples 19970 a. moreover, the third staples 19970 c relax a larger amount between their as-formed height and their post-formed height than the second staples 19970 b. stated another way, the first staples 19970 a, the second staples 19970 b, and the third staples 19970 c relax to different post-formed heights even though their as-formed heights are the same. in various instances, these different post-formed heights occur owing to the softness, or compliance, of the metal used to make the first staples 19970 a, the second staples 19970 b, and the third staples 19970 c. in at least one such instance, the second staples 19970 b have less annealing than the first staples 19970 a, and the third staples 19970 c have less annealing than the second staples 19970 b, for example, thereby making the third staples 19970 c softer than the second staples 19970 b and the second staples 19970 b softer than the first staples 19970 a. further to the above, various embodiments are envisioned in which the first staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c have the same as-formed heights but different post-formed heights regardless of whether the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c have the same unformed height or different unformed heights. in various embodiments, the staples 19970 a, 19970 b, and 19970 c are comprised of stainless steel, titanium, and/or nitinol—an alloy of nickel and titanium, for example. that said, embodiments are envisioned in which the first staples 19970 a are comprised of a first material, the second staples 19970 b are comprised of a second material, and third staples 19970 c are comprised of a third material such that the first staples 19970 a, the second staples 19970 b, and the third staples 19970 c can relax from the same as-formed heights to different post-formed heights. in at least one embodiment, the first staples 19970 a are comprised of a material having a first modulus of elasticity, the second staples 19970 b are comprised of a material have a second modulus of elasticity which is lower than the first modulus of elasticity, and the third staples 19970 c are comprised of a material having a third modulus of elasticity which is lower than the second modulus of elasticity. in at least one embodiment, the first staples 19970 a are comprised of a material having a first stiffness, the second staples 19970 b are comprised of a material have a second stiffness which is lower than the first stiffness, and the third staples 19970 c are comprised of a material having a third stiffness which is lower than the second stiffness. in various alternative embodiments, referring now to fig. 46b , the staple cartridge 19900 can comprise first staples 29970 a, second staples 29970 b, and staples 29970 c having the same unformed shape. notably, the first staples 29970 a, second staples 29970 b, and third staples 29970 c have different as-formed shapes. in their as-formed shapes, the radius between the base of the first staples 29970 a and the legs of the first staples 29970 a have a first radius, the radius between the base of the second staples 29970 b and the legs of the second staples 29970 b have a second radius which is smaller than the first radius, and the radius between the base of the third staples 29970 c and the legs of the third staples 29970 c have a third radius which is smaller than the second radius. owing to the radii of the as-formed staple shapes and the materials of the staples 29970 a, 29970 b, and 29970 c, the third staples 29970 c have more spring back than the second staples 29970 b, and the second staples 29970 b have more spring back than the first staples 29970 a which result in different post-formed shapes for the staples 29970 a, 29970 b, and 29970 c. in various instances, the first staple forming pockets, the second forming pockets, and the third forming pockets of the anvil comprise different configurations which can produce the different as-formed shapes of the staples 29970 a, 29970 b, and 29970 c. in at least one embodiment, the ratio of the entry radius to the exit radius of a staple forming pocket determines the as-formed shape of a staple. for instance, when the entry radius and the exit radius of a forming pocket are about the same, i.e. 1:1, the forming pocket deforms the staple to a large continuous radius. in at least one embodiment, staples that are deformed into a large continuous radius have little, if any, spring back. such forming pockets can be suitable to deform an inner row of staples, for example. when the entry radius and the exit radius have a ratio of about 3:1, the deformed staples have a sharper radius and a larger spring back. such forming pockets can be suitable to deform an outer row of staples, for example. an end effector 21400 of a stapling instrument is illustrated in fig. 48 and is similar to the other end effectors disclosed herein in many respects, many of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the end effector 21400 comprises an anvil jaw 21410 , a cartridge jaw 21420 , and a staple cartridge 21900 positioned in the cartridge jaw 21420 . the anvil jaw 21410 comprises a cap, or cover, 21411 and tissue support plates 21412 welded to the cap 21411 . each support plate 21412 comprises a longitudinal lateral flange 21417 extending therefrom which is positioned in a longitudinal slot, or rolled gutter, 21415 defined in a folded lateral lip of the cap 21411 . in various instances, the longitudinal lateral flanges 21417 are press-fit into their respective longitudinal slots 21415 and then welded into place. in at least one instance, openings, or apertures, are defined in the cap 21411 which allow the lateral flanges 21417 to be directly welded to the cap 21411 so that the support plates 21412 are held securely in position relative to the cap 21411 . the support plates 21412 are positioned and arranged such that a longitudinal slot 21414 is defined between the support plates 21412 and such that a longitudinal cavity 21416 is defined between the support plates 21412 and the cap 21411 . the longitudinal slot 21414 and the longitudinal cavity 21416 are sized and configured to receive a tissue cutting knife therein. each support plate 21412 comprises a longitudinal row of first, or innermost, staple forming pockets 21413 a defined therein, a longitudinal row of second, or intermediate, staple forming pockets 21413 b defined therein, and a longitudinal row of third, or outermost, staple forming pockets 21413 c defined therein. further to the above, the staple cartridge 21900 comprises a cartridge body 21900 including a deck configured to support patient tissue, a longitudinal slot 21914 at least partially extending between first and second sides of the deck, and longitudinal rows of staple cavities 21920 a, 21920 b, and 21920 c defined therein which are registered with the staple forming pockets 21413 a, 21413 b, and 21413 c, respectively. each side of the deck comprises a first, or inner, longitudinal step 21913 a adjacent the longitudinal slot 21914 , a second, or intermediate, longitudinal step 21913 b extending alongside the first longitudinal step 21913 a, and a third, or outer, longitudinal step 21913 c extending alongside the second longitudinal step 21913 b. notably, the inner longitudinal step 21913 a is closer to the anvil jaw 21410 than the longitudinal steps 21913 b and 21913 c and, owing to its height, the longitudinal step 21913 a applies a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue captured between the staple cartridge 21900 and the anvil jaw 21410 than the longitudinal steps 21913 b and 21913 c. similarly, the intermediate longitudinal step 21913 b is closer to the anvil jaw 21410 than the longitudinal step 21913 c and, owing to its height, the longitudinal step 21913 b applies a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue captured between the staple cartridge 21900 and the anvil jaw 21410 than the longitudinal step 21913 c. such an arrangement can hold the patient tissue tightly alongside the longitudinal slot 21914 such that the tissue cutting knife passing through the longitudinal slot 21914 does not push and/or disorient the patient tissue during the staple firing stroke. such an arrangement also provides relief to the patient tissue at the lateral edges of the end effector 21400 so that the patient tissue does not rip or tear. further to the above, the staple cartridge 21900 further comprises first staples 21970 a positioned in the first staple cavities 21920 a, second staples 21970 b positioned in second staple cavities 21920 b, and third staples 21970 c positioned in third staple cavities 21920 c. the first staples 21970 a are comprised of wire having a first diameter, the second staples 21970 b are comprised of wire having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, and the third staples 21970 c are comprised of wire having a third diameter than is smaller than the second diameter. during the staple firing stroke, the first staples 21970 a are deformed against their respective anvil forming pockets 21413 a, the second staples 21970 b are deformed against their respective anvil forming pockets 21413 b, and the third staples 21970 c are deformed against their respective forming pockets 21413 c. in this embodiment, the staples 21970 a, 21970 b, and 21970 c are all deformed to the same as-formed height, but spring back to different post-formed heights. more specifically, the first staples 21970 a have a first post-formed height, the second staples 21970 b have a second post-formed height which is taller than the first post-formed height, and the third staples 21970 c have a third post-formed height which is taller than the second post-formed height. this arrangement is represented in fig. 49 and can provide variable lateral compression within the tissue. as can be seen in fig. 49 , the staple cartridge 21900 comprises first staple drivers 21960 a which fire the first staples 21970 a to the same deformed height that the third staple drivers 21960 c fire the third staples 21970 c. the forming height of the staples is determined by the distance between the driver cradles 21961 a and 21961 c and the staple forming pockets 21413 a and 21413 c, respectively. as can also be seen in fig. 49 , each first staple 21970 a comprises a base 21971 a, legs 21973 a extending from the base 21971 a, and radiused portions 21972 a connecting the legs 21973 a to the base 21971 a. similarly, each third staple 21970 c comprises a base 21971 c, legs 21973 c extending from the base 21971 c, and radiused portions 21972 c connecting the legs 21973 c to the base 21971 c. notably, the radiused portions 21972 c are the same size as the radiused portions 21972 a in their as-fired configurations but the radiused portions 21972 c are larger than the radiused portions 21972 a after the staples reach their post-fired configurations. as discussed above, a tissue cutting knife is advanced distally through a staple cartridge to eject the staples therefrom during a staple firing stroke. more specifically, in various embodiments, the tissue cutting knife contacts a sled stored in the staple cartridge which is pushed distally by the tissue cutting knife during the staple firing stroke. during the staple firing stroke, the sled contacts staple drivers contained within the staple cartridge which push, or fire, the staples upwardly toward the an anvil positioned opposite the staple cartridge. notably, the sled contacts and lifts the proximal-most staple drivers first and then sequentially contacts and lifts the staple drivers positioned distally with respect to the proximal-most staple drivers until the distal-most staple drivers are contacted and lifted by the sled. as the sled is moved distally, however, the sled disengages from the drivers that it has just lifted to their fired positions. thus, the time in which the sled is in contact with an individual staple driver may be brief as the sled lifts the staple driver to its fired position and then moves on. thus, the staples spend very little time under compression (tuc) during the staple firing stroke. staples that spend very little time under compression may undergo what can be described as a brief impact force that creates a large amount of plastic yielding within the staples. on the other hand, staples that spend a lot of time under compression may receive less of an impact force spike thereby resulting in less plastic yielding within the staples. staples that undergo more plastic yielding tend to have less spring back than staples that undergo less plastic yielding. as discussed further below, the sled of a staple cartridge can be configured to create more plastic yielding within certain staples, or less plastic yielding within other staples, to create a desired arrangement of post-formed staple heights. in various embodiments, referring to figs. 45-45b , a sled, such as sled 18950 , for example, comprises a first ramp 18952 a which engages and lifts the first staple drivers 21960 a, second ramps 18952 b which engage and lift the second staple drivers, and third ramps 18952 c which engage and lift the third staple drivers 21960 c. at the top of each ramp 18952 a, 18952 b, and 18952 c is a forming plateau which defines the fully-formed position of the staple drivers being lifted by the ramps 18952 a, 18952 b, and 18952 c. more specifically, the sled 18950 comprises a first forming plateau 18953 a aligned with the first ramp 18952 a, a second forming plateau 18953 b aligned with each second ramp 18952 b, and a third forming plateau 18953 c aligned with each third ramp 18952 c. when the first staple driver 21960 a reaches the top of the first ramp 18952 a, for example, the first staple driver 21960 a slides along the first forming plateau 18953 a and then falls off the back of the sled 18950 as the sled 18950 is advanced distally through its staple firing stroke. similarly, the second staple drivers 21960 b slide along their respective second forming plateaus 18953 b and then fall off the back of the sled 18950 as the sled 18950 is advanced distally through its staple firing stroke. likewise, the third staple drivers 21960 c slide along their respective third forming plateaus 18953 c and then fall off the back of the sled 18950 as the sled 18950 is advanced distally through its staple firing stroke. notably, the first forming plateau 18953 a is shorter than the second forming plateaus 18953 b and, as a result, the first staples may have more plastic yielding and less spring back than the second staples. similarly, the second forming plateaus 18953 b are shorter than the third forming plateaus 18953 c and, as a result, the second staples may have more plastic yielding and less spring back than the third staples. controlling the time under compression, as discussed above, can be used to allow staples which have been deformed to the same as-formed height to have different post-formed heights. that said, the sled 18950 is also configured to deform the first staples, the second staples, and the third staples to different as-formed heights. for instance, the first forming plateau 18953 a is higher than the second forming plateaus 18953 b which means that the sled 18950 can lift the first staples to a higher forming height than the second staples and, in various instances, make the deformed first staples smaller than the deformed second staples. similarly, the second forming plateaus 18953 b are higher than the third forming plateaus 18953 c which means that the sled 18950 can lift the second staples to a higher forming height than the third staples and, in various instances, make the deformed second staples smaller than the deformed third staples. in various instances, referring to fig. 45b , the sled 18950 is comprised of an inner core and an outer layer surrounding the inner core. in at least one instance, the inner core can be comprised of a first material selected for its ability to withstand high forces without substantially deflecting and the outer layer can be comprised of a second material selected for its lubriciousness to reduce the friction forces between the sled 18950 and the staple drivers, for example. an end effector 20400 is illustrated in fig. 47 and is similar to the end effector 21400 and other end effectors disclosed herein in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the end effector 20400 comprises an anvil jaw 20410 , a cartridge jaw, and a staple cartridge 20900 seated in the cartridge jaw. the staple cartridge 20900 comprises a cartridge body 20910 including a longitudinal slot 20914 at least partially extending between first and second sides of the deck, and longitudinal rows of staple cavities 20920 a, 20920 b, and 20920 c defined therein. each side of the deck comprises a first, or inner, longitudinal step 20913 a adjacent the longitudinal slot 20914 , a second, or intermediate, longitudinal step 20913 b extending alongside the first longitudinal step 20913 a, and a third, or outer, longitudinal step 20913 c extending alongside the second longitudinal step 20913 b. the staple cavities 20920 a comprise openings defined in the first longitudinal steps 20913 a, the staple cavities 20920 b comprise openings defined in the second longitudinal steps 20913 b, and the staple cavities 20920 c comprise openings defined in the third longitudinal steps 20913 c. notably, the inner longitudinal step 20913 a is closer to the anvil jaw 20410 than the longitudinal steps 20913 b and 20913 c and, owing to its height, the longitudinal step 20913 a applies a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue captured between the staple cartridge 20900 and the anvil jaw 20410 than the longitudinal steps 20913 b and 20913 c. similarly, the intermediate longitudinal step 20913 b is closer to the anvil jaw 20410 than the longitudinal step 20913 c and, owing to its height, the longitudinal step 20913 b applies a larger clamping pressure to the patient tissue captured between the staple cartridge 20900 and the anvil jaw 20410 than the longitudinal step 20913 c. such an arrangement can hold the patient tissue tightly alongside the longitudinal slot 20914 such that the tissue cutting knife passing through the longitudinal slot 20914 does not push and/or disorient the patient tissue during the staple firing stroke. such an arrangement also provides relief to the patient tissue at the lateral edges of the end effector 20400 so that the patient tissue does not rip or tear. in addition to or in lieu of the above, the tissue supporting surface of an anvil jaw can comprise longitudinal steps to create a tighter tissue gap along the tissue cut line and a wider tissue gap along the lateral outer edges of the end effector. such an arrangement can also position the staple forming pockets of the anvil to create smaller as-deformed inner staples along the tissue cut line, larger intermediate as-deformed staples adjacent the inner staples, and outer as-deformed staples which are larger than the intermediate as-deformed staples, for example. further to the above, the anvil 20410 comprises a longitudinal slot 20414 defined therein which, like the longitudinal slot 20914 , is configured to receive a tissue cutting knife. the anvil 20410 further comprises concentration features configured to concentrate the tissue forces between the anvil jaw 20410 and the staple cartridge 20900 . for instance, the anvil 20410 comprises longitudinal concentration features 20413 a, 20413 b, and 20413 c defined on both sides of the longitudinal slot 20914 . the longitudinal concentration features 20413 a are aligned with the first longitudinal steps 20913 a of the staple cartridge 20900 when the anvil jaw 20410 is in its closed position; however, the concentration features 20413 a do not extend over the entire width of the first longitudinal steps 20913 a. as a result, the tissue gap between the anvil 20410 and the staple cartridge 20900 is narrow immediately under the concentration features 20413 a which increases the compression being applied to the tissue immediately under and surrounding the concentration features 20413 a. similarly, the longitudinal concentration features 20413 b are aligned with the second longitudinal steps 20913 b of the staple cartridge 20900 when the anvil jaw 20410 is in its closed position; however, the concentration features 20413 b do not extend over the entire width of the second longitudinal steps 20913 b. as a result, the tissue gap between the anvil 20410 and the staple cartridge 20900 is narrow immediately under the concentration features 20413 b which increases the compression being applied to the tissue immediately under and surrounding the concentration features 20413 b. likewise, the longitudinal concentration features 20413 a are aligned with the third longitudinal steps 20913 c of the staple cartridge 20900 when the anvil jaw 20410 is in its closed position; however, the concentration features 20413 c do not extend over the entire width of the third longitudinal steps 20913 c. as a result, the tissue gap between the anvil 20410 and the staple cartridge 20900 is narrow immediately under the concentration features 20413 c which increases the compression being applied to the tissue immediately under and surrounding the concentration features 20413 c. referring again to fig. 47 , each concentration feature 20413 a has a first lateral width, each concentration feature 20413 b has a second lateral width which is wider than the first lateral width, and each concentration feature 20413 c has a third lateral width which is wider than the second lateral width. as a result, the force concentration under the concentration features 20413 a is greater than the force concentration under the concentration features 20413 b. similarly, as a result, the force concentration under the concentration features 20413 b is greater than the force concentration under the concentration features 20413 c. as a result of the above, the first staples deployed from the first staple cavities 20420 a will have a shorter post-fired height than the second staples deployed from the second staple cavities 20420 b. similarly, as a result of the above, the second staples deployed from the second staple cavities 20420 b will have a shorter post-fired height than the third staples deployed from the third staple cavities 20420 c. further to the above, a tissue cutting knife is moved through the staple cartridge 20900 to fire the staples stored therein during a staple firing stroke. in many instances, the tissue cutting knife is very sharp and/or the patient tissue is not very tough and/or dense. in such instances, the tissue cutting knife easily passes through the patient tissue without displacing the tissue distally. in other instances, the tissue cutting knife may not easily cut the tissue and may push some of the patient tissue captured within the end effector 20400 out of the distal end of the end effector 20400 , thereby resulting in less tissue being stapled during the staple firing stroke. referring again to fig. 47 , the cartridge body 20910 comprises distal tissue stops positioned at the distal end of the staple cartridge 20900 which prevent, or at least inhibit, the tissue from flowing distally out of the end effector 20400 . the distal tissue stops comprise bumps, or domes, positioned at the distal ends of the longitudinal steps 20913 a, 20913 b, and 20913 c, but could comprise any suitable configuration. the cartridge body 20910 comprises distal tissue stops 20919 a positioned at the distal ends of the longitudinal steps 20913 a, distal tissue stops 20919 b positioned at the distal ends of the longitudinal steps 20913 b, and distal tissue stops 20919 c positioned at the distal ends of the longitudinal steps 20913 a. in various embodiments, further to the above, a staple cartridge can comprise a distal wall which can block the distal migration or flow of the tissue out of the end effector. in at least one embodiment, the perimeter of the staple cartridge is raised to control both longitudinal and lateral tissue flow. in various embodiments, the perimeter of the staple cartridge, including the distal end, for example, comprises a rough surface, or texture, which can prevent, or at least inhibit, the flow of the tissue out of the end effector. in at least one such embodiment, the rough surface texture around the perimeter of the cartridge deck can be about 10 times as rough as the rest of the deck surface, for example. in various embodiments, referring now to fig. 58 , an end effector 29400 of a stapling instrument comprises an anvil jaw 29410 and a cartridge jaw 29420 . the anvil jaw 29410 comprises a proximal end 29412 and a distal end 29411 where the proximal end 29412 is rotatably mounted to the cartridge jaw 29420 and is rotatable relative to the cartridge jaw 29420 between an open, or unclamped, position and a closed, or clamped, position ( fig. 58 ). referring to fig. 59 , the anvil jaw 29410 further comprises a flat, or an at least substantially flat, tissue compression surface 29417 extending between the proximal end 29412 and the distal end 29411 , a longitudinal slot 29414 extending from the proximal end 29412 toward the distal end 29411 which is configured to receive a tissue cutting knife, and longitudinal rows of staple forming pockets 29313 defined on opposite sides of the longitudinal slot 29414 . the anvil jaw 29410 further comprises proximal tissue stops 29414 extending downwardly toward the cartridge jaw 29420 , which are discussed further below. referring to fig. 61 , the cartridge jaw 29420 comprises a bottom wall 29922 and lateral sidewalls 29924 extending therefrom which define a channel configured to receive a staple cartridge therein. referring to figs. 58 and 60 , the end effector 29400 further comprises a staple cartridge 29900 seated in the channel defined by the cartridge jaw 29420 . the staple cartridge 29900 comprises a cartridge body 29910 including a proximal end 29912 and a distal end 29911 , a deck 29913 extending between the proximal end 29912 and the distal end 29911 which is configured to support patient tissue, and a longitudinal slot 29914 extending from the proximal end 29912 toward the distal end 29911 which is configured to receive the tissue cutting knife. referring again to fig. 61 , the staple cartridge 29900 is configured to be closely received between the lateral sidewalls 29924 of the cartridge jaw 29420 . moreover, the cartridge body 29910 comprises lateral support flanges 29919 extending therefrom which are in contact with the top surfaces of the lateral sidewalls 29924 which support the staple cartridge 29900 within the cartridge jaw 29420 . referring again to fig. 60 , the staple cartridge 29900 further comprises longitudinal rows of staple cavities 29920 defined in the cartridge body 29910 on opposite sides of the longitudinal slot 29914 which contain staples removably stored therein. during a staple firing stroke, the staples are ejected from the staple cavities 29920 by the tissue cutting knife and deformed against the staple forming pockets 29913 of the anvil jaw 29910 . further to the above, referring to fig. 60 , the cartridge jaw 29420 further comprises proximal tissue stops 29429 extending upwardly toward the anvil jaw 29410 . referring to fig. 58 , the anvil tissue stops 29419 and the cartridge tissue stops 29429 co-operate to prevent patient tissue from moving proximally into the end effector 29400 where the tissue may accidentally contact the tissue cutting knife in its proximal unactuated position. moreover, the anvil tissue stops 29419 and the cartridge tissue stops 29429 co-operate to keep the patient tissue over the staple cavities 29920 defined in the staple cartridge 29900 such that the proximal-most tissue captured within the end effector 29400 is stapled during the staple firing stroke. the reader should note that the staple cavities 29220 extend proximally to and/or proximally past the proximal tissue stops 29429 , even though this is not depicted in fig. 60 . similarly, the reader should note that the staple forming pockets 29413 defined in the anvil jaw 29410 extend proximally to and/or proximally past the proximal tissue stops 29419 . the reader should also note, referring to fig. 58 , that the camber of the tissue compression surface 29417 of the anvil jaw 29410 is angled downwardly toward the staple cartridge 29900 to prevent, or at least inhibit, the tissue captured between the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 from flowing out of the distal end of the end effector 29400 . further to the above, referring to figs. 59 and 61 , the end effector 29400 further comprises an implantable layer, or adjunct, 29430 releasably attached to the anvil jaw 29410 . the implantable layer 29430 comprises a longitudinal rib 29434 extending therefrom which is positioned in the longitudinal slot 29414 defined in the anvil jaw 29410 . the longitudinal rib 29434 is sized and configured such that rib 29434 is compressed between the sidewalls of the longitudinal slot 29414 . such an arrangement releasably retains the implantable layer 29430 to the anvil jaw 29410 . that said, the tissue cutting knife progressively transects the implantable layer 29430 through the longitudinal rib 29434 as the tissue cutting knife is progressed through the staple firing stroke to release the rib 29434 from the longitudinal slot 29414 . notably, the implantable layer 29430 covers all of the tissue forming pockets 29413 of the anvil jaw 29410 , but other embodiments are envisioned in which less than all of the staple forming pockets 29413 are covered by the implantable layer 29430 . in addition to or in lieu of the longitudinal rib 29434 to secure the implantable layer 29430 to the anvil jaw 29410 , the implantable layer 29430 comprises distal retention members 29435 extending from a distal end 29431 of the implantable layer 29430 which are press-fit and releasably received within distal retention apertures 29415 defined in the anvil jaw 29410 . similarly, the implantable layer 29430 comprises proximal retention members 29436 extending from a proximal end 29432 of the implantable layer 29430 which are press-fit within proximal retention apertures 29416 defined in the anvil jaw 29410 . during the staple firing stroke, the staples ejected from the staple cartridge 29900 penetrate the patient tissue and the implantable layer 29430 and then capture the implantable layer 29430 against the patient tissue as the staples are deformed against the staple forming pockets 29413 . after the staple firing stroke has been completed and the end effector 29400 is opened, the implantable layer 29430 releases from the anvil jaw 29410 and remains with the stapled patient tissue. further to the above, referring to figs. 60 and 61 , the end effector 29400 further comprises an implantable layer, or adjunct, 29930 releasably attached to the cartridge jaw 29420 . the implantable layer 29930 comprises a longitudinal rib 29934 extending therefrom which is positioned in the longitudinal slot 29914 defined in the cartridge body 29910 . the longitudinal rib 29934 is sized and configured such that the rib 29934 is compressed between the sidewalls of the longitudinal slot 29914 . such an arrangement releasably retains the implantable layer 29930 to the cartridge jaw 29420 . that said, the tissue cutting knife progressively transects the implantable layer 29930 through the longitudinal rib 29934 as the tissue cutting knife is progressed through the staple firing stroke to release the rib 29934 from the slot 29914 . notably, the implantable layer 29930 covers all of the staple cavities 29920 of the staple cartridge 29900 , but other embodiments are envisioned in which less than all of the staple cavities 29920 are covered by the implantable layer 29930 . in addition to or in lieu of the longitudinal rib 29934 to secure the implantable layer 29930 to the cartridge body 29910 , the implantable layer 29930 comprises retention members 29935 extending from a distal end 29931 , a proximal end 29932 , and an intermediate portion of the implantable layer 29930 which are press-fit and releasably received within longitudinal retention slots 29915 defined in the lateral sides of the cartridge jaw 29910 . during the staple firing stroke, the staples ejected from the staple cartridge 29900 penetrate the implantable layer 29930 and the patient tissue and then capture the implantable layer 29930 against the patient tissue as the staples are deformed against the staple forming pockets 29413 . after the staple firing stroke has been completed and the end effector 29400 is opened, the implantable layer 29930 releases from the cartridge body 29910 and remains with the stapled patient tissue. further to the above, referring again to fig. 60 , the longitudinal retention slots 29915 comprise open ends at the distal end 29911 of the cartridge body 29910 . the open ends of the retention slots 29915 are configured to receive the retention members 29935 when the implantable layer 29930 is slid, or assembled, longitudinally onto the cartridge body 29910 from the distal end 29911 of the cartridge body 29910 . such distal openings also assist in the implantable layer 29930 detaching from the cartridge body 29910 . more specifically, the end effector 29400 is often pulled longitudinally away from the stapled tissue after the end effector 29400 has been opened and, in such instances, the retention slots 29915 , and their distal openings, are aligned with this commonly-used motion of the end effector 29400 . the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 provide several benefits. in various instances, the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 buttress the patient tissue being stapled which prevents, or at least inhibits, the patient tissue from tearing, especially when the patient tissue is thin, for example. also, in various instances, the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 are comprised of a compressible material and can compensate for changes in tissue thickness within a line of implanted staples. moreover, in various instances, the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 can prevent, or at least inhibit, the implanted staples from pulling through the patient tissue. these benefits can be obtained, in varying degrees, if both the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 are implanted against the patient tissue or if only one of the implantable layers 29430 and 29930 are implanted against the patient tissue. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 8,740,037, entitled compressible fastener cartridge, filed on sep. 30, 2010, is incorporated by reference herein. further to the above, the press-fit and/or friction fit between the retention members 29935 and the retention slots 29915 prevents, or at least inhibits, the implantable layer 29930 from sliding relative to the cartridge body 29910 when the end effector 29400 is positioned relative to the patient tissue and also when the tissue cutting knife is advanced through the patient tissue during the staple firing stroke. among other things, the interaction between the retention members 29935 and the retention slots 29915 prevents the implantable layer 29930 from sliding laterally and/or longitudinally relative to the cartridge body 29910 . referring again to fig. 58 , the distal tip 29411 of the anvil jaw 29410 is cambered downwardly toward the distal nose 29911 of the staple cartridge 29900 when the anvil jaw 29410 is in its clamped position. as a result, the tissue gap between the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 may be small at the distal end of the end effector 29400 . in such instances, the distal end of the end effector 29400 can be used as a dissector to grasp and move tissue, for example. in various embodiments, the distal tip 29411 of the anvil jaw 29410 is movable relative to the main body of the anvil jaw 29410 . in at least one such embodiment, the main body defines a guide rail and the distal tip 29411 is slideable along the guide rail. when the anvil jaw 29410 is closed and the distal tip 29411 contacts the tissue, the distal tip 29411 can slide along the rail in reaction to the clamping force being applied to the tissue. in at least one embodiment, the rail extends longitudinally and the distal tip 29411 slides distally along the longitudinal rail to expand the tissue gap between the distal ends of the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 . in at least one embodiment, the rail extends vertically and the distal tip 29411 slides along the vertical rail to expand the tissue gap between the distal ends of the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 . in either event, the anvil jaw 29410 further comprises a spring connecting the distal tip 29411 to the main body of the anvil jaw 29410 which biases the distal tip 29411 back into its undisplaced position when the anvil jaw 29410 is re-opened. as a result of the above, the sliding distal tip 29411 can reduce the possibility of the tissue being pinched between the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 . moreover, the displacement of the distal tip 29411 can provide a visual indicator to the clinician that the tissue between the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 has been sufficiently compressed. in addition to or in lieu of the above, the distal nose 29911 of the staple cartridge 29900 is movable relative to the main body of the cartridge body 29910 . in at least one such embodiment, the cartridge body 29910 defines a guide rail and the distal nose 29911 is slideable along the guide rail. when the anvil jaw 29410 is closed, the cartridge nose 29911 can slide inwardly along the rail in reaction to the clamping force being applied to the tissue. in at least one embodiment, the rail extends longitudinally and the distal nose 29911 slides distally along the longitudinal rail to expand the tissue gap between the distal ends of the anvil jaw 29410 and the staple cartridge 29900 . the entire disclosures of u.s. pat. no. 9,039,736, entitled surgical stapling device with dissecting tip, which issued on may 26, 2015, u.s. pat. no. 8,136,711, entitled dissection tip and introducer for surgical instrument, which issued on mar. 20, 2012, u.s. pat. no. 8,714,429, entitled dissecting tip for surgical stapler, which issued on may 6, 2014, and european patent no. ep 2,913,010, entitled introducer assembly for a surgical fastener applying apparatus are incorporated by reference herein. a staple cartridge 29900 ′ is illustrated in fig. 61a and is similar to the staple cartridge 29900 in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the staple cartridge 29900 ′ comprises a cartridge body 29910 ′ and an implantable layer 29930 ′ releasably attached to the cartridge body 29910 ′. the cartridge body 29910 ′ comprises a deck 29913 ′ and recesses, or dwells, 29918 ′ defined therein which surround at least some of the openings of the staple cavities 29920 defined in the deck 29913 ′. the implantable layer 29930 ′ comprises projections, or swells, 29938 ′ extending therefrom which are positioned in the recesses 29918 ′ which resist relative lateral and longitudinal sliding motion between the implantable layer 29930 ′ and the cartridge body 29910 ′. the recesses 29918 ′ comprise crescent-shaped pockets, but could comprise any suitable shape, and the projections 29938 ′ are shaped and configured to complement or match the recesses 29918 ′. such an arrangement can create an undulating or wavy top surface of the deck 29913 ′, for example. a staple cartridge 29900 ″ is illustrated in fig. 61b and is similar to the staple cartridges 29900 and 29900 ′ in many respects, most of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the staple cartridge 29900 ″ comprises a cartridge body 29910 ″ and an implantable layer 29930 ″ releasably connected to the cartridge body 29910 ″. the cartridge body 29910 ″ comprises a deck 29913 ″ and recesses 29918 ″ defined therein which surround the openings of the staple cavities 29920 defined in the deck 29913 ″. each recess 29918 ″ comprises a rounded profile and sloped walls. in at least one such embodiment, the recesses 29918 ″ do not comprise vertical walls. the cartridge body 29910 ″ further comprises a dimple 29919 ″ extending upwardly from the bottom of each recess 29918 ″. similar to the recesses 29918 ″, the dimples 29919 ″ surround the openings of the staple cavities 29920 defined in the deck 29913 ″ and comprise sloped walls. in at least one such embodiment, the dimples 29919 ″ do not comprise vertical walls. the implantable layer 29930 ″ comprises recesses 29938 ″ defined therein which define bumps that extend into the recesses 29918 ″ defined in the cartridge body 29910 ″. the implantable layer 29930 ″ further comprises dimples 29939 ″ in the recesses 29938 ″ which are aligned, or at least substantially aligned, with the staples 29970 ″ positioned in the staple cavities 29920 . in at least one such embodiment, the tips of the staple legs are embedded in the dimples 29939 ″ of the implantable layer 29930 ″ when the staples 29970 ″ are stored in their unfired positions in the staple cavities 29920 . in other embodiments, the tips of the staple legs are positioned just below the dimples 29939 ″ when the staples 29970 ″ are stored in their unfired positions. further to the above, referring again to fig. 61b , the implantable layer 29930 ″ comprises a thickness 29937 ″ and is comprised of a malleable material, for example. notably, the thickness 29937 ″ may or may not be constant across the entire implantable layer 29930 ″. the height of the dimples 29919 ″ is less than the thickness 29937 ″ of the implantable layer 29930 ″. moreover, the recesses 29918 ″ defined in the cartridge body 29910 ″ have a depth 29917 ″ which is larger than the height of the dimples 29919 ″. as a result, the dimples 29919 ″ do not extend above the deck 29913 ″. that said, the layer 29930 ″ is in contact with the dimples 29919 ″ which prevents, or at least inhibits, the layer 29930 ″ from sliding laterally and/or longitudinally relative to the cartridge deck 29910 ″. referring now to figs. 54 and 55 , an end effector 26400 comprises an anvil jaw 26410 and a cartridge jaw comprising a staple cartridge 26900 positioned therein. the anvil jaw 26410 comprises a longitudinal slot 26414 which is configured to receive a tissue cutting knife. the anvil jaw 26410 further comprises a tissue compression surface 26417 and longitudinal rows of staple forming pockets 26413 defined in the tissue compression surface 26417 . the staple cartridge 26900 comprises a cartridge body 26910 including a proximal end 26912 and a distal end 26911 , a deck 26913 extending between the proximal end 26912 and the distal end 26911 which is configured to support patient tissue, and a longitudinal slot 26914 extending from the proximal end 26912 toward the distal end 26911 which is configured to receive the tissue cutting knife. the staple cartridge 26900 further comprises longitudinal rows of staple cavities 26920 defined in the deck 26913 on opposite sides of the longitudinal slot 26914 which contain staples removably stored therein. during a staple firing stroke, the staples are ejected from the staple cavities 26920 by the tissue cutting knife and deformed against the staple forming pockets 26913 of the anvil jaw 26910 . further to the above, the staple cartridge 26900 further comprises an implantable layer 26930 releasably attached to the cartridge body 26910 . the cartridge body 26910 comprises longitudinal retention slots 26915 defined therein which, similar to the above, comprise open distal ends which permit the implantable layer 26930 to be slid longitudinally onto the cartridge body 26910 when assembling the implantable layer 26930 onto the cartridge body 26910 and/or slid longitudinally off of the cartridge body 26910 after implanting the layer 26930 against the patient tissue. the implantable layer 26930 comprises lateral retention folds 26935 extending longitudinally along the lateral sides thereof which are positioned within and releasably secured within the longitudinal retention slots 26915 . when the end effector 26400 is clamped against patient tissue, in various instances, the tissue may flow into the retention slots 26915 onto the retention folds 26935 which, absent other considerations, may loosen the grip of the end effector jaws on this portion of the patient tissue. referring primarily to fig. 55a , the anvil jaw 26410 comprises longitudinal rails 26415 defined thereon which are aligned with the retention slots 26915 and are configured to push the patient tissue into the retention slots 26915 and improve the grip of the end effector jaws onto the patient tissue. referring again to fig. 55a , the opposing sidewalls of the retentions slots 26915 are vertical and the lateral retention folds 26935 comprise a corresponding configuration to that of the retention slots 26915 . similarly, the longitudinal rails 26415 comprise vertical sidewalls which correspond to the vertical sidewalls of the retention slots 26915 . an alternative embodiment is illustrated in fig. 55b which comprises a cartridge body 26910 ′ including a longitudinal retention slot 26915 ′, an implantable layer 26930 ′ including a lateral retention fold 26935 ′ releasably secured within the retention slot 26915 ′, and an anvil jaw 26410 ′ comprising a longitudinal rail 26415 ′ configured to grip the patient tissue when the anvil jaw 26410 ′ is in a closed position. notably, the opposing sidewalls of the retention slot 26915 ′ are not vertical; rather, the opposing sidewalls of the retention slot 26915 ′ are angled inwardly. the lateral retention fold 26935 ′ comprises a corresponding configuration to that of the retention slot 26915 ′ and the longitudinal rail 26415 ′ comprises a tapered configuration which can improve the tissue grip of the anvil jaw 26410 ′. an alternative embodiment is illustrated in figs. 56 and 56a which comprises a cartridge body 27910 including longitudinal retention notches 27915 , an implantable layer 27930 including lateral retention folds 27935 releasably secured within the retention notches 27915 , and an anvil jaw 27410 comprising longitudinal rails 27415 configured to grip the patient tissue when the anvil jaw 27410 is in a closed position. notably, the sidewalls of the retention notches 27915 are vertical. the lateral retention folds 27935 comprise a corresponding configuration to that of the retention slots 27915 and the longitudinal rails 27415 comprise vertical sidewalls which correspond to the sidewalls of the retention notches 27915 . an alternative embodiment is illustrated in fig. 56b which comprises a cartridge body 27910 ′ including a longitudinal retention notch 27915 ′, an implantable layer 27930 ′ including a lateral retention fold 27935 ′ releasably secured within the retention notch 27915 ′, and an anvil jaw 27410 comprising a longitudinal rail 27415 configured to grip the patient tissue when the anvil jaw 27410 is in a closed position. notably, the sidewall of the retention notch 27915 ′ is not vertical; rather, the sidewall of the retention notch 27915 ′ is angled inwardly. the lateral retention fold 27935 ′ comprises a corresponding configuration to that of the retention notch 27915 ′. such an arrangement can improve the retention of the implantable layer 27930 ′ to the cartridge body 27910 ′. referring to fig. 57 , a staple cartridge 28900 comprises a cartridge body 28910 and an implantable layer 28930 releasably attached thereto. the cartridge body 28910 comprises a longitudinal slot 28914 defined therein and longitudinal rows of staple cavities 28920 on opposite sides of the longitudinal slot 28914 . the implantable layer 28930 comprises a longitudinal fold 28934 press-fit and/or friction-fit into the longitudinal slot 28914 which releasably holds the implantable layer 28930 to the cartridge body 28910 . further to the above, the cartridge body 28910 further comprises longitudinal channels 28915 defined in the deck of the cartridge body 28910 . more specifically, each side of the cartridge deck comprises a longitudinal channel 28915 which defines a lower portion of the cartridge deck aligned with the outer rows of staple cavities 28920 . each side of the cartridge deck further comprises an inner longitudinal row of staple cavities 28920 and an intermediate row of staple cavities 28920 defined in an upper portion of the cartridge deck. the implantable layer 28930 comprises longitudinal folds 28935 press-fit and/or friction-fit into the longitudinal channels 28915 which releasably hold the implantable layer 28930 to the cartridge body 28910 . in various embodiments, the staple drivers configured to fire the staples stored in the outer longitudinal rows 28920 may not lift the outer staples to the same height as the inner and intermediate staples. in at least one such embodiment, the as-deformed size of the outer staples is larger than the as-deformed size of the inner staples and the intermediate staples. in at least one other embodiment, the outer staples are deformed to the same as-formed height as the inner staples and intermediate staples despite having a lower recessed deck. an anvil jaw 22410 of a stapling instrument is illustrated in fig. 50 and is similar to the other anvil jaws disclosed herein in many respects, many of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the anvil jaw 22410 comprises a cap, or cover, 22411 and tissue support plates 22412 welded to the cap 22411 . each support plate 22412 comprises a longitudinal lateral rib 22417 folded therein which is positioned in a longitudinal recess, or gutter, 22415 defined in a folded lateral lip of the cap 22411 . in various instances, the longitudinal lateral ribs 22417 are press-fit into their respective longitudinal recesses 22415 and then welded into place. as a result of the above, the anvil jaw 22410 is stiff and resists bending during the staple firing stroke. the support plates 22412 are positioned and arranged such that a longitudinal slot 22414 is defined between the support plates 22412 and such that a longitudinal cavity 22416 is defined between the support plates 22412 and the cap 22411 . the longitudinal slot 22414 and the longitudinal cavity 22416 are sized and configured to receive a tissue cutting knife therein. each support plate 22412 comprises a longitudinal row of first, or innermost, staple forming pockets defined therein, a longitudinal row of second, or intermediate, staple forming pockets defined therein, and a longitudinal row of third, or outermost, staple forming pockets defined therein. an anvil jaw 23410 of a stapling instrument is illustrated in fig. 51 and is similar to the other anvil jaws disclosed herein in many respects, many of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the anvil jaw 23410 comprises a cap, or cover, 23411 and tissue support plates 23412 welded to the cap 23411 . each support plate 23412 comprises a longitudinal lateral flange 23417 extending therefrom which abuts the cap 23411 . in at least one instance, openings, or apertures, are defined in the cap 23411 which allow the lateral flanges 23417 to be directly welded to the cap 23411 so that the support plates 23412 are held securely in position relative to the cap 23411 . as a result of the above, the anvil jaw 23410 is stiff and resists bending during the staple firing stroke. the support plates 23412 are positioned and arranged such that a longitudinal slot 23414 is defined between the support plates 23412 and such that a longitudinal cavity 23416 is defined between the support plates 23412 and the cap 23411 . the longitudinal slot 23414 and the longitudinal cavity 23416 are sized and configured to receive a tissue cutting knife therein. each support plate 23412 comprises a longitudinal row of first, or innermost, staple forming pockets defined therein, a longitudinal row of second, or intermediate, staple forming pockets defined therein, and a longitudinal row of third, or outermost, staple forming pockets defined therein. an anvil jaw 24410 of a stapling instrument is illustrated in figs. 52 and 52a and is similar to the other anvil jaws disclosed herein in many respects, many of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the anvil jaw 24410 comprises a cap, or cover, 24411 and tissue support plates 24412 welded to the cap 24411 . each support plate 24412 comprises a longitudinal lateral flange 24417 extending therefrom which is received in a folded lateral slot, or gutter, 24415 defined in the cap 24411 . in at least one instance, openings, or apertures, are defined in the cap 24411 which allow the lateral flanges 24417 to be directly welded to the cap 24411 via welds 24418 so that the support plates 24412 are held securely in position relative to the cap 24411 . as a result of the above, the anvil jaw 24410 is stiff and resists bending during the staple firing stroke. the support plates 24412 are positioned and arranged such that a longitudinal slot 24414 is defined between the support plates 24412 and such that a longitudinal cavity 24416 is defined between the support plates 24412 and the cap 24411 . the longitudinal slot 24414 and the longitudinal cavity 24416 are sized and configured to receive a tissue cutting knife therein. each support plate 24412 comprises a longitudinal row of first, or innermost, staple forming pockets defined therein, a longitudinal row of second, or intermediate, staple forming pockets defined therein, and a longitudinal row of third, or outermost, staple forming pockets defined therein. an anvil jaw 25410 of a stapling instrument is illustrated in fig. 53 and is similar to the other anvil jaws disclosed herein in many respects, many of which will not be discussed herein for the sake of brevity. the anvil jaw 25410 comprises a cap, or cover, 25411 and tissue support plates 25412 welded to the cap 25411 along the folded edges 25415 of the cap 25411 . in at least one instance, openings, or apertures, are defined in the cap 25411 which allow the support plates 25412 to be directly welded to the cap 25411 so that the support plates 25412 are held securely in position relative to the cap 25411 . as a result of the above, the anvil jaw 25410 is stiff and resists bending during the staple firing stroke. the support plates 25412 are positioned and arranged such that a longitudinal slot 25414 is defined between the support plates 25412 and such that a longitudinal cavity 25416 is defined between the support plates 25412 and the cap 25411 . the longitudinal slot 25414 and the longitudinal cavity 25416 are sized and configured to receive a tissue cutting knife therein. each support plate 25412 comprises a longitudinal row of first, or innermost, staple forming pockets defined therein, a longitudinal row of second, or intermediate, staple forming pockets defined therein, and a longitudinal row of third, or outermost, staple forming pockets defined therein. as mentioned above, referring again to fig. 1 , the loading unit 1300 comprises an articulation joint 1500 . referring now to fig. 62 , the loading unit 1300 comprises a proximal shaft portion 1520 and a distal shaft portion 1530 connected by two links 1550 that pin the distal shaft portion 1530 to the proximal shaft portion 1520 but permit the distal shaft portion 1530 to rotate, or articulate, relative to the proximal shaft portion 1520 , as illustrated in fig. 64 . the distal end of each link 1550 is pinned to the distal shaft portion 1530 by a pin 1540 and, similarly, the proximal end of each link 1550 is pinned to the proximal shaft portion 1520 by another pin 1540 . the loading unit 1300 further comprises a first articulation actuator 1570 connected to a first side of the distal shaft portion 1530 and a second articulation actuator 1580 connected to a second side of the distal shaft portion 1530 . the loading unit 1300 further comprises an articulation lock 1560 configured to be engaged with an annular array of lock teeth 1535 defined on the distal shaft portion 1530 when the articulation lock 1560 is in a locked position and disengaged from the distal shaft portion 1530 when the articulation lock 1560 is in an unlocked position ( figs. 63 and 64 ). when the articulation lock 1560 is in its unlocked position ( figs. 63 and 64 ), one or both of the articulation actuators 1570 can be pushed and/or pulled to articulate the end effector 1400 of the loading unit about the articulation joint 1500 . in various embodiments, the articulation actuators 1560 and 1570 are coupled to an articulation input actuator 1510 ( fig. 3 ) which is rotatable in a first direction to push the first articulation actuator 1570 distally and pull the second articulation actuator 1580 proximally to rotate the end effector 1400 in a first direction and, similarly, rotatable in a second direction to pull the first articulation actuator 1570 proximally and push the second articulation actuator 1580 distally to rotate the end effector 1400 in a second direction. when the clinician is satisfied with the orientation of the end effector 1400 , the clinician can move the articulation lock 1560 into its locked position to prevent the end effector 1400 from rotating. the entire disclosures of u.s. pat. no. 9,186,142, entitled surgical instrument end effector articulation drive with pinion and opposing racks, and u.s. pat. no. 8,353,437, entitled surgical stapling instrument with a geared return mechanism, which issued on jan. 15, 2013 are incorporated herein by reference. a schematic representation of a surgical stapling instrument 30000 is illustrated in fig. 65 . the stapling instrument 30000 comprises three independent motor-driven actuation systems—a first actuation system 30200 for articulating an end effector of the stapling instrument 30000 , a second actuation system 30300 for closing the end effector, and a third actuation system 30400 for performing a staple firing stroke. the stapling instrument 30000 further comprises a three-position switch 30120 for controlling the actuation systems 30200 , 30300 , and 30400 . when the switch 30120 is in a first position, power from a power source, such as a battery, for example, is available to operate the first, or articulation, actuation system 30200 . the articulation actuation system 30200 comprises an electric motor 30230 that is controlled by a directional switch 30240 and a relay switch 30260 with a set-reset function. when the switch 30120 is in a second position, power from the power source is available to operate the second, or closure, actuation system 30300 . the closure actuation system 30300 comprises an electric motor 30330 that is controlled by an end-of-travel sensor 30340 , a beginning-of-travel sensor 30350 , and a momentary switch 30360 . the closure actuation system 30300 further comprises indicator arrays 30370 and 30380 which comprise light emitting diodes (leds) that indicate the status of the closure actuation system. when the switch 30120 is in a third position, power from the power source is available to operate the third, or staple firing, actuation system 30400 . the staple firing actuation system 30400 comprises an electric motor 30430 that is controlled by an end-of-travel sensor 30440 , a beginning-of-travel sensor 30450 , and a momentary switch 30460 . the staple firing actuation system 30400 further comprises indicator arrays 30470 and 30480 which comprise light emitting diodes (leds) that indicate the status of the staple firing actuation system. further to the above, a surgical stapling instrument 35000 comprising an independent articulation system is illustrated in fig. 66 . the stapling instrument 35000 is similar to the stapling instruments 1000 , 2000 , 30000 and other stapling instruments disclosed herein. the stapling instrument 35000 comprises an end effector 35400 which is rotatable about an articulation joint 35500 by a motor-driven articulation drive. the articulation drive comprises an electric motor 35590 comprising a rotatable output 35595 . the rotatable output 35595 comprises a helical or worm gear, for example, but can comprise any suitable configuration. the rotatable output 35595 is nested within a threaded socket 35585 of a proximal articulation drive rod 35580 and, when the rotatable output 35595 is rotated in a first direction, the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 is advanced distally to articulate the end effector 35400 in a first direction. similarly, the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 is retracted proximally to articulate the end effector 35400 in a second direction when the rotatable output 35595 is rotated in a second, or opposite direction. as discussed in greater detail below, the motion of the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 is transmitted to the end effector 35400 by a transfer gear 35570 and a distal articulation rod 35570 . further to the above, the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 comprises a rack of teeth operably engaged with a first gear perimeter 35572 of the transfer gear 35570 such that the longitudinal motion of the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 rotates the transfer gear 35570 . the transfer gear 35570 is rotatably mounted to a shaft frame of the stapling instrument 35000 about a pin 35576 and further comprises a second gear perimeter 35574 operably engaged with the distal articulation drive rod 35560 such that the rotation of the transfer gear 35570 translates the distal articulation drive rod 35560 . the distal articulation drive rod 35560 comprises an elongate opening 35562 defined therein including a sidewall which is configured to transmit the translation of the distal articulation drive rod 35560 to a frame 35420 of the end effector 35400 through a drive pin 35422 that extends from the frame 35420 and extends into the elongate opening 35562 . notably, the distal articulation drive rod 35560 extends across the articulation joint 35500 and, as a result, the translation of the distal articulation drive rod 35560 rotates the end effector 35400 about the articulation joint 35500 . as discussed above, the rotatable output 35595 of the motor 35590 is nested within the threaded socket 35585 of the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 to transfer the rotational motion of the output 35595 to the proximal articulation drive rod 35580 . notably, though, the threaded socket 35585 does not entirely enclose the rotatable output 35595 . instead, the threaded socket 35585 only engages half, or about half, of the rotatable output 35595 . as a result, it is possible for the threaded socket 35585 and the rotatable output 35595 to disengage from one another when the load transmitted therebetween exceeds a threshold. such instances can occur when the motion of the end effector 35400 is blocked, for example, and the force needed to drive the end effector 35400 increases above the amount of force ordinarily needed to articulate the end effector 35400 , which is usually low. when the threaded socket 35585 disconnects from the rotatable output 35595 , the articulation drive is no longer driven by the motor 35590 . the articulation drive further comprises an elastic sleeve 35550 surrounding or encompassing the interface between the threaded socket 35585 and the rotatable output 35595 that is configured to re-seat or re-engage the threaded socket 35585 and the rotatable output 35595 when the load transmitted through the firing drive falls back below the threshold. the elastic sleeve 35550 is comprised of rubber, for example, but could be comprised of any suitable material. when the threaded socket 35585 decouples from the rotatable output 35595 , the elastic sleeve 35550 resiliently expands to accommodate the decoupling of the threaded socket 35585 and acts to resiliently contract to re-engage the threaded socket 35585 with the rotatable output 35595 . in various embodiments, further to the above, an articulation drive system can comprise one or more resilient features engaged with, or engageable with, the end effector 35400 which resist, but permit, the rotation of the end effector 35400 . such resilient features can prevent, or at least inhibit, small unintentional movements of the end effector 35400 . in various embodiments, further to the above, a surgical stapling instrument can comprise one motor that is operable to drive more than one drive system of the stapling instrument. in at least one such embodiment, the stapling instrument is switchable between a first configuration in which the motor is operable to drive the articulation drive system and a second configuration in which the motor is operable to drive the staple firing drive system, for example. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 9,101,358, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, which issued on aug. 11, 2015, is incorporated by reference herein. the entire disclosure of u.s. pat. no. 5,865,361, entitled surgical stapling apparatus, which issued on feb. 2, 2019, is incorporated by reference herein. as discussed above, referring again to fig. 1 , the shaft 1200 of the stapling instrument 1000 is rotatable relative to the handle 1100 about a longitudinal axis. more specifically, the stapling instrument 1000 comprises a rotation joint positioned within the nozzle of the shaft that permits the shaft 1200 to rotate relative to the handle 1100 . in various instances, a considerable amount of friction can be present within the rotation joint which prevents, or at least inhibits, the shaft 1200 from unintentionally rotating relative to the handle 1100 . in at least one embodiment, the shaft 1200 comprises a spring-loaded lock element biased into engagement with the handle 1100 which holds the shaft 1200 in position relative to the handle 1100 . the handle 1100 comprises a circumferential ring of lock recesses extending around the outer housing which are each configured to receive the spring-loaded lock element therein. the interaction between the spring-loaded lock element and a lock recess resists the rotation of the shaft 1200 relative to the handle 1100 . this resistance can be overcome by the clinician to rotate the shaft 1200 without having to release, or hold open, the spring-loaded lock element. that said, the clinician can hold open the spring-loaded lock element to freely rotate the shaft 1200 relative to the handle 1100 . in various alternative embodiments, the spring-loaded lock element is mounted to the handle 1100 and the circumferential ring of lock recesses is defined on the outer housing of the shaft 1200 . the surgical instrument systems described herein have been described in connection with the deployment and deformation of staples; however, the embodiments described herein are not so limited. various embodiments are envisioned which deploy fasteners other than staples, such as clamps or tacks, for example. moreover, various embodiments are envisioned which utilize any suitable means for sealing tissue. for instance, an end effector in accordance with various embodiments can comprise electrodes configured to heat and seal the tissue. also, for instance, an end effector in accordance with certain embodiments can apply vibrational energy to seal the tissue. the entire disclosures of: u.s. pat. no. 5,403,312, entitled electrosurgical hemostatic device, which issued on apr. 4, 1995; u.s. pat. no. 7,000,818, entitled surgical stapling instrument having separate distinct closing and firing systems, which issued on feb. 21, 2006; u.s. pat. no. 7,422,139, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument with tactile position feedback, which issued on sep. 9, 2008; u.s. pat. no. 7,464,849, entitled electro-mechanical surgical instrument with closure system and anvil alignment components, which issued on dec. 16, 2008; u.s. pat. no. 7,670,334, entitled surgical instrument having an articulating end effector, which issued on mar. 2, 2010; u.s. pat. no. 7,753,245, entitled surgical stapling instruments, which issued on jul. 13, 2010; u.s. pat. no. 8,393,514, entitled selectively orientable implantable fastener cartridge, which issued on mar. 12, 2013; u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/343,803, entitled surgical instrument having recording capabilities, now u.s. pat. no. 7,845,537; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/031,573, entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument having rf electrodes, filed feb. 14, 2008; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/031,873, entitled end effectors for a surgical cutting and stapling instrument, filed feb. 15, 2008, now u.s. pat. no. 7,980,443; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/235,782, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 8,210,411; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/235,972, entitled motorized surgical instrument, now u.s. pat. no. 9,050,083; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/249,117, entitled powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system, now u.s. pat. no. 8,608,045; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/647,100, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument with electric actuator directional control assembly, filed dec. 24, 2009, now u.s. pat. no. 8,220,688; u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/893,461, entitled staple cartridge, filed sep. 29, 2012, now u.s. pat. no. 8,733,613; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/036,647, entitled surgical stapling instrument, filed feb. 28, 2011, now u.s. pat. no. 8,561,870; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/118,241, entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, now u.s. pat. no. 9,072,535; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/524,049, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, filed on jun. 15, 2012, now u.s. pat. no. 9,101,358; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/800,025, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on mar. 13, 2013, now u.s. pat. no. 9,345,481; u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/800,067, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on mar. 13, 2013, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552; u.s. patent application publication no. 2007/0175955, entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument with closure trigger locking mechanism, filed jan. 31, 2006; and u.s. patent application publication no. 2010/0264194, entitled surgical stapling instrument with an articulatable end effector, filed apr. 22, 2010, now u.s. pat. no. 8,308,040, are hereby incorporated by reference herein. although various devices have been described herein in connection with certain embodiments, modifications and variations to those embodiments may be implemented. particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. thus, the particular features, structures, or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part, with the features, structures or characteristics of one or more other embodiments without limitation. also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. furthermore, according to various embodiments, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to perform a given function or functions. the foregoing description and following claims are intended to cover all such modification and variations. the devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. in either case, however, a device can be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. reconditioning can include any combination of the steps including, but not limited to, the disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of particular pieces of the device, and subsequent reassembly of the device. in particular, a reconditioning facility and/or surgical team can disassemble a device and, after cleaning and/or replacing particular parts of the device, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use. those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application. the devices disclosed herein may be processed before surgery. first, a new or used instrument may be obtained and, when necessary, cleaned. the instrument may then be sterilized. in one sterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic or tyvek bag. the container and instrument may then be placed in a field of radiation that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation, x-rays, and/or high-energy electrons. the radiation may kill bacteria on the instrument and in the container. the sterilized instrument may then be stored in the sterile container. the sealed container may keep the instrument sterile until it is opened in a medical facility. a device may also be sterilized using any other technique known in the art, including but not limited to beta radiation, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, plasma peroxide, and/or steam. while this invention has been described as having exemplary designs, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles.
083-762-047-631-347	US	[ "US", "EP", "WO" ]	C07H21/00,A61P35/00,A61P37/02,C07H21/02,C07H21/04,A61K31/7076,A61K31/7084,C07H19/20,C07H19/213	2017-05-12T00:00:00	2017	[ "C07", "A61" ]	cyclic di-nucleotide compounds as sting agonists	a class of polycyclic compounds of general formula (i), wherein base 1 , base 2 , y, y a , x a , x a1 , x b , x b1 , x c , x c1 , x d , x d1 , r 1 , r 1a , r 2 , r 2a , r 3 , r 4 , r 4a , r 5 , r 6 , r 6a , r 7 , r 7a , r 8 , r 8a , and r 9 are defined herein, that may be useful as inductors of type i interferon production, specifically as sting active agents, are provided. also provided are processes for the synthesis and use of compounds.	1. a compound of formula (i): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 ; y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, —so 2 —, —ch 2 —, and —cf 2 —; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sr 9 , or 9 , and nr 9 r 9 ; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 3 c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 4 and r 4a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 5 c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 6 and r 6a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 7 and r 7a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 8 and r 8a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; each r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 20 alkyl, where each r 9 c 1 -c 20 alkyl is optionally substituted by 0 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of oh, —o—c 1 -c 20 alkyl, —s—c(o)c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c(o)oc 1 -c 6 alkyl; optionally r 1a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 1a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said 0 is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 2a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 2a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 4 and r 5 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 4 and r 5 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position; optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position; optionally r 7 and r 8 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene; and optionally r 7a and r 8a are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene; and provided that at least one of 2. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 ; y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sr 9 , or 9 , and nr 9 r 9 ; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 3 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, cn, oh, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 4 and r 4a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 5 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 6 and r 6a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 7 and r 7a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 8 and r 8a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; each r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, where each r 9 c 1 -c 6 alkyl is optionally substituted by 1 to 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of oh, —o—c 1 -c 20 alkyl,—s—c(o)c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and —c(o)oc 1 -c 6 alkyl; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form c 2 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. 3. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh, —sh, x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, ch 2 ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , —c═ch, and —c═c—ch; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 ; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to c 2 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. 4. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each o; x b and x b1 are each o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh and —sh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cn, n 3 , ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , and —c═ch; r 7 and r 7a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. 5. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each o; x b and x b1 are each o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh and —sh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 4 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cn, n 3 , ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , and —c═ch; r 7 and r 7a a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. 6. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each o; x b and x b1 are each o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sh and oh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 6 and r 6a are each h; r 7 and r 7a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; and optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. 7. the compound according to claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each o; x b and x b1 are each o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —sh and —oh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 is h; r 2a is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4a is h; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 6 and r 6a are each h; r 7 and r 7a are each h; and r 8 and r 8a are each h. 8. a compound selected from the group consisting of: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. 9. a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition comprising: (a) a compound according to claim 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. 10. a method of inducing an immune response in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to claim 1 to the subject. 11. a method of inducing an immune response in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition according to claim 9 to the subject. 12. a method of inducing a sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to claim 1 to the subject. 13. a method of inducing a sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition according to claim 9 to the subject. 14. a method of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to claim 1 to the subject. 15. the method of claim 14 , wherein the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. 16. a method of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition according to claim 9 to the subject. 17. the method of claim 16 , wherein the cell proliferation disorder is cancer.	cross-reference to related applications this application is a national stage application of international patent application no. pct/us2018/031380, filed may 7, 2018, which claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/505,194, filed may 12, 2017. field of the invention the present disclosure relates to cyclic di-nucleotide compounds and derivatives thereof that may be useful as sting (stimulator of interferon genes) agonists that activate the sting pathway. the present disclosure also relates to processes for the synthesis and to uses of such cyclic di-nucleotide compounds. background of the invention the immune system has evolved to recognize and neutralize different types of threats in order to maintain the homeostasis of the host, and it is generally broken down into two arms: adaptive and innate. the adaptive immune system is specialized to recognize as foreign those antigens not naturally expressed in the host and to mount an anti-antigen response through the coordinated actions of many leukocyte subsets. the hallmark of adaptive immune responses is their ability to provide “memory” or long-lasting immunity against the encountered antigen. while this specific and long-lasting effect is critical to host health and survival, the adaptive immune response requires time to generate a full-blown response. the innate immune system compensates for this time delay and is specialized to act quickly against different insults or danger signals. it provides the first line of defense against bacteria, viruses, parasites and other infectious threats, but it also responds strongly to certain danger signals associated with cellular or tissue damage. the innate immune system has no antigen specificity but does respond to a variety of effector mechanisms. opsonization, phagocytosis, activation of the complement system, and production of soluble bioactive molecules such as cytokines or chemokines are all mechanisms by which the innate immune system mediates its response. by responding to these damage-associated molecular patterns (damps) or pathogen-associated molecular patterns (pamps) described above, the innate immune system is able to provide broad protection against a wide range of threats to the host. free cytosolic dna and rna are among these pamps and damps. it has recently been demonstrated that the main sensor for cytosolic dna is cgas (cyclic gmp-amp synthase). upon recognition of cytosolic dna, cgas catalyzes the generation of the cyclic-dinucleotide 2′3′-cgamp, an atypical second messenger that strongly binds to the er-transmembrane adaptor protein sting. a conformational change is undergone by cgamp-bound sting, which translocates to a perinuclear compartment and induces the activation of critical transcription factors irf-3 and nf-κb. this leads to a strong induction of type i interferons and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as il-6, tnf-α and ifn-γ. the importance of type i interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines on various cells of the immune system has been very well established. in particular, these molecules strongly potentiate t-cell activation by enhancing the ability of dendritic cells and macrophages to uptake, process, present and cross-present antigens to t-cells. the t-cell stimulatory capacity of these antigen-presenting cells is augmented by the up-regulation of critical co-stimulatory molecules, such as cd80 or cd86. finally, type i interferons can rapidly engage their cognate receptors and trigger the activation of interferon-responsive genes that can significantly contribute to adaptive immune cell activation. from a therapeutic perspective, type i interferons are shown to have antiviral activities by directly inhibiting human hepatitis b virus and hepatitis c virus replication, and by stimulating immune responses to virally infected cells. compounds that can induce type i interferon production are used in vaccines, where they act as adjuvants, enhancing specific immune responses to antigens and minimizing side effects by reducing dosage and broadening the immune response. in addition, interferons, and compounds that can induce interferon production, have potential use in the treatment of human cancers. such molecules are potentially useful as anti-cancer agents with multiple pathways of activity. interferons can inhibit human tumor cell proliferation directly and may be synergistic with various approved chemotherapeutic agents. type i interferons can significantly enhance anti-tumor immune responses by inducing activation of both the adaptive and innate immune cells. finally, tumor invasiveness may be inhibited by interferons by modulating enzyme expression related to tissue remodeling. in view of the potential of type i interferons and type i interferon-inducing compounds as anti-viral and anti-cancer agents, there remains a need for new agents that can induce potent type i interferon production. with the growing body of data demonstrating that the cgas-sting cytosolic dna sensory pathway has a significant capacity to induce type i interferons, the development of sting activating agents is rapidly taking an important place in today's anti-tumor therapy landscape. summary of the invention the present disclosure relates to novel compounds of general formula (i). in particular, the present disclosure relates to compounds having the general structural formula (i): or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, or prodrugs thereof, as described herein. embodiments of the disclosure include compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, or prodrugs thereof, as well as synthesis and isolation of compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, or prodrugs thereof. the compounds of general formula (i), and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, and/or prodrugs, may be useful as agents to induce immune responses, to induce sting-dependent type i interferon production, and/or to treat a cell proliferation disorders, such as cancers, in a subject. the compounds of general formula (i) could further be used in combination with other therapeutically effective agents, including but not limited to, other drugs useful for the treatment of cell proliferation disorders, such as cancers. the invention further relates to processes for preparing compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutical compositions that comprise compounds of general formula (i) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. other embodiments, aspects and features of the present disclosure are either further described in or will be apparent from the ensuing description, examples and appended claims. detailed description of the invention the present disclosure includes compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, or prodrugs thereof. these compounds and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, and/or prodrugs may be useful as agents to induce immune responses, to induce sting-dependent type i interferon production, and/or to treat a cell proliferation disorder. embodiments disclosed herein relate to compounds of general formula (i): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, or prodrugs thereof, wherein base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 ; y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, —so 2 —, —ch 2 —, and —cf 2 —; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sr 9 , or 9 , and nr 9 r 9 ; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 1 and r 1a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 3 c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 4 and r 4a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 5 c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 6 and r 6a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 7 and r 7a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 8 and r 8a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkenyl, c 2 -c 6 haloalkynyl, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkyl, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; each r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 20 alkyl, where each r 9 c 1 -c 20 alkyl is optionally substituted by 0 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of oh, —o—c 1 -c 20 alkyl, —s—c(o)c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c(o)oc 1 -c 6 alkyl; optionally r 1a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 1a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 2a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 2a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; optionally r 4 and r 5 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 4 and r 5 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position; optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkynylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position; optionally r 7 and r 8 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene; and optionally r 7a and r 8a are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene; and provided that at least one of in embodiments, the disclosure relates to compounds of general structural formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, or solvates thereof. in specific embodiments, the disclosure relates to compounds of general structural formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. in a first embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 . in particular aspects, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 . in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above. in a second embodiment, y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—. in aspects of this embodiment, y is —o—, and y a is —o—. in additional aspects of this embodiment, y is —o—, and y a is —s—. in further aspects of this embodiment, y is —s—, and y a is —o—. in still further aspects of this embodiment, y is —s—, and y a is —s—. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first embodiment described above. in a third embodiment, x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —. in aspects of this embodiment, x a and x a1 are each independendently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through second embodiments described above. in a fourth embodiment, x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o—, —s—, and —ch 2 —. in aspects of this embodiment, x b and x b1 are each independendently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through third embodiments described above. in a fifth embodiment, x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —or 9 , —sr 9 , and —nr 9 r 9 , where each r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 20 alkyl, where each r 9 c 1 -c 20 alkyl is optionally substituted by 0 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of oh, —o—c 1 -c 20 alkyl, —s—c(o)c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c(o)oc 1 -c 6 alkyl. in particular aspects, x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh, —sh, in more particular aspects, x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh and —sh. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourth embodiment described above. in a sixth embodiment, x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fifth embodiments described above. in a seventh embodiment, r 1 and r 1a are each h. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through sixth embodiments described above. in an eighth embodiment, r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 . in even more particular aspects, r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh. in even still more particular aspects, r 2 is h. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through seventh embodiments described above. in a ninth embodiment, r 3 is selected from the group consisting h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 3 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 . in even more particular aspects, r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh. in even still more particular aspects, r 3 is h. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through eighth embodiments described above. in a tenth embodiment, r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, cn, oh, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 4 and r 4a , c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 . in even more particular aspects, r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through ninth embodiments described above. in an eleventh embodiment, r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 5 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 . in even more particular aspects, r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through tenth embodiments described above. in a twelfth embodiment, r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 6 and r 6a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, ch 2 ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , —c≡ch, and —c≡c—ch. in more particular aspects, r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cn, n 3 , ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , and —c≡ch. in even more particular aspects, r 6 and r 6a are each h. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through eleventh embodiments described above. in a thirteenth embodiment, r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 7 and r 7a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 7 and r 7a are each h. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through twelfth embodiments described above. in a fourteenth embodiment, r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 8 and r 8a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 . in particular aspects, r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 . in more particular aspects, r 8 and r 8a are each h. in all aspects of this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through thirteenth embodiments described above. in a fifteenth embodiment, r 1a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 1a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a sixteenth embodiment, r 2a and r 3 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 2a and r 3 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a seventeenth embodiment, r 3 and r 6a are connected to form c 2 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in an eighteenth embodiment, r 4 and r 5 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 4 and r 5 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a nineteenth embodiment, r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twentieth embodiment, r 7 and r 8 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-first embodiment, r 7a and r 8a are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene or c 2 -c 6 alkenylene. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-second embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of where base 1 and base 2 each may be independently substituted by 0-3 substituents r 10 , where each r 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of f, cl, i, br, oh, sh, nh 2 , c 1-3 alkyl, c 3-6 cycloalkyl, o(c 1-3 alkyl), o(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), s(c 1-3 alkyl), s(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), nh(c 1-3 alkyl), nh(c 3-6 cycloalkyl), n(c 1-3 alkyl) 2 , and n(c 3-6 cycloalkyl) 2 ; y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sr 9 , or 9 , and nr 9 r 9 ; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 2 and r 2a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 3 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, cn, oh, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 4 and r 4a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, br, i, oh, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 5 c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl, where said r 6 and r 6a c 1 -c 6 alkyl, c 2 -c 6 alkenyl, and c 2 -c 6 alkynyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of f, cl, br, i, oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 7 and r 7a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, where said r 8 and r 8a c 1 -c 6 alkyl or c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl are substituted by 0 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oh, cn, and n 3 ; each r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of h, c 1 -c 6 alkyl, where each r 9 c 1 -c 6 alkyl is optionally substituted by 1 to 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of oh, —o—c 1 -c 20 alkyl, —s—c(o)c 1 -c 6 alkyl, and —c(o)oc 1 -c 6 alkyl; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form c 2 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-third embodiment, base′ and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x b and x b1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh, —sh, x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, i, br, oh, cn, n 3 , cf 3 , ch 3 , ch 2 oh, ch 2 ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , —c≡ch, and —c≡c—ch; r 7 and r 7a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 ; r 8 and r 8a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, cf 3 , ch 3 , and ch 2 ch 3 ; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to c 2 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-fourth embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each o; x b and x b1 are each 0; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh, and —sh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cn, n 3 , ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , and —c≡ch; r 7 and r 7a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that o is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-fifth embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each 0; x b and x b1 are each 0; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —oh and —sh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, cl, oh, cn, n 3 , and ch 3 ; r 6 and r 6a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, cn, n 3 , ch 3 , —ch═ch 2 , and —c≡ch; r 7 and r 7a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said 0 is bound at the r 3 position; and optionally r 5 and r 6 are connected to form c 1 -c 6 alkylene, c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene, or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 5 and r 6 are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 5 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-sixth embodiment, base′ and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each 0; x b and x b1 are each 0; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of sh and oh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 and r 2a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4 and r 4a are each independently selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 6 and r 6a are each h; r 7 and r 7a are each h; r 8 and r 8a are each h; and optionally r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-seventh embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently o; x b and x b1 are each independently o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —sh and —oh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 2 and r 2a are each h; r 2 is h; r 2a is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4a is h; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 6 and r 6a are each h; r 7 and r 7a are each h; and r 8 and r 8a are each h. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. in a twenty-eighth embodiment, base 1 and base 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of y and y a are each independently selected from the group consisting of —o— and —s—; x a and x a1 are each independently o; x b and x b1 are each independently o; x c and x c1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of —sh and —oh; x d and x d1 are each independently selected from the group consisting of o and s; r 1 and r 1a are each h; r 2 is h; r 2a is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 4a is h; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h, f, and oh; r 6 and r 6a are each h; r 7 and r 7a are each h; and r 8 and r 8a are each h; and r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, such that where r 3 and r 6a are connected to form —o—c 1 -c 6 alkylene or —o—c 2 -c 6 alkenylene, said o is bound at the r 3 position. in this embodiment, all other groups are as provided in the general formula (i) above or in the first through fourteenth embodiments described above. a twenty-ninth embodiment relates to a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) a compound according to any one of general formula (i) above or the first through twenty-eighth embodiments described above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. a thirtieth embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to any one of general formula (i) above or the first through twenty-eighth embodiments described above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a thirty-first embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the twenty-ninth embodiment described above to the subject. a thirty-second embodiment relates to methods of inducing a sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to any one of general formula (i) above or the first through twenty-eighth embodiments described above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a thirty-third embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the twenty-ninth embodiment described above to the subject. a thirty-fourth embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to any one of general formula (i) above or the first through twenty-eighth embodiments described above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a thirty-fifth embodiment relates to methods of inducing a sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the twenty-ninth embodiment described above to the subject. in each embodiment described herein, variables base 1 , base 2 , y, y a , x a , x a1 , x b , x b1 , x c , x c1 , x d , x d1 , r 1 , r 1a , r 2 , r 2a , r 3 , r 4 , r 4a , r 5 , r 6 , r 6a , r 7 , r 7a , r 8 , r 8a , and r 9 of general formula (i), and the various aspects thereof, are each selected independently from each other. a thirty-sixth embodiment relates to a compound selected from the group consisting of and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, and prodrugs thereof. in aspects, the disclosure relates to the compounds set forth above, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, or solvates thereof. in specific embodiments, the disclosure relates to the compounds set forth above or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. a thirty-seventh embodiment relates to a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) a compound according to the thirty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. a thirty-eight embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the thirty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a thirty-ninth embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the thirty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a fortieth embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the thirty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a forty-first embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the thirty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a forty-second embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the thirty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a forty-third embodiment relates to methods of inducing a sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the thirty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a forty-fourth embodiment relates to methods of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a patient in need of therapy, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the patient. in aspects of this embodiment, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. a forty-fifth embodiment relates to methods of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a patient in need of therapy, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the thirty-seventh embodiment described above to the patient. in aspects of this embodiment, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. a forty-sixth embodiment relates to a compound selected from the exemplary species depicted in examples 1 through 27 shown below. a forty-seventh embodiment relates to a a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) a compound according to the forty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. a forty-eighth embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the forty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a forty-ninth embodiment relates to methods of inducing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the forty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a fiftieth embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the forty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a fifty-first embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the forty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a fifty-second embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according to the forty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject. a fifty-third embodiment relates to methods of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the forty-seventh embodiment above to the subject. a fifty-fourth embodiment relates to methods of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a patient in need of therapy, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of according to the forty-sixth embodiment above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the patient. in aspects of this embodiment, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. a fifty-fifth embodiment relates to methods of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a patient in need of therapy, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition according to the fifty-seventh embodiment described above to the patient. in aspects of this embodiment, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. other embodiments of the present disclosure include the following: (a) a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. (b) the pharmaceutical composition of (a), further comprising an active agent selected from the group consisting of sting agonist compounds, anti-viral compounds, antigens, adjuvants, ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists and other immunomodulatory agents, lipids, liposomes, peptides, anti-cancer and chemotherapeutic agents. (c) a pharmaceutical combination that is (i) a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and (ii) an active agent selected from the group consisting of sting agonist compounds, anti-viral compounds, antigens, adjuvants, ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists and other immunomodulatory agents, lipids, liposomes, peptides, anti-cancer and chemotherapeutic agents; wherein the compound of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and the active agent are each employed in an amount that renders the combination effective for inducing an immune response in a patient. (d) a method of inducing an immune response in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. (e) a method of inducing an immune response in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of (a), a composition of (b), or a combination of (c). (f) a method of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. (g) a method of inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of (a), a composition of (b), or a combination of (c). (h) a method of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. (i) a method of inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a patient, which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of (a), a composition of (b), or a combination of (c). (j) a method of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject; (k) the method of (j), wherein the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. (l) a method of treating a cell proliferation disorder in a subject, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of (a), a composition of (b), or a combination of (c) to the subject. (m) the method of (1), wherein the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. the present disclosure also includes a compound of the present disclosure for use (i) in, (ii) as a medicament for, or (iii) in the preparation of a medicament for: (a) inducing an immune response in a patient, or (b) inducing sting-dependent cytokine production in a patient. in these uses, the compounds of the present disclosure can optionally be employed in combination with one or more active agents selected from sting agonist compounds, anti-viral compounds, antigens, adjuvants, ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists and other immunomodulatory agents, lipids, liposomes, peptides, anti-cancer agents, and chemotherapeutic agents. additional embodiments of the disclosure include the pharmaceutical compositions, combinations and methods set forth in (a) through (m) above and the uses set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the compound of the present disclosure employed therein is a compound of one of the embodiments, aspects, instances, occurrences, or features of the compounds described above. in all of these embodiments, the compound may optionally be used in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, as appropriate. in the embodiments of the compound provided above, it is to be understood that each embodiment may be combined with one or more other embodiments, to the extent that such a combination provides a stable compound and is consistent with the description of the embodiments. it is further to be understood that the embodiments of compositions and methods provided as (a) through (m) above are understood to include all embodiments of the compounds, including such embodiments as result from combinations of embodiments. the term “subject” (alternatively “patient”) as used herein refers to a mammal that has been the object of treatment, observation, or experiment. the mammal may be male or female. the mammal may be one or more selected from the group consisting of humans, bovine (e.g., cows), porcine (e.g., pigs), ovine (e.g., sheep), capra (e.g., goats), equine (e.g., horses), canine (e.g., domestic dogs), feline (e.g., house cats), lagomorpha (rabbits), rodents (e.g., rats or mice), procyon lotor (e.g., raccoons). in particular embodiments, the subject is human. as used herein, the term “immune response” relates to any one or more of the following: specific immune response, non-specific immune response, both specific and non-specific response, innate response, primary immune response, adaptive immunity, secondary immune response, memory immune response, immune cell activation, immune cell proliferation, immune cell differentiation, and cytokine expression. in certain embodiments, a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, is administered in conjunction with one or more additional therapeutic agents including anti-viral compounds, vaccines intended to stimulate an immune response to one or more predetermined antigens, adjuvants, ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists and other immunomodulatory agents, lipids, liposomes, peptides, anti-cancer agents, and chemotherapeutic agents, etc. in certain embodiments, a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, is administered in conjunction with one or more additional compositions including anti-viral compounds, vaccines intended to stimulate an immune response to one or more predetermined antigens, adjuvants, ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists and other immunomodulatory agents, lipids, liposomes, peptides, anti-cancer agents, and chemotherapeutic agents, etc. compounds the term “alkyl” refers to a monovalent straight or branched chain, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range. thus, for example, “c 1-6 alkyl” (or “c 1 -c 6 alkyl”) refers to any of the hexyl alkyl and pentyl alkyl isomers as well as n-, iso-, sec- and tert-butyl, n- and iso-propyl, ethyl, and methyl. as another example, “c 1-4 alkyl” refers to n-, iso-, sec- and tert-butyl, n- and isopropyl, ethyl, and methyl. as used herein, the term “alkylene” refers to a bivalent straight chain, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range. as used herein, the term “alkenyl” refers to a monovalent straight or branched chain, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range and including one or more double bond. as used herein, the term “alkenylene” refers to a bivalent straight chain, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range and including one or more double bond. as used herein, the term “alkynyl” refers to a monovalent straight or branched chain, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range and including one or more triple bond. as used herein, the term “alkynylene” refers to a bivalent straight chain, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having a number of carbon atoms in the specified range and including one or more triple bond. the term “halogen” (or “halo”) refers to fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine (alternatively referred to as fluoro, chloro, bromo, and iodo or f, cl, br, and i). the term “haloalkyl” refers to an alkyl group as defined above in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced with a halogen. thus, for example, “c 1-6 haloalkyl” (or “c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl”) refers to a c 1 to c 6 linear or branched alkyl group as defined above with one or more halogen substituents. the term “fluoroalkyl” has an analogous meaning except the halogen substituents are restricted to fluoro. suitable fluoroalkyls include the series (ch 2 ) 0-4 cf 3 (i.e., trifluoromethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, 3,3,3-trifluoro-n-propyl, etc.). as used herein, the term “haloalkenyl” refers to an alkenyl group as defined above in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced with a halogen. as used herein, the term “haloalkynyl” refers to an alkynyl group as defined above in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced with a halogen. as used herein, the term “alkoxy” as used herein, alone or in combination, includes an alkyl group connected to the oxy connecting atom. the term “alkoxy” also includes alkyl ether groups, where the term “alkyl” is defined above, and “ether” means two alkyl groups with an oxygen atom between them. examples of suitable alkoxy groups include methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, i-propoxy, n-butoxy, s-butoxy, t-butoxy, methoxymethane (also referred to as “dimethyl ether”), and methoxyethane (also referred to as “ethyl methyl ether”). as used herein, the term “cycloalkyl” refers to a saturated hydrocarbon containing one ring having a specified number of carbon atoms. examples of cycloalkyl include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl. as used herein, the term “heterocycle”, “heterocyclyl”, or “heterocyclic”, as used herein, represents a stable 3- to 6-membered monocyclic that is either saturated or unsaturated, and that consists of carbon atoms and from one to two heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of n, o, and s. the heterocyclic ring may be attached at any heteroatom or carbon atom which results in the creation of a stable structure. the term includes heteroaryl moieties. examples of such heterocyclic elements include, but are not limited to, azepinyl, benzimidazolyl, benzisoxazolyl, benzofurazanyl, benzopyranyl, benzothiopyranyl, benzofuryl, benzothiazolyl, benzothienyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, dihydrobenzofuryl, dihydrobenzothienyl, dihydrobenzothiopyranyl, dihydrobenzothiopyranyl sulfone, 1,3-dioxolanyl, furyl, imidazolidinyl, imidazolinyl, imidazolyl, indolinyl, indolyl, isochromanyl, isoindolinyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolidinyl, isothiazolyl, isothiazolidinyl, morpholinyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, 2-oxoazepinyl, oxazolyl, 2-oxopiperazinyl, 2-oxopiperdinyl, 2-oxopyrrolidinyl, piperidyl, piperazinyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrahydrofuryl, tetrahydroisoquinolinyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl, thiamorpholinyl, thiamorpholinyl sulfoxide, thiazolyl, thiazolinyl, thienofuryl, thienothienyl, triazolyl and thienyl. as used herein, the term “spirocycle” or “spirocyclic ring” refers to a pendant cyclic group formed by substituents on a single atom. the term “compound” refers to the compound and, in certain embodiments, to the extent they are stable, any hydrate or solvate thereof. a hydrate is the compound complexed with water, and a solvate is the compound complexed with a solvent, which may be an organic solvent or an inorganic solvent. a “stable” compound is a compound that can be prepared and isolated and whose structure and properties remain or can be caused to remain essentially unchanged for a period of time sufficient to allow use of the compound for the purposes described herein (e.g., therapeutic administration to a subject). the compounds of the present invention are limited to stable compounds embraced by general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. unless expressly stated to the contrary, all ranges cited herein are inclusive; i.e., the range includes the values for the upper and lower limits of the range as well as all values in between. as an example, temperature ranges, percentages, ranges of equivalents, and the like described herein include the upper and lower limits of the range and any value in the continuum there between. numerical values provided herein, and the use of the term “about”, may include variations of ±1%, ±2%, ±3%, ±4%, ±5%, ±10%, ±15%, and ±20% and their numerical equivalents. as used herein, the term “one or more” item includes a single item selected from the list as well as mixtures of two or more items selected from the list. in the compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, the atoms may exhibit their natural isotopic abundances, or one or more of the atoms may be artificially enriched in a particular isotope having the same atomic number, but an atomic mass or mass number different from the atomic mass or mass number predominantly found in nature. the present disclosure is meant to include all suitable isotopic variations of the compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing. for example, different isotopic forms of hydrogen (h) include protium ( 1 h), deuterium ( 2 h), and tritium ( 3 h). protium is the predominant hydrogen isotope found in nature. enriching for deuterium may afford certain therapeutic advantages, such as increasing in vivo half-life or reducing dosage requirements, or may provide a compound useful as a standard for characterization of biological samples. isotopically-enriched compounds within general formula (i), and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, can be prepared without undue experimentation by conventional techniques well known to those skilled in the art or by processes analogous to those described in the schemes and examples herein using appropriate isotopically-enriched reagents and/or intermediates. in particular embodiments of the compounds of general formula (i), and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, the compounds are isotopically enriched with deuterium. in aspects of these embodiments, one or more of base 1 , base 2 , y, y a , x a , x a1 , x b , x b1 , x c , x c1 , x d , x d1 , r 1 , r 1a , r 2 , r 2a , r 3 , r 4 , r 4a , r 5 , r 6 , r 6a , r 7 , r 7a , r 8 , r 8a , and r 9 may include deuterium. as shown in the general structural formulas and the structures of specific compounds as provided herein, a straight line at a chiral center includes both (r) and (s) stereoisomers and mixtures thereof. also, unless otherwise specified (e.g., 100% purified compound), reference to a particular stereochemistry at a position provides a compound having the indicated stereochemistry but does not exclude the presence of stereoisomers having different stereochemistry at the indicated position. recitation or depiction of a specific compound in the claims (i.e., a species) without a specific stereoconfiguration designation, or with such a designation for less than all chiral centers, is intended to encompass, for such undesignated chiral centers, the racemate, racemic mixtures, each individual enantiomer, a diastereoisomeric mixture and each individual diastereomer of the compound where such forms are possible due to the presence of one or more asymmetric centers. the invention includes all possible enantiomers and diastereomers and mixtures of two or more stereoisomers, for example mixtures of enantiomers and/or diastereomers, in all ratios. thus, enantiomers are a subject of the invention in enantiomerically pure form, both as levorotatory and as dextrorotatory antipodes, in the form of racemates and in the form of mixtures of the two enantiomers in all ratios. in the case of a cis/trans isomerism, the invention includes both the cis form and the trans form, as well as mixtures of these forms in all ratios. the preparation of individual stereoisomers can be carried out, if desired, by separation of a mixture by customary methods, for example by chromatography or crystallization, by the use of stereochemically uniform starting materials for the synthesis or by stereoselective synthesis. optionally a derivatization can be carried out before a separation of stereoisomers. the separation of a mixture of stereoisomers can be carried out at an intermediate step during the synthesis of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, or it can be done on a final racemic product. absolute stereochemistry may be determined by x-ray crystallography of crystalline products or crystalline intermediates that are derivatized, if necessary, with a reagent containing a stereogenic center of known configuration. unless a particular isomer, salt, solvate (including hydrates) or solvated salt of such racemate, enantiomer, or diastereomer is indicated, the present invention includes all such isomers, as well as salts, solvates (including hydrates), and solvated salts of such racemates, enantiomers, diastereomers, and mixtures thereof. those skilled in the art will recognize that chiral compounds, and in particular sugars, can be drawn in a number of different ways that are equivalent. those skilled in the art will further recognize that the identity and regiochemical position of the substituents on ribose can vary widely and that the same principles of steroechemical equivalence apply regardless of substituent. non-limiting examples of such equivalence include those exemplified below. salts as indicated above, the compounds of the present invention can be employed in the form of pharmaceutically acceptable salts. those skilled in the art will recognize those instances in which the compounds of the invention may form salts. examples of such compounds are described herein by reference to possible salts. such reference is for illustration only. pharmaceutically acceptable salts can be used with compounds for treating patients. non-pharmaceutical salts may, however, be useful in the preparation of intermediate compounds. the term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” refers to a salt (including an inner salt such as a zwitterion) that possesses effectiveness similar to the parent compound and that is not biologically or otherwise undesirable (e.g., is neither toxic nor otherwise deleterious to the recipient thereof). thus, an embodiment of the invention provides pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention. the term “salt(s)”, as employed herein, denotes any of the following: acidic salts formed with inorganic and/or organic acids, as well as basic salts formed with inorganic and/or organic bases. salts of compounds of the invention may be formed by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, for example, by reacting a compound of the invention with an amount of acid or base, such as an equivalent amount, in a medium such as one in which the salt precipitates or in aqueous medium followed by lyophilization. exemplary acid addition salts include acetates, ascorbates, benzoates, benzenesulfonates, bisulfates, borates, butyrates, citrates, camphorates, camphorsulfonates, fumarates, hydrochlorides, hydrobromides, hydroiodides, lactates, maleates, methanesulfonates (“mesylates”), naphthalenesulfonates, nitrates, oxalates, phosphates, propionates, salicylates, succinates, sulfates, tartarates, thiocyanates, toluenesulfonates (also known as tosylates) and the like. suitable salts include acid addition salts that may, for example, be formed by mixing a solution of a compound with a solution of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, or benzoic acid. additionally, acids that are generally considered suitable for the formation of pharmaceutically useful salts from basic pharmaceutical compounds are discussed, for example, by p. stahl et al, camille g. (eds.), handbook of pharmaceutical salts. properties, selection and use . (2002) zurich: wiley-vch; s. berge et al, journal of pharmaceutical sciences (1977) 66(1) 1-19; p. gould, international j. of pharmaceutics (1986) 33 201-217; anderson et al, the practice of medicinal chemistry (1996), academic press, new york; and in the orange book (food & drug administration, washington, d.c. on their website). these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference thereto. exemplary basic salts include ammonium salts, alkali metal salts such as sodium, lithium, and potassium salts, alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium and magnesium salts, salts with organic bases (for example, organic amines) such as dicyclohexylamine, t-butyl amine, choline, and salts with amino acids such as arginine, lysine and the like. basic nitrogen-containing groups may be quarternized with agents such as lower alkyl halides (e.g., methyl, ethyl, and butyl chlorides, bromides and iodides), dialkyl sulfates (e.g., dimethyl, diethyl, and dibutyl sulfates), long chain halides (e.g., decyl, lauryl, and stearyl chlorides, bromides and iodides), aralkyl halides (e.g., benzyl and phenethyl bromides), and others. compounds carrying an acidic moiety can be mixed with suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts to provide, for example, alkali metal salts (e.g., sodium or potassium salts), alkaline earth metal salts (e.g., calcium or magnesium salts), and salts formed with suitable organic ligands such as quaternary ammonium salts. also, in the case of an acid (such as —cooh) or alcohol group being present, pharmaceutically acceptable esters can be employed to modify the solubility or hydrolysis characteristics of the compound. all such acid salts and base salts are intended to be pharmaceutically acceptable salts within the scope of the invention and all acid and base salts are considered equivalent to the free forms of the corresponding compounds for purposes of the invention. in addition, when a compound of the invention contains both a basic moiety, such as, but not limited to an aliphatic primary, secondary, tertiary or cyclic amine, an aromatic or heteroaryl amine, pyridine or imidazole, and an acidic moiety, such as, but not limited to tetrazole or carboxylic acid, zwitterions (“inner salts”) may be formed and are included within the terms “salt(s)” as used herein. it is understood that certain compounds of the invention may exist in zwitterionic form, having both anionic and cationic centers within the same compound and a net neutral charge. such zwitterions are included within the invention. methods of preparing compounds several methods for preparing the compounds of general formula (i), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, are described in the following schemes and examples. starting materials and intermediates are purchased from commercial sources, made from known procedures, or are otherwise illustrated. in some cases the order of carrying out the steps of the reaction schemes may be varied to facilitate the reaction or to avoid unwanted reaction products. in the following methods and schemes, pg1 or pg2 represents a protecting group, selected from the options described below. all other variables have the same meaning as provided above. method 1 one method for the preparation of examples of the instant invention is detailed in scheme 1. this procedure was adequately modified from the previously reported procedure (zhao, jianwei et al., thiophosphate analogs of c - di - gmp: impact on polymorphism, nucleosides, nucleotides and nucleic acids, 2009, 28, 352-378). the sequence starts with modified ribo-nucleoside with a nucleobase of which amino group was appropriately protected with an alkyl or phenyl carbonyl group, and dmtr ether at 5′-o position. it was treated with diphenyl phosphorochloridate and subsequently lithium sulfide to convert the 2′-oh to a hydrogen phosphonothioate. then, dmtr ether was removed under acidic condition. the resulting 5′-hydroxyl group was reacted with 2′-o-phosphoramidites of fully protected second modified ribo-nucleoside to give a coupled compound. it was immediately either thioated or oxidized with elemental sulfur or t-butyl hydroperoxide. then, the 5′-hydroxyl group of the second ribo-nucleoside was deprotected with dichloroacetic acid. using diphenyl phosphorochloridate as a coupling reagent, the hydrogen phosphonothioate at 3′-o of the first ribo-nucleoside was reacted with 5′-oh of the second ribo-nucleoside to give a cyclic product. it was immediately thioated with 3h-benzo[c][1,2]dithiol-3-one or elemental sulfur. treatment with methylamine plus fluoride anion in case of silyl protection was used provided the desired cyclic dinucleotide ha or lib. method 2 another method for the preparation of examples of the instant invention is detailed in scheme 2. this procedure was modified from scheme 1. the sequence starts with modified ribo-nucleoside with a nucleobase of which amino group was appropriately protected with an alkyl or phenyl carbonyl group, and dmtr ether at 5′-o position. it was treated with diphenyl phosphorochloridate and subsequently lithium sulfide (li 2 s) to convert the 2′-oh to a hydrogen phosphonothioate. then, dmtr ether was removed under acidic conditions. the resulting 5′-hydroxyl group was reacted with 3′-phosphoramidites of fully protected second modified ribo-nucleoside to give a coupled compound. it was immediately thioated with elemental sulfur. then, the 5′-hydroxyl group of the second ribo-nucleoside was deprotected with dichloroacetic acid. using diphenyl phosphorochloridate as a coupling reagent, the hydrogen phosphonothioate at 2′-o of the first ribo-nucleoside was reacted with 5′-oh of the second ribo-nucleoside to give a cyclic product. it was immediately thioated with 3h-benzo[c][1,2]dithiol-3-one or elemental sulfur. treatment with methylamine plus fluoride anion in case of silyl protection was used provided the desired cyclic dinucleotide 21. method 3 another method for the preparation of examples of the instant invention is detailed in scheme 3. this procedure was modified from the previously reported procedure (dahl, bjarne h. et al., synthesis of oligodeoxynucleoside phosphorodithioates by a phosphotriester method, nucleosides & nucleotides, 1991, 10, 553-554). the sequence starts with modified ribo-nucleoside with a nucleobase of which amino group was appropriately protected with an alkyl or phenyl carbonyl group, dmtr ether at 5′-o position, and a h-phosphonate at 2′-o position. it was treated with diphenyl phosphorochloridate and subsequently a fully protected second modified ribo-nucleoside with 5′-oh to give a coupled compound. it was immediately thioated or oxidized with 3h-benzo[c][1,2]dithiol-3-one or elemental sulfur or aqueous iodine. then, dmtr ether of the first ribo-nucleoside and 3′-o-protecting group of the second ribo-nucleoside was removed under appropriate conditions. using s-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl) o,o-bis(4-oxobenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-3(4h)-yl) phosphorodithioate as a coupling reagent, 5′-oh of the first ribo-nucleoside was reacted with 3′-oh of the second ribo-nucleoside to give a cyclic product. treatment of 2-methylundecane-2-thiol, methylamine plus fluoride anion in case of silyl protection was used provided the desired cyclic dinucleotide 3ga or 3gb. method 4 another method for the preparation of examples of the instant invention is detailed in scheme 4. this procedure was modified from scheme 3. the sequence starts with modified ribo-nucleoside with a nucleobase of which amino group was appropriately protected with an alkyl or phenyl carbonyl group, dmtr ether at 5′-o position, and a h-phosphonate at 2′-o position. it was treated with 2,4-dichlorobenzyl phosphorodichloridodithioate, 3-hydroxybenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-4(3h)-one, and subsequently a protected second modified ribo-nucleoside with 3′- and 5′-oh to give a coupled compound. then, dmtr ether of the first ribo-nucleoside was removed under an acidic conditions. using 3-(bis(diisopropylamino) phosphanyl)oxy)propanenitrile as a coupling reagent, 5′-oh of the first ribo-nucleoside was reacted with 3′-oh of the second ribo-nucleoside to give a cyclic product. treatment of 2-methylundecane-2-thiol, methylamine plus fluoride anion in case of silyl protection was used provided the desired cyclic dinucleotide 4e. methods of use compounds described herein having therapeutic applications, such as the compounds of general formula (i), the compounds of the examples 1 through 27, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, may be administered to a patient for the purpose of inducing an immune response, inducing sting-dependent cytokine production and/or inducing anti-tumor activity. the term “administration” and variants thereof (e.g., “administering” a compound) means providing the compound to the individual in need of treatment. when a compound is provided in combination with one or more additional active agents (e.g., antiviral agents useful for treating hcv infection or anti-tumor agents for treating cancers), “administration” and its variants are each understood to include concurrent and sequential provision of the compound or salt and other agents. the compounds disclosed herein may be sting agonists. these compounds are potentially useful in treating diseases or disorders including, but not limited to, cell proliferation disorders. cell-proliferation disorders include, but are not limited to, cancers, benign papillomatosis, gestational trophoblastic diseases, and benign neoplastic diseases, such as skin papilloma (warts) and genital papilloma. in specific embodiments, the disease or disorder to be treated is a cell proliferation disorder. in certain embodiments, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from brain and spinal cancers, cancers of the head and neck, leukemia and cancers of the blood, skin cancers, cancers of the reproductive system, cancers of the gastrointestinal system, liver and bile duct cancers, kidney and bladder cancers, bone cancers, lung cancers, malignant mesothelioma, sarcomas, lymphomas, glandular cancers, thyroid cancers, heart tumors, germ cell tumors, malignant neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors, midline tract cancers, and cancers of unknown primary (i.e., cancers in which a metastasized cancer is found but the original cancer site is not known). in particular embodiments, the cancer is present in an adult patient; in additional embodiments, the cancer is present in a pediatric patient. in particular embodiments, the cancer is aids-related. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from brain and spinal cancers. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of anaplastic astrocytomas, glioblastomas, astrocytomas, and estheosioneuroblastomas (also known as olfactory blastomas). in particular embodiments, the brain cancer is selected from the group consisting of astrocytic tumor (e.g., pilocytic astrocytoma, subependymal giant-cell astrocytoma, diffuse astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, astrocytoma, giant cell glioblastoma, glioblastoma, secondary glioblastoma, primary adult glioblastoma, and primary pediatric glioblastoma), oligodendroglial tumor (e.g., oligodendroglioma, and anaplastic oligodendroglioma), oligoastrocytic tumor (e.g., oligoastrocytoma, and anaplastic oligoastrocytoma), ependymoma (e.g., myxopapillary ependymoma, and anaplastic ependymoma); medulloblastoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, schwannoma, meningioma, atypical meningioma, anaplastic meningioma, pituitary adenoma, brain stem glioma, cerebellar astrocytoma, cerebral astorcytoma/malignant glioma, visual pathway and hypothalmic glioma, and primary central nervous system lymphoma. in specific instances of these embodiments, the brain cancer is selected from the group consisting of glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, paraganglioma, and suprantentorial primordial neuroectodermal tumors (spnet). in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from cancers of the head and neck, including nasopharyngeal cancers, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers, hypopharyngeal cancers, oral cavity cancers (e.g., squamous cell carcinomas, lymphomas, and sarcomas), lip cancers, oropharyngeal cancers, salivary gland tumors, cancers of the larynx (e.g., laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas, rhabdomyosarcomas), and cancers of the eye or ocular cancers. in particular embodiments, the ocular cancer is selected from the group consisting of intraocular melanoma and retinoblastoma. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from leukemia and cancers of the blood. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, acute myeloid leukemia (aml), myelodysplastic syndrome (mds), chronic myelogenous leukemia (cml), myeloproliferative neoplasm (mpn), post-mpn aml, post-mds aml, del(5q)-associated high risk mds or aml, blast-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, angioimmunoblastic lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, langerans cell histiocytosis, hairy cell leukemia, and plasma cell neoplasms including plasmacytomas and multiple myelomas. leukemias referenced herein may be acute or chronic. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from skin cancers. in particular embodiments, the skin cancer is selected from the group consisting of melanoma, squamous cell cancers, and basal cell cancers. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from cancers of the reproductive system. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of breast cancers, cervical cancers, vaginal cancers, ovarian cancers, prostate cancers, penile cancers, and testicular cancers. in specific instances of these embodiments, the cancer is a breast cancer selected from the group consisting of ductal carcinomas and phyllodes tumors. in specific instances of these embodiments, the breast cancer may be male breast cancer or female breast cancer. in specific instances of these embodiments, the cancer is a cervical cancer selected from the group consisting of squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. in specific instances of these embodiments, the cancer is an ovarian cancer selected from the group consisting of epithelial cancers. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from cancers of the gastrointestinal system. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of esophageal cancers, gastric cancers (also known as stomach cancers), gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, pancreatic cancers, gallbladder cancers, colorectal cancers, and anal cancer. in instances of these embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, esophageal adenocarcinomas, gastric adenocarcinomas, gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, gastric lymphomas, gastrointestinal lymphomas, solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas, pancreatoblastoma, islet cell tumors, pancreatic carcinomas including acinar cell carcinomas and ductal adenocarcinomas, gallbladder adenocarcinomas, colorectal adenocarcinomas, and anal squamous cell carcinomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from liver and bile duct cancers. in particular embodiments, the cancer is liver cancer (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma). in particular embodiments, the cancer is bile duct cancer (also known as cholangiocarcinoma); in instances of these embodiments, the bile duct cancer is selected from the group consisting of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from kidney and bladder cancers. in particular embodiments, the cancer is a kidney cancer selected from the group consisting of renal cell cancer, wilms tumors, and transitional cell cancers. in particular embodiments, the cancer is a bladder cancer selected from the group consisting of urethelial carcinoma (a transitional cell carcinoma), squamous cell carcinomas, and adenocarcinomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from bone cancers. in particular embodiments, the bone cancer is selected from the group consisting of osteosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone, ewing sarcoma, chordoma (cancer of the bone along the spine). in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from lung cancers. in particular embodiments, the lung cancer is selected from the group consisting of non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancers, bronchial tumors, and pleuropulmonary blastomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from malignant mesothelioma. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of epithelial mesothelioma and sarcomatoids. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from sarcomas. in particular embodiments, the sarcoma is selected from the group consisting of central chondrosarcoma, central and periosteal chondroma, fibrosarcoma, clear cell sarcoma of tendon sheaths, and kaposi's sarcoma. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from lymphomas. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of hodgkin lymphoma (e.g., reed-sternberg cells), non-hodgkin lymphoma (e.g., diffuse large b-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, sezary syndrome, primary central nervous system lymphoma), cutaneous t-cell lymphomas, primary central nervous system lymphomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from glandular cancers. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of adrenocortical cancer (also known as adrenocortical carcinoma or adrenal cortical carcinoma), pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, pituitary tumors, thymoma, and thymic carcinomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from thyroid cancers. in particular embodiments, the thyroid cancer is selected from the group consisting of medullary thyroid carcinomas, papillary thyroid carcinomas, and follicular thyroid carcinomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from germ cell tumors. in particular embodiments, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of malignant extracranial germ cell tumors and malignant extragonadal germ cell tumors. in specific instances of these embodiments, the malignant extragonadal germ cell tumors are selected from the group consisting of nonseminomas and seminomas. in specific embodiments, the cancer is selected from heart tumors. in particular embodiments, the heart tumor is selected from the group consisting of malignant teratoma, lymphoma, rhabdomyosacroma, angiosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, infantile fibrosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma. in specific embodiments, the cell-proliferation disorder is selected from benign papillomatosis, benign neoplastic diseases and gestational trophoblastic diseases. in particular embodiments, the benign neoplastic disease is selected from skin papilloma (warts) and genital papilloma. in particular embodiments, the gestational trophoblastic disease is selected from the group consisting of hydatidiform moles, and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (e.g., invasive moles, choriocarcinomas, placental-site trophoblastic tumors, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumors). as used herein, the terms “treatment” and “treating” refer to all processes in which there may be a slowing, interrupting, arresting, controlling, or stopping of the progression of a disease or disorder described herein. the terms do not necessarily indicate a total elimination of all disease or disorder symptoms. the terms “administration of” and or “administering” a compound should be understood to include providing a compound described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and compositions of the foregoing to a subject. the amount of a compound administered to a subject is an amount sufficient to induce an immune response and/or to induce sting-dependent type i interferon production in the subject. in an embodiment, the amount of a compound can be an “effective amount” or “therapeutically effective amount,” such that the subject compound is administered in an amount that will elicit, respectively, a biological or medical (i.e., intended to treat) response of a tissue, system, animal, or human that is being sought by a researcher, veterinarian, medical doctor, or other clinician. an effective amount does not necessarily include considerations of toxicity and safety related to the administration of a compound. an effective amount of a compound will vary with the particular compound chosen (e.g., considering the potency, efficacy, and/or half-life of the compound); the route of administration chosen; the condition being treated; the severity of the condition being treated; the age, size, weight, and physical condition of the subject being treated; the medical history of the subject being treated; the duration of the treatment; the nature of a concurrent therapy; the desired therapeutic effect; and like factors and can be routinely determined by the skilled artisan. the compounds disclosed herein may be administered by any suitable route including oral and parenteral administration. parenteral administration is typically by injection or infusion and includes intravenous, intramuscular, intratumoral, and subcutaneous injection or infusion. the compounds disclosed herein may be administered once or according to a dosing regimen where a number of doses are administered at varying intervals of time for a given period of time. for example, doses may be administered one, two, three, or four times per day. doses may be administered until the desired therapeutic effect is achieved or indefinitely to maintain the desired therapeutic effect. suitable dosing regimens for a compound disclosed herein depend on the pharmacokinetic properties of that compound, such as absorption, distribution and half-life, that can be determined by a skilled artisan. in addition, suitable dosing regimens, including the duration such regimens are administered, for a compound disclosed herein depend on the disease or condition being treated, the severity of the disease or condition, the age and physical condition of the subject being treated, the medical history of the subject being treated, the nature of concurrent therapy, the desired therapeutic effect, and like factors within the knowledge and expertise of the skilled artisan. it will be further understood by such skilled artisans that suitable dosing regimens may require adjustment given an individual subject's response to the dosing regimen or over time as the individual subject needs change. typical daily dosages may vary depending upon the particular route of administration chosen. one embodiment of the present disclosure provides for a method of treating a cell proliferation disorder comprising administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, to a subject in need of treatment thereof. in embodiments, the disease or disorder to be treated is a cell proliferation disorder. in aspects of these embodiments, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. in further aspects of these embodiments, the cancer is selected from brain and spinal cancers, cancers of the head and neck, leukemia and cancers of the blood, skin cancers, cancers of the reproductive system, cancers of the gastrointestinal system, liver and bile duct cancers, kidney and bladder cancers, bone cancers, lung cancers, malignant mesothelioma, sarcomas, lymphomas, glandular cancers, thyroid cancers, heart tumors, germ cell tumors, malignant neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors, midline tract cancers, and cancers of unknown primary. in one embodiment, disclosed herein is the use of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, in a therapy. the compound may be useful in a method of inducing an immune response and/or inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production in a subject, such as a mammal in need of such inhibition, comprising administering an effective amount of the compound to the subject. in one embodiment, disclosed herein is a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound of general formula (i), or at least one pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, for use in potential treatment to induce an immune response and/or to induce sting-dependent type i interferon production. one embodiment disclosed herein is the use of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, in the manufacture of a medicament to induce an immune response and/or to induce sting-dependent type i interferon production. in embodiments, the disease or disorder to be treated is a cell proliferation disorder. in aspects of these embodiments, the cell proliferation disorder is cancer. in further aspects of these embodiments, the cancer is selected from brain and spinal cancers, cancers of the head and neck, leukemia and cancers of the blood, skin cancers, cancers of the reproductive system, cancers of the gastrointestinal system, liver and bile duct cancers, kidney and bladder cancers, bone cancers, lung cancers, malignant mesothelioma, sarcomas, lymphomas, glandular cancers, thyroid cancers, heart tumors, germ cell tumors, malignant neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors, midline tract cancers, and cancers of unknown primary. compositions the term “composition” as used herein is intended to encompass a dosage form comprising a specified compound in a specified amount, as well as any dosage form that results, directly or indirectly, from combination of a specified compound in a specified amount. such term is intended to encompass a dosage form comprising a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, or prodrug of the foregoing, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients. in embodiments, the dosage form comprises compounds of general structural formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, or solvate thereof, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients. in specific embodiments, the dosage form comprises compounds of general structural formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients. accordingly, the compositions of the present disclosure encompass any composition made by admixing a compound of the present disclosure and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipients. by “pharmaceutically acceptable”, it is meant the carriers or excipients are compatible with the compound disclosed herein and with other ingredients of the composition. for the purpose of inducing an immune response and/or inducing sting-dependent type i interferon production, the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, can be administered by means that produces contact of the active agent with the agent's site of action. the compounds can be administered by conventional means available for use in conjunction with pharmaceuticals, either as individual therapeutic agents or in a combination of therapeutic agents. the compounds can be administered alone, but typically are administered with a pharmaceutical carrier selected on the basis of the chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice. in one embodiment, disclosed herein is a composition comprising a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients. the composition may be prepared and packaged in bulk form in which a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the disclosure can be extracted and then given to a subject, such as with powders or syrups. alternatively, the composition may be prepared and packaged in unit dosage form in which each physically discrete unit contains a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing. the compounds disclosed herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient(s) will typically be formulated into a dosage form adapted for administration to a subject by a desired route of administration. for example, dosage forms include those adapted for (1) oral administration, such as tablets, capsules, caplets, pills, troches, powders, syrups, elixirs, suspensions, solutions, emulsions, sachets, and cachets; and (2) parenteral administration, such as sterile solutions, suspensions, and powders for reconstitution. suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients will vary depending upon the particular dosage form chosen. in addition, suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients may be chosen for a particular function that they may serve in the composition. for example, certain pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients may be chosen for their ability to facilitate the production of uniform dosage forms. certain pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients may be chosen for their ability to facilitate the production of stable dosage forms. certain pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients may be chosen for their ability to facilitate the carrying or transporting of a compound disclosed herein, once administered to the subject, from one organ or portion of the body to another organ or another portion of the body. certain pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients may be chosen for their ability to enhance patient compliance. suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients include the following types of excipients: diluents, lubricants, binders, disintegrants, fillers, glidants, granulating agents, coating agents, wetting agents, solvents, co-solvents, suspending agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners, flavoring agents, flavor masking agents, coloring agents, anti-caking agents, hemectants, chelating agents, plasticizers, viscosity increasing agents, antioxidants, preservatives, stabilizers, surfactants, and buffering agents. a skilled artisan possesses the knowledge and skill in the art to select suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients in appropriate amounts for the use in the compositions of the disclosure. in addition, there are a number of resources available to the skilled artisan, which describe pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients and may be useful in selecting suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients. examples include r emington's p harmaceutical s ciences (mack publishing company), t he h andbook of p harmaceutical a dditives (gower publishing limited), and t he h andbook of p harmaceutical e xcipients (the american pharmaceutical association and the pharmaceutical press). the compositions of the disclosure are prepared using techniques and methods known to those skilled in the art. some methods commonly used in the art are described in r emington's p harmaceutical s ciences (mack publishing company). in one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a solid oral dosage form such as a tablet or capsule comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, and a diluent or filler. suitable diluents and fillers include lactose, sucrose, dextrose, mannitol, sorbitol, starch (e.g., corn starch, potato starch, and pre-gelatinized starch), cellulose and its derivatives, (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose), calcium sulfate, and dibasic calcium phosphate. the solid oral dosage form may further comprise a binder. suitable binders include starch (e.g., corn starch, potato starch, and pre-gelatinized starch) gelatin, acacia, sodium alginate, alginic acid, tragacanth, guar gum, povidone, and cellulose and its derivatives (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose). the solid oral dosage form may further comprise a disintegrant. suitable disintegrants include crospovidone, sodium starch glycolate, croscarmelose, alginic acid, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. the solid oral dosage form may further comprise a lubricant. suitable lubricants include stearic acid, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, and talc. where appropriate, dosage unit formulations for oral administration can be microencapsulated. the composition can also be prepared to prolong or sustain the release as, for example, by coating or embedding particulate material in polymers, wax, or the like. the compounds disclosed herein may also be coupled with soluble polymers as targetable drug carriers. such polymers can include polyvinylpyrrolidone, pyrancopolymer, polyhydroxypropylmethacrylamidephenol, polyhydroxyethylaspartamidephenol, or polyethyleneoxidepolylysine substituted with palmitoyl residues. furthermore, the compounds of the disclosure may be coupled to a class of biodegradable polymers useful in achieving controlled release of a drug, for example polylactic acid, polepsilon caprolactone, polyhydroxy butyric acid, polyorthoesters, polyacetals, polydihydropyrans, polycyanacrylates, and cross-linked or amphipathic block copolymers of hydrogels. in one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a liquid oral dosage form. oral liquids such as solutions, syrups, and elixirs can be prepared in dosage unit form so that a given quantity contains a predetermined amount of a compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof disclosed herein. syrups can be prepared by dissolving the compound of the disclosure in a suitably flavored aqueous solution; elixirs are prepared through the use of a non-toxic alcoholic vehicle. suspensions can be formulated by dispersing a compound disclosed herein in a non-toxic vehicle. solubilizers and emulsifiers such as ethoxylated isostearyl alcohols and polyoxy ethylene sorbitol ethers, preservatives, flavor additives such as peppermint oil, or other natural sweeteners or saccharin or other artificial sweeteners and the like can also be added. in one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to compositions for parenteral administration. compositions adapted for parenteral administration include aqueous and non-aqueous sterile injection solutions that may contain anti-oxidants, buffers, bacteriostats, and solutes that render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient; and aqueous and non-aqueous sterile suspensions that may include suspending agents and thickening agents. the compositions may be presented in unit-dose or multi-dose containers, for example sealed ampoules and vials, and may be stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid carrier, for example water for injections, immediately prior to use. extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders, granules, and tablets. combinations the compounds of general formula (i), and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, may be administered in combination with one or more additional active agents. in embodiments, one or more compounds of general formula (i), or one or more pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, and the one or more additional active agents may be co-administered. the additional active agent(s) may be administered in a single dosage form with the compound of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, or the additional active agent(s) may be administered in separate dosage form(s) from the dosage form containing the compound of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing. the additional active agent(s) may be one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sting agonist compounds, anti-viral compounds, antigens, adjuvants, anti-cancer agents, ctla-4, lag-3 and pd-1 pathway antagonists, lipids, liposomes, peptides, cytotoxic agents, chemotherapeutic agents, immunomodulatory cell lines, checkpoint inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) receptor inhibitors, topoisomerase ii inhibitors, smoothen inhibitors, alkylating agents, anti-tumor antibiotics, anti-metabolites, retinoids, and immunomodulatory agents including but not limited to anti-cancer vaccines. it will be understood the descriptions of the above additional active agents may be overlapping. it will also be understood that the treatment combinations are subject to optimization, and it is understood that the best combination to use of the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, and one or more additional active agents will be determined based on the individual patient needs. a compound disclosed herein may be used in combination with one or more other active agents, including but not limited to, other anti-cancer agents that are used in the prevention, treatment, control, amelioration, or reduction of risk of a particular disease or condition (e.g., cell proliferation disorders). in one embodiment, a compound disclosed herein is combined with one or more other anti-cancer agents for use in the prevention, treatment, control amelioration, or reduction of risk of a particular disease or condition for which the compounds disclosed herein are useful. such other active agents may be administered, by a route and in an amount commonly used therefor, contemporaneously or sequentially with a compound of the present disclosure. when a compound disclosed herein is used contemporaneously with one or more other active agents, a composition containing such other active agents in addition to the compound disclosed herein is contemplated. accordingly, the compositions of the present disclosure include those that also contain one or more other active ingredients, in addition to a compound disclosed herein. a compound disclosed herein may be administered either simultaneously with, or before or after, one or more other active agent(s). a compound disclosed herein may be administered separately, by the same or different route of administration, or together in the same pharmaceutical composition as the other agent(s). products provided as combinations may include a composition comprising a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, and one or more other active agent(s) together in the same pharmaceutical composition, or may include a composition comprising a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, and a composition comprising one or more other active agent(s) in separate form, e.g. in the form of a kit or in any form designed to enable separate administration either concurrently or on separate dosing schedules. the weight ratio of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, to a second active agent may be varied and will depend upon the therapeutically effective dose of each agent. generally, a therapeutically effective dose of each will be used. combinations of a compound disclosed herein and other active agents will generally also be within the aforementioned range, but in each case, a therapeutically effective dose of each active agent should be used. in such combinations, the compound disclosed herein and other active agents may be administered separately or in conjunction. in addition, the administration of one element may be prior to, concurrent to, or subsequent to the administration of other agent(s). in one embodiment, this disclosure provides a composition comprising a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, and at least one other active agent as a combined preparation for simultaneous, separate or sequential use in therapy. in one embodiment, the therapy is the treatment of a cell proliferation disorder, such as cancer. in one embodiment, the disclosure provides a kit comprising two or more separate pharmaceutical compositions, at least one of which contains a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing. in one embodiment, the kit comprises means for separately retaining said compositions, such as a container, divided bottle, or divided foil packet. an example of such a kit is a blister pack, as typically used for the packaging of tablets, capsules, and the like. a kit of this disclosure may be used for administration of different dosage forms, for example, oral and parenteral, for administration of the separate compositions at different dosage intervals, or for titration of the separate compositions against one another. to assist with compliance, a kit of the disclosure typically comprises directions for administration. disclosed herein is a use of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, for treating a cell proliferation disorder, where the medicament is prepared for administration with another active agent. the disclosure also provides the use of another active agent for treating a cell proliferation disorder, where the medicament is administered with a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing. the disclosure also provides the use of a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing, for treating a cell proliferation disorder, where the patient has previously (e.g., within 24 hours) been treated with another active agent. the disclosure also provides the use of another active agent for treating a cell proliferation disorder, where the patient has previously (e.g., within 24 hours) been treated with a compound of general formula (i), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the foregoing. the second agent may be administered a week, several weeks, a month, or several months after the administration of a compound disclosed herein. sting agonist compounds that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, disclosed herein include but are not limited to cyclic di-nucleotide compounds. anti-viral compounds that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, disclosed herein include hepatitis b virus (hbv) inhibitors, hepatitis c virus (hcv) protease inhibitors, hcv polymerase inhibitors, hcv ns4a inhibitors, hcv ns5a inhibitors, hcv ns5b inhibitors, and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) inhibitors. antigens and adjuvants that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (i), or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, include b7 costimulatory molecule, interleukin-2, interferon-y, gm-csf, ctla-4 antagonists, ox-40/0x-40 ligand, cd40/cd40 ligand, sargramostim, levamisol, vaccinia virus, bacille calmette-guerin (bcg), liposomes, alum, freund's complete or incomplete adjuvant, detoxified endotoxins, mineral oils, surface active substances such as lipolecithin, pluronic polyols, polyanions, peptides, and oil or hydrocarbon emulsions. adjuvants, such as aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate, can be added to increase the ability of the vaccine to trigger, enhance, or prolong an immune response. additional materials, such as cytokines, chemokines, and bacterial nucleic acid sequences, like cpg, a toll-like receptor (tlr) 9 agonist as well as additional agonists for tlr 2, tlr 4, tlr 5, tlr 7, tlr 8, tlr9, including lipoprotein, lps, monophosphoryllipid a, lipoteichoic acid, imiquimod, resiquimod, and in addition retinoic acid-inducible gene i (rig-i) agonists such as poly i:c, used separately or in combination with the described compositions are also potential adjuvants. clta-4 and pd-1 pathways are important negative regulators of immune response. activated t-cells up-regulate ctla-4, which binds on antigen-presenting cells and inhibits t-cell stimulation, il-2 gene expression, and t-cell proliferation; these anti-tumor effects have been observed in mouse models of colon carcinoma, metastatic prostate cancer, and metastatic melanoma. pd-1 binds to active t-cells and suppresses t-cell activation; pd-1 antagonists have demonstrated anti-tumor effects as well. ctla-4 and pd-1 pathway antagonists that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (ia), the compounds of general formula (ib), the compounds of general formula (i), or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, disclosed herein, include ipilimumab, tremelimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ct-011, amp-224, and mdx-1106. “pd-1 antagonist” or “pd-1 pathway antagonist” means any chemical compound or biological molecule that blocks binding of pd-l1 expressed on a cancer cell to pd-1 expressed on an immune cell (t-cell, b-cell, or nkt-cell) and preferably also blocks binding of pd-l2 expressed on a cancer cell to the immune-cell expressed pd-1. alternative names or synonyms for pd-1 and its ligands include: pdcd1, pd1, cd279, and sleb2 for pd-1; pdcd1-l1, pdl1, b7h1, b7-4, cd274, and b7-h for pd-l1; and pdcd1l2, pdl2, b7-dc, btdc, and cd273 for pd-l2. in any of the treatment method, medicaments and uses of the present disclosure in which a human individual is being treated, the pd-1 antagonist blocks binding of human pd-l1 to human pd-1, and preferably blocks binding of both human pd-l1 and pd-l2 to human pd-1. human pd-1 amino acid sequences can be found in ncbi locus no.: np_005009. human pd-l1 and pd-l2 amino acid sequences can be found in ncbi locus no.: np_054862 and np_079515, respectively. pd-1 antagonists useful in any of the treatment method, medicaments and uses of the present disclosure include a monoclonal antibody (mab), or antigen binding fragment thereof, which specifically binds to pd-1 or pd-l1, and preferably specifically binds to human pd-1 or human pd-l1. the mab may be a human antibody, a humanized antibody, or a chimeric antibody and may include a human constant region. in some embodiments, the human constant region is selected from the group consisting of igg1, igg2, igg3, and igg4 constant regions, and in preferred embodiments, the human constant region is an igg1 or igg4 constant region. in some embodiments, the antigen binding fragment is selected from the group consisting of fab, fab′-sh, f(ab′) 2 , scfv, and fv fragments. examples of mabs that bind to human pd-1, and useful in the treatment method, medicaments and uses of the present disclosure, are described in u.s. pat. nos. 7,488,802, 7,521,051, 8,008,449, 8,354,509, and 8,168,757, pct international patent application publication nos. wo2004/004771, wo2004/072286, and wo2004/056875, and u.s. patent application publication no. us2011/0271358. examples of mabs that bind to human pd-l1, and useful in the treatment method, medicaments and uses of the present disclosure, are described in pct international patent application nos. wo2013/019906 and wo2010/077634 a1 and in u.s. pat. no. 8,383,796. specific anti-human pd-l1 mabs useful as the pd-1 antagonist in the treatment method, medicaments and uses of the present disclosure include mpdl3280a, bms-936559, medi4736, msb0010718c, and an antibody that comprises the heavy chain and light chain variable regions of seq id no:24 and seq id no:21, respectively, of wo2013/019906. other pd-1 antagonists useful in any of the treatment method, medicaments, and uses of the present disclosure include an immune-adhesion that specifically binds to pd-1 or pd-l1, and preferably specifically binds to human pd-1 or human pd-l1, e.g., a fusion protein containing the extracellular or pd-1 binding portion of pd-l1 or pd-l2 fused to a constant region such as an fc region of an immunoglobulin molecule. examples of immune-adhesion molecules that specifically bind to pd-1 are described in pct international patent application publication nos. wo2010/027827 and wo2011/066342. specific fusion proteins useful as the pd-1 antagonist in the treatment method, medicaments, and uses of the present disclosure include amp-224 (also known as b7-dcig), which is a pd-l2-fc fusion protein and binds to human pd-1. examples of cytotoxic agents that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, include, but are not limited to, arsenic trioxide (sold under the tradename t risenox ®), asparaginase (also known as l-asparaginase, and erwinia l-asparaginase, sold under the tradenames e lspar ® and k idrolase ®). chemotherapeutic agents that may be used in combination with the compounds of general formula (i), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing, disclosed herein include abiraterone acetate, altretamine, anhydrovinblastine, auristatin, bexarotene, bicalutamide, bms 184476, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-n-(3-fluoro-4-methoxyphenyl)benzene sulfonamide, bleomycin, n,n-dimethyl-l-valyl-l-valyl-n-methyl-l-valyl-l-prolyl-1-lproline-t-butylamide, cachectin, cemadotin, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, 3′,4′-didehydro-4′deoxy-8′-norvin-caleukoblastine, docetaxol, doxetaxel, cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, carmustine, cisplatin, cryptophycin, cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, dacarbazine (dtic), dactinomycin, daunorubicin, decitabine dolastatin, doxorubicin (adriamycin), etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, finasteride, flutamide, hydroxyurea and hydroxyurea andtaxanes, ifosfamide, liarozole, lonidamine, lomustine (ccnu), mdv3100, mechlorethamine (nitrogen mustard), melphalan, mivobulin isethionate, rhizoxin, sertenef, streptozocin, mitomycin, methotrexate, taxanes, nilutamide, nivolumab, onapristone, paclitaxel, pembrolizumab, prednimustine, procarbazine, rpr109881, stramustine phosphate, tamoxifen, tasonermin, taxol, tretinoin, vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine sulfate, and vinflunine. examples of vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) receptor inhibitors include, but are not limited to, bevacizumab (sold under the trademark avastin), axitinib (described in pct international patent publication no. wo01/002369), brivanib alaninate ((s)-((r)-1-(4-(4-fluoro-2-methyl-1h-indol-5-yloxy)-5-methylpyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-6-yloxy)propan-2-yl)2-aminopropanoate, also known as bms-582664), motesanib (n-(2,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-1h-indol-6-yl)-2-[(4-pyridinylmethyl)amino]-3-pyridinecarboxamide. and described in pct international patent application publication no. wo02/068470), pasireotide (also known as so 230, and described in pct international patent publication no. wo02/010192), and sorafenib (sold under the tradename nexavar). examples of topoisomerase ii inhibitors, include but are not limited to, etoposide (also known as vp-16 and etoposide phosphate, sold under the tradenames toposar, vepesid, and etopophos), and teniposide (also known as vm-26, sold under the tradename vumon). examples of alkylating agents, include but are not limited to, 5-azacytidine (sold under the trade name vidaza), decitabine (sold under the trade name of decogen), temozolomide (sold under the trade names temcad, temodar, and temodal), dactinomycin (also known as actinomycin-d and sold under the tradename cosmegen), melphalan (also known as l-pam, l-sarcolysin, and phenylalanine mustard, sold under the tradename alkeran), altretamine (also known as hexamethylmelamine (hmni), sold under the tradename hexalen), carmustine (sold under the tradename bcnu), bendamustine (sold under the tradename treanda), busulfan (sold under the tradenames b usulfex ® and m yleran ®), carboplatin (sold under the tradename p araplatin ®), lomustine (also known as ccnu, sold under the tradename c ee nu®), cisplatin (also known as cddp, sold under the tradenames p latinol ® and p latinoc ®-aq), chlorambucil (sold under the tradename l eukeran ®), cyclophosphamide (sold under the tradenames c ytoxan ® and n eosar ®), dacarbazine (also known as dtic, dic and imidazole carboxamide, sold under the tradename dtic-d ome ®), altretamine (also known as hexamethylmelamine (hmm) sold under the tradename h exalen ®), ifosfamide (sold under the tradename i fex ®), procarbazine (sold under the tradename m atulane ®), mechlorethamine (also known as nitrogen mustard, mustine and mechloroethamine hydrochloride, sold under the tradename m ustargen ®), streptozocin (sold under the tradename z anosar ®), thiotepa (also known as thiophosphoamide, tespa and tspa, and sold under the tradename t hioplex®. examples of anti-tumor antibiotics include, but are not limited to, doxorubicin (sold under the tradenames a driamycin ® and r ubex ®), bleomycin (sold under the tradename l enoxane ®), daunorubicin (also known as dauorubicin hydrochloride, daunomycin, and rubidomycin hydrochloride, sold under the tradename c erubidine ®), daunorubicin liposomal (daunorubicin citrate liposome, sold under the tradename d auno x ome ®), mitoxantrone (also known as dhad, sold under the tradename n ovantrone ®), epirubicin (sold under the tradename e llence ™), idarubicin (sold under the tradenames i damycin ®, i damycin pfs®), and mitomycin c (sold under the tradename m utamycin ®). examples of anti-metabolites include, but are not limited to, claribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine, sold under the tradename l eustatin ®), 5-fluorouracil (sold under the tradename a drucil ®), 6-thioguanine (sold under the tradename p urinethol ®), pemetrexed (sold under the tradename a limta ®), cytarabine (also known as arabinosylcytosine (ara-c), sold under the tradename c ytosar -u®), cytarabine liposomal (also known as liposomal ara-c, sold under the tradename d epocyt ™), decitabine (sold under the tradename d acogen ®), hydroxyurea and (sold under the tradenames h ydrea ®, d roxia ™ and m ylocel ™) fludarabine (sold under the tradename f ludara ®), floxuridine (sold under the tradename f udr ®), cladribine (also known as 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-cda) sold under the tradename l eustatin ™), methotrexate (also known as amethopterin, methotrexate sodium (mtx), sold under the tradenames r heumatrex ® and t rexall ™), and pentostatin (sold under the tradename n ipent ®). examples of retinoids include, but are not limited to, alitretinoin (sold under the tradename p anretin ®), tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid, also known as atra, sold under the tradename v esanoid ®), isotretinoin (13-c/s-retinoic acid, sold under the tradenames a ccutane ®, a mnesteem ® c laravis ®, c larus ®, d ecutan ®, i sotane ®, i zotech ® o ratane ®, i sotret ®, and s otret ®), and bexarotene (sold under the tradename t argretin ®) activity: sting biochemical [3h]cgamp competition assay the individual compounds described in the examples herein are defined as sting agonists by (i) binding to the sting protein as evidenced by a reduction in binding of tritiated cgamp ligand to the sting protein by at least 20% at 20 um (concentration of compound being tested) in a sting biochemical [3h]cgamp competition assay and/or (ii) demonstrating interferon production with a 6% or greater induction of ifn-β secretion at 30 unt in the thp1 cell assay (where induction caused by cgamp at 300/1 was set at 100%). the ability of compounds to bind sting is quantified by the ability to compete with tritiated cgamp ligand for human sting receptor membrane using a radioactive filter-binding assay. the binding assay employs sting receptor obtained from hi-five cell membranes overexpressing full-length haq sting prepared in-house and tritiated cgamp ligand also purified in-house. the following experimental procedures detail the preparation of specific examples of the instant disclosure. the compounds of the examples are drawn in their neutral forms in the procedures and tables below. in some cases, the compounds were isolated as salts depending on the method used for their final purification and/or intrinsic molecular properties. the examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the instant disclosure in any way. examples abbreviations 19 f-nmr 19 f nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy1 h-nmr proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy31 p-nmr 31 p nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopyå angstromacoh acetic acidaq aqueousatp adenosine 5′-triphosphatebf 3 —oet 2 boron trifuoride diethyl etheratebn benzylbz benzoylbzcl benzoyl chloridecd 3 od deuterium-enriched methyl alcohol, deuterium-enriched methanolci curie, a non-standard unit of radioactivity; 1ci=3.7×10 10 bq, where bq is becquerel, the si unit of radioactivity, equivalent to 1 disintegration per second (dps)d doubletd 2 o deuterium-enriched waterdbu 1,8-diazabicyclo(5.4.0)undec-7-enedca dichloroacetic aciddcm, ch 2 cl 2 dichloromethaneddd doublet of doublet of doubletddt doublet of doublet of tripletdiea n,n-diisopropylethylaminedmf n,n-dimethylformamidedmso dimethyl sulfoxidedmtr 4,4′-dimethoxytrityldmtrcl 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl chloridedpcp diphenyl phosphorochloridatedq doublet of quartet#e # standard exponential notation for #×10 # ; for example 2e5=2×10 5ec 50 half maximal effective concentration, concentration of a drug, antibody or toxicant that induces a response halfway between the baseline and maximum after a specified exposure timeedta ethylenediaminetetraacetic acideq equivalentses electron sprayet ethylet 2 o diethyl etheret 3 n, tea triethylamineet 3 n.3hf triethylamine trihydrogen florideet 3 sih, si(c 2 h 5 ) 3 h triethylsilaneetoac ethyl acetateetoh ethyl alcohol, ethanolg gramgtp guanosine 5′-triphosphateh hourhepes 2-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethanesulfortic acid, a zwitterionic organic chemical buffering agenthept heptethex hexaneshf-pyr, hf-py hydrogen fluoride pyridine complexhplc high performance liquid chromatographyhz hertziprmgcl-licl isopropylmagnesium chloride lithium chloride compledj nmr coupling constantl literlcms liquid chromatography mass spectroscopyli 2 s dilithium sulfidem multipletm molar, moles per litermci millicurieme, ch 3 methylmecn, acn, ch 3 ch acetonitrilememgbr, ch 3 mgbr methylmagnesium bromidemenh, ch 3 nh 2 methylaminemeoh methanolmg milligrammgcl 2 magnesium chloridemhz megahertzmin minute(s)ml,ml millilitermm millimole per litermm millimetermmol millimolemoi multiplicity of infectionmol molen normalng nanogram(s)nl nanoliternm nanometernm nanomolarpfu particle-forming unitsph phenylpsi, psi pounds per square inchpy pyridineq quartetrpm, rpm revolutions per minutert, rt room temperature, approximately 25° c.s singletsat saturatedt triplettbuooh t-butylhydrogen peroxideteaa triethyl ammonium acetatethf tetrahydrofurantlc thin layer chromatographytmscl trimethylsilyl chloride, si(ch 3 ) 3 clt r retention timetriscl tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloridev/v volume/volumexg times gravity; the force applied to a spinning sample in terms of multiples of the gravitational forceλ em emission wavelengthλ ex excitation wavelengthμg microgramμl, ul microliterμm, um micromolarμm micrometer, micronμmol micromole preparation 1: n-(9-((2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide step 1: n-(9-((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide to a suspension of 2-amino-9-((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (carbosynth catalog # nd10826, 1.50 g, 5.26 mmol) in py (30 ml) at 0° c. to 5° c. was added tmscl (2.86 g, 26.3 mmol), and the mixture was stirred at rt for 30 min. then, isobutyric anhydride (2.50 g, 15.8 mmol) was added dropwise, and it was stirred for an additional for 2 h. then, meoh (5.3 ml) was added. after 5 min, nh 4 oh (10.5 ml) was added dropwise and stirring was continued for 30 min. the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and meoh (2 ml) in ch 2 cl 2 (18 ml) was added to the residue. insolubles were filtered off, and the filtrate was concentrated and purified by flash column chromatography with 2-10% meoh in ch 2 cl 2 to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 356.1 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 12.11 (s, 1h), 11.68 (s, 1h), 8.28 (s, 1h), 5.98 (d, j=6.1 hz, 1h), 5.85 (d, j=8.0 hz, 1h), 5.24 (t, j=5.4 hz, 1h), 5.14 (d, j=4.1 hz, 0.5h), 5.01 (d, j=4.2 hz, 0.5h), 4.87-4.69 (m, 1h), 4.26 (t, j=4.4 hz, 0.5h), 4.19 (t, j=4.4 hz, 0.5h), 3.61 (t, j=4.9 hz, 2h), 2.77 (hept, j=6.8 hz, 1h), 1.13 (d, j=6.7 hz, 6h). 19 f-nmr: (376 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ−197.5 (s). step 2: n-(9-((2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide n-(9-((2r,3 s,4 s,5r)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (1.30 g, 3.66 mmol) was co-evaporated with py (3×10 ml) and re-dissolved in py (26 ml). to the solution at 0° c. to 5° c. was added dmtrcl (1.36 g, 4.02 mmol). it was stirred at rt for 3 h and then concentrated. ch 2 cl 2 (40 ml, with 1% et 3 n) was added, and it was washed with sat aq nahco 3 (15 ml), h 2 o (10 ml) and brine (10 ml). the organic solution was dried (na 2 so 4 ), concentrated and purified by silica gel column chromatography using 0-10% meoh in ch 2 cl 2 (1% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 656.2 [m−h] − . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 12.10 (s, 1h), 11.61 (s, 1h), 8.14 (s, 1h), 7.40-7.31 (m, 2h), 7.31-7.19 (m, 7h), 6.89-6.78 (m, 4h), 6.08 (d, j=6.1 hz, 1h), 5.87 (d, j=7.3 hz, 1h), 5.23 (dd, j=4.1, 1.8 hz, oh), 5.10 (d, j=4.4 hz, oh), 4.96 (dq, j=22.4, 5.9 hz, 1h), 4.30 (dt, j=26.1, 4.6 hz, 1h), 3.74 (d, j=1.1 hz, 6h), 3.39 (dd, j=10.6, 5.7 hz, 1h), 3.22 (dd, j=10.6, 3.8 hz, 1h), 2.76 (p, j=6.8 hz, 1h), 1.13 (d, j=6.8 hz, 6h). 19 f-nmr: (376 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ−198.1 (s, 1f). preparation 2: n-(7-((2r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide step 1: (3r,4r,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-ol to a stirring mixture of 7-bromoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine (41 g, 0.19 mol) in thf (0.50 l) at 0° c. was added memgbr (3.0m in thf, 66 ml, 0.19 mol) dropwise to maintain the internal temperature below 10° c. bis(chlorodimethylsilyl)ethane (41 g, 190 mmol) was added in one portion. memgbr (3.0m in et 2 o, 66 ml, 0.19 mol) was then added dropwise to maintain the internal temperature below 10° c. i-prmgcl-licl (1.3m in thf, 0.16 l, 0.21 mol) was added while maintaining the internal temperature below 10° c. a mixture of (3r,4r,5r)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)dihydrofuran-2(3h)-one (160 g, 0.38 mol) in thf was added dropwise at 0° c., and the mixture was then allowed to warm to rt and was stirred for 12 h. the mixture was diluted with sat aq nh 4 cl (100 ml) and extracted with etoac (3×1000 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure. the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography (column height: 2500 mm, diameter: 1000 mm, 25% to 75% etoac gradient in hex) to afford (3r,4r,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)-tetrahydrofuran-2-ol. step 2: 7-((3s,4r,5r)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine to a stirring mixture of (3r,4r,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-ol (64 g, 0.12 mmol) in dcm (1.3 l) at 0° c. was added et 3 sih (81 g, 0.69 mol), and then bf 3 —oet 2 (21 g, 0.15 mol). the mixture was then allowed to warm to 25° c., and the mixture was stirred for 1 h. more bf 3 —oet 2 (57 g, 0.40 mol) was added, and the mixture was then heated to 35° c. for 4 h. upon cooling to rt, the mixture was quenched with sat aq nahco 3 (200 ml) and then extracted with etoac (3×300 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure. the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography (15-75% etoac gradient in hex) to afford 7-((3s,4r,5r)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine. ms (es, m/z)=538 [m+h] + . step 3: (3r,4s,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-tetrahydrofuran-3,4-diol to a stirring mixture of 7-((3s,4r,5r)-3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-5-((benzyloxy)methyl)-tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine (12 g, 22 mmol) in dcm (850 ml) at −78° c. was added bcl 3 (18 g, 0.16 mol) dropwise. upon completion, the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for 3 h. after 3 h, the mixture was quenched with meoh (50 ml) at −78° c., and the mixture was allowed to warm to 25° c. the mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue was purified by column chromatography (9-25% meoh gradient in dcm) to afford (3r,4s,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3,4-diol. step 4: (6ar,8s,9s,9as)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-ol to a stirred mixture of (2s,3r,4s,5r)-2-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3,4-diol (4.0 g, 15 mmol) in py (0.10 l) was added 1,3-dichloro-1,1,3,3-tetraisopropyldisiloxane (5.8 ml, 18 mmol). after 3 h, the mixture was diluted with toluene (50 ml) and then concentrated. the resulting mixture was taken up in dcm and meoh, and then silica gel (40 g) was added. the mixture was concentrated, placed under vacuum for 1 h and purified by column chromatography (0-80% etoac gradient in hex) to afford (6ar,8s,9s,9as)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-ol. ms (es, m/z)=510 [m+h] + . step 5: o-((6ar,8s,9s,9ar)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-yl) 1h-imidazole-1-carbothioate to a mixture of (6ar,8s,9s,9as)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-ol (6.45 g, 12.7 mmol) in ch 3 cn (63.0 ml) and py (63.0 ml) was added 1,1′-thiocarbonyldiimidazole (2.71 g, 15.2 mmol). after 90 min, more 1,1′-thiocarbonyldiimidazole (2.71 g, 15.2 mmol) was added, and the mixture was stirred overnight. after stirring overnight, the mixture was concentrated and purified by column chromatography (0-100% etoac gradient in hex) to afford o-((6ar,8s,9s,9ar)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-yl) 1h-imidazole-1-carbothioate. ms (es, m/z)=620 [m+h]±. step 6: 7-((6ar,8r,9as)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-j][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-8-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine to a mixture of o-((6ar,8s,9s,9ar)-8-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-9-yl) (5.65 g, 9.11 mmol) in toluene (91.0 ml) was added 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile (0.300 g, 1.82 mmol) and tris(trimethylsilyl)silane ((tms) 3 sih, 4.22 ml, 13.7 mmol). the mixture was heated to 85° c. for 30 min. after 30 min, the mixture was allowed to cool to rt and placed directly on the column and purified (0-80% etoac gradient in hex) to afford 7-((6ar,8r,9as)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyl-tetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-8-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine. ms (es, m/z)=494 [m+h] + 494. step 7: n-benzoyl-n-(7-((6ar,8r,9as)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-8-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide to a mixture of 7-((6ar,8r,9as)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-8-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine (15.7 g, 31.8 mmol) in py (64.0 ml) was added bzcl (11.0 ml, 95.0 mmol), and the mixture was heated to 50° c. for 45 min. after 45 min, the mixture was allowed to cool to rt. after cooling, a precipitate formed and was filtered off. the filtrate was diluted with dcm (50 ml) and toluene (50 ml). the mixture was concentrated to about 50 ml. the mixture was filtered, and the solids were washed with dcm. the filtrate and washes were combined, loaded onto a column, and purified (0-50% etoac gradient in hex) to afford n-benzoyl-n-(7-((6ar,8r,9as)-2,2,4,4-tetraisopropyltetrahydro-6h-furo[3,2-f][1,3,5,2,4]trioxadisilocin-8-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide. ms (es, m/z)=702 [m+h] + . step 8: n-(7-((2r,4s,5r)-4-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide to a mixture of n-(7-((2r,4s,5r)-4-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide (6.1 g, 17 mmol) in py (86 ml) at 0° c. was added 4,4′-(chloro(phenyl)methylene)bis(methoxybenzene) (5.8 g, 17 mmol), and the mixture was allowed to warm to rt overnight. after stirring overnight, the mixture was diluted with toluene and then concentrated under reduced pressure to afford the crude product. the crude product was purified by silica gel chromatography (0-100% etoac gradient in hex) to afford n-(7-((2r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)-methoxy)methyl)-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-yl)benzamide. ms (es, m/z)=658 [m+h] + . preparation 3: ammonium (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl phosphonate step 1: n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide 2-amino-9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (1.7 g, 5.7 mmol) was co-evaporated with py (3×5 ml) and then, re-dissolved in py (34 ml). to the mixture at 0° c. was added tmscl (4.32 g, 39.8 mmol) dropwise. it was stirred at rt for 1 h and then, cooled to 0° c. again. isobutyric anhydride (1.348 g, 8.52 mmol) was added dropwise, and it was stirred at rt for 3 h. it was quenched by the addition of h 2 o (8.5 ml). after 5 min, nh 4 oh (ca. 29%, 17 ml) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 30 min. it was concentrated and purified by column chromatography eluted with 1 to 30% meoh in ch 2 cl 2 to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 396.9 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 9.52 (br s, 2h), 8.39 (s, 1h), 5.79 (d, j=7.1 hz, 1h), 5.59 (s, 1h), 5.40 (s, 1h), 5.22 (s, 1h), 4.55 (d, j=6.7 hz, 1h), 4.21 (s, 1h), 3.77 (t, j=9.3 hz, 1h), 3.61 (s, 1h), 3.30 (dt, j=6.4, 3.3 hz, 1h), 2.78 (p, j=6.9 hz, 1h), 1.13 (d, j=6.8 hz, 6h). step 2: n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide to a mixture of n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-tetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (480 mg, 1.299 mmol) in pyridine (10 ml) was added 4,4′-(chloro(phenyl)methylene)-bis(methoxybenzene) (484 mg, 1.43 mmol). it was stirred at rt for 16 h and then, concentrated. the crude product was purified by column chromatography on silica gel eluted with 1 to 30% meoh in ch 2 cl 2 (containing 1% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 672.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 +d 2 o): δ 8.08 (s, 1h), 7.39 (d, j=7.2 hz, 2h), 7.32 (t, j=7.6 hz, 2h), 7.26 (dt, j=9.1, 3.3 hz, 5h), 6.94-6.87 (m, 4h), 5.75 (d, j=5.9 hz, 1h), 4.39 (dd, j=5.9, 3.5 hz, 1h), 4.14 (t, j=3.9 hz, 1h), 3.74 (s, 6h), 3.49-3.37 (m, 2h), 3.33 (dd, j=14.5, 7.3 hz, 1h), 2.87-2.67 (m, 1h), 1.11 (dd, j=6.8, 1.6 hz, 6h). step 3: n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-3-hydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide and n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis (4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-3-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-4-hydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide to a solution of n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)-methoxy)methyl)-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (580 mg, 0.863 mmol) in dmf (5 ml) at rt was added 1h-imidazole (147 mg, 2.16 mmol) and tert-butylchlorodimethylsilane (156 mg, 1.04 mmol). after 6 h, the mixture was diluted with etoac (50 ml) and washed with sat aq nahco 3 (2×20 ml) and brine (20 ml). it was dried (na 2 so 4 ), concentrated, and purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in h 2 o to give the products. lcms (es, m/z): 786.3 [m+h] + . step 4: (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl phenyl phosphonate and (2r,3s,4r,5r)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl phenyl phosphonate to a solution of a mixture of n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl) (phenyl)-methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-3-hydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide and n-(9-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-3-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-4-hydroxytetrahydrothiophen-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (220 mg, 0.280 mmol) in py (2 ml) at 0° c. was added diphenyl phosphonate (98 mg, 0.420 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min. it was used in the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 926.2 [m+h] + . step 5: ammonium (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl phosphonate to the reaction mixture from step 4 at 0° c. was added et 3 n (0.28 ml, 2.0 mmol) and h 2 o (0.28 ml). it was stirred at rt for 30 min. it was concentrated, and the residue was partitioned between ch 2 cl 2 (40 ml) and aq nahco 3 (5%, 30 ml). the organic layer was washed with aq nahco 3 (5%, 2×30 ml), dried (na 2 so 4 ), concentrated and purified by silica gel column chromatography using 0-10% meoh in chcl 3 containing 1% et 3 n to give a mixture. the mixture was further purified by prep-hplc (xbridge shield rp18 obd column, 19×150 mm) eluted with 46 to 79% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (10 mm) over 7 min to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 850.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 8.18 (s, 1h), 7.68 (s, 0.5h), 7.59-7.49 (m, 2h), 7.45-7.36 (m, 4h), 7.37-7.30 (m, 2h), 7.28-7.22 (m, 1h), 6.95-6.87 (m, 4h), 6.16-6.07 (m, 2h), 4.88-4.87 (m, 1h), 4.69 (dd, j=7.3, 3.3 hz, 1h), 3.81 (s, 6h), 3.51 (dd, j=4.9, 1.9 hz, 2h), 3.37 (s, 1h), 2.67 (p, j=6.9 hz, 1h), 1.21 (dd, j=6.9, 0.9 hz, 6h), 0.77 (s, 9h), 0.01 (s, 3h), −0.28 (s, 3h). 31 p-nmr (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ−0.74 (s). preparation 4: (2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl hydrogen phosphonate step 1: (2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl phenyl phosphonate to a solution of n-(9-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy) methyl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (prepared according to published procedures: tetrahedron letters, 1989, 30, 3171-3174. 630 mg, 0.96 mmol) in py (5 ml) under ar was added diphenyl phosphonate (1.07 g, 4.56 mmol), and the mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min. it was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 798.3 [m+h] + . step 2: (2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl phosphonate to the reaction mixture from step 1 at 0° c. was added h 2 o (1 ml), et 3 n (1 ml). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min. then, it was concentrated, and the residue was partitioned between ch 2 cl 2 (50 ml) and aq nahco 3 (5%, 20 ml). the organic layer was washed with aq nahco 3 (5%, 20 ml), dried (na 2 s 2 o 4 ), concentrated and purified by silica gel column chromatography using 0-7% meoh in ch 2 cl 2 (1% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 722.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 7.76 (s, 1h), 7.74 (s, 0.5h), 7.51 (d, j=1.5 hz, 1h), 7.48 (q, j=2.4, 1.9 hz, 1h), 7.41-7.34 (m, 4h), 7.34-7.27 (m, 2h), 7.26-7.21 (m, 1h), 6.92-6.85 (m, 4h), 6.22 (s, 1h), 6.15 (s, 0.5h), 5.37 (d, j=2.7 hz, 0.5h), 5.28-5.19 (m, 1.5h), 4.73-4.69 (m, 0.5h), 4.66-4.62 (m, 1h), 3.80 (s, 6h), 3.65-3.55 (m, 1h), 3.53-3.44 (m, 1h), 3.12 (q, j=7.3 hz, 8h), 2.75 (p, j=6.8 hz, 1h), 1.33-1.22 (m, 18h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 2.67 (s, 1p). examples 1 and 2: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1) and 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2) step 1: (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl phenyl phosphonate to a solution of n-(9-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl) methoxy)methyl)-3-fluoro-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (2.1 g, 3.1 mmol) in anhydrous py (14 ml) was added diphenyl phosphonate (7.28 g, 31.1 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min and was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 816.3 [m+h] + . step 2: ammonium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl)phosphonothioate to the reaction mixture from step 1 at 0° c. was added li 2 s (714 mg, 15.5 mmol), and the mixture was stirred at rt for 15 h. the mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue was partitioned between ch 2 cl 2 (200 ml) and aq nahco 3 (5%, 100 ml). the organic layer was washed with aq nahco 3 (5%, 2×50 ml), dried (na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated to give a crude product. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 756.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 11.25 (s, 2h), 8.76 (d, j=9.9 hz, 3h), 8.25 (d, j=4.1 hz, 2h), 8.03 (d, j=7.6 hz, 4h), 7.58 (dt, j=29.5, 7.6 hz, 6h), 7.41 (d, j=7.7 hz, 4h), 7.32-7.13 (m, 14h), 6.94 (d, j=5.9 hz, 1h), 6.84 (d, j=8.4 hz, 8h), 6.57 (d, j=4.0 hz, 1h), 6.51 (s, 1h), 5.54 (s, 1h), 5.37 (s, 1h), 5.10 (d, j=15.3 hz, 2h), 4.24 (d, j=14.1 hz, 2h), 3.70 (s, 13h), 2.48 (d, j=1.3 hz, 2h), 2.36 (s, 1h), 2.05 (s, 6h), 1.24-1.09 (m, 2h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 48.82 (s). step 3: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to a solution of ammonium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate (400 mg, 0.467 mmol) in ch 2 cl 2 (7 ml) at rt was added h 2 o (84 mg, 4.9 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in ch 2 cl 2 (6%, 7 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 15 min, and then et 3 sih (5 ml) was added. after 40 min, py (660 mg, 8.4 mmol) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 5 min. the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 452.0 [m−h] − . step 4: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((((((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy)phosphanyl)oxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate the crude product of step 3 was co-evaporated with mecn (3×4 ml), re-dissolved in mecn (2 ml), and dried by adding activated 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (50 mg). (2r,3 s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl (2-cyanoethyl) diisopropylphosphoramidite (0.48 g, 0.56 mmol) was co-evaporated with mecn (3×4 ml), re-dissolved in mecn (2 ml), and dried by adding activated 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (50 mg). after 30 min, it was added to the previously prepared mixture containing pyridin-1-ium 0-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate. the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 30 min and was used in the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1208.2 [m−h] − . step 5: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((((((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy)phosphorothioyl)oxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to the mixture from step 4 was added sulfur (1.50 g, 46.7 mmol) in one portion and 2,6-dimethylpyridine (0.541 ml, 4.67 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 2 h. then, the mixture was concentrated, and the crude product was used for the next step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1240.2 [m−h] − . step 6: ammonium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((((2-cyanoethoxy)(((2r,3s,4r,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)phosphorothioyl)oxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to a solution of the crude product of step 5 in ch 2 cl 2 (7 ml) at rt was added h 2 o (93 mg, 5.2 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in ch 2 cl 2 solution (6%, 7.7 ml, 4.6 mmol). after 15 min, et 3 sih (15 ml) was added, and the mixture was stirred for additional 40 min. then, py (665 mg, 8.5 mmol) was added, and the mixture was concentrated. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (0.04%) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 938.1 [m+h] + . step 7: pyridinium (5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-10-(2-cyanoethoxy)-15,16-difluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2-thiolate 10-sulfide to py (12 ml) at −40° c. under ar was added diphenyl phosphorochloridate (657 mg, 2.44 mmol) and then, a solution of ammonium o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((((2-cyanoethoxy)(((2r,3 s,4r,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)phosphorothioyl) oxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate (150 mg, 0.122 mmol, co-evaporated with py 3×5 ml) in ch 2 cl 2 (30 ml) over 20 min. the resulting mixture was stirred at −40° c. for 20 min. it was used in the next step immediately without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 922.2 [m+h] + . step 8: ammonium (5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-10-(2-cyanoethoxy)-15,16-difluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2-thiolate 2,10-disulfide to the solution from step 7 at −40° c. was added 3h-benzo[c][1,2]dithiol-3-one (0.031 g, 0.18 mmol) and h 2 o (8.1 g, 450 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 40 min. then, the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (0.04%) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 954.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, cd 3 od) δ 8.77 (d, j=7.7 hz, 1h), 8.20-8.03 (m, 3h), 7.71-7.64 (m, 1h), 7.64-7.51 (m, 3h), 7.35-7.17 (m, 4h), 7.07 (t, j=7.3 hz, 1h), 6.30 (dd, j=15.9, 8.0 hz, 1h), 5.85-5.33 (m, 2h), 4.59-4.37 (m, 2h), 4.32 (t, j=11.7 hz, 1h), 4.24-3.99 (m, 2h), 3.86-3.65 (m, 3h), 2.90 (t, j=6.9 hz, 1h), 2.82-2.69 (m, 1h), 2.63 (ddd, j=21.0, 7.1, 5.1 hz, 1h), 1.43-1.28 (m, 7h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 115.38 (s), 63.59 (s). step 9: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxachphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomers 1-2) ammonium (5r,7r,8 s,12ar,14r,15 s,15ar,16r)-10-(2-cyanoethoxy)-15,16-difluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2-thiolate 2,10-disulfide (40 mg, 0.064 mmol) was dissolved in a solution of menh 2 in etoh (30%, 5 ml). the resulting solution was stirred at rt for 3 h, then the solution was concentrated. the residue was suspended in etoac (10 ml) and stirred for 1 h. the mixture was filtered and washed with cold etoac (2×10 ml). the solid was purified by prep-hplc (atlantis prep rp c18 obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 0 to 27% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (50 mm) over 25 min to afford two diastereomers of 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one: example 1 (diastereomer 1) (t r : 13.58 min): lcms (es, m/z): 727.3 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, d 2 o) δ 8.33 (s, 1h), 8.27 (d, j=2.4 hz, 1h), 8.20 (s, 1h), 6.63-6.46 (m, 1h), 6.08 (d, j=8.7 hz, 1h), 5.78-5.24 (m, 4h), 4.55 (s, 1h), 4.46-4.01 (m, 4h), 3.67-3.44 (m, 1h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, d 2 o) δ 113.21 (s), 54.13 (s). example 2 (diastereomer 2) (t r : 12.77 min): lcms (es, m/z): 727.3 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, d 2 o) δ 8.54 (s, 1h), 8.28 (d, j=2.9 hz, 1h), 8.20 (s, 1h), 6.53 (dd, j=22.7, 2.6 hz, 1h), 6.10 (d, j=8.5 hz, 1h), 5.74-5.49 (m, 2h), 5.42-5.13 (m, 2h), 4.49-4.27 (m, 3h), 4.07 (s, 2h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, d 2 o) δ 113.30 (s), 60.84 (s). examples 3 through 9, as shown in table 1 below, were prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in examples 1 and 2 above using appropriate monomers, described as preparations or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 1massexamplestructurename[m + h] +32-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-10-hydroxy- 2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h- 5,8-methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6- one (diastereomer 1)69142-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-10-hydroxy- 2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h- 5,8-methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6- one (diastereomer 2)69152-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(4-amino-7h-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin- 7-yl)-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]penta- oxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9- dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1)69062-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(4-amino-7h-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin- 7-yl)-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]penta- oxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9- dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2)69072-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7- yl)-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]penta- oxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9- dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1)69182-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(4-aminoimidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7- yl)-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]penta- oxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9- dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2)69192-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r, 15as,18s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 18-fluoro-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a- (epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2- 1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7(12h)-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h- purin-6-one737 examples 10 and 11: 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1) and 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2) step 1: ammonium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to a solution of (2r,3r,5s)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl phenyl phosphonate (2.35 mmol) in py (12 ml) at 0° c. was added li 2 s (539 mg, 11.7 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 1 h. then, the mixture was concentrated. dcm (50 ml) was added, and the mixture was washed with sat aq nahco 3 (20 ml). the layers were separated, and the aq layer was extracted with dcm (3×80 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with brine (30 ml), dried (na 2 so 4 ), concentrated, and purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-50% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (0.4%) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 720.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 12.11 (s, 1h), 11.75-11.70 (m, 1h), 8.15 (s, 1h), 7.32-7.12 (m, 9h), 7.00 (s, 1h), 6.82-6.78 (m, 4h), 6.14 (s, 1h), 5.30 (d, j=12 hz, 1h), 4.51-4.47 (m, 1h), 3.72 (s, 6h), 3.15-3.14 (m, 2h), 2.83-2.76 (m, 1h), 2.21-2.16 (m, 1h), 1.13 (d, j=8 hz, 1h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 48.27 (s). step 2: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to a solution of ammonium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl) methoxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate (400 mg, 0.543 mmol) in dcm (6 ml) was added h 2 o (98 mg, 5.4 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (6%, 6 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min, and then et 3 sih (6 ml) was added. after 2 h, py (773 mg, 9.77 mmol) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 10 min. then, the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was co-evaporated with mecn and toluene (1:1, 3×4 ml) to give the crude product, which was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 418.1 [m+h] + . step 3: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((((((2r,3s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy)phosphanyl)oxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to the crude product from step 3 in mecn (4 ml) under ar was added activated 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (100 mg). (2r,3s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl (2-cyanoethyl) diisopropylphosphoramidite (0.466 g, 0.543 mmol) was co-evaporated with mecn (3×4 ml), re-dissolved in mecn (4 ml), and dried by adding 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (100 mg). after 30 min, it was transferred into a solution containing pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate, and the mixture was stirred at rt for 1 h. it was used for the next reaction step. lcms (es, m/z): 1174.5 [m+h] + . step 4: pyridin-1-ium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((((((2r,3s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy)phosphorothioyl)oxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to the reaction mixture from step 3 at rt was added sulfur (0.174 g, 5.43 mmol), and the mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h. the reaction mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated to give a residue. it was co-evaporated with toluene (3×5 ml) and ch 3 cn (3×5 ml), and the crude product was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1206.3 [m+h] + . step 5: ammonium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((((((2r,3s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy)phosphorothioyl)oxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate to a solution of the crude product from step 4 in dcm (6 ml) at rt was added h 2 o (98 mg, 5.4 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (6%, 6 ml). after 20 min, et 3 sih (6 ml) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 1.5 h. then, py (773 mg, 9.77 mmol) was added. the mixture was stirred for 10 min, then concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-35% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (0.04%) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 904.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 12.11 (s, 1h), 11.73 (s, 1h), 11.23 (s, 1h), 8.75-8.70 (m, 2h), 8.17-8.05 (m, 3h), 7.68-7.55 (m, 4h), 7.20-7.14 (m, 3h), 6.56-6.51 (m, 1h), 6.10-6.05 (m, 1h), 5.32-5.18 (m, 3h), 4.58 (s, 1h), 4.36-4.32 (m, 1h), 4.27-4.20 (m, 4h), 3.62-3.57 (m, 2h), 3.13-3.10 (m, 1h), 2.98-2.93 (m, 1h), 2.80-2.69 (m, 2h), 1.21 (d, j=8 hz, 1h), 1.13-1.10 (m, 6h). p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 66.02 (s, 1p), 47.44-47.30 (m, 1p). step 6: pyridinium (5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-2-(2-cyanoethoxy)-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl) amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-10-thiolate 2-sulfide to py (8 ml) at −40° c. under ar was added dpcp (467 mg, 1.74 mmol), and a solution of ammonium o-((2r,3r,5s)-5-((((((2r,3s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)oxy)(2-cyanoethoxy) phosphorothioyl)oxy)methyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl) tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphonothioate (80 mg, 0.087 mmol) (co-evaporated with py 3×4 ml) in dcm (8 ml) dropwise over 5 min. the resulting mixture was stirred at −40° c. for 1 h. the reaction mixture was used for the next without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 886.2 [m+h] + . step 7: ammonium (5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-2-(2-cyanoethoxy)-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl) amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,24][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-10-thiolate 2,10-disulfide to the solution at −40° c. from step 6 was added sulfur (27.9 mg, 0.870 mmol) in one portion. after stirring at rt for 3 h, the reaction mixture was concentrated and purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-35% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (0.4%) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 918.2 [m+h] + . step 8: 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxachphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one ammonium (5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-2-(2-cyanoethoxy)-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecine-10-thiolate 2,10-disulfide (20 mg, 0.020 mmol) was dissolved in a solution of menh 2 in etoh (30%, 1 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 2 h, then concentrated. the residue was purified by prep-hplc (xbridge shield rp c18 obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 4-12% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (10 mm) over 26 min to afford two diastereomers of 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one: example 10 (diastereomer 1) (t r : 13.88 min): lcms (es, m/z): 689.0 [m−h] − . 1 h-nmr (300 mhz, d 2 o): δ 8.33 (s, 1h), 8.07 (s, 1h), 8.78 (s, 1h), 6.35-6.33 (m, 1h), 5.73-5.69 (m, 1h), 5.57-5.56 (m, 1h), 5.30-5.27 (m, 1h), 4.49-4.69 (m, 1h), 4.25-4.08 (m, 3h), 3.98-3.81 (m, 2h), 2.91-2.72 (m, 2h), 2.56-2.34 (m, 2h). 31 p-nmr: (121 mhz, d 2 o): δ 113.61 (s), 55.67-55.58 (m). example 11 (diastereomer 2) (t r : 20.67 min): lcms (es, m/z): 689.0 [m−h] − . 1 h-nmr: (300 mhz, d 2 o): δ 8.29 (s, 1h), 8.27 (s, 1h), 8.24 (s, 1h), 6.37-6.33 (m, 1h), 5.74 (d, j=7.2 hz, 1h), 5.51-5.43 (m, 1h), 5.33-5.29 (m, 1h), 4.50-4.47 (m, 1h), 4.32-4.29 (m, 1h), 4.22-4.12 (m, 1h), 3.98-3.96 (m, 2h), 3.84-3.78 (m, 1h), 3.00-2.87 (m, 2h), 2.56-2.38 (m, 2h). 31 p-nmr: (121 mhz, d 2 o): δ 115.35 (s), 54.08 (s). examples 12 through 15, as shown in table 2 below, were prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in examples 10 and 11 above using the appropriate monomers, described as preparations or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 2massexamplestructurename[m + h] +122-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s, 15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 15,16-difluoro-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl- 2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]- 1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1)727132-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s, 15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 15,16-difluoro-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl- 2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]- 1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2)727142-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(4-amino-7h-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin- 7-yl)-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]- 1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1)690152-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r, 15as,18s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 18-fluoro-2-hydroxy-10-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a- (epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2- 1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7(12h)-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h- purin-6-one (diastereomer 1)737 example 16: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15-fluoro-10,16-dihydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one step 1: (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-(n-benzoylbenzamido)-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl benzoate to a solution of n-(9-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl) methoxy)methyl)-3-fluoro-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (2.00 g, 2.96 mmol) in py (20 ml) at 0° c. was added bzcl (0.832 g, 5.92 mmol) dropwise, and the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h. then, the mixture was concentrated to give a crude product, which was used for next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 884.2 [m+h] + . step 2: (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-3-yl benzoate to a solution of the crude product from step 1 in meoh (20 ml) and thf (10 ml) was added nh 4 oh (5 ml) dropwise, and the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 30 min. then, the mixture was concentrated to give a crude product, which was used for next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 780.3 [m+h] + . step 3: (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl benzoate to a solution of the crude product from step 2 in dcm (45 ml) was added h 2 o (533 mg, 29.6 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (6%, 44.4 ml, 26.6 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 10 min. then, et 3 sih (70 ml) was added to the reaction. after 1 h, the reaction mixture (at 0° c. to 5° c.) was treated with py (4.2 g, 53 mmol) and stirred at rt for 5 min. the resulting solution was concentrated, and etoac (300 ml) was added. the solution was washed with h 2 o (3×50 ml) and brine (50 ml), dried (na 2 so 4 ), and purified by chromatography on silica gel using 0-10% meoh in dcm to the product. lcms (es, m/z): 478.1 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 11.26 (s, 1h), 8.79 (s, 1h), 8.65 (d, j=2.6 hz, 1h), 8.12-8.00 (m, 4h), 7.76-7.69 (m, 1h), 7.67-7.61 (m, 1h), 7.60-7.53 (m, 4h), 6.72 (dd, j=17.8, 3.9 hz, 1h), 5.79 (d, j=4.0 hz, 2h), 5.74 (s, 0.5h), 5.66 (s, 0.5h), 5.23 (t, j=5.9 hz, 1h), 4.32 (d, j=4.6 hz, 1h), 3.79 (m, 2h). step 4: pyridin-1-ium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphorothioate to a solution of (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-2-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl benzoate (275 mg, 0.577 mmol) and ammonium (2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl phosphonate (500 mg, 0.577 mmol) in py (7 ml) and dcm (3 ml) at −40° c. under ar was added dpcp (3098 mg, 11.53 mmol) over 5 min. the resulting mixture was stirred at −20° c. to −40° c. for 40 min. the reaction mixture was used for the next step without work-up. lcms (es, m/z): 1309.4 [m+h] + . step 5: ammonium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl)phosphorothioate to the reaction mixture from step 4 at −20° c. was added 3h-benzo[c][1,2]dithiol-3-one (0.146 g, 0.866 mmol) and h 2 o (250 mg). the mixture was stirred at rt for 1 h. then, the reaction mixture was concentrated to give a crude product, which was used for the next reaction step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1341.2 [m+h] + . step 6: ammonium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl)phosphorothioate to a solution of the crude product from step 5 in dcm (9 ml) was added h 2 o (104 mg, 5.77 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (6%, 10 ml, 5.2 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 10 min and then, et 3 sih (15 ml) was added. after 1 h, the mixture was treated with py (1.0 g) and stirred for 5 min. the resulting solution was concentrated and purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1039.3 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 12.06-12.01 (m, 1h), 11.62-11.59 (m, 1h), 11.27-11.26 (m, 1h), 8.78-8.77 (m, 1h), 8.68-8.64 (m, 1h), 8.39 (s, 1h), 8.15-8.00 (m, 4h), 7.78-7.51 (m, 6h), 7.31-6.93 (m, 4h), 6.76-6.55 (m, 1h), 5.89-5.86 (m, 1h), 5.77-5.53 (m, 2h), 5.41-5.22 (m, 2h), 4.67-4.64 (m, 1h), 4.42-4.24 (m, 1h), 4.12-4.09 (m, 1h), 3.89-3.74 (m, 1h), 3.69-3.50 (m, 1h), 3.22 (t, j=6.8 hz, 1h), 2.85-2.73 (m, 1h), 1.16-1.02 (m, 6h), 0.90-0.85 (m, 9h), 0.19-0.10 (m, 6h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 54.64-53.95 (m). step 7: ammonium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl)phosphorothioate to a solution of ammonium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyl dim ethyl silyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphorothioate (400 mg, 0.379 mmol) in meoh (15 ml), thf (12 ml), and h 2 o (3 ml) at 0° c. was added aq naoh (2m, 3 ml, 6 mmol) over 3 min. after 10 min, the reaction mixture was neutralized with acoh and then concentrated. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 935.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 12.08-12.06 (m, 1h), 11.61-11.59 (m, 1h), 11.23 (br s, 1h), 8.76-8.75 (m, 1h), 8.56-8.54 (m, 1h), 8.37-8.35 (m, 1h), 8.06 (d, j=7.9 hz, 2h), 7.66 (t, j=7.4 hz, 1h), 7.56 (t, j=7.6 hz, 2h), 7.28-6.94 (m, 4h), 6.64-6.44 (m, 1h), 6.16-5.83 (m, 2h), 5.41-5.10 (m, 3h), 4.71-4.64 (m, 1h), 4.36-4.32 (m, 1h), 4.06-3.85 (m, 1h), 3.82-3.52 (m, 4h), 3.23-3.19 (m, 1h), 2.85-2.71 (m, 1h), 1.15-1.04 (m, 6h), 0.90-0.89 (m, 9h), 0.17-0.15 (m, 6h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ): δ 54.41 (s). step 8: ammonium (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecine-10-thiolate 10-oxide 2-sulfide to a solution of ammonium o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl) oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl) tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphorothioate (360 mg, 0.378 mmol, co-evaporated with py 3×5 ml) in ch 3 cn (36 ml) and diea (4 ml) was added a solution of s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl o,o-bis(4-oxobenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-3(4h)-yl) phosphorodithioate (548 mg, 0.945 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane (4 ml) dropwise over 3 min. the mixture was stirred at rt for 16 h and then concentrated. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give a crude product. the crude product was further purified with prep-tlc (developed by 3% meoh in dcm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1189.0 [m+h] + . 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 96.19-95.17 (m), 61.86-59.92 (m). step 9: diammonium (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2,10-bis(thiolate) 10-oxide 2-sulfide to a stirred solution of ammonium (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecine-10-thiolate 10-oxide 2-sulfide (100 mg, 0.082 mmol) (co-evaporated with ch 3 cn 3×5 ml) in dmso (15 ml) were added 2-methylundecane-2-thiol (99 mg, 0.49 mmol) and 2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10-octahydropyrimido[1,2-a]azepine (100 mg, 0.65 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h. the mixture was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1029.3 [m+h] + . 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, cd 3 od): δ 113.80 (s), 61.35 (s). step 10: diethanaminium (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-7-(2-amino-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-15-fluorooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2,10-bis(thiolate) 10-oxide 2-sulfide diammonium (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl) silyl]oxy}-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecine-2,10-bis(thiolate) 10-oxide 2-sulfide (40 mg, 0.037 mmol) was dissolved in a solution of ch 3 nh 2 in etoh (33%, 10 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h, then was concentrated to give a crude product, which was used for next step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 855.2 [m+h] + . step 11: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15-fluoro-10,16-dihydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one to a stirred solution of the crude product from step 10 in py (1.5 ml) were added et 3 n (0.37 g, 3.7 mmol) and et 3 n.3hf (0.30 g, 1.85 mmol). the resulting mixture was heated at 50° c. for 24 h. the mixture then was concentrated and purified by prep-hplc (atlantis prep t3 obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 7-25% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (10 mm) over 14 min to afford a crude product (t r : 11.58 min). the crude product was further purified by prep-hplc (xbridge prep phenyl obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 6-8% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (20 mm) over 15 min to afford the product (t r : 13.5 min). lcms (es, m/z): 741.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, d 2 o) δ 8.61 (s, 1h), 8.25 (d, j=3.0 hz, 1h), 8.19 (s, 1h), 6.52 (dd, j=23.3, 2.6 hz, 1h), 5.96 (d, j=8.7 hz, 1h), 5.73-5.62 (m, 1h), 5.59 (m, 0.5h), 5.46 (m, 0.5h), 5.40 (m, 1h), 4.55 (d, j=3.4 hz, 1h), 4.46-4.28 (m, 2h), 4.25 (m, 2h), 4.00 (m, 1h), 3.63 (m, 1h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, d 2 o) δ 112.91 (s), 60.45 (s). example 17: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r,15as,18s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-18-fluoro-10-hydroxy-10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2-sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a-(epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7(12h)-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one step 1: n-(9-((1r,3r,4r,7s)-1-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide n-(9-((1r,3r,4r,7s)-1-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-7-hydroxy-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (800 mg, 1.17 mmol) was co-evaporated with py (3×5 ml) and then re-dissolved in dmf (5 ml) under ar. to the solution was added imidazole (397 mg, 5.84 mmol) and tert-butylchlorodimethylsilane (440 mg, 2.92 mmol), and the solution was stirred at rt for 5 h. then, sat aq nahco 3 (5 ml), h 2 o (30 ml) and etoac (50 ml) were added. the layers were separated, and the aq layer was extracted with etoac (2×50 ml). the combined organic solution was washed with brine (3×60 ml), concentrated, and purified by silica gel column chromatography eluted with 1 to 10% meoh in dcm (0.3% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 801.3 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 11.26 (s, 1h), 8.79 (s, 1h), 8.60 (s, 1h), 8.10-8.03 (m, 2h), 7.71-7.62 (m, 1h), 7.59-7.55 (m, 2h), 7.44-7.36 (m, 2h), 7.37-7.18 (m, 7h), 6.94-6.84 (m, 4h), 6.20 (s, 1h), 4.85 (s, 1h), 4.73 (s, 1h), 4.02 (d, j=8.0 hz, 1h), 3.87 (d, j=7.9 hz, 1h), 3.73 (s, 6h), 3.47 (d, j=10.9 hz, 1h), 3.33-3.30 (m, 1h), 0.72 (s, 9h), −0.01 (s, 3h), −0.07 (s, 3h). step 2: n-(9-((1s,3r,4r,7s)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide to a solution of n-(9-((1r,3r,4r,7s)-1-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl) methoxy)methyl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (850 mg, 0.956 mmol) in dcm (5 ml) was added h 2 o (172 mg, 9.56 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (6%, 12 ml, 7.20 mmol). after 20 min, et 3 sih (20 ml, 124 mmol) was added. the resulting solution was stirred at rt for 1 h. then, py (1.36 g, 17.2 mmol) was added to the mixture, which was stirred for 10 min. the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-100% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 498.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 11.23 (s, 1h), 8.77 (s, 1h), 8.56 (s, 1h), 8.09-8.02 (m, 2h), 7.71-7.62 (m, 1h), 7.59-7.55 m, 2h), 6.09 (s, 1h), 5.10-5.07 (m, 1h), 4.68 (s, 1h), 4.59 (s, 1h), 3.96 (d, j=7.9 hz, 1h), 3.88-3.73 (m, 3h), 0.87 (s, 9h), 0.10 (d, j=1.3 hz, 6h). step 3: pyridin-1-ium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphite to a solution of dpcp (3.66 g, 13.7 mmol) in py (10 ml) at −40° c. was under ar added a solution of n-(9-((1s,3r,4r,7s)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (340 mg, 0.684 mmol, co-evaporated with py 3×1 ml) and triethylammonium (2r,3s,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl) (phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl phosphonate (560 mg, 0.684 mmol, co-evaporated with py 3×1 ml) in py (3 ml) and dcm (3 ml). the mixture was stirred for 40 min. the reaction mixture was used for the next step immediately without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1201.4 [m+h] + . step 4: pyridin-1-ium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphate to the reaction mixture from step 3 at −40° c., was added 3% i 2 in py/h 2 o (9/1, 6 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 1 h. then, 1.6 g na 2 s 2 o 3 .5h 2 o (1.6 g) in h 2 o (8 ml) was added. after 5 min, the mixture was concentrated to give a crude product, which was used in next reaction step directly. lcms (es, m/z): 1217.3 [m+h] + . step 5: ammonium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)phosphate to a solution of the crude product from step 4 in dcm (8 ml) were added h 2 o (90 mg, 5.0 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (0.6m, 30 ml, 18 mmol). the solution was stirred at rt for 30 min. et 3 sih (16 ml) was added, and the resulting solution was stirred for 1 h. then, py (2.85 g, 36.0 mmol) was added, and the solution was concentrated. the residue purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 915.2 [m+h] + . 1 h nmr: (400 mhz, meoh-d 4 ) δ 8.70 (s, 1h), 8.41 (s, 1h), 8.18-8.11 (m, 2h), 7.92 (s, 1h), 7.73-7.66 (m, 1h), 7.61 (dd, j=8.3, 6.9 hz, 2h), 6.25 (s, 1h), 5.93 (s, 1h), 5.43-5.26 (m, 2h), 4.67 (s, 1h), 4.62 (s, 1h), 4.57-4.43 (m, 1h), 4.26 (t, j=4.5 hz, 2h), 4.11 (d, j=7.9 hz, 1h), 3.96-3.82 (m, 3h), 2.73 (p, j=6.9 hz, 1h), 1.25 (dd, j=9.3, 6.9 hz, 6h), 0.91 (s, 9h), 0.14 (d, j=9.5 hz, 6h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, meoh-d 4 ): δ −1.84 (s). step 6: ammonium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-hydroxy-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)phosphate to a solution of ammonium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl) tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphate (320 mg, 0.343 mmol) in py (5 ml) were added et 3 n.3hf (2768 mg, 17.17 mmol) and et 3 n (1737 mg, 17.17 mmol). the resulting mixture was heated at 50° c. for 15 h. then, the mixture was concentrated and purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 801.1 [m+h] + . 1 h nmr: (400 mhz, meoh-d 4 ) δ 8.69 (s, 1h), 8.42 (s, 1h), 8.13 (dd, j=7.4, 1.8 hz, 2h), 7.93 (s, 1h), 7.74-7.65 (m, 1h), 7.60 (dd, j=8.4, 7.0 hz, 2h), 6.26 (s, 1h), 5.98 (s, 1h), 5.48-5.26 (m, 2h), 4.54 (s, 1h), 4.47 (s, 1h), 4.30 (dd, j=14.7, 5.5 hz, 2h), 4.11 (d, j=8.0 hz, 1h), 3.97-3.85 (m, 3h), 2.74 (p, j=6.9 hz, 1h), 1.25 (dd, j=9.7, 6.9 hz, 6h). 31 p nmr: (162 mhz, meoh-d 4 ) δ−1.42 (s, 1). step 7: n-{9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r,15as,18s)-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-18-fluoro-10-hydroxy-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-10-oxido-2-sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a-(epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-14(12h)-yl]-9h-purin-6-yl}benzamide to a solution of ammonium ((1r,3r,4r,7s)-3-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-7-hydroxy-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methyl ((2r,3s,4s,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphate (268 mg, 0.328 mmol, co-evaporated with mecn 3×2 ml) in mecn (30 ml) under ar added diea (3.3 ml) and a solution of s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl-o,o-bis(4-oxobenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-3(4h)-yl) phosphorodithioate (613 mg, 1.06 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane (3.5 ml). the mixture was stirred at rt for 18 h, then concentrated. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1053.1 [m−h] − . 31 p nmr: (162 mhz, meoh-d 4 ) δ 95.72(s), 95.02 (s); −1.96(s), −3.17 (s). step 8: dipyridinium (5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r,15as,18s)-7-(2-amino-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-18-fluoro-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}-2-sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a-(epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10(12h)-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide to a solution of n-{9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r,15as,18s)-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-18-fluoro-10-hydroxy-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-10-oxido-2-sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a-(epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-14(12h)-yl]-9h-purin-6-yl}benzamide (35 mg, 0.033 mmol, co-evaporated with mecn 3×2 ml) in dmso (6.3 ml) were added 2-methylundecane-2-thiol (26.7 mg, 0.132 mmol) and 2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10-octahydropyrimido[1,2-a]azepine (30.1 mg, 0.198 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h. the mixture was used for the next step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 895.2 [m+h] + . step 9: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15r,15as,18s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-18-fluoro-10-hydroxy-10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2-sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a-(epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7(12h)-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one to the reaction mixture from step 8 was added a solution of menh 2 in etoh (30%, 8 ml). the resulting solution was stirred at rt for 3 h. the solution was concentrated, and the residue was purified prep-hplc (xbridge prep phenyl obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 2-14% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (10 mm) over 15 min to afford the product (t r : 9.13 min). lcms (es, m/z): 721.2 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, d 2 o) δ 8.36 (d, j=1.9 hz, 2h), 8.16 (s, 1h), 7.72 (s, 1h), 6.14 (s, 1h), 6.08 (s, 1h), 5.60-5.44 (m, 2h), 5.02 (d, j=9.5 hz, 1h), 4.78 (d, j=6.5 hz, 1h), 4.67-4.50 (m, 1h), 4.36-4.21 (m, 2h), 4.17-4.06 (m, 2h), 4.00 (d, j=8.5 hz, 1h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, d 2 o) δ 114.34 (s), −3.21 (s). examples 18 through 19, as shown in table 3 below, were prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in example 17 above using the appropriate monomers, described as preparations or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 3massexamplestructurename[m + h] +182-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-10-hydroxy- 10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2-sulfidooctahydro- 12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11, 2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7- yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one673192-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s, 15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-10-oxido-2- sulfanyl-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one709 example 20: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15-fluoro-10,16-dihydroxy-10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one step 1: ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphate to a mixture containing crude pyridin-1-ium ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphite (˜0.607 mmol) in dcm (4 ml) and py (4 ml) was added 3% i 2 in py (1.8 ml) and h 2 o (0.2 ml) over 5 min. the mixture was stirred at rt for 30 min. a solution of na 2 s 2 o 3 .5h 2 o (0.5 g) in h 2 o (5 ml) was added. after 5 min, the mixture was concentrated to give a crude product. lcms (es, m/z): 1325.3 [m+h] + . step 2: ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphate to a solution of the crude product from step 1 in dcm (8 ml) at rt were added h 2 o (110 mg, 6.0 mmol) and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid in dcm (0.6m, 36 ml, 22 mmol). the solution was stirred at rt for 30 min. then, et 3 sih (16 ml) was added. the resulting solution was stirred for 1 h, and then, py (3.42 g, 43.2 mmol) was added. the solution was concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1023.1 [m+h] + . step 3: ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphate to a solution of ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-3-(benzoyloxy)-4-fluorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphate (280 mg, 0.193 mmol) in meoh (10 ml), thf (8 ml) and h 2 o (2 ml) at 0° c. was added aq naoh (2n, 2 ml, 4 mmol) over 3 min. after 10 min, the reaction mixture was neutralized with acoh and concentrated under vacuum. the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 919.1 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ 8.76 (s, 1h), 8.57 (d, j=1.7 hz, 1h), 8.42 (s, 1h), 8.12-8.04 (m, 2h), 7.66 (t, j=7.4 hz, 1h), 7.56 (t, j=7.6 hz, 2h), 6.52 (dd, j=13.2, 4.7 hz, 1h), 6.35 (s, 1h), 5.84 (d, j=8.8 hz, 1h), 5.36-5.22 (m, 2h), 5.21-5.01 (m, 2h), 4.63 (d, j=3.4 hz, 1h), 4.36 (d, j=19.2 hz, 1h), 3.78 (d, j=5.3 hz, 1h), 3.68 (d, j=11.7 hz, 2h), 3.56 (d, j=5.9 hz, 1h), 3.22 (t, j=7.1 hz, 1h), 2.79 (p, j=6.8 hz, 1h), 1.10 (dd, j=6.8, 4.7 hz, 6h), 0.92 (s, 9h), 0.17 (d, j=4.7 hz, 6h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ−1.15 (s). step 4: (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide to a solution of ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl ((2r,3r,4s,5r)-4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrothiophen-3-yl) phosphate (180 mg, 0.196 mmol, co-evaporated with py 3×4 ml) in mecn (18 ml) was added diisopropylamine (2 ml) and s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl o,o-bis(4-oxobenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-3(4h)-yl) phosphorodithioate in 1,4-dioxane (213 mg, 0.369 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 16 h. the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0 to 95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give a crude product. it was further purified by prep-tlc developed with 5% meoh in dcm (0.2% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1173.0 [m+h] + . step 5: (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide to a stirred solution of (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-2-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15-fluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl) amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-14-{6-[(phenylcarbonyl)amino]-9h-purin-9-yl}octahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide triethylammonium salt (30 mg, 0.025 mmol, co-evaporated with mecn 3×2 ml) in dmso (2.5 ml) were added 2-methylundecane-2-thiol (30 mg, 0.15 mmol) and 2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10-octahydropyrimido[1,2-a]azepine (30 mg, 0.20 mmol). the resulted mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h. the reaction mixture was used for next step without purification. lcms (es, m/z): 1013.2 [m+h] + . step 6: (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-7-(2-amino-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-15-fluoro-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide to the reaction mixture from step 5 was added menh 2 in etoh (33%, 3.65 ml). the resulting solution was stirred at et for 3 h. the solution was concentrated, and the residue was purified by reverse phase (c18) chromatography eluted with 0-95% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (5 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 839.2 [m+h] + . step 7: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15-fluoro-10,16-dihydroxy-10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16s)-7-(2-amino-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-16-{[tert-butyl(dimethyl)silyl]oxy}-15-fluoro-2-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,9,11,6,2,10]tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin-10-olate 10-oxide 2-sulfide (12 mg, 0.013 mmol) was suspended in py (1.5 ml) under ar, and et 3 n (121 mg, 1.20 mmol) and et 3 n.3hf (144 mg, 0.896 mmol) were added. the mixture was warmed at 50° c. for 16 h. then, the mixture was concentrated and purified by prep-hplc (atlantis prep t3 obd column, 19 mm×250 mm) eluted with 6-15% acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (10 mm) over 11 min to afford the product (t r : 8.87 min). lcms (es, m/z): 725.1 [m+h] + . 1 h-nmr: (400 mhz, d 2 o): δ 8.40 (s, 1h), 8.27 (d, j=2.6 hz, 1h), 8.22 (s, 1h), 6.53 (dd, j=19.9, 3.3 hz, 1h), 5.96 (d, j=8.7 hz, 1h), 5.71-5.59 (m, 1h), 5.44-5.27 (m, 2h), 4.64 (d, j=3.4 hz, 1h), 4.42-4.38 (m, 2h), 4.33-4.25 (m, 1h), 4.09 (t, j=6.2 hz, 2h), 3.67-3.65 (m, 1h). 31 p-nmr: (162 mhz, d 2 o) δ 112.88 (s), 0.90 (s). example 21, as shown in table 4 below, was prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in example 20 above using the appropriate monomers, described as preparations or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 4massexamplestructurename[m + h] +212-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15r, 15as,18s)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)- 10,18-dihydroxy-10-oxido-2-sulfanyl-2- sulfidohexahydro-14h-15,12a- (epoxymethano)-5,8-methanofuro[3,2- 1][1,3,9,11,6,2,10] tetraoxathiadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7(12h)-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h- purin-6-one735 example 22: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-2-hydroxy-2-oxido-10-sulfanyl-10-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one step 1: o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1h-purin-9(6h)-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl phosphorodithioate 2,4-dichlorobenzyl phosphorodichloridodithioate (714 mg, 2.19 mmol) and 3-hydroxybenzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-4(3h)-one (734 mg, 4.50 mmol) were kept under high vacuum for 2 h, then added 1,4-dioxane (4 ml) and py (0.492 ml, 6.08 mmol). the mixture was stirred at rt for 2 h, and resulting solid was filtered off. the solid was washed with 1,4-dioxane (3 ml), and the combined filtrate was concentrated. dmf (5 ml), activated 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (300 mg) and py (0.492 ml, 6.08 mmol) were added to the residue. the mixture was stirred for 20 min, and n-(9-((2r,3 s,4 s,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)m ethoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro-1h-purin-2-yl)isobutyramide (800 mg, 1.22 mmol) was added. after 5 h, n-(9-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-3-fluoro-4-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide (454 mg, 1.22 mmol), py (1 ml) and 1-methylimidazole (0.97 ml, 12 mmol) were added. the mixture was stirred at rt overnight. then, etoac (30 ml) and h 2 o (20 ml) were added. the layers were separated, and the organic layer was dried (na 2 so 4 ) and purified by column chromatography on silica gel eluted with 0 to 4% meoh in dcm with (1% et 3 n) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1285 [m+h] + . step 2: o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl o-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1h-purin-9(6h)-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphorodithioate to a solution of o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl) o-((2r,3 s,4r,5r)-5-((bis(4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl) methoxy)methyl)-4-fluoro-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1h-purin-9(6h)-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl phosphorodithioate (1.2 g, 0.37 mmol) in mecn (15 ml) was added pyrrole (0.078 ml, 1.1 mmol) and trifluoroacetic acid (0.288 ml, 3.74 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 30 min. the mixture was concentrated, and the residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel, eluted with 0-5% meoh in dcm to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 982 [m+h] + . step 3: n—o-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-2-(2-cyanoethoxy)-10-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15,16-difluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-2-oxido-10-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-14-yl]-9h-purin-6-yl)benzamide diisopropylammonium tetrazolide (59.3 mg, 0.346 mmol) and o-(((2r,3r,4s,5r)-5-(6-benzamido-9h-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)s-2,4-dichlorobenzyl o-((2r,3s,4r,5r)-4-fluoro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(2-isobutyramido-6-oxo-1h-purin-9(6h)-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-yl) phosphorodithioate (170 mg, 0.173 mmol) were co-evaporated with ch 3 cn (3×5 ml) and kept under high vacuum for 30 min. to the residue was added mecn (10 ml), dmf (1 ml), and activated 4{acute over (å)} molecular sieve (300 mg), and the mixture was stirred at rt for 20 min. then, cyanoethyl n,n,n′,n′-tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (67.8 mg, 0.225 mmol) in ch 3 cn (1 ml) was added to the mixture. after 20 min, 1h-tetrazole (60.7 mg, 0.866 mmol) was added. the reaction was stirred at rt for 1.5 h, and then, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (5.0m in decane, 0.104 ml, 0.519 mmol) was added. the mixture was stirred at rt for 1 h. then, etoac (30 ml) and aq na 2 s 2 o 3 (5%, 10 ml) were added. the layers were separated, and the organic layer was washed with brine, dried (na 2 so 4 ) and purified by column chromatography on silica gel eluted with 0-10% meoh in dcm to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 1096 [m+h] + . step 4: 2-amino-9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-15,16-difluoro-2-hydroxy-2-oxido-10-sulfanyl-10-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one to a solution of n-{9-[(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)-2-(2-cyanoethoxy)-10-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-15,16-difluoro-7-{2-[(2-methylpropanoyl)amino]-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl}-2-oxido-10-sulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-14-yl]-9h-purin-6-yl}benzamide (70 mg, 0.064 mmol) in dmso (1 ml) was added 2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10-octahydropyrimido[1,2-a]azepine (0.038 ml, 0.25 mmol) and 2-methylundecane-2-thiol (0.090 ml, 0.38 mmol). the resulting mixture was stirred at rt for 3 h, and then, menh 2 in etoh (30%, 2 ml) was added. it was stirred at rt for 2 h. the reaction mixture was concentrated and purified by prep-hplc (x-bridge beh 150 prep c18) eluted with acn in aq nh 4 hco 3 (100 mm) to give the product. lcms (es, m/z): 709 [m−h] − . 1 h-nmr (500 mhz, d 2 o): δ 8.36 (1h, s), 8.23 (1h, s), 8.10 (1h, s), 6.53 (1h, dd, j=21.0, 2.9 hz), 6.10 (1h, d, j=8.6 hz), 5.44 (1h, d, j=49.5 hz), 5.33-5.22 (2h, m), 4.65 (2h, m), 4.44 (1h, d, j=9.9 hz), 4.38-4.26 (2h, m), 4.14 (1h, d, j=12.1 hz), 4.06 (1h, d, j=9.6 hz). 31 p-nmr: (202 mhz, d 2 o): δ 118, −1.4. example 23, as shown in table 5 below, was prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in example 22 above using the appropriate monomers, described as preparations or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 5massexamplestructurename[m + h] +232-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-hydroxy-2- oxido-10-sulfanyl-10-sulfidooctahydro- 12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-1] [1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin- 7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one673 example 24: 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-10-hydroxy-14-(6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 1) to 2-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)-14-(6-amino-9h-purin-9-yl)-10-hydroxy-2-sulfanyl-2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8-methanofuro[3,2-l][1,3,6,9,11,2,10]pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7-yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (example 3) (4.2 mg, 6.0 μmol) were added napo 4 h 2 buffer (ph 6.8, 50 mm, 1 ml) and adenosine monphosphate deaminase (5 mg). the reaction mixture was left to stir overnight, filtered, and purified by reverse phase hplc (eluting mecn/h 2 o gradient with 100 mm teaa modifier, linear gradient) to afford the product. lcms (es, m/z): 690 [m−h] − . 1 h nmr (600 mhz, d 2 o): δ 8.62 (s, 1h), 8.33 (s, 1h), 8.21 (s, 1h), 6.54 (m, 1h), 5.92 (d, j=7.3 hz, 1h), 5.65 (m, 1h), 5.42 (m, 1h), 4.67 (d, j=8.4 hz, 1h), 4.48 (m, 1h), 4.41 (m, 1h), 4.24 (m, 1h), 4.10 (m, 1h), 3.97 (m, 1h), 3.08 (m, 2h), 2.64 (m, 1h), 2.52 (m, 1h). examples 25 through 27, as shown in table 6 below, were prepared according to procedures analogous to those outlined in example 24 above using the appropriate monomers, described as preparations or examples, or as obtained from commercial sources, in the coupling step. table 6massexamplestructurename[m + h] +252-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r, 15as)-10-hydroxy-14-(6-oxo-1,6- dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-sulfanyl- 2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7- yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one (diastereomer 2)690262-amino-9-[(5s,7r,8r,12ar,14r,15as)- 2-hydroxy-14-(6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9h- purin-9-yl)-10-sulfanyl-2,10- disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7- yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one690272-amino-9- [(5r,7r,8s,12ar,14r,15s,15ar,16r)- 15,16-difluoro-10-hydroxy-14-(6-oxo- 1,6-dihydro-9h-purin-9-yl)-2-sulfanyl- 2,10-disulfidooctahydro-12h-5,8- methanofuro[3,2-1][1,3,6,9,11,2,10] pentaoxadiphosphacyclotetradecin-7- yl]-1,9-dihydro-6h-purin-6-one726 biological evaluation the individual compounds described in the examples herein are defined as sting agonists by (i) binding to the sting protein as evidenced by a reduction in binding of tritiated cgamp ligand to the sting protein by at least 20% at 20 um (concentration of compound being tested) in a sting biochemical [3h]cgamp competition assay and/or (ii) demonstrating interferon production with a 6% or greater induction of ifn-β secretion at 30 um in the tflp1 cell assay (where induction caused by cgamp at 30 um was set at 100%). [ 3 h]-cgamp synthesis 2.3 ml of buffer solution containing 80 mm triscl, 200 mm mgcl 2 , and 20 mm nacl followed by 0.32 ml of a 10 mm aq solution of gtp was added to a plastic 50 ml amicon tube. a solution of [ 3 h]atp (21 ci/mmol, 45 mci) in 0.5 ml h 2 o was then added followed by 1 ml of a 1 mg/ml solution of dna (herring testes activator dna, sigma, #d6898) and 53 ul of a 47 mm solution of cgas enzyme. additional h 2 o was added to bring the total volume to 10 ml. the reaction was stirred for 2 h at 37° c. and then added directly to an amicon ultra-15 10k centrifuge tube and spun for 1 h at 4,000 g. the collected solution was then purified on a semi-prep mono q column using the following mobile phases: a: 0.05m triscl ph 8.5 adjusted with 1m naoh b: 0.05m triscl, 0.5m nacl ph 8.5 adjusted with 1m naoh gradient: 100% a for 5 min followed by a linear gradient to 50:50 (a:b) over 25 min, 3 ml/min, 254 nm. the collected product fractions were pooled and adjusted to a total volume of 30 ml with buffer a. a total yield of 15.5 mci of [ 3 h]cgamp was isolated at a radiochemical purity of 98.0% at a specific activity of 21.5 ci/mmol. cgas enzyme a recombinant dna vector was chemically synthesized to express the truncated human cgas enzyme (residues 161-522). to aid in expression and purification, the amino terminus contains a hexahistidine tag, sumo tag and tev cleavage site. the recombinant enzyme was overexpressed in r osetta ™ 2(de3) single competent cells (novagen). affinity purification was carried out using his-select hf nickel affinity gel (sigma) followed by size exclusion chromatography using a hi-load 26/60 s uperdex 200 prep grade column (ge healthcare). fractions were pooled, concentrated, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80° c. until needed. example 28: 3h-cgamp filtration binding assay (haq sting) the ability of compounds to bind sting is quantified by their ability to compete with tritiated cgamp ligand for human sting receptor membrane using a radioactive filter-binding assay. the binding assay employs sting receptor obtained from trichoplusia ni cell membranes ( t.ni ; expression systems, cat #94-002f, www.expressionsystems.com) overexpressing full-length haq sting and tritiated cgamp ligand. the basic haq sting filtration assay protocol is as follows: the compounds were serially titrated by the hamilton starplus core in a 96-well plate (greiner, #651201) using a 1:3 ten-point dose response format. after compound preparation, a 2.2 ug/ml working concentration of sting membrane (seq. id. no. 1) was prepared by diluting concentrated membrane into assay buffer (lx pbs; invitrogen #sh30028.02) and douncing 7× using a manual tissue homogenizer (wheaton, #357546). 148 ul of prepared membrane was then manually added to each well of a 96-well deep-well polypropylene plate (fisher scientific, #12-566-121). following membrane addition, 2 ul of either titrated test compound, dmso control (sigma #276855), or cold cgamp control was added to the appropriate wells using a b iomek fx. compound and membrane then preincubated for 60 min at rt to allow compound binding to equilibrate. following equilibration, 8 nm of [ 3 h]c-gamp ligand was prepared by diluting into assay buffer, and 50 ul of this working stock was then manually added to each well of the assay plate. plates were then incubated at rt for 60 min, and the contents of each assay plate were then filtered through a 96-well gf/b filter plate (perkinelmer, #6005250) using a tomtec mach iii cell harvester equipped with 20 mm hepes buffer (fisher scientific, #bp299500). the filter plates were then dried at 55° c. for 30 min using a pressurized oven before 30 ul of u ltima g old f scintillate was added to each well. tritium levels for each reaction well were then measured using a perkinelmer topcount plate reader. after normalization to controls, the percent activity for each compound concentration was calculated by measuring the amount of remaining radioactivity. the plot of percent activity versus the log of compound concentration was fit with a 4-parameter dose response equation to calculate ec 50 values. the final reaction conditions were: componentvolume (ul)final concentrationsting membrane1481.5ug/ml3 h-cgamp502.0nmlow control (cold cgamp)210umtest compound/dmso210um compound concentrations tested were 20.000, 637.00, 2.200, 0.740, 0.247, 0.082, 0.027, 0.009, 0.003, and 0.001 μm with 1.0% residual dmso. full-length sting (haq) virus generation sting virus was generated using an insect cell baculovirus system. spodoptera frugiperda sf21 cells (kempbio, inc.) were diluted to 5e5 cells/ml in sf-900ii sfm media (lifetechnologies #10902088) without antibiotics. the cell suspension was added to each well of a treated 6-well plate (2 ml per well, 1e6 cells total), and the cells were allowed to adhere for at least 30 min. meanwhile, a 1 ml co-transfection mix was assembled by combining 500 ng of haq sting [sting(1-379)r71h,g230a,h232r,r293q-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8/pbac1] dna (genewiz custom synthesis) with 1 ml sf-900ii sfm media containing 104, cellfectin® ii reagent (invitrogen #10362100) and 100 ng viral backbone bestbac 2.0, v-cath/chia deleted linearized baculovirus dna (expression systems #91-002). the transfection mixtures were allowed to incubate for 30 min. after incubation, media was gently removed from the adhered cells in the 6-well plate, the 1 ml transfection mixtures were added (1 ml per well), and the plate was placed in a humidified incubator at 27° c. the following day, 1 ml sf-900ii sfm media (no antibiotics) was added to each well of the 6-well plate. after media addition, the cells were allowed to incubate with dna (seq. id. no. 2) at 27° c. for 5-7 days to generate the p0 viral stock. to generate p1 viral stocks, 0.5 ml of p0 viral supernatant was added to 50 ml uninfected sf21 cells (seeded the day prior to infection at a density of 5×10 5 cells/ml to allow for one overnight doubling) in sf-900ii sfm media containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin (invitrogen #15710072). the infected cells were then incubated at 27° c. for 3 days while shaking at 110 rpm (atr biotech multitron infors ht #aj118). on day 3, p1 cultures were counted using a vicell xr (beckman coulter life sciences #383556) to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 85-95%). cultures were harvested in 50 ml conical tubes and centrifuged at 2000×g for 10 min at 4° c. the p1 viral supernatants were poured off into clean 50 ml centrifuge tubes, and the remaining p1 cell pellets were used to generate baculovirus infected insect cells (biics). cryopreservation media containing sf-900ii sfm media with 10% heat inactivated fbs, 10% dmso (sigma #d2650), and 5 μg/ml gentamicin was prepared and sterilized through 0.22 μm filter immediately prior to use. p1 cell pellets were resuspended to a density of 2e7 cells/ml and aliquoted into cryovials (1 ml per vial). cryovials were placed in mr. f rosty ™ cell freezers o/n at −80° c. and transferred to liquid nitrogen for long term storage the following day. to generate p2 viral stock, 0.5 ml of the p1 viral supernatant was added to 50 ml uninfected sf21 cells (seeded the day prior to infection at a density of 5×10 5 cells/ml to allow for one overnight doubling) in sf-900ii sfm media containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin. these cells were incubated at 27° c. for 3 days while shaking at 110 rpm before harvesting p2 stock with centrifugation at 2000×g for 10 min at 4° c. the p2 viral supernatants were poured off and discarded, while the p2 cell pellets were used to generate p2 biics following the same protocol described above. the baculovirus generation protocol has been validated to consistently produce p1/p2 biics with titers of 2e9 pfu/ml (2e7 cells/ml×100 pfu/cell). full-length sting (haq) expression to generate sting membranes, p1/p2 biics were amplified overnight by adding thawed biics to sf21 cells seeded at a density of 1.0×10 6 cells/ml. the volume of biic used to infect the culture was calculated using an assumed biic titer of 2e9 pfu/ml to achieve an moi of 10 in the overnight amplification. after culturing overnight, the cells were counted on a vicell xr to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 80-90%). the volume of infected sf21 cells from the overnight amplification used to infect the large-scale expression of trichoplusia ni ( t.ni ; expression systems, cat #94-002f, www.expressionsystems.com) seeded at a density of 1.0×10 6 in cell media (esf921 sfm containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin) at moi=2.0 was calculated based on (100 pfu/infected sf21 cell). the cells were allowed to express for 48 h at 27° c. before harvesting the cell pellet, by centrifugation at 3,400×g for 10 min at 4° c. t ni cells were counted on a vicell xr to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 80-90%) prior to harvest. full-length sting (haq) membrane generation buffer stock reagents: 1) 1m hepes ph 7.5, teknova, cat #h1035 2) 5m nacl, sigma aldrich, cat #55150-1l 3) kcl, sigma aldrich, cat #319309-500ml 4) complete edta-free protease inhibitor tablets, roche diagnostics, cat #11873580001 5) benzonase, universal nuclease, pierce, cat #88702 lysis buffer [25 mm hepes ph 7.5, 10 mm mgcl 2 , 20 mm kcl, (benzonase 1:5000, complete protease inhibitor tab/50 ml)] was added to the pellet of cells expressing full-length sting (haq) prepared above at 5 ml lysis buffer per g of cell pellet. the pellet was resuspended and dounced twenty times using a wheaton dounce homogenizer to disrupt the cell membrane. homogenized lysate was then passed through the e mulsiflex -c5 microfluidizer at a pressure close to 5000psi. the resuspended pellet was centrifuged at 36,000 rpm (100,000×g) in a 45ti rotor ultra-high speed centrifuge for 45 min, 4° c. the supernatant was removed. the pellet then was resuspended in wash buffer [(25 mm hepes ph7.5, 1 mm mgcl 2 , 20 mm kcl, 1m nacl (complete protease inhibitor tab/50 ml)] at a volume of 50 ml pellet/centrifuge tube. the pellet/wash buffer mixture was then homogenized, using a glass homogenizer on ice (20 strokes), followed by centrifugation at 36,000 rpm for 45 min at 4° c. the supernatant was removed. the wash step was repeated once more. the resulting membrane was resuspended in 20 mm hepes ph 7.5, 500 mm nacl, 10% glycerol, edta-free protease inhibitors (1tablet/50 ml). the protein concentration was measured by bradford assay (bio-rad protein assay, cat #500-0006), and protein enrichment was determined by sds-page and confirmed by western blot. the resuspended membranes were stored at −80° c. full-length haq sting [sting(1-379)r71h, g230a,h232r, r293q-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8]amino acidsequence:(seq. id. no. 1)mphsslhpsipcprghgaqkaalvllsaclvtlwglgeppehtlrylvlhlaslqlglllngvcslaeelhhihsryrgsywrtvraclgcplrrgallllsiyfyyslpnavgppftwmlallglsqalnillglkglapaeisavcekgnfnvahglawsyyigylrlilpelqarirtynqhynnllrgavsqrlyillpldcgvpdnlsmadpnirfldklpqqtadragikdrvysnsiyellengqragtcvleyatplqtlfamsqysqagfsredrleqaklfcqtlediladapesqnncrliayqepaddssfslsqevlrhlrqeekeevtvgslktsavpststmsqepellisgmekplplrtdfsggglndifeaqkiewhegslevlfqgphhhhhhhhfull-length haq [sting(1-379)r71h, g230a, h232r,r293q-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8/pbac1] plasmid dnasequence:(seq. id. no. 2)ggaacggctccgcccactattaatgaaattaaaaattccaattttaaaaaacgcagcaagagaaacatttgtatgaaagaatgcgtagaaggaaagaaaaatgtcgtcgacatgctgaacaacaagattaatatgcctccgtgtataaaaaaaatattgaacgatttgaaagaaaacaatgtaccgcgcggcggtatgtacaggaagaggtttatactaaactgttacattgcaaacgtggtttcgtgtgccaagtgtgaaaaccgatgtttaatcaaggctctgacgcatttctacaaccacgactccaagtgtgtgggtgaagtcatgcatcttttaatcaaatcccaagatgtgtataaaccaccaaactgccaaaaaatgaaaactgtcgacaagctctgtccgtttgctggcaactgcaagggtctcaatcctatttgtaattattgaataataaaacaattataaatgctaaatttgttttttattaacgatacaaaccaaacgcaacaagaacatttgtagtattatctataattgaaaacgcgtagttataatcgctgaggtaatatttaaaatcattttcaaatgattcacagttaatttgcgacaatataattttattttcacataaactagacgccttgtcgtcttcttcttcgtattccttctctttttcatttttctcttcataaaaattaacatagttattatcgtatccatatatgtatctatcgtatagagtaaattttttgttgtcataaatatatatgtcttttttaatggggtgtatagtaccgctgcgcatagtttttctgtaatttacaacagtgctattttctggtagttcttcggagtgtgttgctttaattattaaatttatataatcaatgaatttgggatcgtcggttttgtacaatatgttgccggcatagtacgcagcttcttctagttcaattacaccattttttagcagcaccggattaacataactttccaaaatgttgtacgaaccgttaaacaaaaacagttcacctcccttttctatactattgtctgcgagcagttgtttgttgttaaaaataacagccattgtaatgagacgcacaaactaatatcacaaactggaaatgtctatcaatatatagttgctgatcagatctgatcatggagataattaaaatgataaccatctcgcaaataaataagtattttactgttttcgtaacagttttgtaataaaaaaacctataaatataggatccatgccccactccagcctgcatccatccatcccgtgtcccaggggtcacggggcccagaaggcagccttggttctgctgagtgcctgcctggtgaccctttgggggctaggagagccaccagagcacactctccggtacctggtgctccacctagcctccctgcagctgggactgctgttaaacggggtctgcagcctggctgaggagctgcaccacatccactccaggtaccggggcagctactggaggactgtgcgggcctgcctgggctgccccctccgccgtggggccctgttgctgctgtccatctatttctactactccctcccaaatgcggtcggcccgcccttcacttggatgcttgccctcctgggcctctcgcaggcactgaacatcctcctgggcctcaagggcctggccccagctgagatctctgcagtgtgtgaaaaagggaatttcaacgtggcccatgggctggcatggtcatattacatcggatatctgcggctgatcctgccagagctccaggcccggattcgaacttacaatcagcattacaacaacctgctacggggtgcagtgagccagcggctgtatattctcctcccattggactgtggggtgcctgataacctgagtatggctgaccccaacattcgcttcctggataaactgccccagcagaccgctgaccgtgctggcatcaaggatcgggtttacagcaacagcatctatgagcttctggagaacgggcagcgggcgggcacctgtgtcctggagtacgccacccccttgcagactttgtttgccatgtcacaatacagtcaagctggctttagccgggaggataggcttgagcaggccaaactcttctgccagacacttgaggacatcctggcagatgcccctgagtctcagaacaactgccgcctcattgcctaccaggaacctgcagatgacagcagcttctcgctgtcccaggaggttctccggcacctgcggcaggaggaaaaggaagaggttactgtgggcagcttgaagacctcagcggtgcccagtacctccacgatgtcccaagagcctgagctcctcatcagtggaatggaaaagcccctccctctccgcacggatttctctggcggtggcctgaacgacatcttcgaagcccagaaaatcgaatggcatgaaggcagcctggaagtgctgttccagggcccacaccaccatcatcaccatcaccattaatgagcggccgcactcgagcaccaccaccaccaccactaacctaggtagctgagcgcatgcaagctgatccgggttattagtacatttattaagcgctagattctgtgcgttgttgatttacagacaattgttgtacgtattttaataattcattaaatttataatctttagggtggtatgttagagcgaaaatcaaatgattttcagcgtctttatatctgaatttaaatattaaatcctcaatagatttgtaaaataggtttcgattagtttcaaacaagggttgtttttccgaaccgatggctggactatctaatggattttcgctcaacgccacaaaacttgccaaatcttgtagcagcaatctagctttgtcgatattcgtttgtgttttgttttgtaataaaggttcgacgtcgttcaaaatattatgcgcttttgtatttctttcatcactgtcgttagtgtacaattgactcgacgtaaacacgttaaatagagcttggacatatttaacatcgggcgtgttagctttattaggccgattatcgtcgtcgtcccaaccctcgtcgttagaagttgcttccgaagacgattttgccatagccacacgacgcctattaattgtgtcggctaacacgtccgcgatcaaatttgtagttgagctttttggaattatttctgattgcgggcgtttttgggcgggtttcaatctaactgtgcccgattttaattcagacaacacgttagaaagcgatggtgcaggcggtggtaacatttcagacggcaaatctactaatggcggcggtggtggagctgatgataaatctaccatcggtggaggcgcaggcggggctggcggcggaggcggaggcggaggtggtggcggtgatgcagacggcggtttaggctcaaatgtctctttaggcaacacagtcggcacctcaactattgtactggtttcgggcgccgtttttggtttgaccggtctgagacgagtgcgatttttttcgtttctaatagcttccaacaattgttgtctgtcgtctaaaggtgcagcgggttgaggttccgtcggcattggtggagcgggcggcaattcagacatcgatggtggtggtggtggtggaggcgctggaatgttaggcacgggagaaggtggtggcggcggtgccgccggtataatttgttctggtttagtttgttcgcgcacgattgtgggcaccggcgcaggcgccgctggctgcacaacggaaggtcgtctgcttcgaggcagcgcttggggtggtggcaattcaatattataattggaatacaaatcgtaaaaatctgctataagcattgtaatttcgctatcgtttaccgtgccgatatttaacaaccgctcaatgtaagcaattgtattgtaaagagattgtctcaagctcggatcgatcccgcacgccgataacaagccttttcatttttactacagcattgtagtggcgagacacttcgctgtcgtcgaggtttaaacgcttcctcgctcactgactcgctgcgctcggtcgttcggctgcggcgagcggtatcagctcactcaaaggcggtaatacggttatccacagaatcaggggataacgcaggaaagaacatgtgagcaaaaggccagcaaaaggccaggaaccgtaaaaaggccgcgttgctggcgtttttccataggctccgcccccctgacgagcatcacaaaaatcgacgctcaagtcagaggtggcgaaacccgacaggactataaagataccaggcgtttccccctggaagctccctcgtgcgctctcctgttccgaccctgccgcttaccggatacctgtccgcctttctcccttcgggaagcgtggcgctttctcatagctcacgctgtaggtatctcagttcggtgtaggtcgttcgctccaagctgggctgtgtgcacgaaccccccgttcagcccgaccgctgcgccttatccggtaactatcgtcttgagtccaacccggtaagacacgacttatcgccactggcagcagccactggtaacaggattagcagagcgaggtatgtaggcggtgctacagagttcttgaagtggtggcctaactacggctacactagaaggacagtatttggtatctgcgctctgctgaagccagttaccttcggaaaaagagttggtagctcttgatccggcaaacaaaccaccgctggtagcggtggtttttttgtttgcaagcagcagattacgcgcagaaaaaaaggatctcaagaagatcctttgatcttttctacggggtctgacgctcagtggaacgaaaactcacgttaagggattttggtcatgagattatcaaaaaggatcttcacctagatccttttaaattaaaaatgaagttttaaatcaatctaaagtatatatgagtaaacttggtctgacagttaccaatgcttaatcagtgaggcacctatctcagcgatctgtctatttcgttcatccatagttgcctgactccccgtcgtgtagataactacgatacgggagggcttaccatctggccccagtgctgcaatgataccgcgagacccacgctcaccggctccagatttatcagcaataaaccagccagccggaagggccgagcgcagaagtggtcctgcaactttatccgcctccatccagtctattaattgttgccgggaagctagagtaagtagttcgccagttaatagtttgcgcaacgttgttgccattgctacaggcatcgtggtgtcacgctcgtcgtttggtatggcttcattcagctccggttcccaacgatcaaggcgagttacatgatcccccatgttgtgcaaaaaagcggttagctccttcggtcctccgatcgttgtcagaagtaagttggccgcagtgttatcactcatggttatggcagcactgcataattctcttactgtcatgccatccgtaagatgcttttctgtgactggtgagtactcaaccaagtcattctgagaatagtgtatgcggcgaccgagttgctcttgcccggcgtcaatacgggataataccgcgccacatagcagaactttaaaagtgctcatcattggaaaacgttcttcggggcgaaaactctcaaggatcttaccgctgttgagatccagttcgatgtaacccactcgtgcacccaactgatcttcagcatcttttactttcaccagcgtttctgggtgagcaaaaacaggaaggcaaaatgccgcaaaaaagggaataagggcgacacggaaatgttgaatactcatactcttcctttttcaatattattgaagcatttatcagggttattgtctcatgagcggatacatatttgaatgtatttagaaaaataaacaaataggggttccgcgcacatttccccgaaaagtgccacctgacgcgccctgtagcggcgcattaagcgcggcgggtgtggtggttacgcgcagcgtgaccgctacacttgccagcgccctagcgcccgctcctttcgctttcttcccttcctttctcgccacgttcgccggctttccccgtcaagctctaaatcgggggctccctttagggttccgatttagtgctttacggcacctcgaccccaaaaaacttgattagggtgatggttcacgtagtgggccatcgccctgatagacggtttttcgccctttgacgttggagtccacgttctttaatagtggactcttgttccaaactggaacaacactcaaccctatctcggtctattcttttgatttataagggattttgccgatttcggcctattggttaaaaaatgagctgatttaacaaaaatttaacgcgaattttaacaaaatattaacgtttacaatttcccattcgccattcaggctgcgcaactgttgggaagggcgatcggtgcgggcctcttcgctattacgcca certain compounds of the disclosure were evaluated in haq sting in vitro binding assay as described above. the following table tabulates the biological data for these compounds as ec 50 values. table 73 h-cgamp filtration binding assay for haq stingcompoundec 50 (nm)example 1<1example 22example 32example 5<1example 628example 7<1example 87example 9349example 165example 1715example 201example 21217example 27<1 example 29: 3h-cgamp filtration binding assay (wt sting) the ability of compounds to bind sting is quantified by their ability to compete with tritiated cgamp ligand for human sting receptor membrane using a radioactive filter-binding assay. the binding assay employs sting receptor obtained from trichoplusia ni cell membranes ( t.ni ; expression systems, cat #94-002f, overexpressing full-length wt sting and tritiated cgamp ligand. the basic wt sting filtration assay protocol is as follows: 16 nm of [ 3 h] c-gamp ligand was prepared by diluting into assay buffer, and 50 ul of this working stock was manually added to each well of the assay plate. after ligand addition, 2 ul of either titrated test compound, dmso control (sigma #276855), or cold cgamp control was added to the appropriate wells using a b iomek fx. the serially titrated compound was prepared on a hamilton starplus core in a 96-well plate (greiner, #651201) using a 1:3 ten-point dose response format. following compound addition, a 2.2 ug/ml working concentration of sting membrane (seq. id. no. 3) was prepared by diluting concentrated membrane into assay buffer (1×pbs; invitrogen #sh30028.02) and douncing 7× using a manual tissue homogenizer (wheaton, #357546). 148 ul of this prepared membrane was then manually added to each well of a 96-well deep-well polypropylene plate (fisher scientific, #12-566-121). compound, ligand, and membrane then incubated for 60 min at rt before the contents of each assay plate were filtered through a 96-well gf/b filter plate (perkinelmer, #6005250) using a t om t ec mach iii cell harvester equipped with 20 mm hepes buffer (fisher scientific, #bp299500). the filter plates were then dried at 55° c. for 30 min using a pressurized vwr oven before 30 ul of u ltima g old f scintillate was added to each well. tritium levels for each reaction well were then measured using a perkinelmer topcount plate reader. after normalization to controls, the percent activity for each compound concentration was calculated by measuring the amount of remaining radioactivity. the plot of percent activity versus the log of compound concentration was fit with a 4-parameter dose response equation to calculate ec 50 values. the final reaction conditions were: componentvolume (ul)final concentrationsting membrane1481.5ug/ml3 h-cgamp504.0nmlow control (cold cgamp)210umtest compound/dmso210um compound concentrations tested were 20.000, 637.00, 2.200, 0.740, 0.247, 0.082, 0.027, 0.009, 0.003, and 0.001 μm with 1.0% residual dmso. full-length sting (wt) virus generation sting virus was generated using an insect cell baculovirus system. spodoptera frugiperda sf21 cells (kempbio, inc.) were diluted to 5e5 cells/ml in sf-900ii sfm media (lifetechnologies #10902088) without antibiotics. the cell suspension was added to each well of a treated 6-well plate (2 ml per well, 1e6 cells total), and the cells were allowed to adhere for at least 30 min. meanwhile, a 1 ml co-transfection mix was assembled by combining 500 ng of wt sting[sting(1-379)h232r-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8/pbac1] (genewiz custom synthesis) with 1 ml sf-900ii sfm media containing 10 μl c ellfectin ® ii reagent (invitrogen #10362100) and 100 ng viral backbone bestbac 2.0, v-cath/chia deleted linearized baculovirus dna (expression systems #91-002). the transfection mixtures were allowed to incubate for 30 min. after incubation, media was gently removed from the adhered cells in the 6-well plate, the 1 ml transfection mixtures were added (1 ml per well), and the plate was placed in a humidified incubator at 27° c. the following day, 1 ml sf-900ii sfm media (no antibiotics) was added to each well of the 6-well plate. after media addition, the cells were allowed to incubate with dna [(seq. id. no. 4) and linearized viral backbone bestbac 2.0] at 27° c. for 5-7 days to generate the p0 viral stock. to generate pb viral stocks, 0.5 ml of p0 viral supernatant was added to 50 ml uninfected sf21 cells (seeded the day prior to infection at a density of 5×10 5 cells/ml to allow for one overnight doubling) in sf-900ii sfm media containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin (invitrogen #15710072). the infected cells were then incubated at 27° c. for 3 days while shaking at 110 rpm (atr biotech multitron infors ht #aj118). on day 3, p1 cultures were counted using a vicell xr (beckman coulter life sciences #383556) to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 85-95%). cultures were harvested in 50 ml conical tubes and centrifuged at 2000×g for 10 min at 4° c. the p1 viral supernatants were poured off into clean 50 ml centrifuge tubes, and the remaining p1 cell pellets were used to generate baculovirus infected insect cells (biics). cryopreservation media containing sf-900ii sfm media with 10% heat inactivated fbs, 10% dmso (sigma #d2650), and 5 μg/ml gentamicin was prepared and sterilized through 0.22 μm filter immediately prior to use. p1 cell pellets were resuspended to a density of 2e7 cells/ml and aliquoted into cryovials (1 ml per vial). cryovials were placed in m r . f rosty ™ cell freezers o/n at −80° c. and transferred to liquid nitrogen for long term storage the following day. to generate p2 viral stock, 0.5 ml of the p1 viral supernatant was added to 50 ml uninfected sf21 cells (seeded the day prior to infection at a density of 5×10 5 cells/ml to allow for one overnight doubling) in sf-900ii sfm media containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin. these cells were incubated at 27° c. for 3 days while shaking at 110 rpm before harvesting p2 stock with centrifugation at 2000×g for 10 min at 4° c. the p2 viral supernatants were poured off and discarded, while the p2 cell pellets were used to generate p2 biics following the same protocol described above. the baculovirus generation protocol has been validated to consistently produce p1/p2 biics with titers of 2e9 pfu/ml (2e7 cells/ml×100 pfu/cell). full-length sting (wt) expression to generate sting membranes, p1/p2 biics were amplified overnight by adding thawed biics to sf21 cells seeded at a density of 1.0×10 6 cells/ml. the volume of biic used to infect the culture was calculated using an assumed biic titer of 2e9 pfu/ml to achieve an moi of 10 in the overnight amplification. after culturing overnight, the cells were counted on a vicell xr to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 80-90%). the volume of infected sf21 cells from the overnight amplification used to infect the large-scale expression of trichoplusia ni ( t.ni ; expression systems, cat #94-002f, www.expressionsystems.com) seeded at a density of 1.0×10 6 in cell media (esf921 sfm containing 5 μg/ml gentamicin) at moi=2.0 was calculated based on (100 pfu/infected sf21 cell). the cells were allowed to express for 48 h at 27° c. before harvesting the cell pellet, by centrifugation at 3,400×g for 10 min at 4° c. t ni cells were counted on a vicell xr to confirm infection had occurred (cell size ≥3 μm larger than uninfected cells and viability approximately 80-90%) prior to harvest. full-length sting (wt) membrane generation buffer stock reagents: 1) 1 m hepes ph 7.5, teknova, cat #h1035 2) 5 m nacl, sigma aldrich, cat #s5150-1l 3) kcl, sigma aldrich, cat #319309-500ml 4) complete edta-free protease inhibitor tablets, roche diagnostics, cat #11873580001 5) benzonase, universal nuclease, pierce, cat #88702 lysis buffer [25 mm hepes ph 7.5, 10 mm mgcl 2 , 20 mm kcl, (benzonase 1:5000, complete protease inhibitor tab/50 ml)] was added to the pellet of cells expressing full-length sting (wt) prepared above at 5 ml lysis buffer per g of cell pellet. the pellet was resuspended and dounced twenty times using a wheaton dounce homogenizer to disrupt the cell membrane. homogenized lysate was then passed through the emulsiflex-05 microfluidizer at a pressure close to 5000 psi. the resuspended pellet was centrifuged at 36,000 rpm (100,000×g) in a 45ti rotor ultra-high speed centrifuge for 45 min, 4° c. the supernatant was removed. the pellet then was resuspended in wash buffer [(25 mm hepes ph 7.5, 1 mm mgcl 2 , 20 mm kcl, 1m nacl (complete protease inhibitor tab/50 ml)] at a volume of 50 ml/pellet/centrifuge tube. the pellet/wash buffer mixture was then homogenized, using a glass homogenizer on ice (20 strokes), followed by centrifugation at 36,000 rpm for 45 min at 4° c. the supernatant was removed. the wash step was repeated once more. the resulting membrane was resuspended in 20 mm hepes ph 7.5, 500 mm nacl, 10% glycerol, edta-free protease inhibitors (1 tablet/50 ml). the protein concentration was measured by bradford assay (bio-rad protein assay, cat #500-0006), and protein enrichment was determined by sds-page and confirmed by western blot. the resuspended membranes were stored at −80° c. full-length sting wt [sting(1-379)h232r-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8] amino acid sequence:(seq. id. no. 3)mphsslhpsipcprghgaqkaalvllsaclvtlwglgeppehtlrylvlhlaslqlglllngvcslaeelrhihsryrgsywrtvraclgcplrrgallllsiyfyyslpnavgppftwmlallglsqalnillglkglapaeisavcekgnfnvahglawsyyigylrlilpelqarirtynqhynnllrgavsqrlyillpldcgvpdnlsmadpnirfldklpqqtgdragikdrvysnsiyellengqragtcvleyatplqtlfamsqysqagfsredrleqaklfcrtlediladapesqnncrliayqepaddssfslsqevlrhlrqeekeevtvgslktsavpststmsqepellisgmekplplrtdfsggglndifeaqkiewhegslevlfqgphhhhhhhhfull-length wt sting [sting(1-379)h232r-gg-avitag-gs-hrv3c-his8/pbac1] plasmid sequence:(seq. id. no. 4)ggaacggctccgcccactattaatgaaattaaaaattccaattttaaaaaacgcagcaagagaaacatttgtatgaaagaatgcgtagaaggaaagaaaaatgtcgtcgacatgctgaacaacaagattaatatgcctccgtgtataaaaaaaatattgaacgatttgaaagaaaacaatgtaccgcgcggcggtatgtacaggaagaggtttatactaaactgttacattgcaaacgtggtttcgtgtgccaagtgtgaaaaccgatgtttaatcaaggctctgacgcatttctacaaccacgactccaagtgtgtgggtgaagtcatgcatcttttaatcaaatcccaagatgtgtataaaccaccaaactgccaaaaaatgaaaactgtcgacaagctctgtccgtttgctggcaactgcaagggtctcaatcctatttgtaattattgaataataaaacaattataaatgtcaaatttgttttttattaacgatacaaaccaaacgcaacaagaacatttgtagtattatctataattgaaaacgcgtagttataatcgctgaggtaatatttaaaatcattttcaaatgattcacagttaatttgcgacaatataattttattttcacataaactagacgccttgtcgtcttcttcttcgtattccttctctttttcatttttctcttcataaaaattaacatagttattatcgtatccatatatgtatctatcgtatagagtaaattttttgttgtcataaatatatatgtcttttttaatggggtgtatagtaccgctgcgcatagtttttctgtaatttacaacagtgctattttctggtagttcttcggagtgtgttgctttaattattaaatttatataatcaatgaatttgggatcgtcggttttgtacaatatgttgccggcatagtacgcagcttcttctagttcaattacaccattttttagcagcaccggattaacataactttccaaaatgttgtacgaaccgttaaacaaaaacagttcacctcccttttctatactattgtctgcgagcagttgtttgttgttaaaaataacagccattgtaatgagacgcacaaactaatatcacaaactggaaatgtctatcaatatatagttgctgatcagatctgatcatggagataattaaaatgataaccatctcgcaaataaataagtattttactgttttcgtaacagttttgtaataaaaaaacctataaatataggatccatgccccactccagcctgcatccatccatcccgtgtcccaggggtcacggggcccagaaggcagccttggttctgctgagtgcctgcctggtgaccctttgggggctaggagagccaccagagcacactctccggtacctggtgctccacctagcctccctgcagctgggactgctgttaaacggggtctgcagcctggctgaggagctgcgccacatccactccaggtaccggggcagctactggaggactgtgcgggcctgcctgggctgccccctccgccgtggggccctgttgctgctgtccatctatttctactactccctcccaaatgcggtcggcccgcccttcacttggatgcttgccctcctgggcctctcgcaggcactgaacatcctcctgggcctcaagggcctggccccagctgagatctctgcagtgtgtgaaaaagggaatttcaacgtggcccatgggctggcatggtcatattacatcggatatctgcggctgatcctgccagagctccaggcccggattcgaacttacaatcagcattacaacaacctgctacggggtgcagtgagccagcggctgtatattctcctcccattggactgtggggtgcctgataacctgagtatggctgaccccaacattcgcttcctggataaactgccccagcagaccggtgaccgtgctggcatcaaggatcgggtttacagcaacagcatctatgagcttctggagaacgggcagcgggcgggcacctgtgtcctggagtacgccacccccttgcagactttgtttgccatgtcacaatacagtcaagctggctttagccgggaggataggcttgagcaggccaaactcttctgccggacacttgaggacatcctggcagatgcccctgagtctcagaacaactgccgcctcattgcctaccaggaacctgcagatgacagcagcttctcgctgtcccaggaggttctccggcacctgcggcaggaggaaaaggaagaggttactgtgggcagcttgaagacctcagcggtgcccagtacctccacgatgtcccaagagcctgagctcctcatcagtggaatggaaaagcccctccctctccgcacggatttctctggcggtggcctgaacgacatcttcgaagcccagaaaatcgaatggcatgaaggcagcctggaagtgctgttccagggcccacaccaccatcatcaccatcaccattaatgagcggccgcactcgagcaccaccaccaccaccactaacctaggtagctgagcgcatgcaagctgatccgggttattagtacatttattaagcgctagattctgtgcgttgttgatttacagacaattgttgtacgtattttaataattcattaaatttataatctttagggtggtatgttagagcgaaaatcaaatgattttcagcgtctttatatctgaatttaaatattaaatcctcaatagatttgtaaaataggtttcgattagtttcaaacaagggttgtttttccgaaccgatggctggactatctaatggattttcgctcaacgccacaaaacttgccaaatcttgtagcagcaatctagctttgtcgatattcgtttgtgttttgttttgtaataaaggttcgacgtcgttcaaaatattatgcgcttttgtatttctttcatcactgtcgttagtgtacaattgactcgacgtaaacacgttaaatagagcttggacatatttaacatcgggcgtgttagctttattaggccgattatcgtcgtcgtcccaaccctcgtcgttagaagttgcttccgaagacgattttgccatagccacacgacgcctattaattgtgtcggctaacacgtccgcgatcaaatttgtagttgagctttttggaattatttctgattgcgggcgtttttgggcgggtttcaatctaactgtgcccgattttaattcagacaacacgttagaaagcgatggtgcaggcggtggtaacatttcagacggcaaatctactaatggcggcggtggtggagctgatgataaatctaccatcggtggaggcgcaggcggggctggcggcggaggcggaggcggaggtggtggcggtgatgcagacggcggtttaggctcaaatgtctctttaggcaacacagtcggcacctcaactattgtactggtttcgggcgccgtttttggtttgaccggtctgagacgagtgcgatttttttcgtttctaatagcttccaacaattgttgtctgtcgtctaaaggtgcagcgggttgaggttccgtcggcattggtggagcgggcggcaattcagacatcgatggtggtggtggtggtggaggcgctggaatgttaggcacgggagaaggtggtggcggcggtgccgccggtataatttgttctggtttagtttgttcgcgcacgattgtgggcaccggcgcaggcgccgctggctgcacaacggaaggtcgtctgcttcgaggcagcgcttggggtggtggcaattcaatattataattggaatacaaatcgtaaaaatctgctataagcattgtaatttcgctatcgtttaccgtgccgatatttaacaaccgctcaatgtaagcaattgtattgtaaagagattgtctcaagctcggatcgatcccgcacgccgataacaagccttttcatttttactacagcattgtagtggcgagacacttcgctgtcgtcgaggtttaaacgcttcctcgctcactgactcgctgcgctcggtcgttcggctgcggcgagcggtatcagctcactcaaaggcggtaatacggttatccacagaatcaggggataacgcaggaaagaacatgtgagcaaaaggccagcaaaaggccaggaaccgtaaaaaggccgcgttgctggcgtttttccataggctccgcccccctgacgagcatcacaaaaatcgacgctcaagtcagaggtggcgaaacccgacaggactataaagataccaggcgtttccccctggaagctccctcgtgcgctctcctgttccgaccctgccgcttaccggatacctgtccgcctttctcccttcgggaagcgtggcgctttctcatagctcacgctgtaggtatctcagttcggtgtaggtcgttcgctccaagctgggctgtgtgcacgaaccccccgttcagcccgaccgctgcgccttatccggtaactatcgtcttgagtccaacccggtaagacacgacttatcgccactggcagcagccactggtaacaggattagcagagcgaggtatgtaggcggtgctacagagttcttgaagtggtggcctaactacggctacactagaaggacagtatttggtatctgcgctctgctgaagccagttaccttcggaaaaagagttggtagctcttgatccggcaaacaaaccaccgctggtagcggtggtttttttgtttgcaagcagcagattacgcgcagaaaaaaaggatctcaagaagatcctttgatcttttctacggggtctgacgctcagtggaacgaaaactcacgttaagggattttggtcatgagattatcaaaaaggatcttcacctagatccttttaaattaaaaatgaagttttaaatcaatctaaagtatatatgagtaaacttggtctgacagttaccaatgcttaatcagtgaggcacctatctcagcgatctgtctatttcgttcatccatagttgcctgactccccgtcgtgtagataactacgatacgggagggcttaccatctggccccagtgctgcaatgataccgcgagacccacgctcaccggctccagatttatcagcaataaaccagccagccggaagggccgagcgcagaagtggtcctgcaactttatccgcctccatccagtctattaattgttgccgggaagctagagtaagtagttcgccagttaatagtttgcgcaacgttgttgccattgctacaggcatcgtggtgtcacgctcgtcgtttggtatggcttcattcagctccggttcccaacgatcaaggcgagttacatgatcccccatgttgtgcaaaaaagcggttagctccttcggtcctccgatcgttgtcagaagtaagttggccgcagtgttatcactcatggttatggcagcactgcataattctcttactgtcatgccatccgtaagatgcttttctgtgactggtgagtactcaaccaagtcattctgagaatagtgtatgcggcgaccgagttgctcttgcccggcgtcaatacgggataataccgcgccacatagcagaactttaaaagtgctcatcattggaaaacgttcttcggggcgaaaactctcaaggatcttaccgctgttgagatccagttcgatgtaacccactcgtgcacccaactgatcttcagcatcttttactttcaccagcgtttctgggtgagcaaaaacaggaaggcaaaatgccgcaaaaaagggaataagggcgacacggaaatgttgaatactcatactcttcctttttcaatattattgaagcatttatcagggttattgtctcatgagcggatacatatttgaatgtatttagaaaaataaacaaataggggttccgcgcacatttccccgaaaagtgccacctgacgcgccctgtagcggcgcattaagcgcggcgggtgtggtggttacgcgcagcgtgaccgctacacttgccagcgccctagcgcccgctcctttcgctttcttcccttcctttctcgccacgttcgccggctttccccgtcaagctctaaatcgggggctccctttagggttccgatttagtgctttacggcacctcgaccccaaaaaacttgattagggtgatggttcacgtagtgggccatcgccctgatagacggtttttcgccctttgacgttggagtccacgttctttaatagtggactcttgttccaaactggaacaacactcaaccctatctcggtctattcttttgatttataagggattttgccgatttcggcctattggttaaaaaatgagctgatttaacaaaaatttaacgcgaattttaacaaaatattaacgtttacaatttcccattcgccattcaggctgcgcaactgttgggaagggcgatcggtgcgggcctcttcgctattacgcca certain compounds of the disclosure were evaluated in wt sting in vitro binding assay as described above. the following table tabulates the biological data for these compounds as ec 50 values. table 83 h-cgamp filtration binding assay for wt stingcompoundec 50 (nm)example 1<1example 29example 34example 4<1example 58example 6115example 7<1example 813example 94393example 106example 1134example 12171example 13223example 14244example 1579example 1618example 181example 191example 203example 211554example 22517example 2369example 2419example 252example 26409 example 30: ifn-β secretion in thp1 cell culture (5 h) the ability of compounds to stimulate the secretion of interferon-beta from thp1 cells was measured using a human ifn-β alphalisa kit (perkin elmer, cat. no. al265f). the basic protocol is as follows: a labcyte echo 550 acoustic dispenser was used to transfer 120 nl of compound dissolved in dmso into the wells of an empty, sterile 384-well microplate, (corning, cat. no. 3712). thp1 cells (american type culture collection, cat. no. tib202) previously frozen in recovery medium (life technologies, cat. no. 12648-010) were thawed and immediately diluted 10-fold into 37° c. assay medium (rpmi 1640+l-glutamine & phenol red, life technologies, cat. no. 11875-085; 0.5% heat inactivated fetal bovine serum, sigma aldrich, cat. no. f4135; 1 mm sodium pyruvate, life technologies, cat. no. 11360-070; lx non-essential amino acids; life technologies, cat. no. 11140-050). the cell viability and count was ascertained using a beckman coulter v-cell xr cell counter. the cell suspension was centrifuged at 200×g for 5 min at rt. cells were resuspended to a density of 0.8×10 6 /ml in 37° c. assay medium. subsequent liquid transfers were performed using either a matrix electronic multichannel pipette or an agilent bravo automated liquid handling platform. the assay was started by dispensing 40 μl of the previously prepared cell suspension into the wells of the plate containing compounds. after 5 h incubation at 37° c., 5% co 2 in a humidified atmosphere, the plate of cells and compounds was centrifuged at 200×g for 5 min at rt. from each well, 5 μl of supernatant was transferred into corresponding wells of a white 384-well plate (perkin elmer, cat. no. 6005620). to these supernatant-containing wells was added 10 μl of 5× anti-analyte acceptor beads (50 μg/ml of alphalisa hiblock buffer) and incubated for 30 min at rt while shaking on an orbital plate shaker. to each well was added 10 μl of 5× biotinylated antibody anti-analyte (5 nm in alphalisa hiblock buffer) and incubated on an orbital plate shaker for 60 min at rt or overnight at 4° c. to each well was added 25 μl of 2×sa-donor beads (80 μg/ml in alphalisa hiblock buffer) and incubated for 30-45 min at rt in the dark while shaking on an orbital plate shaker. the plate was then read on a perkin elmer envision (λ ex =680 nm, λ em =570 nm). the percent effect of the alphalisa signal at each compound concentration was calculated based on 30 um cgamp positive controls and 0.3% dmso negative controls. the plot of percent effect versus the log of compound concentration was fit with a 4-parameter concentration response equation to calculate ec 50 values. the test compounds were tested at concentrations 30000, 10000, 3333, 1111, 370.4, 123.4, 41.2, 13.7, 4.6, and 1.5 nm with 0.3% residual dmso. the control compound, cgamp was tested at concentrations 100000, 33333, 11111, 3704, 1235, 412, 137, 46, and 15 nm with 0.3% residual dmso. compounds of the disclosure were evaluated for ifn-β secretion in thp1 cell culture as described above. the following table tabulates the biological data for these compounds as percent activation relative to 2′3′-cgamp at the 30 μm concentration. table 9ifn-β secretion in thp1 cell culture (5 h)% effect at30 μmrelative tocompound2′3′-cgampexample 1165example 2175example 3128example 4146example 595example 691example 7173example 8110example 926example 1091example 1151example 12116example 1395example 14422example 15357example 16107example 17145example 18153example 19250example 20137example 2145example 22117example 23152example 24168example 25281example 2675example 27164 it will be appreciated that various of the above-discussed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. it also will be appreciated that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art and are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
084-884-854-804-71X	GB	[ "US", "CA" ]	G06Q10/10,H04L12/12,H04L12/16	1997-09-04T00:00:00	1997	[ "G06", "H04" ]	web based help desk	a web based help desk includes a web server having memory storing a help desk web page. the web server allows remote user computers to access the web server via an internet or intranet connection thereby to access and display the help desk web page. a plurality of computers, operated by support specialists, are in communication with the web server to allow support specialists to communicate with remote users requiring support. the support specialists are selectable through the web page. a support specialist status application monitors the status of the support specialists and remote users requesting support and prompts the web server to establish a connection between a support specialist and a remote user when a support specialist becomes available. a method of providing support to a user operating a remote computer and a help desk web page are also provided.	1. a web based help desk comprising: a web server having memory for storing a help desk web page, said web server allowing remote user computers to access said web server via an internet or intranet connection and to access and display said web page; a plurality of support specialists operating computers in communication with said web server to allow said support specialists to communicate with user computers requiring support, said support specialists being selectable by said user computers via said web page; and a support specialist status application monitoring the status of said support specialists and user computers requesting support and prompting said web server to establish a connection between a support specialist computer and a user computer when a support specialist becomes available. 2. a web based help desk as defined in claim 1 further including an expert system including a knowledge base to diagnose computer problems based on problem information gathered from user computers, said expert system being selectable by user computers via said web page. 3. a web based help desk as defined in claim 2 wherein said web page includes an applet presenting status information concerning said support specialists and the number of users in a queue seeking access to said support specialists, said applet being updated by said support specialist status application to provide current support specialist status and queue information. 4. a web based help desk as defined in claim 3 wherein said web page presents information concerning the area of expertise of each of said support specialists, said applet allowing a user to select a specific support specialist. 5. a web based help desk as defined in claim 4 wherein said web page further includes links to personal web pages of said support specialists, said personal web pages presenting detailed biographical information concerning said support specialists. 6. a web based help desk as defined in claim 5 wherein each of said personal web pages presents a picture and detailed personal and technical information of a support specialist. 7. a web based help desk as defined in claim 2 wherein said web page includes a second applet selectable to allow a user computer to access said expert system, said second applet prompting users to enter computer problem information and forwarding gathered information to said expert system for processing. 8. a web based help desk as defined in claim 1 wherein said support specialists and users further establish voice communication connections after said computer connections have been established. 9. a web based help desk as defined in claim 8 wherein said voice communication connections are established over a public switched telephone network. 10. a web based help desk as defined in claim 8 wherein said voice communication connections are established between said support specialist computers and said user computers over internet or intranet connections, said voice communication connections being initiated by selection of third applets presented to said support specialists and user computers. 11. a web based help desk as defined in claim 7 wherein said expert system provides said support specialist with the information gathered from said user and diagnoses made by said expert system when a user computer and support specialist establish a computer connection. 12. a web based help desk as defined in claim 11 wherein said gathered computer problem information is provided to said support specialist in the form of a fourth applet. 13. a web based help desk as defined in claim 12 wherein said fourth applet is transferable between support specialists. 14. a web based help desk as defined in claim 13 wherein said expert system transmits diagnosis information to said user when said expert system has high confidence that said diagnosis is correct. 15. a help desk web page comprising: support specialist information areas presenting expertise information concerning said support specialists; a first applet presenting support specialist status and queue information, said applet being updated to provide current support specialist status and queue information and selectable by a user to allow said user to select a support specialist and/or enter said queue; and a selectable expert system applet, said expert system applet gathering user computer problem information when selected by said user. 16. a method of providing support to a user computer at a remote location over the internet or intranet comprising the steps of: providing a web server having memory for storing a help desk web page, said web server allowing remote user computers to access said web page by way of an internet or intranet connection; providing a plurality of support specialists operating computers in communication with said web server to communicate with user computers requiring support, said support specialists being selectable by way of said web page; monitoring the status of said support specialists and user computers requesting support via said web page and establishing a socket connection between a support specialist computer and a user computer via said web server when a support specialist becomes available; and providing an expert system including a knowledge base to diagnose computer problems based on gathered computer problem information, said expert system being accessible by user computers over said internet or intranet connection via said web page. 17. the method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of presenting status information concerning said support specialists and the number of users in a queue seeking access to said support specialist; and updating said status information generally continuously. 18. the method of claim 17 further comprising the step of establishing a voice communication connection between a support specialist and a user to supplement the connection between the support specialist personal computer and the user computer.	field of the invention the present invention relates to computer support and in particular to a help desk accessible through a home page on the world wide web ("web"). background of the invention it is common practice for software suppliers to set up help desks so that users of the software can seek help to diagnose and solve computer software and hardware problems. in most instances, these help desks are accessible only by telephone over a public switched telephone network (pstn). in order to gain access to the help desks, users with computer problems dial special toll free numbers to connect to the help desk and then convey information concerning the computer problems to the help desk either by voice or by dtmf dialing signals. this has limited the effectiveness of these help desks. for example, u.s. pat. no. 5,367,667 discloses a system for performing remote computer system diagnostic tests. a user requiring assistance calls a help desk representative via a telephone. the representative in turn creates a case file on a help desk computer. the case file includes the modem number to the user's computer, call and computer identification information. the representative also selects diagnostic tests to be run on the user's computer based on the verbal information given to the representative by the user. the representative then creates a batch job which causes the help desk computer to connect to the user's computer and instruct the user's computer to run the diagnostic tests. the telephone and computer connections between the user and the representative are then broken. when the diagnostic tests have been completed by the user's computer, the user's computer reconnects with the help desk computer and reports the results of the diagnostic tests. the representative after reviewing the results of the diagnostic tests, telephones the user and provides recommendations to solve the user's computer problems. help desk software has also been developed for use on local area networks (lans) to allow a technician to diagnose and solve problems on a remote computer. for example "netmanager" available from brightwork software allows a computer on a lan to access the screen and control the keyboard of another computer on the lan where a user of the computer is experiencing problems. this allows the technician to help remotely the user in an attempt to solve the user's computer problems. although help desks exist to diagnose and solve computer problems, the design of conventional help desks has limited the extent to which help can be provided to a user. accordingly, improved help desks are desired. it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel web based help desk, a novel help desk web page and a novel method of providing support to a user computer at a remote location. summary of the invention according to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a web based help desk comprising: a web server having memory for storing a help desk web page, said web server allowing remote user computers to access said web server via an internet or intranet connection and to access and display said web page; a plurality of support specialists operating computers in communication with said web server to allow said support specialists to communicate with user computers requiring support, said support specialists being selectable by said user computers via said web page; and a support specialist status application monitoring the status of said support specialists and user computers requesting support and prompting said web server to establish a connection between a support specialist computer and a user computer when a support specialist becomes available. preferably, the web based help desk further includes an expert system including a knowledge base to diagnose computer problems based on problem information gathered from user computers, the expert system being selectable by user computers via the web page. in a preferred embodiment, the web page includes an applet presenting status information concerning the support specialists and the number of users in a queue seeking access to the support specialists. the applet is updated by the support specialist status application to provide current support specialist status and queue information. the web page also presents information concerning the area of expertise of each of the support specialists. the applet allows a user to select a specific support specialist to whom the user wishes to be connected. the web page further includes links to personal web pages of the support specialists. the personal web pages present detailed biographical information concerning the support specialists. according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a help desk web page comprising: support specialist information areas presenting expertise information concerning said support specialists; a first applet presenting support specialist status and queue information, said applet being updated to provide current support specialist status and queue information and selectable by a user to allow said user to select a support specialist and/or enter said queue; and a selectable expert system applet, said expert system applet gathering user computer problem information when selected by said user. according to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of providing support to a user computer at a remote location over the internet or intranet comprising the steps of: providing a web server having memory for storing a help desk web page, said web server allowing remote user computers to access said web page by way of an internet or intranet connection; providing a plurality of support specialists operating computers in communication with said web server to communicate with user computers requiring support, said support specialists being selectable by way of said web page; monitoring the status of said support specialists and user computers requesting support via said web page and establishing a socket connection between a support specialist and a user computer via said web server when a support specialist becomes available; and providing an expert system including a knowledge base to diagnose computer problems based on gathered computer problem information, said expert system being accessible by user computers over said internet or intranet connection via said web page. the present invention provides advantages in that a user at a remote location contacting the help desk with a problem using their computer is presented with a significant amount of information as soon as the help desk is accessed. specifically, when a user accesses the help desk, the user has access to on-line documentation, an expert system and a variety of support specialists. brief description of the drawings an embodiment of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communications system including a web based help desk in accordance with the present invention; fig. 2a is a main web page of the web based help desk accessible via the internet or intranet; fig. 2b is a personal web page of a support specialist; fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing links between a web server and a support specialist personal computer; and fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing links between the web server, the support specialist personal computer and a user personal computer. detailed description of the preferred embodiments referring now to fig. 1, a communications system is shown and is generally indicated to by reference numeral 10. communications system 10 includes a help desk 12 to provide software and hardware support to remote user computers. help desk 12 is connected to a wide area network (wan)/public switched telephone network (pstn) 14 via internet and trunk connections 16 and 18 respectively. a plurality of remote user locations 20 and 22 (only two of which are shown for illustrative purposes) are also connected to the wan/pstn 14. users at the user locations 20 and 22 can establish a connection to the help desk 12 over the internet or intranet should the users require help to diagnose and solve software and hardware computer problems. user location 20 includes a personal computer 30 having a monitor 32, a keyboard 34 and a mouse pointer 36 operating in a well known manner. a telephone 38 is connected to the computer by way of a universal serial bus (usb) 40. usb 40 includes a 12 mbit/s serial interface running over a 4 wire bus with an associated software stack supporting peripheral connectivity to the personal computer 30. the personal computer 30 is connected to the wan/pstn 14 via an internet connection 42. user location 22 also includes a personal computer 50 having a monitor 52, a keyboard 54 and a mouse pointer 56. unlike user location 20, user location 22 includes a stand alone telephone 58 connected directly to the wan/pstn 14 via an analog line connection 60. the help desk 12 is implemented on a local area network (lan) 70 and includes a server 72 and a plurality of support specialist personal computers 74 (only one of which is shown for illustrative purposes). each support specialist personal computer 74 includes a monitor 90, a keyboard 92 and a mouse pointer 94 and is operated by a support specialist having a specific area of expertise. a telephone 96 is connected to the personal computer 74 by way of a universal serial bus (usb) 98. the server 72 is connected to the wan/pstn 14 via the internet and trunk connections 16 and 18 respectively. resident on the server 72 are a web server 80, an expert system 82 and its associated knowledge base 84, a customer database 86 and a support specialist status and queue (sssq) application 88. the customer database 86 stores information concerning customers using software supported by the help desk 12 such as telephone numbers, modem numbers, computer equipment as well as prior computer problem histories. the expert system 82 is designed to gather computer problem information input by users at the user locations 20, 22 as well as from the customer database 86. once the expert system 82 gathers computer problem information, the expert system accesses the knowledge base 84 to asses the complexity and severity of the computer problem and to diagnose the computer problem. the quality of matches between the diagnosed computer problem and known problems stored in the knowledge base 84 is also determined. the expert system 82 may be implemented using existing expert system software such as for example ops5 available from carnegie mellon university or clips available from nasa. alternatively, the expert system can be developed using an expert system shell such as for example vp-expert available from word tech systems inc. the sssq application 88 uses a conventional acd/help desk queuing algorithm for managing connections between support specialist personal computers 74 and user computers 30, 50 seeking help from the help desk 12. the web server 80 is a standard internet or intranet computing machine and displays help desk web pages of hypertext markup language (html) format. html is a markup system used to create hypertext documents that are portable from platform to platform. an internet hypertext transfer protocol (http) allows information to be transferred between the web server 80 and the personal computers 30, 50. the web server 80 supports a common gateway interface (cgi) capable of running cgi programs to mediate transactions between the web server 80 and the personal computers 30, 50. the help desk web pages are stored in memory of the web server 80 and are made accessible to the personal computers 30, 50 at the user locations 20, 22. users of the personal computers 30, 50 can use a standard web browser such as for example netscape.rtm. available from netscape communications corporation or microsoft internet explorer.rtm. available from microsoft corporation to locate and access the help desk web pages. as is well known, these web browsers read html coded web pages so that the web pages in the memory of the web server 80 can be displayed on the monitors 32, 52 of the personal computers 30, 50. referring now to fig. 2a, the main help desk web page 110 as displayed on the monitor of a user personal computer is illustrated. as can be seen, the web page 110 includes a support specialist information area 112 presenting a list of the support specialists operating personal computers 74 and their areas of expertise as well as a sssq java applet 114 which presents the status of the support specialists and the number of people in the queue waiting to be connected to a support specialist. the sssq java applet 114 can be invoked by "clicking" on the applet using a mouse pointer. when the sssq java applet is invoked, the user can request to be placed in the queue and if desired, to select a particular support specialist to whom the user wishes to be connected. the web page 110 also includes links 116 to the personal web pages 118 of each of the support specialists. these personal web pages (one of which is shown in fig. 2b) include pictures 120 of the support specialists together with detailed biographies including personal and technical information 122 relating to the support specialists. the web page 110 also includes an es java applet 130 selectable by "clicking" on it using a mouse pointer to access the expert system 82. the es java applet once invoked allows a user to input information relating to the user's computer problem(s). the es java applet 130 gathers the computer problem information and conveys it to the expert system 82. the expert system 82 in turn accesses customer database 86 and the knowledge base 84 to try to diagnose the computer problem. the results of the expert system's diagnosis can either be presented to the user or to a support specialist as will be described. the es java applet 130 also provides a link (not shown) to on-line solution documentation stored in the knowledge base 84. the on-line solution documentation provides solutions to a variety of known computer problems. if a user at user location 20 requires support to diagnose and solve a computer software or hardware problem, the user through their personal computer 30 accesses the help desk web page 110 via an internet connection over the wan/pstn 14 in a conventional manner. the web server 80 downloads the web page 110 from the web server memory to the personal computer 30 allowing the web page to be displayed on the monitor 34. after the web page is downloaded to the personal computer 30, the user is prompted to enter customer data which is conveyed to the web server 80 and stored in the customer database 86. this customer data is made available to the support specialist if the user and the support specialist are connected. the time at which the web page is accessed is also used to determine the user's priority in the queue if the user elects to be connected to a support specialist by invoking the sssq java applet. alternatively, the user can be prompted to enter the customer data after the user invokes the sssq java applet 114 and elects to be placed in the queue. once the web page 110 is displayed on the monitor of personal computer 30, the user has a number of options. the user can review the support specialist and expertise list presented in information area 112 to determine which support specialist appears to be best suited to diagnose and solve the user's computer problems. if desired, the user can access the personal web pages 118 of one or more of the support specialists by "clicking" on the appropriate links 116, to familiarize themselves with the support specialists. if the user decides to be connected to a support specialist, the user "clicks" on the sssq java applet 114 using the mouse pointer 36. when the sssq java applet is invoked, the user is prompted to select a particular support specialist if desired. if no specific support specialist is entered, the sssq java applet 114 conveys the entered information to the sssq application 88 by way of the web server 80. if the specific support specialist selected by the user is available or if no specific support specialist was selected and a support specialist is available and no other users are waiting in the queue, the sssq application 88 prompts the web server 80 to open a socket connection between the available support specialist's personal computer 74 and the user computer 30. however, if no support specialist is available or if a queue exists, the sssq application 88 places the user in the queue so that the user will be connected to the next available support specialist when they reach the top of the queue. if a specific support specialist is entered, the user is placed in the queue for that specific support specialist. once a connection between a support specialist personal computer 74 and a user computer is terminated, the sssq application 88 waits for a predetermined amount of time to elapse before prompting the web server 80 to connect the support specialist personal computer 74 to the user at the top of the queue. the sssq application 88 generally continuously monitors the status of the support specialists via socket connections between the ssq application 88 and the support specialist personal computers 74 as well as the queue and generally continuously updates the sssq java applet 114 so that up-to-date information concerning the queue and support specialists status is presented to users accessing the web page 110. after a connection between a support specialist personal computer 74 and user computer is made, a text interface is established to allow data to be exchanged between the support specialist and the user over the internet. also, the web server 80 downloads a vc java applet 160 onto both the user computer 30 and the support specialist personal computer 74. the vc java applet 160 when invoked causes the web server 80 to open a socket connection between the support specialist personal computer 74 and the user computer 30 to allow a voice conversation to take place between the user and the support specialist using the telephones 38 and 96. in this manner, the support specialist can talk the user through the computer problem in an attempt to diagnose and solve the problem. if the user wishes to make use of the expert system 82 while they are in the queue waiting for a connection to a support specialist to be made or just wishes to use the expert system, the user can "click" on the es java applet 130. once invoked, the es java applet prompts the user to enter information concerning the computer problem to be diagnosed and solved. the information gathered by the es java applet 130 is sent back to the web server 80 and is conveyed to the expert system 82. the expert system then gathers any historical computer problem data in the customer database 86 for the user and analyses the computer problem information. using its knowledge base 84, the expert system tries to find matches between the analyzed computer problem and known computer problems stored in the knowledge base. if the quality of a match is high, the expert system 82 conditions the web server 80 to download an html page stored in the knowledge base 84 to the user. the html page includes suggestions to deal with the computer problem. if the quality of the matches is not high, the expert system 82 conditions the web server to download information to the user providing suggestions on where to look in the knowledge base on-line solution documentation for a potential solution to the computer problem. if the user connects to a support specialist after using the expert system 82, the information gathered by the expert system and the results of the expert system's diagnosis are provided to the support specialist by way of an esi java applet 180 so that the information can be viewed by the support specialist when a connection between the support specialist and user is made. matches found by the expert system are presented to the support specialist in a list in order from the most severe diagnosis to the least severe diagnosis. information conveyed to the user by the support specialist via the text interface is recorded by the expert system 82 and stored in the knowledge base 84 for the sake of learning. the information is also stored in the computer database 86. the expert system learns new cases based on information input by the users, actions taken by the support specialists and feedback from the user concerning the results of the suggestions made by the expert system and the support specialist. if during the help session, the support specialist determines that another support specialist is better suited to handle the session, the esi java applet 180 is forwarded to the new support specialist and a connection between the new support specialist and the user is established. if a user at user location 22 establishes a connection with the help desk 12 a similar process is performed. however, since the user location 22 does not include a telephone connected to the personal computer 50 via a usb but rather has a stand alone telephone 58, once a connection is made between the support specialist personal computer 74 and the user computer 50, if a phone connection is to be established it is done so over the pstn 14. in this case, the support specialist retrieves the telephone number of the user from the customer database 86 and dials the number to establish a conventional voice connection with the user. if a telephone connection cannot be established, another applet can be loaded onto the support specialist personal computer 74 and the user's personal computer 50 to allow text to be delivered back and forth between the support specialist and the user. as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the web based help desk of the present invention provides a remote user with information to solve a computer problem basically as soon as a computer connection is made to the help desk. the user can be connected to a selected one or any available support specialist and/or access an expert system. a text interface can be established between the support specialist and the user and/or a voice connection can be established to allow data to be exchanged. although a particular embodiment of the present invention has been described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.
085-407-903-984-935	US	[ "US" ]	C10M105/40,C10M173/02,D06M13/224	1977-05-12T00:00:00	1977	[ "C10", "D06" ]	random copolymers of polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester, process of making the same and textile fiber containing the same	a textile fiber lubricant, namely random copolymers of polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester produced by the condensation reaction of an aliphatic fatty acid, or acids having from about 8 to about 22 carbons in the chain, with a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, in the presence of an alkali catalyst. these fatty esters are water soluble, biodegradable and exhibit superior lubricating properties when applied to synthetic fibers. the esters have the empirical formula: ##str1## wherein r is an aliphatic chain having from about 7 to about 21 carbon atoms and m is a random mixture of oxyethylene [--ch.sub.2.ch.sub.2.o--] and oxypropylene [--ch.sub.2.ch(ch.sub.3).o--] groups.	1. random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester having the formula: r--c--o(m)h wherein r is an alkyl having 7 to 21 carbon atoms and m is a random mixture of oxyethylene and oxypropylene groups. 2. the compound defined in claim 1, said compound being liquid at 20.degree. c. and having a molecular weight of between about 412 and about 1900. 3. the compound defined in claim 1 wherein said mixture is from about 65% to about 82% of the total weight of the compound. 4. the compound defined in claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of oxyethylene to oxypropylene is from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1. 5. the compound defined in claim 3 wherein the weight ratio of oxyethylene to oxypropylene is from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1. 6. the compound defined in claim 1 wherein the ##str3## is derived from coconut oil. 7. the compound defined in claim 1 wherein the ##str4## is derived from hydrogenated tallow. 8. the compound defined in claim 1, said compound being liquid at 20.degree. c. and having a molecular weight of between about 412 and about 1900. 9. a process of preparing a liquid, water soluble, biodegradable, textile fiber lubricant comprising, condensing from approximately 40% to approximately 75%, by weight, ethylene oxide, from approximately 10% to approximately 40% by weight propylene oxide and from about 18% to about 35%, by weight, a fatty acid having from about 8 to about 22 carbons, said ethylene oxide being in proportion to said propylene oxide by weight from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1, in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. 10. the process defined in claim 9 including heating the condensation reactants to a temperature of between about 110.degree. c. and about 180.degree. c. at pressures up to about 100 psi for from about 4 to about 8 hours. 11. the process defined in claim 10 wherein said fatty acid is derived from coconut oil. 12. the process defined in claim 10 wherein said fatty acid is derived from hydrogenated tallow. 13. the process defined in claim 10 wherein said fatty acid is a mixture of fatty acids. 14. a lubricated textile fiber comprising (a) a synthetic fiber; and (b) random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester on said synthetic fiber wherein the monoester has the formula r--c--0(m)h wherein r is an aliphotic having 7 to 21 carbon atoms and m is a random mixture of oxyethylene and oxypropylene, said mixture being from about 65% to about 82% of the total weight ratio of oxyethylene to oxypropylene in said mixture being in the range of from 1.0:1 to 7.5:1. 15. the lubricated textile fiber defined in claim 14 wherein said random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester is in its liquid phase and is biodegradable. 16. the lubricated textile fiber defined in claim 14 wherein said random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester constitutes from about 0.2% to about 3% by weight of said synthetic fiber. 17. a mixture consisting essentially of monoesters having the formula ##str5## wherein r is alkyl having 7-21 carbons, m is a random series of oxyethylene and oxypropylene with the weight ratio of oxyethylene to oxypropylene is said mixture of monoesters being from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1 and said oxyethylene and oxypropylene being from about 65% to about 82% by weight of said mixture of monoesters. 18. a mixture as claimed in claim 17 wherein said mixture is liquid at 20.degree. c., said monoesters have molecular weights between about 412 and about 1900. 19. a mixture as claimed in claim 18 wherein said: ##str6## is a mixture of fatty acids derived from the group consisting of hydrogenated tallow and coconut oil. 20. a lubricated textile fiber comprising: (a) synthetic fiber and (b) a random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester mixture on said synthetic fiber consisting essentially of monoesters having the formula: ##str7## wherein r is alkyl having 7-21 carbons, m is a random series of oxyethylene and oxypropylene with the weight ratio of oxyethylene to oxypropylene in said monoester mixture being from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1 and said oxyethylene and oxypropylene being from about 65% to about 82% by weight of said monoester mixture. 21. a lubricated textile fiber as claimed in claim 20 wherein said monoester mixture is liquid at 20.degree. c., said compounds have molecular weights between about 412 and about 1900 and the ##str8## is a mixture of fatty acids derived from the group consisting of coconut oil and hydrogenated tallow.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to textile lubricants and is more particularly concerned with random copolymers of polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester and a process of producing the same. the invention is also concerned with a lubricated synthetic fiber. 2. description of the prior art i am aware of u.s. pat. no. 3,770,701, u.s. pat. no. 2,620,304 and u.s. pat. no. 2,457,139 which i consider to be the most pertinent references. i am the co-inventor of the surfactant described in u.s. pat. no. 3,770,701. it is well-known that essentially all synthetic textile fibers as originally produced cannot be processed into yarn and fabric in textile mills because of snagging, clinging and breaking that results from a lack of lubrication and/or static electricity. these processing difficulties, however, are usually overcome by the application of "textile lubricants" or "fiber finishes" to the fibers. the traditional fiber finishes used on synthetic textile fibers are made up of three components. the first ingredient is the basic lubricants. most widely used for the lubricant is either a mineral oil or a fatty ester (e.g. butyl stearate). the second ingredient is an antistatic agent to reduce static electricity which is common to nearly all synthetic fibers and especially those with low moisture regain properties. anti-static agents are generally of the cationic (quaternary amine or imidazolinium salts) or anionic type (salts of partial esters of phosphoric acid). the third ingredient, is the emulsifying agent. it is necessary to use an emulsifying agent since an even application of finish components is best achieved from a dilute aqueous emulsion. emulsifying agents commonly employed are nonionic (polyoxyethylene ethers and esters) or anionic (salts of akyarylsulfonic acids). the patent to fortess, et al, u.s. pat. no. 2,730,498 discloses a typical finish. the lubricants used heretofore have many drawbacks, but chief among them is their volatility. in other words lubricants have objectionable vapors which are released in the area around the yarn or fiber drying equipment. water insolubility of mineral oil and fatty ester lubricants is another problem. when a lubricant is water insoluble it is usually difficult to apply to the fiber. to overcome this, the lubricant is emulsified with the water. the nonuniformity and instability of these emulsions frequently results in the uneven application of the lubricant to the fibers. processing problems usually result from this uneven application. even when excellent emulsions are prepared, the relatively large proportion of emulsifying agent necessary in the emulsion has a negative effect on the lubrication of the fibers. another problem with oily lubricants is that they are difficult to remove from the fibers after these fibers have been processed into textile yarn or fabric. the scouring of these oil bearing fabrics must be thorough and complete since spotty and uneven dyeing of the fabrics and poor hand characteristics will result. still another problem is that the lubricant must be disposed of after it is scoured off. disposal, by way of sewering at the textile mill, results in an oil film or slick in nearby streams and ponds. this oil is only very slowly decomposed by bacteria, if at all. in the past, attempts have been made to overcome the problems described above by using fatty esters of polyoxyethylene glycols, as the lubricants or emulsifiers. these attempts have met with limited success in some special circumstances. the failure of these products to completely resolve the difficulties, results from the nature of the materials involved. in order to achieve good lubrication from the fatty acid portion of the product, it is necessary for the fatty hydrocarbon chain be as long as feasible, at least eight carbons long and preferably greater than twelve. in order to make esters of such acid water soluble, it is necessary to employ proportionately longer polyoxyethylene glycol chains. this results in pasty solid products or high viscosity liquids which are too thick for use in the high speed processing of textile fibers. surfactants and lubricants are known having an aliphatic alcohol or carboxylic acid and a series of oxyethylene groups, as for example u.s. pat. no. 2,457,139 to fife, et al. however, such compounds are generally speaking unsatisfactory for high-speed textile fabrication uses, either because they are water insoluble or too viscous or have insufficient hydrocarbon chain content. the problems described above are believed to be overcome by the lubricants of the present invention. summary of the invention briefly described, the process of the present invention includes comingling a fatty acid or acids with a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide under condensation reaction conditions to produce a fatty ester having an aliphatic chain containing 8 to 22 carbons. the resultant lubricant has superior lubricating properties and is readily and easily applied to synthetic fibers, it being water soluble, liquid at room temperature, and biodegradable. accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a liquid, water soluble, biodegradeable textile fiber lubricant with proper viscosity and hydrocarbon length to function as a textile lubricant for synthetic fibers and a process of producing the same. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic fibers which is inexpensive to manufacture, easily handled, readily applied to the fibers and efficient in operation. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic fibers which can be uniformly applied to the fibers and will enable the fibers to be processed without appreciable variation in pick-up or "hand". another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic fibers which under normal conditions requires no external heating, in use, storage or transfer and will not readily separate during bulk storage over an extended period of time. another object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic fiber lubricant which is stable at fiber drying temperatures and does not readily steam distill from the fibers when the fibers are heated to these elevated temperatures. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for textile fibers which will not be driven off of the fibers during drying and will reduce fire hazards in the exhaust system of a textile mill. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant which, when applied to fibers, tends to clean the machinery handling the fibers, thereby maintaining the same in a clean condition and removing previously deposited lubricants of a different type. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic staple fibers which is not appreciably effected by the normal ph or changes in the ph of the finish water in which the staple fibers are processed. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic fibers which, when used as a lubricant for synthetic fibers, reduces the amount of heat required to dry the fibers. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant which when applied to fibers will tenaciously cling to such fibers, thereby reducing the amount of this lubricant required per linear foot of fiber processed and the clean up time for the machinery handling the fiber. another object of the present invention is to provide a textile lubricant which when applied to rayon will enhance the speed of carding of the rayon and at the same time reduce its fly on drawing and in slubber or roving formation. another object of the present invention is to provide a water soluble lubricant for synthetic fibers which has improved wet-out rates when compared with water insoluble lubricants. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic fibers which will improve the appearance and cleanliness of the card web, the roving package and the quality appearance and hand of the yarn and fabrics produced from fibers containing the lubricant. another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant for synthetic staple rayon fibers which reduces and perhaps eliminates the tackiness of card laps. other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention. detailed description in more detail, the objects of the present invention are achieved by the hereinafter described water-soluble, liquid, biodegradeable lubricants which have superior lubrication properties for textile fibers, these lubricants being prepared from aliphatic fatty acids, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. these lubricants are produced by the reaction of a fatty acid or acids having from 8 to 22 carbons, preferably from 12 to 18 carbons in the aliphatic chain, with a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide in a weight ratio of ethylene oxide to propylene oxide of from about 1.0:1 to about 7.5:1. the lubricants of this invention comprise the composition obtained by reacting, on a weight basis, 40% to 75% ethylene oxide, 10% to 40% propylene oxide and 18% to 35% fatty acid. the resulting random copolymers of polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester are represented by the following empirical formula: ##str2## wherein r is an aliphatic chain having 7 to 21 carbon atoms and m is a random mixture of oxyethylene [--ch.sub.2 ch.sub.2 o--] and oxypropylene [--ch.sub.2 ch(ch.sub.3)o--] groups, said mixture being from about 65% to about 82% of the total weight of the lubricant, the weight ratio of the oxyethylene to the oxypropylene groups of said mixture being in the range of from 1.0:1 to 7.5:1. the resulting random polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester has a molecular weight of from about 412 to about 1900, a viscosity of from about 50 centipoise to about 300 centipoise at 25.degree. c., is water soluble, creating an aqueous solution up to about 20% by weight in water, at 25.degree. c., has a flash point above 400.degree. f. and a freezing point or range below 68.degree. f. (20.degree. c.). it is to be understood that, if a mixture of aliphatic or fatty acids is used in the condensation reaction, the product obtained will be a mixture of compounds having the foregoing formula, but differing from each other in the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group. i have discovered that, only by employing critical amounts of acid, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide can products be prepared which are water soluble, liquid, biodegradable, and posess superior lubrication properties for textile fibers. aliphatic or fatty acids which are employed in the preparation of my lubricants are those aliphatic acids which contain from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the aliphatic chain. mixtures of these acids may also be used, and are preferred since their use provides a good balance of properties and since these mixtures are readily available from natural, animal and vegetable sources. aliphatic acids with less than 8 carbon atoms give products having poor lubrication properties (presumably because there is insufficient repetition of ch.sub.2 groups common to mineral oil and vegetable oil lubricants). aliphatic acids with greater than 22 carbon atoms result in products of such high molecular weight that they are highly viscous and would have value as lubricants only under very high temperature conditions, which are not encountered in textile processing. examples of acids which are operable in the present process include caprylic, pelargonic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, hydrogenated marine oil fatty acids, isotearic and mixtures thereof. the products of this invention are prepared by condensing the fatty acid or mixture of acids, as described above, with a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. the oxide mixture is preferably added in a single continuous step or in a series of steps to the acid. if added in a series of steps, the oxide ratio in each step need not be in the range, as described, but the total weights after all steps are completed must be in the ratio specified and in the total fraction of the product, as defined. the ratio of oxides is critical to the properties of the resulting reaction products. if the ethylene oxide:propylene oxide ratio is less than about 1.0:1, the finished product will not be water soluble. if this ratio is greater than about 7.5:1, the finished products (especially from the higher molecular weight fatty acids) will be viscous fluids or pastes. furthermore, the weight percent of oxide mixture in the finished product is critical. if the oxide mixture is less than about 65% of the product, then the product will not be water soluble to any appreciable extent. if the oxide mixture is greater than about 82% of the product, then the viscosity of the product will be too high, at ambient temperature, for lubricating of textile fibers if such fiber is to be processed at high speed. the products of this invention are generally prepared by condensation of the fatty acid or acids with a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide in the presence of an alkaline catalyst, at temperatures from about 110.degree. c. to about 180.degree. c. and under pressure from ambient pressure up to about 100 psi. example i-xvii the procedure set forth below was repeated for each group of chemicals specified in table i. a clean, dry reactor was purged with nitrogen and charged with an aliphatic acid and potassium hydroxide catalyst (1.0-1.5% by weight of the acid). this mixture was stirred at 135.degree. c.-150.degree. c. while a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide was added to the acid catalyst mixture, over a period of from 4 to 8 hours, at pressures of from 20-100 psi. after about one additional hour, the pressure was stabilized indicating reaction of the oxides was complete. the product was cooled below 100.degree. c., the reactor was vented, the catalyst was neutralized with glacial acetic acid, and the reaction product, discharged. table i __________________________________________________________________________ examples of condensation reactions and the resulting products reaction chemicals pro- pro- pro- resulting lubricant example portion portion portion solubility viscosity fiber-metal number acid of acid of c.sub.2 h.sub.4 o of c.sub.3 h.sub.6 o phase in h.sub.2 o cps at 25.degree. c. friction(4) __________________________________________________________________________ i caproic 25 50 25 liquid sol. 55 h ii palargonic 25 50 25 liquid sol. 75 m iii coconut 25 50 25 liquid sol. 105 l iv coconut 19 54 27 liquid sol. 145 m v coconut 40 40 20 liquid ins. 75 l vi coconut 25 75 0 paste sol. -- h vii coconut 25 30 45 liquid ins. 85 l viii coconut 25 40 35 liquid sol. 95 l ix oleic 25 50 25 liquid sol. 140 m x "monomer".sup.(1) 25 50 25 liquid sol. 145 l xi stearic .sup.(2) 25 50 25 liquid sol. 150 l xii stearic .sup.(2) 19 54 27 liquid sol. 195 h xiii stearic .sup.(2) 34 44 22 liquid sol. 120 l xiv stearic .sup.(2) 25 75 0 paste sol. -- vh xv stearic .sup.(2) 25 30 45 liquid ins. 135 l xvi stearic .sup.(2) 25 65 10 paste sol. -- h xvii hyd. marine .sup.(3) 25 50 25 liquid sol. 155 h __________________________________________________________________________ .sup.(1) essentially a mixture of oleic and isostearic acid from the "dimer" process. .sup.(2) the stearic acid is derived from hydrogenated tallow. .sup.(3) fatty acid mixture from hydrogenated marine oil glycerides. .sup.(4) refers to very heavy (vh), heavy (h), medium (m), or light (l) friction when the lubricant is applied to fibers of spun acrylic carpet yarns, which yarn pulled over a metal pin. in table i, it is noted that examples v, vi, vii, xiv, xv and xvi result in unsuitable products. in example v the proportion of acid was too high, resulting in a water insoluble liquid. in examples vi and xiv the amount of propylene oxide was too low, resulting in a paste. in examples vii and xv the amount of propylene oxide was too high resulting in an insoluble liquid. in example xvi the amount of ethylene oxide was too high resulting in a paste. selected products from the above examples were further tested for compatability with commonly used antistatic agents, using seven parts lubricant and one antistatic agent. table ii below gives the results of the tests. table ii ______________________________________ compatability example number example no. lubricant from antistatic properties of of test table i agent the mixture ______________________________________ xviii ex. iii atlas g-263.sup.(1) clear, completely h.sub.2 o-sol. xix ex. x nopcostat 092.sup.(2) clear, completely h.sub.2 o-sol. xx ex. xii gafac clear, mc-470.sup.(3) completely h.sub.2 o-sol. xxi ex. xvii atlas clear, g-3780a.sup.(4) completely h.sub.2 o-sol. ______________________________________ .sup.(1) n-cetyl-n-ethyl morpholinium ethosulfate .sup.(2) fatty acid imidazoline .sup.(3) complex organic phosphate ester .sup.(4) polyoxyethylene amine condensate to compare the thermal stability of the lubricant of example iii with other similar fiber finishes, beakers containing equal quantities of each were placed side-by-side on a hot plate, and the temperature was allowed to rise, rapidly. careful note was made of the obvious manifestations of decomposition. the results of these experiments are contained in table iii. table iii __________________________________________________________________________ thermal stability product time (min) temp. .degree. c. color remarks __________________________________________________________________________ nopcostat 2152-p 0 25 amber appearance prior to heating atlas g3780-a 0 25 amber appearance prior to heating example iii 0 25 straw appearance prior to heating 2152-p 40 160 dk. red smoking g3780-a 40 160 red smoking example iii 40 160 straw light smoke 2152-p 80 180 purp-black heavy smoke g3780-a 80 180 purp-black heavy smoke example iii 80 180 light yellow light smoke __________________________________________________________________________ in order to test the steam volitality of example iii and compare it with similar products, the same were dissolved or dispersed to provide about 0.3% concentration in 150 ml. of tap water. the water was then evaporated at 85.degree. c.-95.degree. c. in an oven in order to simulate conditions in a drying chamber for wet staple fibers. by keeping the temperature below 100.degree. c., the loss of product was assumed to be a function of volatility with water vapor since there was no boiling or entrainment effect. the results of these tests are contained in table iv. table iv ______________________________________ steam volatility initial final residue weight weight from % product g. g. h.sub.2 o, g. loss ______________________________________ nopco rsf-15 0.4755 0.3942 0.0074 18.7% example iii 0.4482 0.4495 0.0074 1.3% ______________________________________ still another test was conducted using the lubricants of examples iii and ix which were respectively applied to acrylic spun carpet yarn and pulled by a weight over a steel pin. an acceptable lubricant under such circumstances would generate less than 220 grams of tension and a prior art acceptable mineral oil type of lubricant generated 195 grams. yarns treated with example iii developed 145 grams of tension and yarn treated with example ix developed 140 grams. in using my lubricant, from about 0.2% to about 3% lubricant based on the weight of the fibers is required. with spun yarns for apparel, my lubricant should comprise about 0.25% of the total weight of the yarn. with the heavier carpet yarn, it should constitute about 0.6% of the total weight of the yarn. in filament yarn for knitting, it should constitute about 1% of the total weight of the yarn and with industrial yarns, such as tire cord, cord for conveyor belts and the like, it should constitute from about 2% to about 3% of the total weight of the cord or yarn. one advantage of the present lubricant is the fact that it needs no emulsifier to produce a suitable lubricant. in other words, the random copolymers of polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol monoester of the present invention are suitable for use, as such, or in aqueous solution and can be applied to both monofilament fibers and spun or staple synthetic fibers in the same manner as the prior art finishes are applied. for example, my lubricant can be dribbled onto the fiber mat. the fibers may be dipped into the lubricant and thereafter squeezed or the lubricant may be sprayed onto the fibers. furthermore, my lubricant can be mixed with a variety of antistatic agents, when desired. thus, when used as a lubricant for nylon or polyester fibers, it is recommended that my lubricant be used in conjunction with one of the antistatic agents with which the lubricant is compatible. my lubricants are particularly useful for lubricating nylon and polyester texturized filament and for rayon staple fiber also, when minute amounts of my lubricants are to be applied to staple fibers, the lubricant is diluted with water to provide up to about 20%, by weight, an aqueous solution of my lubricant. this is then sprayed onto the staple fiber mat. about a 10% aqueous solution is recommended. after spraying, the water is usually driven off using hot air. as a rule, my lubricants are applied to synthetic staple yarns immediately after the yarn is cut and prior to the time that the yarns are baled. with monofilament yarns, my lubricants should, be applied, immediately after the fiber is drawn, as by "kiss coating" or by passing the drawn fiber through a bath of my lubricant. while my lubricants are particularly suitable for application to substantially all synthetic fibers, my lubricant is also useful for application to natural fibers, such as cotton, wool and silk. from the foregoing description, it should now be apparent that my lubricants, being chemically prepared, have a uniformity which exceeds those natural lubricants of the prior art. thus, the problems of quality control are reduced. variation in the pick up and hand of fibers treated with my lubricant are minimum and increases in carding speed is possible when synthetic fibers containing my lubricant are processed. furthermore, the lubricant itself requires no special handling in that no external heat, steam tracer lines, or special storage vats are required to store lubricants of the present invention, since they are liquid under ambient conditions. lubricants of the present invention also do not separate during bulk storage of the same. other prior art finishes do tend to separate when stored for extended periods of time. the lubricants of the present invention appear to be stable at temperatures much higher than those temperatures which would be applied to fibers during the drying processes. furthermore, the lubricants of the present invention do not appear to readily be distilled by steam. this appears to be a major advance, for example, for rayon treated with my lubricants over rayon treated with prior art lubricants which readily distill off of the rayon during the oven drying of the product, and thereby collect in the exhaust systems, causing severe fire hazards. indeed, the lubricants of the present invention appear to remain on the fibers even after steam drying, thereby reducing the fire hazard, and reducing the clean up time. while, heretofore, the machinery utilized in the production of staple fibers become extremely dirty, due to the loss of lubricant during the processing of the staple, the present lubricants appear to have just the opposite effect. for example, when a lubricant of the present invention was employed on rayon fibers, it cleaned up the machinery through which the fibers passed, instead of causing an accumulation of "gunk" on such machinery. the lubricants of the present invention are not effected by the normal ph changes in the finish water. indeed, zwhen some prior art lubricants are used, hand can be completely changed with a wash ph change. of major economic importance when using the lubricants of the present invention with rayon staple fibers, is the fact that smaller amounts of heat are required to dry the fibers which contains the lubricants of the present invention than rayon which has been treated with prior art lubricants. thus, a mill can use its existing equipment for drying and by simply adding additional spinnerettes can feed more fiber poundage through this drying equipment, thereby increasing capacity by some 15%-25%. the lubricants of the present invention, being esters, have a mild pleasant smell and, therefore, imparts this smell to the mill during use. furthermore, the bales of fibers treated with the present lubricants appear to have a clean smell. the evenness and uniformity of application of the present lubricants to the fibers appears to be improved over prior art lubricant. when fibers, treated with lubricants of the present invention are used, the finish solution in the mill remains clear and will remain stable without agitation. the textile cards are able to run at a higher pounds per hour rate when staple fibers using the present lubricants are processed in these cards. the fly on drawing and especially on roving frames of synthetic fibers treated with my lubricants appears to be less. the wet-out rate of fibers treated with my lubricants appears to be much faster than fibers treated with prior art lubricants which are water insoluble. this is especially helpful on non-woven fabrics, such as innerliners for disposable diapers. the resiliency, openness and hand of staple fibers which utilize my lubricants appear to be excellent. with the addition of the good hand which is imparted by the lubricants of the present invention, a mill should have a high rate of confidence in the fiber finished with the lubricants of the present invention. the card web, roving package and yarn has a leaner and cleaner appearance. the tackiness which is common in card laps from fibers treated with fatty acids, is eliminated when fibers treated with lubricants of the present invention are processed.
086-335-657-046-682	KR	[ "US" ]	F23C7/00,F23D14/24	1998-11-23T00:00:00	1998	[ "F23" ]	swirler plate in gas burner	swirler plate in a gas burner, the swirler plate having a plurality of slits formed in a radial direction for supplying a mixed gas to a combustion chamber, and a plurality of swirl vanes formed on one side of the slits for guiding the mixed gas from the slits to the combustion chamber, including a swirl vane for a flame detector having an angle of a slope formed lower than angles of slopes of other swirl vanes, the swirl vane for a flame detector having a combustion main reaction region in which the flame detector is fitted.	1. a swirler plate for a gas burner, the swirler plate having a plurality of slits for supplying a mixed gas to a combustion chamber, comprising: a plurality of swirl vanes formed on one side of the slits for guiding the mixed gas from the slits to the combustion chamber, wherein the swirl vanes are configured to guide the mixed gas into the combustion chamber such that the mixed gas swirls around a central axis of the swirler plate; and a plurality of supplementary swirl holes in a central portion of the swirler plate, wherein the supplementary swirl holes are configured to maintain a flame in the combustion chamber when a supply pressure of the mixed gas suddenly drops. 2. a swirler plate for a gas burner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary swirl holes are formed such that they will be opposite to spray holes of a gas spray nozzle adjacent the swirler plate. 3. a swirler plate for a gas burner as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a center supplementary swirl hole located at a center of the swirler plate. 4. a swirler plate for a gas burner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary swirl holes have a diameter that is approximately one to three times a thickness of the swirler plate. 5. a swirler plate as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plurality of supplementary swirl holes are configured such that a mixed gas supplied to the combustion chamber through the supplementary swirl holes will remain lit if a pressure of a supplied gas temporarily decreases. 6. a swirler plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of swirl vanes is a flame detector vane that is configured to guide mixed gas toward a flame detector, and wherein the flame detector vane has a slope angle that is smaller than slope angles of other swirl vanes. 7. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flame detector vane is configured to have a combustion main reaction region in an area where the flame detector is fitted. 8. the swirler plate as claimed in claim , wherein the flame deteoctr vane has a slope angle that is approximately 20-25% smaller than the slope angles of other swirl vanes. 9. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 8, wherein the flame detector vane has a slope angle that is approximately 30% smaller than the slope angles of other swirl vanes. 10. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of swirl vanes is an ignition vane that is configured to guide mixed gas toward an ignition plug that lights the mixed gas, and wherein the ignition vane is configured to concentrate the supplied mixed gas immediately adjacent the ignition plug. 11. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 10, wherein a projection is formed on the ignition vane to concentrate the supplied mixed gas immediately adjacent the ignition plug. 12. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 11, wherein the projection is formed on a central portion of the ignition vane. 13. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of swirl vanes is a flame detector vane that is configured to guide mixed gas toward a flame detector, and wherein the flame detector vane has a slope angle that is smaller than slope angles of other swirl vanes. 14. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flame detector vane is configured to have a combustion main reaction region in a area where the flame detector is fitted. 15. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flame detector vane has a slope angle that is approximately 20.50% smaller than the slope angles of other swirl vanes. 16. the swirler plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the swirler plate is approximately circular, and wherein the slits extend in a radial direction. 17. a swirler plate for a gas burner, comprising: a plate having a plurality of slits formed therein for supplying a mixed gas from a first side of the swirler plate to a combustion chamber located adjacent a second side of the swirler plate; a plurality of swirl vanes formed on the swirler plate, wherein the swirl vanes are configured to guide the mixed gas from the slits to the combustion chamber; and a plurality of secondary swirl holes formed in a central portion of the plate, wherein the secondary swirl holes are also configured to supply the mixed gas to the combustion chamber, and wherein the plurality of secondary swirl holes are configured to maintain a flame in the combustion chamber when a supply pressure of the mixed gas suddenly drops. 18. the swirler plate of claim 17, wherein the supplementary swirl holes are configured such that a mixed gas supplied to the combustion chamber through the supplementary swirl holes will remain lit if a pressure of a supplied gas temporarily decreases. 19. the swirler plate of claim 17, wherein one of the swirl vanes comprises a flame detector vane, wherein the flame detector vane is configured to guide the mixed gas toward a flame detector positioned in the combustion chamber, and wherein the flame detector vane has a slope angle that is smaller than slope angles of other swirl vanes. 20. the swirler plate of claim 19, wherein one of the swirl vanes comprises an ignition vane that is configured to concentrate the supplied mixed gas immediately adjacent an ignition plug that is positioned in the combustion chamber.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a gas burner, and more particularly, to a swirler plate in a gas burner in which gas is burnt. 2. background of the related art in general, the gas burner is an appliance for burning a gas (lng, lpg, and the like) for room heating and etc., using a heat from the combustion. a related art gas burner will be explained with reference to figs. 1 and 2. there are a suction grill 2 in a lower portion of a body 1 for drawing external air, a discharge grill 3 for discharging heated air having a heat exchanged in the gas burner in an upper portion, a combustion chamber 4 in the body 1 for burning gas, a fan housing 5 for placing a fan 5a under the combustion chamber, and a heat exchanger 7 above the combustion chamber. and, there is a gas discharge pipe 8 connected to the heat exchanger for discharging exhaust gas to outside of the room an air supply pipe 9 connected to the combustion chamber, and a fan 9a at an outlet of the air supply pipe 9 for drawing air. in the meantime, there is a burner unit in the combustion chamber 4 for mixing air and gas, and igniting the mixed gas, to make a flame, to which a gas supply pipe 6 is connected. the burner unit will be explained in detail with reference to figs. 3.about.5. there is a draft tube 20 provided with a nozzle 10 having a plurality of gas spray holes 11 at an end thereof for mixing gas and air and supplying the mixed gas to the combustion chamber, a flame detector 30 and an ignition plug 40, one end of each of which is passed through the draft tube and projected into the combustion chamber. the draft tube 20 has a tube body 21 and a swirler plate 22 formed as a unit in front of the tube body. the swirler plate 22 has a plurality of slits 23 formed in a radial direction for supplying the mixed gas to the combustion chamber, and swirl vanes 24 on one side of the slits 23 for guiding the mixed gas toward the combustion chamber. the swirl vanes 24 are oriented in one direction and have the same slopes, for providing the mixed gas discharged through the slits with a circulating force to make a smooth mix of the gas and the air, and a strong injection force to the mixed gas. accordingly, external air and gas are mixed in the draft tube 20, and injected into the combustion chamber 4 through the slits 23 in the swirler plate 22. the gas sprayed through the gas spray holes 11 in the nozzle can be directed to the slits 23 smoothly because the orientation of the slits 23 in the swirler plate is within a spray span of the gas sprayed through the gas spray holes 11 in the nozzle. that is, since an end of the nozzle 10 having the gas spray holes formed therein is sloped an angle, such that a direction of the gas spray hole 11 corresponds to a direction of the slits 23. the ignition plug 40 ignites the mixed gas sprayed into the combustion chamber, the flame detector 30 determines an occurrence of a flame, which is in general of an ac flame detection type using an fet (field effect transistor). that is, ignition, i.e., occurrence of the flame is detected by the flame detector 30 and the ignition plug 40 is controlled according to a result of detection. the operation of the gas burner will be explained. upon putting the gas burner into operation, a controller(not shown) controls an air supply fan 9a to rotate, to draw external air and gas. the drawn air and gas are mixed appropriately and sprayed into the combustion chamber 4 through the slits 23. the mixed gas sprayed into the combustion chamber is ignited by the ignition plug 40 to form flame in the combustion chamber 4. the flame detector 30 detects the flame ignited initially and inputs to the controller, so that the controller compares a value of the flame detection to a present flame reference value. if it is determined that the mixed gas is ignited normally as a result of the comparison, operation of the ignition plug 40 is stopped so that no more flame is formed. that is, the flame detector 30 measures a flame voltage of the mixed gas, to determine formation of the flame and a state of the flame during operation. in the meantime as shown in fig. 4, the flame at the swirl vane diverges, to form a combustion main reaction region `b`(a region the flame voltage caused by flame ions is the highest) at outer periphery, and there is almost no flame voltage in other regions. however, the flame detector 30 can be positioned, not in the combustion main reaction region of the slit(called as "a first slit". defined as "flame detector swirl vane") 23b, but in combustion main reaction region of a slit (called as a second slit)23b right before the first slit 23a. accordingly, the flame detector detects formation of a flame discharged through the second slit. a structure of the burner unit for the related art gas burner has the following problems. first, accurate detection fo flame formation and a flame state have been difficult in the related art. because, as explained, the flame detector detects a flame, not at the first slit, but at the second slit. however, the flame discharged through the second slit is directed upward by a second swirl vane slope, such that the flame detector can detect only a portion of the flame form a region of an intensive flame, to fail an accurate detection of formation of the flame (see fig. 6). due to this, in order to solve this problem in the related art, a shape of the flame detector is modified, or an overall height of the flame detector is made higher, however, the above measure pushes up a cost since the flame detector is expensive, and has problems in view of fabrication, i.e., fastening of the flame detector and swirler plate, formation the flame detector. the elevation of the overall height of the flame detector rather causes malfunction for influences of external environment, such as noise signal, deformation coming from a prolonged use, and interference with other components. second, though the gas burner is required to maintain a flame constant during operation, the related art gas burner has occasions in which the flame is either unstable or out due to a momentary drop of a gas pressure. because a momentary flow of much air through the air supply pipe causes a momentary low pressure of the supplied gas, with a sharp reduction of discharge fuel, that increases a fuel to air ratio, to result in an unstable flame or flame out. third, the poor ignition performance of the related art gas burner has occasions in which ignition is delayed or failed due to poor ignition. because the related art swirl vanes 24b of a planar form sprays the mixed gas evenly throughout the slit 23b, that causes discharged ignition nuclei not to concentration on an end of the ignition plug, but dispersed(see fig. 5). summary of the invention accordingly, the present invention is directed to a swirler plate in a gas burner that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. an object of the present invention is to provide a swirler plate in a gas burner, which can improve a detecting performance of a flame in a combustion chamber. other object of the present invention is to provide a swirler plate in a gas burner, which can improve a stability of flame. another object of the present invention is to provide a swirler plate in a gas burner, which can improve an ignition performance. additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. the objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. to achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the swirler plate in a gas burner, having a plurality of slits formed in a redial direction for supplying a mixed gas to a combustion chamber, and a plurality of swirl vanes formed on one side of the slits for guiding the mixed gas from the slits to the combustion chamber, includes a swirl vane for a flame detector having an angle of a slope formed lower than angles of slopes of other swirl vanes, the swirl vane for a flame detector having a combustion main reaction region in which the flame detector is fitted. a plurality of supplementary swirl holes are provided in a central portion of the swirler plate. an electric field concentrating means formed in the swirl vane for the ignition plug disposed right before the ignition plug among swirl vanes for concentrating an electric field. it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention: in the drawings: fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a related art gas burner; fig. 2 illustrates a section of the related art gas burner in fig. 1; fig. 3 illustrates an enlarged sectional view of "a" part in fig. 2; fig. 4 illustrates a front view of fig. 3; fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a "c" part in fig. 4; fig. 6 illustrates a section across line i--i in fig. 4; fig. 7 illustrates a section showing a swirler plate in a gas burner in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, which correspond to fig. 6; fig. 8 illustrates a front view showing a swirler plate in a gas burner in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to fig. 4; fig. 9 illustrates a section showing a swirler plate in a gas burner in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to fig. 5; figs. 10a and 10b illustrate a flame voltage vs. a heat release rate and an excess air ratio, for the related art gas burner (fig. 10a) and the first embodiment gas burner of the present invention(fig. 10b), respectively; fig. 11 illustrates a graph shown an influence of gas pressure in a burner unit to a flame, for a related art gas burner and the second embodiment gas burner; fig. 12 illustrates a graph showing variation of gas quantity supplied in ignition vs. a quantity of unburned gas, for the related art and the third embodiment; and, fig. 13 illustrates a graph showing a flare voltage vs. ignition time, for the related art and the third embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. components of the present invention identical to the related art will be given the same reference symbols, and explanations for the identical components will be omitted. a first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig. 7. the first embodiment of the present invention is substantially identical to the related art, except that the first embodiment suggests to form one of a plurality of swirl vanes formed on a swirler plate 22 to have a smaller slope .theta. or height h than others for accurate detection of a flame by a flame detector. that is, the first embodiment suggests to form a slope angle of only one swirl vane smaller to permit an accurate flame detection without deterioration of a stability of flame and a combustion efficiency by maintaining a total flame release the same. in detail, as explained in the related art, because the flame detector 30 is positioned in a combustion main reaction region of flame of the second swirl vane 24b positioned in front of a first swirl vane 24a, an angle of a slope of the second swirl vane 24b is formed smaller than other swirl vanes. by doing this, the flame by the second swirl vane 24b can be sprayed into the combustion main reaction region where is the flame detector 30, with, in general, forming an angle of a slope smaller than the flame by the first swirl vane 24a, to increase a contact surface between the flame detector and the flame, that improves a stability of the flame voltage detection. and, formation of flame can be measured accurately even if a quantity of heat release is not great, since the flame detector can detect a flame voltage of a high voltage band. in detail, in general, a flame has two kinds of structure; a periphery has red color while an interior of the flame has blue or white, which come form differences of temperature and energy. provided that the flame detector can be brought into contact with the interior of a flame, the flame detection can be done very accurately. the inventors of the present invention noticed this. that is, the flame by the fist swirl vane 24 is pressed by a flow by the second swirl vane 121 because the angle of slope .theta. of the second swirl vane 24b is formed low, such that an interior of the flame by the first swirl vane is brought into contact with a lower portion of the flame detector and the flame by the second swirl vane itself is lowered to be brought into contact with an upper portion of the flame detector. according to this, as the flame detector is brought into contact with the flame in overall, an accurate flame detection is made available. the angle of slope .theta. of the second swirl vane 24b is formed smaller than other swirl vanes preferably by approx. 20.about.50%, and more preferably by approx. 30%. because, if the angle of slope of the second swirl vane 24b is smaller by more than 50%, all the strong flame region guided by the second swirl vane can not be within the measuring region of the flame detector 30, but a portion of the flame region is out of the measuring region the same as a case of the related art. and, when the angle of slope .theta. of the second swirl vane is not lower by more than approx. 20% of other angle of slopes, a smooth discharge of flame can not be made, such that the flame is out of a measuring range of the flame detector. referring to figs. 10a and 10b, the related art gas burner detects a voltage in a range of approx. 1.2v only when an excess air ratio is low(approx. 1 time) and a heat release rate is high(17000 kcal/h). as the gas burner of the present invention can detects a voltage in a range of approx. 1.4v, even if the excess air ratio is high(appprox. two times) and a heat release rate is low, facilitating an accurate and fast measurement of flame formation. a second embodiment swirler plate in a gas burner of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig. 8. the second embodiment of the present invention suggests to provide a plurality of supplementary swirl holes 100 in a center portion of the swirl plate, i.e., inside of the slits 23. the supplementary swirl holes 100 are formed along a circle in a radial direction, preferably in correspondence to a direction of the gas spray holes 11 in the nozzle, substantially. preferably, there is also one supplementary swirl hole at a center of the swirl plate(called, "center supplementary swirl hole") 110. the supplementary swirl hole 100 preferably has a diameter within one to three times of a thickness of the swirl plate 22. for example, when the swirl plate 22 has a thickness of 1 mm, the supplementary swirl hole has a diameter of 1.about.3 mm. appropriate diameter of the supplementary swirl hole 100 sized according to the thickness of the swirler plate facilitates an equilibrium between a quantity of the mixed gas discharged through the supplementary swirl hole and a burning rate of the mixed gas. that is, if the diameter of the supplementary swirl hole is greater than three times of the thickness of the swirler plate, the quantity of mixed gas discharged through the supplementary swirl holes is greater than the burning rate of the flame, resulting in an unstable formation of flame. and, if the diameter of the supplementary swirl hole is smaller than the thickness of the swirler plate, the discharge of the mixed gas through the supplementary swirl holes becomes not smooth in comparison to the burning rate of the flame, resulting in a formation of flame which is not smooth. the operation of the swirler plate in a gas burner in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained. as the supplementary swirl holes 100 have small diameters, when the gas burner is put into operation, most of the mixed gas is discharged through the supplementary swirl holes 100. and, since the supplementary swirl holes are positioned within a range of gas discharge of the gas spray holes 11 in the nozzle 10, a smooth discharge is possible. if a gas pressure is dropped from an external influence during combustion, a quantity of the gas discharged into the combustion chamber 4 through the slits 23 will be reduced, to increase a relative flow rate of the air than a flow rate of the gas, resulting in an unstable flame formed through the slits 23. however, since the flame formed at the supplementary swirl holes 100 are stable continuously, the flame is not out, but maintained. because the supplementary flame holed have comparatively small diameters, and are positioned close to the gas spray holes 11 in the nozzle 10, the gas can be still supplied to the supplementary swirl holes 100 even if the gas pressure is dropped sharply. referring to fig. 11, it can be known that, though the related art gas burner without the supplementary swirl holes shows a flame out when the gas pressure is approx. 80 mmaq, the gas burner of this embodiment can still maintain the flame even if the gas pressure reaches to approx. 40 mmaq. provided that the flame can be maintained continuously, a stable combustion can be made available when a gas supply pressure is increased again to increase a gas quantity again, that permits to reignite the mixed gas discharged through the slits by means of the flame maintained owing to the supplementary swirl holes. in the meantime it is necessary to assemble the nozzle and the draft tube such that centers both fo the nozzle and the draft tube are brought coincident for smoother gas spray, which bring about a stable flame. the center supplementary swirl hole 110 serves for, not only improving flame maintenance effect the same with the other supplementary swirl holes 100, but also facilitating verification of the coincidence of the centers of the nozzle and the draft tube when the nozzle 10 and the draft tube 20 are assembled. a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig. 9. the third embodiment of the present invention suggests to provide a swirler plate in a gas burner having an electric field concentrating means 200 in a swirl vane formed right before an ignition plug, i.e., a second swirl vane 24b(called as "ignition plug swirl vane" hereafter) for concentrating a mixed gas discharged toward the ignition plug 40. the electric field concentrating means 200 employs a phenomenon in which an electric field concentrates at a portion where is a sharp change of a sectional area. therefore, the electric field concentrating means 100 may be provided by providing a sharp change in a sectional area of the swirl vane which serves as a discharge objective of the ignition plug. though it is possible that formation of the electric field concentrating means 200 through out the second swirl vane 24b, it is preferable that the electric field concentrating means 200 is provided only in a portion of the second swirl vane, if it is taken into consideration that the mixed gas is discharged even after the ignition is achieved. in detail, a projection is provided on a top surface fo the second swirl vane 24b for use as the electric field concentrating means 200, to which sparks of the ignition plug are to be concentrated. as shown in fig. 9, as a preferred embodiment, the electric filed concentrating means 200 has a triangular section with an upward slope as it goes to an end of the second swirl vane 24b. and, the electric filed concentrating means 200 may be formed, not as a unit with the second swirl vane 24b, but separately. the function of this embodiment will be explained. when the gas burner is put into operation, since the mixed gas discharged toward the ignition plug is guided by the electric field concentrating means 200 on the second swirl vane such that the mixed gas is concentrated at a central portion of the mixed gas, the mixed gas is concentrated to an end of the ignition plug. as a discharge range of ignition nuclei is concentrated to the end side of the ignition plug 40, smoother ignition can be achieved. as shown in fig. 12, it can be known that the present invention can reduce a quantity of unburned gas substantially for a quantity of gas supplied during ignition in comparison to the related art, which implies that the ignition is fast in comparison to the related art and a smoother combustion is possible. and, as shown in fig. 13, it can be known that the swirler plate in a gas burner of the present invention can make a fast ignition with an extremely short ignition time lag, and has an excellent ignition performance compared to the related art. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the swirler plate in a gas burner of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
087-875-892-102-713	JP	[ "EP", "US", "CN", "JP" ]	G01D5/20,F02D9/10,F02D9/08,G01B7/30,F02D11/10,F02D35/00,G01D5/245,F16K31/12	2006-10-11T00:00:00	2006	[ "G01", "F02", "F16" ]	motor-driven airflow control device	the invention discloses a motor-driven airflow control device for controlling a throttle valve (2) fixed to a throttle valve shaft (3) by a motor (20) by transmitting the rotation of the motor (20) to the throttle valve shaft (3) through a reduction gear and providing a rotation angle sensor for detecting the rotational position of the throttle valve shaft (3) at the end on the side of the reduction gear of the throttle valve shaft (3). the rotation angle sensor comprises energizing conductors (3a;3a) for being annularly arranged on the substrate (3;27), and generating magnetic fields by applying a current; an exciting conductor (1d) for being fixed to a rotated detection element and spaced from and not in contact with said energizing conductors (3a;3a) to generate a current according to the rotational position of the rotated detection element through electromagnetic induction; and receiving conductors (3b;3b) for being arranged on the substrate (3;27) to generate currents according to the current flowing in said exciting conductor (1d). the substrate (3;27) is attached to a gear cover (25;29) made of a resin material which covers the reduction gear; and a shield member made of a resin material is provided between said exciting conductor (1d) provided on the rotated detection element and said energizing (3a;3a) and receiving conductors (3b;3b) provided on the substrate (3;27) to cover said energizing (3a;3a) and receiving conductors (3b;3b) to shield said energizing (3a;3a) and receiving conductors (3b;3b) from ambient air.	1 . a rotation angle sensor, comprising: a case member for covering a rotated detection element, and a substrate is attached to said case member; energizing conductors for being each annularly arranged on the substrate, and generating a magnetic field by applying a current; an exciting conductor for being fixed to the rotated detection element and spaced from and not in contact with said energizing conductors to generate a current according to the rotational position of the rotated detection element through electromagnetic induction; and receiving conductors for being each arranged on the substrate to generate a current according to the current flowing in said exciting conductor; wherein a shield member made of a resin material is provided between said exciting conductor provided on the rotated detection element and said energizing and receiving conductors that are provided on the substrate to cover said energizing and receiving conductors to shield said energizing and receiving conductors from ambient air. 2 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 1 , wherein: a window hole is formed on said case member, and the substrate is fixed to said case member with said energizing and receiving conductors positioned so as to face said exciting conductor at said window hole; and the shield member made of a resin material is sandwiched between the substrate and said case member. 3 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 1 , wherein: a window hole is formed on said case member, and the substrate is fixed to said case member with said energizing and receiving conductors positioned so as to face said exciting conductor at said window hole; and the shield member made of a resin material is attached to the surface on the side of said energizing conductors of said case member so as to cover said window hole formed on said case member. 4 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 1 , wherein: the shield member made of a resin material is formed on the substrate as a coating film that covers said energizing and receiving conductors. 5 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 2 , wherein: said case member is provided with a storage wall that surrounds the periphery of said window hole on the surface on the opposite side of said energizing conductor; the substrate is stored within the storage wall; and the storage wall is further provided with a cover plate for insulating the substrate from ambient air. 6 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 5 , wherein: connectors are integrally formed on said case member, and terminal conductors are integrally arranged on the connectors through resin molding, one end of each of the connectors being exposed to ambient air and the other end to the storage section; and said energizing and receiving conductors on the substrate are electrically connected to the other end of each of the terminal conductors. 7 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 1 , wherein: said receiving conductors are wired on the inner side of said energizing conductors and composed of portions that radially extend and are circumferentially arranged at fixed intervals, inner circumference arc-shaped portions connecting inner circumference ends of the radially extending portions, and outer circumference arc-shaped portions connecting outer circumference ends of the radiating portions; and said exciting conductor includes radiating conductors corresponding to the radially extending portions of said receiving conductors and arc-shaped conductors corresponding to said annular energizing conductors. 8 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 2 , wherein: a depression is formed at the periphery of said window hole, and said shield member made of a resin material is fixed to said case member by adhesive agent provided in said depression. 9 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 8 , wherein: cutouts are formed at the periphery of said shield member made of a resin material, at which the adhesive agent is attached to the substrate to fix the substrate to said case member. 10 . the rotation angle sensor according to claim 9 , wherein: cutouts are formed at adhesive agent at the periphery of said window hole of said shield member made of a resin material, and the substrate covers said cutouts. 11 . a motor-driven airflow control device for controlling a throttle valve fixed to a throttle valve shaft by a motor by transmitting the rotation of the motor to the throttle valve shaft through a reduction gear and providing a rotation angle sensor for detecting the rotational position of the throttle valve shaft at the end on the side of the reduction gear of the throttle valve shaft, wherein the rotation angle sensor comprises: energizing conductors for being annularly arranged on the substrate, and generating magnetic fields by applying a current; an exciting conductor for being fixed to a rotated detection element and spaced from and not in contact with said energizing conductors to generate a current according to the rotational position of the rotated detection element through electromagnetic induction; and receiving conductors for being arranged on the substrate to generate currents according to the current flowing in said exciting conductor; wherein the substrate is attached to a gear cover made of a resin material which covers the reduction gear; and wherein a shield member made of a resin material is provided between said exciting conductor provided on the rotated detection element and said energizing and receiving conductors provided on the substrate to cover said energizing and receiving conductors to shield said energizing and receiving conductors from ambient air. 12 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 11 , wherein: a window hole is formed on the gear cover made of a resin material, and the substrate is fixed to the gear cover with said energizing and receiving conductors positioned so as to face said exciting conductor at said window hole; and the shield member made of a resin material is sandwiched between the substrate and the gear cover. 13 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 11 , wherein: a window hole is formed on the gear cover made of a resin material, and the substrate is fixed to the gear cover made with said energizing and receiving conductors positioned so as to face said exciting conductor at said window hole; and the shield member made of a resin material is attached to the surface on the side of said energizing conductors of the gear cover so as to cover said window hole formed on the gear cover. 14 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 11 , wherein: the shield member made of a resin material is formed on the substrate as a coating film that covers said energizing and receiving conductors. 15 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 12 , wherein: the gear cover made of a resin material is provided with a storage wall that extends at the periphery of said window hole on the surface on the opposite side of said energizing conductors; the substrate is stored within the storage wall; and the storage wall is further provided with a cover plate for insulating the substrate from ambient air. 16 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 15 , wherein: connectors are integrally formed on the gear cover made of a resin material, and terminal conductors are integrally arranged on the connectors through resin molding, one end of each of the connectors being exposed to ambient air and the other end to the storage section; and said energizing and receiving conductors on the substrate are electrically connected to the other end of each of the terminal conductors. 17 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 11 , wherein: said receiving conductors are wired on the inner side of said energizing conductor and composed of portions that radially extend and are circumferentially arranged at fixed intervals, inner circumference arc-shaped portions connecting inner circumference ends of the radiating portions, and outer circumference arc-shaped portions connecting outer circumference ends of the radiating portions; and said exciting conductor includes radiating conductors corresponding to the radially extending portions of said receiving conductors and arc-shaped conductors circumferentially arranged along the annular energizing conductors. 18 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 12 , wherein: a depression is formed at the periphery of said window hole, and said shield member made of a resin material is fixed to said case member by adhesive agent provided in said depression. 19 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 18 , wherein: cutouts are formed at the periphery of said shield member made of a resin material, at which the adhesive agent is attached to the substrate to fix the substrate to said case member. 20 . the motor-driven airflow control device according to claim 19 , wherein: cutouts are formed at adhesive agent at the periphery of said window hole of said shield member made of a resin material, and the substrate covers said cutouts.	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a rotation angle sensor which detects a rotational position of a rotating conductor. the invention is based on the principle that the inductance between a conductor attached to a rotating shaft of a rotary member and a coil conductor attached to a stator facing the former conductor changes according to positional relation between both conductors. further, the present invention relates to a motor-driven airflow control device which electrically controls an area of opening of an air intake passage of an internal combustion engine by use of a motor-driven throttle valve, the apparatus including the above-mentioned rotation angle sensor in order to detect a rotational angle of the throttle valve. 2. description of the related art examples of a so-called non-contact rotation angle sensor, which detects a position or rotational angle of a rotary member through inductance variation, include an apparatus disclosed in jp-a-2003-254782. this rotation angle sensor includes a magnetic disc and a conductor disc. the magnetic disc and conductor disc each have a slit in a radial direction and intersect with each other at the slits, one of the discs being fixed and the other attached to a rotating shaft, wherein an exposure area of the magnetic disc and the conductor disc viewed from one side of the shaft direction is changed with the rotation to vary the inductance of a coil disposed in proximity thereto, thereby detecting an angular position of the rotating shaft through inductance variation. further, the use of this kind of rotation angle sensor as a rotation angle sensor for a motor-driven throttle valve is proposed u.s. pat. no. 6,886,800. summary of the invention with a conventional non-contact rotation angle sensor of this kind, it is necessary to provide a magnetic disc and a conductor disc between two detection coils provided on a stator, one of discs being attached to a rotary member and the other to the stator. this configuration causes a problem that the apparatus becomes large in size. further, if the latter conventional technology is adopted for a motor-driven airflow control device, a substrate with electronic components mounted thereon is exposed to moisture and chemicals from an air intake passage, or resin powder and metal powder which are abrasion powder from gears and bearings, which may cause oxidization, corrosion, or electromagnetic degradation. therefore, it is necessary to take into consideration a problem that the reliability is degraded by such factors. further, if the clearance between a rotating conductor and a substrate having the coils on the stationary (detection) side increases, the electromagnetic induction decreases which may cause degradation of the position detection accuracy. an object of the present invention is to obtain a compact inductance-based rotation angle sensor. further, a second object is to ensure a sufficient reliability and detection accuracy even if the rotation angle sensor is mounted on a motor-driven airflow control device. to accomplish the first object, the present invention comprises: an exciting conductor attached to a rotating shaft of a rotary member; energizing conductors which are attached to a stationary substrate provided in proximity to the rotary member, to excite a current in the exciting conductor in electromagnetic cooperation with the exciting conductor; and signal-generating conductors which are attached to the stationary substrate together with the energizing conductors, in which alternating-current signals are induced by the current generated in the exciting conductor; and is configured so as to detect a rotational position of the exciting conductor from the variation of the alternating-current signal that changes with inductance variation caused by the rotation of the exciting conductor. preferably, a window hole is made on a case to which the stationary substrate is fixed, the stationary substrate is fixed to the case so that the energizing and signal-generating conductors face the exciting conductor of the rotary member through this window hole, and the window hole of the case is covered by a thin shield member to shield the energizing and signal-generating conductors from the space where the exciting conductor of the rotary member is arranged. further, in order to accomplish the second object, an exciting conductor is attached at an end of the rotating shaft to which a throttle valve is attached; a gear cover is attached to the throttle valve control apparatus so as to cover a gear mechanism that transmits motor torque to the rotating shaft; this gear cover is provided with the energizing conductors provided in proximity to the exciting conductor to excite a current in the exciting conductor in electromagnetic cooperation with the exciting conductor, and the signal-generating conductors in which alternating-current signals are induced by a current generated in the exciting conductor; and a rotational position of the rotating shaft to which the above-mentioned exciting conductor is attached is detected from the variation of the alternating-current signal that changes with inductance variation caused by the rotation of the exciting conductor, thus detecting a rotational angle of the throttle valve. preferably, a window hole is made on the gear cover, the stationary substrate with energizing and signal-generating conductors formed thereon is attached to the gear cover so as to face the exciting conductor on the rotating shaft side through this window hole, and the window hole of the gear cover is covered by a thin shield member to shield the energizing and signal-generating conductors from the space where the exciting conductor of the rotary member is arranged. in accordance with the present invention, an inductance-based non-contact rotation angle sensor can compactly be formed at an end of the rotating shaft of the rotary member, making it possible to provide a compact rotation angle sensor or a motor-driven airflow control device including the same. in accordance with a suitable configuration, a signal-detecting element can be insulated from a chamber of the rotary member, making it possible to provide a highly reliable rotation angle sensor which is not affected by environmental conditions on the rotary member side or a motor-driven airflow control device including the same. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of essential parts of an inductance-based non-contact rotation angle sensor. fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of essential parts of an inductance-based non-contact rotation angle sensor. fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of main parts of an inductance-based non-contact rotation angle sensor. fig. 4 is a sectional view of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles. fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a gear cover of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles. fig. 6 is an appearance perspective view of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles. fig. 7 is a perspective view of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles, with a gear cover removed. fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a throttle body side of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles. fig. 9 is a plan view of a gear housing of a motor-driven airflow control device used for diesel engine vehicles. fig. 10 is a sectional view for explaining a part of the configuration of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a third embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 14 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 15 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. fig. 16 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 17 is a sectional view of a motor-driven airflow control device that mounts a stationary substrate inside a gear cover. fig. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of a gear cover of a motor-driven airflow control device that mounts a stationary substrate inside a gear cover. fig. 19 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 20 is a sectional view of a stationary substrate mounting space according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiments embodiments according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. first embodiment an embodiment of a rotation angle sensor according to the present invention will be explained with reference to figs. 1 and 2 . as shown in fig. 1 , a bottomed cylindrical holder 1 b made of resin-molded material is attached at the end of a rotating shaft 1 a. a disc 1 c made of an insulating material is fixed to the end face of the holder 1 b through adhesion. an annular depression 1 e is formed on the end face of the holder 1 b, adhesive agent is poured into this depression 1 e, and the disc 1 c is mounted on the depression to be bonded. a later-mentioned exciting conductor 1 d is printed on the surface (surface on the opposite side of the adhesion surface) of the disc 1 c. grooves axially extending and elongated protrusions axially extending are alternately formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of the holder 1 b. corrugated portions are formed on the inner circumferential surface of a rotary member 1 a so as to fit the grooves and elongated protrusions of the holder 1 b at fitting portions 1 k. the rotary member 1 a and the holder 1 b may be bonded on fitting surfaces using adhesive agent. in this way, the fitting portions 1 k serve to retain and position the holder 1 b. the exciting conductor 1 d is composed of a set of three straight portions 1 d 1 radially extending outward and arc-shaped portions 1 d 2 and 1 d 3 arranged so as to respectively connect the inner and outer circumference sides of the neighboring sets of straight portions 1 d 1 . a total of six sets of straight portions 1 d 1 are arranged at intervals of 60 degrees. a round-shaped window hole 2 b having a diameter slightly larger than that of the holder 1 b is provided in a case 2 a of a sensor. a small annular projection 2 c is formed at the periphery of the window hole 2 b. in the case 2 a, a wall 2 d which forms a space for storing the detecting element is formed at the periphery of the window hole 2 b through resin molding. adhesive agent 2 e is poured into a concaved portion formed by the annular projection 2 c and the wall 2 d. a resin film 2 g as shown in fig. 3 is installed on this adhesive agent 2 e so as to block the annular window hole 2 b. some cutouts 2 g are arranged at the periphery of the resin film 2 g, at which adhesive agent is exposed. on this resin film 2 f, a later-mentioned stationary substrate 3 with energizing conductors 3 a and 3 a and signal-detecting conductors 3 b and 3 b printed thereon is installed. the periphery of the stationary substrate is fixed to the bottom of the case 2 a, together with the resin film 2 f, by the adhesive agent 2 e exposed at the periphery of the resin film 2 f. two square window holes 2 h provided on the film 2 f are used to extract air bubbles accumulated between the adhesive agent 2 e and the resin film 2 f and between the resin film 2 f and the stationary substrate 3 . the resin film 2 f has an area that covers at least the energizing conductors 3 a and the signal-detecting conductors 3 b that are printed on the reverse side of the stationary substrate. further, distances between the stationary substrate 3 and the resin film 2 f are defined so that adhesive agent does not flow into the energizing conductors 3 a and the signal-detecting conductors 3 b from between the stationary substrate 3 and the resin film 2 f. further, it may be possible that a groove be provided on the stationary substrate 3 so as to surround the energizing conductors 3 a and that this groove be covered by the resin film 2 f. even if adhesive agent advances from between the stationary substrate 3 and the resin film 2 f, this configuration prevents the adhesive agent from reaching the energizing conductors 3 a. the storage space of the case 2 a is covered by a cover plate 2 j which is bonded to the case 2 by adhesive agent to shield the storage space from ambient air. terminals 3 k 1 to 3 k 4 molded to the case 2 a are electrically connected to the stationary substrate 3 . four annular energizing conductors 3 a are printed on the stationary substrate 3 which is an insulating substrate, as shown in fig. 2 . further, a plurality of signal-detecting conductors 3 b radially extending outward are printed on the inner side of the energizing conductors. energizing conductors 3 a and signal-detecting conductors 3 b that are similar to the above-mentioned conductors are printed also on the reverse side of the stationary substrate 3 , and the energizing conductors 3 a and signal-detecting conductors 3 b on the obverse and reverse sides are connected through holes 3 c to 3 f. the present embodiment is configured so as to obtain three phases of alternating-current signals each having a phase shifted by 120 degrees from each other from the signal-detecting conductors 3 b. further, by forming two sets of the same non-contact rotation detection apparatuses and comparing mutual signals, the present invention is configured so as to detect abnormal condition of the sensor and mutually back up under abnormal condition. microcomputers 3 l and 3 m are provided with drive control and signal processing functions for respective non-contact rotation angle sensores. of terminals 3 k 1 to 3 k 4 , one is a power supply terminal (for example, 3 k 1 ), another one is a ground terminal (for example, 3 k 3 ), and remaining two, 23 k 2 and 3 k 4 , function as a signal output terminal for respective angle detection apparatus. by thus arranging the ground terminal between the signal terminals, it becomes possible to prevent both signals from becoming abnormal at the same time with the signal terminals functioning as short. microcomputers 3 l and 3 m supply a current from the power supply terminal 3 k 1 to the energizing conductors 3 a, process three phases of alternating-current waveforms generated in the signal-detecting conductors 3 b, and detect the rotational position of the disc 1 c with the exciting conductor 1 d attached thereto, thereby detecting the rotational angle of the rotating shaft 1 a. operations of a non-contact inductance-based rotation angle sensor according to the present embodiment will be explained below. it may be assumed that the microcomputer 3 m basically controls conductor pattern groups 3 a and 3 b which constitute a first rotation angle sensor formed on the obverse and reverse sides of the stationary substrate of fig. 1 . on the other hand, it may be assumed that the microcomputer 3 l controls conductor pattern groups 3 a and 3 b which constitute a second rotation angle sensor formed on the obverse and reverse sides of the stationary substrate of fig. 1 . each of the computers 3 l and 3 m supplies a direct current ia from the power supply terminal 3 k 1 to the energizing conductors 3 a. when the direct current ia flows, a current ia having the opposite direction of the current ia is excited in an outer-circumferential arc-shaped conductor 1 d 3 of the exciting conductor 1 d on the disc 1 c, which faces the energizing conductors 3 a. this excited current ia flows in the directions indicated by arrows over the entire exciting conductor id. a current ir flowing to the radiating conductor 1 d 1 induces a current ir having the opposite direction of the current ir in the radiating conductors of the signal-detecting conductors 3 b which faces the radiating conductor 1 d 1 . this current ir is an alternating current. the 36 signal-detecting conductors 3 b radially extending outward at equal intervals on the obverse side form three phase (phases u, v, and w) patterns for the first rotation angle sensor. the 36 signal-detecting conductors 3 b radially extending outward at equal intervals on the reverse side form three phase (phases u, v, and w) patterns for the second rotation angle sensor. the alternating current ir has a phase shifted by 120 degrees in each of the phases u, v, and w when the disc 1 c is at a specific rotational position, for example, a start position (with a rotational angle of zero). as the disc rotates, these three phases of alternating currents shift mutually. the microcomputers 3 l and 3 m detect this phase difference and accordingly determine how much the disc 1 c has rotated based on the phase difference. two signal currents of the first and second rotation angle sensor signals, inputted from the signal-detecting conductors 3 b to the microcomputers 3 l and 3 m, basically indicate the same value. the microcomputers 3 l and 3 m process the same signal currents and then output signal voltages having the same variation with opposite inclination from the signal terminals 3 k 1 to 3 k 4 . these signals are proportional to the rotational angle of the disc. an external apparatus which receives and monitors both signals, and judges whether the first and second rotation angle sensores are normal. if either one detection apparatus indicates an abnormal condition, the signal of the other detection apparatus is used as a control signal. an example of the above-mentioned non-contact rotation angle sensor applied to a motor-driven airflow control device for diesel engines will be explained below, with reference to figs. 4 to 9 . fig. 4 is a sectional view of essential parts. figs. 5 to 9 are fragmentary perspective views for explaining detailed structure. the configuration of the motor-driven airflow control device will be explained below. an air intake passage 1 (hereinafter referred to as bore) and a motor housing 20 a for storing a motor 20 are molded together in a throttle valve assembly 6 (hereinafter referred to as throttle body) made by aluminum die-casting. in a throttle body 6 , a rotating metal shaft (hereinafter referred to as throttle shaft) 3 is arranged along a diameter line of a bore 1 . both ends of the throttle shaft 3 are fitted and fixed to inner rings of ball bearings 9 and 10 . outer rings of the ball bearings 9 and 10 are press-fitted to bearing bosses 7 and 8 provided in the throttle body 6 . in this way, the throttle shaft 3 is rotatively supported with respect to the throttle body 6 . the throttle valve 2 made of a metal disc is fixed to the throttle shaft 3 with screws 4 and 5 which are inserted into slits provided in the throttle shaft 3 . in this way, as the throttle shaft 3 rotates and accordingly the throttle valve 2 rotates, the cross-sectional area of the air intake passage varies allowing control of the intake air flow rate to the engine. the motor housing 20 a is formed in substantially parallel with the throttle shaft 3 . the motor 20 , i.e., a brush-type direct-current motors, is inserted into the motor housing 20 a and fixed to a side wall 6 a of the throttle body 6 by bolting the flanges of a motor bracket 20 b of the motor 20 using screws 21 . an opening of the bearing boss 8 is sealed by a cap 11 . on the side of the bearing boss 9 , a seal ring 12 is arranged between the throttle shaft 3 and an inner wall of the bearing boss 9 to form a shaft sealed portion in order to maintain hermetic sealing. this prevents leak of air and grease for bearing lubrication from the bearings to ambient air or a later-mentioned sensor room. a metal gear 22 with the least number of teeth is fixed to an end of the rotating shaft of the motor 20 . a reduction gear mechanism and a spring mechanism for rotatively driving the throttle shaft 3 are collectively arranged on a side wall of the throttle body on which this gear 22 is provided. these mechanisms are covered by a cover (hereinafter referred to as gear cover) made of a resin material, which is fixed to the side wall of the throttle body 6 . the inductance-based non-contact rotation angle sensor (hereinafter referred to as throttle sensor) explained in figs. 1 to 3 is installed in a so-called gear housing 30 covered by this gear cover, and the rotational angle of the throttle shaft 3 , i.e., the opening of the throttle valve 2 is detected thereby. for a motor-driven airflow control device to which the above-mentioned rotation angle sensor is applied, the signal-detecting conductors and the energizing conductors of the throttle sensor can be protected from nitrogen that leaks from the shaft seal 12 to the gear housing 30 , moisture, and other chemicals, and from adhesion of grease, abrasion powder of gears, etc. a throttle gear 13 is fixed to the end of the throttle shaft 3 on the side of the gear housing 30 . the throttle gear 13 is composed of a metal plate 14 and a gear 15 made of a resin material which is resin-molded thereon. the central part of the metal plate 14 is provided with a cup-shaped concaved portion, and the end on the opening side of the concaved portion has a flange for gear molding. the gear 15 made of a resin material is molded to this flange through resin molding. the metal plate 14 has a hole at the center of the concaved portion. an end of the throttle shaft 3 is threaded. the end of the throttle shaft 3 is inserted into the hole of the concaved portion of the metal plate 14 and then a nut 17 is screwed on the threaded portion of the throttle shaft to fix the metal plate 14 to the throttle shaft 3 . in this way, the metal plate 14 and the gear 15 made of a resin material molded thereon rotate integrally with the throttle shaft 3 . a return spring 16 formed by a coil spring is sandwiched between the reverse side of the throttle gear 13 and the side wall of the throttle body 6 in axially compressed fashion. as a result, a rightward preload is constantly applied to the throttle shaft 3 , suppressing shakiness axially caused by the gap of the ball bearings. one side of the return spring 16 surrounds the bearing boss 7 , and an end of the return spring is stopped by a notch formed on the throttle body 6 such that the return spring is prevented from rotating in the rotational direction. the other side of the return spring surrounds the cup-shaped portion of the metal plate 14 , and an end of the return spring is stopped by a hole formed on the metal plate 14 such that the return spring is prevented from rotating in the rotational direction. since the present embodiment is associated with a throttle valve control apparatus for diesel engines, the initial position of the throttle valve 2 , i.e., an opening position given to the throttle valve 2 as an initial position when the motor 20 is turned off is the fully open position. therefore, a preload in the rotational direction is applied to the return spring 16 so that the throttle valve 2 maintains the fully open position when the motor 20 is turned off. an intermediate gear 23 , rotatively supported by a metal shaft 24 press-fitted to the side wall of the throttle body 6 , is engaged between the gear 22 attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 20 and the gear 25 fixed to the throttle shaft 3 . the intermediate gear 23 is composed of a large-diameter gear 23 a engaged with the gear 22 and a small-diameter gear 23 b engaged with the throttle gear 13 . both gears are integrally molded through resin molding. these gears 22 , 23 a, 23 b, and 15 constitute a two-stage reduction gear mechanism. in this way, the rotation of the motor 20 is transmitted to the throttle shaft 3 through this reduction gear mechanism. these reducer and spring mechanism are covered by a gear cover 25 made of a resin material. a groove for inserting a seal member 32 is formed at the open circumferential edge of the gear cover 25 . if the gear cover 25 is put on the throttle body 6 with the seal member 32 attached to this groove, the seal member 32 is attached to an end face of a frame surrounding the gear housing 30 formed on the side wall of the throttle body 6 to shield the inside of the gear housing 30 from ambient air. under this condition, the gear cover 25 is fixed to the throttle body 6 using six screws 26 . thus, a rotation angle sensor provided between the thus configured reduction gear mechanism and the gear cover that covers it, i.e., a throttle sensor, will specifically be explained below. the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of a resin holder 19 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the cup-shaped portion of the throttle gear 13 through the above-mentioned corrugated fitting portions. a disc 18 a with a conductor plate 18 printed thereon is attached through adhesion to the planar portion at an end of the resin holder 19 . therefore, when the motor 20 rotates and accordingly the throttle valve 2 rotates, the conductor plate 18 also rotates together. a stationary substrate 27 included in the throttle sensor is fixed to the gear cover 25 at a position facing the conductor plate 18 with a film (hereinafter referred to as thin resin plate) 28 sandwiched therebetween. if the stationary substrate with sensor electronic components mounted thereon is installed in this gear housing 30 , the substrate will be exposed to abrasion powder of gears and other mechanical parts as well as condensation by expansion and compression of air in the gear housing 30 . further, when taking into consideration the installation of an electronic throttle body on a diesel engine, so 2 (sulfur dioxide), s 8 (sulfur), and other sulfur-group chemicals flow into the gear housing 30 from the bore 1 through the bearing 9 and the seal ring 12 , which may cause corrosion of the conductors on the stationary substrate 27 by sulfide. in order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the present embodiment arranges the thin resin plate 28 on the gear cover 25 , as shown in figs. 4 and 5 , to shield the substrate mounting space 31 from the gear housing 30 . by mounting the stationary substrate 27 on the resin plate and then covering the substrate mounting space 31 with a resin cover 29 , it becomes possible to arrange the stationary substrate 27 in the substrate mounting space 31 which is shielded from the gear housing 30 and ambient air, thus overcoming the above-mentioned subject. further, by shielding the substrate mounting space 31 from the gear housing 30 by means of the thin resin plate 28 , it becomes possible to eliminate the need to increase the clearance between the conductor plate 18 and the stationary substrate 27 to an unnecessarily large level, the clearance affecting the accuracy of the non-contact rotation angle sensor. accordingly, it also becomes possible to alleviate tolerances of parts relevant to thrust dimensions and accordingly provide a compact and low-price electronic throttle body. here, the return spring 16 pushes the conductor plate 18 almost to the thin resin plate 28 to retain the conductor plate 18 so as not to be axially shaken to an unnecessarily large extent. this makes it possible to maintain a small clearance between the conductor plate 18 and the stationary substrate 27 on a long-term basis, and accordingly maintain the accuracy of the non-contact rotation angle sensor. the best mode of junction structure between the thin resin plate 28 and the stationary substrate 27 by adhesive agent is the same as that explained in figs. 1 to 3 . fig. 9 shows the plan view of the gear housing 30 . the gear housing 30 is defined by a frame 6 f to which the gear cover 29 is fixed. six screw holes for bolting the gear cover 29 are seen inside the frame 6 f. 6 p 1 to 6 p 3 denote walls for positioning the gear cover 29 . when positioning projections of the gear cover 29 are stopped by the three walls, the conductors of the stationary substrate 27 are positioned with the conductor of the rotary member, allowing output of a signal within a required allowable range. a fully open stopper 13 a mechanically determines the initial position, i.e., fully open position of the throttle gear 13 , the stopper being composed of a projection integrally formed with the side wall of the throttle body. when the cutout end of the throttle gear 13 comes into contact with this projection, the throttle shaft 3 cannot rotate beyond the fully open position. a fully closed stopper 13 b restricts the fully closed position of the throttle shaft 3 , i.e., the end 13 c on the opposite side of the throttle gear 13 comes into collision with the fully closed stopper 13 b at the fully closed position, preventing the throttle shaft 3 from rotating exceeding the fully closed position. thus, a maximum value of the rotational position of the stationary conductor (exciting conductor plate 18 ) fixed to the end of the throttle shaft 3 is determined. outputs of the signal-detecting conductors (corresponding to the conductor shown by reference numeral 3 c of fig. 2 ) at these stopper positions denote fully closed and fully open values. reference numeral 20 b denotes the motor bracket, and 20 f a flange of the motor bracket 20 b. second embodiment an alternative structure with which the stationary substrate 27 is to be fixed will be explained with reference to fig. 10 . a positioning pin 36 is provided on the gear cover 25 . a slot 37 is provided on the positioning pin 36 whose diameter is larger than that of an attachment hole made on the stationary substrate 27 . the use of this structure allows the spring force of resin by the positioning pin 36 to be exerted on the attachment hole of the stationary substrate 27 , making it possible to fix the stationary substrate 27 to the gear cover 25 . on the other hand, a retaining pin 38 is provided on the resin cover 29 . the retaining pin 38 is provided with a hole which is slightly larger than the positioning pin 36 , and the positioning pin 36 and the retaining pin 38 are joined together when the resin cover 29 is joined with the gear cover 25 . a fixed clearance is maintained between the above-mentioned retaining pin 38 and the stationary substrates 27 . therefore, if the joining of the stationary substrate 27 by the positioning pin 36 is lost, the position of the stationary substrate 27 is maintained within this clearance, making it possible to prevent the stationary substrate 27 from coming off. third embodiment immediately after completion of resin molding of the gear cover 25 , the gear housing 30 and the substrate mounting space 31 are connected, as shown in fig. 11 . at this connected portion, the thin resin plate 28 is fixed to the gear cover 25 with adhesive agent 33 to close the window hole. this makes the shielding between the gear housing 30 and the substrate mounting space 31 . then, after similarly fixing the thin resin plate 28 and the stationary substrate 27 with adhesive agent 33 and then making electrical connections between the connector of the gear cover 25 and the stationary substrate 27 , the resin cover 29 is fixed to the gear cover 25 with adhesive agent 33 to shield the substrate mounting space 31 from ambient air. with the above-mentioned embodiment, although a method for bonding the thin resin plate 28 to the gear cover 25 is described, it may be possible that the thin resin plate 28 is first bonded to the stationary substrate 27 first and then the stationary substrate 27 combined with the thin resin plate 28 is bonded to the gear cover 25 . specifically, although the order of bonding affects assembly workability, it does not affect the shielding of each space. fourth embodiment an embodiment of fig. 12 differs from the one of fig. 11 in that coating agent 35 having water- and/or chemical-resistance is applied to the surface on the opposite side of the thin resin plate 28 of the stationary substrate 27 to further improve the reliability. a primary object of the present embodiment is to protect the substrate from condensation in the substrate mounting space 31 . the present embodiment is configured so that no problem occurs even if a chemical flows into the substrate mounting space 31 . fifth embodiment an embodiment of fig. 13 differs from the one of fig. 11 in that the thin resin plate 28 is formed by using the material itself of the gear cover 25 when the gear cover 25 is molded. as shown in fig. 13 , the portion facing the central part of the stationary substrate 27 with conductors formed thereon is made thinner than other portions. this makes the shielding between the gear housing 30 and the substrate mounting space 31 while providing a small clearance. the present embodiment is advantageous in that the number of parts can be reduced and that a motor-driven airflow control device may be provided at lower cost than the above-mentioned first to fourth embodiments. sixth embodiment an embodiment of fig. 14 differs from the one of fig. 13 in that coating agent 35 is applied to the stationary substrate 27 from the same viewpoint as that in the fourth embodiment. seventh embodiment an embodiment of fig. 15 differs from the one of fig. 11 in that the thin resin plate 28 is provided as a different member from the gear cover 25 and integrally fix to the window hole when the gear cover is molded. the present embodiment is more advantageous than the third embodiment in that adhesive agent for fixing the stationary substrate 27 can be reduced, resulting in lower cost than the one of fig. 11 . further, with the fourth embodiment shown in fig. 13 , it is necessary to stably mold a portion which is obviously thinner than other portions. this is a very difficult technique from the viewpoint of quality maintenance. on the other hand, a technique for integrally molding the thin resin plate 28 and the gear cover 25 is more advantageous than the above-mentioned embodiment in that the maintenance of stable quality becomes easier. eighth embodiment an embodiment of fig. 16 differs from the one of fig. 15 in that coating agent 35 is applied to the stationary substrate 27 from the same viewpoint as that in the second embodiment. ninth embodiment the structures of the above-mentioned embodiments are such that the gear housing 30 is formed with the gear cover 25 , the seal member 32 , and the throttle body 6 ; the substrate mounting space 31 is defined with the gear cover 25 and the resin cover 29 ; and the thin resin plate 28 is bonded to each space boundary, i.e., the stationary substrate 27 is incorporated from outside of the gear cover 25 . the following describes embodiments of a structural body for which the stationary substrate 27 is incorporated from inside of the gear cover 25 will be explained below with reference to figs. 17 to 20 . a ninth embodiment shown in fig. 17 differs from the ones of up to fig. 16 in that the resin cover 29 is absent. the resin cover 29 is not used in fig. 17 and accordingly the number of parts is reduced and the process of adhesive agent, etc. for attaching the resin cover 29 to the gear cover 25 is no longer required. therefore, the present embodiment is more advantageous than the embodiments of up to fig. 16 in that the cost can be reduced. fig. 18 shows a fragmentary perspective view. the gear cover 25 is provided with such a wall 25 a that extends around the four sides of the stationary substrate 27 . after attaching the stationary substrate 27 to a rectangular portion surrounded by the wall 25 a and then completing electrical connections between the connector of the gear cover 25 and the stationary substrate 27 , the thin resin plate 28 is bonded with the wall 25 a of the gear cover 25 to provide the shielding between the gear housing 30 and the substrate mounting space 31 . fig. 19 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a structure of the sealed portion. similarly to the first to eighth embodiments, the substrate mounting space 31 is shielded from the gear housing 30 and ambient air, making it possible to protect the stationary substrate 27 from abrasion powder of gears and chemicals such as so 2 . tenth embodiment an embodiment of fig. 20 differs from the one of fig. 19 in that coating agent 35 is applied to the stationary substrate 27 from the same viewpoint as that in the third embodiment. aspects of these embodiments will be explained below. 1. an electronic motor-driven airflow control device is configured so that: a movable member of a non-contact position detecting element for detecting the position of a throttle valve is fixed to a throttle shaft; a stationary member with electronic components mounted thereon is arranged on a gear cover; the stationary member of the position detecting element is arranged in a space shielded from a space where drive system parts for moving the throttle valve are arranged; the portion of the gear cover on which the stationary member of the position detecting element is mounted is made thinner than other portions; and the movable member of the above-mentioned position detecting element is arranged in proximity to the above-mentioned thin portion. 2. the motor-driven airflow control device according to the first embodiment is configured so that: the above-mentioned thin portion of the gear cover is integrally molded with the gear cover made of a material different from the gear cover to shield the stationary member from a space where the drive system parts are arranged. 3. the motor-driven airflow control device according to the first embodiment is configured so that: the above-mentioned thin portion of the gear cover is formed with a film member; the film member is arranged between the gear cover and the stationary member of the position detecting element to shield the stationary member from a space where the drive system parts are arranged. 4. the motor-driven airflow control device according to the third embodiment is configured so that a film made of pi resin is used as the above-mentioned film member. 5. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure described in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments is configured so that the surface on the opposite side of the thin portion of the above-mentioned stationary member of the position detecting element is subjected neither to water- nor chemical-resistance coating. 6. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure described in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments is configured so that the surface on the opposite side of the thin portion of the above-mentioned stationary member of the position detecting element is subjected to water-resistance and/or chemical-resistance coating. 7. an electronic motor-driven airflow control device is configured so that: a movable member of a non-contact position detecting element for detecting the position of a throttle valve is fixed to a throttle shaft; a stationary member with electronic parts mounted thereon is arranged on a gear cover; the gear cover has a wall surface which covers the four sides of the stationary member of the position detecting element; the stationary member of the position detecting element is mounted in the space; and the stationary member is covered by a film member to shield the space from the space where the drive system parts for moving the throttle valve are arranged. 8. the motor-driven airflow control device according to the seventh embodiment is configured so that a film made of pi resin is used as the film member. 9. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure according to the seventh and eighth embodiments is configured so that the above-mentioned stationary member of the above-mentioned position detecting element is subjected neither to water- nor chemical-resistance coating. 10. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure according to the seventh and eighth embodiments is configured so that one side or both sides of the stationary member of the position detecting element is subjected neither to water- nor chemical-resistance coating. 11. a motor-driven airflow control device is configured so that: a movable member of a non-contact position detecting element for detecting the position of a throttle valve is fixed to a throttle shaft; a stationary member with electronic parts mounted thereon is arranged on a gear cover; and coating agent having water- and chemical-resistance is applied to the stationary member of the position detecting element before being mounted on the gear cover. 12. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments is configured so that a stationary member with electronic components mounted thereon is fixed by a pin provided on the gear cover. 13. a motor-driven airflow control device having the structure according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments is configured so that a stationary member with electronic components mounted thereon is prevented from coming off by means of a member different from the gear cover. in accordance with the above embodiments, when a substrate with inductance-based sensor electronic components mounted thereon is mounted on a motor-driven airflow control device, it is possible to improve the durability and corrosion resistance to abrasion powder of metal and resin accompanying sliding gears and bearings, and to chemicals and water that enter an air intake passage. in particular, signal conductors and annular energizing conductors printed on both sides of the substrate are susceptible to oxidization and corrosion because of complicated shapes and a small width thereof, and a small gap therebetween. in accordance with the present embodiment, however, oxidization and corrosion of these conductors are prevented and output signals thereof are not degraded even after operation for a prolonged period of time. in accordance with the above-mentioned embodiment, the clearance between the movable and stationary members can be reduced by arranging a thin shield member which is different from the case or gear cover between the movable and stationary members of a non-contact rotation angle sensor or by molding the thin shield member at the same time as the case or gear cover. as a result, it becomes possible to provide the shielding between a space where drive system parts are arranged and a space where the stationary member is arranged, without increasing the clearance between the movable and stationary members to an unnecessarily large level. in accordance with the present embodiment, when a substrate with electronic components mounted thereon is mounted not only on an inductance-based position detection apparatus but also on an apparatus used under severe operating conditions such as a motor-driven airflow control device, it becomes possible to provide a space with a very thin member which is different from a space where gears, etc. are arranged, allowing the apparatus to easily be downsized. further, by fixing this thin member using adhesive agent, etc., it becomes possible not only to provide a space separated from a space where gears, etc. are arranged but also to ensure the hermetic sealing of the separated space. therefore, it is possible to separate a substrate with electronic components mounted thereon from the space where gears, etc. are arranged and attach the substrate in a space with the ensured hermetic sealing. accordingly, it is possible to provide a motor-driven airflow control device capable of solving such a problem in that the conductors on the substrate are damaged through oxidization and corrosion caused not only by abrasion powder of gears and other mechanical parts but also by chemicals entering through the throttle shaft bearing from the air intake passage of the engine, in particular, so 2 , s 8 , and other corrosive gases and moisture. although the above-mentioned throttle body 6 for the present embodiment uses aluminum die-casting, molding with resin material is also possible. further, although the above-mentioned throttle valve for the present embodiment uses a metal material, molding with resin material is also possible. with the present embodiment, although the use of a brush-type direct-current motor has been explained, it is also possible to use a brush-less motor, a step motor, a torque motor, an ultrasonic motor, or other actuators using rotational torque. further, with the apparatus of the present embodiment, although a configuration based on ball bearings is described, it is also possible to use a needle bearing, a resin plain bearing, etc. with the present embodiment, although the torque of the direct-current motor is transmitted to the throttle shaft through a two-stage reducer, it may be possible that the torque be transmitted without intermediate gears 23 a and 23 b, and that the motor and the throttle shaft 3 be coaxially arranged to transmit the torque without gears. further, with the present embodiment, although a method for joining the gear cover 25 and the resin cover 29 using adhesive agent has been explained, it is also possible to utilize laser welding, thermal caulking, a seal member such as a rubber, to fix the resin cover 29 to the gear cover 25 because an object of this joined portion is to provide the shielding between ambient air and the substrate mounting space 31 . with the above-mentioned embodiments, although a motor-driven airflow control device for diesel engine vehicles (motor-driven airflow control device) mounting an inductance-based non-contact rotation detection apparatus has been explained, these embodiments can be applied to a component that mounts a substrate having electronic components and has a problem of corrosion or exposure to abrasion powder of metals, not limited to an electronic throttle (motor-driven airflow control device). further, although a motor-driven airflow control device (electronic throttle apparatus) for diesel engine vehicles has been explained, these embodiments can also be applied to a motor-driven airflow control device for gasoline engine vehicles. further, these embodiments can also be applied to a rotational angle detection sensor, for example, a sensor which detects the rotational angle of accelerator. further, these embodiments can also be applied to a rotation angle sensor of actuator for movable blade control of a turbocharger. these embodiments can also be applied to a rotation angle sensor of gear shift actuator of automatic transmission. these embodiments can also be applied to a rotation angle sensor of actuator for two-wheel/four-wheel drive changeover.
088-382-899-156-598	US	[ "EP", "BR", "US", "CA", "WO", "JP", "CN" ]	C22C19/05,C22C38/44,C22C30/00,C22C38/08,C22C38/06,C22C38/48,C22C38/50,C22C38/54,C22C38/00,F01L3/02,C22C19/07	2006-07-07T00:00:00	2006	[ "C22", "F01" ]	wear resistant high temperature alloy	an fe—ni-based alloy that has improved wear resistance at high temperature over ni-based superalloys is provided. the alloy is particularly useful for manufacturing engine exhaust valves and other high temperature engine components subjected to corrosion, wear and oxidation.	a wear resistant alloy consisting of, by weight, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1 % si; up to 1 % mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1 % to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities; wherein mo +0.5w ≤ 0.75%; ti + nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, on a weight percentage basis; wherein the total primary carbide volume fraction is greater than 1% and up to 4%. the alloy of claim 1 wherein the following elements are present in the following amounts, in weight percent: greater than 0.15% to 0.3% c; 1.7% to 2.5% total of nb and ta. the alloy of claim 2 wherein the elements w, mo and v are not present in the alloy in greater than inevitable impurity amounts. the alloy of claim 1 wherein the alloy has good pin abrasion wear resistance as measured by a pin abrasion wear loss of less than 100 mg after solution treating and aging. the alloy of claim 1 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 15 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 35, on a weight percentage basis. the alloy of claim 1 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 17 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 30, on a weight percentage basis. a wear resistant alloy of claim 1, the alloy consisting of, by weight, greater than 0.15% up to 0.3% c; up to 1 % si; up to 1 % mn; 29% to 35% ni; 15% to 20% cr; up to 0.25% mo; up to 0.25% w; 1.63% to 2.3% al; 2.0% to 3.5% ti; 1.8% to 2.5% total of nb and ta; 0.005% to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities; wherein ti + nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, on a weight percentage basis. the alloy of claim 8 wherein the elements w and mo are not present in the alloy in greater than inevitable impurity amounts. the alloy of claim 8 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 15 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 35, on a weight percentage basis. the alloy of claim 8 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 17 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 30, on a weight percentage basis. an engine valve for a motor vehicle comprising an alloy consisting of, by weight, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1 % si; up to 1 % mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1 % to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities; wherein mo +0.5w ≤ 0.75%; ti + nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤50, on a weight percentage basis; wherein the total primary carbide volume fraction is greater than 1% and up to 4%. the engine valve of claim 11 wherein the following elements are present in the alloy in the following amounts, in weight percent: greater than 0.15% to 0.3% c; 1.7% to 2.5% total of nb and ta. the engine valve of claim 11 wherein the elements w, mo and v are not present in the alloy in greater than inevitable impurity amounts. the engine valve of claim 11 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 15 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 35, on a weight percentage basis. the engine valve of claim 11 wherein the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: 17 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 30, or; a weight percentage basis.	technical field the present invention relates to a fe-ni-based alloy that has improved wear resistance at high temperature over ni-based superalloys. the alloy is particularly useful for manufacturing engine exhaust valves and other high temperature engine components. background high temperature strength, abrasion resistance and corrosion/oxidation resistance are required for materials of exhaust valves, which are generally subjected to temperatures exceeding 800°c. the exhaust valves used in most reciprocating engines can generally be divided into three sections; the head, stem and stem tip. the head and a portion of the head leading from the stem consist of a high temperature, high strength and corrosion resistant alloy such as an austenitic stainless steel or a superalloy. the sealing surface of the valve often includes a weld overlay material, such as a cobalt based, high temperature alloy. the remainder of the stem often is made of a hardenable martensitic steel welded to the high-temperature heat-resistant alloy of the valve head end. as improved internal combustion engines are developed, addressing the increasing temperatures resulting from higher fuel economy, reduced emissions and yet higher output through newly designed engines has prompted the need for new cost effective materials. in addition, because the demand for and cost of nickel is on the rise, alternatives for high nickel content alloys are desired. austenitic stainless steels such as 21-2n, 21-4n-nb-w and 23-8n have been used for the manufacture of engine valves for many decades. however, due to mechanical property limitations, these alloys are not suitable at operating temperatures above 1472°f (800°c) for current durability expectations. superalloys, including fe-ni-based and ni-based alloys, have been used for exhaust valve applications typically when the less expensive iron-based stainless valve steel would not provide sufficient high-temperature strength or corrosion resistance, or both, for a given application. some of the higher nickel alloys used for valve applications include alloy 751, alloy 80a, pyromet 31 and ni30, for example. alloys 751, 80a and pyromet 31 contain high amounts of ni and are therefore expensive. valves manufactured from these higher content ni alloys are susceptible to abrasive and adhesive wear on the seat face due to the lack of wear resistance. therefore, valves manufactured from some of the higher ni alloys must be hard faced with a co-based alloy on the seat face to improve wear resistance. this adds a manufacturing step that further increases the cost of the valve. thus, there is a need for an intermediate strength valve alloy with properties and cost between that of the austenitic valve steels and the ni-based superalloys such that the alloy has sufficient wear resistance without requiring a hard facing step. summary in one aspect of the invention given in claim 1, there is provided a wear resistant alloy consisting of, by weight, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1% si; up to 1% mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1% to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities; wherein mo +0.5w ≤ 0.75%; ti+nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, also on a weight percentage basis. in another aspect of the invention given in claim 11, there is provided an engine valve for a motor vehicle that comprises an alloy consisting of, by weight, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1% si; up to 1% mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1 % to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities; wherein mo +0.5w ≤ 0.75%; ti+nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, on a weight percentage basis. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a and fig. 1b are optical photomicrographs of the alloy of example 4 of the present invention and a comparative alloy, respectively. fig. 2 is a bar graph of the relative wear depths of an embodiment of an exhaust valve the present invention and comparative alloy exhaust valves. fig. 3 is a graph of the hot hardness versus temperature for an embodiment of the alloy of the present invention and several comparative alloys. fig. 4 is a bar graph of the fatigue endurance limit determined using a standard rr moore type rotating beam test at 816°c at 10 8 cycles for an embodiment of the present invention and several comparative alloys. fig. 5 is a bar graph of the fatigue endurance limit determined using a standard rr moore type rotating beam test at 871°c at 10 8 cycles for an embodiment of the present invention and several comparative alloys. detailed description the present invention relates to an iron-nickel-based alloy. the hot hardness, high temperature strength, fatigue strength and wear resistance of the alloy make it useful in a variety of high temperature applications. the alloy is particularly useful in internal combustion engines as cylinder head intake valves, exhaust valves and exhaust gas recirculation valves. other applications of the alloy include turbine applications, fasteners, afterburner parts, combustion chamber parts, shields for exhaust system oxygen sensors and other parts exposed to elevated temperature and exhaust gas and condensate environments. iron-based alloys achieve high temperature mechanical properties through precipitation hardening and solid solution strengthening. the desired properties of iron-based alloys are developed by heat treatment sequences usually involving solution treatment to dissolve strengthening constituents, followed by aging heat treatments to precipitate phases in morphologies and distributions that will produce the desired mechanical properties. in the invention alloys, the precipitation of a finely dispersed, stable and ordered intermetallic phase, (fe,ni) 3 (al,ti,nb), commonly referred to as gamma prime (γ'), contributes to the high temperature strength of the alloy. in addition, the alloy contains primary carbides and carbonitrides for enhanced wear resistance. the alloy, in one embodiment, comprises in weight percent, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1% si; up to 1% mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1% to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities. carbon may be present in the alloy in an amount ranging from 0.15% to about 0.35% by weight. in one embodiment, carbon is present in an amount of greater than 0.15% to about 0.3%, or from about 0.16% to about 0.3% by weight. improved wear resistance properties are attributed, at least in part, to the microstructure and hardness of the alloy. carbon is added to the alloy to promote the formation of niobium-titanium rich primary carbides during ingot solidification. in the invention, the total primary carbide volume fraction of the alloy is greater than 1% and up to 4%. these primary carbides positively influence the adhesive and abrasion wear resistance of the alloy, particularly at elevated temperatures. chromium may be present in the alloy in an amount of 15 to about 25 weight percent. in one embodiment, chromium is present in an amount between about 15 to about 20 weight percent. chromium provides a desirable combination of corrosion resistance such as resistance to acid attack, wear resistance and oxidation resistance. the chromium in the alloy is believed to form a tenacious chromium oxide scale on the surface of the alloy that inhibits progressive high temperature oxidation formation and minimizes oxidation, corrosion and wear rates. nickel is added to stabilize the austenitic matrix and to promote the formation of the γ' phase, which improves the high temperature strength of the alloy. nickel can also advantageously increase resistance to attack from acids formed from exhaust condensates, resistance to oxidation and lead (pb) corrosion and can also increase the hardness. however, nickel can increase low temperature wear rates and add to the cost of the alloy. thus, the nickel content is within the range of greater than 25% to less than 40% by weight. in one embodiment, the ni content is greater than 25% to 35% by weight, or 29% to 35% by weight, or 30% to 35%. higher levels of nickel have also been shown to cause significant sulfidation attack due to the high affinity of nickel to sulfur based constituents present in the engine oil or certain fuels. aluminum may be present in the alloy in an amount greater than 1.6% by weight and up to 3% by weight. aluminum enhances the high temperature strength of the alloy by combining with ni to precipitate the γ' phase. when the aluminum content is lower than 1.6%, the γ' phase becomes unstable and can transform to the η [(fe,ni) 3 (ti, al)] phase which degrades the mechanical properties of the alloy. in one embodiment, the al content is between 1.63 % to about 2.3% by weight. the titanium content of the alloy is 1% to 3.5% by weight. in one embodiment, the ti content is 2.0% to 3.5% by weight. the high temperature strength of the alloy of the invention is enhanced by the precipitation of the γ' phase, which includes titanium, aluminum, iron and nickel. if the titanium content is too high, the workability of the alloy may decrease and the high temperature strength and toughness deteriorate because the deleterious η phase is liable to precipitate. in addition, the titanium combines with carbon and niobium to precipitate the primary carbides that are necessary for wear resistance. niobium may be present in the alloy in an amount greater than 1.1 % up to about 3.0% by weight. in one embodiment, nb is present in an amount ranging from about 1.8% to about 2.5% by weight. niobium partitions to both the γ' phase and the primary carbides. the primary carbides impart wear resistance to the alloy. due to the chemical similarity between nb and ta, ta can replace some of the nb. however, the cost of ta is high, so that a large amount of ta may be prohibitive. the amount of nb and ta together may be 1.1 % to 3.0% by weight, or 1.8% to 2.5% by weight. to achieve a high level of wear resistance, the alloy should contain a minimum amount of the carbide forming elements ti and nb. in the invention the elements of the alloy satisfy the equation: ti + nb ≥ 4.5, based on weight percent of the elements in the alloy. in addition, the amount of carbide forming elements must be balanced with the carbon content to achieve the desired wear resistance through the precipitation of primary carbides. the ratio of carbide forming elements to carbon content, in one embodiment, is generally in the range of 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, based on the weight percent of the elements in the alloy. in one embodiment, the ratio is within the range 15 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 35, or within the range 17 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 30. small amounts of boron can improve the strength of the alloy and can improve grain refinement. the distribution of boron can be both intragranular (within a grain) and intergranular (along grain boundaries). excessive boron, however, can segregate to grain boundaries and degrade the toughness of the alloy. the boron content in the alloy may be up to 0.015% by weight. in one embodiment, the boron content is between from 0.010% to 0.015% by weight. molybdenum may be present in the alloy in an amount up to 0.5% by weight. in one embodiment, the amount of mo is from 0.05% to 0.5% by weight. in one embodiment, molybdenum is not intentionally added to the alloy, but may be present as an inevitable impurity. molybdenum may be added in an amount effective to promote solid solution hardening of the alloy and provide resistance to creep of the alloy when exposed to elevated temperatures. molybdenum can also combine with carbon to form primary carbides. tungsten may be present in the alloy in an amount up to 0.5% by weight. in one embodiment, the amount of w is from between 0.05 to 0.25% by weight. in one embodiment, tungsten is not intentionally added to the alloy, but may be present as an inevitable impurity. like molybdenum, tungsten may be added to the alloy to promote solid solution hardening of the alloy and provide resistance to creep of the alloy when exposed to elevated temperatures. in one embodiment, the amount (by weight percent) of molybdenum and tungsten in the alloy satisfies the equation: mo + 0.5w ≤ 0.75%. in the alloys, silicon may preferably be present in an amount up to 1.0 weight percent. manganese may preferably be present in an amount up to 1.0 weight percent. silicon and manganese can form a solid solution with iron and increase the strength of the alloy through solid solution strengthening as well as increase the resistance to oxidation. when the alloy is formed into parts by casting, the addition of silicon and manganese can contribute to de-oxidation and/or degassing of the alloy. silicon can also improve the castability of the material. in the case where the part is not cast, silicon and manganese can be reduced or omitted from the alloy. the balance of the alloy is iron (fe) and incidental impurities. the alloy can contain trace amounts of sulphur, nitrogen, phosphorous and oxygen. other alloy additions that do not adversely affect corrosion, wear and/or hardness properties of the alloy may be added to the alloy. in one embodiment, the alloy does not contain any intentionally added vanadium. the presence of significant amounts of vanadium may adversely affect the desirable properties of the alloy due to the formation of the low melting temperature oxide, v 2 o 5 . in one embodiment, the alloy does not contain any intentionally added copper, which is generally added when the alloy will be cold worked into the desired geometry. the alloy of the present invention has good pin abrasion wear resistance. in one embodiment, the alloy has a pin abrasion wear loss of less than 100 mg after solution treating and aging. the alloy of the present invention can be prepared using conventional practices. the elemental materials may be melted by vacuum induction melting, air induction melting, arc melting/aod (argon-oxygen decarburization), esr (electoslag remelting), or combinations thereof. the melted materials are then cast into ingots. each of the resulting ingots is then subjected to a soaking treatment, and then scarfed, and further subjected to forging and rolling to form a bar. examples alloys of the invention shown in table 1 are produced in the form of 50 lb. (22.7kg) ingots by vacuum induction melting, and forged into octagonal bars 1 inch in diameter. mechanical test specimens are cut from the bars and are solution treated at 1650°f (900°c) for 30 minutes, air or water cooled, and then aged at 1350°f (730°c) for 4 hours and air cooled. examples 1-8 are embodiments of the present invention and alloys a-g are comparative alloys. comparative alloys a, c and d are commercially available superalloys and comparative alloys e-g are commercially available austenitic valve steels. alloy b is a modification of alloy a, wherein the amount of carbon is increased to show the effect of carbon on the mechanical properties of alloy a. table-tabl0001 table 1 alloy c si mn cr ni al ti nb mo w fe b other ti+nb (ti+nb)/c ex 1 0.193 0.162 0.02 15.06 30.6 1.63 2.72 2.01 0.005* 0.003* 47.587 0.01 4.73 24.5 ex 2 0.2 15.07 30.8 1.77 2.62 2.04 0.004* 0.004* bal. 0.008 4.66 23.3 ex 3 0.185 0.03 15.46 30.7 1.71 2.67 2.12 0.004* bal. 0.01 4.79 25.9 ex 4 0.21 0.21 0.19 15 30.6 1.62 2.68 1.98 0.003* bal. 0.01 4.66 22.2 ex 5 0.23 0.15 0.19 15.01 30.9 1.62 2.71 1.92 0.004* bal. 0.008 4.63 20.1 ex 6 0.21 0.14 0.19 15.03 30.5 1.65 2.64 1.9 0.003* bal. 0.01 4.54 21.6 ex 7 0.27 0.15 0.2 17 33 2.1 3.25 2 0.5 0.25 bal. 0.008 5.25 19.4 ex 8 0.35 0.15 0.2 19 35 2.3 3.5 2.5 0.2 0.2 bal. 0.008 6.0 17:1 alloy a 0.04 14.3 31.3 1.9 2.6 0.66 0.66 0.02 bal. 0.003 3.36 81.5 alloy b 0.1 15.9 31.4 1.8 2.5 0.76 0.51 0.26 bal. 0.008 3.26 32.6 alloy c 0.06 0.35 0.35 20 bal. 1.25 2.35 0.75 0.05cu, 1co 2.35 39.2 alloy d 0.08 0.3 15 bal. 1.2 2.5 1 8 3.5 43.8 alloy e 0.5 0.25 9 21 4 bal. 0.45n - - alloy f 0.5 0.45 9 21 4 2 1 bal. 0.5n - - alloy g 0.35 0.75 2.5 23 8 0.5 0.5 bal. 0.45n - - * not intentionally added heat treatment the alloys of the present invention require solution treating at 1650°f (899°c) for 30 minutes and aging at 1350°f (732°c) for four hours to produce a hardness of 36/39 hrc. the solution treating temperature is lower than that typically used to solution treat commercially available superalloys including the alloys a, c and d. these superalloys are typically solution treated at 1950°f (1066°c) and above and generally require a two-step aging process to produce adequate hardness. the alloys of the present invention can be aged in a single step at one temperature for adequate hardness response. microstructural evaluation the etched microstructure of the alloy of example 4 of the present invention that was solution treated at 1650°f (899°c) for 30 minutes and aged at 1350°f (732°c) for four hours is shown in fig. 1a . the etched microstructure of comparative alloy a that was solution treated at 1950° (1066°c) for 30 minutes and aged at 1380°f (749°c) for four hours is shown in fig. 1b . these microstructures consist of primary carbides in an austenitic matrix. the primary carbides are those that precipitate during ingot solidification. the primary carbides impart wear resistance to the alloy. as the volume fraction of primary carbides increase, the wear resistance of the alloy increases. the volume fraction of primary carbides in the alloys of example 4 and comparative alloy a are also shown in fig. 1 . the carbide volume fraction in the alloy of example 4 is about 2.1%. the carbide volume fraction of comparative alloy a is about 0.4%. wear resistance the abrasive wear resistance of the alloys was evaluated using a pin abrasive wear test according to astm g132. this test uses % inch diameter specimens that are heat treated to application hardness. a 15-lb load is applied to the specimen as it rotates at 22 rpm. the specimen traverses 500 inches (12.7m) in a non-overlapping pattern on a 150 mesh garnet paper. the weight of the specimen before and after the test is used to determine the pin abrasion weight loss. the lower the weight loss, the more resistant the alloy is to abrasive wear. the data is given in table 2. example 4 has a weight loss of 93 mg, which is lower than that of the superalloys alloys a through d. the wear resistance is directly related to the amount of primary carbides (and, thus, the total titanium and niobium content) in an alloy. for example, example 4 and alloy a have a total carbide volume fraction of about 2.1% and 0.4%, respectively, and example 4 has better wear resistance. increasing carbon content of alloy a will not result in a sufficient increase in wear resistance, as evidenced by pin abrasion weight loss of alloys a and b. additional titanium and niobium is needed to produce an alloy with sufficient wear resistance. the commercial austenitic valve steels alloys e and f have sufficient wear resistance for automotive exhaust valves so that hardfacing is not necessary. the wear resistance of example 4 is similar to that of alloy e, which suggests that exhaust valves manufactured with an alloy similar to that of example 4 may not need to be hardfaced. table-tabl0002 table 2* alloy heat treatment wt. loss (mg) ex. 4 1650°f/30 min., wq, 1350°f/4hrs. 93 alloy b 1920f/30 min., wq, 1350°f/ 4hrs. 115 alloy c 2050°f/1 hr, ac, 1580°f/ 4hrs, ac, 1345°f/4 hrs, ac 100 alloy d 2050°f/1 hr, ac, 1580°f/ 4hrs, ac, 1345°f/4 hrs, ac 99 alloy e 2150°f/1 hr., wq, 1500°f/ 10hrs 94 alloy f 2130°f/1 hr., wq, 1500°f/ 10hrs 80 * wear resistance (exhaust valves) exhaust valves made from the alloy of example 3 and the comparative alloys d and f were subjected to an elevated temperature simulation wear test. the exhaust valves were tested at a valve seat face temperature of 1000°f (540°c) under a load actuating the valve to simulate the combustion loads of about 226-249 kg (500-550 lbs) in a spark ignited internal combustion engine. the mean wear depths (mm) were measured for the exhaust valves of example 3 and those of comparative alloy d and alloy f. the results, presented in fig. 2 , show that the mean wear depth of the exhaust valve of the present invention is less than that of each of the comparative exhaust valves. the better wear resistance of the alloy of the present invention is believed to be attributed to the higher hardness and the presence of the primary carbides. hot hardness hot hardness is the hardness measured at a given elevated temperature. the hot hardness of an alloy also influences the wear resistance of the material. the higher the hot hardness the more wear resistant the alloy. hot hardness measurements are taken at room temperature and at temperatures between 1100°f (593°c) to 1400°f (760°c). this test is conducted by placing a furnace around the specimen and indenter and the temperature within the furnace is slowly increased to the test temperature. the specimen is soaked at the temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure uniform heating throughout the specimen prior to testing the hardness. hardness measurements are taken using the rockwell a (hra) scale. the hot hardness of the alloys of invention and the comparative commercially available alloys are shown in fig. 3 . the hot hardness of the alloy of the invention is higher than that of comparative alloys a, b, c and d, and much higher than the austenitic valve steels alloys e and f. the significant decrease in hot hardness in the austenitic valve steels is related to microstructural changes. this data further indicates the improved wear resistance of the alloys of invention. oxidation resistance during engine operation, the exhaust valves can be exposed to temperatures up to 1600°f (871°c). therefore, the exhaust valve must have oxidation resistance. samples of the alloy of example 2 and alloy a were exposed at 1500°f (816°c) for 500hrs. the depth of oxidation for the alloy of example 2 is 0.0174 mm at 500 hours. the depth of oxidation for alloy a is 0.0333 mm at 500 hours. this indicates that example 2 has improved oxidation resistance over alloy a, a commercially available valve superalloy. elevated temperature tensile properties the elevated temperature tensile properties at 1500°f (816°c) of the alloy of example 2 and of comparative valve alloys are given in table 3. the yield strength of the alloy of example 2 is higher than that of alloys a and b and much higher than the austenitic valve steels, alloys f and g. sufficient yield strength is needed to prevent the valve from deforming while operating in an engine. the yield strength of the alloys of the invention as embodied by example 2 is higher than that of other comparative commercially available fe-based valve alloys, which indicates the alloys of invention have sufficient strength. the tensile strength of the alloy of example 2 is higher than that of alloys b through g, and similar to that of alloy a, which indicates that the alloys of the invention can be subjected to higher stress levels before catastrophic failure occurs. table-tabl0003 table 3* alloy heat treatment as-heat treated hardness, hrc tensile properties at 816c (1500f) ys, mpa uts, mpa %elong. %ra ex. 2 1650f/30 min, ac, 1350f/4hrs 39 356 590 55 77.5 alloy a 1950f + 1380f/4hrs 31.5 256 490 22 25.9 alloy b 1650f/30min., ac, 1350f/4hrs 37 322 601 32 72.5 alloy c 1975f/8hrs + 1300f/16hrs 496 21 19 alloy d 2100f/4hrs + 1550f/24hrs, 1300f/20hrs 526 554 26 35.9 alloy f 2130f + 1500f 32.5 114 365 35 54.5 alloy g 2150f + 1500f 174 318 50 71.7 * creep rupture stress sufficient creep strength is needed to prevent creep related failure in the fillet area of valves. the creep stress needed to rupture the alloys of invention and several comparative valve alloys in 100hrs at 1500°f (816°c) is given in table 4. the creep rupture stress of the alloy of example 2 is comparable to that of alloys a and b and much better than the austenitic valve steels f and g. the austenitic valve steels have sufficient creep rupture strength for exhaust valve applications to prevent failures due to creep in the fillet area of the valve. therefore, the alloys of invention should also have sufficient creep strength to prevent failure. u-notch impact toughness during engine operation, the valve seat face impacts against the insert. sufficient toughness is required to prevent cracking of the seat face. the u-notch impact toughness (specification jis z2202) of the alloy of example 2 and several comparative valve alloys after heat treating and after heat treating and a 400hr exposure at 1472°f (800°c) was tested. the results are given in table 4. after the 400hr exposure, the alloys of the invention, as exemplified by example 2, have significantly better impact toughness than alloy f and is similar to alloy a. the results show that the toughness of the alloys of the invention is suitable for automotive valve applications. table-tabl0004 table 4* alloy heat treatment creep rupture stress (mpa) in 100hrs at 1500f u-notch impact toughness hardness after 800c/400hrs, hrc as-heat treated after 800c/400hrs j/cm 2 j/cm 2 ex. 2 1650f/30min, wq, 1350f/4hrs, ac 158 88 56 33 alloy a 1950f + 1380f/4hrs 168 108 55 32 alloy b 1650f/30min, wq,1350f/4hrs, ac 167 151 100 31.5 alloy c 1975f/8hrs + 1300f/16hrs 196 76 29.5 alloy d 2100f/4hrs + 1550f/24hrs, 1300f/20hrs 205 114 28 alloy f 2150f + 1500f 120 13 12 32.5 alloy g 2150f + 1500f 107 * fatigue strength fatigue strength is needed to prevent fatigue related failures in the stem fillet area of a valve. rotating beam fatigue tests were conducted on the alloys of the invention and alloys a, b and d at 1500°f (816°c) at 10 8 cycles with applies stresses of 172-310 mpa (25-45 ksi.) the results are shown in fig. 4 . the fatigue strength of the alloy of example 3 of the invention is somewhat better than that of alloys a and b. therefore, the alloys of invention, as exemplified by example 3, have sufficient fatigue strength for automotive valves. the fatigue endurance limit of the alloy of example 3 and that of comparative alloys b and d at 1600°f (871°c) at 10 8 cycles is shown in fig. 5 . at this temperature, the fatigue strength of the alloy of example 3 is better that that of comparative alloy b. the alloys of the present invention can be used to produce engine valves. in one embodiment, there is provided an engine valve for a motor vehicle comprising an alloy consisting of, by weight, 0.15% up to 0.35% c; up to 1% si; up to 1% mn; greater than 25% to less than 40% ni; 15% to 25% cr; up to 0.5% mo; up to 0.5% w; greater than 1.6% to 3% al; 1% to 3.5% ti; greater than 1.1 to 3% total of nb and ta; up to 0.015% b; and the balance being fe and inevitable impurities. the engine valve alloy may contain elements that satisfy the following equation: mo +0.5w ≤ 0.75%, based on the weight percent of the elements in the alloy. the alloy may contain the carbide containing elements titanium and niobium in amounts that satisfy the following equations: ti+nb ≥ 4.5% and 13 ≤ (ti + nb)/c ≤ 50, on a weight percentage basis. exhaust valve wear resistance exhaust valves made from the alloy of example 3 were subjected to a 100 hour dyno test in a v-8 spark ignited gasoline engine and to a 500 hour dyno test in a heavy duty compression ignited diesel engine. the exhaust valves passed both wear tests, exhibiting acceptable wear resistance in each test. while the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. therefore, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
089-561-604-476-237	US	[ "US" ]	G06F15/173,H04L9/32	2011-05-13T00:00:00	2011	[ "G06", "H04" ]	customizing annotations for online content	a computer-implemented method for customizing a user display is disclosed. a user is identified based on user-provided information or user activity. the user's sharing activity is determined. a user type is identified based at least in part on the user's sharing activity and associated with the user. the user type is one of two or more user types related to a measure of the user's sharing activity. one or more of a content item and an annotation displayed to the user is customized based at least in part on the user's user type.	1. a computer-implemented method comprising: identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity; determining the user's sharing activity; identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity and associating the user type with the user, wherein the user type is one of two or more user types related to a frequency of the user's sharing activity including a frequent sharer type and an infrequent sharer type; and customizing and providing for display one or more of a content item and modifying an annotation indicating popularity and associated with the content item displayed to the user to change the visual impact by modifying one from the group of location, color, size and animation of the annotation based at least in part on the user's user type. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user-provided information or user activity comprises the user successfully logging into an account and the user is identified as the account's owner. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user-provided information or user activity includes one or more of the user's ip address, the device id of the user's computing device, the user's browser history and the user's search history. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user's sharing activity is one or more of the user's indications of interest; posting, reposting or embedding content on a blog or micro blog; and sending, or forwarding, content via e-mail or other digital messaging system. 5. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's responses to a questionnaire. 6. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's online activity, which is determined and analyzed. 7. the method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the user type further comprises: applying a threshold test to the user's sharing activity; and associating the user with the type based at least in part on the measure of the user's sharing activity and responsive to the result of the threshold test. 8. the method of claim 1 , wherein customizing one or more of the content item and the annotation displayed to the user based on the user's user type further comprises one or more of: providing for display a content item to the user based in part on the annotation, or lack of annotation, associated with the content item; modifying the display order of content items; and modifying the display of an annotation to increase, or decrease, the annotation's visual impact when displayed to the user. 9. the method of claim 1 , wherein determining the user's sharing activity includes determining the user's sharing activity within a predefined context and identifying the user type is based at least in part on the user's sharing activity within the predefined context. 10. a system comprising: a processor and at least one module, executable by the processor, the at least one module including instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising: identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity; determining the user's sharing activity; identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity and associating the user type with the user, wherein the user type is one of two or more user types related to a frequency of the user's sharing activity including a frequent sharer type and an infrequent sharer type and; and customizing and providing for display one or more of a content item and modifying an annotation indicating popularity and associated with the content item displayed to the user to change the visual impact by modifying one from the group of location, color, size and animation of the annotation based at least in part on the user's user type. 11. the system of claim 10 , wherein the user-provided information or user activity comprises the user successfully logging into an account and the user is identified as the account's owner. 12. the system of claim 10 , wherein the user-provided information or user activity includes one or more of the user's ip address, the device id of the user's computing device, the user's browser history and the user's search history. 13. the system of claim 10 , wherein the user's sharing activity is one or more of the user's indications of interest; posting, or reposting, content on a blog or micro blog; and sending, or forwarding, content via e-mail or other digital messaging system. 14. the system of claim 10 , wherein the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's responses to a questionnaire. 15. the system of claim 10 , wherein the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's online activity, which is determined and analyzed. 16. the system of claim 10 , wherein the instructions for categorizing the user further comprises instructions for: applying a threshold test to the user's sharing activity; and associating the user with the type based at least in part on the measure of the user's sharing activity and responsive to the result of the threshold test. 17. the system of claim 10 , wherein the instructions for customizing one or more of the content item and the annotation displayed to the user further comprises instructions for one or more of: providing for display a content item to the user based in part on the annotation, or lack of annotation, associated with the content item; modifying the display order of content items; and modifying the display of an annotation to increase, or decrease, the annotation's visual impact when displayed to the user. 18. the system of claim 10 , wherein determining the user's sharing activity includes determining the user's sharing activity within a predefined context and identifying the user type is based at least in part on the user's sharing activity within the predefined context. 19. a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform steps comprising: identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity; determining the user's sharing activity; identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity and associating the user type with the user, wherein the user type is one of two or more user types related to a frequency of the user's sharing activity including a frequent sharer type and an infrequent sharer type; and customizing and providing for display one or more of a content item and modifying an annotation indicating popularity and associated with the content item displayed to the user to change the visual impact by modifying one from the group of location, color, size and animation of the annotation based at least in part on the user's user type.	this application claims the benefit under 35 u.s.c. §119(e) of u.s. patent application no. 61/486,111, entitled “annotated news articles and lurker engagement” filed may 13, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. background publishers of online content have found it increasingly important to not only direct users to the content they publish, but also to increase user engagement with the content published. for example, a publisher does not simply want a user to read an article (content) on its website it wants the user to share, e-mail, bookmark, blog about, indicate approval of and otherwise further engage with the article. since visual real-estate is finite on a user's display it is desirable to determine what to display to a user and how to display it in order to maximize that user's engagement. content that is published online is often associated with an annotation. the annotation indicates the popularity of the content, for example, the annotation shows a user how many times consumers of the content indicated a preference for, interest in, approved of or endorsed the content. current systems will display content to a user based on the content's popularity as measured by the annotation. however, such systems do not account for differences in the user's sharing activity, e.g., how often the user indicates approval; posts, reposts or embeds content on a blog or micro blog; and sends, or forwards, content via e-mail or other digital message system, when displaying content. for example, assume the same article will be displayed in the same manner to both user a, who frequently shares content he/she views, and user b, who typically only views content without further interaction or sharing. consequently, such a system fails to optimize the display of content items based at least in part on the user's online activity. for example, current systems fail to recognize that based on user a's sharing activities, user a's levels of engagement may be relatively unaffected by annotations, i.e., user a is not more likely to share, e-mail, bookmark, blog about, indicate approval of and otherwise further engage with content associated with a favorable annotation. therefore, the display real-estate occupied by the annotation is not going to its highest use, and the service provider would be better off displaying something else to user a to increase user engagement or displaying an advertisement to generate greater ad revenue. however, based on user b's sharing activities, user b's engagement level may be affected by annotations, i.e., user b is more likely to engage with content associated with a favorable annotation; therefore, displaying favorable annotations to user b is advantageous. since current systems fail to distinguish between users a & b, the current systems also do not customize the display of annotations based on the differences in sharing activity between the two users. for example, the current systems do not display the annotation more prominently to user b, who may be more affected by annotations, and less prominently (if at all) to user a, who may be less affected by the annotation. moreover, current systems do not customize the content displayed to users a & b or the order of its display. for example, the content with the most favorable annotation is not displayed to user b, and content based at least in part on criteria other than the favorability of the annotation (or a different type of annotation) is not displayed to user a. the failure of the current systems to customize the display of content items and/or annotations based at least in part on the user's sharing activity undermines the goal of content providers to maximize user engagement. summary the specification relates to published online content, particularly to customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity. according to one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure, may be embodied in methods that include identifying user based on user-provided information or user activity; determining the user's sharing activity; identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity, wherein the user type is one of two or more user types related to a measure of the user's sharing activity; and customizing one or more of a content item and an annotation displayed to the user is customized based at least in part on the user's user type. according to one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure, a system includes a processor and at least one module, executable by the processor. the module includes instructions for the following: identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity; determining the user's sharing activity; identify a user type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity and associate the user type with the user; and customizing one or more of a content item and an annotation displayed to the user based at least in part on the user's user type. the user type is one of two or more user types related to a measure of the user's sharing activity. other implementations of one or more of these aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. these and other implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features. the user-provided information or user activity comprises the user successfully logging into an account and the user is identified as the account's owner. the user-provided information or user activity includes one or more of the user's ip address, the device id of the user's computing device, the user's browser history and the user's search history. the user's sharing activity is one or more of the user's indications of interest; posting, reposting or embedding content on a blog or micro blog; and sending, or forwarding, content via e-mail or other digital messaging system. the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's responses to a questionnaire. the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's online activity, which is determined and analyzed. the measure of the user's sharing activity is frequency of sharing activity, and the user type is one of two or more user types related to the frequency of the user's sharing activity. the two or more user types related to the frequency of the user's sharing activity comprise a frequent sharer type and an infrequent sharer type. these and other implementations may each optionally include further operations including one or more of the following operations. applying a threshold test to the user's sharing activity and associating the user with the type based at least in part on the measure of the user's sharing activity and responsive to the result of the threshold test. displaying, or not displaying, a content item to the user based in part on the annotation, or lack of annotation, associated with the content item; modifying the display order of content items; and modifying the display of an annotation to increase, or decrease, the annotation's visual impact when displayed to the user. the present disclosure is particularly advantageous because it provides a system and method for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotations based on a user's sharing activity, which may beneficially increase user engagement with the associated content item. the features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and many additional features and advantages will be apparent in view of the figures and description. moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. brief description of the drawings the implementations are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar elements. fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example system for customizing the display of a content item, e.g. an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 2 is a block diagram of an example computing device in accordance with one implementation. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example annotation customization module according to one implementation. fig. 4 illustrates an example storage device storing user data including data regarding the user's identity, online & sharing activity and aggregate statistics data according to one implementation. fig. 5a is a flow chart illustrating an example method for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 5b is a flow chart illustrating another example method for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for identifying a user according to one implementation. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for determining a user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 8a is a graphic representation of an example of a user interface where the display of content and/or annotations has been customized based at least in part on an analysis of the user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 8b is a graphic representation of another example of a user interface where the display of content and/or annotations has been customized based at least in part on an analysis of the user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 8c is a graphic representation of another example of a user interface where the display of content and/or annotations has been customized based at least in part on an analysis of the user's sharing activity according to one implementation. fig. 8d is a graphic representation of yet another example of a user interface where the display of content and/or annotations has been customized based at least in part on an analysis of the user's sharing activity according to one implementation. detailed description a system and method for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity is described. in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. it will be recognized that the implementations can be practiced without these specific details. in other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the implementations. for example, one implementation is described below with reference to user interfaces and particular hardware. however, the implementations apply to any type of computing device that can receive data and commands, and any peripheral devices providing services. reference in the specification to “one implementation” or “an implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation. the appearances of the phrase “in one implementation” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. these algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. an algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. the steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. it has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. it should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. the present implementations also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. this apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may include a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, cd-roms, and magnetic disks, read-only memories (roms), random access memories (rams), eproms, eeproms, magnetic or optical cards, flash memories including usb keys with non-volatile memory or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, each coupled to a computer system bus. the implementations can take the form of an entirely hardware implementation, an entirely software implementation or an implementation containing both hardware and software elements. a preferred implementation is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. furthermore, one implementation can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. for the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. the memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be obtained from bulk storage during execution. input/output or i/o devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening i/o controllers. network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. modems, cable modem and ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. finally, the algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. the required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. in addition, the present implementations are not described with reference to any particular programming language. it will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings as described herein. fig. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a system 100 for customizing the display of a content item, e.g. an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity according to one implementation. the illustrated implementation of the system 100 for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity includes user devices 115 a , 115 b , 115 n (referred to individually or collectively as user device 115 ) that are accessed by users 125 a , 125 b , 125 n (referred to individually or collectively as user 125 ), a user login server 101 and content servers 130 a , 130 b , 130 n (referred to individually or collectively as content server 130 ). in the illustrated implementation, these entities are communicatively coupled via a network 105 . although only three devices are illustrated, it will be recognized that any number of user devices 115 n are available to any number of users 125 n . further, although only three content servers 130 are illustrated, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any number of content servers 130 n are available. the user devices 115 and content servers 130 in fig. 1 are used by way of example. while fig. 1 illustrates three devices, the implementation applies to any system architecture having one or more user devices 115 and one or more content servers 130 . furthermore, while only one network 105 is coupled to the user devices 115 , the user login server 101 and the content servers 130 , in practice any number of networks 105 can be connected to the entities. although only one user login server 101 is shown, it will be recognized that multiple servers may be present. in one implementation, the user login server 101 contains a social network module 209 (not shown) and is part of a social network. a social network may be any type of social structure where the users are connected by a common feature. examples include, but are not limited to blogs, micro blogs, and internet forums. the common feature includes friendship, family, a common interest, etc. in one implementation, the user login server 101 contains a messaging module 210 (not shown) and is part of a messaging network, e.g., an e-mail network. in one implementation, the user login server 101 is associated with one or more content servers 130 accessible only to authorized users. for example, a subscription based news website where a user can only access the full content (e.g., news articles) of the content server 130 after successfully logging into the user login server 101 . in one implementation, the user login server 101 belongs to a video hosting website. it will be recognized that the preceding examples are not intended to be an exhaustive list, and the user login server 101 could be part of other or different online systems and/or entities. the network 105 enables communications between user devices 115 , the user login server 101 and content servers 130 . thus, the network 105 can include links using technologies such as wi-fi, wi-max, 2g, universal mobile telecommunications system (umts), 3g, ethernet, 802.11, integrated services digital network (isdn), digital subscriber line (dsl), asynchronous transfer mode (atm), infiniband, pci express advanced switching, etc. similarly, the networking protocols used on the network 105 can include the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip), multi-protocol label switching (mpls), the user datagram protocol (udp), the hypertext transport protocol (http), the simple mail transfer protocol (smtp), the file transfer protocol (ftp), lightweight directory access protocol (ldap), code division multiple access (cdma), wideband code division multiple access (wcdma), global system for mobile communications (gsm), high-speed downlink packet access (hsdpa), etc. the data exchanged over the network 105 can be represented using technologies and/or formats including the hypertext markup language (html), the extensible markup language (xml), etc. in addition, all or some of links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as the secure sockets layer (ssl), secure http and/or virtual private networks (vpns) or internet protocol security (ipsec). in another implementation, the entities can use custom and/or dedicated data communications technologies instead of, or in addition to, the ones described above. depending upon the implementation, the network 105 can also include links to other networks. in one implementation, the network 105 is a partially public or a wholly public network such as the internet. the network 105 can also be a private network or include one or more distinct or logical private networks (e.g., virtual private networks, wide area networks (“wan”) and/or local area networks (“lan”)). additionally, the communication links to and from the network 105 can be wireline or wireless (i.e., terrestrial—or satellite-based transceivers). in one implementation, the network 105 is an ip-based wide or metropolitan area network. in some implementations, the network 105 helps to form a set of online relationships between users 125 , such as provided by one or more social networking systems, including explicitly-defined relationships and relationships implied by social connections with other online users, where the relationships form a social graph. in some examples, the social graph can reflect a mapping of these users and how they are related. in one implementation, an annotation customization module 220 a may be included in the user login server 101 and may be operable on the user login server 101 . in another implementation, an annotation customization module 220 b may be included in the content server 130 and may be operable on the content server 130 . in another implementation, an annotation customization module 220 c may be included in the user device 115 and may be operable on the user device 115 . it will be recognized that the annotation customization module 220 can be stored in any combination on the devices and servers. in some implementations the sharing settings prediction module 220 a / 220 b / 220 c (referred to individually or collectively as annotation customization module 220 ) includes multiple, distributed modules that cooperate with each other to perform the functions described below. details describing the functionality and components of the annotation customization module 220 are explained in further detail below with regard to fig. 3 . in the illustrated implementation, the user devices 115 a and 115 b are coupled to the network 105 via signal lines 108 and 112 , respectively. the user 125 a interacts with the user device 115 a . similarly, the user device 115 b is coupled to the network via signal line 112 . the user 125 b interacts with the user device 115 b . the user login server 101 is communicatively coupled to the network 105 via signal line 104 . in one implementation, the user login server 101 is communicatively coupled to data storage 110 via signal line 102 . the user application servers 130 a , 130 b are coupled to the network 105 via signal lines 132 , 134 , respectively. in one implementation, data storage 110 stores data and information of users 125 of the system 100 . such stored information includes user profiles and other information identifying the users 125 of the system 100 . examples of information identifying users includes, but is not limited to, the user's name, contact information, sex, relationship status, likes, interests, links, education and employment history, location, political views, and religion. in one implementation, a user profile includes the user's list of current and past contacts and the user's online activities within the system 100 , such as sharing activity. in another implementation, which is discussed below, a storage device 214 (see fig. 2 ) is included in the user login server 101 and the storage device 214 stores the data and information of users 125 of the system 100 . in one implementation, the user device 115 is an electronic device having a web browser for interacting with the user login server 101 or content server 130 via the network 105 and is used by user 125 to access information in the system 100 . the user device 115 can be, for example, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (pda), a mobile email device, a portable game player, a portable music player or any other electronic device capable of accessing a network. in one implementation, the content servers 130 are servers that provide various content items. specifically, the content servers 130 are servers that enable users of the system 100 to access content within the system 100 . for example, content servers 130 are servers that provide access to content such as the following: videos; articles; papers; documents; pictures; audio; and any other content able to be published on the network 105 . for example, in one implementation, content server 130 a hosts a news website; content server 130 b hosts a search website or is a search engine; and content server 130 n host a video sharing website. fig. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a computing device 200 according to one implementation. in one implementation, the computing device 200 is the login server 101 . in another implementation, the computing device is a content server 130 . in yet another implementation, the computing device is a user device 115 . as illustrated in fig. 2 , the computing device 200 includes a network adapter 202 coupled to a bus 204 . according to one implementation, also coupled to the bus 204 are at least one processor 206 , a memory 208 , a display 218 coupled to a graphics adapter 210 , an input device 212 , a storage device 214 , and an annotation customization module 220 . in one implementation, the functionality of the bus 204 is provided by an interconnecting chipset. in one implementation, the computing device 200 includes an optional social network module 209 . in another implementation, the computing device 200 includes an optional messaging module 210 . the processor 206 may be any general-purpose processor. the processor 206 includes an arithmetic logic unit, a microprocessor, a general purpose controller or some other processor array to perform computations, provide electronic display signals to display 218 . the processor 206 is coupled to the bus 204 for communication with the other components of the computing device 200 . processor 206 processes data signals and may include various computing architectures including a complex instruction set computer (cisc) architecture, a reduced instruction set computer (risc) architecture, or an architecture implementing a combination of instruction sets. although only a single processor 206 is shown in fig. 2 , multiple processors may be included. the computing device 200 also includes an operating system executable by the processor 206 such as but not limited to windows®, macos x, android, or unix® based operating systems. the memory 208 stores instructions and/or data that may be executed by processor 206 . the memory 208 is coupled to the bus 204 for communication with the other components of the computing device 200 . the instructions and/or data may include code for performing any and/or all of the techniques described herein. the memory 208 may be a dynamic random access memory (dram) device, a static random access memory (sram) device, flash memory or some other memory device known in the art. in one implementation, the memory 208 also includes a non-volatile memory or similar permanent storage device and media such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a cd-rom device, a dvd-rom device, a dvd-ram device, a dvd-rw device, a flash memory device, or some other mass storage device for storing information on a more permanent basis. in one implementation, the computing device 200 contains an optional social network module 209 . the social network module 209 is software and routines executable by the processor 206 to control the interaction between the computing device 200 , storage device 214 and the user device 115 . an implementation of the social network module 209 allows users 125 of user devices 115 to perform social functions between other users 125 of user devices 115 within the system 100 . in one implementation, the computing device 200 contains an optional messaging module 210 . the messaging module 210 is software and routines executable by the processor 206 to control the interaction between the computing device 200 , storage device 214 and the user devices 115 . an implementation of the messaging module 210 allows users 125 of user devices 115 to exchange digital messages with other users 125 of user devices 115 within the system 100 creating a messaging network, e.g., an e-mail network. an e-mail network enables users 125 to exchange digital messages across the internet or other computer networks. the storage device 214 is any device capable of holding data, like a hard drive, compact disk read-only memory (cd-rom), dvd, or a solid-state memory device. the storage device 214 is a non-volatile memory device or similar permanent storage device and media. the storage device 214 stores data and instructions for the processor 206 and includes one or more devices including a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a cd-rom device, a dvd-rom device, a dvd-ram device, a dvd-rw device, a flash memory device, or some other mass storage device known in the art. in one implementation, the storage device 214 is used to store user profiles and other information identifying users 125 of the system 100 . in some implementations, such user data is stored in data storage 110 . in one implementation, the storage device 214 is used to store user activities, including sharing activities, within the system 100 . in some implementations, such user activities are stored in data storage 110 . the input device 212 may include a mouse, track ball, or other type of pointing device to input data into the computing device 200 . the input device 212 may also include a keyboard, such as a qwerty keyboard or soft keyboard. the input device 212 may also include a microphone, a web camera or similar audio or video capture device. the graphics adapter 210 displays images and other information on the display 218 . the display 218 is a conventional type such as a liquid crystal display (lcd) or any other similarly equipped display device, screen, or monitor. the display 218 represents any device equipped to display electronic images and data as described herein. the network adapter 202 couples the computing device 200 to a local or wide area network. the annotation customization module 220 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 to customize the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity. an implementation of the annotation customization module 220 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 to customize the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity. details describing the functionality and components of the annotation customization module 220 are explained in further detail below with regard to fig. 3 . a computing device 200 can have different and/or other components than those shown in fig. 2 . in addition, the computing device 200 can lack certain illustrated components. in one implementation, the computing device 200 lacks an input device 212 , graphics adapter 210 , and/or display 218 . moreover, the storage device 214 can be local and/or remote from the computing device 200 (such as embodied within a storage area network (san)). as is known in the art, the computing device 200 is adapted to execute computer program modules for providing functionality described herein. as used herein, the term “module” refers to computer program logic utilized to provide the specified functionality. thus, a module can be implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or software. in one implementation, program modules are stored on the storage device 214 , loaded into the memory 208 , and executed by the processor 206 . implementations of the entities described herein can include other and/or different modules than the ones described here. in addition, the functionality attributed to the modules can be performed by other or different modules in other implementations. moreover, this description occasionally omits the term “module” for purposes of clarity and convenience. referring now to fig. 3 , an example of the annotation customization module 220 is shown in more detail according to one implementation. in one implementation, the annotation customization module 220 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 to customize the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on a user's sharing activity. in one implementation, the annotation customization module 220 includes a user identifier engine 302 , a sharing activity determination engine 304 , a user type identifier engine 306 and a display customization engine 310 . the user identifier engine 302 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 for identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity. in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be a set of instructions executable by a processor 206 to provide the functionality described below for identifying a user based on user-provided information or user activity. in another implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be stored in memory of the computing device 200 and may be accessible and executable by the processor 206 . in either implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor 206 and other components of the computing device 200 . identifying a user, depending upon the implementation, can refer to ascertaining the identity of a user 125 (e.g., the user's name is john smith or the user has username jsmith1) or differentiating one user 125 a from another user 125 b (e.g., anonuser2345 from anonuser2346). in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be communicatively coupled to, or included in, the user login server 101 . in one such implementation, the user-provided information or user activity may include the user logging into an account. the user identifier engine 302 determines the user's 125 identity is that of the account owner when the user 125 successfully logs into the account. for example, the user 125 logs into the user login server 101 by providing the username jsmith1 and the correct password. the user identifier engine 302 identifies the user by username (jsmith1), or the user identifier engine 302 retrieves the name associated with the account from the storage device 214 and identifies the user by name (john smith). in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be communicatively coupled to, or included in a content server 130 . in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 may be communicatively coupled to, or included in, a user device 115 . in one implementation, the user-provided information or user activity, by way of example and not limitation, includes one or more of an ip address, device identification number (“device id”), browser history, search history and activity on the content server 130 . for example, if a content server 130 receives a request for content from two different ip addresses, the user identifier engine 302 identifies two users corresponding to the two different ip addresses. in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 assigns a user id to each of the ip addresses (e.g., anonuser2345 for the user of the first ip address and anonuser2346 for the user of the second ip address). in one implementation, the user identifier engine 302 associates the user-provided information or user activity with the assigned user id, e.g., the ip address, device id, browser history or search history, in a user profile. in one implementation, the user-provided information or user activity of the user profile is used for further identification. for example, a content server 130 receives a first requests for content from a user 125 . the user is assigned a user id, user1234a, and the user's ip address and the user's browser history, which includes parenting and financial planning websites, are associated with the user id in a user profile. the content server 130 then receives a second request for content from the ip address already associated with user1234a; however, the browser history associated with the second request includes teen magazine websites and the fan website of a band mostly enjoyed by teens, so the user identifier engine 302 identifies the second request for content as originating from a different user and assigns a second user id, e.g., user 1234b, based on the differences in the browser histories. it will be recognized that other methods of identifying users exist and may be applied without departing from the teachings herein. the sharing activity determination engine 304 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 for determining a user's sharing activity. in one implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 may be a set of instructions executable by a processor 206 to provide the functionality described below for determining a user's sharing activity. in another implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 may be stored in the memory 208 of the computing device 200 and may be accessible and executable by the processor 206 . in either implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 may be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor 206 and other components of the computing device 200 . sharing activity, by way of example and not limitation, includes one or more of indications of interest (e.g., endorsements); posting, reposting or embedding content on a blog or micro blog; and sending, or forwarding, content via e-mail or other digital message system. in one implementation, determining the user's sharing activity is determining a measure of the user's sharing activity. in one such implementation, the measure is the frequency of the user's sharing activity, i.e., the number times sharing activity occurred in a predetermined period (e.g., the preceding week, month, 3 sessions or 24 hours online). it will be recognized that any predetermined period may be used. in another implementation, the measure is the total number of times sharing activity has occurred. in one implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the user's sharing activity at least in part by receiving the user's responses to a questionnaire. for example, the user is asked and responds to one or more questions regarding how frequently he/she indicates approval of a content item (e.g., endorses something); posts, reposts or embeds content on a blog or micro blog; or sends, or forwards, content via e-mail or other digital message system. in one implementation, the user's sharing activity is determined at least in part by the user's online activity. the user's online activity can include one or more of the number of content items consumed by the user, the content items consumed by the user, the amount of time the user spends online, the frequency of the user being online, what content the user bookmarked, how many content items are the subject of the user's sharing activity and which content items are the subject of the user's sharing activity. in one implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines and (in some implementations) associates the user's online activity with the user's profile. for example, assume the annotation customization engine 220 is in a content server 130 that hosts an online newspaper website and the user identifier engine 302 has identified a user as “anonuser2345.” as anonuser2345 selects and views articles (content) the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines how many articles anonuser2345 views and how many of those articles he shares (e.g., by e-mailing the article to someone). in another implementation, the user's activity is determined by a module and/or entity separate and distinct from the annotation customization module 220 . for example, the other module could be a blog, micro blog, social network, or messaging module belonging to a blog, micro blog, social network or e-mail server, respectively. in one such implementation, the separate and distinct module and/or entity determines the online activity of the user and the sharing activity determination engine 304 is communicatively coupled to receive or retrieve the sharing activity. for example, assume a social network determines sharing activity data regarding the user's endorsements (sharing activity) and associates that data with the user's profile. the sharing activity determination engine 304 is communicatively coupled to retrieve that sharing activity data, e.g., how frequently the user endorses a piece of content, from the social network. in one implementation, determining the user's sharing activity includes determining the user's sharing activity within a predefined context and identifying the user type is based at least in part on the user's sharing activity within the predefined context. in such implementations, sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the sharing activity within a certain context. for example, the sharing activity determination engine 304 may determine the user's sharing activity on a mobile device, or may determine the user's sharing activity associated with particular topics. after the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the user's sharing activity, the determined sharing activity may be sent to the user type identifier engine 306 . the user type identifier engine 306 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 for identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's 125 sharing activity. in one implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 may be a set of instructions executable by a processor 206 to provide the functionality described below for identifying a user type based at least in part on the user's 125 sharing activity. in another implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 may be stored in memory 208 of the computing device 200 and may be accessible and executable by the processor 206 . in either implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 may be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor 206 and other components of the computing device 200 . in one implementation, there are two or more user types. in one such implementation, the two or more user types are based at least in part on the measure of the user's sharing frequency, specifically, the frequency of the user's 125 sharing activity, and the two or more user types include frequent sharers and infrequent sharers. it will be recognized that any number of user types can be created using criteria other than, or different from, the frequency of a user's 125 sharing activity. in one implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 utilizes a threshold test to identify the user's type. for example, assume that a user participating in sharing activity more than once a week is a frequent sharer and assume that the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the user 125 participated in sharing activity three times in the preceding week, the user type identifier engine 306 compares the user's sharing activity (3 times) to a predefined threshold value (1 time) and determines if the threshold is met. in this example, the threshold is met (because 3>1) and the user 125 is identified as a frequent sharer. in one implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 utilizes aggregate statistics to identify a user type and associate the user with the user type. in one implementation, the threshold value of the threshold test is determined at least in part by aggregate statistics regarding user sharing activity. for example, assume that aggregate statistics establish that participating in sharing activity once, twice and three times a week are the 25 th percentile, 50 th percentile/median and 75 th percentile values, respectively, for sharing activity frequency, in one implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 compares a user's 125 frequency of sharing activity to these values and identifies the user 125 as a frequent sharer if the user's 125 sharing activity is higher than the 75 th percentile and identifies the user 125 as an infrequent sharer if the user's sharing activity is below the 25 th percentile. in one implementation, the user type identifier engine 306 generates and stores the aggregate statistics used to create threshold values from the user 125 online activity data generated by the sharing activity determination engine 304 . in another implementation, the aggregate statistics used are generated by the responses of users to a questionnaire. in one implementation, threshold values of user type are generated by statistical analysis of the aggregate statistics to determine what threshold values correlate to increased user engagement. it will be recognized that other methods of identifying a user type may be applied without departing from the teaching herein. for example, requiring that a threshold be met for more than one type of sharing activity (e.g., frequent sharer only if the threshold is met for both indications of interest and re-postings on a micro blog), that the threshold be satisfied by at least one type of social activity (e.g., a user satisfying the threshold for sharing content through e-mail is a frequent sharer regardless of other sharing activity frequencies), hierarchy or weighting of different types of sharing activity (e.g., if frequent sharer based on indications of interest but infrequent sharer via e-mail, the user is identified as an infrequent sharer because e-mail weighted more heavily), or that the threshold be satisfied by the sum of a plurality of different sharing activities (e.g., a user's indications of interest and e-mail sharing do not meet the respective individual thresholds, but a threshold of total, or combined, sharing activity is met; therefore, the user is a frequent sharer). after the user type identifier engine 306 identifies the user's type based at least in part on the user's sharing activity, the user's type may be sent to the display customization engine 308 . the display customization engine 308 may be software and routines executable by the processor 206 for customizing the display of content and/or annotations based at least in part on an analysmay be of the user's type. in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 may be a set of instructions executable by a processor 206 to customize the display of content and/or annotations based at least in part on the user's type. in another implementation, the display customization engine 308 may be stored in memory 208 of the computing device 200 and may be accessible and executable by the processor 206 . in either implementation, the display customization engine 308 may be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor 206 and other components of the computing device 200 . in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 modifies the annotations displayed to the user based at least in part on the user's type. in one such implementation, the visual impact, or prominence, of the annotation is modified based at least in part on the user's type. the visual impact, or prominence, of the annotation is determined by a number of factors including whether an annotation is present or not, the position/placement of the annotation, the size of the annotation, the color of the annotation, whether the annotation is animated, etc. for example, assume users engagement in users identified as frequent sharers is correlated with favorable endorsements more than other indications of interest, the endorsement icon and endorsement counter is, therefore, displayed larger and before other indications of interest. in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 modifies the content items displayed to the user based at least in part on the user's type. for example, if infrequent sharers engage more when the content displayed has favorable annotations, in one implementation, only content with favorable annotations is displayed. in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 modifies the order of the content items displayed based at least in part on the user's type. for example, assume a first user identified as a frequent sharer and a second user identified as an infrequent sharer search for “family guy ipecac” on a website hosting video content, the display customization engine 308 displays the results to the first user in an order based purely on keyword relevance and displays the results to the second user in an order based on a combination of keyword relevance and popularity as indicated by associated annotations. in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 customizes the display of content and/or annotations based at least in part on the user's type by using one or more guidelines. on example of a guideline is to not display annotations if a user is identified as a frequent sharer. in one implementation, the one or more guidelines are established at least in part by one or more research studies. in one implementation, the study utilizes user responses to a questionnaire. for example, assume a study found that users identified as infrequent sharers engage more if the content is accompanied by favorable annotations based on responses to a questionnaire, this finding would be turned into one or more guidelines, e.g., if the user is an infrequent sharer, display content associated with favorable annotations and display those favorable annotations prominently. thus, in one implementation, the display customization engine 308 would customize an infrequent sharer's display to display only content items with favorable annotations and would display the annotations in a way that increases the annotations' visual impact based on the one or more guidelines. in another implementation, the one or more guidelines are established at least in part by using data created by determining the online activity of users. as discussed above, in some implementations, the user's online activities are determined by the sharing activity determination module 304 or some other module and/or entity (e.g., a news website hosted by a content server 130 ) depending on the implementation. in one such implementation, the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines user online activity and associates the activity with the corresponding user profile. the display customization engine 308 generates a series of permutations or combinations of display formats (e.g., varying visual impact of annotations including the presence, size, color and position, varying the content items displayed). the display customization engine 308 then sends the different permutations or combinations to similar users, e.g., identified as the same type. for example, a first portion of users identified as infrequent sharers is shown content associated with favorable annotations but no annotations are displayed, a second portion of the users identified as infrequent sharers is shown the same content associated with favorable annotations but negative annotations are (falsely) displayed and a third portion of the users identified as an infrequent sharers is shown the same content associated with favorable annotations and the favorable annotations are displayed. the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the users' subsequent online activity, specifically, the engagement of the first, second and third portions of users, which the sharing activity determination engine 304 associates with the corresponding user profiles. the display customization engine 308 retrieves subsequent user engagement data, aggregates the data and statistically determines what, if any, statistically significant impact each permutation or combinations of display had on user engagement. for example, if the third portion of users engaged with content 30% more content than the second portion of users and 10% than the first portion of users, the display customization engine 308 determines a guideline to display the annotations of content associated with favorable annotations to infrequent sharers. the preceding examples of permutations or combinations are meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. it will be recognized that many other permutations or combinations are possible and may be applied without departing form the teachings herein. fig. 4 illustrates an example of a storage device 214 storing user aggregate statistics 400 data and user data 402 including data belonging to user-a 410 a according to one implementation. user-a data 410 a may be a user profile according to one implementation. in this example, the user-a data 410 a includes data regarding user-a's identification 420 a and user-a's online & sharing activity 420 b . user-a's identification data 420 a includes user-provided information or user activity regarding one or more of user-a's login information 430 a , ip address 430 b , device id 430 c , and other identification information 430 n (e.g., search and/or browser history data) associated with user-a and used by the user identifier module 302 to identify a user. user-a's online & sharing activity data 420 b may be associated with user-a, in one implementation, by the sharing activity determination engine 304 and used by the user type identifier engine 306 to identify user-a's type, which may be subsequently associated with user-a in the user sharing type 420 c. in the illustrated example, the user aggregate statistics data 400 includes statistics data regarding the users 125 of the system 100 including user annotation statistics 440 a , user online & sharing activity statistics 440 b and other statistics data 440 n according to one implementation. the user annotation statistics 440 a include one or more statistics regarding type statistics 450 a , annotation display statistics 450 b and annotation count statistics 450 c . type statistics 450 a includes, for example, statistics used to determine the threshold value(s) used by the user type identifier 306 . annotation display statistics 450 b includes, for example, statistics how the display, i.e., the visual impact or prominence, of annotations effects the engagement of each user type annotation count statistics 450 c , includes, for example, statistics regarding when an annotation becomes a favorable annotation. for example, how many indications of interest must be present before a user of a first type is affected by the annotation. according to one implementation, one or more aggregate statistics 400 are used as guidelines by the display customization engine 308 to customize the display of content and/or annotations based at least in part on the user's type. in some implementations, a user may be prompted to explicitly allow data collection. in some implementations, the user may opt in/out of participating in such data collection activities. furthermore, in some implementations, the collected data can be anonymized prior to performing the analysis to obtain the various statistical patterns described above. referring now to fig. 5a , a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 500 a for customizing the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on the user's sharing activity is shown according to one implementation. the user identifier engine 302 of the annotation customization module 220 identifies the user based on user-provided information or user activity. as discussed above, identifying a user, depending upon the implementation, can refer to ascertaining the identity of a user 125 (e.g., the user's name is john smith or the user has username jsmith1) or differentiating one user 125 a from another user 125 b (e.g., anonuser2345 from anonuser2346). also as discussed above, the user may be identified in any number of ways. referring now to fig. 6 , a flow chart illustrating an example method 600 for identifying a user is shown in accordance with one implementation. it will be recognized that this is just one implementation. other implementations may use any of the methods in fig. 6 alone or in combination. other implementations may also include methods in addition to or different from those of fig. 6 . the user identifier engine 304 determines 602 if the user is logged in. if the user is logged into the user login server 101 ( 602 —yes), the user identifier engine 304 identifies 604 the user as the account owner. if the user is not logged into the user login server 101 ( 602 —no), the user identifier engine 302 retrieves/receives and analyzes the user's ip address 606 , the user's device id 608 , the user's search history 610 and the user's browser history 612 . the user identifier engine 302 then infers and/or assigns 614 a user identity based on this analysis. for example, the user identifier engine 302 infers 614 that two users share a computer based on identical ip address 606 and device id 608 (same computer) and disparate browser history 610 and search history 612 (different users). the user identifier engine 302 assigns 614 each of the two users an identity, for example, the user ids anonuser1234a and anonuser1234b. referring again to fig. 5a , in one implementation, once the user has been identified 502 , the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines the user's sharing activity 504 . as discussed above, sharing activity, by way of example and not limitation, includes one or more of indications of interest (e.g., endorsements); posting, reposting or embedding content on a blog or micro blog; and sending, or forwarding, content via e-mail or other digital message system. in one implementation, determining the user's sharing activity is determining a measure of the user's sharing activity. in one such implementation, the measure is the frequency of the user's sharing activity, i.e., the number times sharing activity occurred in a predetermined period of time (e.g., the preceding week, month, 3 sessions or 24 hours online). it will be recognized that any predetermined amount of time may be used. in another implementation, the measure is the total number of times sharing activity has occurred. referring now to fig. 7 , a flow chart illustrating an example method 700 for determining a user's sharing activity is shown in accordance with one implementation. it will be recognized that this is just one implementation. other implementations may use any of the methods in fig. 7 alone or in combination. other implementations may also include methods in addition to or different from those of fig. 7 . the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines 702 if the user shared content via e-mail (e.g., sending or forwarding content). if the user shared content via e-mail ( 702 —yes), the sharing activity determination engine 304 analyzes 704 that sharing activity before proceeding to step 706 . for example, the total number of content items consumed, the total number of content items shared, the type of content items shared, the frequency of sharing the content items, the annotations of the content items shared, etc. if the user did not share content via e-mail ( 702 —no), the sharing activity determination engine 304 proceeds directly to step 706 . at step 706 , the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines if the user shared content via a blog or micro blog (e.g., by posting, reposting or embedding content). if the user shared content via a blog or micro blog ( 706 —yes), the sharing activity determination engine 304 analyzes 708 that sharing activity before proceeding to step 710 . for example, the total number of content items consumed, the total number of content items shared, the type of content items shared, the frequency of sharing the content items, the annotations of the content items shared, etc. if the user did not share content blog or micro blog ( 706 —no), the sharing activity determination engine 304 proceeds directly to step 710 . at step 710 , the sharing activity determination engine 304 determines if the user shared content via a social network (e.g., by indicating approval of content). if the user shared content via a social network ( 710 —yes), the sharing activity determination engine 304 analyzes 712 that sharing activity before stopping. for example, the total number of content items consumed, the total number of content items shared, the type of content items shared, the frequency of sharing the content items, the annotations of the content items shared, etc. if the user did not share content via a social network ( 710 —no), the sharing activity determination engine 304 stops. referring again to fig. 5a , once the user's sharing activity is determined 504 by the sharing activity determination engine 304 , the user type identifier engine 306 uses the sharing activity of the user to identify 506 a user type based at least in part on the sharing activity of the user and associate the user type with the user. the display customization engine 308 customizes the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation based at least in part on the user type. as described above, the customization can include, for example, modifying the visual impact of the annotation, the content items displayed and/or their order, etc. referring now to fig. 5b , a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 500 b for customizing the display of display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, based at least in part on the user's sharing activity is shown according to one implementation. similar to method 500 a of fig. 5a , the user is identified 502 , the user's sharing activity is determined 504 and the user's type is identified 506 . however, according to method 500 b, the user types include infrequent sharers. the customization display engine 308 determines 510 whether a user is identified as in infrequent sharer. if the user is identified as an infrequent sharer ( 510 —yes), the customization display engine 308 customizes 512 the display to increase the visual impact of annotations based on a guideline that infrequent sharer engagement is affected by annotations. however, if the user is not identified as an infrequent sharer ( 510 —no), the customization display engine 308 customizes 514 the display to decrease the visual impact of annotations or eliminate annotations based on a guideline that the engagement of frequent sharers, or non-infrequent sharers, is not affected by annotations. graphical user interface fig. 8a-d are graphic representations illustrating examples of how the display of a content item, e.g., an annotation, is customized based at least in part on a user's sharing activity according to various implementations. fig. 8a includes a content list 802 a including a first content item 804 and a second content item 806 . in the illustrated implementation, each content item 804 / 806 includes a title 808 , a first indication of interest 810 , a first indication of interest count 812 , a second indication of interest 814 and a second indication of interest count 816 . in one implementation, the pairing of an indication of interest 810 / 814 and its count 812 / 816 is a type of annotation. in one implementation, content list 802 a is the default display of content items and annotations, i.e., if a user cannot be identified or does not have a type. fig. 8b illustrates an example of a customized display of a content list 902 b according to one implementation. the user has been identified as a user type that is affected by annotations. for example, assume the user is an infrequent sharer, which is a user whose engagement with content increases if the content is associated with favorable annotations, and the more favorable the annotations associated with the content the more likely the user is to engage. the display generated for the user, therefore, increased the prominence, or visual impact, of the annotations 810 & 812 , 814 & 816 by increasing their size and placing them before the title 808 of the content item 804 / 806 enabling the user to more easily utilize the annotations 810 & 812 , 814 & 816 to identify content worth engaging with. additionally, the order of the content items 804 , 806 has been modified to display the second content item 806 above the first content item 804 . in one implementation, the modified order is because the second content item 806 has a higher total indication of interest count (9,576+8,412=17,988) than the first content item 804 (3,576+11,412=14,988), which is a more favorable annotation according to one implementation. thus, the content item the user is most likely to engage with is displayed first. fig. 8c illustrates another example of a customized display of a content list 902 c according to one implementation. the user has been identified as a user type whose engagement is affected by a specific type of annotation. for example, assume the user is an infrequent sharer, which is a user whose engagement increases if the content is associated with a favorable second indication of interest annotation 814 & 816 . the display generated for the user, therefore, increased the prominence, or visual impact, of the second indication of interest annotation 814 & 816 by increasing their size and placing the annotation 814 & 816 before the title 808 of the content item 804 / 806 enabling the user to more easily utilize the second indication of interest annotation 814 & 816 to identify content worth engaging with. as illustrated, the first indication of interest annotation 810 & 812 is still displayed, but at a default size and in a default position. in other implementations, the first indication of interest annotation 810 & 812 is not displayed. additionally, the order of content items 804 , 806 is modified to display content items 804 , 806 in order of most favorable second indication of interest annotation 814 & 816 , which, in one implementation, is the content item (in this case the first content item 804 ) having the highest second indication of interest count 816 first followed by the next highest and so forth. thus, the content item the user is most likely to engage with is displayed first. fig. 8d illustrates yet another example of a customized display of a content list 902 d according to one implementation. the user has been identified as a user type whose engagement level is unaffected by annotations. for example, assume the user is identified as a frequent sharer, which is a user that engages with content without regard to associated annotations, e.g., there is no discernable pattern or correlation between the content the user engages with and the annotations associated with the content. the display generated for the user, therefore, decreases the prominence, or visual impact, of the annotations by eliminating them entirely. as illustrated, the elimination of the annotations creates room for a larger title 808 and additional content or information that might engage the user, or generate revenue for the publisher (e.g., advertisements 830 ). additionally, the content items displayed are different, i.e., a third content item 824 and a fourth content item 826 . in one implementation, the content items displayed are different because annotations are irrelevant in determining the content to display. for example, in returning the search results for a content item, content list d 802 d displays the results ranked based on the results of a keyword search of metadata associated with content items, while content lists a-c 802 a - c changed the rank or content items displayed based on associated annotations. in one implementation, this may be because the user of content list d 802 d engages with content based on relevance (in this case determined by keyword) while the users of content lists a-c 802 a - c engage with content based in part on the annotations associated with the content. thus, the content item the user is most likely to engage with are displayed first. the foregoing description of the implementations has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. it is intended that the scope of the implementations be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims of this application. as will be understood by those familiar with the art, the implementations may take other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. likewise, the particular naming and division of the modules, routines, features, attributes, methodologies and other aspects are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement one implementation or its features may have different names, divisions and/or formats. furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, the modules, routines, features, attributes, methodologies and other aspects of the implementations can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination of the three. also, wherever a component, an example of which is a module, is implemented as software, the component can be implemented as a standalone program, as part of a larger program, as a plurality of separate programs, as a statically or dynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable module, as a device driver, and/or in every and any other way known now or in the future to those of ordinary skill. additionally, the implementations are in no way limited to implementation in any specific programming language, or for any specific operating system or environment. accordingly, the disclosure of the present technology is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope, which is set forth in the following claims.
090-401-592-718-958	JP	[ "KR", "JP", "US", "WO" ]	B25J13/08,B25J5/00,G05D1/02,G01C22/00,G05D1/00	2006-09-11T00:00:00	2006	[ "B25", "G05", "G01" ]	moving device	a moving device (70) determines an obstacle virtual existence region (72) of a simple graphic approximating a detected obstacle (71) to detect the obstacle (71) in a real time and determine a smooth avoidance path by calculation, thereby performing collision prediction.	1. a moving device that moves under an environment where a moving obstacle exists, comprising: external information acquiring means for acquiring external information; obstacle detecting means for detecting an external object in an absolute coordinate system from time-series information in which the external information acquired from the external information acquiring means and self information of the moving device are accumulated, and for extracting an obstacle that is an object possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; obstacle feature estimating means for estimating a feature of the obstacle, including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information of the plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means; collision predicting means for predicting possibility of collision with the obstacle from the feature of the obstacle and the self information and path information of the moving device; avoidance route planning means for calculating, in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted, a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and in a case where the possibility of collision is still predicted after passing the through point, further calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, whereby planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through one or more through points; and avoidance path generating means for adjusting the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel. 2. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the collision prediction with the obstacle by the collision predicting means, or the calculation of changes in a motion direction and a motion speed of the moving device itself by the avoidance route planning means, or the calculation of the through point by the avoidance route planning means is calculated by using an obstacle-fixing-relative-space in which the position of the obstacle is fixed and the moving device moves with a relative motion vector with the obstacle, and wherein the generation of the avoidance path by the avoidance path generating means is calculated from a through point information and time information in the obstacle-fixing-relative-space, with use of the through point in the absolute coordinate system having an origin of the coordinate corresponding to a point in a real space. 3. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the obstacle feature estimating means comprises at least one of: means for approximating the shape of the obstacle to a simple graphic including a circle, or a polygon, or a single or a plurality of straight lines; means for approximating the motion pattern of the obstacle to uniform linear motion, and means for approximating a motion pattern of the moving device to uniform linear motion. 4. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the collision predicting means prepares, as a region where the moving device does not enter, a region that has a risk to collide with the obstacle and a region that takes into account of a safe distance between the obstacle and the moving device, and uses the regions for collision prediction to adjust timing of starting of avoidance. 5. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the avoidance route planning means smoothly connects a current path to the avoidance path by making a new avoidance plan from a position on the current path and before a starting point of a new avoidance pass along which actual avoidance action can be started. 6. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the avoidance route planning means sets an order of priority by evaluating at least one of a shortest route, a shortest arrival time, a smallest angular change, a smallest speed change, passing behind a moving obstacle, and a width of an avoidance route when it finally selects an avoidance route from the plurality of avoidance routes, wherein the avoidance path generating means generates an avoidance path from the avoidance route in order from the high priority, and the avoidance route planning means evaluates whether the moving device can move smooth and without interacted by the obstacle. 7. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the obstacle feature estimating means performs an obstacle avoidance process by regarding a portion that changes greatly as an independent moving obstacle in a case where the obstacle changes greatly in shape. 8. a moving device that moves under an environment where a stationary or moving obstacle exists, comprising: external information acquiring means for acquiring external information; obstacle detecting means for detecting an external object from time-series information in which the external information acquired from the external information acquiring means and posture information of the moving device are accumulated, and for extracting an obstacle that is an object possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; obstacle feature estimating means for estimating a feature of the obstacle, including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information of the single or the plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means; collision predicting means for predicting collision with the obstacle from the position and feature of the obstacle and the posture information and path information of the moving device; avoidance route planning means for calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through the through point in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted; and avoidance path generating means for adjusting the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel, wherein the avoidance path generating means performs a search such that the smooth avoidance path becomes smoothest while moving a through point, by repeatedly evaluating an avoidance path obtained by displacing the through point in surrounding eight directions and selecting the through point through which a curvature change is smooth and smallest. 9. a moving device that moves under an environment where a stationary or moving obstacle exists, comprising: external information acquiring means for acquiring external information; obstacle detecting means for detecting an external object from time-series information in which the external information acquired from the external information acquiring means and posture information of the moving device are accumulated, and for extracting an obstacle that is an object possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; obstacle feature estimating means for estimating a feature of the obstacle, including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information of the single or the plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means; collision predicting means for predicting collision with the obstacle from the position and feature of the obstacle and the posture information and path information of the moving device; avoidance route planning means for calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through the through point in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted; and avoidance path generating means for adjusting the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel, wherein the moving device further comprising an operation integrated management unit for changing a posture of the moving device to reduce interference with the obstacle during avoidance. 10. the moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the avoidance route planning means connects a last through point for avoiding the obstacle to a straight line in a motion target direction or a target point of the moving device. 11. a moving device that moves under an environment where a stationary or moving obstacle exists, comprising: external information acquiring means for acquiring external information; obstacle detecting means for detecting an external object from time-series information in which the external information acquired from the external information acquiring means and posture information of the moving device are accumulated, and for extracting an obstacle that is an object possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; obstacle feature estimating means for estimating a feature of the obstacle, including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information of the single or the plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means; collision predicting means for predicting collision with the obstacle from the position and feature of the obstacle and the posture information and path information of the moving device; avoidance route planning means for calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through the through point in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted; and avoidance path generating means for adiustinq the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel, wherein the obstacle detecting means composes the time-series information of a time when the external information is acquired, a position, a size and a shape of an object detected from the external information, a self position, a self direction and a self posture of the moving device at the time, and association information of data of the detected object at a different time. 12. the moving device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , further comprising at least one of: means for presenting or instructing an operation information of the moving device including at least one of avoidance route, operation angle and speed for avoiding the possible colliding obstacle, with an image or a sound by using information of the generated smooth avoidance path; steering means for changing operation load by using the information of the generated smooth avoidance path. 13. a method of avoiding contact with a moving obstacle while moving under an environment where the moving obstacle exists, comprising the steps of: acquiring external information; detecting an external object in an absolute coordinate system from time-series information in which the external information and self information of the moving device are accumulated, and extracting an obstacle that is possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; estimating a feature of the obstacle including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information the plurality of obstacles; performing collision prediction possibility of collision with the obstacle from the feature of the obstacle and the self information and path information of the moving device; calculating, in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted, a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and in a case where the possibility of collision is still predicted after passing the through point, further calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, whereby planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through one or more through points; and adjusting the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel.	technical field the present invention relates to a moving device, and in particular, is suitable for a moving device which works under an environment where a stationary or moving obstacle exists. the present invention can be used for a moving device which can move at a speed equal to or faster than a human under an environment where a human or other fast moving device or a static or dynamic obstacle exist, and can be used for an automatic carrier device, automatic cleaning device, security robot, in addition to a rescue device, probe vehicle, or automatic driving vehicle which moves over outdoor irregular ground, a service robot in various environments such as a factory, hospital, office, road and irregular ground, or the like. background art recently, technology for automating such tasks as is performed by a human under a specific environment has been rapidly advanced according to the development of various electronics such as computation technology, sensing technology and communication technology. in this situation, autonomous moving devices, which are devices automatically moving without being steered by a human, are also actively developed into practical use at present. autonomous moving devices, which have been put to practical use, include an automatic carrier device, automatic cleaning device and security robot, which basically travel in an environment with a leveled and improved land. autonomous moving devices, such as a rescue device or probe vehicle which moves on outdoor irregular ground, an autonomous driving vehicle which travels along a road, and a robot which works in a complex environment such as a station and office where humans exist, are expected to be put to practical use. under such a situation, there has been growing demand for an obstacle avoidance technique which enables a moving device to move while autonomously avoiding an obstacle even when the obstacle exists in a working environment. there have been disclosed a digital graph search method (for example, see patent document 1), a step search method (for example, see patent document 2), a potential method (for example, see patent document 3) and the like, as conventional technology for avoiding an unknown stationary obstacle in a local working environment. the digital graph search method is a technique for searching directions to reach a destination by dividing a working environment into fine grids and moving through only grids with no obstacle. the step search method is a technique for taking a detour around an obstacle by controlling a moving device in each step and selecting a point in a region with no obstacle as a next step. the potential method is a technique for controlling a moving device by use of a resultant force of a repulsive force from an obstacle and an attractive force from a destination on the assumption that there is a high potential field in an obstacle existence region while there is a low potential field in the destination. especially in patent document 3, it is disclosed that a moving obstacle is avoided by using a probability potential field in which the existence probability of a moving obstacle is reflected in a potential field. patent document 1: jp-a-2003-266349patent document 2: jp-a-07-64633patent document 3: jp-a-2003-241836 disclosure of the invention problems to be solved by the invention as described above, autonomous moving devices are expected to work in various environments. especially in the term of performing a task instead of a human, there is a demand for an autonomous moving device which can move at a speed equal to or faster than a human under an environment where a human or other fast moving device exists. to that end, the moving device itself needs to move at high speed while avoiding an obstacle which moves at high speed. in order to achieve this, it is necessary to detect an obstacle and calculate an avoidance path in real time, and at the same time, to generate a continuous smooth path on which the moving device can stably travel even at a high speed. for example, in a case where the moving device moves at a speed of about 1.3 m/s that is a normal speed at which a human walks, the moving device and a human move at the similar speed and approach each other at a speed of not slower than 2 m/s when passing each other. therefore, in order to exist together with humans, it is necessary to allow instant adjustment of a travel path by generating an avoidance path within a short time of about 100 to several 100 ms or less. however, the conventional technology such as the digital graph search method and step search method described above has such a problem that they target only a stationary obstacle and cannot respond to a moving obstacle. also, the conventional technology such as the digital graph search method and potential method has such a problem that there is a limit to a real-time calculation. furthermore, the conventional technology described above has such a problem that a smooth path on which the moving device can stably travel at a high speed cannot be generated. it is an object of the present invention to provide a moving device which can move at a high speed even under an environment where a moving obstacle exists. means for solving the problems in order to attain the above object, the present invention is achieved by following means. (1) a moving device that moves under an environment where a stationary or moving obstacle exists, includes: external information acquiring means for acquiring external information; obstacle detecting means for detecting an external object that exists from time-series information in which the external information from the external information acquiring means and posture information of the moving device are accumulated, and extracting an obstacle that is an object possibly impeding the motion of the moving device from the time-series information; obstacle feature estimating means for estimating a feature of the obstacle, including a size, a shape or a shape change of the obstacle and a position and a motion pattern of the obstacle from the time-series information of the single or the plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means; collision predicting means for performing collision prediction with the obstacle from the position and feature of the obstacle and the posture information and path information of the moving device; avoidance route planning means for calculating a through point that passes through right or left side or a surrounding area of the obstacle for avoiding the obstacle, and planning a single or a plurality of avoidance routes that pass through the through point in a case where collision with the obstacle is predicted; and avoidance path generating means for adjusting the through point so as not to interfere with the obstacle, and generating a smooth avoidance path on which the moving device can travel, whereby a smooth avoidance path is generated in real time by tracking the obstacle. accordingly, the moving device can move at high speed even under an environment where a single or a plurality of moving obstacles exist. (2) by including at least one of the followings and assisting a driver or an operator, safety improvement and avoidance simulation in real time can be achieved in a vehicle such as an automobile: means for presenting or instructing a state or operation information of the moving device by an image or a sound by using information of the generated smooth avoidance path; steering means for changing a direction control state of the moving device by using the information of the generated smooth avoidance path; and travel control means for changing a travel state by using the information of the generated smooth avoidance path. (3) the collision prediction with the obstacle by the collision predicting means, or the calculation of changes in a motion direction and a motion speed of the moving device or the calculation of the through point by the avoidance route planning means is calculated by using an obstacle-fixing relative space in which the position of the obstacle is fixed and the moving device moves with a relative motion vector with the obstacle. accordingly, the calculation of the through point can be geometrically solved, and the calculation of the through point, the collision prediction, and the avoidance process can be achieved at high speed. (4) the obstacle feature estimating means includes at least one of: means for approximating the shape of the obstacle to a simple graphic including a circle, or a polygon, or a single or a plurality of straight lines; means for approximating the motion pattern of the obstacle to uniform linear motion; and means for approximating a motion pattern of the moving device to uniform linear motion. accordingly, the collision prediction with the obstacle and the calculation of the through point are dramatically facilitated. (5) the collision predicting means prepares a region that has a risk to collide with the obstacle and a region that takes into account a safe distance between the obstacle and the moving device, and selectively uses the regions depending on urgency of avoidance. accordingly, the safety of avoidance motion is improved. (6) the avoidance route planning means smoothly connects a current path to the avoidance path by making a new avoidance plan from a position after passage of a predetermined period on the current path in view of a free running period of the moving device. accordingly, it becomes easy to smoothly connect the current path to the avoidance path. (7) when finally selecting an avoidance route from the plurality of avoidance routes, the avoidance route planning means sets an order of priority by evaluating at least one of a shortest route, a shortest arrival time, a smallest angular change, a smallest speed change, passing behind a moving obstacle, and a width of an avoidance route. accordingly, an optimum route can be selected. (8) the obstacle feature estimating means performs an obstacle avoidance process by regarding a portion that changes greatly as an independent moving obstacle in a case where the obstacle changes greatly in shape. accordingly, the collision prediction and the avoidance process can be achieved at a high speed. (9) the avoidance path generating means performs a search such that the smooth avoidance path becomes smoothest, while moving a through point, by repeatedly evaluating an avoidance path obtained by displacing a through point in surrounding eight directions and selecting the through point through which a curvature change is smooth and smallest. accordingly, an optimum path can be generated. (10) the moving device further includes an operation integrated management unit for changing a posture of the moving device to reduce interference with the obstacle during avoidance. accordingly, a collision risk is reduced, and a movable range is widened. (11) the avoidance route planning means connects a pass passing a last through point for avoiding the obstacle to a straight line in a motion target direction or a destination point of the moving device. accordingly, a stable path can be generated even after the avoidance is completed. (12) the obstacle detecting means composes the time-series information of a time when the external information is acquired, a position, a size and a shape of an object detected from the external information, a self position, a direction and a self posture of the moving device at the time, and association information of data of the detected object at a different time. accordingly, the detection of the obstacle, and the process of the shape, shape change and motion pattern of the obstacle can be achieved. advantages of the invention according to the moving device of the present invention, high-speed motion is achieved even under an environment where a moving obstacle exists. other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. best mode for carrying out the invention a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings. first embodiment a moving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described using figs. 1 to 8 . first, the moving device of the present embodiment will be simply described using figs. 1a and 1b . figs. 1a and 1b are views for explaining a configuration of a moving device 1 which intends to work under an environment where a human exists. fig. 1a is an elevation view of the moving device 1 , and fig. 1b is a side view of the moving device 1 . the moving device 1 is an inverted pendulum mobile robot, and is mainly divided into a moving mechanism 2 and an upper body 3 . the moving mechanism 2 includes right and left wheels 4 and 5 , and travel motors 6 and 7 for rotationally driving the wheels. in the upper portion of the moving mechanism 2 , there are provided a tri-axial acceleration sensor 9 for detecting the acceleration of the moving mechanism 2 in the x-, y- and z-axis directions, and a posture/direction sensor 8 for detecting a posture on the basis of the vertical direction and a direction around the vertical direction are provided. working devices such as working arms 13 and a head 14 having a human interface function are mounted on the upper body 3 . furthermore, in the upper body 3 , a control device 11 for controlling the entire robot is incorporated, and also, an external sensor 12 for measuring the position and shape of an obstacle in a travel direction which exists in a travel region is provided. the moving mechanism 2 and the upper body 3 having the above configuration are coupled to each other by a swing mechanism 10 having a rotational degree of freedom in the x-axis direction, and the posture of the upper body 3 relative to the moving mechanism 2 can be optionally set by position control of the swing mechanism 10 . the moving device 1 can move at a speed of not slower than 1.6 m/s that is considered as a brisk walking speed of a human. therefore, an obstacle avoidance process needs to be carried out at very high speed. for example, in a case where an obstacle having the same speed is coming from the opposite direction, the moving device 1 and the obstacle approach each other at not slower than 3.2 m per second. thus, in consideration of a free running period and a period of actual avoidance running, it is better to make an obstacle avoidance processing time shorter, preferably not longer than 100 ms, for example. while the moving device 1 can quickly change its direction since the moving device 1 moves using the two wheels, it is preferable to generate a smooth travel path in order to allow the moving device to stably move at a high speed. next, the relationship among an obstacle avoidance processor 23 and other control units 20 to 22 in the present embodiment will be simply described using fig. 2 . fig. 2 is a view showing a configuration of the control device of the moving device 1 according to the present embodiment. an obstacle avoidance function of the present embodiment is processed by the obstacle avoidance processor 23 , and is managed by an operation integrated management unit 20 . the obstacle avoidance processor 23 successively receives environment data around the moving device from the external sensor 12 , and at the same time, receives the data of the posture, position, path and the like of the moving device 1 from the operation integrated management unit 20 . the obstacle avoidance processor 23 calculates the position, existence region, and motion speed of an object around the moving device on the basis of the data, and performs collision calculations with the object on the basis of the calculation results. in a case where there is a possibility of collision in the collision calculations, the obstacle avoidance processor 23 calculates an avoidance route and an avoidance path, and transmits the detection data of the collision possibility, avoidance path data or the like to the operation integrated management unit 20 . the operation integrated management unit 20 performs two-way communication with the respective control units 21 to 23 , and performs watchdog management, time management, data integrated management, motion timing management in accordance with a state transition sequence, and the like. for example, when arm motion and travel motion are carried out in conjunction with each other, the operation integrated management unit 20 successively receives the information of a path on which the moving device actually moved, a state or the like from the arm control unit 21 and the travel control unit 22 , transmits a command to the travel control unit 22 to move to a predetermined position when the arms 13 come to a predetermined position, and transmits an arm motion command to the arm control unit 21 when a predetermined traveling condition is satisfied. also, when the operation integrated management unit 20 receives a signal to suggest the possibility of collision from the obstacle avoidance processor 23 , the operation integrated management unit 20 switches a path on which the moving device is currently traveling to an avoidance path transmitted from the obstacle avoidance processor 23 at a predetermined timing, and transmits the path data to the travel control unit 22 . the operation integrated management unit 20 further performs information integration and management of an audio-visual processor, various external sensor processors, speech processor, environment map and self-position management unit, travel data generating unit or the like. although the above respective processors are separately shown for the sake of convenience, the present invention is not limited thereto, each process may be physically executed by a single processor, or divided into a plurality of processes, or processed by a plurality of devices. next, a method of avoiding an obstacle of the moving device 1 will be described with reference to figs. 3 to 8 . the obstacle avoidance processor 23 acquires external information by external information acquiring means 31 , detects an obstacle by obstacle detecting means 32 on the basis of the acquired external information, estimates the feature of the detected obstacle by obstacle feature estimating means 33 , predicts if the moving device collides with the obstacle by collision predicting means 34 on the basis of the estimated obstacle feature, plans an avoidance route by avoidance route planning means 35 in a case where the moving device collides with the obstacle, and generates a smooth avoidance path by avoidance path generating means 36 on the basis of the plan as shown in fig. 3 . in the following, each means 31 to 36 will be specifically described. first, the external information acquiring means 31 shown in fig. 3 acquires external information such as the size and shape of a surrounding object and a distance to the object, and time information when the external information is acquired. accordingly, the external information acquiring means 31 is composed of the external sensor 12 capable of detecting the position and shape of an object which exists outside, and the control device thereof. a laser range finder (referred to as lrf below), an image sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, or a combination thereof can be used as the external sensor 12 . since avoidance motion needs to be started in real time as described above, it is necessary to keep a sensor processing time short. for example, the lrf is a sensor which scans a laser beam such as infrared radiation at a predetermined angular interval (for example, an interval of 0.5 degrees) with a given point as the center, and measures a distance to an object in each point. distance data d to an object measured at a predetermined angle θ can be obtained as in a point sequence shown in fig. 4a . with current technology, the distance data to an object existing in a surrounding area can be obtained for the order of about 10 ms by using the lrf. the obstacle detecting means 32 shown in fig. 3 detects an object existing in a surrounding area by using the external information acquired by the external information acquiring means 31 , and determines whether the object is an obstacle. the process of the obstacle detecting means 32 will be simply described using figs. 4a to 4c . first, in order to detect an object 43 or a wall 44 from the point data sequence in fig. 4a , the obstacle detecting means 32 detects a rapid change point of the distance value d for example, and divides successive points into clusters 45 and 46 , respectively. fig. 4a is a view of a laser scanning surface of the lrf 12 that is the external sensor mounted on the moving device 41 as viewed from the top, and the measured scan data is plotted on a two-dimensional coordinate system therein. subsequently, the obstacle detecting means 32 calculates segment information such as the representative position (gravity center or the like), size, and shape of each segment 45 and 46 , and creates an initial segment list 47 shown in fig. 4b . links to the original scan data, such as a scan data number, are also described in the initial segment list 47 . the initial segment list 47 is created each time when a scan is performed. then, on the basis of the time information at the time when the external information is acquired, the obstacle detecting means 32 obtains self information at the time from the operation integrated management unit 20 . here, the self information means position, direction, speed, acceleration, and self angular velocity, self posture including the arms, the region where a grasped or accompanying object exists, or the like, in a coordinate system (absolute coordinate system) on the basis of a predetermined position in an environment. subsequently, the obstacle detecting means 32 determines which segment recognized in a previous scan or a scan before the previous scan is applicable to an object that is currently recognized, on the basis of the information of the positional relationship in the absolute coordinate system, size, shape or the like, by using the data of the initial segment list 47 and the self information, and then associates the object with the segment, and descries the result in a current segment list 48 . as shown in fig. 4c , the obstacle detecting means 32 predicts a motion velocity vector of each segment of a previous segment list 49 from past segment lists, and calculates a predicted position of each segment at the time when the external information is acquired by using the motion velocity vector. subsequently, the obstacle detecting means 32 searches a segment close to the predicted position from the initial segment list 47 . furthermore, the obstacle detecting means 32 compares the sizes and shapes. in a case where the segment has not changed greatly, association information with the past segment is added, and the segment is described in the current segment list 48 as a normal segment 50 . in a case where the segment has changed greatly, fusion or separation has possibly occurred. thus, the obstacle detecting means 32 searches whether segments in the vicinity thereof are applicable. the segment is described in the current segment list 48 as a fusion segment 51 in a case where the fusion has occurred, and as a separation segment 52 in a case where the separation has occurred. also, there is such a case that a segment is hidden behind an object in front thereof and is not recognized (occlusion). in a case where the predicted position is behind a segment and a segment which previously existed becomes smaller (including separation) or disappears, segment information in which the predicted position is set to a latest position is described in the current segment list 48 as an occlusion segment 53 . also, in a case where a segment which previously existed but does not currently exist is considered as the occlusion and there is no corresponding segment when fusion is searched, segment information in which the predicted position is set to a latest position is described in the current segment list 48 as a disappearance segment 54 . when no applicable segment is found within a predetermined time, the disappearance segment 54 is eliminated from the list. moreover, as for a new segment which did not previously exist, segment information in which the segment is set to a new segment 55 is described in the current segment list 48 in a case where there is no corresponding segment when separation is searched. as described above, the detected segments are linked to the previous segments and motion tracking thereof is always performed. then, the obstacle detecting means 32 determines the same object if segments have similar positions and average velocity vectors to each other, and creates a detected object list 56 in which object information 58 such as the association and an object position is described. the association is performed in view of a point that the same object is separately detected such as the legs of a human. the association with past data is also described in the current detected object list 56 by referencing a past detected object list 57 . furthermore, the object position is calculated from the information. in the above processes, the association is easily performed when a time interval between the external information is shorter since there is a smaller state change. subsequently, the obstacle detecting means 32 performs a process of detecting an obstacle. here, a process of determining a known object from the detected objects is performed, and an obstacle candidate list 59 and a non-obstacle list 60 are created. the known object includes the moving device itself such as the arms, the accompanying object such as belongings, or a device, floor, ceiling, wall, and column whose motion is known and with which there is no possibility of collision. here, as for objects associated with those in the past list, the information is used, and as for other objects, the existence region of a known object is calculated from the self information from the operation integrated management unit 20 and map data, so as to determine the detected object as a known object in a case where the detected object exists within the region. the obstacle candidate list 59 includes a known stationary obstacle such as a wall and column, an unknown stationary obstacle, a known moving obstacle, and an unknown moving obstacle. as described above, the obstacle detecting means 32 tracks the segments and objects from the past record and determines whether the detected object composed of a single or a plurality of segments is an object to impede the motion of the moving device 1 . the obstacle feature estimating means 33 shown in fig. 3 performs a process of recognizing the feature of an obstacle, such as a process 61 of estimating an existence region and a process 62 of estimating a motion pattern of an obstacle described in the obstacle candidate list 59 as shown in fig. 5 . here, the time-series information of the obstacle, such as the shape, size and motion quantity (vector), is used by referencing the past data of the object described in the obstacle candidate list 59 . in a first step 61 a of the process 61 of estimating an existence region, the obstacle feature estimating means 33 tracks the position or feature point of each segment of the obstacle composed of a plurality of segments, and performs a contour estimation process by interpolating a portion which is not currently recognized but was recognized before due to rotation, occlusion or the like, so as to calculate the maximum contour. for example, in a case where the occlusion occurs in one of the legs of a human, the size or position of the obstacle that is a human is calculated from the segment of only one leg which is recognized, and thus the size or position differs greatly from the real size or position if the information of only the segment which is currently recognized is used. thus, in order to correct such occlusion or the like, the contour prediction process is performed, so as to accurately calculate the size or position of the obstacle. on the other hand, as for a fast contour change which cannot be predicted from the past information, a changed portion or segment thereof is divided as another moving object. in the process 61 of estimating an existence region, in order to acquire more accurate information, the external information of a scan performed at a different height from that of a target object may be used, or the contour estimation result of the outer shape obtained by using an image sensor may be used in combination. subsequently, as a second step 61 b of the process 61 of estimating an existence region, the obstacle feature estimating means 33 determines an obstacle virtual existence region of a simple graphic, such as a circle, polygon, and assembly of straight lines, which includes the contour of the single or plurality of segments, approximating the detected object, and determines the center position (representative position) thereof. this process is performed for reducing the amount of calculation for a following obstacle avoidance process. in the process 62 of estimating a motion pattern, the obstacle feature estimating means 33 predicts a future motion vector from a past change in motion vector by statistical treatment by using the center position (representative position). the predicted motion vector is composed of a main component of the motion vector, a vector change component, an error component and the like as a probability distribution. especially when the vector has not changed greatly, the motion of the detected object is approximated to linear motion and its error. here, for the purpose of reducing the amount of calculation in the following obstacle avoidance process, the motion is approximated to the linear motion within a short time. the collision predicting means 34 shown in fig. 3 predicts a collision risk between the obstacle and the moving device itself (self) as shown in figs. 6a to 6d by using the feature information of the obstacle and the self information. here, the collision predicting means 34 determines a region which the self does not enter in order to safely avoid collision with the obstacle, and examines whether there is interference with the region. figs. 6a to 6d are views for explaining collision prediction, and a description will be made using figs. 6a to 6d below. fig. 6a shows current positions of a self 70 and an obstacle 71 . for the simplicity of description, a virtual existence region 72 is shown as a circle in the drawing. first, a region obtained by adding a maximum distance 73 from the center of a self existence region according to the self posture or accompanying object, a space 74 to be kept when the moving device and the obstacle pass each other, or the like to the obstacle virtual existence region 72 is set to be a high-risk collision region 75 . for example, the error component of the motion vector calculated by the obstacle feature estimating means 33 is added as the passing space 74 . when the self position enters the region, it is considered that there is a high possibility of collision. however, since the self existence region is added to the high-risk collision region 75 , the self is considered as a dimensionless point 70 in the following. subsequently, in order to adjust the avoidance start timing or improve the safety of avoidance motion, a safe distance 76 is taken into account. a region taking into account the safe distance 76 is set to be a medium-risk collision region 77 . a margin region in accordance with a motion speed, or a region called personal space of a pedestrian in which a human does not feel insecure is taken into account as the safe distance 76 . in fig. 6a , the safe distance 76 has a constant distance regardless of a traveling direction. also, a medium-risk collision region 80 shown in fig. 6b is obtained by taking into account of an elliptic region 79 having a longitudinal axis in a traveling direction 78 , as the personal space of the obstacle. a medium-risk collision region 83 shown in fig. 6c is obtained by taking into account of an elliptic region 82 having a longitudinal axis in a traveling direction 81 , as the personal space of the self. by taking into account of the region where the self does not enter as described above, avoidance can be achieved without making a pedestrian feel insecure. the collision region is set with respect to an obstacle. also, a plurality of medium-risk collision regions may be prepared and selectively used depending on a situation such as urgency. then, the collision predicting means 34 performs collision prediction by examining interference between the region and the self. here, the collision prediction is performed by examining whether a relative motion track 84 obtained by moving the self point 70 with a relative motion vector between the self and the obstacle interferes with the medium-risk collision region 77 or the high-risk collision region 75 . when there is interference, a collision flag is set. here, the collision flag is determined by multiple stages depending on the urgency or risk. for example, the flag is set to be a high-risk collision flag if a time to collision is less than 2 seconds, to a medium-risk collision flag if a time to collision is 2 seconds or more to less than 5 seconds, and to a low-risk collision flag if a time to collision is 5 seconds or more. the examination is calculated with respect to all the obstacles. here, since the calculation assumes a space in which the obstacle position is fixed and the self moves with the relative vector, the space is called an obstacle position-fixing relative space. in particular, a case in which both an obstacle 85 and a self 86 move uniformly and linearly in the collision examination will be described using fig. 6d . in this case, a case in which the direction of a relative motion vector 87 exists between boundary directions 88 and 89 of a high-risk collision region is determined as collision. here, a collision determination expression is shown in a next expression (1) wherein a position vector 90 from the self to the obstacle is p→, a unit component 91 of the relative motion vector is ve→, a unit vector 92 in the tangential direction is ce→, a distance 93 from a contact point between the medium-risk collision region and the boundary direction to the obstacle center position is rd, and a distance from the position of the self 86 to a contact point 94 with the high-risk collision region is ld. when the collision determination expression is satisfied, the time to collision is calculated, and the collision flag is set. as described above, by approximating the motion patterns of the obstacle 85 and the self 86 to uniform linear motion, and performing the collision prediction process in the obstacle position-fixing relative space, very fast calculation is enabled. accordingly, it is preferable to reduce computation load by approximating the motion vectors of the obstacle 85 and the self 86 to simple motion models such as the uniform linear motion to the extent possible, and performing the collision calculations by adding the error as the safe distance of the high-risk collision region. in particular, by making a plan on the basis of the uniform linear motion to the extent possible with respect to the motion of the self 86 , the computation time can be reduced, and the prediction is easier to perform. in the following description, the motion vector of the obstacle or the self is described as the uniform linear motion. the avoidance route planning means 35 shown in fig. 3 plans an avoidance route for avoiding the obstacle when the collision flag is set. the avoidance route does not mean an accurate path on which the moving device actually travels, but a rough route which defines to pass through a predetermined through point such as the right or left of the obstacle, or an avoidance region. here, the avoidance route planning means 35 checks the collision flag to examine the urgency of collision first, and makes a route plan of corresponding avoidance motion. for example, when the type of the collision flag is the high-risk collision flag, it is necessary to immediately start the avoidance motion. the avoidance motion to be selected includes changing of a self motion direction to pass through the left or right of the medium-risk collision region, changing of a self motion direction to pass through the left or right of the high-risk collision region, speed reduction so as not to enter the high-risk collision region, and stoppage after moving so as not to enter the high-risk collision region depending, on the urgency. in a case where a plurality of medium-risk collision regions are prepared, it is necessary to select one of them in accordance with the type of the collision flag. for example, in the case of the low-risk collision flag, the largest medium-risk collision region is used. in such a manner, sufficiently safe avoidance can be achieved. in the following, a method of obtaining a through point of the avoidance route will be simply described using figs. 7a to 7d . first, fig. 7a shows an example of a method of changing a self motion vector for avoiding the obstacle. fig. 7a shows the obstacle position-fixing relative space at a given time in a case where there is a single obstacle. a self 100 moves with a unit time motion vector 101 , and an obstacle 102 moves with a unit time motion vector 103 . accordingly, a unit time relative motion vector 111 is the resultant vector composed of a vector 108 which is obtained by moving the unit time motion vector 101 of the self 100 in parallel, and a vector s→ 107 which is obtained by moving in parallel and reversing the direction of the unit time motion vector 103 of the obstacle 102 . in order to avoid the obstacle 102 , the top end of the unit time relative motion vector 111 may be changed to be outside of tangent lines 105 and 106 of the self 100 and a medium-risk collision region 104 of the obstacle 102 . for example, in a case where the self 100 maintains its motion speed and avoids the obstacle 102 only by a change in direction, the motion vector 108 of the self is changed to a vector v→ 109 . here, when a unit vector in a direction to contact the tangential direction 105 is c→ 110 , the changed unit time motion vector v→ 109 of the self is represented by a next expression (2). fig. 7b shows an example of avoiding two obstacles at the same time by assuming a case in which the time to collision with the two obstacles draws near. in this case, the avoidance route planning means 35 determines an avoidance vector in a similar manner to the case where there is a single obstacle. fig. 7b shows avoidance vectors 114 and 115 which maintain a motion speed, an avoidance vector 116 which avoids the obstacles by accelerating the speed, and an avoidance vector 117 which avoids the obstacles by decelerating the speed. the one easily changed from an original self unit motion vector 113 is selected therefrom. the self avoidance motion vector is determined by using the obstacle position-fixing relative space as described above. next, the avoidance route planning means 35 obtains a through line and a through point in an absolute space. fig. 7c shows the positional relationship in the absolute space among a current self position 121 , a current obstacle position 123 , a self position 120 at the time of closest approach, and an obstacle position 122 at the time of closest approach. here, the avoidance route planning means 35 obtains a time to reach a closest point (for example, a point 112 in fig. 7a ) to the obstacle in the relative space. on the basis of an avoidance motion vector 118 in the absolute space at that time, an avoidance line 119 and a closest point 120 in the absolute space are obtained as shown in fig. 7c . here, the closest point 120 is set to the through point. however, the through point depends on a subsequent path, and is finally determined at the time of generating a path. when it is necessary to avoid a next obstacle after this, the above processes are repeatedly performed with the through point set as a starting point. as described above, in a case where a plurality of obstacles are scattered in a moving environment, it is necessary to limit the obstacles to be taken into account, and determine the order of avoiding the obstacles. the limitation of the obstacles to be taken into account is determined on the basis of a distance between the self and the obstacle, a time until the self and the obstacle approach each other, or the like. for example, the self avoidance motion vector for allowing the relative motion vector to contact the boundary line of the high-risk collision region, and the time to collision when the self maintains the current speed in the relative position space are calculated with respect to all the obstacles, and an obstacle whose time to collision is 10 or 5 seconds or less is considered as the obstacle with a possibility of collision. subsequently, the avoidance route planning means 35 determines the order of avoiding the obstacles, and calculates the through point and the avoidance route in the order. the order is determined by searching all the possibilities with respect to the obstacles with a possibility of collision, or by searching the obstacle having a shortest time to collision with priority and the search may terminated when an appropriate avoidance route is found. for example, in a case where obstacles 127 , 128 ad 129 exist between a starting point 125 and a target point 126 of the moving device as shown in fig. 7d , there are two through points in the right and left with respect to each obstacle, and thus, there are 192 combinations of avoidance orders. however, when the through point exists in the high-risk region of another obstacle, or when the moving device can reach the target point directly from the through point, a subsequent combination is not searched. for example, the avoidance order of an avoidance route 130 is the right of the obstacle 127 , the right of the obstacle 128 , and the target point. similarly, an avoidance route 131 is in the order of the left of the obstacle 127 , the right of the obstacle 128 , and the target point. an avoidance route 132 is in the order of the left of the obstacle 129 , and the target point. since the moving device can reach the target point directly from a through point 133 , routes which pass through the through points in the right and left of the obstacle 129 are not searched. although the moving obstacles are shown here, stationary obstacles are similarly processed. also, the avoidance route may be connected to a target direction instead of the target point. the operation integrated management unit 20 sets the target point or target direction. in the aforementioned manner, a plurality of avoidable route candidates are calculated. as described above, a plurality of routes which pass through one of the right and left, and surrounding points as the through point for avoiding the obstacle are generated. subsequently, theses routes are ranked in accordance with some evaluation items such as a shortest distance, a smallest angular change, a smallest speed change, a shortest arrival time, passing behind a moving obstacle, or a route width. the avoidance path generating means 36 shown in fig. 3 generates a smooth avoidance path which passes through the vicinity of each through point of the selected avoidance route and on which the moving device can travel. fig. 8 is a view for explaining the generation of the avoidance path according to the present embodiment. here, a smooth curve line 141 passing through a through point 140 or the vicinity thereof, and a curve line 144 passing through a through point 142 or a smooth curve line 143 passing through the vicinity of the through point 142 are generated. since the avoidance route is successively updated, the avoidance path is generated with respect to a route of following few seconds, for example. although a function generation method of a curve line is not limited in the present invention, the curve line may be generated by a generally known spline function, bezier function, high-dimensional function using the constraint of each point, the constraint of a curvature change and the like, or in accordance with a control model of the moving device. the generated curve line is examined whether it interferes with the medium-risk collision region or high-risk collision region in a real space. the collision calculations are performed in the relative space. some interference with the medium-risk collision region does not become a problem since the sufficiently large safe region is ensured. however, in a case where the curve line interferes with the high-risk collision region, the avoidance path generating means 36 generates a curve line again by moving the through point and using a new through point 145 . at the same time, in order to confirm whether the moving device can actually travel on the curve line, the avoidance path generating means 36 examines if conditions of curvature restrictions, restrictions on curvature change, speed restrictions or the like are satisfied on the basis of the model of the moving device. when the through point is moved, avoidance paths using through points slightly displaced in surrounding eight directions may be evaluated and a through point by which the curvature change is smooth and smallest may be selected. in order to reduce the amount of calculation, the examination of restrictions is mainly performed in the vicinity of a through point. in a case where the curve line does not converge after repeating these processes in a plurality of times, the avoidance path generating means 36 selects another route out of the plurality of routes and generates a path again. the generated path is transmitted to the travel control unit 22 via the operation integrated management unit 20 . the travel control unit 22 performs control for allowing the moving device to actually follow the path. also, in order to avoid such a situation that it is difficult for the moving device to follow the planned path due to the presence of a free running period when the avoidance path is planned from a current position, the next avoidance plan is made from a position 140 after passage of a predetermined time relative to a current position 146 in fig. 8 . at this time, the path generating means generates a smooth curve line connecting from a position 147 after a predetermined free running period to a new avoidance route 148 . by using the method, a curve line which smoothly connects from a current travel path to a new avoidance path can be easily generated. by generating a smooth path on the basis of the through point as described above, the moving device can stably and reliably travel on the planned path even during high-speed motion. furthermore, the operation integrated management unit 20 shown in fig. 2 performs avoidance execution control, and switches a prescribed path to an avoidance path when the collision flag and the avoidance path are set. the operation integrated management unit 20 monitors the execution status of avoidance motion, and switches to a path to a next destination when the avoidance is completed. also, the operation integrated management unit 20 changes the self state to a safe posture in order to avoid collision with the obstacle during the avoidance. as described above, according to the present embodiment, the collision prediction with an obstacle moving at a high speed, the avoidance route calculations, and the generation of an achievable avoidance path are enabled in real time in the moving device 1 . also, a smooth avoidance path can be obtained. therefore, the moving device 1 can avoid a fast moving obstacle, and move at a high speed even under an environment where the fast moving obstacle exists. second embodiment next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using fig. 9 . fig. 9 is an explanatory view of a moving device 15 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a respect which will be described next, and is basically the same as the first embodiment in other respects. thus, an overlapping description will be omitted. in the second embodiment, a configuration common to the first embodiment produces the same effects. the moving device 15 in the second embodiment is an example of an automobile which includes an external sensor 16 having a sensing region 19 for detecting an obstacle 17 , and performs avoidance motion for safely avoiding the detected obstacle 17 . the avoidance motion here includes not only automatic avoidance but presentation or instruction of an avoidance route, steering angle, speed or the like by an image or sound, and a drive assist such as direct or indirect control of a steering device or travel control device. here, the “indirect control” means to lead a driver to safely drive the moving device by performing load control of the steering device, for example. since the moving device 15 in the second embodiment also moves at a high speed under an environment where a moving obstacle exists in a similar manner to the moving device 1 , it is necessary to perform the process of calculating, at a high speed, the avoidance motion for avoiding collision with the obstacle 17 , and calculate a smooth avoidance path 18 . in particular, since the automobile can travel at a speed of about 30 m/s, a rapid direction change is dangerous, and the issue of calculating a smooth travel path is very important. also, since the speed is high010, a range per unit time which the automobile can travel is wide, so that the external sensor 16 needs to detect a wider range (sensing region) 19 than that of the external sensor 12 , and at the same time, the avoidance process calculations need to be performed with respect to a wide range of environment. thus, reduction in computation time is also an important issue. the second embodiment has been made to solve such issues, and the moving device 15 of the second embodiment is also included in the applications of the present invention in a similar manner to the case of the moving device 1 . therefore, a driver is allowed to highly safely drive the moving device. accordingly, the present invention can be used in the moving device having the above issues. in addition to such moving device, a device analogized to a simulator which performs pseudo motion that is not accompanied by real motion is also included in the applications of the present invention. although the above description is made with respect to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the spirit of the invention and the scope of appended claims. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a is an elevation view for explaining a configuration of a moving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 1b is a side view of the moving device in fig. 1 ; fig. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a control device of the moving device according to the first embodiment; fig. 3 is a view showing a process flow in an obstacle avoidance processor for achieving an obstacle avoidance function according to the first embodiment; fig. 4a is a view for explaining a process of obstacle detecting means according to the first embodiment; fig. 4b is a view for explaining an initial segment list by the obstacle detecting means in fig. 4a ; fig. 4c is a view for explaining a process flow of the obstacle detecting means according to the first embodiment; fig. 5 is a view for explaining a process of obstacle feature estimating means according to the first embodiment; fig. 6a is a view for explaining collision prediction according to the first embodiment, and is a view showing current positions of a self and an obstacle; fig. 6b is a view showing a medium-risk collision region by taking into account an elliptic region with a traveling direction being a long axis; fig. 6c is a view showing a medium-risk collision region by taking into account an elliptic region with a traveling direction being a long axis as a personal space of a self; fig. 6d is a view for explaining a collision examination in a case where both an obstacle and a self move uniformly and linearly; fig. 7a is a view for explaining a method of obtaining a through point according to the first embodiment, and is a view showing an example of a method of changing a self motion vector for avoiding an obstacle; fig. 7b is a view showing an example of avoiding two obstacles at the same time in a case where a time to collision with the two obstacles draws near: fig. 7c is a view showing a positional relationship in an absolute space among a current self position, a current obstacle position, a self position at the time of closest approach, and an obstacle position at the time of closest approach; fig. 7d is a view showing combinations of avoidance orders in a case where obstacles exist between a starting point and a target point: fig. 8 is a view for simply explaining generation of an avoidance path according to the first embodiment; and fig. 9 is a view for explaining a moving device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
091-323-342-406-99X	US	[ "US" ]	A61B17/11,A61F2/06,A61F2/24	1989-05-31T00:00:00	1989	[ "A61" ]	stent devices and support/restrictor assemblies for use in conjunction with prosthetic vascular grafts	exovascular and endovascular stent devices and associated support/restrictor assemblies for use in conjunction with prosthetic vascular grafts, including venous valve grafts made from preserved bioprosthetic venous valves. also disclosed are methods for preparing vascular grafts such as venous valve grafts using the devices and assemblies of the present invention.	1. a vascular implant prosthesis, comprising: a) an exovascular stent comprising: a generally elongate cylindrical body, a first end, a second end, and a hollow bore extending longitudinally therethrough; a first flange extending perpendicularly about the first end of the stent body; a second flange extending perpendicularly about the second end of the stent body; a plurality of apertures formed in the stent body to permit flow of fluid therethrough; b) a bioprosthetic vascular graft comprising a segment of mammalian blood vessel which has been treated with a chemical fixative known to cross link collagen, said bioprosthetic vascular graft being positioned coaxially within the bore of the stent body and affixed to the first and second end flanges of the stent. 2. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the bioprosthetic vascular graft is affixed to the first and second end flanges by way of sutures. 3. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said bioprosthetic vascular graft comprises a segment of vein. 4. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 3 wherein a venous valve is formed within the segment of vein. 5. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 4 wherein the venous valve was disposed in an open position when the vascular graft was treated with said chemical fixative. 6. the vascular implant of claim 4 wherein the venous valve was disposed in a closed position when the vascular graft was treated with said chemical fixative. 7. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the tubular vascular graft comprises a segment of artery. 8. the vascular implant prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the apertures comprise a plurality of elongate slots formed around the cylindrical body of the stent.	field of the invention the present invention relates generally to bioprosthetic vascular implants and, more particularly, to stents and support/guide assemblies which are operative to (a) provide support for, (b) facilitate the implantation of, and (c) minimize thromboembolic complications resulting from artificial or bioprosthetic vascular implants. background of the invention i. prosthetic vascular grafts including venous valvular implants modern vascular surgical procedures often involve the grafting of a tubular prosthetic implant of artificial or natural origin into an existing blood vessel for the purpose of replacing or bypassing a segment of diseased or damaged blood vessel. many such procedures are accomplished by surgically removing the diseased or damaged segment of blood vessel, and subsequently replacing the removed segment of vessel with an appropriately sized tubular implant graft. the implant graft is typically held in place by anastomosing the ends of the implant graft to the opposing ends of the resected blood vessel. in individuals who suffer from chronic venous valvular insufficiency, vascular grafting procedure have utilized to transplant functioning venous valves into the affected veins of the lower extremities. the transplantation of functioning venous valves in such individuals is therapeutically important as chronic incompetence or absence of venous valves into the veins of the lower extremities is known to give rise to numerous pathological consequences. for example, incompetence or absence of venous valves at the saphenofemoral or saphenopopliteal junctions may result in noncosmetic varices of the primary and/or secondary veins of the lower leg and ankle. additionally, deep venous hypertension of the lower limb may occur. such venous hypertension may result in lymphedema, aberrant pigmentation of the skin and, in severe cases, the formation of necrotizing lesions known as "venous ulcers". surgical transplantation of one or more functioning venous valves into a valve-deficient vein is a viable means of restoring venous valvular function to the valve deficient vein. the routine use of venous valve "transplant" procedures has heretofore been largely limited to autograft procedures. such autograft procedures require the initial surgical excision of an autologous segment of viable vein (i.e. vein having a functioning venous valve therein) from one site within the patient's body, followed by subsequent transplantation of the harvested autograft to other veins wherein the venous valvular insufficiency has occurred. such autograft transplant procedures are problematic because of (a) difficulties encountered in locating suitable segments of vein having viable venous valves therein and/or (b) the necessity of forming a separate incision or second surgery to harvest the venous valve autograft and/or (c) size mismatching of the harvested venous valve autograft relative to the implant site as may result in subsequent thromboembolic complications and failure of the implanted valve. in view of the limitations and shortcomings of autograft venous valve transplantation procedures, it is desirable to develop artificial and/or preserved venous valve implants from cadaverous human or animal sources for subsequent transplantation into a human patient. the availability of artificial or bioprosthetic venous valve implants would eliminate the need for second-incision harvesting of homograft tissue and would enable the surgeon to select from an available range of graft sizes to obtain a graft which is specifically size-matched to the diameter of the resected blood vessel. ii. presently known methods of preparing bioprosthetic grafts various chemical tanning or "fixing" procedures have been used to preserve and prevent the breakdown of collagenous tissue grafts. such "fixing" procedures generally involve the bathing or immersion of the collagenous graft tissue in a collagen cross-linking reagent. examples of methods for preparing chemically cross-linked collagen or graft materials are found in u.s. pat. no. 2,900,644 (rosenberg, et al.), u.s. pat. no. 3,927,422 (sawyer), u.s. pat. no. 3,966,401 (hancock, et al.), u.s. pat. no. 3,974,526 (dardik, et al.), u.s. pat. no. 4,239,492 (holman, et al.) and u.s. pat. no. 4,553,974 (dewanjee). chemically fixed bioprosthetic heart valves and vascular grafts are commercially available. examples of prosthetic heart valves constructed, at least in part, from chemically fixed biological tissue are described in u.s. pat. nos. 4,372,734 (lane) and u.s. pat. no. 4,443,895 (lane). examples of bioprosthetic vascular grafts prepared from segments of mammalian blood vessel are found in u.s. pat. nos. 4,671,797 (varandecic) and u.s. pat. no. 4,466,139 (ketharanathan, et al.). iii. the use of stents to support bioprosthetic tissue various rigid stent devices have heretofore been utilized to hold and support bioprosthetic implants, such as heart valves. examples of stent devices for bioprosthetic heart valves are described in u.s. pat. nos. 4,816,029 (penny, iii, et al.) and 4,851,000 (gupta). iv. thromboembolic complications known to result from turbulent blood flow through vascular grafts in the prior art, it has become recognized that abrupt variations in the lumenal diameter of a blood vessel, as may result from improper size matching of a vascular implant graft, may result in thromboembolic complications due to the resultant non-laminar or turbulent flow brought about the abrupt variation in lumenal diameter. in particular, accurate size matching of vein grafts is difficult because certain peripheral veins normally undergo large amounts of dilation in performance of their normal physiological capacitance function. thus, even if a vein graft is properly size matched at the time of the surgical implantation, subsequent dilation of the endogenous vein at a location to the non-dilating vein graft may give rise to abrupt variations in lumenal diameter of the blood vessel. accordingly, there remains a need in the art for improved vascular implant graft devices and techniques aimed at maximizing the biocompatibility and ease of use of such vascular implant grafts, while minimizing the potential for graft failure or other complications, such as immunoreactions to the implant graft material and/or thromboembolic complications resulting from turbulent blood flow through the implant graft. summary of the invention the present invention overcomes some or all of the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an exovascular stent device and dilation restrictor members, useable in connection with said exovascular stent device, for facilitating implantation and functioning of tubular implant grafts such as vascular grafts and venous grafts having functioning venous valves therein. additionally, there is provided an endovascular stent device which operates to hold and support a bioprosthetic venous valve for implantation within the lumen of an existing blood vessel. further and in accordance with the invention there are provided systems and methods of use, incorporating and utilizing the above-stated exovascular stent, dilation restrictor member(s) and endovascular stent devices. the exovascular stent device of the invention comprises an elongate tubular body having a hollow bore extending therethrough and flanges formed on either end thereof. a preserved segment of blood vessel is positionable coaxially within the lumen of the exovascular stent device and the ends of such segment of blood vessel are outturned and attached to the outboard surfaces of said end flanges, thereby forming a vascular implant prosthesis. the dilation restrictor member(s) of the invention comprise an apparatus having an elongate tubular body with a hollow bore extending longitudinally therethrough and a flange formed about one end of said tubular body. the tubular body is passable over the transected end of a blood vessel such that the transected end of said blood vessel. emerges out of the flange end of said tubular body whereby it may be outturned and affixed to the outboard surface of said flange. when so affixed to said blood vessel, the tubular body of the apparatus remains around the outer surface of the blood vessel, thereby functioning to restrict dilation of the blood vessel in the region of said tubular body. a system or assembly of the present invention comprises the above described a) exovascular stent device and b) dilation restrictor member(s) in conjunction with one another. optional spacer rings or washers may be interposed therebetween to prevent tissue to tissue contact between the excised end of the endogenous blood vessel and the adjacent end of the implant graft. an endovascular stent device of the present invention comprises a rigid annular body having a hollow bore extending therethrough and first and second support struts extending longitudinally from one end thereof. said support struts are configured and positioned to provide supportive attachment for the lateral edges of a blood vessel graft wherein a functioning venous valve is positioned. accordingly, such endovascular stent device may be utilized as a rigid support device for the formation of a bioprosthetic venous valve implant which is insertable into the lumen of an existing vein. an annular ridge or other attachment means is formed on the outer surface of the endovascular stent to permit an externally applied ligature or other attachment means to hold the endovascular stent (and the accompanying venous valve implant, in position within the lumen of the blood vessel). further and more specific aspects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exovascular stent device of the present invention positioned next to a bioprosthetic vein graft segment which has a venous valve located therein. fig. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the exovascular stent device of the present invention having a bioprosthetic vein graft operatively positioned therein. fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through line 4--4 of fig. 3. fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the exovascular stent device shown in fig. 2. fig. 6 is a perspective view of a tapered ring-support member usable in conjunction with the exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 7 is a perspective view of a gasket member usable in conjunction with the exovascular stent device and tapered ring-support device of the present invention. fig. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative gasket member usable in conjunction with the exovascular stent device and tapered ring-support member of the present invention. fig. 9 is a perspective view of a vascular implant system of the present invention comprising (a) an exovascular stent device; (b) two (2) dilation restrictor members and (c) two (2) gaskets, said system being shown in an in situ, operative position on a blood vessel. fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view through line 10--10 of fig. 9. fig. 11 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of a dilation restrictor member usable in conjunction with the exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 12 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of a dilation restrictor member usable in conjunction with the exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 13 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of an exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 14 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of an exovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 15 is a perspective view of a modified single-piece embodiment of a vascular implant system of the present invention incorporating (a) an exovascular stent device component and (b) two (2) dilation restrictor member components. fig. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view through line 16--16 of fig. 15. fig. 17 is an exploded perspective view of a modified version of the vascular implant system shown in fig. 15, said modified version having tapered interfacing surfaces on adjacent components to facilitate alignment of the components. fig. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vascular implant system shown in fig. 17 when operatively positioned and mounted on an in situ blood vessel. figs. 19a-19d are step-by-step schematic diagrams illustrating a method of implanting a prosthetic vascular graft utilizing a vascular implant system of the present invention. fig. 20a is a perspective view of a segment of bioprosthetic blood vessel having a venous valve positioned therein. fig. 20b is a perspective view of an endovascular stent device of the present invention. fig. 20c is a perspective view of the endovascular stent device of fig. 20b positioned on and sutured to the bioprosthetic graft segment of fig. 20a. fig. 20d is a longitudinal section view through line 20d--20d of fig. 20b. figs. 21a-21f is a step-by-step schematic diagram illustrating a method of implanting a bioprosthetic venous valve within an in situ blood vessel utilizing an endovascular stent device of the present invention. detailed descriptions of preferred embodiments the following detailed descriptions and the accompanying drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating and describing certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention. the following detailed descriptions and drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. i. exovascular blood vessel stent device in accordance with the invention there is provided an exovascular blood vessel stent device 10 which is useable to form a tubular implant prosthesis 13. the exovascular stent device 10 of the present invention serves to hold and support a segment of tubular graft material such as a segment of blood vessel. in particular, the exovascular stent device 10 of the present invention may be utilized in conjunction with a preserved segment of vein having a venous valve position therein. in such embodiment, the exovascular stent device 10 coupled with the preserved section of venous valve having the venous valve located therein results in the formation of a venous valve implant prosthesis. one embodiment of an exovascular stent device 10 of the present invention is shown in figs. 1-5. referring to figs. 1-5, the stent device 10 comprises a cylindrical body having a hollow inner bore 22 extending longitudinally therethrough and having a plurality of fluid passage apertures 18, such as elongate slots (fig. 2), formed therein. a first end flange 14 is formed on one end of the cylindrical stent body and a second end flange 16 is formed on the opposite end of the cylindrical stent body. suture holes or apertures 20 are formed in end flanges 14, 16 to facilitate suturing of a bioprosthetic blood vessel segment 12 to the exovascular stent 10. initially, a segment of blood vessel 12, such as a segment of vein 12 having a venous valve (v) formed therein, is excised and removed from a cadaverous human or animal source. excess tissue is removed from the segment of blood vessel 12 and the prepared segment of blood vessel 12 is thereafter immersed in or otherwise exposed to one or more chemical fixative or preservative solutions for a period of time sufficient to chemically fix or tan the collagenous matrix of the blood vessel segment 12, thereby forming a preserved bioprosthetic vascular graft. typically, the vein segment 10 is immersed in a chemical fixative solution known to cross-link collagen molecules for purposes of chemically "fixing" the collagenous network of the bioprosthetic vein graft. examples of such chemical fixative solutions include formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, dialdehyde starch, hexamethylene diisocyanate and certain polyepoxy compounds including glycol diglycidyl ether, polyol polyglycidyl ether, and dicarboxylic acid diglycidylester. after the chemical fixation process has been completed, the "fixed" segment of blood vessel is inserted into the hollow bore 22 of the exovascular stent device 10 such that some portion of the vein segment 12 extends out of and protrudes beyond the opposite ends of the stent device 10. the protruding ends of the prosthetic vein segment 12 are then rolled back or splayed laterally such that they abut against the outer faces of the lateral end flanges 14, 16. portions of the vein segment 12 which extend outboard of the outer edge of the flanges 14, 16 are then trimmed or cut away such that the ends of the vein segment 12 are substantially flush and even with the outer edges 24, 26 of the flanges 14, 16. sutures 28 are then passed through the ends of the vein segment 12 and through the suture apertures 20, thereby suturing the vein segment 12 to the exovascular stent device 10 to form a substantially unitary implant prosthesis which comprises 1.) the vein segment 12 and the surrounding stent 10. it is preferable that the suture apertures 20 be slightly elongate as shown, and sufficiently large to permit easy passage of a standard suture needle and suture material (e.g. 4-0 nylon) therethrough. at the time of surgical implantation, the implant unit may be used in conjunction with one or two dilation restrictor members 30. alternatively, the implant unit may be used with one or two anastomosis rims 31. ii. dilation restrictor members in accordance with the invention, there is provided a dilation restrictor member which functions to restrict the degree to which a blood vessel may dilate in a region immediately adjacent an existing suture line. the dilation restrictor member 30 of the present invention may be utilized as an independent device or, alternatively, may be utilized in conjunction with the above-described exovascular stent device to form a complete vascular implant system. the dilation restrictor member 30 comprises a generally cylindrical body having a flange member 32 formed on one end thereof. the cylindrical body of the dilation restrictor member 30 may be tapered such that the diameter of such cylindrical body is smaller at the end adjacent the flange 32 than at the opposite end thereof. an example of such tapered configuration of the dilation restrictor member 30 is shown in fig. 6. in such tapered embodiment, it is desirable generally cylindrical or frusto-conical section of the restriction member 30 be configured such that its diameter gradually increases, thereby providing a gradual taper against which the outter surface of the blood vessel may abut when the blood vessel undergoes dilation or diametric enlargement. the dilation restrictor member 30 serves two (2) functions. first, it operates as an appliance to (a) facilitate suturing of the implant prosthesis 13 into the desired blood vessel. second, the dilation restrictor member operates to restrict dilation of the blood vessel 40 at regions immediately adjacent the points of anastomosis to the vascular implant prosthesis 13. by restricting or limiting the dilation of the blood vessel 40 at regions immediately adjacent the implant prosthesis 13, the dilation restrictor members 30 function to prevent or minimize variations in internal blood vessel diameter between the inner diameter of the implant prosthesis 13 and the inner diameter of the adjacent blood vessel 40. such limitation helps to ensure laminar or nonturbulent flow of blood through the blood vessel 40 and implant prosthesis 13 without excessive turbulence. in operation, the dilation restrictor member 30 is passed over the cut end of the blood vessel 40 such that the cut end of the blood vessel 40 protrudes slightly beyond the opening of the inner bore 23 of the dilation restrictor member 30 at the flange 32 end thereof. the end of the blood vessel 40 is then splayed outwardly such that the outer surface of the blood vessel 40 abut against the outboard face of the flange 32. the end of the blood vessel 40 is then cut or trimmed such that on dilation of the blood vessel 40 immediately adjacent the points of anastomosis to the implant prosthesis terminates flush with or substantially even with the outer periphery 42 of the flange 32. sutures 44 are then passed through the end of the blood vessel 40 and the suture apertures 34 to secure the end of the blood vessel 40 to the flange 32. the exposed luminal surface of blood vessel 40 which faces away from the outboard face of the flange 32 may then be placed in direct abutment with the exposed luminal surface of the prosthetic vein segment 12 which faces away from the outboard surface of adjacent lateral end flange 14 or 16 of the supporting stent device 10. a series of interrupted or noninterrupted sutures 50 may then be passed through the apertures 20, 34 and the interpositioned tissue of the blood vessel 40 and prosthetic vascular segment 12 to effect anastomosis of the prosthetic implant 13 to the blood vessel 40. iii. optional spacer rings an optional spacer ring or washer 50 may be interposed between the tissue of the blood vessel 40 and the tissue of the prosthetic vascular graft 12 to prevent the living blood vessel tissue 40 from coming in direct contact with the preserved tissue of the prosthetic vascular graft 12. the use of such spacer ring or washer 50 may minimize or prevent immunological reactions within the adjacent blood vessel 40 due to contact with the preserved tissue of the prosthetic vascular graft 12. such optional spacer ring or washer 50 may comprise a flat disc formed of biocompatible plastic such as delrin.tm., acetyl resin (dupont, wilmington, del. 19898), teflon.tm., or other suitable materials. the central aperture 52 of the spacer ring or washer 50 is preferably of the same inner diameter d as that of the flange end opening of the dilation restrictor member 30, and that of the end openings of the cylindrical bore 22 of the exovascular stent member 10. such size matching of the inner diameters d of the adjacent portions of a.) the exovascular stent member 10, b.) the spacer ring washer 50, and c.) the central bore 23 of the dilation restrictor member 30 will prevent or minimize the likelihood of excessive turbulence or nonlaminar flow within the blood vessel due to excessive variations of inner diameter of the blood vessel, as may result if the implant components are not size matched. iv. vascular implant system and method of use the exovascular 10 the present invention may be coupled with one or more dilation restrictor members 30 to form a vascular implant system. optionally, such vascular implant system may further incorporate spacer rings or washers 50. the individual exovascular stent 10, dilation restrictor member(s) 30 and optional spacer ring(s) or washer(s) 50 may be independently formed as separate components as shown in figs. 9, 10, 17 and 18 or, alternatively, may be formed as a single-piece system as shown in figs. 15 and 16. in embodiments of the invention wherein the exovascular stent 10 dilation restrictor member (s) 30 and optional spacer ring(s) or washer(s) 50 are favored as separate components the dilation restrictor members 30 are positioned on the opposing cut ends of blood vessel 40 with each cut end of blood vessel 40 being splayed outwardly and affixed to the outer face of the dilation restrictor member flange. the bioprosthetic implant unit 13 incorporating the exovascular stent 10 is positioned therebetween. spacer rings or washers 50 may be interposed between the opposing surfaces of the blood vessel 40 and the prosthetic vein segment 12 so as to prevent direct tissue-to-tissue contact therebetween. full thickness sutures are then utilized to anastomose the components in end-to-end abutting relation, as shown in figs. 9 and 10. notably, the sutures 54 pass through the flanges 14 or 16 and 32, through the adjacent out-turned tissue of the blood vessel and/or vascular implant 12 and through the optional washer or spacer 50. such sutures 54 thus remain outside of the blood-transporting vessel lumen and do not come in contact with the flow of blood which normally passes through the vessel following the implant surgery. v. anastomosis rings in applications where it is not desired to utilize a dilation restrictor member 30, a simple anastomosis ring 31, as shown in fig. 12, may be employed. such anastomosis ring 31 comprises a rigid cylindrical rim 37 having a perpendicular flange 33 formed on one end thereof. suture apertures 35 are formed through the flange 33 as shown. in operation, the rim 37 of the anastomosis ring 31 is passed over the outer surface of the cut end of blood vessel 40. the cut end of blood vessel is then splayed outwardly or rolled back such that the outer surface of the blood vessel abuts against the outboard surface of flange 33. the end of the blood vessel 40 is then cut or trimmed so as to terminate substantially flush with the outer periphery of flange 33. interrupted or uninterrupted sutures are passed through suture apertures 35 and the adjacent tissue of the blood vessel 40 to affix the anastomosis ring 31 to the cut end of the blood vessel 40 in the desired manner. thereafter, the luminal surface of the blood vessel 40 which faces away from the outboard surface of the flange 33 of anastomosis ring may be placed in direct abutment with the surface of prosthetic vein segment 12 which faces away from the outboard surface of the flange number 16 of the exovascular stent 10. optionally, a spacer ring or washer 50 may be interposed between the opposing surfaces of the blood vessel 40 and the prosthetic vein segment 12, as described above with respect to the dilation restrictor member embodiment of the invention. interrupted or uninterrupted sutures 50 are then passed through the adjacent tissues of the blood vessel 40 and prosthetic vein segment 12, through the adjacent suture apertures 20 and 35 of the stent device 10 and anastomosis ring 31, respectively, and through any optionally interposed spacer ring or washer 50 so as to effect anastomotic coupling of the prosthetic implant 13 to the blood vessel 40. in embodiments of the invention wherein the exovascular stent 10, dilation restrictor member(s) 30 and optional spacer ring(s) or washer(s) 50 are formed as a single piece system (80 figs. 15 and 16). the exovascular stent component 10 will comprise the mid-portion 82 of such single-piece system and will be formed of relatively rigid material such as acetyl resin (delrin.tm., dupont, wilmington, del. 19898). the lateral end portions 84 of such single-piece system 80 comprise the dilation restrictor member(s) 30 and are formed of elastomeric material having greater elasticity than the relatively rigid mid-portion 82 of the single-piece system 80. suture apertures 81 may be on the flange members 16b of the mid-portion 82 of the single-piece system 80 to permit passage of sutures 50a through the relatively rigid material of the mid-portion 82 of the system 80. on the otherhand, if the elastomeric material of the lateral end portions 84 of the single-piece system 80 is sufficiently flexible to be punctured by a suture needle, there need be no pre-cut suture apertures formed in the flange portion 32b of such relatively flexible lateral end portions 84 of the system 80. initially, a preserved segment of blood vessel 12b is positioned within the mid-region 82 of the single-piece system 80 such that the ends of the preserved segment of blood vessel 12b are splayed outwardly and positioned adjacent the end flanges 14b, 16b. the ends of the blood vessel segment 12b are affixed to the outboard surfaces of the end flanges 14b, 16b by way of an appropriate adhesive or by individual sutures 86. in embodiments where individual sutures 86 are employed, an additional set of suture passage apertures 26b may be formed in the end flanges 18b, 14b to accommodate passage of such sutures 86. with the prosthetic segment of blood vessel 12d affixed within the mid-portion 82 of the single-pieced system 80, the entire system 80 may be sterilized and stored in an appropriate storage solution such as glutaraldehyde or dilute ethanol. at the time of implantation, the system 80 having the prosthetic segment of blood vessel 24b mounted therein is rinsed and prepared for implantation. a section of blood vessel 40b is excised and removed. the removed section of blood vessel corresponds to the length l of the mid-region 82 of the single-piece system 80. vi. endovascular venous valve stent device further, and in accordance with the invention, there is provided an endovascular stent device 100 which is useable to form an endovascular venous valve bioprosthesis 120. such venous valve bioprosthesis is implantable inside the lumen of a vein through an incision formed on the wall of the vein. one embodiment of the endovascular venous valve stent device 100 of the present invention is shown in fig. 20b. such endovascular venous valve stent device 100 is formed of rigid, bio-compatible materials such as nylon, or delrin.tm. (acetyl resin; dupont, wilmington, del. 19898). such endovascular stent 100 comprises a generally cylindrical or tubular body having a hollow bore 108 extending longitudinally therethrough. the inflow end of the rigid body 102 comprises a straight cut frustrum establishing a generally flat, round opening into the hollow inner bore 108 of the rigid body 102. the outflow end of the rigid body 102 comprises two apical support struts 104, 106. such apical support struts 104, 106 are positioned on opposite sides of the rigid body 102 such that a fixed segment of blood vessel having a venous valve therein may be positioned between and affixed to said support struts 104, 106, with the lateral edges of the leaflets of the venous valve positioned therein being directly adjacent to said lateral support struts 104, 106, such that the leaflets of the venous valve will traverse between the laterally positioned support struts 104, 106 in the manner shown in fig. 20c. suture apertures 110 are formed at various locations on the rigid body 102 to permit affixation of a segment of blood vessel 118 to the endovascular stent 100 by way of sutures. at least one annular groove or ridge is formed around the rigid body 102 to receive or facilitate seating of a ligature therein such that the implant must be held in place by way of one or more blood vessel surrounding ligatures 152, as shown in fig. 21f. vii. preparation of a venous valve bioprosthesis for endovascular implantation a preserved segment of vein 118 having a venous valve 119 positioned therein may be mounted within the endovascular stent device 10 of the present invention to form an endovascular venous valve prosthesis 120, as shown in fig. 20c. prior to preparation of the endovascular venous valve prosthesis 120, a segment of vein 118 having a venous valve 119 positioned therein is harvested from an autologous or homologous source and is subjected to any desired preparation, chemical fixing or other preservation steps such as those described in relation to the prosthetic implant 13 described hereabove. after the segment ofvein 118 has been fully fixed and preserved, it is coaxially inserted through the hollow bore 108 of the endovascular stent 100, such that the opposite ends of the segment of vein 118 will extend out of and beyond the inflow and outflow ends of the endovascular stent device 100, as shown in fig. 20c. the segment of vein 118 is rotated and positioned such that the leaflets 122, 124 of venous valve 119 extends transversely between the opposing support struts 104, 106 of the endovascular stent 110. the portion of the vein segment 118 which extends out of and beyond the inflow end of the endovascular stent 100 is rolled back over the inflow end of the stent 100, trimmed and affixed to the body 102 of the stent 100 by way of a series of interrupted or uninterrupted sutures 126. longitudinal incisions 128, 130 may be formed on opposite sides of the end portion of the vein segment 118 which extends out of and beyond the outflow end of the stent 100. after incisions 128 and 130 have been formed, that portion of the vein segment 118 may be rolled back over the outer surface of the body 102 of stent 100, trimmed, and affixed to the stent by rows of appropriately placed sutures 132, 134. thus, the vein segment 118 having venous valve 119 formed therein combines with the endovascular stent 100 to form an endovascular venous valve implant prosthesis 120. a presently preferred method of surgically implanting the endovascular venous valve prosthesis 120 is illustrated in figs. 21a-f. initially, the blood vessel 140 into which the endovascular venous valve prosthesis 120 is to be implanted is cross-clamped at first 144 and second 146 locations, on either side of the location at which the implant is desired to reside. thereafter, an incision 142 is formed in the blood vessel 140, between the cross-clamp locations 144, 146. the incision 142 is sufficiently large to permit the implant 120 to be inserted therethrough. double needle sutures 148, 150 are passed through the suture apertures 110 located at or near the tips of the support struts 104, 106 of the implant 120. double needle sutures 148, 150 thus form convenient means for pulling or towing the implant 120 to a desired location within the lumen of the blood vessel 140, as illustrated in figs. 21c and 21d. accordingly, the needles of sutures 148 and 150 are grasped by a needle holder instrument, inserted through incision 142 into the lumen of blood vessel 140 and subsequently passed outwardly through the wall of the blood vessel 140 at opposite locations whereat it is desired to have the outflow end of the implant 120 reside. thereafter, the sutures 148 and 150 may be pulled in the direction of arrows a while the implant 120 is gently guided through the incision 142, as shown in fig. 21d. the pulling of sutures 148, 150 in the direction of arrows a is continued until the implant 120 has been fully received within the lumen of the blood vessel 140 and advanced to its desired location of residence. mild tugging pressure may be maintained on sutures 148, 150 to ensure that the implant 120 will remain in its desire residence location during subsequent closure of the incision 142 and until application of a permanent holding ligature 152. the incision 142 may be closed by appropriate vascular sutures or any other known means for closing such incision. after the incision 142 has been closed, the holding ligature 152 is position around the outer circumference 140 and snuggly tied in place so as to be nested within the annular groove 112 of the stent 100. such nesting of the ligature 152 within the annular groove 112 of the stent 100 serves to firmly hold the implant 120 at its desired location of residence. after the holding ligature 152 has been applied, one or both of the needles on two needle sutures 148 and 150 may be cut off and the sutures 148 and 150 extracted and removed. alternatively, the sutures 148 and 150 may be tied on the exterior surface of the blood vessel 140 and remain in place to provide additional holding of the implant 120 at its desired location of residence. although the invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that various alterations, additions, or modifications may be made to the herein described embodiments without departing from the intended spirit and scope of the invention. accordingly, it is intended that all such alterations, additions and modifications be included within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof.
094-109-877-598-248	US	[ "US", "JP", "EP", "WO" ]	G02F1/153,G02F1/1524,G02F1/155,B60J3/04,E06B3/67,G02F1/1523,G02F1/163,G02F1/03,G09G3/19	2012-08-08T00:00:00	2012	[ "G02", "B60", "E06", "G09" ]	electrochromic multi-layer devices with composite electrically conductive layers	a multi-layer device comprising a first substrate and a first electrically conductive layer on a surface thereof, the first electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance to the flow of electrical current through the first electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position.	1 . a multi-layer device, comprising: a first substrate comprising a surface, and; a first patterned composite electrically conductive layer on the surface of the first substrate, the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprising: a first patterned conductive layer; and a first transparent conductive material layer, wherein the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprises a spatially varying resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first patterned electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first composite electrically conductive layer. 2 . the multi-layer device of claim 1 , wherein the first patterned conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide and the first transparent conductive material layer comprises doped tin oxide. 3 . the multi-layer device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a first region of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to the major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a second region of the first patterned composite conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer. 4 . the multi-layer device of claim 1 , wherein the first patterned conductive layer comprises a constant thickness and constant resistivity film comprising a laser patterned series of scribes. 5 . the multi-layer device of claim 1 , further comprising a second substrate and a second patterned composite electrically conductive layer on a surface of the second substrate, the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer being transmissive to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet, the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprising: a second patterned conductive layer; and a second transparent conductive material layer, wherein the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprises a spatially varying resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the second patterned electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the second composite electrically conductive layer. 6 . the multi-layer stack of claim 5 , wherein the second patterned conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide and the second transparent conductive material comprises doped tin oxide. 7 . the multi-layer device of claim 5 , wherein a ratio of the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a first region of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a second region of the second patterned composite conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer. 8 . the multi-layer device of claim 5 , wherein the second patterned conductive layer comprises a constant thickness and constant resistivity film havoing a series of laser scribes. 9 . the multi-layer device of claim 5 , wherein the spatially varying resistance to current flow substantially parallel to the major surfaces of the first and second electrically conductive layers provides a uniform potential drop, or a desired non-uniform potential drop, across the area of the device. 10 . the multi-layer device of claim 5 , further comprising: a first electrode layer in electrical contact with the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer; a second electrode layer in electrical contact with the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer; and an ion conductor, wherein the first electrode layer is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of the ion conductor layer, and the second electrode layer is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of the ion conductor layer. 11 . the multi-layer device of claim 10 , wherein the first or second electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material comprising cathodically coloring thin films comprising oxides based on tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, lead, bismuth, or combinations thereof, or anodically coloring thin films comprising oxides, hydroxides or oxy-hydrides based on nickel, iridium, iron, chromium, cobalt, rhodium, or combinations thereof. 12 . the multi-layer device of claim 10 , wherein the first or second electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material comprising tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, copper oxide, iridium oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, vanadium oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, or combinations thereof. 13 . the multi-layer device of claim 11 , wherein the first or second electrode layer further comprises one or more dopants comprising lithium, sodium, potassium, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, or combinations thereof. 14 . a method for the preparation of a multi-layer device, comprising: forming a first patterned composite electrically conductive layer arranged against a first substrate; forming a first electrode layer in electrical contact with the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer; forming a second patterned composite electrically conductive layer on a second substrate; forming a second electrode layer in electrical contact with the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer; wherein patterns are introduced into the first and second composite electrically conductive layers by laser patterning a series of scribes into constant thickness and constant resistivity films, the first and second patterned composite electrically conductive layers comprising spatially varying resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first and second patterned electrically conductive layers that varies as a function of position in the first and second composite electrically conductive layers, and wherein the first and second electrode layers comprise electrochromic materials. 15 . the method of claim 14 , wherein the first and second patterned composite electrically conductive layers comprise indium tin oxide and a transparent conductive material comprising doped tin oxide. 16 . the method of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to the major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a first region of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a second region of the first patterned composite conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the major surface of the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer. 17 . the method of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to the major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a first region of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to the major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer in a second region of the second patterned composite conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the major surface of the second patterned composite electrically conductive layer. 18 . the method of claim 14 , wherein the spatially varying resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first and second electrically conductive layers provides a uniform potential drop, or a desired non-uniform potential drop, across the area of the device. 19 . the method of claim 14 , wherein the first or second electrode layers are formed using a sol-gel deposition process, and wherein the first or second electrode layers comprise an electrochromic material comprising an oxide. 20 . the method of claim 14 , further comprising forming an organic ion conductor layer by processes employing liquid components, wherein the first electrode layer is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of the ion conductor layer, and the second electrode layer is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer.	field of the invention the present invention generally relates to switchable electrochromic devices, such as architectural windows, capable of coordinated switching over substantially their entire area or a selected subregion of their entire area. more particularly, and in one preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed to switchable electrochromic multi-layer devices, particularly large area rectangular windows for architectural applications that switch in a spatially coordinated manner over substantially their entire area or a selected subregion of their entire area; optionally these are of non-uniform shape, optionally they switch synchronously, i.e., uniformly, over substantially their entire area or a selected subregion of their entire area, or in a coordinated but nonsynchronous manner (e.g., from side-to-side, or top-to-bottom) from a first optical state, e.g., a transparent state, to a second optical state, e.g., a reflective or colored state. background of the invention commercial switchable glazing devices are well known for use as mirrors in motor vehicles, automotive windows, aircraft window assemblies, sunroofs, skylights, architectural windows. such devices may comprise, for example, inorganic electrochromic devices, organic electrochromic devices, switchable mirrors, and hybrids of these having two conducting layers with one or more active layers between the conducting layers. when a voltage is applied across these conducting layers the optical properties of a layer or layers in between change. such optical property changes are typically a modulation of the transmissivity of the visible or the solar subportion of the electromagnetic spectrum. for convenience, the two optical states will be referred to as a lightened state and a darkened state in the following discussion, but it should be understood that these are merely examples and relative terms (i.e., one of the two states is “lighter” or more transmissive than the other state) and that there could be a set of lightened and darkened states between the extremes that are attainable for a specific electrochromic device; for example, it is feasible to switch between intermediate lightened and darkened states in such a set. switching between a lightened and a darkened state in relatively small electrochromic devices such as an electrochromic rear-view mirror assembly is typically quick and uniform, whereas switching between the lightened and darkened state in a large area electrochromic device can be slow and spatially non-uniform. gradual, non-uniform coloring or switching is a common problem associated with large area electrochromic devices. this problem, commonly referred to as the “iris effect,” is typically the result of the voltage drop through the transparent conductive coatings providing electrical contact to one side or both sides of the device. for example, when a voltage is initially applied to the device, the potential is typically the greatest in the vicinity of the edge of the device (where the voltage is applied) and the least at the center of the device; as a result, there may be a significant difference between the transmissivity near the edge of the device and the transmissivity at the center of the device. over time, however, the difference in applied voltage between the center and edge decreases and, as a result, the difference in transmissivity at the center and edge of the device decreases. in such circumstances, the electrochromic medium will typically display non-uniform transmissivity by initially changing the transmissivity of the device in the vicinity of the applied potential, with the transmissivity gradually and progressively changing towards the center of the device as the switching progresses. while the iris effect is most commonly observed in relatively large devices, it also can be present in smaller devices that have correspondingly higher resistivity conducting layers. summary of the invention among the various aspects of the present invention is the provision of relatively large-area electrochromic multi-layer devices capable of coordinated switching and coloring, across substantially its entire area that can be easily manufactured. briefly, therefore, the present invention is directed to a multi-layer device comprising a first substrate and a first patterned electrically conductive layer on a surface of the first substrate, the first patterned electrically conductive layer being transmissive to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet on a surface of the first substrate, the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprising a population of regions of a transparent electrically conductive material separated by gaps, the first patterned electrically conductive layer having an average sheet resistance wherein a ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer another aspect of the present invention is an electrochromic device comprising a first substrate, a first electrically conductive layer, a first electrode layer, a second electrically conductive layer and a second substrate, at least one of the first and second electrically conductive layers comprising a patterned electrically conductive layer, the first and second electrically conductive layers each having a sheet resistance, r s , to the flow of electrical current through the first and second electrically conductive layers that varies as a function of position in the first and second electrically conductive layers, respectively, wherein the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least 2 and the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least 2, the first substrate and the first electrically conductive layer being transmissive to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet. another aspect of the present invention is a process for the preparation of a multi-layer device comprising forming a multi-layer layer structure comprising an electrochromic layer between and in electrical contact with a first and a second electrically conductive layer, at least one of the first and second electrically conductive layers comprising a patterned electrically conductive layer, the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer having a spatially varying sheet resistance, r s , to the flow of electrical current through the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer, respectively, wherein the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. . other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic cross-section of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. fig. 2a-2e is a series of contour maps of the sheet resistance, r s , in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer as a function of position (two-dimensional) within the first and/or second electrically conductive layer showing isoresistance lines (also sometimes referred to as contour lines) and resistance gradient lines (lines perpendicular to the isoresistance lines) resulting from various alternative arrangements of bus bars for devices having square and circular perimeters. fig. 3 is an exploded view of the multi-layer device of fig. 1 . fig. 4 is an exploded view of the multi-layer device of fig. 11 . figs. 5a and 5b are schematic cross-sections showing two alternative embodiments for patterning the first and second materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). figs. 5c and 5d show corresponding exemplary patterns that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer and a second material (resistor) having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. figs. 6a and 6b are schematic cross-sections showing two alternative embodiments for patterning the first and second materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). figs. 6c and 6d show corresponding exemplary patterns that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer and a second material (resistor) having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. fig. 7a is a schematic cross-section showing an alternative embodiment for patterning the first and second materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). fig. 7b shows a corresponding exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer and a second material (resistor) having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. fig. 8a is a schematic cross-section showing an alternative embodiment for patterning the first and second materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). fig. 8b shows a corresponding exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer and a second material (resistor) having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. fig. 9 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. fig. 10 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. fig. 11 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. fig. 12 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. fig. 13 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a multi-layer electrochromic device of the present invention. figs. 14a and 14b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. figs. 14c and 14d are corresponding exemplary patterns of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 15a and 15b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. figs. 15c and 15d are corresponding exemplary patterns of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 16a and 16b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. fig. 16c is an exemplary pattern of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 17a and 17b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. fig. 17c is an exemplary pattern of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 18a and 18b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. fig. 18c is an exemplary pattern of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 19a and 19b are schematic cross-sections showing two embodiments of the present invention in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure is varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of resistive material with a layer of insulating material. fig. 19c is an exemplary pattern of resistive and insulating material layers. figs. 20a-20e show contour maps of the cross-layer resistance, r c , in a current modulating structure of the present invention. fig. 21 is an exploded view of the multi-layer device of fig. 11 . fig. 22 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the electrochromic devices of the present invention. the inset shows the first or second material deposited as a series of hexagons that decrease in area as a function of distance from the top edge. fig. 23 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the electrochromic devices of the present invention. fig. 24 is a schematic cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the electrochromic devices of the present invention. the inset shows the first or second material deposited as a series of hexagons that decrease in size as a function of distance from the top edge. fig. 25 shows two line graphs depicting insulator fill factors as a function of position (cm). fig. 26 is a line graph depicting resistor layer thickness (nm) as a function of position (cm). fig. 27 is a 1-d lumped element circuit model diagram used to simulate dynamic behavior of an electrochromic device of the present invention. corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. additionally, relative thicknesses of the layers in the different figures do not represent the true relationship in dimensions. for example, the substrates are typically much thicker than the other layers. the figures are drawn only for the purpose to illustrate connection principles, not to give any dimensional information. abbreviations and definitions the following definitions and methods are provided to better define the present invention and to guide those of ordinary skill in the art in the practice of the present invention. unless otherwise noted, terms are to be understood according to conventional usage by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art. the term “anodic electrochromic layer” refers to an electrode layer that changes from a more transmissive state to a less transmissive state upon the removal of ions. the term “cathodic electrochromic layer” refers to an electrode layer that changes from a more transmissive state to a less transmissive state upon the insertion of ions. the terms “conductive” and “resistive” refer to the electrical conductivity and electrical resistivity of a material. the term “convex polygon” refer to a simple polygon in which every internal angle is less than or equal to 180 degrees, and every line segment between two vertices remains inside or on the boundary of the polygon. exemplary convex polygons include triangles, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, etc., in which every internal angle is less than or equal to 180 degrees and every line segment between two vertices remains inside or on the boundary of the polygon. the term “cross-layer resistance” as used in connection with a layer (or an elongate structure) is the resistance to current flow substantially normal to a major surface of the layer (or the elongate structure). the term “electrochromic layer” refers to a layer comprising an electrochromic material. the term “electrochromic material” refers to materials that are able to change their optical properties, reversibly, as a result of the insertion or extraction of ions and electrons. for example, an electrochromic material may change between a colored, translucent state and a transparent state. the term “electrode layer” refers to a layer capable of conducting ions as well as electrons. the electrode layer contains a species that can be oxidized when ions are inserted into the material and contains a species that can be reduced when ions are extracted from the layer. this change in oxidation state of a species in the electrode layer is responsible for the change in optical properties in the device. the term “electrical potential,” or simply “potential,” refers to the voltage occurring across a device comprising an electrode/ion conductor/electrode stack. the term “sheet resistance” as used in connection with a layer (or an elongate structure) is the resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the layer (or the elongate structure). the term “transmissive” is used to denote transmission of electromagnetic radiation through a material. the term “transparent” is used to denote substantial transmission of electromagnetic radiation through a material such that, for example, bodies situated beyond or behind the material can be distinctly seen or imaged using appropriate image sensing technology. detailed description of the preferred embodiments fig. 1 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of electrochromic device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises an ion conductor layer 10 . first electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 , and second electrode layer 21 is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 . in addition, at least one of first and second electrode layers 20 , 21 comprises electrochromic material; in one embodiment, first and second electrode layers 20 , 21 each comprise electrochromic material. the central structure, that is, layers 20 , 10 , 21 , is positioned between first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 which, in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . elements 22 , 20 , 10 , 21 , and 23 are collectively referred to as an electrochromic stack 28 . electrically conductive layer 22 is in electrical contact with one terminal of a power supply (not shown) via bus bar 26 and electrically conductive layer 23 is in electrical contact with the other terminal of a power supply (not shown) via bus bar 27 whereby the transmissivity of electrochromic device 10 may be changed by applying a voltage pulse to electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 . the pulse causes electrons and ions to move between first and second electrode layers 20 and 21 and, as a result, electrochromic material in the first and/or second electrode layer(s) change(s) optical states, thereby switching electrochromic device 1 from a more transmissive state to a less transmissive state, or from a less transmissive state to a more transmissive state. in one embodiment, electrochromic device 1 is transparent before the voltage pulse and less transmissive (e.g., more reflective or colored) after the voltage pulse or vice versa. it should be understood that the reference to a transition between a less transmissive and a more transmissive state is non-limiting and is intended to describe the entire range of transitions attainable by electrochromic materials to the transmissivity of electromagnetic radiation. for example, the change in transmissivity may be a change from a first optical state to a second optical state that is (i) relatively more absorptive (i.e., less transmissive) than the first state, (ii) relatively less absorptive (i.e., more transmissive) than the first state, (iii) relatively more reflective (i.e., less transmissive) than the first state, (iv) relatively less reflective (i.e., more transmissive) than the first state, (v) relatively more reflective and more absorptive (i.e., less transmissive) than the first state or (vi) relatively less reflective and less absorptive (i.e., more transmissive) than the first state. additionally, the change may be between the two extreme optical states attainable by an electrochromic device, e.g., between a first transparent state and a second state, the second state being opaque or reflective (mirror). alternatively, the change may be between two optical states, at least one of which is intermediate along the spectrum between the two extreme states (e.g., transparent and opaque or transparent and mirror) attainable for a specific electrochromic device. unless otherwise specified herein, whenever reference is made to a less transmissive and a more transmissive, or even a bleached-colored transition, the corresponding device or process encompasses other optical state transitions such as non-reflective-reflective, transparent-opaque, etc. further, the term “bleached” refers to an optically neutral state, e.g., uncolored, transparent or translucent. still further, unless specified otherwise herein, the “color” of an electrochromic transition is not limited to any particular wavelength or range of wavelengths. as understood by those of skill in the art, the choice of appropriate electrochromic and counter electrode materials governs the relevant optical transition. in general, the change in transmissivity preferably comprises a change in transmissivity to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet radiation. for example, in one embodiment the change in transmissivity is predominately a change in transmissivity to electromagnetic radiation in the infrared spectrum. in a second embodiment, the change in transmissivity is to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths predominately in the visible spectrum. in a third embodiment, the change in transmissivity is to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths predominately in the ultraviolet spectrum. in a fourth embodiment, the change in transmissivity is to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths predominately in the ultraviolet and visible spectra. in a fifth embodiment, the change in transmissivity is to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths predominately in the infrared and visible spectra. in a sixth embodiment, the change in transmissivity is to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths predominately in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared spectra. the materials making up electrochromic stack 28 may comprise organic or inorganic materials, and they may be solid or liquid. for example, in certain embodiments the electrochromic stack 28 comprises materials that are inorganic, solid (i.e., in the solid state), or both inorganic and solid. inorganic materials have shown better reliability in architectural applications. materials in the solid state can also offer the advantage of not having containment and leakage issues, as materials in the liquid state often do. it should be understood that any one or more of the layers in the stack may contain some amount of organic material, but in many implementations one or more of the layers contains little or no organic matter. the same can be said for liquids that may be present in one or more layers in small amounts. in certain other embodiments some or all of the materials making up electrochromic stack 28 are organic. organic ion conductors can offer higher mobilities and thus potentially better device switching performance. organic electrochromic layers can provide higher contrast ratios and more diverse color options. each of the layers in the electrochromic device is discussed in detail, below. it should also be understood that solid state material may be deposited or otherwise formed by processes employing liquid components such as certain processes employing sol-gels or chemical vapor deposition. referring again to fig. 1 , the power supply (not shown) connected to bus bars 26 , 27 is typically a voltage source with optional current limits or current control features and may be configured to operate in conjunction with local thermal, photosensitive or other environmental sensors. the voltage source may also be configured to interface with an energy management system, such as a computer system that controls the electrochromic device according to factors such as the time of year, time of day, and measured environmental conditions. such an energy management system, in conjunction with large area electrochromic devices (e.g., an electrochromic architectural window), can dramatically lower the energy consumption of a building. at least one of the substrates 24 , 25 is preferably transparent, in order to reveal the electrochromic properties of the stack 28 to the surroundings. any material having suitable optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties may be used as first substrate 24 or second substrate 25 . such substrates include, for example, glass, plastic, metal, and metal coated glass or plastic. non-exclusive examples of possible plastic substrates are polycarbonates, polyacrylics, polyurethanes, urethane carbonate copolymers, polysulfones, polyimides, polyacrylates, polyethers, polyester, polyethylenes, polyalkenes, polyimides, polysulfides, polyvinylacetates and cellulose-based polymers. if a plastic substrate is used, it may be barrier protected and abrasion protected using a hard coat of, for example, a diamond-like protection coating, a silica/silicone anti-abrasion coating, or the like, such as is well known in the plastic glazing art. suitable glasses include either clear or tinted soda lime glass, including soda lime float glass. the glass may be tempered or untempered. in some embodiments of electrochromic device 1 with glass, e.g. soda lime glass, used as first substrate 24 and/or second substrate 25 , there is a sodium diffusion barrier layer (not shown) between first substrate 24 and first electrically conductive layer 22 and/or between second substrate 25 and second electrically conductive layer 23 to prevent the diffusion of sodium ions from the glass into first and/or second electrically conductive layer 23 . in some embodiments, second substrate 25 is omitted. in one preferred embodiment of the invention, first substrate 24 and second substrate 25 are each float glass. in certain embodiments for architectural applications, this glass is at least 0.5 meters by 0.5 meters, and can be much larger, e.g., as large as about 3 meters by 4 meters. in such applications, this glass is typically at least about 2 mm thick and more commonly 4-6 mm thick. independent of application, the electrochromic devices of the present invention may have a wide range of sizes. in general, it is preferred that the electrochromic device comprise a substrate having a surface with a surface area of at least 0.01 meter 2 . for example, in certain embodiments, the electrochromic device comprises a substrate having a surface with a surface area of at least 0.1 meter 2 . by way of further example, in certain embodiments, the electrochromic device comprises a substrate having a surface with a surface area of at least 1 meter 2 . by way of further example, in certain embodiments, the electrochromic device comprises a substrate having a surface with a surface area of at least 5 meter 2 . by way of further example, in certain embodiments, the electrochromic device comprises a substrate having a surface with a surface area of at least 10 meter 2 . at least one of the two electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 is also preferably transparent in order to reveal the electrochromic properties of the stack 28 to the surroundings. in one embodiment, electrically conductive layer 23 is transparent. in another embodiment, electrically conductive layer 22 is transparent. in another embodiment, electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are each transparent. in certain embodiments, one or both of the electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 is inorganic and/or solid. electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 may be made from a number of different transparent materials, including transparent conductive oxides, thin metallic coatings, networks of conductive nano particles (e.g., rods, tubes, dots) conductive metal nitrides, and composite conductors. transparent conductive oxides include metal oxides and metal oxides doped with one or more metals. examples of such metal oxides and doped metal oxides include indium oxide, indium tin oxide, doped indium oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, doped zinc oxide, ruthenium oxide, doped ruthenium oxide and the like. transparent conductive oxides are sometimes referred to as (tco) layers. thin metallic coatings that are substantially transparent may also be used. examples of metals used for such thin metallic coatings include gold, platinum, silver, aluminum, nickel, and alloys of these. examples of transparent conductive nitrides include titanium nitrides, tantalum nitrides, titanium oxynitrides, and tantalum oxynitrides. electrically conducting layers 22 and 23 may also be transparent composite conductors. such composite conductors may be fabricated by placing highly conductive ceramic and metal wires or conductive layer patterns on one of the faces of the substrate and then over-coating with transparent conductive materials such as doped tin oxides or indium tin oxide. ideally, such wires should be thin enough as to be invisible to the naked eye (e.g., about 100 μm or thinner). non-exclusive examples of electron conductors 22 and 23 transparent to visible light are thin films of indium tin oxide (ito), tin oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, n- or p-doped zinc oxide and zinc oxyfluoride. metal-based layers, such as zns/ag/zns and carbon nanotube layers have been recently explored as well. depending on the particular application, one or both electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 may be made of or include a metal grid. at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 is a composite of a first material, an electrically conductive material, and a second less conductive material. for example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 2 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 3 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 4 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 5 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 6 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 7 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 8 . by way of further example, in each of the foregoing embodiments, the first and/or second material is transparent. in one such exemplary embodiment, the first material may be selected from transparent conductive oxides, thin metallic coatings, networks of conductive nano particles (e.g., rods, tubes, dots) conductive metal nitrides, and composite conductors and the second material may be selected, in one embodiment, from materials having a resistivity of at least 10 4 ω·cm and, in another embodiment, from materials having a resistivity of at least 10 10 ω·cm. in a further exemplary embodiment where electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 is a composite of a first material, an electrically conductive material, and a second less conductive material, the first material has a sheet resistance rs of less than about 20ω/□ and the second material has a resistivity and thickness such that it has a sheet resistance that is greater than the sheet resistance of the first material by a factor of at least 5. by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a sheet resistance rs less than about 20ω/□ and the second material has a resistivity and thickness such that it has a sheet resistance that is greater than the sheet resistance of the first material by a factor of at least 10. by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a sheet resistance rs of less than about 20ω/□ and the second material has a resistivity and thickness such that it has a sheet resistance that is greater than the sheet resistance of the first material by a factor of at least 15. by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a sheet resistance rs of around 15ω/□ and the second material has a resistivity and thickness such that it has a sheet resistance that is greater than the sheet resistance of the first material by a factor of at least 20. by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material has a sheet resistance rs of around 15ω/□ and the second material has a resistivity and thickness such that it has a sheet resistance that is greater than the sheet resistance of the first material by a factor of at least 30. by way of further example, in each of the foregoing embodiments, the first and/or second material is transparent. in one such exemplary embodiment, the first material may be selected from transparent conductive oxides, thin metallic coatings, networks of conductive nano particles (e.g., rods, tubes, dots) conductive metal nitrides, and composite conductors and the second material may be selected, in one embodiment, from materials having a resistivity of at least 10 −5 ω·cm and, in another embodiment, from materials having a resistivity of at least 10 5 ω·cm. in general, the second, less conductive, material comprised by a patterned electrically conductive layer of the present invention may be any material exhibiting sufficient resistivity, optical transparency, and chemical stability for the intended application. for example, in some embodiments, at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprise a resistive or insulating material with high chemical stability. by way of further example, in some embodiments at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprise an insulator material selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, porous silica, fluorine doped silica, carbon doped silica, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, hafnia, magnesium fluoride, magnesium oxide, poly(methyl methacrylate) (pmma), polyimides, polymeric dielectrics such as polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe), silicones, and combinations thereof. exemplary resistive materials include zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, titanium oxide, and gallium (iii) oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, indium oxide, stannic oxide and germanium oxide. in one embodiment, one or both of first and electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprise(s) one or more of such resistive materials. in another embodiment, one or both of first and electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprise(s) one or more of such insulating materials. in another embodiment, one or both of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprise(s) one or more of such resistive materials and one or more of such insulating materials. depending upon the application, the relative proportions of the first material, i.e., the material having a resistivity of less than about 10 2 ω·cm (and preferably transparent), and the second material, i.e., the material having a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 2 may vary substantially in electrically conductive layer 22 , electrically conductive layer 23 , or in each of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . in general, however, the second material constitutes at least about 5 vol % of at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . for example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 10 vol % of at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 20 vol % of at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 30 vol % of at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 40 vol % of at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . in general, however, the second material will typically not constitute more than about 70 vol % of either of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . the thickness of the electrically conductive layer may be influenced by the composition of the material comprised within the layer and its transparent character. in some embodiments, electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 are transparent and each have a thickness that is between about 1000 nm and about 50 nm. in some embodiments, the thickness of electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 is between about 500 nm and about 100 nm. in other embodiments, the electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 each have a thickness that is between about 400 nm and about 200 nm. in general, thicker or thinner layers may be employed so long as they provide the necessary electrical properties (e.g., conductivity) and optical properties (e.g., transmittance). for certain applications it will generally be preferred that electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 be as thin as possible to increase transparency and to reduce cost. referring again to fig. 1 , the function of the electrically conductive layers is to apply the electric potential provided by a power supply over the entire surface of the electrochromic stack 28 to interior regions of the stack. the electric potential is transferred to the conductive layers though electrical connections to the conductive layers. in some embodiments, bus bars, one in contact with first electrically conductive layer 22 and one in contact with second electrically conductive layer 23 provide the electric connection between the voltage source and the electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 . in one embodiment, the sheet resistance, r s , of the first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 is about 500ω/□ to 1ω/□. in some embodiments, the sheet resistance of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 is about 100ω/□ to 5ω/□. to facilitate more rapid switching of electrochromic device 1 from a state of relatively greater transmittance to a state of relatively lesser transmittance, or vice versa, at least one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprises a patterned composite layer having a sheet resistance, r s , to the flow of electrons through the layer that is non-uniform. for example, in one embodiment only one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprises a patterned composite layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer and the other has a uniform or non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer. by way of further example, in one embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprises a patterned composite layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer and the other has a uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer. by way of further example, in one embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 comprises a patterned composite layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer and the other has a non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the layer with the non-uniformity in the other sheet resulting from a graded thickness or graded composition as described herein. alternatively, and more typically, first electrically conductive layer 22 and second electrically conductive layer 23 each comprises a patterned composite layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance to the flow of electrons through the respective layers. without being bound by any particular theory, it is presently believed that the patterned composite creates an effective variation in the sheet resistance of electrically conductive layer 22 , electrically conductive layer 23 , or electrically conductive layer 22 and electrically conductive layer 23 thus improving the switching performance of the device by controlling the voltage drop in the conductive layer to provide uniform potential drop or a desired non-uniform potential drop across the device over an area of the device at least 25% of the device area. in general, electrical circuit modeling may be used to determine the sheet resistance distribution providing desired switching performance, taking into account the type of electrochromic device, the device shape and dimensions, electrode characteristics, and the placement of electrical connections (e.g., bus bars) to the voltage source. the sheet resistance distribution, in turn, can be controlled, at least in part, by patterning a sublayer in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s), and optionally grading the thickness of the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s), grading the composition of the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s), or some combination of these. in one exemplary embodiment, the electrochromic device is a rectangular electrochromic window. referring again to fig. 1 , in this embodiment first substrate 24 and second substrate 25 are rectangular panes of glass or other transparent substrate and electrochromic device 1 has two bus bars 26 , 27 located on opposite sides of first electrode layer 20 and second electrode layer 21 , respectively. when configured in this manner, it is generally preferred that the resistance to the flow of electrons in first electrically conductive layer 22 generally increase with increasing distance from bus bar 26 and that the resistance to the flow of electrons in second electrically conductive layer 23 generally increase with increasing distance from bus bar 27 . this, in turn, can be effected, for example, by patterning a sublayer in the first electrically conductive layer 22 to generally increase its sheet resistance as a function of increasing distance from bus bar 26 and patterning a sublayer in the second electrically conductive layer 23 to generally increase its sheet resistance as a function of increasing distance from bus bar 27 . the multi-layer devices of the present invention may have a shape other than rectangular, may have more than two bus bars, and/or may not have the bus bars on opposite sides of the device. for example, the multi-layer device may have a perimeter that is more generally a quadrilateral, or a shape with greater or fewer sides than four for example, the multi-layer device may be triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc., in shape. by way of further example, the multi-layer device may have a perimeter that is curved but lacks vertices, e.g., circular, oval, etc. by way of further example, the multi-layer device may comprise three, four or more bus bars connecting the multi-layer device to a voltage source, or the bus bars, independent of number may be located on non-opposing sides. in each of such instances, the preferred resistance profile in the electrically conductive layer(s) may vary from that which is described for the rectangular, two bus bar configuration. in general, however, and independent of whether the multi-layer device has a shape other than rectangular, there are more than two electrical connections (e.g., bus bars), and/or the electrical connections (e.g., bus bars) are on opposite sides of the device, the sheet resistance, r s , in the first electrically conductive layer 22 , in the second electrically conductive layer 23 , or in the first electrically conductive layer 22 and the second electrically conductive layer 23 may be plotted to join points of equal sheet resistance (i.e., isoresistance lines) as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the first and/or second electrically conductive layer. plots of this general nature, sometimes referred to as contour maps, are routinely used in cartography to join points of equal elevation. in the context of the present invention, a contour map of the sheet resistance, r s , in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the first and/or second electrically conductive layer preferably contains a series of isoresistance lines (also sometimes referred to as contour lines) and resistance gradient lines (lines perpendicular to the isoresistance lines). the sheet resistance along a gradient line in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s) generally increase(s), generally decrease(s), generally increase(s) until it reaches a maximum and then generally decrease(s), or generally decrease(s) until it reaches a minimum and then generally increase(s). figs. 2a-2e depict a contour map of the sheet resistance, r s , in an electrically conductive layer (i.e., the first electrically conductive layer, the second electrically conductive layer, or each of the first and second electrically conductive layers) as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the electrically conductive layer for several exemplary embodiments of an electrochromic stack in accordance with the present invention. in each of figs. 2a-2e , contour map 50 depicts a set of sheet isoresistance curves 52 (i.e., curves along which the sheet resistance, r s , has a constant value) and a set of resistance gradient curves 54 that are perpendicular to isoresistance curves 52 resulting from an electrochromic stack having a perimeter that is square ( figs. 2a, 2b, and 2c ) or circular ( figs. 2d and 2e ) and varying numbers and locations of bus bars 26 and 27 in contact with the first and second electrically conductive layers (not labeled) of the electrochromic stack. in fig. 2a , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicates that the sheet resistance, r s , within the electrically conductive layer progressively increases along the set of gradients 54 and between west side 55 and east side 56 of the electrically conductive layer in contact with bus bar 27 . in fig. 2b , the direction of gradient 54 a indicates that the sheet resistance, r s , within the electrically conductive layer in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from southwest corner 57 to centroid 59 and then decreases from centroid 59 to northeast corner 58 . in fig. 2c , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicate that the sheet resistance, r s , within the electrically conductive layer in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from the west side 60 and east side 61 to centroid 59 and progressively increases from the top side 58 and bottom side 57 to centroid 59 ; stated differently, sheet resistance, r s , forms a saddle like form centered around centroid 59 . in fig. 2d , the direction of gradients 54 a and 54 b indicates that the sheet resistance, r s , within the electrically conductive layer in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from each of positions 64 and 65 to centroid 59 and progressively increases from each of positions 63 and 62 to centroid 59 ; stated differently, sheet resistance, r s , forms a saddle like form centered around centroid 59 . in fig. 2e , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicates that the sheet resistance, r s , within the electrically conductive layer in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from the west side 55 to the east side 56 . in one embodiment, for example, the gradient in sheet resistance is a constant. by way of further example, in one embodiment, the gradient in sheet resistance is a constant and the substrate is rectangular in shape in one presently preferred embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 1.25. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 1.5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 2. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 3. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 4. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 6. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 7. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 8. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 9. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer is at least about 10. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer may be observed by comparing the ratio of the average sheet resistance, r avg in two different regions of the first electrically conductive layer wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25 wherein each of the first and second regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. this may be illustrated by reference to figs. 3 and 4 . first electrically conductive layer 22 comprises convex polygon a 1 and convex polygon b 1 and each circumscribes a region comprising at least 25% of the surface area of first electrically conductive layer 22 ; in one embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance, r 1 avg , in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer bounded by convex polygon a 1 to the average sheet resistance, r 2 avg , in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer bounded by convex polygon b 1 is at least 1.25. as illustrated, convex polygon a 1 is a triangle and convex polygon b 1 is a square merely for purposes of exemplification; in practice, the first region may be bounded by any convex polygon and the second region may be bounded by any convex polygon. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 3 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 4 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 6 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 7 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 8 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 9 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 10 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first and second regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer may be observed by comparing the average sheet resistance, r avg in four different regions of the first electrically conductive layer wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 1.25, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 1.25, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 1.5, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 1.5, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 2, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 2, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first, second, third and fourth regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one presently preferred embodiment, the second electrically conductive layer has a sheet resistance, r s , to the flow of electrical current through the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the second electrically conductive layer. in one such embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 1.25. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 1.5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 2. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 3. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 4. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 6. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 7. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 8. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 9. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 10. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the sheet resistance of the second electrically conductive layer may be observed by comparing the ratio of the average sheet resistance, r avg in two different regions of the second electrically conductive layer wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. this may be illustrated by reference to figs. 3 and 4 . second electrically conductive layer 23 comprises convex polygon a and convex polygon b and each circumscribes a region comprising at least 25% of the surface area of second electrically conductive layer 23 ; in one embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance, r 1 avg , in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer bounded by convex polygon a to the average sheet resistance, r 2 avg , in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer bounded by convex polygon b is at least 1.25. as illustrated, convex polygon a is a triangle and convex polygon b is a square merely for purposes of exemplification; in practice, the first region may be bounded by any convex polygon and the second region may be bounded by any convex polygon. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 3 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 4 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 6 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 7 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 8 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 9 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 10 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first and second regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the sheet resistance of the second electrically conductive layer may be observed by comparing the average sheet resistance, r avg in four different regions of the second electrically conductive layer wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 1.25, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 1.25, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 1.5, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 1.5, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , is at least 2, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in the third region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 3 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a fourth region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 4 avg , is at least 2, wherein the first region is contiguous with the second region, the second region is contiguous with the third region, the third region is contiguous with the fourth region, each of the regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first, second, third and fourth regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one presently preferred embodiment, first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 have a sheet resistance, r s , to the flow of electrical current through the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first and second electrically conductive layers. although it is generally preferred in this embodiment that the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first and second electrically conductive layers be approximately the same, they may have different values. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first electrically conductive layer has a value that is at least twice as much as the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the second electrically conductive layer. more typically, however, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first and second electrically conductive layers will be approximately the same and each at least about 1.25. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in the first and second electrically conductive layers will be approximately the same and each at least about 1.5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 2. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 3. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 4. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 5. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 6. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 7. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 8. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 9. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, r max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, r min , in each of the first and second electrically conductive layers is at least about 10. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the sheet resistance of the first and second electrically conductive layers may be observed by comparing the ratio of the average sheet resistance, r avg in two different regions of the first and second electrically conductive layers, respectively, wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.25 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 1.5 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 2 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 3 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 3 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 4 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 4 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 5 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 5 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 6 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 6 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 7 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 7 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 8 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 8 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 9 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 9 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 10 and the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 1 avg , to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer, r 2 avg , is at least 10 wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first and second regions are mutually exclusive regions. referring again to fig. 4 , the spatial non-uniformity of the sheet resistance of the first and second electrically conductive layer may be correlated in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. for example, line segment x 1 -y 1 in first electrically conductive layer 22 may be projected through second electrode layer 21 , ion conductor layer 10 and first electrode layer 20 and onto second electrically conductive layer 23 , with the projection defining line segment x-y. in general, if the sheet resistance generally increases in first electrically conductive layer 22 along line segment x 1 -y 1 (i.e., the sheet resistance generally increases moving along the sheet resistance gradient curve in the direction from point x 1 to point y 1 ), the sheet resistance generally decreases in second electrically conductive layer 23 along segment x-y (i.e., the sheet resistance generally decreases along sheet resistance gradient curve 54 and in the direction from point x to point y). as previously noted, line segments x-y and x 1 -y 1 have a length of at least 1 cm. for example, line segments x-y and x 1 -y 1 may have a length of 2.5 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, or 25 cm. additionally, line segments x-y and x 1 -y 1 may be straight or curved. in one embodiment, for example, the sheet resistance gradients in electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are non-zero constants and are of opposite sign (e.g., the sheet resistance generally increases linearly in first electrically conductive layer along in the direction from point x 1 to point y 1 and generally decreases linearly along sheet resistance gradient curve 54 in the direction from point x to point y). by way of further example, in one embodiment, substrates 24 , 25 are rectangular and the sheet resistance gradients in electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are non-zero constants and are of opposite sign (e.g., the sheet resistance generally increases linearly in second electrically conductive layer 23 along gradient 54 in the direction from point x to point y and generally decreases linearly in first electrically conductive layer 22 along the line containing line segment x 1 -y 1 in the direction from point x 1 to point y 1 ). in another embodiment, and still referring to figs. 3 and 4 , the spatial non-uniformity of the sheet resistance of the first and second electrically conductive layers may be characterized by reference to separate first and second regions in the first electrically conductive layer and their projections onto the second electrically conductive layer to define complementary first and second regions in the second electrically conductive layer wherein the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer are each bounded by a convex polygon, each contain at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer, and are mutually exclusive regions. in general, the first electrically conductive layer has an average sheet resistance in the first and regions of the first electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer has an average sheet resistance in the complementary first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer wherein: (a) (i) a ratio of the average sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer in the first region to the average sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer in the second region is at least 1.5 or (ii) a ratio of the average sheet resistance of the second electrically conductive layer in the complementary first region to the average sheet resistance of the second electrically conductive layer in the complementary second region is greater than 1.5 and (b) a ratio of the average sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer in the first region to the average sheet resistance of the second electrically layer in the complementary first region (i.e., the projection of the first region of the first electrically conductive layer onto the second electrically conductive layer) is at least 150% of the ratio of the average sheet resistance of the first electrically conductive layer in the second region to the average sheet resistance of the second electrically layer in the complementary second region (i.e., the projection of the second region of the first electrically conductive layer onto the second electrically conductive layer). referring again to figs. 3 and 4 , first electrically conductive layer 22 comprises a region a 1 and a region b 1 wherein region a 1 and region b 1 each comprise at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer, are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and are mutually exclusive regions. a projection of region a 1 onto second electrically conductive layer 23 defines a region a circumscribed by a convex polygon in the second electrically conductive layer comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. a projection of region b 1 onto the second electrically conductive layer defines a region b circumscribed by a convex polygon in the second electrically conductive layer comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer. first electrically conductive layer 22 has an average sheet resistance in region a 1 corresponding to r a avg and an average sheet resistance in region b 1 corresponding to r b1 avg . second electrically conductive layer 23 has an average sheet resistance in region a corresponding to r a avg and an average sheet resistance in region b corresponding to r b avg . in accordance with one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 1.5 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 1.5. for example, in one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a1 avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 1.75 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 1.75. by way of further example, in one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a1 avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 2 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 2. by way of further example, in one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a1 avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 3 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 3. by way of further example, in one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a1 avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 5 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 5. by way of further example, in one embodiment, (i) the ratio of r a1 avg to r b1 avg or the ratio of r b avg to r a avg is at least 10 and (ii) the ratio of (r a1 avg /r a avg ) to (r b1 avg /r b avg ) is at least 10. figs. 5-8 illustrate several alternative embodiments for patterning the first and second materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). fig. 5 illustrates two exemplary patterns (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 and a second material 71 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. in each of these embodiments, the tco material 73 is deposited on the substrate 72 , patterned and overcoated with the second material 71 , the overcoat covering the regions containing the tco material 73 and the gaps between the regions of tco material 73 . in the top right panel of fig. 5 , the tco material 73 is deposited as a film and a series of circles are patterned in that film with the circles decreasing in area as a function of distance from the top edge or in the area surrounding the circles. in the bottom right panel, the tco material 73 is deposited as a film and a series of hexagons are patterned in that film with the hexagons decreasing in area as a function of distance from the top edge or in the area surrounding the circles. the exemplary patterns shown in fig. 5 (right column) may be a continuous or discontinuous pattern of tco. the top right panel of fig. 5 represents a continuous pattern of tco interrupted by gaps (regions lacking tco) in an otherwise continuous layer of tco. the bottom right panel of fig. 5 represents a discontinuous pattern of tco, where regions of tco are fully separated by gaps (regions lacking tco). fig. 6 illustrates two exemplary patterns (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 and a second material 71 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. in each of these embodiments, the tco material 73 is deposited on the substrate 72 , pattered and overcoated with the second material 71 , the overcoat covering the regions containing the tco material 73 and the gaps between the regions of tco material 73 . in the top right panel of fig. 6 , the width of the tco material 73 decreases (or alternatively increases) as a function of distance from the top or bottom edge. in the bottom right panel, the tco material 73 is deposited as a film and a series of circles are patterned ithat film that increase in area as a function of increasing distance from the top edge or in the area surrounding the circles. fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary pattern (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 and a second material 71 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. in each of these embodiments, the tco material 73 is deposited on the substrate 72 , patterned and overcoated with the second material 71 , the overcoat covering the regions containing the tco material 73 and the gaps between the regions of tco material 73 . in the right panel of fig. 7 , the tco material 73 is interrupted by a series of gaps depicted as lines, with the length of the lines (gaps) decreasing as a function of increasing distance from the top edge. fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary pattern (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 and a second material 71 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the tco. in each of these embodiments, the tco material 73 is deposited on the substrate 72 , patterned and overcoated with the second material 71 , the overcoat covering the regions containing the tco material 73 and the gaps between the regions of tco material 73 . in the right panel of fig. 8 , the tco material 73 is interrupted by a series of gaps depicted as lines of approximately equal length, with the number of lines increasing as a function of increasing distance from the top edge. without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, and based upon certain experimental evidence obtained to-date, in certain embodiments the electrode sheet resistance may be expressed as a function of position in a large area electrochromic device that provides a local voltage drop across the electrochromic stack that is substantially constant. for the simple geometry shown in fig. 1 , where the contact (bus bar 27 ) to the top electrode is made at x=0 and the contact (bus bar 26 ) to the bottom electrode is made at x=xt, the relationship is simply that r ′( x )= r ( x )( xt/x− 1); where r(x) is the sheet resistance of the top electrode as a function of position and r′(x) is the sheet resistance of the bottom electrode as a function of position. a simple mathematical example of this relationship is that for a linear change in the sheet resistance of the top electrode, r(x)=ax, the sheet resistance of the bottom electrode must be r′(x)=a(xt−x). another simple example is that for r(x)=1/(xt−ax) then r′(x)=1/(ax). this relationship holds in a mathematical sense for any function r(x). this relationship can be generalized to any electrode sheet resistance distribution that smoothly varies and any contact configuration by the following relationship between the sheet resistance from one contact (z=0) to anther (z=l) along gradient curves that are perpendicular to iso-resistance lines r(z), and the corresponding opposing electrode sheet resistance distribution r′(z). r ′( z )= r ( z )( l/z− 1); as a practical matter, devices do not need to precisely adhere to this relationship to realize the benefits of this invention. for example, in the case above where r′(x)=1/(ax), r′(0)=infinity. while one can practically create resistances of very large magnitude, a film with a r′(x)=1/(ax+b) where b is small relative to a can exhibit significantly improved switching uniformity over a device comprising electrodes of uniform sheet resistance. electrically conductive layers having a non-uniform sheet resistance may be prepared by a range of methods. in one embodiment, the non-uniform sheet resistance is the result of the patterning of two materials in the electrically conductive layer(s). in another embodiment the non-uniform sheet resistance is the result of a composition variation; composition variations may be formed, for example, by sputter coating from two cylindrical targets of different materials while varying the power to each target as a function of position relative to the substrate, by reactive sputter coating from a cylindrical target while varying the gas partial pressure and/or composition as a function of position relative to the substrate, by spray coating with a varying composition or process as a function of position relative to the substrate, or by introducing a dopant variation to a uniform composition and thickness film by ion implantation, diffusion, or reaction. in another embodiment, the non-uniform sheet resistance is the result of a thickness variation in the layer; thickness variations may be formed, for example, by sputter coating from a cylindrical target while varying the power to the target as a function of as a function of position relative to the substrate, sputter coating from a target at constant power and varying the velocity of substrate under the target as a function of as a function of position relative to the substrate, e.g., a deposited stack of uniform tco films on a substrate where each film has a limited spatial extent. alternatively, a thickness gradient can be formed by starting with a uniform thickness conductive layer and then etching the layer in a way that is spatially non-uniform such as dip-etching or spraying with etchant at a non-uniform rate across the layer. in another embodiment, the non-uniform sheet resistance is the result of patterning; gradients may be introduced, for example, by laser patterning a series of scribes into a constant thickness and constant resistivity film to create a desired spatially varying resistivity. in addition to laser patterning, mechanical scribing and lithographic patterning using photoresists (as known in the art of semiconductor device manufacturing) can be used to create a desired spatially varying resistivity. in another embodiment, the non-uniform sheet resistance is the result of a defect variation; a defect variation may be introduced, for example, by introducing spatially varying defects via ion implantation, or creating a spatially varying defect density via a spatially varying annealing process applied to a layer with a previously uniform defect density. referring again to fig. 1 , at least one of first and second electrode layers 20 and 21 is electrochromic, one of the first and second electrode layers is the counter electrode for the other, and first and second electrode layers 20 and 21 are inorganic and/or solid. non-exclusive examples of electrochromic electrode layers 20 and 21 are cathodically coloring thin films of oxides based on tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, lead and/or bismuth, or anodically coloring thin films of oxides, hydroxides and/or oxy-hydrides based on nickel, iridium, iron, chromium, cobalt and/or rhodium. in one embodiment, first electrode layer 20 contains any one or more of a number of different electrochromic materials, including metal oxides. such metal oxides include tungsten oxide (wo 3 ), molybdenum oxide (moo 3 ), niobium oxide (nb 2 o 5 ), titanium oxide (tio 2 ), copper oxide (cuo), iridium oxide (ir 2 o 3 ), chromium oxide (cr 2 o 3 ), manganese oxide (mn 2 o 3 ), vanadium oxide (v 2 o 3 ), nickel oxide (ni 2 o 3 ), cobalt oxide (co 2 o 3 ) and the like. in some embodiments, the metal oxide is doped with one or more dopants such as lithium, sodium, potassium, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, and/or other suitable metals or compounds containing metals. mixed oxides (e.g., w—mo oxide, w—v oxide) are also used in certain embodiments. in some embodiments, tungsten oxide or doped tungsten oxide is used for first electrode layer 20 . in one embodiment, first electrode layer 20 is electrochromic and is made substantially of wo x , where “x” refers to an atomic ratio of oxygen to tungsten in the electrochromic layer, and x is between about 2.7 and 3.5. it has been suggested that only sub-stoichiometric tungsten oxide exhibits electrochromism; i.e., stoichiometric tungsten oxide, wo 3 , does not exhibit electrochromism. in a more specific embodiment, wo x , where x is less than 3.0 and at least about 2.7 is used for first electrode layer 20 . in another embodiment, first electrode layer 20 is wo x , where x is between about 2.7 and about 2.9. techniques such as rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (rbs) can identify the total number of oxygen atoms which include those bonded to tungsten and those not bonded to tungsten. in some instances, tungsten oxide layers where x is 3 or greater exhibit electrochromism, presumably due to unbound excess oxygen along with sub-stoichiometric tungsten oxide. in another embodiment, the tungsten oxide layer has stoichiometric or greater oxygen, where x is 3.0 to about 3.5. in certain embodiments, the electrochromic mixed metal oxide is crystalline, nanocrystalline, or amorphous. in some embodiments, the tungsten oxide is substantially nanocrystalline, with grain sizes, on average, from about 5 nm to 50 nm (or from about 5 nm to 20 nm), as characterized by transmission electron microscopy (tem). the tungsten oxide morphology may also be characterized as nanocrystalline using x-ray diffraction (xrd); xrd. for example, nanocrystalline electrochromic tungsten oxide may be characterized by the following xrd features: a crystal size of about 10 to 100 nm (e.g., about 55 nm. further, nanocrystalline tungsten oxide may exhibit limited long range order, e.g., on the order of several (about 5 to 20) tungsten oxide unit cells. the thickness of the first electrode layer 20 depends on the electrochromic material selected for the electrochromic layer. in some embodiments, first electrode layer 20 is about 50 nm to 2,000 nm, or about 100 nm to 700 nm. in some embodiments, the first electrode layer 20 is about 250 nm to about 500 nm. second electrode layer 21 serves as the counter electrode to first electrode layer 20 and, like first electrode layer 20 , second electrode layer 21 may comprise electrochromic materials as well as non-electrochromic materials. non-exclusive examples of second electrode layer 21 are cathodically coloring electrochromic thin films of oxides based on tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, lead and/or bismuth, anodically coloring electrochromic thin films of oxides, hydroxides and/or oxy-hydrides based on nickel, iridium, iron, chromium, cobalt and/or rhodium, or non-electrochromic thin films, e.g., of oxides based on vanadium and/or cerium as well as activated carbon. also combinations of such materials can be used as second electrode layer 21 . in some embodiments, second electrode layer 21 may comprise one or more of a number of different materials that are capable of serving as reservoirs of ions when the electrochromic device is in the bleached state. during an electrochromic transition initiated by, e.g., application of an appropriate electric potential, the counter electrode layer transfers some or all of the ions it holds to the electrochromic first electrode layer 20 , changing the electrochromic first electrode layer 20 to the colored state. in some embodiments, suitable materials for a counter electrode complementary to wo 3 include nickel oxide (nio), nickel tungsten oxide (niwo), nickel vanadium oxide, nickel chromium oxide, nickel aluminum oxide, nickel manganese oxide, nickel magnesium oxide, chromium oxide (cr 2 o 3 ), manganese oxide (mno 2 ), and prussian blue. optically passive counter electrodes comprise cerium titanium oxide (ceo 2 —tio 2 ), cerium zirconium oxide (ceo 2 —zro 2 ), nickel oxide (nio), nickel-tungsten oxide (niwo), vanadium oxide (v 2 o 5 ), and mixtures of oxides (e.g., a mixture of ni 2 o 3 and wo 3 ). doped formulations of these oxides may also be used, with dopants including, e.g., tantalum and tungsten. because first electrode layer 20 contains the ions used to produce the electrochromic phenomenon in the electrochromic material when the electrochromic material is in the bleached state, the counter electrode preferably has high transmittance and a neutral color when it holds significant quantities of these ions. in some embodiments, nickel-tungsten oxide (niwo) is used in the counter electrode layer. in certain embodiments, the amount of nickel present in the nickel-tungsten oxide can be up to about 90% by weight of the nickel-tungsten oxide. in a specific embodiment, the mass ratio of nickel to tungsten in the nickel-tungsten oxide is between about 4:6 and 6:4 (e.g., about 1:1). in one embodiment, the niwo is between about 15% (atomic) ni and about 60% ni; between about 10% w and about 40% w; and between about 30% o and about 75% o. in another embodiment, the niwo is between about 30% (atomic) ni and about 45% ni; between about 10% w and about 25% w; and between about 35% o and about 50% o. in one embodiment, the niwo is about 42% (atomic) ni, about 14% w, and about 44% o. in some embodiments, the thickness of second electrode layer 21 is about 50 nm about 650 nm. in some embodiments, the thickness of second electrode layer 21 is about 100 nm to about 400 nm, preferably in the range of about 200 nm to 300 nm. ion conducting layer 10 serves as a medium through which ions are transported (in the manner of an electrolyte) when the electrochromic device transforms between the bleached state and the colored state. ion conductor layer 10 comprises an ion conductor material. it may be transparent or non-transparent, colored or non-colored, depending on the application. preferably, ion conducting layer 10 is highly conductive to the relevant ions for the first and second electrode layers 20 and 21 . depending on the choice of materials, such ions include lithium ions (li + ) and hydrogen ions (h + ) (i.e., protons). other ions may also be employed in certain embodiments. these include deuterium ions (d + ), sodium ions (na + ), potassium ions (k + ), calcium ions (ca ++ ), barium ions (ba ++ ), strontium ions (sr ++ ), and magnesium ions (mg ++ ). preferably, ion conducting layer 10 also has sufficiently low electron conductivity that negligible electron transfer takes place during normal operation. in various embodiments, the ion conductor material has an ionic conductivity of between about 10 −5 s/cm and 10 −3 s/cm. some non-exclusive examples of electrolyte types are: solid polymer electrolytes (spe), such as poly(ethylene oxide) with a dissolved lithium salt; gel polymer electrolytes (gpe), such as mixtures of poly(methyl methacrylate) and propylene carbonate with a lithium salt; composite gel polymer electrolytes (cgpe) that are similar to gpe's but with an addition of a second polymer such a poly(ethylene oxide), and liquid electrolytes (le) such as a solvent mixture of ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate with a lithium salt; and composite organic-inorganic electrolytes (ce), comprising an le with an addition of titania, silica or other oxides. some non-exclusive examples of lithium salts used are litfsi (lithium bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonimide), libf 4 (lithium tetrafluoroborate), liasf 6 (lithium hexafluoro arsenate), licf 3 so 3 (lithium trifluoromethane sulfonate), and liclo 4 (lithium perchlorate). additional examples of suitable ion conducting layers include silicates, silicon oxides, tungsten oxides, tantalum oxides, niobium oxides, and borates. the silicon oxides include silicon-aluminum-oxide. these materials may be doped with different dopants, including lithium. lithium doped silicon oxides include lithium silicon-aluminum-oxide. in some embodiments, the ion conducting layer comprises a silicate-based structure. in other embodiments, suitable ion conductors particularly adapted for lithium ion transport include, but are not limited to, lithium silicate, lithium aluminum silicate, lithium aluminum borate, lithium aluminum fluoride, lithium borate, lithium nitride, lithium zirconium silicate, lithium niobate, lithium borosilicate, lithium phosphosilicate, and other such lithium-based ceramic materials, silicas, or silicon oxides, including lithium silicon-oxide. the thickness of the ion conducting layer 10 will vary depending on the material. in some embodiments using an inorganic ion conductor the ion conducting layer 10 is about 250 nm to 1 nm thick, preferably about 50 nm to 5 nm thick. in some embodiments using an organic ion conductor, the ion conducting layer is about 100000 nm to 1000 nm thick or about 25000 nm to 10000 nm thick. the thickness of the ion conducting layer is also substantially uniform. in one embodiment, a substantially uniform ion conducting layer varies by not more than about +/−10% in each of the aforementioned thickness ranges. in another embodiment, a substantially uniform ion conducting layer varies by not more than about +/−5% in each of the aforementioned thickness ranges. in another embodiment, a substantially uniform ion conducting layer varies by not more than about +/−3% in each of the aforementioned thickness ranges. referring again to fig. 1 , substrates 24 and 25 have flat surfaces. that is, they have a surface coincides with the tangential plane in each point. although substrates with flat surfaces are typically employed for electrochromic architectural windows and many other electrochromic devices, it is contemplated that the multi-layer devices of the present invention may have a single or even a doubly curved surface. stated differently, it is contemplated that each of the layers of stack 28 have a corresponding radius of curvature. see, for example, u.s. pat. no. 7,808,692 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety with respect to the definition of single and doubly curved surfaces and methods for the preparation thereof. fig. 9 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises electrochromic electrode layer 20 . on either side of electrochromic electrode layer 20 are first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 which, in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . at least one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer in accordance with the present invention. for example, in one embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other has a uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other is a non-patterned layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 each contain a patterned conductive sublayer and have a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. elements 22 , 20 , and 23 are collectively referred to as an electrochromic stack 28 . electrically conductive layer 22 is in electrical contact with a voltage source via bus bar 26 and electrically conductive layer 23 is in electrical contact with a voltage source via bus bar 27 whereby the transmittance of electrochromic device 20 may be changed by applying a voltage pulse to electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . the pulse causes a cathodic compound in electrochromic electrode layer 20 to undergo a reversible chemical reduction and an anodic compound in electrochromic electrode layer 20 to undergo a reversible chemical oxidation. either the cathodic or anodic compound will demonstrate electrochromic behavior such that electrochromic electrode layer 20 becomes less transmissive or more transmissive after the pulse; in one embodiment, electrochromic device 1 has relatively greater transmittance before the voltage pulse and lesser transmittance after the voltage pulse or vice versa. fig. 10 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises ion conductor layer 10 . electrochromic electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 . a first electrically conductive layer 22 is in contact with electrochromic layer 20 . a second electrically conductive layer 23 is on a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 , the first and second surfaces of ion conductor layer 10 being opposing surfaces. at least one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer in accordance with the present invention. for example, in one embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other has a uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other is a non-patterned layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 each contain a patterned conductive sublayer and have a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. the first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . elements 10 , 20 , 22 and 23 are collectively referred to as electrochromic stack 28 . electrically conductive layer 22 is in electrical contact with a voltage source (not shown) via bus bar 26 and electrically conductive layer 23 is in electrical contact with a voltage source (not shown) via bus bar 27 whereby the transmittance of electrochromic layer 20 may be changed by applying a voltage pulse to electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . ion conductor layer 10 comprises a species that is capable of reversibly oxidizing or reducing upon the insertion or withdrawal of electrons or ions and this species may also be electrochromically active. the voltage pulse causes electrons and ions to move between first electrode layer 20 and ion conducting layer 10 and, as a result, electrochromic materials in the electrode layer 20 changes color, thereby making electrochromic device 1 less transmissive or more transmissive. in one embodiment, electrochromic device 1 has relatively greater transmittance before the voltage pulse and relatively lesser transmittance after the voltage pulse or vice versa. fig. 11 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of electrochromic device 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises an ion conductor layer 10 . first electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 , and second electrode layer 21 is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 . in addition, at least one of first and second electrode layers 20 , 21 comprises electrochromic material; in one embodiment, first and second electrode layers 20 , 21 each comprise electrochromic material. the central structure, that is, layers 20 , 10 , 21 , is positioned between first and second current modulating structures 30 and 31 . first and second current modulating structures 30 and 31 , in turn, are adjacent first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 , respectively, which are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 , respectively. elements 22 , 30 , 20 , 10 , 21 , 31 and 23 are collectively referred to as an electrochromic stack 28 . fig. 12 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises electrochromic electrode layer 20 . on either side of electrochromic electrode layer 20 , in succession, are first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 , first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 and outer substrates 24 , 25 , respectively. elements 22 , 20 , and 23 are collectively referred to as an electrochromic stack 28 . at least one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer in accordance with the present invention. electrically conductive layer 22 is in electrical contact with a voltage source via bus bar 26 and electrically conductive layer 23 is in electrical contact with a voltage source via bus bar 27 whereby the transmittance of electrochromic device 20 may be changed by applying a voltage pulse to electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . the pulse causes a cathodic compound in electrochromic electrode layer 20 to undergo a reversible chemical reduction and an anodic compound in electrochromic electrode layer 20 to undergo a reversible chemical oxidation. either the cathodic or anodic compound will demonstrate electrochromic behavior such that electrochromic electrode layer 20 becomes less transmissive or more transmissive after the pulse; in one embodiment, electrochromic device 1 has relatively greater transmittance before the voltage pulse and lesser transmittance after the voltage pulse or vice versa. fig. 13 depicts a cross-sectional structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises ion conductor layer 10 . electrochromic electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 . first electrically conductive layer 22 is on one side of electrochromic layer 20 and second electrically conductive layer 23 is on a second, opposing side of ion conductor layer 10 . at least one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer in accordance with the present invention. first current modulating structure 30 is between electrochromic electrode layer 20 and electrically conductive layer 22 and second current modulating structure 31 is between ion conductor layer 10 and second electrically conductive layer 23 . in one embodiment, one of electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other has a uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment one of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 contains a patterned conductive sublayer and has a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position and the other is a non-patterned layer having a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. by way of further example, in another embodiment first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 each have a non-uniform sheet resistance as a function of position. the first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . elements 10 , 20 , 22 and 23 are collectively referred to as electrochromic stack 28 . electrically conductive layer 22 is in electrical contact with a voltage source (not shown) via bus bar 26 and electrically conductive layer 23 is in electrical contact with a voltage source (not shown) via bus bar 27 whereby the transmittance of electrochromic layer 20 may be changed by applying a voltage pulse to electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 . ion conductor layer 10 comprises a species that is capable of reversibly oxidizing or reducing upon the insertion or withdrawal of electrons or ions and this species may also be electrochromically active. the voltage pulse causes electrons and ions to move between first electrode layer 20 and ion conducting layer 10 and, as a result, electrochromic materials in the electrode layer 20 changes color, thereby making electrochromic device 1 less transmissive or more transmissive. in one embodiment, electrochromic device 1 has relatively greater transmittance before the voltage pulse and relatively lesser transmittance after the voltage pulse or vice versa. referring again to figs. 11, 12, and 13 at least one of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 is also preferably transparent in order to reveal the electrochromic properties of the stack 28 to the surroundings. in one embodiment, first current modulating structure 30 and first electrically conductive layer 22 are transparent. in another embodiment, second current modulating structure 31 and second electrically conductive layer 23 are transparent. in another embodiment, first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 and first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are each transparent. in general, the composition and sheet resistance profiles for first and second electrically conductive layers 22 , 23 are as previously described in connection with fig. 1 . electrochromic electrode layers 20 may, for example, contain an electrochromic material, either as a solid film or dispersed in an electrolyte, the electrochromic material being selected from among inorganic metal oxides such as tungsten trioxide (wo 3 ), nickel oxide (nio) and titanium dioxide (tio 2 ), and organic electrochromic materials including bipyridinium salt (viologen) derivatives, n,n′-di(p-cyanophenyl) 4,4′-bipyridilium (cpq), quinone derivatives such as anthraquinone and azine derivatives such as phenothiazine. to facilitate more rapid switching of electrochromic device 1 from a state of relatively greater transmittance to a state of relatively lesser transmittance, or vice versa, first current modulating structure 30 , second current modulating structure 31 or both first and second current modulating structures 30 and 31 comprise a resistive material (e.g., a material having a resistivity of at least about 10 4 ω·cm). in one embodiment at least one of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 has a non-uniform cross-layer resistance, r c , to the flow of electrons through the structure. in one such embodiment only one of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 has a non-uniform cross-layer resistance, r c , to the flow of electrons through the layer. alternatively, and more typically, first current modulating structure 30 and second current modulating structure 31 each have a non-uniform cross-layer resistance, r c , to the flow of electrons through the respective layers. without being bound by any particular theory, it is presently believed that spatially varying the cross-layer resistance, r c , of first current modulating structure 30 and second current modulating structure 31 , spatially varying the cross-layer resistance, r c , of the first current modulating structure 30 , or spatially varying the cross-layer resistance, r c , of the second current modulating structure 31 improves the switching performance of the device by providing a more uniform potential drop or a desired non-uniform potential drop across the device, over the area of the device. in one exemplary embodiment, current modulating structure 30 and/or 31 is a composite comprising at least two materials possessing different conductivities. for example, in one embodiment the first material is a resistive material having a resistivity in the range of about 10 4 ω·cm to 10 10 ω·cm and the second material is an insulator. by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material is a resistive material having a resistivity of at least 10 4 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first by a factor of at least 10 2 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material is a resistive material having a resistivity of at least 10 4 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first by a factor of at least 10 3 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material is a resistive material having a resistivity of at least 10 4 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first by a factor of at least 10 4 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the first material is a resistive material having a resistivity of at least 10 4 ω·cm and the second material has a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first by a factor of at least 10 5 . by way of further example, in one embodiment, at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprises a first material having a resistivity in the range of 10 4 to 10 10 ω·cm and a second material that is an insulator or has a resistivity in the range of 10 10 to 10 14 ω·cm. by way of further example, in one embodiment, at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprises a first material having a resistivity in the range of 10 4 to 10 10 ω·cm and a second material having a resistivity in the range of 10 10 to 10 14 ω·cm wherein the resistivities of the first and second materials differ by a factor of at least 10 3 . by way of further example, in one embodiment, at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprises a first material having a resistivity in the range of 10 4 to 10 10 ω·cm and a second material having a resistivity in the range of 10 10 to 10 14 ω·cm wherein the resistivities of the first and second materials differ by a factor of at least 10 4 . by way of further example, in one embodiment, at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprises a first material having a resistivity in the range of 10 4 to 10 10 ω·cm and a second material having a resistivity in the range of 10 10 to 10 14 ω·cm wherein the resistivities of the first and second materials differ by a factor of at least 10 5 . in each of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, each of current modulating structures 30 , 31 may comprise a first material having a resistivity in the range of 10 4 to 10 10 ω·cm and a second material that is insulating. depending upon the application, the relative proportions of the first and second materials in current modulating structure 30 and/or 31 may vary substantially. in general, however, the second material (i.e., the insulating material or material having a resistivity of at least 10 10 ω·cm) constitutes at least about 5 vol % of at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . for example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 10 vol % of at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 20 vol % of at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 30 vol % of at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . by way of further example, in one embodiment the second material constitutes at least about 40 vol % of at least one of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . in general, however, the second material will typically not constitute more than about 70 vol % of either of current modulating structures 30 , 31 . in each of the foregoing embodiments and as previously discussed, the second material may have a resistivity in the range of 10 10 to 10 14 ω·cm and the resistivities of the first and second materials (in either or both of current modulating structures 30 , 31 ) may differ by a factor of at least 10 3 . in general, first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 may comprise any material exhibiting sufficient resistivity, optical transparency, and chemical stability for the intended application. for example, in some embodiments, current modulating structures 30 , 31 may comprise a resistive or insulating material with high chemical stability. exemplary insulator materials include alumina, silica, porous silica, fluorine doped silica, carbon doped silica, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, hafnia, magnesium fluoride, magnesium oxide, poly(methyl methacrylate) (pmma), polyimides, polymeric dielectrics such as polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) and silicones. exemplary resistive materials include zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, titanium oxide, and gallium (iii) oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, indium oxide, stannic oxide and germanium oxide. in one embodiment, one or both of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprise one or more of such resistive materials. in another embodiment, one or both of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprise one or more of such insulating materials. in another embodiment, one or both of first and second current modulating structures 30 , 31 comprise one or more of such resistive materials and one or more of such insulating materials. the thickness of current modulating structures 30 , 31 may be influenced by the composition of the material comprised by the structures and its resistivity and transmissivity. in some embodiments, current modulating structures 30 and 31 are transparent and each have a thickness that is between about 50 nm and about 1 micrometer. in some embodiments, the thickness of current modulating structures 30 and 31 is between about 100 nm and about 500 nm. in general, thicker or thinner layers may be employed so long as they provide the necessary electrical properties (e.g., conductivity) and optical properties (e.g., transmittance). for certain applications it will generally be preferred that current modulating structures 30 and 31 be as thin as possible to increase transparency and to reduce cost. in general, electrical circuit modeling may be used to determine the cross-layer resistance distribution of the current modulating structures to provide desired switching performance, taking into account the type of electrochromic device, the device shape and dimensions, electrode characteristics, and the placement of electrical connections (e.g., bus bars) to the voltage source. the cross-layer resistance distribution, in turn, can be controlled, at least in part, by patterning the first and/or materials in the current modulating structure. in one embodiment, for example, the current modulating structure comprises a patterned layer of an insulating material and a layer of a resistive material. by way of further example, in one embodiment the current modulating structure is on the surface of an electrically conductive layer and comprises a layer of a first material that is resistive and a patterned layer of a second material that is insulating with the layer of the resistive first material being proximate the electrically conductive layer and the patterned layer of the insulating material being distal to the electrically conductive layer. by way of further example, in one embodiment the current modulating structure is on the surface of an electrically conductive layer and comprises a layer of a first material that is resistive and a patterned layer of a second material that is insulating with the patterned layer of the insulating material being proximate the electrically conductive layer and the layer of the first resistive material being distal to the electrically conductive layer. the cross-layer resistance of the current modulating structure may be varied as a function of position by a range of techniques. figs. 14-19 illustrate various embodiments in which the cross-layer resistance of a current modulating structure may be varied as a function of position by patterning a layer of a resistive material with a layer of insulating material. fig. 14 illustrates two exemplary patterns (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate. in each of these embodiments, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the top right panel of fig. 14 , circular regions of resistive but not insulating material and in the bottom right panel of fig. 14 rectangular regions containing resistive but not insulating material increase in size relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a maximum size at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. fig. 15 illustrates two exemplary patterns (right column) that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate. in each of these embodiments, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the top right panel of fig. 15 , “diamond-shaped” regions (top right panel) containing resistive but not insulating material and “stair-stepped” regions of resistive material (bottom right panel) containing resistive but not insulating material increase in size relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a maximum size at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. fig. 16 illustrates an exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate 72 . in this embodiment, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the right hand panel of fig. 16 , populations of circles of resistive material increase in number density (but not necessarily size) relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a maximum population density at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. fig. 17 illustrates an exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate 72 . in this embodiment, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the right hand panel of fig. 17 a series of lines of resistive material increase in width relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a maximum width at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. fig. 18 illustrates an exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate 72 . in this embodiment, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the right hand panel of fig. 18 , populations of lines of resistive material increase in number density (but not necessarily size) relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a maximum population density at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. fig. 19 illustrates an exemplary pattern that may be achieved by patterning a layer of a first material 71 and a second material 70 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material on a transparent conductive oxide (tco) layer 73 supported by a substrate 72 . in this embodiment, the second material 70 is deposited on the tco layer 73 or the first material 71 in a predetermined pattern and the first material (i) overcoats the tco but not the second material or (ii) overcoats the second material and fills the gaps between regions of the second material deposited on the tco. in the right hand panel of fig. 19 hexagon-shaped deposits of resistive material decrease in size relative to a background of insulating material as a function of distance from two opposing edges and reach a minimum size at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure. in each of the embodiments illustrated in figs. 14-19 , the fraction of insulating material per unit area decreases as a function of distance from the opposing top and bottom edges and reaches a minimum at the midline (or midpoint) between the bus bars of a multi-layer device (not shown) comprising the current modulating structure where the fraction of insulating material in an area is at a minimum. in general, the cross-layer resistance r c , in the first current modulating structure 30 , in the second current modulating structure 31 , or in the first current modulating structure 30 and the second current modulating structure 31 may be plotted to join points of equal cross-layer resistance r c , (i.e., isoresistance lines) as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the first and/or second current modulating structure. plots of this general nature, sometimes referred to as contour maps, are routinely used in cartography to join points of equal elevation. in the context of the present invention, a contour map of the cross-layer resistance r c , in the first and/or second current modulating structure as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the first and/or second current modulating structure preferably contains a series of isoresistance lines (also sometimes referred to as contour lines) and resistance gradient lines (lines perpendicular to the isoresistance lines). the cross-layer resistance r c , along a gradient line in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s) generally increase(s), generally decrease(s), generally increase(s) until it reaches a maximum and then generally decrease(s), or generally decrease(s) until it reaches a minimum and then generally increase(s). in one such embodiment, the cross-layer resistance r c , along a gradient line in the first and/or second electrically conductive layer(s) generally increase(s) parabolically, generally decrease(s) parabolically, generally increase(s) parabolically until it reaches a maximum and then generally decrease(s) parabolically, or generally decrease(s) parabolically until it reaches a minimum and then generally increase(s) parabolically. figs. 20a-e depict a contour map of the cross-layer resistance, r c , in a current modulating structure (i.e., the first current modulating structure, the second current modulating structure, or each of the first and second current modulating structures as a function of (two-dimensional) position within the current modulating structure for several exemplary embodiments of an electrochromic stack in accordance with the present invention. in each of figs. 20a-e , contour map 50 depicts a set of cross-layer resistance, r c , curves 52 (i.e., curves along which the cross-layer resistance, r c , has a constant value) and a set of resistance gradient curves 54 that are perpendicular to isoresistance curves 52 resulting from an electrochromic stack having a perimeter that is square ( figs. 20a, 20b, and 20c ) or circular ( figs. 20d and 20e ) and varying numbers and locations of bus bars 26 and 27 in contact with the first and second electrically conductive layers (not labeled) of the electrochromic stack. in fig. 20a , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicates that the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure progressively increases along the set of gradients 54 and between west side 55 and east side 56 of the current modulating structure in contact with bus bar 27 . in fig. 20b , the direction of gradient 54 a indicates that the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from southwest corner 57 to centroid 59 and then decreases from centroid 59 to northeast corner 58 . in fig. 20c , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicate that the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from the west side 60 and east side 61 to centroid 59 and progressively increases from the top side 58 and bottom side 57 to centroid 59 ; stated differently, the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure forms a saddle like form centered around centroid 59 . in fig. 20d , the direction of gradients 54 a and 54 b indicates that the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from each of positions 64 and 65 to centroid 59 and progressively increases from each of positions 63 and 62 to centroid 59 ; stated differently, the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure forms a saddle like form centered around centroid 59 . in fig. 20e , the direction of the set of gradients 54 indicates that the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure in contact with bus bar 27 progressively decreases from the west side 55 to the east side 56 . in one embodiment, for example, the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the voltage modulating is a constant. by way of further example, in one embodiment, the gradient in the cross-layer resistance, r c , through the current modulating structure is a constant and the substrate is rectangular in shape in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the cross-layer resistance r c of the first current modulating structure may be observed by comparing the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance, r c-avg through two different regions of the first current modulating structure wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the first current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the first current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 1.25 wherein each of the first and second regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. this may be illustrated by reference to fig. 21 . first current modulating structure 30 comprises convex polygon a 1 and convex polygon b 1 and each circumscribes a region comprising at least 10% of the surface area of first current modulating structure 30 ; in one embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance, r 1 c-avg , through a first region of the first current modulating structure bounded by convex polygon a 1 to the average cross-layer resistance, r 2 c-avg , through a second region of the first current modulating structure bounded by convex polygon b 1 is at least 1.25. as illustrated, convex polygon a 1 is a triangle and convex polygon b 1 is a square merely for purposes of exemplification; in practice, the first region may be bounded by any convex polygon and the second region may be bounded by any convex polygon. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the first current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the first current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 1.5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the first current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the first current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 2 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the first current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the first current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 3 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first and second regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one embodiment, the non-uniformity in the cross-layer resistance r c of the second current modulating structure may be observed by comparing the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance, r c-avg through two different regions of the second current modulating structure 31 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. for example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the second current modulating structure 31 , r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the second current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 1.25 wherein each of the first and second regions is circumscribed by a convex polygon, and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. this may be illustrated by reference to fig. 21 . second current modulating structure 31 comprises convex polygon a and convex polygon b and each circumscribes a region comprising at least 10% of the surface area of second current modulating structure 31 ; in one embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance, r 1 c-avg , through a first region of the second current modulating structure bounded by convex polygon a to the average cross-layer resistance, r 2 c-avg , through a second region of the second current modulating structure bounded by convex polygon b is at least 1.25. as illustrated, convex polygon a is a triangle and convex polygon b is a square merely for purposes of exemplification; in practice, the first region may be bounded by any convex polygon and the second region may be bounded by any convex polygon. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the second current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the second current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 1.5 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the second current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the second current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 2 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the second current modulating structure. by way of further example, in one such embodiment, the ratio of the average cross-layer resistance through a first region of the second current modulating structure, r 1 c-avg , to the average cross-layer resistance through a second region of the second current modulating structure, r 2 c-avg , is at least 3 wherein the first and second regions are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and each comprises at least 10% of the surface area of the first current modulating structure. in one embodiment in each of the foregoing examples, the first and second regions are mutually exclusive regions. in one presently preferred embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum cross-layer resistance, r c-max , to the value of minimum cross-layer resistance, r c-min , in the first current modulating structure 30 , the second current modulating structure 31 , or both the first current modulating structure 30 and the second current modulating structure 31 is at least about 1.25. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum cross-layer resistance, r c-max , to the value of minimum cross-layer resistance, r c-min , in the first current modulating structure 30 , the second current modulating structure 31 , or both the first current modulating structure 30 and the second current modulating structure 31 is at least about 2. in one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the value of maximum cross-layer resistance, r c-max , to the value of minimum cross-layer resistance, r c-min , in the first current modulating structure 30 , the second current modulating structure 31 , or both the first current modulating structure 30 and the second current modulating structure 31 is at least about 3. as previously noted, the sheet resistance of an electrically conductive layer of the present invention, is controlled, at least in part, by patterning the first and/or second materials in the electrically conductive layer. in one embodiment, for example, the electrically conductive layer comprises a patterned layer of a first material having a resistivity of less than 10 2 ω·cm and a second (more resistive) material having a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 2 . by way of further example, in one embodiment a continuous layer of the first material is deposited on the surface of a substrate (e.g., first substrate 24 , second substrate 25 or each of the first and second substrate 24 , 25 ; see fig. 1 ) and a discontinuous, patterned layer of the second material is deposited on the first material layer. by way of further example, in another embodiment a discontinuous, patterned layer of the second material is deposited on the surface of a substrate (e.g., first substrate 24 , second substrate 25 or each of the first and second substrate 24 , 25 ; see fig. 1 ) and a continuous layer of the second material is deposited on the first material layer and areas of the surface of the substrate not covered by the second material. fig. 22 illustrates one alternative embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises an ion conductor layer 10 . first electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 , and second electrode layer 21 is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 . the central structure, that is, layers 20 , 10 , 21 , is positioned between first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 which, in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 are patterned layers comprising first material 34 (e.g., a transparent conductive oxide) and second material 35 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material. each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 , in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . as illustrated in the right-hand panel of fig. 22 , the first or second material is deposited as a series of hexagons that decrease in area as a function of distance from the top edge. in one embodiment, the second material is deposited as a series of hexagons that decrease in size as a function of increasing distance from the top edge and the second material is then overcoated with the first material (see, e.g., fig. 5 ). in another embodiment, the first material is coated onto the substrate and the second material is deposited on the layer of the first material in regions that are hexagon-shaped with the hexagon-shaped regions decreasing in size as a function of increasing distance from the top edge (see, e.g., fig. 5 ). patterning in this manner provides an electrically conductive layer with a non-uniform sheet resistance that varies substantially continuously from the top to the bottom of the layer. fig. 23 illustrates one alternative embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises an ion conductor layer 10 . first electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 , and second electrode layer 21 is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 . the central structure, that is, layers 20 , 10 , 21 , is positioned between first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 which, in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 are patterned layers comprising first material 34 (e.g., a transparent conductive oxide) and second material 35 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material. each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 , in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . in addition, electrochromic device 1 comprises current modulating structure 30 between first electrically conductive layer 22 and first electrode 20 . current modulating structure 30 comprises first material 32 (e.g., a resistive material) and second material 33 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material. in one further embodiment, electrochromic device 1 may additionally contain a second current modulating structure 31 (not shown) between second electrode layer 21 and second electrically conductive layer 23 ; in one such embodiment, the second current modulating structure may have a uniform or non-uniform cross-layer resistance as a function of position and, if non-uniform, the second current modulating structure may optionally contained a patterned sublayer comparable to first current modulating structurer 30 . fig. 24 illustrates one alternative embodiment of the present invention. moving outward from the center, electrochromic device 1 comprises an ion conductor layer 10 . first electrode layer 20 is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of ion conductor layer 10 , and second electrode layer 21 is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of ion conductor layer 10 . the central structure, that is, layers 20 , 10 , 21 , is positioned between first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 which, in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 are patterned composites comprising first material 34 (e.g., a transparent conductive oxide) and second material 35 having a resistivity at least two orders of magnitude greater than the first material. each of first and second electrically conductive layers 22 and 23 , in turn, are arranged against outer substrates 24 , 25 . as illustrated in the right-hand panel of fig. 24 , the first or second material is deposited as a series of bands of hexagons that decrease in size as a function of distance from the top edge. in one embodiment, the second material is deposited as a series of hexagons that decrease in size as a function of increasing distance from the top edge and the second material is then overcoated with the first material (see, e.g., fig. 5 ). in another embodiment, the first material is coated onto the substrate and the second material is deposited on the layer of the first material in regions that are hexagon-shaped with the hexagon-shaped regions decreasing in size as a function of increasing distance from the top edge (see, e.g., fig. 5 ). patterning in this manner provides an electrically conductive layer with a non-uniform sheet resistance that varies non-continuously from the top to the bottom of the layer. for exemplification purposes, fig. 25 graphically correlates fill factors required to achieve uniform switching for a range of resistor material resistivities (10 5 , 10 7 , and 10 9 ω·cm) and two different current modulating structure (composite layer) thicknesses as a function of position in a device having a surface area of 1 m 2 . in this context, a “fill factor” is defined as the local fraction of the area that comprises insulating material. for example, a fill factor of one (1) indicates that there are no holes in the insulator material, a fill factor of 0.5 correlates to a layer that is half-insulator and half-resistor, and a layer with a fill factor of zero (0) has only resistive material with no insulator material present locally in the layer. for exemplification purposes, fig. 26 graphically correlates the resistor layer thickness required in a current modulating structure to compensate two different electrically conductive (e.g., tco) layers having a non-uniform sheet resistance where the electrically conductive layer (tco layer) has a functional form of sheet resistance as ax+b, where x is the location in the film on a substrate of size l. the shallower curve corresponds to the case where al is much larger than b and the steeper curve corresponds to the case where al is not much larger than b. in operation, to switch an electrochromic device of the present invention from a first to a second optical state having differing transmissivities, i.e., from a state of relatively greater transmissivity to a state of lesser transmissivity or vice versa, a voltage pulse is applied to the electrical contacts/bus bars on the device. once switched, the second optical state will persist for some time after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage; for example, the second optical state will persist for at least 1 second after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. by way of further example, the second optical state may persist for at least 5 seconds after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. by way of further example, the second optical state may persist for at least 1 minute after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. by way of further example, the second optical state may persist for at least 1 hour after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. the device may then be returned from the second optical state to the first optical state by reversing the polarity and applying a second voltage pulse and, upon being switched back, the first optical state will persist for some time after the second pulse has ended even in the absence of any applied voltage; for example, the first optical state will persist for at least 1 second after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. by way of further example, the first optical state may persist for at least 1 minute after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. by way of further example, the first optical state may persist for at least 1 hour after the voltage pulse has ended and even in the absence of any applied voltage. this process of reversibly switching from a first persistent to a second persistent optical state, and then back again, can be repeated many times and practically indefinitely. in some embodiments the waveform of the voltage pulse may be designed so that the local voltage across the electrochromic stack never exceeds a predetermined level; this may be preferred, for example, in certain electrochromic devices where excessive voltage across the electrochromic stack can damage the device and/or induce undesirable changes to the electrochromic materials. advantageously, the non-uniform sheet resistance of the first and/or second electrically conductive layers of the multi-layer devices of the present invention may permit greater tolerances with respect to the magnitude and/or duration of the voltage pulse. as a result, the local voltage across the electrochromic stack may be significantly less than the voltage applied across the entire device because of the voltage drop in the electrically conductive layer(s). for example, in one embodiment, the applied potential across the electrochromic stack has a magnitude of at least 2 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 3 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 4 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 5 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 6 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 7 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 8 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 9 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 10 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 11 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 12 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 13 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 14 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 15 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 16 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 18 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 20 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 22 volts. by way of further example, the voltage pulse may have a magnitude of at least 24 volts. in general, such potentials may be applied for a relatively long period of time. for example, a potential having a magnitude of any of such values may be applied for a period of at least 1 seconds. by way of further example, a potential having a magnitude of any of such values may be applied for a period of at least 10 seconds. by way of further example, a potential having a magnitude of any of such values may be applied for a period of at least 20 seconds. by way of further example, a potential having a magnitude of any of such values may be applied for a period of at least 40 seconds. to illustrate for one specific exemplary embodiment, a voltage pulse of 16 volts may be applied across an electrochromic stack incorporating two tco electrically conductive layers having non-uniform sheet resistance and a bus bar located at opposite perimeter edges of the entire device. the voltage pulse rises quick to allow the local voltage drop across the layers to quickly ramp to 1.0 volts and maintain that voltage until the device switching approaches completeness at which point the device layers begin to charge up and the current drops. because of the gradient and sheet resistance in the electrically conductive layers the voltage drop across the device is constant across the device and in addition, there is a voltage drop across each of the electrically conductive layers of the device. the voltage drops through the non-uniform resistivity electrically conductive layers enables a voltage significantly larger than the maximum operating voltage of the device stack to be applied across the entire assembly and maintain a local voltage across the device stack below a desired value. as the device charging takes place, the applied voltage is dropped to keep the local voltage across the device layers at 1.0 volts. the voltage pulse will drop to a steady state value close to 1 volt if it is desired to keep a steady state 1.0 volts across the local device thickness or alternatively the voltage pulse will drop to zero volts if it is desired to keep no voltage across the local device thickness in steady state. to change the optical state of a multilayer device to an intermediate state, a voltage pulse is applied to the electrical contacts/bus bars on the device. this shape of this voltage pulse would typically be device specific and depend on the intermediate state desired. the intermediate state can be defined in terms of a total charge moved, charge state of device, or an optical measurement of the device. by using non-uniform electron conductor layers to apply uniform local voltages across the device layers this provides a unique advantage for rapid large area intermediate state control using optical state feedback since a local optical measurement of the device state near the edge will be representative of the entire device at all times (no iris effect). also by using non-uniform electron conductor layers to apply uniform local voltages across the device layers this provides a unique advantage for rapid large area intermediate state control using voltage feedback since the voltage state at the bus bars will be representative of the entire device rather than an average across a non-uniformly colored device (again no iris effect). in a specific example, a voltage pulse of 32 volts is applied across an electrochromic device incorporating two gradient tco layers and a bus bar located at opposite perimeter edges of the entire device. the voltage pulse rises quick to allow the local voltage drop across the layers to quickly ramp to 1.0 volts and maintain that voltage until the device reaches a desired optical state measured with an appropriate optical sensor at which point the voltage pulse quickly ramps down to zero or to a desired steady state voltage. one further advantage of the non-uniform resistance electrochromic devices proposed herein, whether those comprising electrically conductive layers with non-uniform sheet resistance and/or those comprising current modulating structures with non-uniform cross-layer resistance is that the control scheme used to drive and/or switch such non-uniform resistance electrochromic devices can be greatly simplified. for example, the control scheme may comprise a current driven mode where a predetermined current is input to the electrochromic device for a predetermined time based on the charge capacity of the electrochromic device, the desired switching speed, and/or the target end state for the electrochromic device. for non-uniform resistance electrochromic devices, the non-uniform resistance thereof can make the voltage drop across the device substantially constant, such that the optical state of such non-uniform resistance electrochromic devices can be switched uniformly across their entire area if desired. accordingly, because of such switching uniformity, the optical state of the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device can be controlled, predicted, and/or extrapolated with great precision across the entire area of the electrochromic device by implementing simple current driving schemes, such as via a constant current voltage driven mode. for instance, a non-uniform resistance electrochromic device may comprise a charge capacity requiring a charge density or total charge q tot to fully switch optical states between a bleached state and an opaque or colored state. in some embodiments, the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device may comprise or be similar to one or more of the non-uniform resistance devices shown or discussed with respect to the figures, description, or embodiments disclosed herein. to switch the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device to a target optical state, a target charge q tgt for the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device can be calculated such that the ratio between target charge q tgt and total charge q tot reflects the target optical state. for instance, in one example, q tgt can be selected to be substantially equal to q tot for establishing a maximum opacity or minimally bleached optical state, and/or q tgt can be selected to be at or approximately zero for establishing a minimal opacity or maximum bleach optical state. in a different example, q tgt can be selected to be substantially equal to q tot for establishing a minimum opacity or maximum bleached optical state, and/or q tgt can be selected to be at or approximately zero for establishing a maximum opacity or minimal bleach optical state. to switch the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device to the target optical state within a target switching time t tgt , a drive current i drv could be calculated (i drv =q tgt /t tgt ) and fed to the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device to satisfy the desired switching and time requirements, with the expectation that the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device will uniformly achieve the target optical state at the end of target time t tgt and throughout the entire area of the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device. in some examples, drive current i drv can simply be a constant current. if a full switch between bleached and opaque states is not desired, the drive current i drv can be adjusted accordingly. for example, to achieve a 50% switch between the bleached and opaque optical states, target charge q tgt can be set to 50% of total charge q tot . accordingly, to satisfy q tgt =(i drv )(t tgt ), either drive current i drv can be decreased by 50%, or time t can be decreased by 50%, with the expectation that the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device will uniformly achieve a 50% opacity optical state at the end of time t and throughout the entire area of the non-uniform resistance electrochromic device. such simplicity and predictability contrasts with prior art electrochromic devices, avoiding the need to worry about iris effect and the unpredictability it introduces as to the optical state of different portions of the electrochromic device, and avoiding the need for complicated driving schemes attempting to compensate for the switching non-uniformity of such prior art electrochromic devices. to test the simplified control scheme described above, an experimental setup of the above simplified current driven mode scheme was implemented for a test non-uniform resistance electronic device. the test device had glass substrates that were 9 cm wide by 70 cm long. the electrically conductive layers on these substrates were designed with opposing resistivity gradients for uniform switching along the entire length of the test device, such as described above with respect to device 1 of fig. 1 and/or the circuit model of fig. 27 . the test device had a first busbar coupled a first electrically conductive layer of the test device, and a second busbar coupled to a second electrically conductive layer of the test device, where the busbars were located at opposite ends of the length of the test device. the busbars were coupled to power source in the form of a keithley 2400 sourcemeter from keithley instruments, inc. of cleveland, ohio, which was configured to output drive current i drv to the busbars. a data acquisition (daq) unit was also coupled to the test device to measure voltage at the longitudinal center and longitudinal edges of the anode and cathode electrically conductive layers electrically conductive layers to measure the difference between anode and cathode voltages at such locations. the charge capacity of the test device was of 5 coulombs, such that a charge density q tot of 5 coulombs would be necessary to fully switch the optical state of the test device between bleached and opaque states. accordingly, for a desired target switching time t tgt of 250 seconds to go from completely bleached to completely opaque, a drive current i drv of 20 ma would be needed from the power source to establish the needed current driven mode for the test device. the power source was thus configured to deliver the i drv of 20 ma as a constant current to the busbars of the test device and, at the end of the switching time t of 250 seconds, the test device had fully and uniformly switched its optical state to fully opaque in accordance with the predicted calculation. in addition, the daq confirmed that the local device voltages at the longitudinal edges and center of the test device were similar to each other. a similar test was performed for switching the test device to an intermediate optical state. for example, to switch the test device to a target optical state of 50% opacity, q tgt was calculated to be 2.5 coulombs (50% of q tot ). to achieve 2.5 coulombs=q tgt =(i drv )(t), i drv was reduced by 50% to 10 ma while leaving target time t tgt at 250 seconds. as another test, to achieve 2.5 coulombs=q tgt , t tgt was reduced to 125 seconds while leaving i drv at 20 ma. other suitable combinations of i drv and t tgt can also be combined to achieve the desired target charge of q tgt in the same or other implementations. as part of the experimental setups above, local voltages were monitored at different locations of the test device was to ensure that such local voltages would remain within a safe operating window to prevent damage to the test device. for example, if the drive current were too aggressive in an attempt to switch the optical state of the device too quickly, an overdrive situation may ensue where local voltage would exceed the operational limits at certain locations of the electrochromic device. as an example, prior art uniform resistivity electrochromic devices tend to experience voltage overdrive conditions at the edges thereof, such as near the busbars, while the center and other locations away from the edges remain within a safe operating voltage window. accordingly, for uniform resistivity electrochromic devices, voltage overdrive is best monitored towards the edges and/or near the busbars of such devices. in contrast, for non-uniform resistance electrochromic devices, voltage overdrive may be monitored elsewhere, such as at the center of the device and/or at a point of least resistance between the cathode and anode of the device. in any event, the simplified control scheme for gradient resistance electrochromic devices described above may be configured with a safety feature for switching from the described current driven mode to a voltage driven mode when approaching a voltage overdrive condition, where the voltage driven mode decreases the drive current i drv such as not to exceed a maximum voltage (vmax) or minimum voltage (vmin) limit at the device location being monitored. having described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. furthermore, it should be appreciated that the examples in the present disclosure are provided as non-limiting examples. example a patterned composite electrically conductive layer was fabricated to produce a linear sheet resistance gradient. the substrate material used for this example was 105 mm by 115 mm pilkington tec15 (fluorine doped tin oxide (fto) coated soda lime glass) having a sheet resistance of 15ω/□. the substrate was first patterned using a 1064 nm yvo4 laser marking tool, to remove fto off the surface of the glass in desired areas. the type of pattern used is illustrated schematically in fig. 5 . the areas colored in black represent regions where the tco has been removed from the surface of the glass. in the present example, the deleted areas are square boxes, arranged in a 1 mm pitch array, where the size of the deleted boxes increase in the direction parallel to the 115 mm side (the direction of the desired gradient), and remain the same in the direction normal to the 115 mm side. the boxes were varied in size from 0.184 mm 2 to 0.933 mm 2 as a function of position along the 115 mm side, according to a non-linear function. this function was determined using electrical modeling of the composite, and fits the following equation: y=5e-10x 5 −2e-07x 4 +2e-05x 3 −0.0013x 2 +0.0439x+0.1989, where y is the area of a box (in mm 2 ) and x is the location (in mm) on the substrate, in the 115 mm direction. the patterned fto was then sputter-coated with 10 nm of indium tin oxide (ito), having a bulk conductivity of around 4.5e-4 ω·cm. the resulting composite of fto and ito was characterized using a custom voltage mapping tool to measure the resistance of the composite as a function of position. the sheet resistance varied from 14.4ω/□ to 180ω/□.
096-481-929-956-654	US	[ "EP", "US", "DE" ]	H05K1/14,H05K3/32,H05K5/00	1986-01-10T00:00:00	1986	[ "H05" ]	dual printed circuit board module	a dual printed circuit board module having two printed circuit boards mounted in an inwardly facing relationship on two thermal frame members that also function as structural and enclosing members. a connector mounted between and at one edge of the thermal frame members serves to establish electrical connections between the circuit boards and a backplane circuit panel to which the boards are to be connected. a flexible interconnect circuit, located near the same edge of the boards as the backplane connector, is used both to connect the boards to the connector and to provide board- to-board connections independently of the connector. this arrangement greatly facilitates assembly and testing of the module, reduces signal path lengths, and enhances the structural and thermal integrity of the module.	1. a dual printed circuit board (pcb) module assembly, comprising: first and second thermal frame members; first and second printed circuit boards mounted on the first and second thermal frame members respectively the thermal frame members fulfilling thermal and structural functions; and a multi-pin connector mounted between the thermal frame members at one edge of the assembly, characterised in that: the circuit boards are mounted on the thermal frame members with the circuit components facing inwardly toward each other and the thermal frame members further form an outer cover; and the module assembly further comprises a flexible interconnect circuit having multiple conductors extending from the first circuit board to the second circuit board via the multi-pin connector; wherein the multi-pin connector and flexible interconnect circuit include means for establishing connections between selected pins of the connector and selected conductors in the flexible interconnect circuit and means for establishing selected connections between the first and second circuit boards without contacting any of the pins of the connector. 2. a pcb module assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein: the flexible interconnected circuit includes a first group of conductors for connection to pins of the connector, and a second group of conductors for connection from one pcb to the other without contacting pins of the connector. 3. a pcb module assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein: the first and second groups of conductors are disposed on separate layers of the flexible interconnect circuit. 4. a dual pcb module assembly as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein: the flexible interconnect circuit takes the form of a strip of flexible material having printed conductive traces along its length.	background of the invention this invention relates generally to packaging of electronic components and, more specifically, to assemblies of dual printed circuit boards (pcbs). in many electronics systems, such as avionics systems, electronic modules are packaged on printed circuit boards having edge connectors for plugging into a larger board known as a backplane or a mother board. the pcb modules are oriented parallel with each other and perpendicular to the backplane. in one conventional form of this arrangement, the pcb modules are assembled in pairs, each forming a dual pcb module with or without a single connector at one edge of the module (see for example fr-a-2 072 213). the conventional technique for packaging dual pcb modules is to mount them back to back on a common frame providing both structural and thermal functions. in other words, the frame functions both as a structural support and as a thermal conductor to dissipate heat generated in the modules, transmitting it to a larger frame in the system. the circuit components must usually be protected from the environment in which they are used. therefore, the use of a common central frame usually requires that separate covers be mounted over each of the pcbs, which typically have components of various heights projecting above board level. the need for separate covers increases the module thickness, which results in lower overall component packing density. moreover, the covers contribute little to the structural and thermal integrity of the assembly, and testing and maintenance of the modules is rendered much more difficult. another difficulty with dual pcb modules of the prior art results from a requirement for connections between boards, as well as from the boards to the backplane. in part, this requirement arises from a limited backplane capacity to handle input and output signals to and from the boards. some of these signals are, therefore, routed from one board to another before reaching the backplane. in the past, these intramodule connections have been established by means of a special connector assembly or a flexible printed-circuit connector at the "top" edge of the boards, opposite the "bottom" edge where a backplane connector is located. obviously, the terms "top" and "bottom" are used only for convenience. the orientation of the backplane and circuit boards is not limited. this arrangement for intramodule connection increases the complexity of conductor routing on the boards, increases some input/output circuit lengths, and may reduce the amount of board area or "real estate" available for components on the boards. in addition, the dual module made in this manner is difficult to test and maintain, since access to the backs of the circuit boards is precluded after installation of the inter-board connector at the top edge of the module. it will be appreciated that there is a need for an improved dual pcb module. ideally, the structure should maintain structural and thermal integrity, but should minimize circuit complexity and permit easy access for testing and maintenance. the present invention satisfies these needs. summary of the invention the present invention resides in a dual pcb module assembly in which both off-board and inter-board connections are established on the same edge of the assembly. briefly, and in general terms, the assembly of the invention comprises first and second thermal frame members; first and second printed circuit boards mounted on the first and second thermal frame members respectively the thermal frame members fulfilling thermal and structural functions; and a multi-pin connector mounted between the thermal frame members at one edge of the assembly, characterised in that: the circuit boards are mounted on the thermal frame members with the circuit components facing inwardly toward each other and the thermal frame members further form an outer cover; and the module assembly further comprises a flexible interconnect circuit having multiple conductors extending from the first circuit board to the second circuit board via the multi-pin connector; wherein the multi-pin connector and flexible interconnect circuit include means for establishing connections between selected pins of the connector and selected conductors in the flexible interconnect circuit and means for establishing selected connections between the first and second circuit boards without contacting any of the pins of the connector. some of the conductors in the flexible interconnect circuit are routed through the connector assembly without contacting any of the connector pins. these are the intramodule connections. others of the conductors in flexible interconnect circuit connect selected pins of the connecter assembly to selected components on the two circuit boards. because the off-board and inter-board connections are established at the same edge of the assembly, the connections can all be maintained for test purposes, even when the boards are swung apart by as much as one hundred and eighty degrees. continuity of the connections is also maintained during assembly and prior to final closure of the module. this is to be contrasted with earlier dual pcb modules, in which connections could not be completed until final assembly of the module. the invention reduces the signal path lengths for connections from board to board within the module. most intramodule connection is required because backplane interconnect systems are typically partitioned into two equal groups, one for each board. if the number of input and output signals associated with a pcb is higher than the corresponding backplane connector can handle, signals are assigned to the other pcb by busing them between the two boards via the intramodule interconnect circuit. prior to the present invention, this involved busing the signals over the top of the module. with intramodule connections available at the bottom of the module, these input/output path lengths can be reduced to about one half. another advantage of the invention is that the thermal integrity of the assembly is enhanced. each of the thermal frame members is applied totally to heat conduction, whereas prior approaches required environmental covers that did not contribute significantly to the thermal conduction qualities of the structure. structural integrity is also enhanced by the invention, due to a more efficient distribution of mass about the central axis of the module. the improved module has increased stiffness, which results in higher resonant frequencies and reduced deflections and stress levels as compared with prior approaches. finally, test procedures are facilitated in the module of the invention, since the top of the module is completely available for test connectors, status indicator lights, and the like. these components can be located on either of the circuit boards, and will not interfere with the intramodule connections, since these are made at the opposite end of the module. it will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention represents a significant advance over dual pcb modules of the prior art. in particular, the invention accomplishes both module-to-backplane and intramodule connections at the same edge of the module, thereby signifying assembly and testing, reducing signal path lengths, and improving structural and thermal integrity. other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of an embodiment of a dual pcb module in accordance with the invention; and figs. 2a and 2b are schematic plan views of two layers of a connector employed in the assembly of the invention, showing the signal traces from module to connector pins (fig 2a) and from circuit board to circuit board (fig. 2b). description of the preferred embodiment as shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is principally concerned with dual printed circuit board (pcb) modules, in which two circuit boards are constructed as a single assembly for connection to a backplane or mother board. in the past, the two pcbs have been assembled on a common central frame, with outwardly facing components. a connector at the bottom edge is used to provide connections to the backplane, and a flexible or other special connector makes intramodule connections across the top of the module. in accordance with the invention, a dual pcb module is constructed with each circuit board mounted on a separate thermal frame member, with the circuit components facing inwardly, and both backplarie connections and intramodule connections are effected at a single connector and flex printed circuit assembly at the bottom edge of the module. fig. 1 shows the structure of the invention, including the two circuit boards, indicated by reference numerals 10 and 12, mounted on thermal frame members 14 and 16, respectively. as shown in the drawing, the circuit components mounted on the boards 10 and 12 face inwardly when the module is in its assembled condition, and the thermal frame members 14 and 16 face outwardly and function as environmental covers for the module. the frame members also perform conventional thermal and structural functions. a molded connector 18 is located between the frame members 14 and 16 at one edge, referred to for convenience as the bottom edge. the connector 18 can be of any conventional multi-pin type, such as a 250-pin nafi connector used for establishing electrical connection with a backplane (not shown). the other principal component of the invention is a flexible interconnect circuit 20, which extends between the boards 10 and 12 and makes contact with the connector 18. the interconnect is preferably of a flexible printed-circuit assembly, usually known as flex-print, and includes an excesslength portion that is folded on itself when the module is in an assembled condition, and permits the boards 10 and 12 to be pivoted angularly apart for testing or maintenance. as shown in more detail in figs. 2a and 2b, the flexible connector 20 may include two layers of parallel conductor traces. fig. 2a shows by way of example a first layer of conductor traces 22, each of which terminates at a connector pin 24 of the connector 18, and is bonded to the pin by appropriate means, such as soldering. in a second layer, shown by way of example in fig. 2b, conductor traces 26 extend through the connector 18 without interruption and without contact with the connector pins 24. this multi-layer arrangement is preferred in most cases, since it facilitates the intramodule connections without making heavy demands for space. solder connections to the pins 24 take considerably more area than the width of a single conductor trace, and it is usually more convenient to accommodate these soldered connections on a separate layer. clearly, however, the backplane connections and the intramodule connections could be made using a single-layer flexible connector, with possibly some increased difficulty of conductor routing through the connector 18. the circuit boards 10 and 12 can be secured in their assembled condition by any conventional means. screws or fasteners of any kind may be used to secure the lower edge portions of the boards 10 and 12 to the connector 18. in any event, removal of these fasteners on either side permits the one board to be pivoted angularly away from the other, as shown in outline at 10ʹ. with both boards swung apart, the angle between them can be as great as one hundred and eighty degrees, permitting easy access to the circuit components for testing or maintenance. typically, the module would he opened in this manner only when installed in a test fixture. an important advantage of this arrangement is that all of the backplane connections and intramodule connections are maintained while the module is in the open position. another advantage of the invention is that the upper edge of the module is not encumbered by any intramodule connections and is left free for the installation of indicator lights, test connections, and so forth. these components can be installed on either of the boards 10 and 12, and will remain operational when the module is opened for testing or maintenance. it will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention represents a significant advance in the field of dual pcb modules. in particular, the invention provides a module in which both backplane and intramodule connections are made at the same edge of the module. this not only permits better access to the module for assembly and testing, but also enhances thermal and structural integrity, and reduces input/output signal path lengths.
096-683-461-085-894	JP	[ "US" ]	H01P1/203	1999-10-21T00:00:00	1999	[ "H01" ]	multilayered ceramic rf device	a multilayered ceramic rf device having at least one radio frequency filter includes a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body having a plurality of ceramic layers laminated one upon another and fired together. the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body also has a first electrode pattern formed therein and a second electrode pattern formed thereon. the first and second electrode patterns are electrically connected to one another through a via hole. a bare semiconductor chip is mounted on the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body with a face down bonding, and the bare semiconductor chip is coated with a sealing resin. the at least one radio frequency filter is a multilayered filter formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, and the multilayered filter includes a part of the first and second electrode patterns.	1. a multilayered ceramic rf device comprising: 2. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 1 , 3. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 1 , 4. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 1 , further comprising two or more radio frequency filters, 5. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 1 , 6. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 1 , 7. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 6 , 8. a multilayered ceramic rf device comprising: 9. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , 10. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , 11. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , 12. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , 13. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , 14. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 8 , further comprising a radio frequency switching circuit including a capacitor electrode and an inductor electrode; 15. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 14 , 16. a multilayered ceramic rf device comprising: 17. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , 18. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , 19. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , 20. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , 21. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , 22. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 16 , further comprising a radio frequency switching circuit including a capacitor electrode and an inductor electrode; 23. a multilayered ceramic rf device according to claim 22 ,	background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates generally to a multilayered ceramic rf (radio frequency) device, and in particular but not exclusively, to a multilayered ceramic rf device used in high-frequency radio equipment such as a cellular telephone. 2. description of the related art recently multilayered ceramic rf devices are attracting much attention for their ability to contribute greatly to the size reduction of high-frequency radio equipment such as a cellular telephone. fig. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of an rf circuit used in a cellular telephone. a duplexer 22 is formed of a transmitting filter and a receiving-filter. in such an rf circuit as show in fig. 15 , a transmitting signal amplified by a power amplifier 21 passes through a low-pass filter 20 and the transmitting filter in the duplexer 22 and is transmitted from an antenna 24 . a band-pass filter may be used instead of the low-pass filter 20 . a signal received by the antenna 24 is input to a low-noise amplifier 28 via the receiving filter in the duplexer 22 and a band-pass filter 26 . the signal is amplified by the low-noise amplifier 28 and, after that, the signal is subjected to a frequency conversion and a signal processing. while the low-pass filter 20 and the duplexer 22 can be constituted from multilayered filters or the like, the band-pass filter 26 is normally constituted from a saw filter. the power amplifier 21 and the low-noise amplifier 28 are made by using semiconductor elements with excellent radio frequency characteristics. now an example of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the prior art will be described below with reference to fig. 16 and fig. 17 . fig. 16 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device 100 of the prior art which constitutes a part of the rf circuit shown in fig. 15 . in the multilayered ceramic rf device 100 of the prior art, electrode patterns 102 which constitute the rf circuit are formed in a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 101 . the electrode patterns 102 are electrically connected to each other by means of via holes 103 . chip components 105 such as chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductor elements are formed on the surface of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 101 , and are shielded by a metal cap 107 . the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device 100 of the prior art constituted as described above will be described below. the electrode patterns 102 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 101 as well as providing electrical connection between the plurality of chip components 105 . these components collectively form the rf circuit and serve as a multilayered ceramic rf device such as, for example, a multilayer rf switch. fig. 17 schematically shows an example of the constitution of an rf device 120 of the prior art used in a cellular telephone that has the rf circuit as shown in fig. 15 . as shown in fig. 17 , the rf device 120 of the prior art has been constituted from separate components such as an multilayered filter 110 , a saw filter 112 covered with a ceramic package 111 , and the mutilayered ceramic rf device 100 formed of a multilayered ceramic body having an rf switching circuit 114 , which are independent from each other. thus the rf device 120 of the prior art shown in fig. 17 has been made by mounting the multilayered filter 110 , the saw filter 112 covered with a ceramic package 111 , and the multilayered ceramic rf device 100 that are independent from each other on a printed circuit board and connecting the components by soldering or using micro strip lines. in the constitution of the rf device 120 of the prior art, however, there has been such a problem that the use of soldering lands or running the micro strip lines on the printed circuit board causes unmatched impedance and/or an increase in impedance loss. also because connection of the components is carried out in the final packaging stage of the production process, even when the components have been certified for satisfactory radio frequency characteristics before connection, there occur variations in the high-frequency characteristics of the components due to unmatched impedance in junctions or the like after the components have been connected in the final packaging stage. as a result, it has been difficult to produce the rf device 120 of the prior art with excellent radio frequency characteristics and excellent reproducibility. also in the multilayered ceramic rf device 100 of the prior art shown in fig. 16 , since a bare semiconductor chip (i.e., a chip that is not molded) and a saw filter need to be sealed, these components cannot be used in the device 100 . this is because the metal cap 107 of the prior art is used for the purpose of merely providing an electromagnetic shielding and does not have the sealing function. therefore, it is necessary to use the semiconductor element and the saw filter that are individually sealed, which makes it difficult to reduce the device size and leads to a complicated manufacturing process. summary of the invention the present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages. it is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a multilayered ceramic rf device that has excellent radio frequency characteristics and high reliability. another object of the present invention is to provide a multilayered ceramic rf device that has high performance, and is small in size and in profile and easy to produce. in accomplishing the above and other objectives, a multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention having at least one radio frequency filter, includes a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body having a plurality of ceramic layers laminated one upon another and fired together, the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body also having a first electrode pattern formed therein and a second electrode pattern formed thereon. the first and second electrode patterns are electrically connected to-one another through a-via hole. a bare semiconductor chip (i.e., a chip that is not molded) is mounted on the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body with a face down bonding, and the bare semiconductor chip is coated with a sealing resin. the least one radio frequency filter is a multilayered filter formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, and the multilayered filter includes a part of the first and second electrode patterns. in the multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention, the electrode patterns formed on the surface and inside of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body are electrically connected with each other by via holes (holes that penetrate the ceramic layer and are filled with, for example, ag or cu), and the radio frequency filter is a multilayered filter formed inside of the multilayered ceramic body while including a part of the electrode patterns. thus the connection between the multilayered filters, between the multilayered filter and another radio frequency filter or between the multilayered filter and a bare semiconductor chip can be made with very short wiring a distances by using the via holes or the like that are formed inside the multilayered ceramic body. as a result, unmatched impedance and impedance loss can be decreased, ripple in the pass band of the radio frequency filter can be prevented and proper performance of the filter can be realized, compared to the rf device of the prior art having components such as the radio frequency filter and the multilayered filter individually mounted on the printed circuit board. therefore, the multilayered ceramic rf device that has excellent high-frequency characteristics and high reliability can be provided. also the device can be made small in size and in profile with a reduced number of components, and can be produced in a simplified process. the multilayered filter may be formed as a distributed constant multilayered filter that has a strip line resonator, and the strip line resonator can be formed to include a strip line resonator electrode that is formed as the part of the electrode patterns. the multilayered filter may be formed as a lumped constant multilayered filter including a capacitor electrode and an inductor electrode, and the capacitor electrode and the inductor electrode can be formed as the part of the electrode patterns. in the case where the multilayered ceramic rf device includes two or more radio frequency filters, at least one of the two or more radio frequency filters may be a saw filter. the multilayered ceramic rf device can be sealed easily, provided that the multilayered ceramic body has a cavity formed therein substantially at a center thereof, and the bare semiconductor chip is mounted at a bottom of the cavity in which the sealing resin is filled so as to cover the bare semiconductor chip. also, because the sealing resin can be prevented from spreading to the side face of the multilayered ceramic body, a defect in production such as when the sealing resin covers the side electrode can be prevented from occurring when the side electrodes are provided on the multilayered ceramic body. such a constitution may also be employed as a plurality of ceramic layers including a first ceramic layer that has a first relative dielectric constant and a second ceramic layer that has a second relative dielectric constant that is different from the first relative dielectric constant. this constitution makes it possible to provide an element (an element formed to have the part of the electrode patterns in the multilayered ceramic body) that is suited to include the first ceramic layer which has the first relative dielectric constant formed on the first ceramic layer, and provide an element that is suited to include the second ceramic layer which has the second relative dielectric constant formed on the second ceramic layer. thus the multilayered ceramic rf device that has high reliability can be provided. preferably, the plurality of ceramic layers include a top layer, a bottom layer, and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer, and the intermediate layer is formed of the first ceramic layer with a first relative dielectric constant. both the top layer and the bottom layer are formed of the second ceramic layer with a second relative dielectric constant. this makes it possible to reduce the warp of the ceramic layers during firing. moreover, since the elements formed to have the part of the electrode patterns in the multilayered ceramic body can be formed in the ceramic layer that has a relative dielectric constant most suitable for the element, the multilayered ceramic rf device having further higher reliability can be provided. the first relative dielectric constant is preferably greater than or equal to 10, and the second relative dielectric constant is preferably smaller than 10. in the case where the-bare semiconductor chip is connected to the multilayered filter, the bare semiconductor chip is preferably placed over the multilayered filter. that is, when the area of the electrode patterns included in the multilayered filter is substantially equal to the sectional area of the bare semiconductor chip (area of the section perpendicular to the laminating direction of the ceramic layers included in the multilayered filter) and the bare semiconductor chip is arranged so as to overlap the multilayered filter, the bare semiconductor chip and the multilayered filter can be connected with the shortest wiring length. as a result, the size of the multilayered ceramic rf device can be made even smaller. according to the present invention, the multilayered ceramic rf device having at least one radio frequency filter, includes a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body having a plurality of ceramic layers laminated one upon another and fired together, and having a cavity therein. a first electrode pattern is formed therein and a second electrode pattern is formed thereon, the first and second electrode patterns being electrically connected to one another through a via hole. at least one of a bare semiconductor chip and a saw filter is mounted at a bottom of the cavity, and a sealing metal cover seals the cavity hermetically. the at least one radio frequency filter is a multilayered filter formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, and the multilayered filter includes a part of the first and second electrode patterns. since the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body has the cavity on the top surface thereof with at least one of the bare semiconductor chip and the saw filter mounted at the bottom of the cavity and the cavity is hermetically sealed with a sealing metal cover, the at least one of the bare semiconductor chip and the saw filter can be incorporated in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body. as a result, a more compact multilayered ceramic rf device can be made and hermetic sealing can be easily achieved. the multilayered filter may be formed as a distributed constant multilayered filter that has a strip line resonator, and the strip line resonator can be formed to include a strip line resonator electrode that is formed as the part of the electrode patterns. in case the strip line resonator electrode is formed in the multilayered ceramic body in a region other than where the cavity is formed on the top surface, sufficient thickness of the strip line resonator electrode can be secured without increasing the device height. when the strip line resonator electrode is formed in the multilayered ceramic body, it is preferable to form the plurality of ceramic layers included in the multilayered ceramic body from the intermediate layer having a low dielectric constant (first relative dielectric constant) and the top layer and the bottom layer that have a high dielectric constant (second relative dielectric constant), and provide the strip line resonator electrode on the bottom layer having the high dielectric constant. this makes it possible to form the strip line resonator electrode of smaller size. the multilayered ceramic rf device may also have a radio frequency switching circuit that includes a capacitor electrode and an inductor electrode. the electrode patterns formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body may include at least one of the capacitor electrode and the inductor electrode. when the multilayered ceramic rf device additionally has the radio frequency switching circuit such as the above, the multilayered ceramic rf device having more versatile functions can be provided. if the multilayered ceramic rf device is used for both of a w-cdma (wideband code division multiple access) and a gsm (global system for mobile communication), it is preferable that the multilayered filter is the transmitting filter of the wcdma, the saw filter is a receiving filter for the w-cdma, and the rf switching circuit is a switching duplexer for the gsm. brief description of the drawings the above and other objectives and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to accompanying drawings, throughout which like parts are designated by like reference numerals. fig. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention. fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lumped constant multilayered filter. fig. 3 is an equivalent circuit of the multilayered filter shown in fig. 2 . fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a distributed constant multilayered filter. fig. 5 is a flow chart showing a method of producing the multilayered ceramic rf device. fig. 6 is a block diagram of a multilayer rf device including a switching circuit. fig. 7 shows an example of an rf switching circuit. fig. 8 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 9 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. fig. 14 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. fig. 15 is a block diagram of a rf circuit. fig. 16 is a sectional view of a multilayered ceramic rf device of the prior art. fig. 17 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the constitution of a rf device of the prior art. detailed description of the preferred embodiments this application is based on application nos. 11-299685 and 2000-302071 filed in japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. now an embodiment of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1 through fig. 5 . fig. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayered ceramic rf device 30 of the present invention. fig. 1 also shows a partial cross section of the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 . the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 shown in fig. 1 includes a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 , while first through third radio frequency filters 32 , 34 and 36 are formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 . the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 also includes a fourth radio frequency filter (saw filter) 38 mounted on the top surface thereof the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 further includes a bare semiconductor chip 42 mounted with a face down bonding (an electrode surface of the bare semiconductor chip 42 opposes the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 ) and is covered with a sealing resin on the upper surface thereof. the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 is made by laminating a plurality of ceramic layers, a predetermined number of the plurality of ceramic layers having respective electrode patterns each formed on at least one surface thereof, and firing the layers together, as will be described later with reference to fig. 5 . this results in the electrode patterns 39 being formed on the surface and inside of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 . while the electrode pattern 39 is not shown on the surface of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 in fig. 1 , the electrode pattern 39 is formed on the surface of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 below the saw filter 38 . the saw filter 38 and the multilayered filter 32 are electrically connected with each other as described later with reference to fig. 2 through fig. 4 . electrical connection between the electrode patterns 39 formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 and the connection between the electrode pattern 39 formed in the multilayered ceramic body 40 and the electrode pattern 39 formed on the surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 are made through via holes 37 . the via hole 37 is a hole which penetrates the ceramic layers included in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 and is filled with, for example, ag or cu. among the radio frequency filters included in the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 , the first through third radio frequency filters 32 , 34 and 36 are multilayered filters formed inside of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 while each of the filters includes a part of the electrode patterns 39 . the bare semiconductor chip 42 that is mounted with a face down bonding on the surface of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 is electrically connected to the radio frequency filter 38 via a micro strip line 44 formed on the surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . when the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 shown in fig. 1 is used in a cellular telephone, the multilayered filter 32 , the saw filter 38 and the bare semiconductor chip 42 may constitute a receiving circuit included in the rf circuit, while the multilayered filters 34 and 36 may constitute a transmitting circuit included in the rf circuit. in the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 shown in fig. 1 , as described above, the electrode pattern 39 formed on the surface of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 and the electrode pattern 39 formed inside thereof are electrically connected with each other through the via hole 37 . the first through third radio frequency filters 32 , 34 and 36 are multilayered filters formed inside of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 and the first through third radio frequency filters 32 , 34 and 36 include a part of the electrode patterns 39 . accordingly, connection between the multilayered filters ( 34 and 36 ), or between the multilayered filter 32 and the other radio frequency filter 38 (saw filter) can be achieved with very short wiring distances by using a strip line 35 , the via holes 37 or the like formed inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . as a result, unmatched impedance and impedance loss can be decreased, ripple in the pass band of the radio frequency filter can be prevented and the proper performance of the filter can be realized, compared to the rf device of the prior art that has components such as the radio frequency filter and the multilayered filter individually mounted on the printed circuit board. therefore, the multilayered ceramic rf device that has excellent high-frequency characteristics and high reliability can be provided. the bare semiconductor chip 42 that is, for example, a transistor for a low-noise amplifier is mounted with a face down bonding on the top surface of low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 40 and is electrically connected to the radio frequency filter 38 by means of the micro strip line 44 formed on the surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . with this constitution, unmatched impedance and impedance loss in the wiring junction can be made smaller and ripple in the pass band of the radio frequency filter 38 can be mitigated. a circuit that includes the bare semiconductor chip such as a low-noise amplifier circuit requires components having various functions such as a capacitor and an inductor. since such components having various functions can be formed integrally formed inside and on the surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 , the multilayered ceramic rf device having excellent reproducibility and excellent high-frequency characteristics can be provided. further, devices such as a cellular telephone can be made smaller in size and in profile. also the number of components can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified. as will be described in detail later with reference to fig. 12 , the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 may also be made in such a configuration as a cavity. a metal cap for hermetically sealing the cavity is provided on the top surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 , with the bare semiconductor chip 42 or the saw filter 38 being mounted at a bottom, of the cavity. since this configuration makes it possible to form the bare semiconductor chip 42 or the saw filter 38 inside the multilayered ceramic body 40 , an even smaller multilayered ceramic rf device can be produced. a case where the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 has four radio frequency filters has been described above. the multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention, however, is not limited to this constitution and achieves effects similar to those described above as long as at least one radio frequency filter is provided and the radio frequency filter is a multilayered filter that is formed inside of the multilayered ceramic body. also the bare semiconductor chip 42 and the saw filter 38 may be provided as required. to connect the bare semiconductor chip with the multilayered filter, the bare semiconductor chip may be mounted on the surface of the multilayered filter. at this time, if the area of the electrode patterns included in the multilayered filter is substantially equal to the sectional area of the bare semiconductor chip (area of the section perpendicular to the laminating direction of the ceramic layers included in the multilayered filter) and the bare semiconductor chip is disposed so as to overlap the multilayered filter, the bare semiconductor chip and the multilayered filter can be connected with the shortest wiring length. thus, it is possible to further reduce the size of the multilayered ceramic rf device. now the multilayered filter 32 included in the multilayered ceramic body 40 of the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 shown in fig. 1 will be described in detail below. while the description relates to the multilayered filter 32 included in the multilayered ceramic body 40 , the same applies also to the multilayered filters 34 and 36 . the multilayered filter 32 may be either a lumped constant multilayered filter or a distributed constant multilayered filter. first, a case where the multilayered filter 32 is a lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a will be described below with reference to fig. 2 . fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a. if the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a is used for the multilayered filter 32 , the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a includes the capacitors and the inductors formed inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 , while the capacitor electrodes and the inductor electrodes are formed as a part of the electrode pattern 39 formed on the surface and inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . the electrode patterns 39 included in the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a are capacitor electrodes 60 through 62 and 65 through 68 , inductor electrodes 63 , 64 and connecting land pattern 76 shown in fig. 2 . the capacitor electrode 60 serves also as an internal grounding electrode, as will be described later. these electrode patterns are electrically connected by means of the via holes 37 . the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a will be described in more detail below. as shown in fig. 2 , the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a has a plurality of dielectric layers (ceramic layers) 51 through 56 , with the dielectric layers 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 and 56 laminated in this order. in the multilayered ceramic body 40 , required area to be occupied by the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a is, for example, 3.0 mm3.0 mm and thickness required of the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a is, for example, 0.8 mm. the saw filter 38 is connected to the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a as described above. as shown in fig. 2 , the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a has a plurality of dielectric layers (ceramic layers) 51 through 56 , with the dielectric layers 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 and 56 are laminated in this order. in the multilayered ceramic body 40 , required area to be occupied by the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a is, for example, 3.0 mm3.0 mm and thickness required of the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a is, for example, 0.8 mm. the saw filter 38 is connected to the lumped constant multilayered filter 32 a such as described above. a dielectric layer. 51 has the internal grounding electrode 60 formed therein, while the capacitor electrodes 61 and 62 are formed on the dielectric layer 52 . the dielectric layer 53 has inductor electrodes (strip lines) 63 and 64 formed thereon. a dielectric layer 54 has the capacitor electrodes 65 and 66 formed thereon, while the capacitor electrodes 67 and 68 are formed on the dielectric layer 55 . the via holes 37 that penetrate the dielectric layer 56 are provided in the dielectric layer 56 over the capacitor electrodes 67 and 68 of the dielectric layer 55 . connecting land patterns 76 are formed around the via holes 37 in the surface of the dielectric layer 56 . the saw filter 38 having connection bumps 78 is mounted on the surface of the dielectric layer 56 so that the connection bumps 78 couple with the connecting land patterns 76 . the capacitor electrodes 67 and 68 of the dielectric layer 55 are connected with the saw filter 38 through the via holes 37 or the like so that the saw filter 38 is electrically connected to the multilayered filter 32 a. the capacitor electrode 65 provided on the dielectric layer 54 is connected to one end 63 a of the inductor electrode 63 provided on the dielectric layer 53 and to the capacitor electrode 61 provided on the dielectric layer 52 through the via hole 37 . similarly, the capacitor electrode 66 provided on the dielectric layer 54 is connected to one end 64 a of the inductor electrode 64 provided on the dielectric layer 53 and to the capacitor electrode 62 provided on the dielectric layer 52 through the via hole 37 . the other end 63 b of the inductor electrode 63 is connected to the internal grounding electrode 60 provided on the dielectric layer 51 through the via hole 37 . similarly, the other end 64 b of the inductor electrode 64 is connected to the internal grounding electrode 60 provided on the dielectric layer 51 through the via hole 37 . the operation of the multilayered filter 32 a as described above will be described below with reference to fig. 3 . fig. 3 shows an equivalent circuit of the multilayered filter 32 a shown in fig. 2. a capacitor c 1 in fig. 3 corresponds to the capacitor formed from the capacitor electrode 67 and the capacitor electrode 65 shown in fig. 2 , and a capacitor c 2 corresponds to the capacitor formed from the capacitor electrode 68 and the capacitor electrode 66 . a capacitor c 3 in fig. 3 corresponds to the capacitor including the capacitor electrode 61 and the internal grounding electrode 60 , and a capacitor c 4 corresponds to the capacitor including the capacitor electrode 62 and the internal grounding electrode 60 . inductors l 1 and l 2 are formed from the inductor electrodes 63 and 64 , respectively. one end (capacitor electrode 67 ) of the capacitor c 1 is connected to an input electrode, and one end (capacitor electrode 68 ) of the capacitor c 2 is connected to an output electrode. connected between the other end (capacitor electrode 65 ) of the capacitor c 1 and the grounding electrode 60 are the inductor l 1 and the capacitor c 3 that are parallel to each other. also connected between the other end (capacitor electrode 66 ) of the capacitor c 2 and the grounding electrode 60 are the inductor l 2 and the capacitor c 4 that are parallel to each other. the inductor l 1 and the inductor l 2 are provided near each other so as to establish electrode coupling. this configuration forms a 2-stage band-pass filter. specifically, the inductor electrodes 63 , 64 formed on the dielectric layer 53 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line on the surface of the dielectric layer 53 with the same length and width, and the distance between the inductor electrodes 63 and 64 is set so as to make the mutual inductance mi between the inductors l 1 and l 2 equal to a predetermined value. such a configuration makes it possible to eliminate capacitive elements between resonators that have been required in the prior art, so that the multilayered filter can be made lower in profile. now a case of using a distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b for the multilayered filter 32 will be described below with reference to fig. 4 . fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b. when the-distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b having a strip line resonator is used for the multilayered filter 32 , the strip line resonator includes strip line resonator electrodes 81 a and 81 b that comprise a part of the electrode patterns 39 formed on the surface and inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . also a second electrode 82 a , a third electrode 82 b , fourth electrodes 82 c , 82 d , shield electrodes 83 a , 83 b and connecting land pattern 86 that are included in the distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b also comprise a part of the electrode patterns 39 formed on the surface and inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . these electrode patterns are electrically connected by means of the via holes 37 . the distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b will be described below in more detail. described below is a case where thick dielectric layers (ceramic layers) 80 a and 80 b and thin dielectric sheets (ceramic layers) 80 c , 80 d , 80 e , 80 f and 80 g are used for the distributed constant multilayered filter 32 b. the strip line resonator electrodes 81 a and 81 b are formed on the dielectric sheet 80 c . formed on the dielectric sheet 80 d are the second electrode 82 a , the third electrode 82 b and the fourth electrodes 82 c and 82 d of a parallel plane capacitor. the saw filter 38 is connected to the multilayered filter 32 b. the strip line resonator is made small in size by decreasing the width of the strip line midway on the side of a short-circuiting end and forming stepwise impedance. also formed on the dielectric sheet 80 e is the shield electrode 83 a and formed on the dielectric sheet 80 f is the shield electrode 83 b. the via holes 37 are formed to penetrate the dielectric layer 80 b and the dielectric sheets 80 f and 80 g over the fourth electrodes 82 c and 82 d of the dielectric sheet 80 d . the connecting land patterns 86 are formed around the via holes 37 on the dielectric sheet 80 g . the saw filter 38 that has the connection bumps 88 is mounted on the surface of the dielectric sheet 80 g so that the connection bumps 88 couple with the connecting land patterns 86 . the dielectric sheet 80 g that protects the electrode, the dielectric layers 80 a and 80 b and the dielectric sheets 80 c , 80 d , 80 e and 80 f are all stacked one on another thereby to form the overall multilayered structure. now the operation of the multilayered filter 32 b having the above constitution will be described below. the strip line resonator electrodes 81 a , 81 b and the second, third and fourth electrodes 82 a , 82 b , 82 c and 82 d that are disposed to oppose the strip line resonator electrodes form parallel plane capacitors in between. the second electrode 82 a of the parallel plane capacitor serves as an inter-stage coupling capacitor, the third electrode 82 b serves as a parallel capacitor that decreases the resonance frequency of the strip line resonator, and the fourth electrodes 82 c and 82 d serve as input-output coupling capacitor. the fourth electrodes 82 c and 82 d are connected to the saw filter 38 through the via holes 37 , as described above, and are used as input terminal and output terminal, respectively. the shield electrode 83 b is connected to the side electrode 85 c , the shield electrode 83 a is connected to the side electrodes 85 a , 85 b and are used as grounding terminals. in the multilayered filter 32 b, the strip line resonator electrodes 81 a and 81 b also serve as the first electrode of the parallel plane capacitor. since all the strip line resonator electrodes are printed on the dielectric sheet 80 c and all the capacitor electrodes are printed on the dielectric sheet 80 d , it suffices to print the electrodes only on two dielectric sheets 80 c , 80 d and two shield electrodes 83 a , 83 b . as a result, the number of printing steps can be reduced and the variations in the filter characteristics can be suppressed. now an example of the method of producing the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 will be described below with reference to fig. 5 . fig. 5 is a flow chart of the method of producing the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 . first, dielectric sheets (ceramic layers) are made by using amsg (almgsigdo ceramic material having a low dielectric constant of 7.5) (step 100 in fig. 5 ). then via holes are made in the dielectric sheets by punching, and the via holes are filled with a cu paste (step 102 ). the via holes may also be made by laser machining. the via holes may be filled with an ag paste. then, the electrode patterns are formed on the dielectric sheets by a screen printing process (step 104 ). the dielectric sheets thus obtained are laminated and pressed (step 106 ). the laminated dielectric sheets are cut to a proper size (step 108 ) and fired at about 950 c. (step 110 ). this firing temperature is lower than the cofiring temperature (1500 c. to 1600 c.) for ordinary ceramic substrates. this is because materials having low melting points such as au, ag and cu are used for the conductor to form the electrode patterns. by using such materials as au, ag and cu for the electrode, resistance of the electrode can be made lower and the high-frequency characteristics can be made better. terminal electrodes are formed on the laminated dielectric sheets (multilayered ceramic body) thus obtained (step 112 ), and a semiconductor chip or the like is mounted (step 114 ). finally, the laminated dielectric sheets are sealed thereby to complete the multilayered ceramic rf device. while the above description is a case where the dielectric sheet made of amsg is used, a dielectric sheet (relative dielectric constant of 7) formed from a crystal phase made of mg _{ 2 } sio _{ 4 } and a glass phase made of sibalabo may also be used. further, a dielectric sheet formed from bcn (bicanbo high dielectric constant ceramic material having relative dielectric constant of 58 ) may also be used. the multilayered ceramic body may also include laminated dielectric layers, each of which has a different value of relative dielectric constant. in order to form a capacitor of large capacitance in the multilayered ceramic body, a thin dielectric sheet having a high dielectric constant may be used. in order to form an inductor in the multilayered ceramic body, a dielectric material having a low dielectric constant and excellent temperature characteristics may be used. when dielectric sheets having different values of relative dielectric constant are laminated and fired to form a multilayered ceramic body, however, warp is likely to occur due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient. therefore, when the dielectric sheets of different materials are used to form the multilayered ceramic body, for example, it is preferable to form the multilayered ceramic body from a first ceramic layer having a first relative dielectric constant sandwiched by two second ceramic layers having a second relative dielectric constant (the second relative dielectric constant being less than the first relative dielectric constant, or the second relative dielectric constant being greater than the first relative dielectric constant), and to dispose the ceramic layers in a configuration so that the order of stacking the ceramic layers is symmetrical with respect to the laminating direction (refer to, for example, fig. 11 to be described later). the multilayered ceramic rf device 30 of the present invention can include, in addition to the multilayered filter 32 as described above, a switching circuit as well. the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes the switching circuit will be described below with reference to fig. 6 . fig. 6 is a block diagram of the mutilayered ceramic rf device 31 that includes the switching circuit. the mutilayered ceramic rf device 31 shown in fig. 6 has the multilayered filter 32 , an rf switching circuit 41 and the saw filter 38 being formed in the multilayered ceramic body 40 that is integrated. in the prior art, because there was not the idea of forming the components in the multilayered ceramic body 40 that is integrated, the conventional rf devices had to be made individually by forming the multilayered filter, the rf switch, and the saw filter as separate devices (refer to fig. 17 ) and then mounting these components separately on a mother board while making electrical connection therebetween by using lines. the multilayered ceramic rf device 31 is considered to be best applied to, for example, an ultra small antenna duplexer for gsm/imt-2000 (international mobile telecommunication 2000) dual-mode cellular telephone (for example, w-cdma). low loss and power durability in 2 ghz band of the multilayered filter 32 are favorable characteristics for the transmission filter of the imt-2000 system. sharp filtering characteristics of the saw filter 38 are favorable for the transmitting filter of the imt-2000 system. the rf switch 41 has characteristics that are favorable for the duplexer for gsm in which transmitting and receiving are carried out by time division operation since the gsm is a tdma (time division multiple access) system. the multilayered filter 32 and the saw filter 38 are combined to constitute a duplexer for the imt-2000 system and, when combined with a duplexer that can be formed in the multilayered ceramic body 40 , can constitute an ultra small dual-mode duplexer. the duplexer can have poor high-frequency characteristics unless the filters and the switches are connected with proper impedance matching. thus integrating these components to ensure the characteristics provides a remarkable merit for the assembly of cellular telephones. the multilayered ceramic rf device constituted as described above has remarkable effects of achieving multiple functions and high performance operation with a single ultra compact multilayered ceramic body. an example of the rf switching circuit 41 is shown in fig. 7 . the rf switching circuit 41 includes, for example, capacitor electrodes c 1 through c 18 and c 21 through c 26 , inductor electrodes li 1 through li 8 , li 11 and li 12 , diodes d 1 through d 4 and distributed constant lines l 15 through l 20 , as shown in fig. 7 . the capacitor electrodes c 1 through c 18 , the inductor electrodes li 1 through li 8 and the distributed constant lines l 15 through l 18 are constituted from a part of the electrode patterns formed inside of the multilayered ceramic body 40 . the diodes d 1 through d 4 are mounted on the surface of the multilayered ceramic body 40 , while the capacitor electrodes c 21 through c 26 , inductor electrodes li 11 and li 12 , and the distributed constant lines l 19 and l 20 are provided outside the multilayered ceramic body 40 . the rf switching circuit 41 may also be formed by using transistors, either instead of the diodes or in combination with the diodes. the rf switching circuit 41 may also be formed in various constitutions, without being limited to the circuit shown in fig. 7 . now variations of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the present invention will be described below as the first through seventh preferred embodiments. it should be noted, although not explicitly described, that at least one multilayered filter is incorporated in the multilayered ceramic body 1 included in the multilayered ceramic rf device of the first through seventh preferred embodiments. the multilayered filter incorporated in the multilayered ceramic body 1 is formed while including a part of the electrode patterns 2 formed on the surface and inside of the multilayered ceramic body, as described previously. embodiment 1 fig. 8 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the first embodiment. in fig. 8 , reference numeral 1 denotes a low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component and 6 denotes a sealing resin. the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the constitution as described above will be described below with reference to fig. 8 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 , as well as providing electrical connection of a plurality of chip components 5 with each other. the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the multiple layer electrode patterns formed in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver. the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns formed on the plurality of ceramic layers are formed by a screen printing process or the like, and the via holes are formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher and filling the holes with a conductive paste by printing or another method. the ceramic body has side electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and the prior art is that the bare semiconductor chips which operate at a frequency not lower than the uhf band are mounted face down on the top surface of the ceramic body, and that the top surface of the ceramic body is coated with a sealing resin to cover the bare chip. the bare semiconductor chip includes bipolar transistor, fet, diode and ic, and is made from a compound semiconductor of silicon or the like. the bare semiconductor chip is mounted face down by, for example, bump connection technique such as stud bump bonding (sbb) or the like. at frequencies not lower than 300 mhz, the so-called uhf band, packaged semiconductors generally have parasitic impedance due to the lead wire and molding resin that are characteristic to the packaging construction. thus, they are unable to fully achieve the characteristic performance which the semiconductor originally has at the high frequencies. as a result, problems result such as a decrease in gain, increase in frequency deviation and deteriorated noise characteristic. there is also such a drawback that impedance matching requires many external components, thus leading to an increasing number of components and larger size of the circuit. in the constitution of this embodiment, on the other hand, the semiconductor can be used in the form of a bare chip, and is not subject to the parasitic impedance which is caused by the lead wire and molding resin characteristic to the packaging construction. as to mounting of the components, parasitic impedance is minimized by the face down mounting by means of the bump connection, thus achieving excellent high frequency characteristics. specifically, higher gain, reduction of frequency deviation and better noise characteristic can be achieved. moreover, since the package size can be ignored when mounting the bare chips, the area required for mounting the components can be decreased resulting in smaller device size. also external components are made mostly unnecessary. in order to protect the bare semiconductor chip, the entire top surface of the ceramic body is coated with the sealing resin in the constitution of this embodiment. while the bare semiconductor chip is generally protected by a thin insulating film such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride on the surface thereof, additional coating with the sealing resin improves the reliability further. the additional coating of the top surface of the ceramic body with the sealing resin makes the top surface of the multilayered ceramic rf device flat. thus it is made possible to make an smd (surface mounted device) that can be automatically mounted by a mounter and can be very easily handled as a high-frequency component. according to this embodiment, as described above, because the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body is laminated and fired together has electrode patterns formed therein from copper or silver, the electrode patterns is electrically connected through via holes arranged at desired position in the ceramic layers, the bare semiconductor chip which operates at a frequency not lower than the uhf band is mounted face down on the top surface of the ceramic body and the top surface of the ceramic body is coated with a sealing resin to cover the bare chip, it is possible to produce a small device having excellent high-frequency characteristics and improved reliability. it is also possible to provide an smd that can be handled easily and automatically mounted. embodiment 2 the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 9 . fig. 9 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the second embodiment or the present invention. in fig. 9 , reference numeral 10 denotes a low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 11 denotes a high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component and 6 denotes a sealing resin. this constitution differs from that shown in fig. 8 in that the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , instead of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 , is sandwiched by the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layers 10 . the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the constitution described above will be described below with reference to fig. 9 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the low dielectric constant low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 and in the high dielectric constant low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , as well as providing electrical connection between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the bare semiconductor chip 4 and the like are also mounted on the top surface of the ceramic body. the electrode patterns formed in a heterogeneous lamination of low temperature-cofired ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the ceramic body normally has side face terminal electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and that of the first embodiment is that the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , instead of the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 , is sandwiched by the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layers 10 . the length of a strip line resonator can be, in general, decreased in inverse proportion to the square root of the relative dielectric constant. therefore, in case strip line electrodes formed in the high dielectric constant ceramic layer are used for the strip line resonator, wavelength in the dielectric layer can be decreased. thus the high dielectric constant ceramic layer is suited to form a small strip line resonator. when a ceramic layer having small dielectric loss is used, a strip line resonator that has a high quality factor q can be formed. however, strip lines have normally low characteristic impedance. for example, a strip line having a minimum line width of 100 m and shield distance of 2 mm, that can be formed by screen printing, has characteristic impedance in a range from 20 to 30 ohms, and it is practically impossible to form a line of 50 ohms. also the high relative dielectric constant makes it easy to make the inner layer capacitor of large capacitance with a small area. as to the strip line formed in the low dielectric constant ceramics, while the wavelength cannot be decreased much, high characteristic impedance of 50 ohms or higher can be easily realized, and an inner layer inductor can also be easily formed. because of the low relative dielectric constant, electromagnetic coupling between strip lines that are located near to each other is relatively weak, that is suited for forming electrode patterns. as described above, by providing a heterogeneous junction of ceramic sheets having two or more different values of relative dielectric constant and by arranging optimum circuit components in the layers, small size and high performance can be achieved at the same time. relative dielectric constant of the ceramic layer is preferably set, in consideration of the relationship with the characteristic impedance of the strip lines, below 10 for the top layer, 10 or higher and more preferably from about 40 to 60 for the intermediate layer, and below 10 for the bottom layer. the reason for employing the structure of sandwiching the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 by the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layers 10 is for the purpose of preventing the ceramic body from warping during cofiring due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient, by making the structure vertically symmetrical with respect to the central horizontal plane. according to this embodiment, as described above, the multilayered ceramic rf device that can achieve small size and high performance at the same time is provided, by employing the constitution of a heterogeneous ceramic multilayered structure including ceramic layers of different relativess dielectric constants. the heterogeneous laminated structure is formed from three or more ceramic layers of different relative dielectric constants, with the top layer being the low dielectric constant low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10, the intermediate layer being the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic having relative dielectric constant of 10 or higher, and the bottom layer being the low dielectric constant low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10. embodiment 3 fig. 10 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the third embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 10 , reference numeral 13 denotes a cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component and 6 denotes a sealing resin. this constitution differs from that shown in fig. 8 in that the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 is replaced with the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 . the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the above constitution will be described below with reference to fig. 10 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 , as well as providing electrical connections between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the electrode patterns formed in the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body (i.e., a ceramic body with a cavity formed therein) that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns formed on the plurality of ceramic layers are formed by, for example, screen printing while the via holes are formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher and filling the holes with a conductive paste by printing or the like. the cavities are also formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher and filling the holes with a sealing resin. the ceramic body has side electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and that of the first embodiment is that the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 is replaced with the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 . the ceramic body having the cavity reduces the possibility of the sealing resin 6 spreading to the side faces. therefore, a defect of production such as when the resin covers the side face terminal electrodes does not occur. according to this embodiment, as described above, the ceramic body has a cavity formed at the middle of the top surface thereof by employing the structure having the cavity filled with the sealing resin, a multilayered ceramic rf device can be provided so that the possibility of the sealing resin spreading to the side faces is reduced and so that a defect of production that the side face terminal electrodes are covered by the resin does not occur. embodiment 4 the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 11 . fig. 11 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 11 , reference numeral 10 denotes a low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 11 denotes a high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 12 denotes a cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component and 6 denotes a sealing resin. this constitution differs from that shown in fig. 10 in that the cavity type low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 13 is replaced by the structure having the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 disposed as the top layer, the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 disposed as the intermediate layer and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 disposed as the bottom layer. the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the above constitution will be described below with reference to fig. 11 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 and in the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , as well as providing electrical connections between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the bare semiconductor chip 4 is mounted in the cavity formed on the top surface of the ceramic body. the electrode patterns formed in the heterogeneous low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns can also be formed in the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 of the top layer, thereby making the device smaller. the ceramic body normally has side face terminal electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and that of the third embodiment is that the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 is replaced by the heterogeneous multilayered structure having the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 disposed as the top layer, the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 disposed as the intermediate layer and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 disposed as the bottom layer. the length of a strip line resonator can be, in general, decreased in inverse proportion to the square root of the relative dielectric constant. therefore, in case strip line electrodes formed in the high dielectric constant ceramic layer are used for the strip line resonator, wavelength in the dielectric layer can be decreased. thus the high dielectric constant ceramic layer is suited to form a small strip line resonator. when a ceramic layer having small dielectric loss is used, a strip line resonator that has a high quality factor q can be formed. however, strip lines have normally low characteristic impedance. for example, a strip line having a minimum line width of 100 m and shield distance of 2 mm, that can be formed by screen printing, has characteristic impedance in a range from 20 to 30 ohms, and it is practically impossible to form a line of 50 ohms. also the high relative dielectric constant makes it easy to make the inner layer capacitor of large capacitance with a small area. as to the strip line formed in the low dielectric constant ceramics, while the wavelength cannot be decreased much, high characteristic impedance of 50 ohms or higher can be easily realized, and an inner layer inductor can also be easily formed. because of the low relative dielectric constant, electromagnetic coupling between strip lines that are located near to each other is relatively weak, that is suited for forming electrode patterns. as described above, through the heterogeneous junction of the ceramic sheets having two or more different values of relative dielectric constant and by arranging optimum circuit components in the layers, small size and high performance can be achieved at the same time. relative dielectric constant of the ceramic layer is preferably set, in consideration of the relationship with the characteristic impedance of the strip lines, below 10 for the top layer, 10 or higher and more preferably from about 40 to 60 for the intermediate layer, and below 10 for the bottom layer. the reason for employing the structure of sandwiching the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 by the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 is for the purpose of preventing the ceramic body from warping during cofiring due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient, by making the structure symmetrical with respect to the central horizontal plane. according to this embodiment, as described above, the multilayered ceramic rf device that can achieve small size and high performance at the same time is provided, by employing the constitution of heterogeneous multilayered structure from ceramic layers of different relative dielectric constants. the heterogeneous multilayered structure is formed from three or more ceramic layers of different relative dielectric constants, with the top layer being the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired, ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10, the intermediate layer being the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant of 10 or higher, and the bottom layer being the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10. embodiment 5 fig. 12 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 12 , reference numeral 13 denotes a cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component, 16 denotes a sealing metal cap and 17 denotes a saw filter. this constitution differs from that shown in fig. 10 in that, instead of filling the cavity with the sealing resin 6 , the cavity space of the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 is hermetically sealed with the sealing metal cap 16 . the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the above constitution will be described below with reference to fig. 12 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 , as well as providing electrical connections between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the electrode patterns formed in the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns of the plurality of ceramic layers are formed by screen printing or the like, and the via holes are formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher and filling the holes with a conductive paste by printing or other method. the cavities are also formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher, with the cavity space being hermetically sealed with the sealing metal cap 16 . the ceramic body has side face terminal electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and that of the first embodiment is that the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 1 is replaced by the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 . the ceramic body having the cavity makes it possible to form a hermetically sealed space in the inside. this makes it possible to make the multilayered ceramic rf device small in size with high performance by incorporating the saw filter 17 , in addition to the bare semiconductor chip 4 , inside the device. the saw filter utilizes surface acoustic waves propagating over a piezoelectric substrate. therefore high-frequency characteristics thereof deteriorate significantly when even a minute foreign matter sticks on the surface. thus the saw filter must be contained in a package that is hermetically sealed completely. an ordinary saw package is equipped with only the electrodes for taking out the electrodes of the saw filter to the outside. the prior art technology has been limited to, at the best, making the package in a multiple layer structure and forming the inner layer capacitor or the inner layer inductor for impedance matching. the saw filter utilizes surface acoustic waves propagating over a piezoelectric substrate, and therefore high-frequency characteristics thereof deteriorate significantly when even a minute foreign matter sticks on the surface. thus the saw filter must be contained in a package that is hermetically sealed completely. an ordinary saw package is equipped with only the electrodes for taking out the electrodes of the saw filter to the outside. the prior art technology has been limited to, at the best, making the package in a multiple layer structure and forming the inner layer capacitor or the inner layer inductor for impedance matching. with the constitution of this embodiment, on the contrary, not only the inner layer capacitors and the inner layer inductors but also the complex inner layer rf circuit can be formed by making use of the via holes, while at the same time an ultra small device that achieves versatile functions which were not possible with the prior art is realized by combining with the saw filter, the bare semiconductor chip and other chip components that are mounted in the cavity. according to this embodiment, as described above, the electrode patterns are formed from copper or silver in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body that is laminated and fired together, with the electrode patterns being electrically connected by arranging via holes at the desired positions in the ceramic layers and the cavity being formed at the middle of the top surface of the ceramic body. the bare semiconductor chip that operates at a frequency in the uhf band or higher and/or the saw filter is mounted face down at the bottom of the cavity of the ceramic body, with the cavity space being hermetically sealed with the sealing metal cap. with this constitution, not only the inner layer capacitors and the inner layer inductors but also the complex inner layer rf circuit can be formed by making use of the via holes, while at the same time the multilayered ceramic rf device that achieves versatile functions which were not possible with the prior art is realized by combining with the saw filter that is mounted in the cavity, the bare semiconductor chip and other chip components. the saw filter is mounted on the ceramic body, for example, as follows: an electrode surface of the saw filter is covered with a protective cover (roof) made of resin so that the electrode surface can contact air in the protective cover without directly contacting the ceramic body. the saw filter is mounted on the ceramic body with a face down bonding through bumps. embodiment 6 now the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 13 . fig. 13 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the sixth embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 13 , reference numeral 10 denotes a low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 11 denotes a high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 12 denotes a cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component, 16 denotes a sealing metal cap and 17 denotes a saw filter. this constitution differs from that shown in fig. 12 in that, instead of the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 , the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 is disposed at the top layer, the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 is disposed at the intermediate layer and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 is disposed at the bottom layer. the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the above constitution will be described below with reference to fig. 13 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 , the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 and the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , as well as providing electrical connections between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the saw filter 17 and the bare semiconductor chip 4 are also mounted in the cavity formed in the top surface of the ceramic body. the electrode patterns formed in the heterogeneous laminated low temperature-cofired ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns may also be formed in the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic-layer 12 of the top layer, thereby making it possible to make the device smaller. the ceramic body normally has side face terminal electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. a major difference between this constitution and that of the fifth embodiment is that the cavity type low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body 13 is replaced by the heterogeneous multilayered structure where the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 is disposed at the top layer, the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 is disposed at the intermediate layer and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer iq is disposed at the bottom layer. the length of a strip line resonator can be, in general, decreased in inverse proportion to the square root of the relative dielectric constant. therefore, in case strip line electrodes formed in the high dielectric constant ceramic layer are used for the strip line resonator, wavelength in the dielectric layer can be decreased. thus the high dielectric constant ceramic layer is suited to form a small strip line resonator. when a ceramic layer having small dielectric loss is used, a strip line resonator that has a high quality factor q can be formed. however, strip lines have normally low characteristic impedance. for example, a strip line having a minimum line width of 100 m and shield distance of 2 mm, that can be formed by screen printing, has characteristic impedance in a range from 20 to 30 ohms, and it is practically impossible to form a line of 50 ohms. also the high relative dielectric constant makes it easy to make the inner layer capacitor of large capacitance with a small area. as to the strip line formed in the low dielectric constant ceramics, while the wavelength cannot be decreased much, high characteristic impedance of 50 ohms or higher can be easily realized, and an inner layer inductor can also be easily formed. because of the low relative dielectric constant, electromagnetic coupling between strip lines that are located near to each other is relatively weak, that is suited for forming electrode patterns. as described above, by providing the heterogeneous junction of the ceramic sheets having two or more different values of relative dielectric constant and by arranging optimum circuit components in the layers, small size and high performance can be achieved at the same time. relative dielectric constant of the ceramic layer is preferably set, in consideration of the relationship with the characteristic impedance of the strip lines, below 10 for the top layer, 10 or higher and more preferably from about 40 to 60 for the intermediate layer, and below 10 for the bottom layer. the reason for employing the structure of sandwiching the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 by the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 12 and the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 is for the purpose of preventing the ceramic body from warping during cofiring due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient, by making the structure vertically symmetrical with respect to the central horizontal plane. according to this embodiment, as described above, the multilayered ceramic rf device that can achieve small size and high performance at the same time is provided, by employing a heterogeneous multilayered ceramic body comprising ceramic layers of different relative dielectric constants. the heterogeneous multilayered ceramic body is formed from three or more ceramic layers of different relative dielectric constants, with the top layer being the cavity type low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10, the intermediate layer being the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant of 10 or higher, and the bottom layer being the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having relative dielectric constant below 10. embodiment 7 fig. 14 is a sectional view of the multilayered ceramic rf device of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 14 , reference numeral 14 denotes a high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer with an aperture, 10 denotes a low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 11 denotes a high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer, 2 denotes an electrode pattern, 3 denotes a via hole, 4 denotes a bare semiconductor chip, 5 denotes a chip component, 16 denotes a sealing metal cap, 17 denotes a saw filter and 18 denotes a strip line resonator electrode. this constitution has two major differences from that shown in fig. 13 . first, the high dielectric constant ceramic, low temperature-cofired layer with aperture 14 is disposed at the top layer, the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 is disposed at the intermediate layer and the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 is disposed at the bottom layer. the order of laminating the layer having high dielectric constant and the layer having low dielectric constant is reversed from that of fig. 13 . second, the cavity is located nearer to one edge of the rectangular top surface of the ceramic body, and, the strip line resonator electrode 18 is embedded in the inner layer in the portion where the cavity does not exist. the operation of the multilayered ceramic rf device having the above constitution will be described below with reference to fig. 14 . the electrode patterns 2 form inner layer capacitors and inner layer inductors in the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer with aperture 14 , the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 and the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 , as well as providing electrical connections between a plurality of chip components 5 . the chip components 5 include chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip inductors and packaged semiconductors that may be occasionally used. the electrode patterns formed in the low temperature-cofired ceramic body that is laminated and fired together are made of copper or silver, and the electrode patterns are electrically connected by arranging via holes at desired positions in the ceramic layers. the electrode patterns of the plurality of ceramic layers are formed by screen printing or the like, and the via holes are formed by making holes in the dielectric sheet by a puncher and filling the holes with a conductive paste by printing or other method. the cavity is also formed by making a hole in the dielectric sheet by a puncher, with the cavity space being hermetically sealed with the sealing metal cap. the ceramic body has side face terminal electrodes formed on the side faces thereof for the connection with the outside, although not shown in the drawing. these components collectively constitute the rf circuit and achieve, for example, the functions of the multilayered ceramic rf device that includes, for example, the mutilayered rf switches. this constitution has two major differences from that of the sixth embodiment. first, the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer with aperture 14 is disposed at the top layer, the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 10 is disposed at the intermediate layer and the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer 11 is disposed at the bottom layer. the order of laminating the layer having high dielectric constant and the layer having low dielectric constant is reversed from that of the second, fourth and sixth embodiments. second, the cavity is located nearer to one edge of the rectangular top surface of the ceramic body, and the strip line resonator electrode 18 is embedded in the inner layer in the portion near the other edge where-the cavity does not exist. this constitution has such effects that the cavity where the saw filter and the bare semiconductor chip are mounted can be formed and sufficient thickness of the strip line resonator electrode can be secured without increasing the height of the device. in general, the strip line resonator has a higher quality factor q as the thickness between a strip line and a ground conductor is larger. a low-loss filter can be made by using such strip line resonators. it goes without saying that other effects can be achieved similarly to the other embodiments. according to this embodiment, as described above, the electrode patterns are formed from copper or silver in the low temperature-cofired multilayered ceramic body that is laminated and fired together, with the electrode patterns being electrically connected by arranging via holes at the desired positions in the ceramic layers and a cavity being formed at the position nearer to one edge of the top surface of the ceramic body. the bare semiconductor chip that operates at a frequency in the uhf band or higher and/or the saw filter is mounted face down at the bottom of the cavity of the ceramic body, with the cavity space being hermetically sealed with the sealing metal cap, and the strip line resonator electrode is embedded near the other edge of the ceramic body. in the constitution described above, the heterogeneous, multilayered ceramic body comprising three or more ceramic layers having different relative dielectric constants may be used, wherein the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer with aperture having a relative dielectric constant of 10 or higher is disposed at the top layer thereby forming the wall surface of the cavity, the low dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having a relative dielectric constant below 10 is disposed at the intermediate layer and the high dielectric constant, low temperature-cofired ceramic layer having a relative dielectric constant of 10 or higher is disposed at the bottom layer. the strip line resonator electrode is also embedded in the heterogeneous multilayered ceramic body comprising three or more layers. with this constitution, not only the simple inner layer capacitors and the inner layer inductors but also the complex inner layer rf circuit can be formed by making use of the via holes without increasing the height of the device. at the same time, the multilayered ceramic rf device that achieves versatile functions with a low profile which were not possible with the prior art is realized by combining with the saw filter mounted in the cavity, the bare semiconductor chip and other chip components, and the strip line resonator having a high quality factor q. according to the present invention, as described above, the multilayered ceramic rf device having excellent high-frequency characteristics and high reliability can be provided. also the multilayered ceramic rf device has high performance, small size and low profile and can be easily produced. although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted here that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skills in the art. therefore, unless such changes and modifications otherwise depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention, they should be constructed as being included therein.
099-085-191-761-635	JP	[ "US", "CN", "EP", "WO" ]	H04M1/02,H04M1/23,H04M1/72466,H04M1/00	2004-05-31T00:00:00	2004	[ "H04" ]	mobile communication terminal	[summary] [object] an object of the present invention is to enhance operability of a mobile communication terminal to be foldable by directing a display panel outward. [means for settlement] a folding-type mobile communication terminal including a thin operation case 1 with an operation panel being formed, a thin display case 2 with a display panel being formed, and a movable connector 3 to connect the operation case 1 and the display case 2 , in which transition can be made between a normal open state of expanding the both cases 1 and 2 by directing the operation panel and the display panel to the same direction, and a reverse close state of being folded by directing the display panel outward and opposing the main surfaces of the both cases, and having a main multifunction key 14 to be provided in the operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and a side multifunction key 26 to be provided in the end surface of the operation case 1 and capable of performing the same operations with the main multifunction key 14 to achieve the same operation inputs therewith.	1 . a mobile communication terminal having a display case with a display panel, an operation case with an operation panel, and a movable connector to connect the display case and the operation case to be foldable, and being capable of making transition between a normal open state of expanding said both cases by directing said display panel and said operation panel to the same direction, and a reverse close state of folding said both cases by directing said display panel outward and said operation panel inward, and comprising a first multifunction key to be provided on said operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, a second multifunction key to be operable in said reverse close state and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and an input control means to control activation and inactivation of said operation inputs by the second multifunction key in accordance with said normal operation state and said reverse close state. 2 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein said second multifunction key is provided in the side surface of said operation case. 3 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein said second multifunction key is provided on said display panel. 4 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 1 , comprising a terminal state detection means to detect the connection state of said both cases made by said movable connector, wherein said input control means controls activation and inactivation of the operation inputs by said first and second multifunction keys on the basis of the detected result by said terminal state detection means. 5 . a mobile communication terminal having a thin display case with a display panel formed on one main surface thereof, a thin operation case with an operation panel formed on one main surface thereof, and a movable connector to connect said display case and said operation case, and being capable of making transition between a normal open state of expanding said both cases by directing said operation panel and said display panel to the same direction, and a reverse close state of folding said both cases with mutually opposing main surfaces by directing said operation panel inward and said display panel outward, and comprising a main multifunction key to be provided on said operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and a side multifunction key to be provided in the end surface of said operation case and capable of performing the same operations with the main multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. 6 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 5 , wherein said side multifunction key is capable of performing the same operations with said main multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith in both a short keypress and a long keypress. 7 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 5 comprising a terminal state detection means to detect the connection state of said both cases made by said movable connector, and an input control means to inactivate the operation inputs by said side multifunction key on the basis of the detected result by said terminal state detection means, wherein said side multifunction key is provided in the movable connector side of said operation case, and said input control means inactivates the operation inputs by said side multifunction key in the normal open state. 8 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 7 , wherein said input control means inactivates the operation inputs by said side multifunction key during a telephone call in the normal open state. 9 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 7 , wherein said movable connector is comprised of a first rotating axis to fold said both cases and a second rotating axis which is orthogonal to said first rotating axis and relatively rotates said both cases, and capable of making transition to a reverse open state of expanding said both cases by directing said operation panel and said display panel to the opposite directions, and said input control means activates the operation inputs by said side multifunction key in said reverse close state and said reverse open state. 10 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 5 , comprising two or more main guide keys to be provided on said operation panel and have function assignment displayed in a display screen on said display panel, a side guide key to be provided in the end surface of said operation case and made to correspond to a part of said main guide keys, and a sub guide key to be provided on said display panel and made to correspond to the remaining part of said main guide keys. 11 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 10 , wherein said main guide keys includes a center guide key arranged in a center of said main multifunction key, and said side guide key corresponding to said center guide key is arranged in the vicinity of the side multifunction key. 12 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 10 , comprising a terminal state detection means to detect the connection state of said both cases made by said movable connector, and an input control means to inactivate an operation input by the side guide key in said normal open state on the basis of the detected result by said terminal state detection means. 13 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 10 , wherein an on-hook function is assigned to said sub guide key during the telephone call in said reverse close state. 14 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 10 , wherein an off-hook function is assigned to said sub guide key during an incoming telephone call in said reverse close state. 15 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 10 , wherein an off-hook function is assigned to said sub guide key in the case of making transition to said reverse close state after inputting a number in said normal open state. 16 . a mobile communication terminal having a display case with a display panel including a display screen, an operation case with an operation panel comprised of operation keys, and a connector to connect said display case and said operation case to be foldable, in which transition can be made between a normal open state of expanding said both cases by directing said display panel and said operation panel to the same direction, and a reverse close state of folding said both cases by directing said operation panel inward and said display panel outward, and comprising, a first multifunction key to be provided on said operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and a second multifunction key to be provided on said display panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions. 17 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 16 , wherein said second multifunction key is capable of performing the same operations with said first multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. 18 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 16 , comprising a terminal state identification means to identify said normal open state and said reverse close state, and an input control means to control activation and inactivation of the operation inputs by said first or second multifunction keys on the basis of the identified result by said terminal state identification means. 19 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 , comprising a receiver for outputting voice during the telephone call on said display panel, wherein said input control means activates the operation inputs by said first multifunction key and inactivate the operation inputs by said second multifunction key in said normal open state. 20 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 19 , wherein said input control means inactivates the operation inputs by said second multifunction key during the telephone call in said normal open state. 21 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 , wherein said second multifunction key is provided in the external side of said display screen and in the opposite side of said connector. 22 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 , comprising two or more first guide keys to be provided on said operation panel and have function assignment displayed on said display screen, and a second guide key to be provided on said display panel and made to correspond to said first guide key, wherein said input control means controls activation and inactivation of said operation inputs by said first and second guide keys on the basis of the identified result by said terminal state identification means. 23 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 , comprising two back lights to illuminate said first and second multifunction keys from the rear surface sides respectively, and a key lighting control means to turn on said back lights on the basis of the identified result by said terminal state identification means. 24 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 23 , wherein said key lighting control means turns on the back light corresponding to said multifunction key made to activate the operation inputs, and turns off the back light corresponding to the multifunction key made to inactivate the operation inputs. 25 . the mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 , comprising a back light to illuminate said second multifunction key from the rear surface side, and a key lighting control means to switch illumination colors and turn on said back light on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state. 26 . an imaging device with a first thin case and a second thin case to be mutually connected by a hinge portion, wherein the first thin case has an imaging means and an operation panel with a first operation key to control said imaging means, the second thin case has a display panel with a display screen to display image data taken by said imaging means, and a second operation key to control said imaging means, and said hinge portion rotatably connects said first and said second thin cases so as to enable transition between a folded state of opposing a main surface of said first thin case against a main surface of said second thin case, and an expanded state. 27 . the imaging device according to claim 26 , wherein said second operation key is provided on said display panel. 28 . the imaging device according to claim 26 , wherein said operation panel is either of main surfaces of said first thin case. 29 . the imaging device according to claim 26 , wherein said operation panel is formed in the end surface of said first thin case. 30 . the imaging device according to claim 26 , wherein said display panel is either of main surfaces of said second thin case, and said hinge portion has two orthogonal rotating axes and is capable of making transition between a folded state with said display panel directed inward and a folded state with said display panel directed outward. 31 . the imaging device according to claim 26 , wherein said imaging means is formed on either of main surfaces of said first thin case, said display panel is either of main surfaces of said second thin case, and said hinge portion is capable of folding said both thin cases by turning both said imaging means and said display panel toward the outside. 32 . the imaging device according to claim 27 , wherein end portions of said first and second thin cases in the opposite side of said movable connector are mutually piled in the folded state, and said second operation key is formed in said end portion side rather than said display screen. 33 . the imaging device according to claim 31 , wherein said first operation key is formed in an end surface of said first thin case. 34 . a mobile communication terminal with said imaging device according to claim 26 comprising the telephone communication receiver to output received voice, a telephone communication microphone which transmission voice is inputted into, and a third operation key to input a telephone number, wherein the telephone communication can be made via a cellular wireless base station.	technical field the present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, more specifically, a mobile communication terminal having a display case provided with a display panel and an operation case provided with an operation panel, and relates to improvement of a folding-type mobile telephone for example. the present invention particularly relates to a mobile communication terminal with enhanced operability in a reverse close state of being folded by directing the display panel outward. background art there is a demand for a mobile telephone to be further miniaturized and reduced in weight from the aspect of mobility enhancement. however, the extent to miniaturize operation keys is limited in consideration with operability. in addition, there is a demand for enlargement of the screen size in a main display. in order to make these opposing demands to be compatible from each other, a foldable mobile telephone has become a mainstream in recent years, in which a display case provided with a main display is connected to an operation case provided with operation keys by a hinge so as to be folded by mutually opposing a display panel including the main display and an operation panel including the operation keys. there are various kinds of mobiles phones proposed, in which not only a first rotating axis for folding but also a two-axis hinge with a second rotating axis orthogonal to the first rotating axis are used to realize relative rotatability of the operation case and the display case using the second rotating axis as a center (ex. patent document 1). in such the mobile telephones, the cases can be folded by directing the display panel outward, so that the user also can browse the main display in a folded and miniaturized state. however, in a reverse close state of being folded by directing the display panel outward, the operation panel is directed to the inside of the folded cases, so that it is impossible for the user to perform a key operation. therefore, proposed is a conventional mobile telephone in which an operation input can be made in the reverse close state (ex. patent documents 2 and 3). patent document 2 discloses a mobile telephone provided with an operation input means on the display panel. patent document 3 discloses a mobile telephone provided with the operation input means in the side surface of the operation case. further, in a mobile telephone of recent years, a multifunction key capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions is arranged on the operation panel. this kind of multifunction key is capable of performing four kinds of operation inputs of up, low, left and right in many cases, and called a direction key, a cross key or the like, which contributes miniaturization and operability enhancement of the operation panel (ex. patent document 4). patent document 4 discloses a mobile telephone provided with two multifunction keys, or more specifically a multifunction key operated in an expanded state of the cases and a multifunction key operated in a folded state. patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent publication no. h11(1999)-30226 patent document 2: japanese unexamined patent publication no. 2001-251406 patent document 3: japanese unexamined patent publication no. 2002-33809 patent document 4: japanese unexamined patent publication no. 2002-118644 disclosure of the invention problems to be solved by the invention in the mobile telephone described in patent document 2, the respective operation keys provided on the display panel are made to be a key to perform a single operation input by pressing. therefore, in order to enable various kinds of operation inputs in the reverse close state, the number of the operation keys provided on the display panel needs to be increase. however, there is no sufficient space for the key arrangement on the display panel, so that the increase of the number of the operation keys causes a problem of reduction of an image region on the display panel or enlargement of the display case. in the mobile telephone of patent documents 2 and 3, the operation key used in the reverse close state is different from the operation key used in the expanded state of the cases, resulting in a problem that the operation method is difficult for the user to understand. in the mobile telephone of patent documents 2 and 3, there is also a problem that an erroneous operation is easily generated. for example, in the case of patent document 2, there is a problem that an operation input which is not intended by the user is easily made by coming into contact with an ear or face of the user during a telephone call. a telephone call receiver is generally provided in the display panel, so that the telephone call usually is made in a terminal state in which the both cases are expanded by directing the display panel and the operation panel to the same direction (normal open state). it is considered that, if an ear of the user or the like is made into contact with the operation keys on the display panel during the telephone call in the normal open state as stated above, the erroneous operation is generated. also, in the case of patent document 3, there is problem that an operation input which is not intended by the user is easily made by dropping and touching the mobile telephone, or coming into contact with the user's hand holding the mobile communication terminal. meanwhile, in the mobile telephone described in patent document 4, one of the multifunctional keys is provided on the operation panel, and the remaining multifunction key is provided on the display case in the opposite side of the main display. therefore, it is impossible for the user who is browsing the main display in the reverse close state to use any multifunction keys, which is problematic. the present invention was achieved by considering the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve operability of a mobile communication terminal which is capable of making transition between the normal open state with the both cases being expanded by directing the display panel and the operation panel to the same direction, and the reverse close state with the both cases being folded by directing the operation panel inward and the display panel outward. also, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal to be capable of performing the same operation inputs at the time of being folded and at the time of being expanded. further, an object of the present invention is to further provide a mobile communication terminal to be capable of suppressing an operation input against intentions of the user. also, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal in which operability is enhanced in the reverse close state while suppressing the increase of the size of the display panel. moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal to be capable of suppressing the erroneous operation in the normal operation state, and particularly the erroneous operation during the telephone call in the normal open state. furthermore, an object of the present invention is to improve operability of an imaging device in which two thin cases are connected by a hinge portion. means for solving the problems a first aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have a display case provided with the display panel, the operation case provided with an operation panel, and a movable connector to connect the display case and the operation case to be foldable, and to be capable of making transition between the normal open state of expanding the both cases by directing the display panel and the operation panel to the same direction, and the reverse close state of folding the both cases by directing the display panel outward and the operation panel inward, including a first multifunction key to be provided on the operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, a second multifunction key to be operable in the reverse close state and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and an input control means in which activation and inactivation of said operation inputs by the second multifunction key are controlled in accordance with the normal open state and the reverse close state. due to this configuration, it is possible to use the first multifunction key in the normal open state and use the second multifunction key in the reverse close state. accordingly, the user can use the multifunction key in either cases of the normal open state and the reverse close state, so that operability of the folding-type mobile communication terminal can be enhanced. also, the input control means controls activation and inactivation of the operation inputs by the second multifunction key in accordance with the normal open state and the reverse close state, so that the erroneous operation to operate the second multifunction key against intentions of the user can be suppressed. a second aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal with the second multifunction key provided in the side surface of the operation case, in addition to the configuration described above. due to this configuration, the user can operate the multifunction key even in the reverse open state without increasing the size of the display panel. a third aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal with the second multifunction key arranged on the display panel in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the user can operate the second multifunction key even in the reverse open state. particularly due to the arrangement of the second multifunction key on the display panel, the multifunction key can be arranged to oppose to the user in the reverse open state in the same manner with the first multifunction key in the normal open state so that operability can be improved more. a fourth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have a terminal state detection means for detecting the connection state of the both cases made by the movable connector in addition to the configuration described above, so that the input control means controls activation and inactivation of operation inputs by the first and the second multifunction keys on the basis of the detected result of the terminal state detection means. due to this configuration, activation and inactivation of operation inputs by the first and the second multifunction keys are controlled in accordance with the normal open state and the reverse close state, thereby the erroneous operation can be suppressed. for example, the first multifunction key is activated and the second multifunction key is inactivated in the normal open state, while the first multifunction key is inactivated and the second multifunction key is activated in the reverse close state. a fifth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have a thin display case with a display panel formed on one main surface thereof, a thin operation case with an operation panel formed on one main surface thereof, and a movable connector to connect the display case and the operation case, and to be capable of making transition between a normal open state of expanding the both cases by directing the operation panel and the display panel to the same direction, and a reverse close state of folding the both cases with mutually opposing main surfaces by directing the operation panel inward and the display panel outward, including a main multifunction key to be disposed on the operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and a side multifunction key to be provided on the end surface of the operation case and capable of performing the same operations with the main multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. due to this configuration, the user can perform various kinds of operation inputs even in the reverse close state by operating the side multifunction key provided in the end surface of the operation case. also, the same operations with the main multifunction key are performed in the side operation key to achieve the same operation inputs with the main multifunction key, so that operation methods are integrated at the time of expanding and folding the cases, resulting in no need for the user to remember the operation methods for the respective terminal states, and easy understanding and learning of the operation method can be realized. a sixth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to enable that the side multifunction key performs the same operations with the main multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith in both a short keypress and a long keypress, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, even if an operation input in the same key operation is differentiated by the short keypress and the long keypress, it is possible for the user to easily understand and learn the operation method. a seventh aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have a terminal state detection means to detect the connection state between the both cases made by the movable connector, and an input control means to inactivate the operation inputs by the side multifunction key on the basis of the detected result by the terminal state detection means, in addition to the configuration described above, in which the side multifunction key is provided in the movable connector side of the operation case, and the input control means inactivates the operation inputs by the side multifunction key in the normal open state. due to the arrangement of the side multifunction key in the movable connector side of the operation case, if transition was made from the normal open state to the reverse close state, the user can obtain satisfactory operability in the side multifunction key without changing the way to hold the mobile communication terminal. in this case, there is a high possibility that the erroneous operation is made by the user in the side multifunction key during the telephone communication or the like in the normal open state, but the erroneous operation in the side operation key can be suppressed by inactivating an operation input by the side multifunction key in the normal open state. an eighth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to realize that the input control means inactivates an operation by the side multifunction key during the telephone call in the normal open state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the erroneous operation can be suppressed by inactivating an operation of the side function key during the telephone call in the normal open state in which the erroneous operation is easily generated in particular and an effect thereof is large. a ninth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have the movable connector provided with a first rotating axis for folding the both cases and a second rotating axis which is orthogonal to the first rotating axis and relatively rotates the both cases, in which transition can be made to the reverse open state of expanding the both cases by directing the operation panel and the display panel to the opposite directions, and the input control means activates the operation inputs by the side multifunction key in the reverse close state and the reverse open state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the operation panel and the display panel are directed to opposite sides from each other, so that the user can use the multifunction key while browsing the display panel even in the reverse open state in which the keys on the operation panel is difficult to operate, in the same manner with the case of the reverse close state. a tenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have two or more main guide keys to be provided on the operation panel and have function assignment displayed in the display screen on the display panel, a sub guide key to be provided in the end surface of the operation case and made to correspond to a part of the main guide keys, and a sub guide key to be provided on the display panel and made to correspond to the remaining part of the main guide keys, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, an operation input can be performed by the guide key in the reverse close state. an eleventh aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal to have the main guide keys including a center guide key arranged in a center of the main multifunction key, in which the side guide key corresponding to the center guide key is arranged in the vicinity of the side multifunction key, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, it is possible to miniaturize the side multifunction key and make the operation case thinner without significantly decreasing operability. a twelfth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have a terminal state detection means to detect the connecting state of the both cases by the movable connector, and an input control means to inactivate an operation input by the side guide key in the normal open state on the basis of the detected result by the terminal state detection means, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have an on-hook function assigned to the sub guide key during the telephone call in the reverse close state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, it is possible to finish the telephone call in the reverse close state without making any changes. the erroneous operation in the on-hook key can also be suppressed during the telephone call in the reverse close state. a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have an off-hook function assigned to the sub guide key during an incoming telephone call in the reverse close state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, it is possible to start the telephone call in the reverse close state without making any changes. a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in a configuration to have an off-hook function assigned to the sub guide key in the case of making transition to the reverse close state after inputting a number in the normal open state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the telephone call can be started by making the telephone call from the reverse close state. a sixteenth aspect of the present invention is to a mobile telephone in a configuration to have a display case provided with a display panel including a display screen, an operation case provided with an operation panel comprised of operation keys, and a connector to connect the display case and the operation case to be foldable, and to be capable of making transition between the normal open state of expanding the both cases by directing the display panel and the operation panel to the same direction, and the reverse close state of folding the both cases by directing the operation panel inward and the display panel outward, including the first multifunction key to be provided on the operation panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions, and the second multifunction key to be provided on the display panel and capable of performing two or more different operation inputs corresponding to pressing portions. due to this configuration, the user can operate the multifunction key while browsing the display screen in either of the normal open state and the reverse open state. that is, it is possible to use the first multifunction key on the operation panel in the normal open state, and use the second multifunction key on the display panel in the reverse close state. accordingly, operability is improved in the reverse close state without increasing the number of the operation keys provided on the display panel. a seventeenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to enable that the second multifunction key performs the same operations with the first multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, operation methods are integrated in the normal open state and the reverse open state, resulting in no need for the user to remember the operation methods for the respective terminal states, and easy understanding and learning of the operation method are realized. an eighteenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to have a terminal state identification means to identify the normal open state and the reverse close state, and an input control means to control activation and inactivation of the operation inputs by the first or second multifunction keys on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state identification means, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the activation and the inactivation of the operation input by the first and second multifunction keys are controlled in accordance with the terminal states, so that the erroneous operation in the multifunction key is suppressed. an object to control activation and inactivation may be either one of the first and second multifunction keys, or both of them. a nineteenth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to have a receiver for outputting voice during the telephone call on the display panel in addition to the configuration stated above, in which the input control means activates the operation inputs by the first multifunction key and inactivates the operation inputs by the second multifunction key in the normal open state. according to this configuration, the erroneous operation in the second multifunction key is prevented in the normal open state. the erroneous operation during the telephone call is easily generated particularly because the second multifunction key is disposed on the display panel in which the telephone call receiver is provided. therefore, an operation input by the second multifunction key is inactivated in the normal open state, so that it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation generated in the second multifunction key during the telephone call in the normal open state. a twentieth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration that the input control means inactivates the operation inputs by the second multifunction key during the telephone call in the normal open state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation by the second multifunction key during the telephone call in the normal open state. a twenty-first aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone to have the second multifunction key provided in the opposite side of the connector in the external side of the display screen, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, the second multifunction key is disposed in front of the display screen for the user in the reverse close state, so that the user can perform an operation input using the multifunction key arranged in front of the display screen in either of the terminal states including the normal open state and the reverse close state. accordingly, satisfactory operability of the multifunction key can be obtained in either of the terminal states, and an operation in the multifunction key does not interrupt browsing in the display screen. a twenty-second aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to include two or more first guide keys to be provided on the operation panel and have function assignment displayed on the display screen, and a second guide key to be provided on the display panel and made to correspond to the first guide key in addition to the configuration stated above, in which the input control means controls activation and inactivation of the operation input by the first and second guide keys on the basis of the identified result by the terminal state identification means. due to this configuration, the operation input by the guide key can be made in either of the normal open state and the reverse close state. a twenty-third aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to have two back lights to illuminate the first and second multifunction keys from the rear surface side respectively, and a key lighting control means to turn on the back light on the basis of the identified result by the terminal state identification means, in addition to the configuration described above. due to this configuration, the back light is turned on the basis of the terminal state, and the multifunction key corresponding to the terminal state is illuminated, so that it is possible to visually notify the user of the multifunction key which is capable of performing an operation input. a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration that the key lighting control means turns on the back light corresponding to the multifunction key made to activate the operation inputs and turns off the back light corresponding to the multifunction key made to inactivate the operation inputs, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, key illumination is made by corresponding to the switch of the multifunction keys, so that the user can easily recognize the activated multifunction key. a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention is a mobile telephone in a configuration to include a back light to illuminate the second multifunction key from the rear surface side, and a key lighting control means to turn on the back light by switching illumination colors on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state, in addition to the configuration stated above. due to this configuration, illumination colors by the back light are switched on the basis of the terminal state, so that illumination colors for the second multifunction key can be differentiated depending on the terminal state. therefore, the user can easily recognize the activated multifunction key by the illumination colors. a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention is an imaging device in a configuration of having the first thin case and the second thin case being connected by a hinge portion, in which the first thin case has an imaging means and an operation panel with the first operation key to control the imaging means, while the second thin case has a display panel with the display screen formed to display image data taken by the imaging means, and the second operation key to control the imaging means, and the hinge portion rotatably connects the first and the second thin cases in such a manner that transition can be made between a folded state of mutually opposing a main surface of the first thin case and a main surface of the second thin case, and an expanded state. a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is an imaging device with the second operation key provided on the display panel, in addition to the configuration stated above. a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention is an imaging device with the operation panel which is either of main surfaces of the first thin case, in addition to the configuration stated above. a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention is an imaging device with the operation panel formed in the end surface of the first thin case, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirtieth aspect of the present invention is an imaging device in a configuration to have the display panel which is either of main surfaces of the second thin case, and the hinge portion including two orthogonal rotating axes, in which transition can be made between a folded state with the display panel directed inward and a folded state with the display panel directed outward, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirty-first aspect of the present invention is an imaging device in a configuration to have the imaging means formed on either of main surfaces of the first thin case, and the display panel which is either of main surfaces of the second thin case, in which the hinge portion is capable of folding the both cases so as to turn the imaging means and the display panel toward outside, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirty-second aspect of the present invention is an imaging device in which end portions of the first and second thin cases in the opposite side of the removable connector are mutually piled in the folded state, and the second operation key is formed in the end portion side rather than the display screen, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirty-third aspect of the present invention is an imaging device with the first operation key formed in the end surface of the first thin case, in addition to the configuration stated above. a thirty-fourth aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal in which the imaging device is provided with the telephone communication receiver to output received voice, the telephone communication microphone which transmission voice is inputted into, and a third operation key to input a telephone number, and configured to enable the telephone communication via a cellular wireless base station. effect of the invention the mobile communication terminal according to the first to the fifteenth aspects of the present invention has the first multifunction key on the operation panel, while having the second multifunction key which is operable in the reverse close state of being folded with the display panel directed outward. therefore, it is possible to use the first multifunction key in the normal open state of being expanded by directing the operation panel and the display panel to the same direction, and use the second multifunction key in the reverse close state, so that operability of the mobile communication terminal can be enhanced. particularly because the second multifunction key is provided in the movable connector side on the end surface of the operation case, in the case of making transition from the normal open state to the reverse close state, it is possible for the user to obtain satisfactory operability in the second multifunction key without changing the way to hold the mobile communication terminal. meanwhile, due to the arrangement of the second multifunction key on the display panel, the multifunction key can be opposed to the user even in the reverse open state in the same manner with the first multifunction key in the normal open state, so that satisfactory operability can be obtained in the second multifunction key. also, in the mobile communication terminal of the first to the fifteenth aspects of the present invention, activation and inactivation of an operation input by the second multifunction key are controlled in accordance with the normal open state and the reverse close state. it is therefore possible to suppress the erroneous operation to operate the second multifunction key against intentions of the user. it is further possible to suppress the erroneous operation to operate the first multifunction key against intentions of the user by controlling activation and inactivation of an operation input by the first and second multifunction keys on the basis of the connection state of the both cases. moreover, in the mobile communication terminal of the first to the fifteenth aspects of the present invention, the second multifunction key is capable of performing the same operations with the first multifunction key to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. therefore, operation methods can be integrated between the normal open state and the reverse close state, resulting in no need for the user to remember the operation methods for the respective terminal states, and easy understanding and learning of the operation method can be realized. furthermore, in the mobile communication terminal of the first to the fifteenth aspects of the present invention, the sub guide key provided on the display panel enables to enhance operability in the mobile communication terminal which is foldable by directing the display panel outward. that is, the same operation inputs can also be made in the guide key in both states of the normal open state and the reverse close state. in the mobile communication terminal of the sixteenth to the twenty-fifth aspects of the present invention, the first multifunction key is provided on the operation panel, while the second multifunction key is provided on the display panel. it is therefore possible for the user to use the multifunction key while browsing the display screen on the display panel in either cases of the normal open state and the reverse open state. that is, various kinds of operation inputs are made possible in the reverse open state while suppressing the increase of the number of the operation keys on the display panel and enlargement of the display panel accompanied thereby. also, in the mobile communication terminal of the sixteenth to the twenty-fifth aspects of the present invention, the same operations with the first multifunction key are made in the second multifunction key to achieve the same inputs therewith. therefore, operation methods can be integrated between the normal open state and the reverse close state, resulting in no need for the user to remember the operation methods for the respective terminal states, and easy understanding and learning of the operation method can be realized. moreover, in the mobile communication terminal of the sixteenth to the twenty-fifth aspects of the present invention, the activation and the inactivation of the operation input by the first and second multifunction keys are controlled on the basis of the terminal state. therefore, it is possible to suppress the erroneous operation while enhancing operability in the normal open state and the reverse open state by switching the two multifunction keys in accordance with the terminal state. particularly because of inactivating the operation input by the second multifunction key during the telephone call in the normal open state, the erroneous operation can be prevented during the telephone call in the normal open state. furthermore, in the mobile communication terminal of the sixteenth to the twenty-fifth aspects of the present invention, the back light is turned on based on the terminal state to illuminate the multifunction key corresponding to the terminal state. therefore, it is possible to visually notify the user of the multifunction key in which operation input can be made, so that the user can easily recognize the multifunction key to be activated. meanwhile, in the imaging device of the twenty-sixth to the thirty-third aspects of the present invention, the first thin case provided with the imaging means is rotatably connected to the second thin case provided with the display screen by the hinge portion, so that transition can be made between the folded state with the mutually opposing main surfaces of the both thin cases and the expanded state. also, the first operation key is provided in the first thin case, and the second operation key is provided in the second thin case. therefore, the imaging means can be controlled by using the operation key with satisfactory operability in accordance with the connection state of the both thin cases, enabling enhancement of operability in the imaging device. best mode for carrying out the invention first embodiment fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile communication terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which appearance of a foldable mobile telephone 100 in a normal open state is exhibited. the open normal state is the most basic terminal state when the mobile telephone 100 is used, and fig. 1 a shows a front view of the mobile telephone 100 in the normal open state to be seen from a user side, while fig. 1 b shows a left side view thereof. the mobile telephone 100 is comprised of an operation case 1 , a display case 2 and a movable connector 3 . both the operation case 1 and the display case 2 are a thin case with the shape of a substantially rectangular plate respectively, having two mutually opposing main surfaces and end surfaces respectively. that is, there are two parallel maximum plane surfaces and end surfaces in the case of using one of the maximum plane surfaces as a front surface. the operation case and the display case are connected in the respective one short side by the movable connector 3 , and the both cases 1 and 2 can be relatively rotated by using a first rotating axis a 1 and a second rotating axis a 2 as a center. to be more specific, if the display case 2 is rotated using the first rotating axis a 1 as a center while the operation case 1 is fixed, it is possible to fold the both cases 1 and 2 by mutually opposing the main surfaces thereof or to expand. if the display case 2 is rotated by 180 degrees using the first rotating axis a 1 as a center while the operation case 1 is fixed, it is possible to bring the state that the display case 2 is turned over to the operation case 1 . operation keys (main operation keys) such as a ten-key 10 , main guide keys 11 to 13 , a main multifunctional key 14 , an off-hook key 15 , an on-hook key 16 , and a main clear key 17 are arranged in one main surface of the operation case 1 , and the main surface is used as an operation panel mainly by the user to perform operation inputs. a telephone call microphone 18 is also arranged on the operation panel in the vicinity of the end portion of the case in the opposite side of the movable connector 3 . a main display 20 comprised of a liquid crystal display device is arranged in one main surface of the display case 2 , and the main surface is used as a display panel to output displays to mainly the user. telephone call receivers 21 and 22 and sub guide keys 23 and 24 are also arranged on the display panel. fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal mechanical structure of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 , in which a main portion of the movable connector 3 is exhibited along with terminal state detection sensors 40 to 43 . the movable connector 3 includes bearing members 30 and 31 fixed to the operation case 1 , a rotating member 32 rotatably held by the bearing members 30 and 31 , a flame member 33 fixed to the display case 2 , and a rotating connector member 34 to rotatably connect the rotating member 32 and the flame member 33 . to be more specific, the movable connector 3 is comprised of a two-axis hinge to relatively rotate the operation case 1 and the display case 2 using the first rotating axis a 1 and the second rotating axis a 2 as a center. if the display case 2 is rotated by the bearing members 30 and 31 and the rotating member 32 using the first rotating axis a 1 as a center, an opening/closing operation can be made in the mobile telephone 100 . accordingly, if the display case 2 is folded by bringing down toward the user side from the normal open state, the length in the longitudinal direction is substantially halved, enabling compact storage. it is also possible to rotate the display case 2 by the rotating connector member 34 using the second rotating axis a 2 as a center. the second rotating axis a 2 is orthogonal to the first rotating axis a 1 , and if the display case 2 is rotated by 180 degrees using the second rotating axis a 2 as a center, directions of the operation case 1 and the display case 2 can be differentiated. magnets 40 and 42 , and magnetic sensors 41 and 43 in fig. 2 are a sensor to detect a connection state (referred to as a terminal state in the present specification) of the both cases made by the movable connector 3 , and details thereof will be described below. fig. 3 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in a normal close state. the normal close state is the most basic terminal state at the time of storing the mobile phone, and a folded state in which the display case 2 is rotated using the first rotating axis a 1 as a center from the normal open state so that the display panel and the operation panel are turned inside and mutually opposed. the operation case 1 and the display case 2 are formed to have a size in which the respective end portions are mutually piled in the opposite side of the movable connector 3 in the folded state. fig. 3 a is a front view of the mobile telephone 100 in the normal close state to be seen from the user side, and fig. 3 b is a left side view thereof. in the main surface disposed in the opposite side of the display panel of the display case 2 , a sub display 51 which is smaller than the main display 20 is provided. fig. 4 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in a reverse open state. the reverse open state is a terminal state to take a shot of mainly the user with a camera by himself, and an expanded state in which the display case 2 is rotated by 180 degrees using the second rotating axis as a center from the normal open state so that the display panel and the operation panel are directed to the opposite directions. the reverse open state is used in a laterally extended state by rotating the mobile telephone 90 degrees. fig. 4 a is a front view of the mobile telephone 100 in the reverse open state to be seen from the user side, and fig. 4 b is a bottom view thereof. in a main surface of the operation case 1 in the opposite side of the operation panel, there is provided a mobile light 53 . fig. 5 is a diagram showing the state of rotating the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 using the second rotating axis a 2 as a center. in the normal close state or the normal open state, it is impossible to rotate the display case 2 using the second rotating axis a 2 as the center. therefore, the first rotating axis a 1 is initially used as a center to rotate, so that the position is shifted to an intermediate state therebetween. the display case 2 is then rotated by 180 degrees using the second rotating axis a 2 as a center. if the both cases 1 and 2 are expanded thereafter, the reverse open state as shown in fig. 4 is exhibited, while a reverse close state to be described below will be exhibited if the both cases 1 and 2 are closed. fig. 6 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in the reverse close state. the reverse close state is a terminal state to take a shot of mainly the user with a camera by himself, and a folded state in which the display case 2 is rotated using the first rotating axis a 1 as a center from the reverse open state to direct the operation panel inward and the display panel outward. fig. 6 a is a front view of the mobile telephone 100 in the reverse close state to be seen from the user side, and fig. 6 b is a left side view thereof. the reverse close state is a state to make the mobile telephone compact as a whole while enabling to browse the main display 20 , so that it is possible make the telephone call or execute various kinds of application programs in addition to a camera shot. explained next will be respective structural elements of the mobile telephone 100 shown in figs. 1 to 6 . the ten-key 10 is an operation key used for inputting a telephone number and characters of an electronic mail. the guide keys 11 to 13 are operation keys in which different functions are assigned in accordance with usage situations and the assigned function is displayed in the main display 20 , and generally called soft keys or function keys. the main multifunctional key 14 is an independent single operation key in which four kinds of operation inputs can be made by upper, lower, left and right pressing portions. the main multifunctional key 14 is called a cross key due to the arrangement of the pressing portions, and also called a direction key because it is suitable for cursor movement. however, it is not exclusively used for cursor movement, and a different function can be assigned to each of the pressing portions. for example, it is possible to assign an incoming telephone call history to a left operation, redial to a right operation, a message memo to an upper operation, and a shortcut menu display to a lower operation. the main multifunctional key 14 has a ring shape and the main guide key 12 being a different operation key is arranged in the center. among the operation keys 10 to 17 , the main functional key 14 has the highest usage frequency in general, followed by a high usage frequency of the main guide keys 11 to 13 . moreover, among the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main guide key (center guide key) 12 to be used as a determination key has the highest usage frequency. therefore, the main guide key 12 is arranged in the center of the main multifunctional key 14 by taking operability into consideration. the off-hook key 15 is an operation key which is operated at the time of starting the telephone call, and the off-hook 16 is an operation key which is operated at the time of finishing the telephone call. although the main key 17 is an operation key in which different functions are assigned in accordance with usage situations, the function assignment is not displayed in the main display 20 , which is different from the guide keys 11 to 13 . the sub guide keys 23 and 24 provided on the display panel of the display case 2 are operation keys corresponding to the main guide keys 11 and 13 , and used in the reverse open state and the reverse close state. in these terminal states, the main display 20 is used by turning upside down, so that the sub guide keys 23 and 24 are arranged in the lower side of the main display 20 in the display state, or the opposite side of the movable connector 3 in the display panel (top end portion side of the case rather than the main display 20 ). in the normal open state, an operation input by the sub guide keys 23 and 24 is inactivated to prevent the erroneous operation. the telephone call receiver 21 is a receiver used in the telephone call in the normal open state, and arranged in the opposite side of the movable connector 3 (top end portion side of the case rather than the main display 20 ) in the display panel. meanwhile, the telephone call receiver 22 is the telephone call receiver used in the reverse close state, and arranged in a side of the movable connector 3 rather than the main display 20 in the display panel. side operation keys 25 to 27 are arranged in the end surface of the operation case 1 . these side operation keys 25 to 27 are arranged in the left side surface of the operation case 1 , and in a side of the movable connector 3 rather than the center of the operation case 1 in the longitudinal direction. these side operation keys 25 to 27 are used in the reverse open state and the reverse close state, and an operation input thereof is inactivated in the normal open state to prevent a key operation which is not intended by the user. the side operation key 25 is a side guide key (so called determination key) to be made to correspond to the main guide key 12 , and capable of performing the same operation input with the main guide key 12 . the side operation key 27 is a side clear key to be made to correspond to the main clear key 17 , and capable of performing the same operation input with the main clear key 17 . the side operation key 26 is a side multifunctional key to be made to correspond to the main multifunctional key 14 . the side multifunctional key 26 is an independent single operation key in which four kinds of operation inputs can be made by upper, lower, left and right pressing portions. if the user performs the same operations with the main multifunctional key 14 in the side multifunctional key 26 , the same operation inputs can be made. in relation to the main guide key 12 arranged in the center of the main multifunctional key 14 , the side guide key 25 is arranged in the vicinity of the side multifunctional key 26 . because the side multifunctional key 26 is arranged in the end surface of the operation case 1 , the side guide key 25 is separated from the side multifunctional key 26 and arranged in the vicinity thereof, so that the operation case 1 can be thinned while suppressing costs without significantly reducing operability. a camera 52 and the mobile light 53 are provided in the main surface to be different from the operation panel in the operation case 1 . the camera 52 is an imaging means comprised of a ccd or cmos image sensor, in which an object image is subjected to a monitor display in the main display 20 as a finder at the time of taking a shot. accordingly, it is used in the normal open state or the reverse close in the case of taking a shot of another person and a scene or the like, and used in the reverse open state in the case of taking a shot of the user by himself. the mobile light 53 is a flash light which is turned on at the time of lacking exposure and comprised of an led. either of the magneto 40 or the magnetic sensor 41 is provided in the operation case 1 , while the remaining is provided in the display case 2 , and they are arranged in mutually opposing positions in the normal close state. therefore, if the magnetic sensor 41 detects a line of magnetic force of the magneto 40 , the normal close state can be determined. either of the magneto 42 or the magnetic sensor 43 is arranged on the rotating member 32 of the moveable connector 3 , while the remaining is arranged on the flame member 33 of the display case 2 . they are arranged in mutually opposing positions in the state of being offset to the second rotating axis a 2 , and directing the operation panel and the display panel in the same direction. therefore, if the magnetic sensor 43 detects a line of magnetic force of the magneto 42 , it is possible to determine the normal open state and the normal close state, while the reverse open state and the reverse close state can be determined if there is no detection. a hall element and an mr element or the like can be used in the magnetic sensors 41 and 43 . fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 . a main control unit 60 is comprised of a processor which executes a main control of the mobile telephone 100 . a wireless unit 61 is a wireless unit to perform a wireless communication with a cellular wireless base station (not shown) via an antenna. a communication control unit 62 controls the wireless communication on the basis of an instruction of the main control unit 60 . a terminal state detector 63 determines the terminal state on the basis of a detected signal of the magnetic sensors 41 and 43 . if the detected result of the magnetic sensors 41 and 43 is used, it is possible to determine the normal close state, the normal open state and the remaining states (specifically the reverse open state and the reverse close state). however, it is impossible to determine the difference between the reverse open state and the reverse close state. the main control unit 60 differentiates operations in an input control unit 64 , a voice control unit 65 , and a display control unit 66 on the basis of the determined result. in the present embodiment, the difference between an operation in the reverse open state or the reverse close state and an operation in the normal open state will be mainly explained. the input control unit 64 monitors operations in the main operation keys 10 to 17 , the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 , and output a key operation signal to the main control unit 60 . at that time, operations in the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 are inactivated on the basis of the terminals state. it is impossible to use the main operation keys 10 to 17 in the normal close state and the reverse close state of being folded with the operation panel turned inside. in the reverse open state in which the display panel and the operation panel are directed to the opposite directions, it is impossible to operate the main operation keys 10 to 17 while browsing the main display 20 , so that operability is extremely bad. therefore, in the normal close state, the reverse close state and the reverse open state, the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , or the side operation keys 25 to 27 are used in place of the main operation keys 10 to 17 . the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 are made to correspond to the main operation keys 11 to 14 and 17 , in which the same operations with the main operation keys are performed to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. that is, the same functions with the corresponding keys in the operation panel are assigned. also, if different functions are assigned to the main operation keys 11 to 14 and 17 in response to the period of operational time, or if functions are different depending on a short keypress and a long keypress, the same functions with the corresponding main operation keys for the short keypress and the long keypress are assigned to the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 . however, the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 are possibly operated in the normal open state without any intentions of the user, so that these key operations are inactivated in the normal open state by the input control unit 64 . particularly when the phone call is made in the normal open state, there is a high possibility of the erroneous operation made by the side operation keys 25 to 27 and the effect of the erroneous operation is large during the telephone call, thereby an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 should be desirably inactivated at least during the telephone call in the normal open state. the voice control unit 65 executes an input/output control of a voice signal, in which receiving voice is outputted to the telephone call receivers 21 and 22 , and transmitting voice is inputted from the telephone call microphone 18 . the telephone call receiver 21 is used in the case of the telephone call in the normal open state, while the telephone call receiver 22 is used in the case of the telephone call in the reverse close state. the telephone call microphone 18 is commonly used in the both terminal states. the display control unit 66 executes a display control of the main display 20 and the sub display 51 . it also rotates a display image of the main display 20 by 180 degrees on the basis of the terminal state. if transition is made between the normal open state and the reverse close state, the main display screen is rotated by 180 degrees and the vertical direction is inverted to be seen from the user to hold the operation case 1 without changing the way of holding. therefore, in the reverse close state and the reverse open state, a display image in the normal open state is rotated by 180 degrees to display in the main display 20 . the display control unit 66 displays a function assignment to each of the guide keys in the lower end of the main display 20 . that is, in the normal open state, positions of the main guide keys 11 to 13 are made to be consistent with display positions of assigned functions in the main display 20 . meanwhile, in the reverse open state and the reverse close state in which the sub guide keys 23 and 24 are used, positions of the sub guide keys 23 and 24 are made to be consistent with display positions of assigned functions in the main display 20 by rotating a display image by 180 degrees. explained next will be a usage example of the mobile telephone 100 according to this embodiment using figs. 8 to 14 . fig. 8 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the normal open state. also, fig. 9 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the reverse close state. because a display image in the main display 20 is rotated by 180 degrees in accordance with the terminal states, the same image display is exhibited in the respective terminal states to be seen from the user. moreover, as shown in the following chart, the same functions are assigned to the usable operation key in the respective terminal states. table 1function assignment in standbynormal open statereverse open statefunction assignmentmain guide keys 11sub guide key 23mailmain guide keys 12sub guide key 25decisionmain guide keys 13sub guide key 24cameramain multifunctionalside multifunctionalkey 14key 26left operationleft operationincoming historyright operationright operationredialupper operationupper operationmessage memolower operationlower operationshortcut if a standby screen is displayed on the main display 20 , mail, determination and camera functions are assigned to the main guide keys 11 to 13 respectively in the normal open state. also, with respect to the left, right, upper and lower operations of the main multifunctional key 14 , incoming telephone call history, redial, message memo, and shortcut functions are assigned respectively. meanwhile, in the reverse close state, mail, determination and camera functions are assigned to the sub guide key 23 , the side guide key 25 , and the sub guide key 24 respectively. also, with respect to the left, right, upper and lower functions of the side multifunctional key 26 , incoming telephone call history, redial, message memo, and shortcut functions are assigned respectively. this applies to the reverse open state while displaying the standby screen in exactly the same manner. that is, operations to be made using the main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main multifunctional key 14 in the normal open state can be performed in the reverse open state and the reverse close state using the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , the side guide key 25 , and the side multifunctional key 26 . fig. 10 is a diagram showing the state during an incoming telephone call in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state, in which fig. 10 a shows the state during an incoming telephone call in the normal open state, and fig. 10 b shows the state during an incoming telephone call in the reverse close state. during the incoming telephone call, in the normal open state call, a menu display function is assigned to the main guide key 12 . in the reverse open state and the reverse close state, the menu display function is assigned to the side guide key 25 , while on-hook and off-hook functions are assigned to the sub guide keys 23 and 24 respectively. in the reverse close state, it is impossible to use the off-hook key 15 and the on-hook key 16 in the operation panel. therefore, the on-hook and off-hook functions that are not assigned to main guide keys 11 to 13 in the normal open state are assigned to the sub guide keys 23 and 24 respectively during an incoming telephone call in the reverse close state. accordingly, if there is an incoming telephone call in the reverse close state, the user can start to make the telephone call by performing the on-hook operation in the reverse close state without any changes. fig. 11 is a diagram showing the state during the telephone call in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state, in which fig. 11 a shows the state during the telephone call in the normal open state, and fig. 11 b shows the state during the telephone call in the reverse close state. if it is during the telephone call in the normal open state, the menu display function is assigned to the main guide key 12 in the same manner with the state during an incoming telephone call. if it is during the telephone call in the reverse open state and the reverse close state, the menu display function is assigned to the side guide key 25 , while speaker receiving and on-hook functions are assigned to the sub guide keys 23 and 24 respectively. the speaker receiving is a function to output receiving voice from a speaker not shown, and it is the function assigned to the off-hook key 15 during the telephone call in the normal open state and the function assigned to the sub guide key 23 during the telephone call in the reverse close state. meanwhile, the on-hook function is assigned to the sub guide key 24 during a call in the reverse close state. therefore, the user can perform the on-hook operation in the reverse close state without any changes in order to finish the telephone call. that is, functions of the off-hook key 15 and the on-hook key 16 can be used in the reverse close state both during the telephone call and during an incoming telephone call. although it is possible to use the side guide keys 25 to 27 , and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 in the reverse close state, a face is approached to the mobile telephone during the telephone call, so that the side guide keys 25 to 27 are exclusively operated. therefore, from the aspect of preventing the erroneous operation, the on-hook function should be desirably applied to the sub guide key 23 or 24 instead of applying to the side operation keys 25 to 27 . fig. 12 is a diagram showing the state of inputting a telephone number in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state, in which fig. 12 a shows the state of inputting a telephone number in the normal open state, and fig. 12 b shows the state of inputting telephone number in the reverse close state. when a telephone number is inputted, calculator, telephone book, sub menu functions are assigned to the main guide keys 11 to 13 respectively in the normal open state. in the reverse close state and the reverse open state, telephone book and sub menu functions are assigned to the side guide key 25 and the sub guide key 24 respectively, while an on-hook function is assigned to sub guide key 23 . it is impossible to use the ten-key 10 in the reverse close state. however, the telephone book can be used. it is also possible to make transition to the reverse close state after inputting a telephone number in the normal open state, so that the telephone call can be made. therefore, the off-hook function which is different from the functions assigned to the main guide key 11 is assigned to the sub guide key 23 , so that the user can make the telephone call by performing the off-hook operation in the reverse close state without any changes. fig. 13 is a diagram showing the state of a camera shot in the normal open state. also, fig. 14 is a diagram showing the state of a camera shot in the reverse open state. the same functions are assigned to the usable operation keys in the respective terminal states at the time of a camera shot as shown in the following chart, in the same manner with the standby state shown in fig. 8 and fig. 9 . table 2function assignment in standbynormal open statereverse open statefunction assignmentmain guide keys 11sub guide key 23light on/offmain guide keys 12sub guide key 25camera shotmain guide keys 13sub guide key 24sub menumain multifunctionalside multifunctionalkey 14key 26left operationleft operationzoom downright operationright operationzoom upupper operationupper operationbrightness adjustment(increase)lower operationlower operationbrightness adjustment(decrease) at the time of a camera shot in the normal open state, light on/off, camera shot and sub menu functions are assigned to the main guide keys 11 to 13 respectively. with respect to the left, right, upper and lower operations of the main multifunction keys 14 , camera shot adjustment functions such as zoom down, zoom up, brightness increase, and brightness decrease are assigned respectively. meanwhile, at the time of a camera shot in the reverse open state, light-on/off, camera shot and sub menu functions are assigned to the sub guide key 23 , the sub guide key 25 , and the sub guide key 24 respectively. also, with respect to the left, right, upper and lower operations of the sub multifunction key 26 , camera shot adjustment functions such as zoom-down, zoom-up, brightness increase and brightness decrease are assigned respectively. this applies to a camera shot in the reverse close state in exactly the same manner. that is, the operation keys 11 to 14 and 23 to 26 are used as a shot control key to perform various kinds of setting and a release operation related to a camera shot, in which the user can operate the shot control key in either states of the normal open state, the reverse close state and the reverse open state. in addition, an operation input made by using the main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main multifunction key 14 in the normal open state can also be performed by using the sub guide keys 23 and 24 and the side operation keys 25 and 26 in the reverse open state and the reverse close state. although explanation was made for examples of the functions assigned to the short keypress of the respective operation keys in figs. 8 to 14 , functions assigned to the long keypress of these operation keys are exactly the same, thereby duplicated explanation will be omitted. fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of an input control related to the side operation keys 25 to 27 in the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 as steps s 101 to s 108 . the mobile telephone 100 according to this embodiment has a side key inactivation flag (not shown) to inactivate an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 . the side key inactivation flag is renewed by the terminal state detector 63 on the basis of the detected signal of the magnetic sensors 41 and 43 . the input control unit 64 controls an operation inputs by the side operation keys 25 to 27 on the basis of the side key inactivation flag. the terminal state is initially determined by the terminal state detector 63 (step s 101 ). at this time, if the terminal is in the normal open state, the side key inactivation flag is turned on (steps s 102 and s 103 ). if the side key inactivation flag is in the on state, the input control unit 64 does not output a key operation signal of the side operation keys 25 to 27 to the main control unit 60 , so that an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 is inactivated (step s 104 ). accordingly, it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation of the side operation keys 25 to 27 in the normal open state. if the terminal is in the reverse open state or the reverse close state, the side key inactivation flag is turned off, so that an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 is activated (steps s 105 to s 107 ). if the terminal is in the normal close state, a closing process is executed because a display or the like by the main display 20 is finished (step s 108 ). if the side operation keys 25 to 27 are not used in the normal close state, an operation input of the side operation keys 25 to 27 can be inactivated in the normal close state by including a process to turn on the side inactivation flag in said closing process. according to this embodiment, the side operation keys 25 to 27 are provided in the side surface of the operation case 1 , and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 are provided on the display panel, so that various kinds of operation inputs can be performed while browsing the main display 20 in the reverse close state in which the mobile telephone is folded to be compact. at that time, the same operations with the main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main multifunction key 14 are performed to achieve the same operation inputs therewith, resulting in good operability and easy understanding of the operations for the user. also, an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 is inactivated in accordance with the terminal states, enabling to prevent the erroneous operation performed against intentions of the user. the structure and the operation to movably connect the mobile telephone explained in this embodiment are an example, and the present invention is not limited the cases stated above. that is, the present invention can be applied to a foldable mobile telephone which is comprised of the operation case 1 and the display case 2 , and has at least the normal open state of being expanded by directing the display panel and the operation panel to the same direction, and the reverse close state of being folded by directing the operation panel inward and the display panel outward. second embodiment in the first embodiment, explanation was made for the example in the case of controlling activation and inactivation of an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 . in this embodiment, the case of controlling activation and inactivation of an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 will be further explained. fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of an input control according to the second embodiment of the present invention as steps s 201 to s 210 , exhibiting an example of the input control related to the main operation keys 10 to 17 , the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 in the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 . the terminal state is initially determined by the terminal state detector 63 (step s 201 ). at this time, if it is in the normal open state, an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 is inactivated, so that an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 is activated (steps s 202 to s 205 ). that is, the input control unit 64 does not output a key operation signal of the side operation keys 25 to 27 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 to the main control unit 60 on the basis of the detected result of the terminal states. therefore, it is possible to prevent an erroneous input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 in the normal open state. meanwhile, if it is in the reverse open state or the reverse close state, an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 is activated, and an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 is inactivated (steps s 206 to s 209 ). that is, the input control unit 64 does not output a key operation signal of the main operation keys 10 to 17 to the main control unit 60 on the basis of the detected result of the terminal state. therefore, it is possible to prevent an erroneous input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 in the reverse open state or the reverse close state. the reverse open state is a terminal state in which the both cases are folded with the operation panel directed inward, so that the user does not operate the main operation keys 10 to 17 in this terminal state. however, due to dust or the like held between the operation case 1 and the display case 2 , the main operation keys 10 to 17 are occasionally operated, so that such the erroneous operation can be prevented by inactivating the main operation keys 10 to 17 in the reverse close state. if the terminal is in the normal close state, a closing process is executed to finish a display or the like by the main display 20 (step s 210 ). the closing process may include a process to inactivate an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 and the sub guide keys 23 and 24 . it is also possible to further include a process of inactivate an operation input by the side operation keys 25 to 27 . according to this embodiment, the terminal state detector 63 detects the terminal state, so that the input control unit 64 controls the main operation keys 10 to 17 , the sub guide keys 23 and 24 , and the side operation keys 25 to 27 on the basis of the detected result. therefore, it is possible to switch and control activation and inactivation of these operation keys in accordance with terminal states, particularly the normal open state and the reverse close state, so that enhancement of operability and prevention of erroneous operations can be realized. third embodiment in the first and second embodiments, explanation was made for the examples of the mobile telephone provided with the multifunctional key in the side surface of the operation case. on the contrary, in this embodiment, an example of a mobile telephone provided with the multifunctional key on the display panel will be explained. figs. 17 to 20 are diagrams showing an example of a mobile telephone according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which appearances of a foldable mobile telephone 200 are exhibited in the normal open state, the normal close state, the reverse open state and the reverse close state. the mobile telephone 200 according to this embodiment is also comprised of the operation case 1 , the display case 2 and the movable connector 3 in the same manner with the first and second embodiments, in which the both cases 1 and 2 can be relatively rotated using the first rotating axis a 1 and the second rotating axis a 2 as a center. accordingly, transition can be made into the four terminal states of the normal open state, the normal close state, the reverse open state, and the reverse close state. the operation case 1 has the same operation panel with the case of fig. 1 (first embodiment), but does not include the side operation key in the side surface of the operation case 1 . meanwhile, there are the main display 20 and the telephone call receivers 21 and 22 , in addition to a sub camera 9 , sub guide keys 71 to 73 , a sub multifunction key 74 and a sub clear key 77 to be provided on the display panel of the display case 2 . the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the sub multifunction key 74 and the sub clear key 77 are an operation key (sub operation key) provided on the display panel of the display case 2 . these sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are made to correspond to the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main multifunction key 14 and the main clear key 17 provided on the operation panel of the operation case 1 , and mainly used in the reverse close state and the reverse open state. each of the sub guide keys 71 to 73 is a guide key provided on the display panel, and made to correspond to the main guide keys 11 to 13 respectively. that is, if the user operates the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the same operation inputs at the time of operating the main guide keys 11 to 13 can be achieved. for example, the sub guide key 72 can be used as a determination key (main guide key 12 ). the sub multifunction key 74 is a multifunction key provided on the display panel, comprised of an independent single operation key in which four kinds of operation inputs can be performed depending on upper, lower, left and right pressing portions, and made to correspond to the main multifunction key 14 . that is, if the user performs the same operations with the main multifunction key 14 in the sub multifunction key 74 , the same operation inputs therewith can be achieved. the sub clear key 77 is a clear key provided on the display panel, and made to correspond to the main clear key 17 . that is, if the user operates the sub clear key 77 , the same operation inputs with the main clear key 17 can be achieved. these sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are used in the reverse close state and the reverse open state. in these terminal states, the main display 20 is used upside down in comparison with the normal open state, so that the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the sub multifunction key 74 and the sub clear key 77 are arranged in the lower side of the main display 20 in the display state, or more specifically in the opposite side of the movable connector 3 in the display panel. an operation input by the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 is inactivated in the normal open state in order to prevent an operation input to be made without any intentions of the user. particularly when the telephone call is made, an erroneous input caused by the user's ear or the like abutting to the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 is prevented. as opposed to the arrangement of the main guide key 12 in the center of the main multifunction key 14 , the sub guide key 72 is arranged in the vicinity of the multi function key 74 . due to this structure, the sub multifunction key 74 is miniaturized to suppress enlargement of the display panel. the sub guide key 72 may be arranged in the center of the sub multifunction key 74 in the same manner with the main guide key 12 , which is needless to say. the sub multifunction key 74 is arranged in the middle of the widthwise direction of the display panel. the short side of the top end side of the display case 2 (opposite side of the movable connector 3 ) is comprised of a gently curved convex shape, and both end portions of which are rounded. therefore, a center portion of the display panel has the longest longitudinal direction, so that enlargement of the display panel can be suppressed by arranging the sub multifunction key 74 in the center of the display panel in the widthwise direction. furthermore, if the main multifunction key 14 is arranged in the center of the operation panel in the widthwise direction, the main multifunction key 14 in the normal open state and the sub multifunction key 74 in the reverse open state can be arranged in the lower side center of the main display 20 to be seen from the user, so that the user can perform substantially the same operations in the both terminal states. that is, operability can be integrated between the normal open state and the reverse open state by arranging the main multifunction key 14 and the sub multifunction key 74 in a position corresponding to the widthwise direction in the cases 1 and 2 . from the aspect as stated above, it is further desirable that the main multifunction key 14 in the normal open state and the sub multifunction key 74 in the reverse open state have substantially the consistent distance from the main display 20 . therefore, the center of the main display 20 should be desirably arranged in the connector 5 side rather than the center of the display panel in the longitudinal direction. the sub camera 9 is comprised of a ccd or cmos image sensor, and an imaging means which is more simplified than the main camera 52 . the sub camera 9 is used as a camera for a tv telephone call in the normal open state and the reverse close state. that is, the user can take a shot of himself by the sub camera 9 to transmit the taken image to a terminal of a call partner while displaying an image data from the call partner in the main display 20 at the same time. fig. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the internal mechanical structure of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 , exhibiting a main portion of the movable connector 5 along with the terminal state detection sensors 40 to 43 . the magnetic sensor 41 and the magneto 40 are arranged here in the vicinity of the top end portions of the respective cases in the longitudinal direction and the center in the widthwise direction, or more specifically on the second rotating axis a 2 . therefore, if the magnetic sensor 41 detects a line of magnetic force of the magneto 40 , it is possible to determine the folded state which is the normal close state or the reverse close state. fig. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 . the input control unit 64 monitors an operation input made by the main operation keys 10 to 17 and the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 , and outputs a key operation signal to output to the main control unit 60 . at that time, a control to switch activation and inactivation of an operation input by the respective operation keys is executed on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state. it is impossible to use the main operation keys 10 to 17 on the operation panel in the normal closes state and the reverse close state of being folded with the operation panel directed inward. in the reverse open side in which the display panel and the operation panel are directed to the opposite directions, it is impossible to perform an operation while browsing the main display 20 , resulting in extremely bad operability. therefore, in the reverse close state and the reverse open state, the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are used in place of the main operation keys 10 to 17 . that is, a control is executed in the normal open state to activate an operation input by the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main multifunction key 14 and the main clear key 17 , and to inactivate an operation input by the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the sub multifunction key 74 and the sub clear key 77 . meanwhile, a control is executed in the reverse open state and the reverse close state to inactivate an operation input by the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main multifunction key 14 and the main clear key 17 , and to activate an operation input by the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the sub multifunction key 74 and the sub clear key 77 . in the normal close state, an operation input by all the operation keys is inactivated. the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are made to correspond to the main operation keys 10 to 14 and 17 , and the same operations with the main operation keys are performed to achieve the same operation inputs therewith. that is, the same functions with the corresponding keys in the operation panel are assigned. if different functions are assigned to the main operation keys 10 to 14 and 17 in response to the period of operation time, or more specifically if functions are differentiated by the short keypress and long keypress, the same functions with the corresponding operation keys for the short keypress and the long keypress are also assigned to the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 respectively. the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 as stated above are possibly operated by the user without any intentions in the normal open state, thereby an operation input by these operation keys is inactivated in the normal open state. particularly when the telephone call is made in the normal open state, there is a high possibility of an erroneous input in the sub multifunction key 74 , so that an operation input by the sub multifunction key 74 should be desirably inactivated at least during the telephone call in the normal open state. the display control unit 66 executes a display control of the main display 20 and the sub display 51 . for example, a control to rotate a display image of the main display image 20 by 180 degrees is performed on the basis of the identified result of the terminal states. the display control unit 66 also displays functions assigned to the respective guide keys in the lower end of the main display 20 . that is, in the normal open state in which the main guide keys 11 to 13 are used, positions of the main guide keys 11 to 13 are made to be consistent with display positions of the assigned functions in the main display 20 . meanwhile, in the reverse close state in which the sub guide keys 71 to 73 are used, positions of the sub guide keys 71 to 73 are made to be consistent with display positions of the assigned functions in the display screen. the imaging control unit 67 executes an imaging control of the main camera 52 and the sub camera 9 . that is, the sub camera 9 is used to take a shot at the time of a tv telephone in the normal open state and the reverse close state, and the main camera 52 is used to take a shot in the remaining states. explained next will be a usage example of the mobile telephone 200 according to this embodiment using figs. 23 and 24 . fig. 23 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the normal open state. also, fig. 24 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the reverse close state. because a display image in the main display 20 is rotated by 180 degrees in accordance with the terminal state, the same display image is exhibited in either of the terminal states to be seen from the user. as shown in the following chart, the same functions are assigned to the usable operation keys in the respective terminal states. table 3function assignment in standbynormal open statereverse open statefunction assignmentmain guide keys 11sub guide key 71mailmain guide keys 12sub guide key 72decisionmain guide keys 13sub guide key 73cameramain multifunctionalsub multifunctionalkey 14key 74left operationleft operationincoming historyright operationright operationredialupper operationupper operationmessage memolower operationlower operationshortcutmain clear key 17sub clear key 77clear that is, if the standby screen is displayed on the main display 20 , determination, mail, camera and clear functions are assigned to the respective main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main clear key 17 . also, with respect to the left, right, upper and lower operations of the main multifunction key 14 , incoming telephone call history, redial, message memo and shortcut functions are assigned. meanwhile, in the reverse close state, determination, mail, camera and clear functions are assigned to the sub guide keys 71 to 73 and the sub clear key 77 . also, with respect to the left, right, upper and lower operations of the sub multifunction key 74 , incoming telephone call history, redial, message memo and shortcut functions are assigned in the same manner with the main multifunction key 14 . that is, operations made by using the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main multifunction key 14 and the main clear key 17 in the normal open state can also be performed by using the sub guide keys 71 to 73 , the sub multifunction key 74 and the sub clear key 77 in the reverse close state. a display and function assignment in the reverse open state are the same with those of the reverse close state. fig. 25 is a flowchart showing an example of an input control related to the main operation keys 10 to 17 , and the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 in the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 as steps s 301 to s 308 . the terminal state is initially determined by the terminal state detector 63 (step s 301 ). at that time, if the terminal is in the normal open state, an operation input by the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are inactivated, while an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 are activated (steps s 302 to s 304 ). that is, the input control unit 64 does not output a key operation signal of the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 to the main control unit 60 on the basis of the detected result of the terminal state. therefore, it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation of the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 in the normal open state. if the terminal is in the reverse open state or the reverse close state, an operation input by the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are activated, while an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 are inactivated (steps s 305 to s 307 ). that is, the input control unit 64 does not output a key operation signal of the main operation keys 10 to 17 to the main control unit 60 on the basis of the detected result of the terminal state. therefore, it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation of the main operation keys 10 to 17 in the reverse open state and the reverse close state. if the terminal is in the normal close state, a closing process is executed to finish a display or the like by the main display 20 (step s 308 ). the closing process includes a process to inactivate an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 , and the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 . according to this embodiment, the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are provided on the display panel, various kinds of operation inputs can be performed while browsing the main display 20 in the reverse close state in which the mobile telephone is folded to be compact. particularly due to the arrangement of the sub multifunction key 74 on the display panel, various kinds of operation inputs can be made possible in the reverse close state while suppressing the increase in the number of the operation keys on the display panel, reduction in the main display 20 , and enlargement in the display case 2 . also, because the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 performs the same operation inputs with the main guide keys 11 to 13 , the main multifunction key 14 and the main clear key 17 to achieve the same operations therewith, excellent operability and easy understanding of the operations for the user are realized. moreover, the terminal state detector 63 detects the terminal state, and the input control unit 64 controls to switch activation and inactivation of the main operation keys 10 to 17 and the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 on the basis of the detected result. therefore, it is possible to control activation and inactivation of the operation keys in accordance with the normal open state and the reverse close state, so that operability is enhanced and the erroneous operation can be prevented. particularly in the normal open state, the erroneous operation by the sub multifunction key 74 can be effectively prevented by inactivating an operation input by the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 . also, an operation input by the sub multifunction key 74 is inactivated during the telephone call in the normal open state, so that the telephone call can be made without generating the erroneous operation in the normal open state. in the reverse close state, the sub multifunction key 74 is positioned in the center in front of the main display 20 for the user, so that an operation input can be made by the multifunction key which is positioned in the center in the front side of the main display 20 , in either terminal states of the normal open state and the reverse close state. accordingly, it is made possible for the user to obtain integrated operability in the respective terminal states and to operate the multifunction keys without being interrupted to browse the main display 20 in the either of the terminal states. although explanation was made in this embodiment for the example in the case of controlling both activation and inactivation in an operation input by the main operation keys 10 to 17 , and the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 , the above stated case is not limited. for example, there may be the case to control activation and inactivation exclusively for the erroneous operation by the sub multifunction operation key 74 . fourth embodiment in the third embodiment, explanation was made for the example of the case in which activation and inactivation of an operation input by the operation keys can be switched in accordance with the terminal state. in this embodiment, the case of controlling illumination of the operation keys in accordance with the terminal state will be further explained. fig. 26 is a block diagram showing another example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 . in comparison with the mobile telephone of fig. 22 (third embodiment), this mobile telephone 200 ′ is different in the point of including a key lighting control unit 81 , a main key back light 82 and a sub key back light 83 . the main key back light 82 and the sub key back light 83 are a key illumination means to illuminate the respective operation keys from the rear surface side, and comprised of an led. the main back light 82 illuminates the respective operation keys on the operation panel including the main multifunction key 14 , while the sub key back light 83 illuminates the respective operation keys on the display panel including the sub multifunction key 74 . the key lighting control unit 85 executes a lighting control of the back lights 82 and 83 respectively on the basis of the identified result of the terminal states. it is assumed that a control is executed to turn on the back light corresponding to the multifunction key in which an operation input is activated, and turn off the backlight corresponding to the multifunction key in which an operation input is inactivated. that is, a control is executed in the normal open state to turn on the light of the main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main multifunction key 14 in the normal open state, and to turn off the light of the sub guide keys 71 to 73 and the sub multifunction key 74 . in the reverse close state, a control is executed to turn on the light of the sub guide keys 71 to 73 and the sub multifunction key 74 , and to turn off the light of the main guide keys 11 to 13 and the main multifunction key 14 . fig. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an operation on standby in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 , in which fig. 27 a shows the state of key illumination in the normal open state, and fig. 27 b shows the state of key illumination in the reverse close state. the light of the respective operation keys on the operation panel such as the main multifunction key 14 is turned on in the normal open state, and the light of the respective operation keys on the display panel such as the sub multifunction key 74 is turned on in the reverse close state. fig. 28 is a flowchart showing an example of the lighting control of the back lights 82 and 83 in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 as steps s 401 to s 411 . the terminal state is initially detected by the terminal state identification unit 63 (step s 401 ). as a result, if it is determined that the terminal state is not changed and there is no key operation within a predetermined period of time, the key lighting control unit 81 turns off the main key back light 82 and the sub key back light 83 so as to suppress electric current consumption (steps s 402 to s 405 ). meanwhile, if the terminals state is changed to the normal open state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns off the sub key back light 83 , and turns on the main key back light 82 (steps s 406 to s 408 ). therefore, the user understands that the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are inactivated, and the main operation keys 10 to 17 are activated. also, if the terminal state is changed to the reverse open state or the reverse close state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns on the sub key back light 83 , and turns off the main key back light 82 (steps s 409 to s 411 ). therefore, the user understands that the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are activated, and the main operation keys 10 to 17 are inactivated. moreover, if the terminal state is changed to the normal close state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns off both the main key back light 82 and the sub key back light 83 (step s 409 ). according to this embodiment, the back lights 82 and 83 are turned on respectively on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state, so that key illumination can be made in the multifunction keys 14 and 74 respectively in accordance with the terminal state. accordingly, it is possible to call user's attention by the visual effect and notify the user of activation and inactivation of the respective multifunction keys 14 and 74 in each of the terminal states. particularly because the key back light corresponding to the multifunction keys with an activated operation input is turned on and the key back light corresponding to the multifunction keys with an inactivated operation input is turned off, the activated multifunction key can be exhibited by the key illumination for easy understanding of the user. fifth embodiment in the fourth embodiment, explanation was made for the example of the case in which the operation keys are illuminated by switching the key back lights to be turned on in accordance with the terminal state. on the contrary, in this embodiment, the case of differentiating illumination colors of the key back light in accordance with the terminal state will be explained. figs. 29 a and 29 b are diagrams showing an example of an operation on standby in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 , in which fig. 29 a shows the state of key illumination in the normal open state, and fig. 29 b shows the state of key illumination in the reverse close state. in the mobile telephone 200 ′ according to this embodiment, a control is executed to switch illumination colors by the key back light to illuminate the respective operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 on the display panel such as the sub multifunction key 74 . the switch of the illumination colors by the key back light is made on the basis of the identified result of the terminal state. for example, red color illumination is used in the normal open state, while green color illumination is used in the reverse close state. fig. 30 is a flowchart showing an example of the lighting control of the sub key back light 83 in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 as steps s 501 to s 508 . the terminal state is initially determined by the terminal state identification unit 63 (step s 501 ). as a result, if it is determined that the terminal state is not changed and there is no key operation within a predetermined period of time, the key lighting control unit 81 turns off the sub key back light 83 (steps s 502 to s 504 ). meanwhile, if the terminal state is changed to the normal open state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns on the sub key back light 83 with a red color (steps s 505 and s 506 ). therefore, the user understands that the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are inactivated. also, if the terminal state is changed to the reverse open state or the reverse close state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns on the sub key back light 83 with a green color (steps s 507 and s 508 ). therefore, the user understands that the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are activated. moreover, if the terminal state is changed to the normal close state, the key lighting control unit 81 turns off the sub back light 83 (step s 507 ). according to this embodiment, the key lighting control unit 81 differentiates the illumination colors of the sub key back light 83 on the basis of the terminal state. therefore, it is possible for the user to identify whether the sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 are activated or inactivated by using the illumination colors of the keys. although explanation was made in this embodiment for the example of the case of switching the illumination colors of the operation keys in accordance with the terminal state, it does not limit the present invention. for example, the illumination colors may also be differentiated in accordance with the assigned functions. the illumination colors may also be differentiated by usage frequencies. also, the examples of the mobile telephones are explained in the respective embodiments stated above, but equipment to which the present invention is applied is not necessarily limited to the mobile communication terminal. that is, the present invention can be applied to various kinds of electronic instruments in which two thin cases are connected by a movable connector. for example, it is possible to be applied to an imaging device such as a digital still camera. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile telephone 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which appearance in a normal open state is exhibited. fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal mechanical structure of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in a normal close state. fig. 4 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in a reverse close state. fig. 5 is a diagram showing the state of rotating the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 using a second rotating axis a 2 as a center. fig. 6 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 in a reverse close state. fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 . fig. 8 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the normal open state. fig. 9 is a diagram showing the state on standby in the reverse close sate. fig. 10 is a diagram showing the state during an incoming telephone call in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state. fig. 11 is a diagram showing the state during the telephone call in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state. fig. 12 is a diagram showing the state of inputting a telephone number in the normal open state in comparison with the reverse close state. fig. 13 is a diagram showing the state of a camera shot in the normal open state. fig. 14 is a diagram showing the state of a camera shot in the reverse open state. fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of an input control related to side operation keys 25 to 27 in the mobile telephone 100 of fig. 1 . fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the input control according to a second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 17 is a diagram showing appearance of a mobile telephone 200 according to a third embodiment of the present invention in the normal open state. fig. 18 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 in the normal close state. fig. 19 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 in the reverse open state. fig. 20 is a diagram showing appearance of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 in the reverse close state. fig. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the internal mechanical structure of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 . fig. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 . fig. 23 is a diagram showing the state of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 on standby in the normal open state. fig. 24 is a diagram showing the state of the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 on standby in the reverse close state. fig. 25 is a flowchart showing an example of the input control related to main operation keys 10 to 17 , sub operation keys 71 to 74 and 77 in the mobile telephone 200 of fig. 17 . fig. 26 is a block diagram showing another example of the internal electrical configuration of the mobile telephone of fig. 17 (fourth embodiment). fig. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an operation on standby in a mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 . fig. 28 is a flowchart showing an example of a lighting control of key back lights 82 and 83 in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 . fig. 29 is a diagram showing an example of an operation on standby in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 -(fifth embodiment). fig. 30 is a flowchart showing an example of the lighting control of a sub key back light 83 in the mobile telephone 200 ′ of fig. 26 . description of reference symbols 1 operation case2 display case3 movable connector11 to 13 main guide key14 main multifunction key15 off-hook key16 on-hook key17 main clear key20 main display23 , 24 sub guide key25 side guide key26 side multifunction key27 side clear key63 terminal state detector64 input control unit71 to 73 sub guide key74 sub multifunction key77 sub clear key100 , 200 mobile telephonea 1 , a 2 rotating axis
099-902-759-665-927	US	[ "JP", "US", "DE", "EP", "WO", "CA", "AT", "ES" ]	F15B11/00,F15C3/04,F15C5/00,F16K11/04	1995-03-08T00:00:00	1995	[ "F15", "F16" ]	valve control	embodiments described herein relate to methods and structures for controlling a valve. one embodiment provides a valve control comprising a first valve fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. the first valve is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where fluid does not communicate between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. a first source of relatively increased pressure and a first source of relatively reduced pressure are provided. a third conduit fluidly connects the first source of relatively increased pressure and the first source of relatively reduced pressure with the first valve. a third valve is fluidly connected with the third conduit. the third valve is movable between a first position where the first source of relatively increased pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its second position and a second position where the first source of relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its first position. a second valve is fluidly connected with the third conduit between the third valve and the first valve. the second valve is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve.	1. a method of controlling a valve, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a number of first valves, each of the number of first valves being fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit, each of the first valves being movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit; (b) fluidly connecting at least one second valve with each of the number of first valves with at least one memory conduit; (c) fluidly connecting a source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure with the at least one second valve, the at least one second valve being movable between a first position where the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the at least one memory conduit and a second position where the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is not fluidly connected with the at least one memory conduit; (d) moving the at least one second valve toward its first position to fluidly connect the at least one memory conduit and a first subset of the number of first valves with the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure and to move the first subset of the number of first valves toward a first predetermined one of its first position and its second position responsive to the relatively increased pressure or the relatively reduced pressure; (e) moving the at least one second valve toward its second position thereby maintaining the first subset of the number of first valves in the first predetermined one of its first position and its second position; and (f) fluidly connecting the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure with a second subset of the number of first valves to move the second subset of the number of first valves toward a second predetermined one of its first position and its second position responsive to the relatively increased pressure or the relatively reduced pressure.	background of the invention embodiments of the present invention relate generally to controlling a valve. specifically, embodiments described herein relate to a valve control and a method for controlling a valve, or an array of valves. in some uses, a pneumatically actuated and controlled valve, for example, may be used in a valve array comprising multiple valves. the position of each valve, i.e. open or closed, may be changed by applying a relatively reduced pressure or a relatively increased pressure, respectively, to the valve. for each valve to be controlled independently, each valve is operatively connected with its own control valve which may be a relatively expensive solenoid valve. thus, two valves are needed to perform a certain task, one to perform the task and one to control the valve performing the task. this arrangement may be bulky and costly to manufacture and to use. thus, it is desirable to have an improved way of controlling a valve. in one improvement, a given control valve, such as a solenoid valve, may be "shared" or used by a number of other valves through a network. sharing of valves may result in cost savings, size and weight reductions, and/or reduction in complexity of the overall design of the valve array and its associated control structure. summary of the invention one embodiment provides a valve control comprising a first valve fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. the first valve is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where fluid does not communicate between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. a first source of relatively increased pressure and a first source of relatively reduced pressure are provided. a third conduit fluidly connects the first source of relatively increased pressure and the first source of relatively reduced pressure with the first valve. a third valve is fluidly connected with the third conduit. the third valve is movable between a first position where the first source of relatively increased pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its second position and a second position where the first source of relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its first position. a second valve is fluidly connected with the third conduit between the third valve and the first valve. the second valve is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve. another embodiment offers a method for controlling a valve. in this embodiment, a first valve is fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. the first valve is moved between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where fluid does not communicate between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. a first source of relatively increased pressure and a first source of relatively reduced pressure are fluidly connected with the first valve by a third conduit. a third valve is fluidly connected to the third conduit. the third valve is moved between a first position where the first source of relatively increased pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its second position and a second position where the first source of relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the third conduit and the first valve thereby moving the first valve toward its first position. a second valve is fluidly connected with the third conduit between the third valve and the first valve. the second valve is moved between a first position where fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first valve and the third valve. an additional embodiment provides a valve control comprising a first valve fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. the first valve is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. a memory conduit is fluidly connected with the first valve for maintaining the first valve in the first position or the second position. a second valve is fluidly connected with the first valve and the memory conduit for either moving the first valve between the first position and the second position or for maintaining a pressure state of the memory conduit for keeping the first valve in either the first position or the second position depending upon the pressure state of the memory conduit. a further embodiment offers a method of controlling a valve. in this method, a first valve is fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. the first valve moves between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. a second valve is fluidly connected with the first valve. a memory conduit is fluidly connected fluidly between the first valve and the second valve for maintaining the first valve in the first position or the second position. the second valve is moved to move the first valve between the first position and the second position. the second valve is moved to maintain a pressure state of the memory conduit for keeping the first valve in either the first position or the second position depending upon the pressure state of the memory conduit. yet another embodiment provides another method of controlling a valve. here, a number of first valves are provided. each of the number of first valves is fluidly connected with a first fluid conveying conduit and a second fluid conveying conduit. each of the first valves is movable between a first position where fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit and a second position where no fluid communicates between the first fluid conveying conduit and the second fluid conveying conduit. at least one second valve is fluidly connected with each of the number of first valves with at least one memory conduit. a source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the at least one second valve. the at least one second valve is movable between a first position where the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the at least one memory conduit and a second position where the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is not fluidly connected with the at least one memory conduit. the at least one second valve is moved toward its first position to fluidly connect the at least one memory conduit and a first subset of the number of first valves with the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure and to move the first subset of the number of first valves toward a first predetermined one of its first position and its second position responsive to the relatively increased pressure or the relatively reduced pressure. the at least one second valve is moved toward its second position thereby maintaining the first subset of the number of first valves in the first predetermined one of its first position and its second position. the source of relatively increased pressure or relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with a second subset of the number of first valves to move the second subset of the number of first valves toward a second predetermined one of its first position and its second position responsive to the relatively increased pressure or the relatively reduced pressure. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a generic schematic diagram of an embodiment used to control a valve; fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of another embodiment similar to the embodiment of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary valve array utilizing portions of the embodiment of fig. 1; and fig. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment similar to the embodiment of fig. 2. detailed description of preferred embodiments fig. 1 generally illustrates an embodiment 10 and a method for controlling a first valve 12. for the sake of clarity, the embodiment 10 and method are initially disclosed herein with respect to controlling only the first valve 12. however, it is to be recognized that the embodiment 10 and method may be used, with suitable modifications, to control a desired number of valves. further, for the sake of clarity of understanding, the embodiment 10 is discussed with respect to a particular valve construction, illustrated in fig. 2. other constructions of the embodiment 10, such as that illustrated in fig. 4 comprising an insert valve, are also possible. but, the embodiment 10 may be used, again with suitable modifications, to control valves of any appropriate construction. a valve may be controlled fluidly, electrostatically, electromagnetically, mechanically or the like. additionally, method steps disclosed herein may be performed in any desired order and steps from one method may be combined with steps of another method to arrive at yet other methods. the embodiment 10 and method may be used to control a valve employed in any suitable type of fluidic system. the fluidic system may be incorporated into any suitable structure, such as an analytical instrument and the like. in some embodiments, the first valve 12, and other valves, may be a flow through valve fluidly connected with a fluid conveying conduit. flow through valves are discussed, for instance, in copending u.s. patent application, ser. no. 08/334,902, filed on nov. 7, 1994 and assigned to the assignee of the present case. the entire disclosure of that copending patent application is incorporated herein by reference. accordingly, the first fluid conveying conduit 14 and the second fluid conveying conduit 16 may be portions of the same fluid conveying conduit. referring to fig. 1, the first valve 12 is fluidly connected between a first fluid conveying conduit 14 and a second fluid conveying conduit 16 such that operation of the first valve 12 determines whether or not fluid communicates between conduits 14 and 16. specifically, when the first valve 12 is in a first position, fluid communicates between conduits 14 and 16, and when the first valve 12 is in a second position, fluid does not communicate between the conduits 14 and 16. any desired fluid, such as gasses, liquids and the like, may be present in conduits 14 and 16. the first valve 12 is fluidly connected to a second valve 18 by a control or memory conduit 20. in some embodiments, there may be multiple second valves 18 fluidly connected with a single first valve 12. in other embodiments, there may be multiple first valves 12 fluidly connected with a single second valve 18. pressure in the control conduit 20 determines operation of the first valve 12. thus, the control conduit 20 may be understood to be a memory conduit in that the pressure maintained in the memory conduit 20 maintains the first valve 12 in either the first position or the second position, i.e. the memory conduit 20 "remembers" the last pressure state applied to or the last position of the first valve 12. thus, the pressure state of the memory conduit 20 determines the position of the first valve 12. operation of the second valve 18 determines pressure in the control conduit 20. specifically, when the second valve 18 is in a first position, a third conduit 22 is fluidly connected with the control conduit 20 such that pressure in the third conduit 22 is exposed to the control conduit 20. when the second valve 18 is in a second position, the third conduit 22 does not fluidly communicate with the control conduit 20 and the pressure in the control conduit 20 is independent of or isolated from the pressure in the third conduit 22. the second valve 18 is fluidly connected by the third conduit 22 to a third valve 24 and is fluidly connected by a fourth conduit 26 to a fourth valve 28. pressure within the fourth conduit 26 controls operation of the second valve 18. in some embodiments, the second valve 18 may be maintained in either the first or second position by mechanical means, such as a spring and the like. in these embodiments, one of the pressure sources may not be needed and therefore it and associated structures may be eliminated. in any case, operation of the second valve 18 determines whether or not the control conduit 20 communicates fluidicly with the third conduit 22. in a particular embodiment, the fluid present in the control conduit 20 is a gas such as air and the like. the fourth valve 28 is fluidly connected with a source 30 of relatively reduced pressure by a fifth conduit 32 and is fluidly connected with a source 34 of relatively increased pressure by a sixth conduit 36. the fourth valve 28 is operatively coupled with a controller, not shown, by connector 38, which may convey to the fourth valve 28 any suitable signal, such as an electronic signal, a fluidic or pneumatic signal and the like, for controlling operation of the fourth valve 28. operation of the fourth valve 28 determines whether the source 30 or the source 34 is fluidly connected with the fourth conduit 26. when in a first position, the fourth valve 28 fluidly connects the sixth conduit 36 with the fourth conduit 26. in a second position, the fourth valve 28 fluidly connects the fifth conduit 32 with the fourth conduit 26. in an exemplary embodiment, the source 30 provides a relatively reduced pressure that is approximately less than ambient pressure whereas the source 34 provides a relatively increased pressure which is approximately more than ambient pressure. the pressures provided by the sources 30 and 34 are predetermined for operating the second valve 18. in one embodiment, the pressure provided by source 34 is approximately more than the highest pressure expected to be present at any time in the control conduit 20 or the third conduit 22. likewise, the pressure provided by source 30 is approximately less than the pressure expected at any time to be present in conduits 20 or 22. in a particular embodiment, the source 30 provides a relatively reduced pressure of about 20 inches of mercury and the source 34 provides a relatively increased pressure of about 20 psig. in some embodiments, the sources 30 and 34 may be integrated, such as in the form of a variable pressure source, e.g. a regulator, piston pump, and the like, which provide a relatively increased pressure or a relatively reduced pressure, as desired. in these embodiments, the fourth valve 28 and sources 30 and 34 may be eliminated. the third valve 24 is operatively coupled with a controller, which is not shown, but may be the same as or substantially similar to the first-mentioned controller, by connector 40, which may convey to the third valve 24 any suitable signal, such as an electronic signal, a pneumatic signal and the like, for controlling operation of the third valve 24. in some embodiments, the connectors 38 and 40 may be replaced by mechanical actuators which operate the respective valves 24 and 28. in other embodiments, the third and fourth valves 24 and 28, respectively, may be electrically actuated, e.g. a solenoid valve, or mechanically actuated, e.g. by a spring. the third valve 24 fluidly connects the third conduit 22 with either a seventh conduit 42 or an eighth conduit 44. the seventh conduit 42 fluidly connects the third valve 24 with a source 46 of relatively reduced pressure and the eighth conduit 44 fluidly connects the third valve 24 with a source 48 of relatively increased pressure. in a first position, the third valve 24 fluidly connects the eighth conduit 44 with the third conduit 22. in a second position, the third valve 24 fluidly connects the seventh conduit 42 with the third conduit 22. in an exemplary embodiment, the source 46 provides a pressure which is approximately less than ambient pressure and the source 48 provides a pressure which is approximately more than ambient pressure. the pressures provided by the sources 46 and 48 are predetermined for operating the first valve 12. in a specific embodiment, the pressure provided by the source 48 is approximately more than the highest pressure expected to be present at any time in conduits 14 or 16 and the pressure provided by source 46 is approximately less than the pressure expected to be present at any time in conduits 14 or 16. in a specific embodiment, the source 46 provides a relatively reduced pressure of about 15 inches of mercury and the source 48 provides a relatively increased pressure of about 15 psig. in some embodiments, the sources 46 and 48 may be integrated, such as in the form of a variable pressure source, e.g. a regulator, piston pump, and the like. in these embodiments, the third valve 24 and sources 46 and 48 may be eliminated. in a particular embodiment, with respect to the sources 30, 34, 46 and 48, the absolute pressure, i.e. pressure value with respect to vacuum, provided by source 34 is approximately more than the absolute pressure provided by source 48. the absolute pressure provided by source 48 is approximately more than the highest pressure expected at any time to be present in conduits 14 and 16. the absolute pressure provided by source 30 is approximately lower than the absolute pressure provided by source 46. the absolute pressure provided by source 46 is approximately less than the lowest pressure expected at any time to be present in conduits 14 and 16. pressure differentials exist among the sources 30, 34, 46 and 48 and the conduits 14 and 16. these pressure differentials assist in intended operation of the embodiment 10. illustrating by example, the embodiment 10 may be used with a membrane valve shown in fig. 2. the membrane valve may be constructed by forming channels or conduits and spaces in a block 50 of material, such as a polymer and the like. the valve comprises a flexible member 52 which moves within the spaces formed in the block 50 responsive to a pressure exposed to the flexible member 52. more than one block 50 and more than one flexible member 52 may be used. for instance, a flexible member 52 may be placed between two blocks 50. considering valves 12 and 18, conduits 14 and 16 are fluidly connected with a volume 54 bounded by a first recessed surface 56 and the flexible member 52. a side of the flexible member 52 opposite to the side thereof facing the first recessed surface 56 faces a second recessed surface 58. the control conduit 20 terminates at the second recessed surface 58 such that pressure present in the control conduit 20 is exposed to the flexible member 52. when pressure in the control conduit 20 is approximately less than the fluid pressure in either conduit 14 or conduit 16, the flexible member 52 is moved toward the second recessed surface 58 thereby allowing fluid communication between conduits 14 and 16 through the volume 54. when the pressure in the control conduit 20 is approximately more than the pressure present in both conduits 14 and 16, the flexible member is moved toward the first recessed surface 56. with the flexible member 52 in this position, fluid communication between the conduits 14 and 16 is interrupted or limited. referring to figs. 1 and 2, when the fourth valve 28 is in the first position, the relatively increased pressure from the source 34 is applied through the sixth conduit 36, the fourth valve 28 and the fourth conduit 26 to the side of the flexible member 52 facing the second recessed surface 58 of the second valve 18. the flexible member 52 moves toward the first recessed surface 56 of the second valve 18 thereby limiting fluid flow or fluid communication between the third conduit 22 and the control conduit 20. thus, the pressure in the third conduit 22 may be varied by operation of the third valve 24 without effecting the first valve 12. even when the relatively increased pressure from the source 48 is applied to the third conduit 22, the position of the second valve 18 is not changed. there is no fluid communication between the third conduit 22 and the control conduit 20. pressure present in the fourth conduit 26 is approximately more than the pressure present in the third conduit 22 and the pressure present in the control conduit 20. in one particular method, to change the position of the first valve 12, the appropriate pressure is first applied to the third conduit 22 by operating the third valve 24. for example, if it is desired to close the valve 12, the relatively increased pressure from source 48 is applied to the third conduit 22. in subsequent operations this will enable the first valve 12 to move into the second or closed position where there is no fluid communication between conduits 14 and 16. if it is desired to open the valve 12, the relatively reduced pressure from source 46 is applied to the third conduit 22. in subsequent operations this will enable the first valve 12 to move into the first or open position where there is fluid communication between conduits 14 and 16. after the desired pressure is applied to the third conduit 22, the fourth valve 28 is operated such that the relatively reduced pressure from source 30 is applied through the fifth conduit 32, the fourth valve 28 and the fourth conduit 26 to a side of the flexible member 52 adjacent the second recessed surface 58 comprising the second valve 18. since the absolute pressure provided by the source 30 is approximately less than any other pressure in the embodiment 10, the flexible member 52 comprising the second valve 18 moves toward the second recessed surface 58 comprising the second valve 18. fluid communication between the third conduit 22 and the control conduit 20 has been established. it is to be noted that, in some embodiments, the order of the previous two operations may be reversed. that is, the fourth valve 28 may be operated first so as to enable conduit 22 to be fluidicly connected to memory conduit 20, followed by the actuation of valve 24 to select the pressure state to be present in the memory conduit. in this embodiment, however, the pressure state originally present in conduit 22 should match the pressure state of the memory conduit 20 to prevent unintentional changing of the position of valve 12. the pressure now present in the control conduit 20 determines the position of the first valve 12 as determined by the pressure applied to the third conduit 22, which, in turn, is determined by the position of the third valve 24. after the first valve 12 moves or changes position, and before the third valve 24 moves or changes position, the fourth valve 28 may be moved toward its first position. moving the fourth valve 28 toward its first position fluidly connects the source 34 of relatively increased pressure to the fourth conduit 26 through the sixth conduit 36 and the fourth valve 28. application of the relatively increased pressure from source 34 moves the flexible member 52 toward the first recessed surface 56 of the second valve 18. fluid communication between the third conduit 22 and the control conduit 20 is interrupted or reduced. with the second valve 18 in this position, the control conduit 20, whose pressure was equal to the pressure present in the third conduit 22, is fluidly isolated. the first valve 12 remains in its desired position irrespective of further changes of the pressure, caused by operation of the third valve 24, in the third conduit 22. since the second valve 18 holds or maintains a pressure condition in the control conduit 20 and thereby holds or maintains the position of the first valve 12, the valve 18 may be referred to as a "latch valve." since moving or changing the position of the second valve 18 depends upon operation of the fourth valve 28, the fourth valve 28 may be referred to as an "enable valve" and the fourth conduit 26 may be referred to as an "enable line." since, the third valve 24 determines the position to which the first valve 12 changes or moves, when the second valve 18 is open or enabled, the third valve 24 may be referred to as a "data valve" and the third conduit 22 may be referred to as the "data line." these terms are used to describe an exemplary embodiment 60 illustrated in fig. 3 which is provided to facilitate understanding only. the enable valves 28 and the data valves 24 may be, in one embodiment, electrically powered solenoid valves. in a particular embodiment, the solenoid valves are lee valve model lhdx0501650a (westbrook, conn.). referring to fig. 3, sixteen valve pairs 62 are illustrated. each valve pair comprises a first valve 12 and a second valve 18 and a memory conduit 20 between them superimposed on each other and collectively labeled 62. multiple valve pairs 62 share a solenoid valve. in the illustrated embodiment, the sixteen valve pairs 62 are arranged in a matrix fashion, with their enable lines 26 fluidly connected to four enable valves 28 (solenoid valves in this embodiment) and their data lines 22 fluidly connected to four data valves 24 (solenoid valves in this embodiment). fewer solenoid valves are required to control the array of first valves 12, thereby possibly producing a less expensive valve array control structure. any desired valve alignment or arrangement of valve operating positions may be achieved. for example, the valve pairs 62 in the leftmost "column", as viewed, may be operated by moving the data valves 24 to the desired valve 24 positions. then, the leftmost, as viewed, enable valve 28 is actuated, so that only the first valves 12 associated with the leftmost valve pairs move toward the positions determined by the four data valves 24. a similar procedure may be used for each column of valve pairs 62, thereby producing any desired valve alignment. in this configuration, a total of four enable valves and four data valves, 28 and 24, respectively, control sixteen valve pairs 62. in a five by five configuration, a total of five enable valves and five data valves, 28 and 24, control twenty-five valve pairs 62. to change the position of a desired number of valves that is less than the total number of valve pairs 62, only some of the columns may need to be operated. it is possible to group the individual valves in columns to perform a particular application with a reduced number of valve operations. in order to provide more favorable groupings or arrangements of valves, more than one second valve 18 may be operatively or fluidly associated with a particular first valve 12. it is also possible to fluidly associate more than one first valve 12 with a particular second valve 18, if all first valves 12 so associated always operate conjointly or in tandem. maintenance of the position of the first valve 12 is due to the maintenance of pressure in the control conduit 20. operation of a particular array of valves may require a particular memory conduit to maintain a pressure state for an extended time. to maintain the position of a first valve 12 for an extended time period, it may be desirable to periodically refresh the pressure state in memory conduit 20 by performing a valve operation procedure that refreshes or recharges the pressure state in memory conduit 20. alternatively, increasing volume of the memory conduit 20, may increase the volume of pressurized fluid, which may maintain the position of a given first valve 12 for extended time periods without refreshment of the pressure within the memory conduit 20. however, this method might decrease response time of the embodiments 10 and 60 to desired valve position changes. a finite amount of time may be needed for the third valve 24 and the fourth valve 28 to operate, for the pressures in conduits 20, 22 and 26 to change, and for the valves 12 and 18 to operate. it may be desirable to include time delays in valve operating sequences. duration of the time delays may vary, e.g. with geometry or proximity of the valve pairs 62 (particularly the dimensions of conduits 20, 22, and 26), the pressures provided by sources 30, 34, 46 and 48, and the specific operating characteristics of the valves 12, 18, 24 and 28. in an exemplary embodiment, a time delay of about 0.02 seconds is inserted between operation of the third valves 24 and operation of the fourth valves 28, a time delay of about 0.04 seconds is inserted between subsequent operations of the fourth valves 28, and a time delay of about 0.02 seconds is inserted between operation of the fourth valves 28 and further operation of the third valves 24. in still a further embodiment, it is possible to have the third valve 24 directly control the position of the first valve 12. specifically, the fourth valve 28 may be operated such that the source 30 of relatively reduced pressure is fluidly connected with the fourth conduit 26 through the fifth conduit 32 and the fourth valve 28. responsively, the second valve 18 is operated such that the third conduit 22 communicates fluidly with the control conduit 20. in other words, the second valve 18 is maintained in its first position thereby allowing fluid communication between the first valve 12 and the third valve 24. the third valve 24 can be repeatedly operated such that the third valve 24 sequentially fluidly connects the source 46 of relatively reduced pressure and the source 48 of relatively increased pressure to the third conduit 22 and to the control conduit 20. accordingly, the first valve 12 changes position dependent upon which source 46 or 48 is fluidly connected with the third conduit 22 by the third valve 24.
102-463-146-842-753	US	[ "WO", "US" ]	A47C20/00,A47C20/02,A47G9/00,A47G9/10	2003-09-18T00:00:00	2003	[ "A47" ]	adjustable body support system	a system for adjustably positioning at least two body zones of a person relative to a base surface on which the person is resting, the system comprising at least two adjustable sections, each adjustable section having a non remote, individually adjustable mechanism for adjusting the elevation of the section. in one embodiment, each of the at least two adjustable sections comprises an inflatable/deflatable bladder positioned between an upper non-adjustable cushioned element and a lower non-adjustable cushioned element, wherein the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises a valve mounted on an outer surface of the inflatable/deflatable bladder.	1 . a system for adjustably positioning at least two body zones of a person relative to a base surface on which the person is resting, the system comprising at least two adjustable sections, each adjustable section having a non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism for adjusting the elevation of the section. 2 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the each adjustable section is adjustable mechanically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. 3 . the system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two adjustable sections comprises an adjustable member positioned between an upper non-adjustable cushioned element and a lower non-adjustable cushioned element. 4 . the system of claim 3 , wherein the adjustable member comprises an inflatable/deflatable bladder. 5 . the system of claim 4 , wherein the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises a valve mounted on an outer surface of the inflatable/deflatable bladder. 6 . the system of claim 5 , further comprising a length of extension tubing attached to the valve, the extension tubing adapted to interface with a pump or other inflation mechanism for inflating the inflatable section. 7 . the system of claim 4 , further comprising an outer enclosure comprising a pocket having an opening, the outer enclosure adapted to surround the upper non-adjustable cushioned element, the lower non-adjustable cushioned element, and the inflatable/deflatable bladder. 8 . the system of claim 7 , wherein the outer enclosure, the upper non-adjustable cushioned element, and the lower non-adjustable cushioned element comprise an integral unit. 9 . the system of claim 8 , wherein the integral unit comprises a fabric comprising non-adjustable cushioned material bonded between the outer enclosure and an inner lining, the fabric formed into a pocket to receive the inflatable/deflatable bladder. 10 . the system of claim 7 , further comprising a fastener for closing the opening. 11 . the system of claim 10 , wherein fastener for closing the opening is selected from a group consisting of: zippers, microhook/microloop fasteners, snaps, buttons, and a combination thereof. 12 . the system of claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two body zones comprises an upper arm/shoulder body zone and another of the at least two body zones is selected from the group consisting of: a head/neck body zone and a thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone. 13 . the system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two sections comprises an individual module. 14 . the system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two sections comprises an adjustable pillow or a section thereof. 15 . the system of claim 1 , comprising at least one pillow having two or more independently adjustable sections. 16 . the system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of pillows, one pillow for each body zone. 17 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the system provides customized spinal alignment for the person. 18 . the system of claim 1 , wherein each section is adjustable to provide an elevation relative to the base surface sufficient to position the respective body zone in a physiologically neutral position. 19 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the physiologically neutral position is a position that optimally minimizes pressure points and musculoskeletal stress. 20 . the system of claim 4 , further comprising a hand pump for inflating the inflatable bladder. 21 . the system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two sections are attachable to one another. 22 . the system of claim 1 further comprising at least one outer casing for covering the system or a portion thereof and providing a contact surface for contact with the person, the casing comprising a fabric that is moisture-wicking, heat-normalizing, or a combination thereof. 23 . the system of claim 13 , further comprising a pillowcase for each pillow, each pillowcase comprising a fabric that is moisture-wicking, heat-normalizing, or a combination thereof. 24 . the system of claim 13 , wherein each pillow is adapted to be attachable to and detachable from at least one other pillow in the system. 25 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the system is adapted to support the at least two body zones of the person while the person is resting on his or her side. 26 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the system is adapted to support the at least two body zones of the person while the person is resting on his or her back. 27 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises one or more stackable members or inserts. 28 . the system of claim 27 , comprising a plurality of inserts or stackable members having an equal thickness. 29 . the system of claim 27 , comprising at least two inserts or stackable members having different thicknesses. 30 . the system of claim 27 , wherein the inserts or stackable members comprise a material of construction selected from a group consisting of: foam, batting, air-inflated members, liquid-filled members, gel-filled members, and solids-filled members. 31 . the system of claim 27 , wherein the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism further comprises an opening in a non-cushioned casing into which the inserts are adapted to be inserted. 32 . the system of claim 27 , the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism further comprises an opening in a cushioned casing into which the inserts are adapted to be inserted. 33 . the system of claim 32 , wherein the inserts or stackable members comprise members having a relatively hard outer surface. 34 . the system of claim 4 , wherein the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises a valve mounted on an extension in communication with an interior of the inflatable/deflatable bladder. 35 . the system of claim 34 , further comprising an outer enclosure comprising a pocket having an opening, the outer enclosure adapted to surround the upper non-adjustable cushioned element, the lower non-adjustable cushioned element, and the inflatable/deflatable bladder, wherein the valve is accessible from an outer surface of the outer enclosure and the outer enclosure is not adapted to allow access to the inflatable/deflatable bladder. 36 . a system for adjustably positioning a head/neck body zone, an upper arm/shoulder body zone, and a thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone of a person relative to a base surface in respective positions chosen to minimize pressure points and musculoskeletal stress during rest on the person's side, the system comprising: a first inflatable/deflatable pillow for supporting the head/neck body zone; a second inflatable/deflatable pillow for supporting a top arm in the upper arm body zone; and a third inflatable/deflatable pillow for insertion between a bottom leg and a top leg for supporting the top leg in the thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone; each pillow comprising an inflatable/deflatable bladder positioned between an upper non-adjustable cushioned element and a lower non-adjustable cushioned element. 37 . a method of promoting sound rest in a person resting on his or her side on a base surface, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first support for adjustably positioning a head/neck body zone of the person in an elevated first position relative to the base surface; (b) providing an second support for adjustably positioning an arm body zone of the person in an elevated second position relative to the base surface; (c) providing a third support adapted for adjustably positioning a leg body zone of the person in an elevated third position relative to the base surface; (d) providing a non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism for adjusting the elevation of the section; and (e) adjusting the first support, the second support, and the third support to customize the first position, the second position, and the third position, respectively, to personal attributes of the person to minimize pressure points and musculoskeletal stress during rest. 38 . the method of claim 37 , wherein the first support, the second support, and the third support each comprise inflatable/deflatable pillows, and step (e) comprises inflating and/or deflating the pillows to attain the customized positions. 39 . the method of claim 37 , comprising adjusting the first support, the second support, and the third support to accommodate the person resting on his or her side, placing the first support underneath a head/neck of the person, placing the second support alongside torso of the person to elevate a top arm of the person, and placing third support between an top leg and a bottom leg of the person. 40 . the method of claim 37 , comprising adjusting the first support, the second support, and the third support to accommodate the person resting on his or her back, placing the first support beneath a head/neck of the person, placing the second support alongside a torso or atop a chest or belly of the person to elevate one or both arms of the person, and placing the third support underneath one or both knees of the person. 41 . the method of claim 37 , wherein the first support, the second support, and the third support each comprise inserts or stackable members, and step (e) comprises adding or subtracting inserts or stackable members to attain the customized positions. 42 . a pillowcase, the pillowcase comprising a fabric that is moisture-wicking, heat-normalizing, or a combination thereof. 43 . a system for positioning at least two body zones of a person relative to a base surface on which the person is resting, the system comprising at least two discrete non-adjustable supports, each support having a different thickness. 44 . the system of claim 43 , wherein one of the at least two body zones comprises an upper arm/shoulder body zone and another of the at least two body zones is selected from the group consisting of: a head/neck body zone and a thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone. 45 . the system of claim 44 , wherein the system comprises a first discrete support for supporting the upper arm/shoulder body zone, a second discrete support for supporting the head/neck body zone, and a third discrete support for supporting the thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone.	field of the invention this invention relates to body support systems. more particularly, it relates to systems adapted to adjustably elevate portions of the body to alleviate stress on the body when a person is at rest. background of the invention people generally sleep in three basic positions: on the back, on the stomach, and on the side. sleeping on one's side comfortably may be difficult for any of the following reasons: (1) poor neck and head alignment; (2) upper arm tension or pulling on the shoulder; (3) sciatic pressure due to poor lower back alignment; (4) leg tension or pulling on the hip; (5) top leg pressure on the bottom leg. discomfort from these sources may cause difficultly falling asleep. the root cause of these problems comes from gravity and the interaction between the mattress and the sleeper. although mattresses that conform to the contour of the body, adjustable beds, and special pillows have been developed to assist in helping people get comfortable when sleeping, none of these solutions provides an optimal arrangement. for example, u.s. pat. no. 5,097,551, incorporated herein by reference, describes a skeletal support pillow for conforming to the bodily skeletal dimensions of a user. although this reference describes a single pillow having dimensions relative to the user's body that allow the user to rest in a “physiologically neutral position,” each pillow is “custom fitted to the skeletal dimensions of the user” and it therefore not readily adapted for mass production or for adapting to the changing dimensions of the user or changing needs of the user, once made. u.s. pat. no. 4,893,367 to heimreid et al., also incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system of separately adjustable pillows characterized by a plurality of separately inflatable and deflatable pillows which may be emptied or filled with fluid, such as air, from a connected source via a manifold having valves for each pillows. the manifold with valves for each container, while having certain advantages in healthcare applications where a nurse may readily adjust a plurality of pillows from a single bedside location, also has some drawbacks. specifically, the single manifold with a plurality of remotely-mounted valves requires connecting tubes to be run to each of the pillows, which may cause the user to become tangled in the tubing, or may limit the user to a particular orientation or distance of the pillows relative to the manifold. while other references discuss single- or multi-part body pillows or inflatable pillows generally, none discuss a sleep system that provides optimal adjustability and functionality. it is therefore desirable to provide a system that is adjustable to each individual's desires to ease pressure points, relieve tension, and achieve proper spinal alignment in the head, neck and lower back areas, and that avoids the disadvantages of previously disclosed support systems. summary of the invention one aspect of the invention comprises a system for adjustably positioning at least two body zones of a person relative to a base surface on which the person is resting, the system comprising at least two adjustable sections, each adjustable section having a non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism for adjusting the elevation of the section. each adjustable section may be adjustable mechanically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. in one embodiment, each of the at least two adjustable sections comprises an adjustable member, such as an inflatable/deflatable bladder, positioned between an upper non-adjustable cushioned element and a lower non-adjustable cushioned element. in an embodiment with an inflatable/deflatable bladder, the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises a valve mounted on an outer surface of the bladder. the system may be adapted to support the at least two body zones of the person while the person is resting on his or her side or while the person is resting on his or her back. in one embodiment, one of the at least two body zones comprises an arm body zone and another of the at least two body zones is selected from the group consisting of: a head/neck body zone and a leg body zone. each of the at least two sections may comprises an adjustable pillow or a section thereof. thus, for example, each of the at least two sections may comprise an individual module, such as a system comprising a plurality of pillows having one pillow for each body zone. at least two of the individual modules may be attachable to one another. in another embodiment, the system may comprise at least one pillow having two or more independently adjustable sections. the system desirably provides customized spinal alignment for the person and/or is adjustable to provide an elevation relative to the base surface sufficient to position the respective body zone in a physiologically neutral position, such as a position that optimally minimizes pressure points and musculoskeletal stress. the system may further comprise a hand pump for inflating the inflatable bladder. the system may also further comprise at least one outer casing, such as a pillowcase, for covering the system or a portion thereof and providing a contact surface for contact with the person, the casing comprising a fabric that provides heat reduction, such as via moisture-wicking, heat-normalizing, or a combination thereof. another aspect of the invention comprises a system for adjustably positioning, particularly raising or lowering, a head/neck body zone, an upper arm/shoulder body zone, and a thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone of a person relative to a base surface in respective positions chosen to minimize pressure points and musculoskeletal stress during rest on the person's side. the system comprises a first inflatable/deflatable pillow for supporting the head/neck body zone, a second inflatable/deflatable pillow for supporting a top arm in an upper arm body zone, and a third inflatable/deflatable pillow for insertion between a bottom leg and an top leg for supporting the top leg. each pillow comprising an inflatable/deflatable bladder positioned between an upper non-adjustable cushioned element and a lower non-adjustable cushioned element. still another aspect of the invention comprises a method of promoting sound rest in a person resting on a base surface. the method comprises the steps of providing a first support for adjustably positioning a head/neck body zone of the person in an elevated first position relative to the base surface; providing an second support for adjustably positioning an arm body zone of the person in an elevated second position relative to the base surface; and providing a third support adapted for adjustably positioning a leg body zone of the person in an elevated third position relative to the base surface. a non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism is provided for adjusting the elevation of the support. the method further comprises adjusting the first support, the second support, and the third support to customize the first position, the second position, and the third position, respectively, to personal attributes of the person to minimize pressure points and musculoskeletal stress during rest. where the first, second, and third supports each comprise inflatable/deflatable pillows, and the method comprises inflating and/or deflating the supports to attain the customized positions. the method may further comprise adjusting the first, second, and third supports to accommodate the person resting on his or her side or resting on his or her back. still another aspect of the invention comprises a pillowcase comprising a fabric that is moisture-wicking, heat-normalizing, or a combination thereof. yet another aspect of the invention comprises a system for positioning at least two body zones of a person relative to a base surface on which the person is resting, the system comprising at least two discrete supports, each support having a different thickness. one embodiment comprises a first discrete support for supporting the upper arm/shoulder body zone, a second discrete support for supporting the head/neck body zone, and a third discrete support for supporting the thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back body zone. brief description of drawings fig. 1a depicts a person utilizing the three-piece embodiment of the invention while resting on his side. fig. 1b depicts a person utilizing a three-piece embodiment of the invention while resting on his back. fig. 2 depicts a person utilizing a two-piece embodiment of the invention. fig. 3 depicts a person utilizing a one-piece embodiment of the invention. fig. 4a depicts an exemplary inflatable pillow embodiment with an accessible bladder. fig. 4b depicts another exemplary inflatable pillow embodiment with an unaccessible bladder. fig. 5 depicts an embodiment having a cushioned outer pocket and a plurality of inserts. fig. 6 depicts an embodiment comprising a set of stackable members inside of a pillowcase. detailed description of the invention referring now to fig. 1a , there is shown a person 10 resting on his or her side 12 on a base surface 14 , such as a mattress. a first adjustable support 16 is provided under the person's head/neck 17 ; a second adjustable support 18 is provided under the person's top arm 19 ; and a third adjustable support 20 is provided between the person's legs to elevate the top leg 21 . as used herein, the term or “top arm” and “top leg” refer to the respective or arm and leg that are elevated above the base surface, whereas the “bottom arm” and “bottom leg” refer to the respective arm and leg that rests upon the base surface. the terms “upper arm” or “upper leg” refer to the portion of an arm or leg above the elbow or knee, respectively, whereas “lower arm” and “lower leg” refer to the portion of the arm or leg below the elbow or knee, respectively. it should also be understood that positioning of the top leg may also affect positioning of other parts of the thigh/upper leg/hip/lower back zone of the body, which may also include positioning of the knee and lower leg portions of the top leg. in a preferred embodiment, each of the adjustable supports 16 , 18 , and 20 comprises an inflatable pillow 38 , each comprising an inflatable bladder 40 surrounded by a cushioned outer portion 42 , as shown in fig. 4b . cushioned outer portion 42 may comprise any material known in the art for use in pillows, such as but not limited to foam; cloth batting; or one or more modules filled with down, other types of feathers, buckwheat hulls, and the like. in other embodiments, one or more of the inflatable bladders may be used without a cushioned outer portion or any cushioning at all, or without being completely surrounded by a cushioned outer portion, such as where the bladder is inserted in an enclosure that provides cushioning over less than all of the bladder or where the bladder itself has one or more, but less than all, sides covered with integral cushioning elements. although air is a preferred fluid for inflating the bladder, any fluid, including liquids, such as water, or gels, may be used. similarly, although an inflatable pillow is preferable, the adjustment mechanism may comprise any type of adjustment mechanism known in the art adapted for reversibly changing the distance d between two opposing surfaces 39 and 41 inside the support. thus, the supports may be mechanically adjustable, such as, for example, via a scissors-jack-type mechanism well known in the art or via a set of stackable members, as disclosed herein later; pneumatically adjustable, such as via inflation with air or another gas; or hydraulically adjustable, such as via inflation with a liquid such as water, a saline solution, or the like. pillow 38 may comprise an outer casing 45 having, for example, a zipper 46 for creating an enclosure that keeps the cushioned outer portion 42 and bladder 40 sandwiched together. although shown with a zipper in fig. 4b , any type of fastener for closing the pocket created by outer casing 45 may be provided, such as velcro® microhook/microloop fasteners ( 56 , as shown in fig. 5 ), snaps, buttons, and the like. in an alternative embodiment, no such fastener may be present (not shown), wherein the pocket is just open. cushioned outer portion 42 may be a single piece with a hollow center into which bladder 40 is inserted, or may comprise a plurality of individual pieces, such as members made from foam or batting. in one embodiment, cushioned outer portion 42 , outer casing 45 , and an inner lining 43 may be integrally bonded together, such as in a quilted fabric that is fabricated to create what is essentially a cushioned casing 51 for bladder 40 . bladder 40 may comprise rubber, plastic, vinyl, or any non-porous material known in the art adaptable to contain a liquid or gaseous fluid, such as air. bladder 40 typically has an inflation/deflation valve, which may be any such valve known in the art, but for example may comprise a valve such as is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 2,859,932 to h. h. mackal, incorporated herein by reference. an inflation tube 47 may be attached to valve 44 to provide an extension that reaches closer to the zipper 46 , so that the pillow can be conveniently inflated. inflation tube 47 may comprise surgical tubing, or any other type of rubber of plastic tubing known in the art that has a soft feel and thus will not interfere with the comfort of the user. the system may further comprise a hand pump, such as a double quick mini air pump by intex® or a bulb-type hand pump such commonly used on blood-pressure-testing cuffs, or may comprise any type of pump or other inflation mechanism known in the art. the pump is preferably attachable and detachable to valve 44 or inflation tube 47 to allow use on each of the several pillows in the system (or on each of a plurality of inflatable chambers in a single pillow with multiple chambers) and to facilitate stowing away when not in use. in another embodiment, an integral hand pump may be provided with each pillow to facilitate adjustments in the middle of the night, such as, for example, systems described generally in u.s. pat. no. 6,327,725 to veilleux et al. or u.s. pat. no. 4,979,249 to meade, ii, incorporated herein by reference. typically, however, a user inflates the pillow to a customized degree of inflation comfortable for that user and does not need to repeatedly adjust the pillow. other inflation mechanisms may also be used, such as inflation via blowing up the pillow using the mouth and lungs of the user or using a pressurized source of air, such as a pipeline in a hospital setting or canned air. atlhough shown in fig. 4a where the bladder is accessible by undoing a fastener 46 that closes the pocket in which bladder 40 is inserted, in another embodiment, shown in fig. 4b , bladder 40 may be non-accessibly sealed inside the casing (such as if the pocket is sewn closed after insertion of the bladder during manufacture) with only the valve 44 accessible to the user, typically at the end of valve extension 47 , rather than the valve being affixed directly to the bladder. the valve may optionally be sewn in place to cushioned casing 51 . the system may comprise three or more individual pillows, as shown in fig. 1 , or may comprise fewer than three individual pillows, as shown in figs. 2 and 3 . in the three-piece embodiment shown in figs. 1a and 1b , the individual pieces may be attachable and detachable to one another, such as for example, using snaps 48 and 49 (shown in fig. 4 ) attached to the pillows or the pillowcases. although the pillows may be attached to one another or adapted to be so attached, it is not necessary. because it is preferable to provide inflatable pillows that are capable of use with standard twin, full, queen, or king pillowcases for ease of coordinating with designer bed fabrics, the snaps are preferably attached to the pillows rather than the pillowcases. each pillow may comprise one or more male snaps 48 and one or more female snaps 49 so that male snaps from one pillow may interlock with female snaps of another pillow to provide attachment. the pillow is therefore inserted in the pillowcase with the snaps positioned closest to the opening of the pillowcase to enable such attachment. any type of attachment mechanism may be used, however, including velcro® microhook/microloop fasteners ( 58 and 59 , in fig. 4b ), buttons and mating buttonholes ( 68 and 69 in fig. 5 ), and the like. in one embodiment, the pillows may have male and female socket members and/or other attachment features as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 4,794,657 to avery, incorporated herein by reference. in an embodiment with two individual pillows, such as shown in fig. 2 , a first pillow 20 having two adjustable sections 22 and 24 and a second pillow 26 having a single adjustable section 28 are provided. although shown with the two-section pillow 20 supporting the arm and leg of the user and the single-section pillow supporting the head/heck, an embodiment wherein the two-section pillow is adapted to support the head/neck and arm and the single-section pillow is adapted to support the leg may instead be provided. in an embodiment with a single integral pillow 30 , such as shown in fig. 3 , the pillow comprises three adjustable sections 32 , 34 , and 38 , which are positioned to support the leg, arm, and head/neck, respectively. although an embodiment with three adjustable section is shown, embodiments with only any two of the adjustable sections may be provided. although shown in figs. 1a-3 with one, two, and three individual pillows to provide support for the leg, arm, and head/neck zones, it should be understood that additional adjustable sections may be provided to address other zones. similarly, it may be desirable to provide multiple sections to handle one zone, such as one adjustable section for the neck and another for the head, or several adjustable sections along the length of the legs. the support structures (and bladders inside, for inflatable embodiments) may be simple oblong shapes that are narrower on the ends and wider in the middle, may be generally rectangular in shape with even inflation in the middle and the ends, or may be contoured or shaped to fit a particular zone. one aspect of the invention comprises a kit comprising two or three inflatable pillows and instructions for how to arrange the pillows as shown in fig. 1a or 1 b to provide a restful sleep. the kit may further include a hand pump and/or heat normalizing pillowcases (discussed below) for each of the pillows. another aspect of the invention may comprise a kit comprising a single pillow with two or three adjustable sections and instructions for how to arrange the pillows as shown in figs. 2 or 3 to provide a restful sleep. the kits may include less than all of the pillows required to completely set up the arrangement in figs. 1a, 1b , and 2 , with an additional single pillow available for purchase separately. although inflatable pillows have generally been known in the art for some time, particularly for use under the head and neck, a novel feature of the present invention is the combination of two or more pillows or a single pillow with two or more sections having the characteristics and dimensions required to provide optimal musculoskeletal alignment over multiple zones of the body. the system of the present invention is adapted to minimize stress from tension and pressure points in the head/neck zone, the shoulder/upper back/arm zone, and the lower back/hip/leg/thigh zone. preferably, the pillows are adjustable to a position that is sufficient to provide optimal spinal alignment for a side sleeper and to relieve pressure points. thus, as shown in fig. 1a , the present invention allows the head/neck of a side sleeper to be elevated about base surface s to a customized, optimal height where the neck vertebra are aligned with the spine along axis a; allows the top arm to be elevated to rest in a plane p 1 that is essentially parallel to and elevated above the base surface plane s a sufficient distance to relieve tension on the user's shoulder; and allows the top leg to be separated from the bottom leg to minimize pressure points due to leg-to-leg contact and to eliminate tension created when the bottom leg rests on base surface s rather than on a plane p 2 that is essentially parallel to and elevated from the base surface by a desired amount. by “essentially parallel to” it is recognized that an individual user may be more comfortable resting the arm or leg in a plane that is slightly angled to the base surface s. it should be understood that the system is intended to be customized to be comfortable to any user. the system of the present invention promotes a sounder sleep because it allows the user to customize the system to provide optimal spinal alignment and to eliminate pressure points, thereby eliminating causes of discomfort that may be disruptive to sleep. another cause of discomfort during sleep may be the development of “hot spots” on the pillowcases. thus, another aspect of the invention is to use a pillowcase comprising wick-away fabric that conducts heat and/or moisture away from the body. such fabrics include but are not limited to coolmax® fabric made by e.i. dupont de nemours & co. or fabrics used in the double dry™ line of clothing marketed under the champion® brand. the pillowcases are not limited to any particular type of moisture-wicking fabric or heat reducing fabric, however, and any such fabric may be used. “heat reducing” fabric comprises any fabric that conducts heat away from an individual hot spot and reduces the temperature at that spot, including fabrics that spread or “normalize” the temperature throughout a larger area of the fabric, or fabric that actually provides overall heat reduction, such as via moisture-wicking and evaporation, or by any other mechanism. the sleep system of the present invention is also adapted for sleepers who prefer to sleep on their backs. for example, as shown in fig. 1b , adjustable support 16 may be placed under the person's head/neck 17 ; second adjustable support 18 may be placed on the person's chest or belly on which to rest one or both arms 19 a and 19 b (or alongside the body to rest one arm, not shown); and third adjustable support 20 may be placed underneath the person's knees to elevate one or both of the user's legs 21 a and 21 b. while the present system is particularly well adapted for home use to promote a comfortable sleep, the system may also be used in healthcare environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, and the like, and may be used to promote comfort while engaging in non-sleep activities such as reading, watching tv, sunbathing, and the like. in particular, a user resting on one's back may find that the inflatable head/neck pillow is well adapted to be adjusted to increase elevation for tv watching, and the arm body zone support pillow is well-adapted to be adjusted to a sufficient elevation to position a book 50 at an optimal height for reading. also, although disclosed primarily herein in an embodiment where each of the pillows is adapted to be adjusted with a hand pump as needed, embodiments may also be provided with automatic pumps. also, although there are drawbacks to having each individual inflatable pillow connected via tubing to a single air source as discussed in the background section of the invention, such an arrangement may still be provided, with an improvement over prior systems comprising the positioning of a valve on the surface of each air bladder, thereby providing the user with the adjustment valve on the pillow itself instead of on a single manifold remotely from the pillow. thus, for example, an automatic pressure source (such as an electrically operated pump) may be manifolded to the pillows and provided with an automatic start capability when the valve is opened (causing a pressure drop in the manifold below a predetermined level). the pump with-all of the valves closed, therefore shuts off. when an individual valve is opened, the pump operates until the valve is again closed. a separate bleed valve (not shown, but similar to valve 44 , for example) may be provided to deflate the pillow without activating the pump. thus, each pillow or inflatable chamber may have multiple valves, if desired, including an inflation valve and a deflation valve, although in most embodiments, it is preferred to have a single valve for both inflation and deflation. in another embodiment, the adjustability of the various support zones may be effected via stacking of discrete members or insertion of discrete members inside a casing or cushioned pocket. for example, as shown in fig. 5 , cushioned casing 51 may be provided with a plurality of inserts 52 a - d. each insert may comprise a soft solid, such as foam or batting, or even a relatively hard solid, such as but not limited to a hollow or solid plastic, where the cushioned casing provides sufficient padding. in other embodiments, each insert may comprise a filled member (not shown), such as individual air-inflated members, liquid-filled members, gel-filled members, or solids-filled members (such as with hulls, prills, feathers, or the like). in another embodiment, shown in fig. 6 , a plurality of discrete members 62 a - c may be adapted for stacking inside a pillowcase 64 without a cushioned outer covering, or may comprise a plurality of members adapted for stacking without any outer covering whatsoever (not shown). for ease of insertion or handling, the insert or stackable members 52 a - d or 62 a - c may be provided with an outer covering 54 , such as a slick or slippery fabric, as shown in fig. 6 . each insert or stackable member may be of equal modular thickness (such as 52 a and 52 d, or 62 b and 62 c ), or of different modular thicknesses (such as 52 a and 52 b or 62 a and 62 b ). in either embodiment shown in figs. 5 and 6 , at least some of the inserts or stackable members in the adjustable positioning system are relatively small in thickness so that they lend themselves to relatively small incremental changes in height. for example, a system adapted to support three body zones may comprise a set of at least three modular members in the smallest increment of adjustability desired (such as 0.5″ or 1″, for example) to enable adjustment of each zone by at least that increment. the system may further comprise a larger number of modules having a greater thickness (such as 1.5″, 2″ or 3″, for example) to allow stacking of the optimal height with as few members as possible. because pillowcase 64 does not provide cushioning over the stack of members in fig. 6 , members 62 a - c are preferably soft in feel, such as is provided by foam, batting, or air-, liquid-, and gel-filled members, or solid-filled members with small solids such as feathers, hulls, prills, or the like. although the inserts and stacked members are shown in figs. 5 and 6 with respect to a single adjustable section, support structures having multiple adjustable sections in a single structure (such as are shown in figs. 2 and 3 ) may also be adapted to accept inserts or stacked members. although shown in a number of specific exemplary embodiments, many embodiments of the invention can be generally described as comprising a support system for providing changeable thickness in a plurality of supports for a plurality of body zones, each section with changeable thickness having a non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism for adjusting the thickness of the section. in other words, the means for effecting the changeable thickness is adapted to be manipulated at the pillow or other support device itself, rather than remotely from the pillow or support device. this non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises the inflation/deflation valve 44 in the inflatable bladder embodiments shown in fig. 4a and 4b , whereas the non-remote, individually adjustable mechanism comprises the opening in the outer casing 51 or pillowcase 64 and inserts or stackable members in the embodiments shown in figs. 5 and 6 , respectively. yet another embodiment may comprise a set of two or more, preferably three, non-adjustable pillows of different sizes to accommodate different body zones. for example, the pillows shown in fig. 1a , rather than being inflatable, may have a fixed size that is designed to be optimal for users in a certain range of sizes. thus, one exemplary set for average-sized individuals may comprise a head pillow 16 having a thickness t 1 of approximately 8″ or less, an arm pillow 18 with a thickness t 2 of approximately 16″ or less, and a leg pillow with a thickness t 3 of approximately 12″ or less. although exemplary thicknesses are provided above, these sizes are by no means limiting. sets of smaller sized pillows may be provided for smaller individuals and larger sized pillows for larger individuals. the thicknesses of the set of fixed pillows may be tailored to optimum sizes for the height ranges of potential users. the adjustable pillow systems described herein may also have different base sizes for each pillow. for example, head pillow 16 may have an adjustable thickness t 1 in a range from 4″-8″, arm pillow 18 may have an adjustable thickness t 2 in a range from 8″-16″ and leg pillow may have an adjustable thickness t 3 in a range of 6″-12″. although depicted herein as having a standard ovular or rectangular shape, the adjustable and/or non-adjustable supports of this invention may be of any size and shape. thus, for example, the leg pillow may have a contoured design such as is described, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 6,154,905 to frydman, incorporated herein by reference. similarly, the head pillow may have a contoured design such as is described, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 3,829,917 to de laittre or u.s. pat. no. 6,345,401 to frydman, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. in another embodiment, any or all of the pillows (not just the head/neck pillow) in the set of pillows may have a thickness that is adjustable in the manner disclosed in the '401 frydman patent, wherein each of the stackable inserts or pillow sections interlocks with one another, such as in a tongue and groove engagement. although various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications of parts, elements and materials without departing from the invention.
105-733-899-720-482	US	[ "US" ]	B01J31/12,B01J23/44,B01J23/60,B01J31/04,B01J31/16,B01J31/22,B01J35/00,C01B15/029,C07F15/00,C01B15/01	2002-10-25T00:00:00	2002	[ "B01", "C01", "C07" ]	process for preparing hydrogen peroxide from the elements	the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen or oxygen-delivering substances and hydrogen or hydrogen-delivering substances in the presence of at least one catalyst containing a metal-organic framework material, wherein said framework material comprises pores and a metal ion and an at least bidentate organic compound, said bidentate organic compound being coordinately bound to the metal ion. the invention further relates to a novel material consisting of said metal organic framework material wherein the material is brought in contact with at least one additional metal.	1. a material comprising at least one metal-organic framework material, wherein the metal-organic framework material has pores and comprises at least one metal ion and at least one at least bidentate organic compound coordinately bound to the metal ion, wherein the metal-organic framework material further comprises at least one additional metal selected from the group consisting of pd, pt, and au. 2. the material of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal ion of the metal-organic framework material comprises an ion selected from the group consisting of mg 2+ , ca 2+ , sr 2+ , ba 2+ , sc 3+ , y 3+ , ti 4+ , zr 4+ , hf 4+ , v 4+ , v 3+ , v 2+ , nb 3+ , ta 3+ , cr 3+ , mo 3+ , w 3+ , mn 3+ , mn 2+ , re 3+ , re 2+ , fe 3+ , fe 2+ , ru 3+ , ru 2+ , os 3+ , os 2+ , co 3+ , co 2+ , rh 2+ , rh + , ir 2+ , ir + , ni 2+ , ni + , pd 2+ , pd + , pt 2+ , pt + , cu 2+ , cu + , ag + , au + , zn 2+ , cd 2+ , hg 2+ , al 3+ , ga 3+ , in 3+ , tl 3+ , si 4+ , si 4+ , si 2+ , ge 4+ , ge 2+ , sn 4+ , sn 2+ , pb 4+ , pb 2+ , as 5+ , as 3+ , as + , sb 5+ , sb 3+ , sb +, bi 5+ , bi 3+ , bi + and combinations thereof. 3. the material of claim 2 , wherein the metal ion is zn 2+ . 4. the material of claim 1 , wherein the at least bidentate organic compound has a substructure bound to at least one bidentate functional group, said substructure is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups, an aryl group having 1 of 2 phenyl rings, and combinations thereof, and said bidentate functional group has at least 2 carboxy groups. 5. the material of claim 1 , wherein the at least bidentate organic compound is selected from the group consisting of 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate, acetylene dicarboxylate, naphtalen dicarboxylate, benzene dicarboxylate, adamantane tetracarboxylate, benzene tricarboxylate, benzene tribenzoate, methane tetrabenzoate, and adamantane tribenzoate. 6. the material of claim 1 , wherein said material further comprises at least one monodentate ligand. 7. the material of claim 6 , wherein the monodentate ligand is selected from the group consisting of alkyl amines having linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and alkyl ammonium salts thereof; aryl amines having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings, and aryl ammonium salts thereof; alkyl phosphonium salts, having linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl phosphonium salts having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings; alkyl organic acids having linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and alkyl organic anions and salts thereof; aryl organic acids having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings, and aryl organic anions and salts thereof; linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic alcohols having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl alcohols having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings; inorganic anions of the group consisting of sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, sulfite, bisulfite, phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate, diphosphate, triphosphate, phosphite, chloride, chlorate, bromide, bromate, iodide, iodate, carbonate, bicarbonate, and acids and salts thereof; and ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, oxygen, ethylene, hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, naphthalene, thiophene, pyridine, acetone, 1-2-dichloroethane, methylenechloride, tetrahydrofuran, ethanolamine, triethylamine and trifluoromethylsulfonic acid. 8. the material of claim 1 , wherein the metal-organic framework material is mof-5. 9. the material of claim 1 , wherein the metal-organic framework material has a pore size of from 0.2 to 30 nm. 10. a material comprising at least one metal-organic framework material, wherein the metal-organic framework material has pores and comprises at least one metal ion zn 2+ and at least one at least bidentate organic compound coordinately bound to the metal ion, wherein the metal-organic framework material further comprises at least one additional metal selected from the group consisting of metals of groups ia, iia, iiia, iva to viiia and ib to vib of the periodic table.	this application is a division of application ser. no. 10/280,013 filed oct. 25, 2002, now u.s. pat. no. 7,008,607. background and summary of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a process for preparing hydrogen peroxide from the reaction of oxygen and/or oxygen-delivering substances with hydrogen and/or hydrogen-delivering substances in the presence of a catalyst. 2. discussion of the background most hydrogen peroxide produced commercially is obtained via the anthraquinione process involving the oxidation of an anthra-hydroquinone in the presence of air (yielding the hydrogen peroxide) and the recycling reaction of reducing the resulting anthraquinone to anthra-hydroquinone in the presence of a noble metal catalyst, most commonly pd. a catalyst free of noble metals is described in wo 97/01113. the formation of hydrogen peroxide from the elements is not of significant commercial importance at this point. however, for specific applications, e.g. in electronics, ultrapure hydrogen peroxide is required. in this context, producing hydrogen peroxide from the elements may be cost-effective over working-up and cleaning hydrogen peroxide obtained by the anthraquinone process. in a promising novel and alternative strategy to create micro- and/or mesoporous catalytically active materials in general, metal ions and molecular organic building blocks are used to form so-called metal-organic frameworks (mofs). the metal-organic framework materials as such are described, for example, in. u.s. pat. no. 5,648,508, ep-a-0 709 253, m. o'keeffe et al., j. sol. state chem., 152 (2000) p. 3–20, h. li et al., nature 402 (1999) p. 276 seq., m. eddaoudi et al., topics in catalysis 9(1999) p. 105–111, b. chen et al., science 291 (2001) p. 1021–23. among the advantages of these novel materials, in particular for applications in catalysis, are the following: (i) larger pore sizes can be realized than for the zeolites used presently;(ii) the internal surface area is larger than for porous materials used presently;(iii) pore size and/or channel structure can be tailored over a large range;(iv) the organic framework components forming the internal surface can be functionalized easily;(v) the metal-organic framework according to the invention is stable even if no host, solvent or any other additional substance is present, i.e. the framework does not collapse and/or interpenetrate and/or change its shape and dimension. this puts the material according to the invention in contrast to other metal-organic materials that maybe used as catalysts. however, these novel porous materials have only been described as such. the use of these catalytically active materials for the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form hydrogen peroxide has not been disclosed yet. in related applications, the use of these novel porous materials as shaped bodies (u.s. application ser. no. 10/157,182) and for epoxidation reactions (u.s. application ser. no. 10/157,494) has been described. summary of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide a process and a catalyst for the reaction of oxygen and/or oxygen-delivering substances with hydrogen and/or hydrogen-delivering substances, wherein the catalyst for said reaction contains a novel material, in addition to, or instead of, catalytic materials according to the prior art. this object is solved by providing a process for the reaction of oxygen and/or oxygen-delivering substances with hydrogen and/or hydrogen-delivering substances in the presence of a catalyst, wherein said catalyst contains a metal-organic framework material comprising pores and at least one metal ion and at least one at least bidentate organic compound, which is coordinately bound to said metal ion, and wherein said framework material retains its dimension and shape even while no other materials are present. detailed description of the invention as has been mentioned above, metal-organic framework materials as such are described in, for example, u.s. pat. no. 5,648,508, ep-a-0 709 253, m. o'keeffe et al., j. sol. state chem., 152 (2000) p. 3–20, h. li et al., nature 402 (1999) p. 276 seq., m. eddaoudi et al., topics in catalysis 9 (1999) p. 105–111, b. chen et al., science 291 (2001) p. 1021–23. an inexpensive way for the preparation of said materials is the subject of de 10111230.0. the content of these publications, to which reference is made herein, is fully incorporated in the content of the present application. the catalyst used in the present invention contains at least one metal-organic framework material, for example one of the materials described below. the metal-organic framework materials, as used in the present invention, comprise pores, particularly micro- and/or mesopores. micropores are defined as being pores having a diameter of 2 nm or below and mesopores as being pores having a diameter in the range of above 2 nm to 50 nm, respectively, according to the definition given in pure applied chem. 45, p. 71 seq., particularly on p. 79 (1976). the presence of the micro- and/or mesopores can be monitored by sorption measurements for determining the capacity of the metal-organic framework materials to take up nitrogen at 77 k according to din 66131 and/or din 66134. for example, a type-i-form of the isothermal curve indicates the presence of micropores {see, for example, paragraph 4 of m. eddaoudi et al., topics in catalysis 9 (1999)}. in a preferred embodiment, the specific surface area, as calculated according to the langmuir model (din 66131, 66134) is above 5 m 2 /g, preferably above 10 m 2 /g, more preferably above 50 m 2 /g, particularly preferred above 500 m 2 /g and may increase into the region of to above 3000 m 2 /g. as to the metal component within the framework material that is to be used according to the present invention, particularly to be mentioned are the metal ions of the main group elements and of the subgroup elements of the periodic system of the elements, namely of the groups ia, iia, iiia, iva to viiia and ib to vib. among those metal components, particular reference is made to mg, ca, sr, ba, sc, y, ti, zr, hf, v, nb, ta, cr, mo, w, mn, re, fe, ru, os, co, rh, ir, ni, pd, pt, cu, ag, au, zn, cd, hg, al, ga, in, tl, si, ge, sn, pb, as, sb, and bi, more preferably to zn, cu, ni, pd, pt, ru, rh and co. as to the metal ions of these elements, particular reference is made to: mg 2+ , ca 2+ , sr 2+ , ba 2+ , sc 3+ , y 3+ , ti 4+ , zr 4+ , hf 4+ , v 4+ , v 3+ , v 2+ , nb 3+ , ta 3+ , cr 3+ , mo 3+ , w 3+ , mn 3+ , mn 2+ , re 3+ , re 2+ , fe 3+ , fe 2+ , ru 3+ , ru 2+ , os 3+ , os 2+ , co 3+ , co 2+ , rh 2+ , rh + , ir 2+ , ir + , ni 2+ , ni + , pd 2+ , pd + , pt 2+ , pt + , cu 2+ , cu + , ag + , au + , zn 2+ , cd 2+ , hg 2+ , al 3+ , ga 3+ , in 3+ , tl 3+ , si 4+ , si 2+ , ge 4+ , ge 2+ , sn 4+ , sn 2+ , pb 4+ , pb 2+ , as 5+ , as 3+ , as + , sb 5+ , sb 3+ , sb + , bi 5+ , bi 3+ and bi + . with regard to the preferred metal ions and further details regarding the same, particular reference is made to: ep-a 0 790 253, particularly to p. 10, 1. 8–30, section “the metal ions”, which section is incorporated herein by reference. in the context of the present invention, zn is particularly preferred as the metal component. in addition to the metal salts disclosed in ep-a 0 790 253 and u.s. pat. no. 5,648,508, other metallic compounds can be used, such as sulfates, phosphates and other complex counter-ion metal salts of the main- and subgroup metals of the periodic system of the elements. metal oxides, mixed oxides and mixtures of metal oxides and/or mixed oxides with or without a defined stoichiometry are preferred. all of the above mentioned metal compounds can be soluble or insoluble and they may be used as starting material either in form of a powder or as a shaped body or as any combination thereof. as to the at least bidentate organic compound, which is capable to coordinate with the metal ion, in principle all compounds can be used which are suitable for this purpose and which fulfill the above requirements of being at least bidentate. said organic compound must have at least two centers, which are capable to coordinate with the metal ions of a metal salt, particularly with the metals of the aforementioned groups. with regard to the at least bidentate organic compound, specific mention is to be made of compounds having i) an alkyl group substructure, having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms,ii) an aryl group substructure, having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings,iii) an alkyl or aryl amine substructure, consisting of alkyl groups having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or aryl groups having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings, said substructures having bound thereto at least one at least bidentate functional group “x”, which is covalently bound to the substructure of said compound, and wherein x is selected from the group consisting of co 2 h, cs 2 h, no 2 , so 3 h, si(oh) 3 , ge(oh) 3 , sn(oh) 3 , si(sh) 4 , ge(sh) 4 , sn(sh) 3 , po 3 h, aso 3 h, aso 4 h, p(sh) 3 , as(sh) 3 , ch(rsh) 2 , c(rsh) 3 , ch(rnh 2 ) 2 , c(rnh 2 ) 3 , ch(roh) 2 , c(roh) 3 , ch(rcn) 2 , c(rcn) 3 , wherein r is an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or an aryl group consisting of 1 to 2 phenyl rings, and ch(sh) 2 , c(sh) 3 , ch(nh 2 ) 2 , c(nh 2 ) 2 , ch(oh) 2 , c(oh) 3 , ch(cn) 2 and c(cn) 3 . particularly to be mentioned are substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polynuclear aromatic di-, tri- and tetracarboxylic acids and substituted or unsubstituted, aromatic, at least one hetero atom comprising aromatic di-, tri- and tetracarboxylic acids, which have one or more nuclei. preferred bidendate organic compounds in the context of the present invention are alkyl group substructures with at least two carboxy groups and/or aryl groups with one or two phenyl rings having at least two carboxy groups. a preferred ligand is 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate (bct). further preferred ligands are adc (acetylene dicarboxylate), ndc (naphtalen dicarboxylate), bdc (benzene dicarboxylate), atc (adamantane tetracarboxylate), btc (benzene tricarboxylate), btb (benzene tribenzoate), mtb (methane tetrabenzoate) and atb (adamantane tribenzoate). besides the at least bidentate organic compound, the framework material as used in accordance with the present invention may also comprise one or more mono-dentate ligand(s), which is/are preferably selected from the following mono-dentate substances and/or derivatives thereof: a. alkyl amines and their corresponding alkyl ammonium salts, containing linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms (and their corresponding ammonium salts);b. aryl amines and their corresponding aryl ammonium salts having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings;c. alkyl phosphonium salts, containing linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms;d. aryl phosphonium salts, having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings;e. alkyl organic acids and the corresponding alkyl organic anions (and salts) containing linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms;f. aryl organic acids and their corresponding aryl organic anions and salts, having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings;g. aliphatic alcohols, containing linear, branched, or cyclic aliphatic groups, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms;h. aryl alcohols having from 1 to 5 phenyl rings;i. inorganic anions from the group consisting of: sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, sulfite, bisulfite, phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate, diphosphate, triphosphate, phosphite, chloride, chlorate, bromide, bromate, iodide, iodate, carbonate, bicarbonate, and the corresponding acids and salts of the aforementioned inorganic anions,j. ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, oxygen, ethylene, hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, naphthalene, thiophene, pyridine, acetone, 1-2-dichloroethane, methylenechloride, tetrahydrofuran, ethanolamine, triethylamine and trifluoromethylsulfonic acid. further details regarding the at least bidentate organic compounds and the mono-dentate substances, from which the ligands of the framework material as used in the present application are derived, can be taken from ep-a 0 790 253, whose respective content is incorporated into the present application by reference. within the present application, framework materials of the kind described herein, which comprise zn 2+ as a metal ion and ligands derived from terephthalic acid as the bidentate compound, are particularly preferred. said framework materials are known as mof-5 in the literature. further metal ions and at least bidentate organic compounds and mono-dentate substances, which are respectively useful for the preparation of the framework materials used in the present invention as well as processes for their preparation are particularly disclosed in ep-a 0 790 253, u.s. pat. no. 5,648,508 and de 10111230.0. as solvents, which are particularly useful for the preparation of mof-5, in addition to the solvents disclosed in the above-referenced literature, dimethyl formamide, diethyl formamide and n-methylpyrollidone, alone, in combination with each other or in combination with other solvents may be used. within the preparation of the framework materials, particularly within the preparation of mof-5, the solvents and mother liquors are recycled after crystallization in order to save costs and materials. the pore sizes of the metal-organic framework can be adjusted by selecting suitable organic ligands and/or bidendate compounds (=linkers). generally, the larger the linker, the larger the pore size. any pore size that is still supported by a the metal-organic framework in the absence of a host and at temperatures of at least 200° c. is conceivable. pore sizes ranging from 0.2 nm to 30 nm are preferred, with pore sizes ranging from 0.3 nm to 3 nm being particularly preferred. in the following, examples of metal-organic framework materials (mofs) are given to illustrate the general concept given above. these specific examples, however, are not meant to limit the generality and scope of the present application. by way of example, a list of metal-organic framework materials already synthesized and characterized is given below. this also includes novel isoreticular metal organic framework materials (ir-mofs), which may be used in the context of the present application. such materials having the same framework topology while displaying different pore sizes and crystal densities are described, for example in m. eddouadi et al., science 295 (2002) 469, whose respective content is incorporated into the present application by reference. the solvents used are of particular importance for the synthesis of these materials and are therefore mentioned in the table. the values for the cell parameters (angles α, βand γ as well as the spacings a, b and c, given in angstrom) have been obtained by x-ray diffraction and represent the space group given in the table as well. ingredientsmolar ratiosspacemof-nm + lsolventsαβγabcgroupmof-0zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol909012016.71116.71114.189p6(3)/h 3 (btc)mcmmof-2zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf90102.8906.71815.4912.43p2(1)/n(0.246 mmol)tolueneh 2 (bdc)0.241 mmol)mof-3zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf99.72111.11108.49.7269.91110.45p-1(1.89 mmol)meohh 2 (bdc)(1.93 mmol)mof-4zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol90909014.72814.72814.728p2(1)3(1.00 mmol)h 3 (btc)(0.5 mmol)mof-5zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf90909025.66925.66925.669fm-3m(2.22 mmol)chlorobenzeneh 2 (bdc)(2.17 mmol)mof-38zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf90909020.65720.65717.84i4cm(0.27 mmol)chlorobenzeneh 3 (btc)(0.15 mmol)mof-31zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol90909010.82110.82110.821pn(−3)mzn(adc) 20.4 mmolh 2 (adc)0.8 mmolmof-12zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol90909015.74516.90718.167pbcazn 2 (atc)0.3 mmolh 4 (atc)0.15 mmolmof-20zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9092.13908.1316.44412.807p2(1)/cznndc0.37 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 ndc0.36 mmolmof-37zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odef72.3883.1684.339.95211.57615.556p-10.2 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 ndc0.2 mmolmof-8tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmso90115.79019.839.82219.183c2/ctb 2 (adc)0.10 mmolmeohh 2 adc0.20 mmolmof-9tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmso90102.099027.05616.79528.139c2/ctb 2 (adc)0.08 mmolh 2 adb0.12 mmolmof-6tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmf9091.289017.59919.99610.545p21/c0.30 mmolmeohh 2 (bdc)0.30 mmolmof-7tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 oh 2 o102.391.12101.56.14210.06910.096p-10.15 mmolh 2 (bdc)0.15 mmolmof-69azn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odef90111.69023.1220.9212c2/c0.083 mmolh 2 o 24,4′bpdcmenh 20.041 mmolmof-69bzn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odef9095.39020.1718.5512.16c2/c0.083 mmolh 2 o 22,6-ncdmenh 20.041 mmolmof-11cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 oh 2 o9093.869012.98711.2211.336c2/ccu 2 (atc)0.47 mmolh 2 atc0.22 mmolmof-119090908.46718.467114.44p42/cu 2 (atc)mmcdehydr.mof-14cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 oh 2 o90909026.94626.94626.946im-3cu 3 (btb)0.28 mmoldmfh 3 btbetoh0.052 mmolmof-32cd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 oh 2 o90909013.46813.46813.468p(−4)3mcd(atc)0.24 mmolnaohh 4 atc0.10 mmolmof-33zncl 2h 2 o90909019.56115.25523.404immazn 2 (atb)0.15 mmoldmfh 4 atbetoh0.02 mmolmof-34ni(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oh 2 o90909010.06611.16319.201p2 1 2 1 2 1ni(atc)0.24 mmolnaohh 4 atc0.10 mmolmof-36zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 oh 2 o90909015.74516.90718.167pbcazn 2 (mtb)0.20 mmoldmfh 4 mtb0.04 mmolmof-39zn(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 oh 2 o90909017.15821.59125.308pnmazn 3 o(hbtb)0.27 mmoldmfh 3 btbetoh0.07 mmolno305fecl 2 .4h 2 odmf90901208.26928.269263.566r-3c5.03 mmolformic acid86.90 mmolno306afecl 2 .4h 2 odef9090909.936418.37418.374pbcn5.03 mmolformic acid86.90 mmolno29mn(ac) 2 .4h 2 odmf120909014.1633.52133.521p-1mof-0 like0.46 mmolh 3 btc0.69 mmolbpr48zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso90909014.517.0418.02pbcaa20.012 mmoltolueneh 2 bdc0.012 mmolbpr69cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 odmso9098.769014.1615.7217.66ccb10.0212 mmolh 2 bdc0.0428 mmolbpr92co(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 onmp106.3107.63107.27.530810.94211.025p1a20.018 mmolh 2 bdc0.018 mmolbpr95cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 onmp90112.89014.46011.08515.829p2(1)/nc50.012 mmolh 2 bdc0.36 mmolcu c 6 h 4 o 6cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90105.299015.25914.81614.13p2(1)/c0.370 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 bdc(oh) 20.37 mmolm(btc)co(so 4 ) h 2 odmfsame as mof-0mof-0like0.055 mmolh 3 btc0.037 mmoltb(c 6 h 4 o 6 )tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmf104.6107.997.14710.49110.98112.541p-10.370 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 (c 6 h 4 o 6 )0.56 mmolzn (c 2 o 4 )zncl 2dmf90120909.41689.41688.464p(−3)1m0.370 mmolchlorobenzeneoxalic acid0.37 mmolco(cho)co(no 3 ) 2 .5h 2 odmf9091.329011.32810.04914.854p2(1)/n0.043 mmolformic acid1.60 mmolcd(cho)cd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf90120908.51688.516822.674r-3c0.185 mmolformic acid0.185 mmolcu(c 3 h 2 o 4 )cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf9090908.3668.36611.919p430.043 mmolmalonic acid0.192 mmolzn 6 (ndc) 5zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9095.9029019.50416.48214.64c2/mmof-480.097 mmolchlorobenzene14 ndch 2 o 20.069 mmolmof-47zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmf9092.559011.30316.02917.535p2(1)/c0.185 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 (bdc[ch 3 ] 4 )h 2 o 20.185 mmolmo25cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90112.09023.88016.83418.389p2(1)/c0.084 mmolbphdc0.085 mmolcu-thiocu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odef90113.69015.474714.51414.032p2(1)/c0.084 mmolthiophenedicarboxylic0.085 mmolclbdc1cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 o0.084 mmoldmf90105.69014.91115.62218.413c2/ch 2 (bdccl 2 )0.085 mmolmof-101cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90909021.60720.60720.073fm3m0.084 mmolbrbdc0.085 mmolzn 3 (btc) 2zncl 2dmf90909026.57226.57226.572fm-3m0.033 mmoletohh 3 btcbase0.033 mmoladdedmof-jco(ch 3 co 2 ) 2 .4h 2 oh 2 o90112.09017.48212.9636.559c2(1.65 mmol)h 3 (bzc)(0.95 mmol)mof-nzn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol909012016.71116.71114.189p6(3)/mcmh 3 (btc)pbbdcpb(no 3 ) 2dmf90102.7908.363917.9919.9617p2(1)/n(0.181 mmol)ethanolh 2 (bdc)(0.181 mmol)znhexzn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf909012037.116537.11730.019p3(1)c(0.171 mmol)p-xyleneh 3 btbethanol(0.114 mmol)as16febr 2dmf9090.13907.25958.789419.484p2(1)c0.927 mmolanhydr.h 2 (bdc)0.927 mmolas27-2febr 2dmf90909026.73526.73526.735fm3m0.927 mmolanhydr.h 3 (bdc)0.464 mmolas32fecl 3dmf anhydr.909012012.53512.53518.479p6(2)c1.23 mmolethanolh 2 (bdc)1.23 mmolas54-3febr 2dmf anhydr.90109.989012.01915.28614.399c20.927n-propanolbpdc0.927 mmolas61-4febr 2pyridine909012013.01713.01714.896p6(2)c0.927 mmolanhydr.m-bdc0.927 mmolas68-7febr 2dmf anhydr.90909018.340710.03618.039pca2 10.927 mmolpyridinem-bdc1.204 mmolzn(adc)zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9099.859016.7649.3499.635c2/c0.37 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 (adc)0.36 mmolmof-12zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 oethanol90909015.74516.90718.167pbcazn 2 (atc)0.30 mmolh 4 (atc)0.15 mmolmof-20zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9092.13908.1316.44412.807p2(1)/cznndc0.37 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 ndc0.36 mmolmof-37zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odef72.3883.1684.339.95211.57615.556p-10.20 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 ndc0.20 mmolzn(ndc)zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmso68.0875.3388.318.63110.20713.114p-1(dmso)h 2 ndczn(ndc)zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 o9099.29019.28917.62815.052c2/ch 2 ndczn(hpdc)zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf107.9105.0694.48.32612.08513.767p-10.23 mmolh 2 oh 2 (hpdc)0.05 mmolco(hpdc)co(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9097.699029.6779.637.981c2/c0.21 mmolh 2 o/ethanolh 2 (hpdc)0.06 mmolzn 3 (pdc)2.5zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf/clbz79.3480.885.838.56414.04626.428p-10.17 mmolh 2 0/teah 2 (hpdc)0.05 mmolcd 2cd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 omethanol/70.5972.7587.1410.10214.41214.964p-1(tpdc)20.06 mmolchp h 2 oh 2 (hpdc)0.06 mmoltb(pdc)1.5tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmf109.8103.61100.149.82912.1114.628p-10.21 mmolh 2 o/ethanolh 2 (pdc)0.034 mmolzndbpzn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 omeoh9093.67909.25410.76227.93p2/n0.05 mmoldibenzylphosphate0.10 mmolzn 3 (bpdc)znbr 2dmf90102.769011.4914.7919.18p21/n0.021 mmol4,4′bpdc0.005 mmolcdbdccd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf9095.859011.211.1116.71p21/n0.100 mmolna 2 sio 3 (aq)h 2 (bdc)0.401 mmolcd-mbdccd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf90101.19013.6918.2514.91c2/c0.009 mmolmenh 2h 2 (mbdc)0.018 mmolzn 4 obndczn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odef90909022.3526.0559.56fmmm0.041 mmolmenh 2bndch 2 o 2eu(tca)eu(no 3 ) 3 .6h 2 odmf90909023.32523.32523.325pm-3n0.14 mmolchlorobenzenetca0.026 mmoltb(tca)tb(no 3 ) 3 .6h 2 odmf90909023.27223.27223.372pm-3n0.069 mmolchlorobenzenetca0.026 mmolformatece(no 3 ) 3 .6h 2 oh 2 o909012010.66810.6674.107r-3m0.138 mmolethanolformaic acid0.43 mmolfecl 2 .4h 2 odmf90901208.26928.269263.566r-3c5.03 mmolformic acid86.90 mmolfecl 2 .4h 2 odef9090909.936418.37418.374pbcn5.03 mmolformic acid86.90 mmolfecl 2 .4h 2 odef9090908.3358.33513.34p-31c5.03 mmolformic acid86.90 mmolno330fecl 2 .4h 2 oform-amide9090908.774911.6558.3297pnna0.50 mmolformic acid8.69 mmolno332fecl 2 .4h 2 odip90909010.031318.80818.355pbcn0.50 mmolformic acid8.69 mmolno333fecl 2 .4h 2 odbf90909045.275423.86112.441cmcm0.50 mmolformic acid8.69 mmolno335fecl 2 .4h 2 ochf9091.3729011.596410.18714.945p21/n0.50 mmolformic acid8.69 mmolno336fecl 2 .4h 2 omfa90909011.794548.8438.4136pbcm0.50 mmolformic acid8.69 mmolno13mn(ac) 2 .4h 2 oethanol90909018.6611.7629.418pbcn0.46 mmolbezoic acid0.92 mmolbipyridine0.46 mmolno29mn(ac) 2 .4h 2 odmf120909014.1633.52133.521p-1mof-0 like0.46 mmolh 3 btc0.69 mmolmn(hfac) 2mn(ac) 2 .4h 2 oether9095.32909.57217.16214.041c2/c(o 2 cc 6 h 5 )0.46 mmolhfac0.92 mmolbipyridine0.46 mmolbpr43g2zn(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9091.379017.966.387.19c2/c0.0288 mmolch 3 cnh 2 bdc0.0072 mmolbpr48a2zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso90909014.517.0418.02pbca0.012 mmoltolueneh 2 bdc0.012 mmolbpr49b1zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso9091.1729033.1819.82417.884c2/c0.024 mmolmethanolh 2 bdc0.048 mmolbpr56e1zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso9090.0969014.587314.15317.183p2(1)/n0.012 mmoln-propanolh 2 bdc0.024 mmolbpr68d10zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso9095.3169010.062710.1716.413p2(1)/c0.0016 mmolbenzeneh 3 btc0.0064 mmolbpr69b1cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 odmso9098.769014.1615.7217.66cc0.0212 mmolh 2 bdc0.0428 mmolbpr73e4cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 odmso9092.324908.72317.056818.438p2(1)/n0.006 mmoltolueneh 2 bdc0.003 mmolbpr76d5zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmso90104.179014.41916.25997.0611pc0.0009 mmolh 2 bzpdc0.0036 mmolbpr80b5cd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf90115.119028.0499.18417.837c2/c0.018 mmolh 2 bdc0.036 mmolbpr80h5cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 odmf90119.069011.47466.215117.268p2/c0.027 mmolh 2 bdc0.027 mmolbpr82c6cd(no 3 ) 2 4h 2 odmf9090909.772121.14227.77fdd20.0068 mmolh 2 bdc0.202 mmolbpr86c3co(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 odmf90909018.344910.03117.983pca2(1)0.0025 mmolh 2 bdc0.075 mmolbpr86h6cd(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf80.9889.6983.4129.875210.26315.362p-10.010 mmolh 2 bdc0.010 mmolco(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 onmp106.3107.63107.27.530810.94211.025p1bpr95a2zn(no 3 ) 2 6h 2 onmp90102.9907.450213.76712.713p2(1)/c0.012 mmolh 2 bdc0.012 mmolcuc 6 f 4 o 4cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf9098.8349010.967524.4322.553p2(1)/n0.370 mmolchlorobenzeneh 2 bdc(oh) 20.37 mmolfe formicfecl 2 .4h 2 odmf9091.5439011.4959.96314.48p2(1)/n0.370 mmolformic acid0.37 mmolmg formicmg(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9091.3599011.3839.93214.656p2(1)/n0.370 mmolformic acid0.37 mmolmgc 6 h 4 o 6mg(no 3 ) 2 .6h 2 odmf9096.6249017.2459.9439.273c2/c0.370 mmolh 2 bdc(oh) 20.37 mmolznzncl 2dmf9094.714907.338616.83412.52p2(1)/nc 2 h 4 bdc0.44 mmolmof-38cbbdc0.261 mmolmof-49zncl 2dmf9093.4599013.50911.98427.039p2/c0.44 mmolch3cnm-bdc0.261 mmolmof-26cu(no 3 ) 2 .5h 2 odmf9095.6079020.879716.01726.176p2(1)/n0.084 mmoldcpe0.085 mmolmof-112cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90107.499029.324121.29718.069c2/c0.084 mmolethanolo-br-m-bdc0.085 mmolmof-109cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90111.989023.880116.83418.389p2(1)/c0.084 mmolkdb0.085 mmolmof-111cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90102.169010.676718.78121.052c2/c0.084 mmolethanolo-brbdc0.085 mmolmof-110cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf909012020.065220.06520.747r-3/m0.084 mmolthiophenedicarboxylic0.085 mmolmof-107cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odef104.897.07595.20611.03218.06718.452p-10.084 mmolthiophenedicarboxylic0.085 mmolmof-108cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odbf/90113.639015.474714.51414.032c2/c0.084 mmolmethanolthiophenedicarboxylic0.085 mmolmof-102cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf91.63106.24112.019.384510.79410.831p-10.084 mmolh 2 (bdccl 2 )0.085 mmolclbdc1cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odef90105.569014.91115.62218.413p-10.084 mmolh 2 (bdccl 2 )0.085 mmolcu(nmop)cu(no 3 ) 2 .2.5h 2 odmf90102.379014.923818.72715.529p2(1)/m0.084 mmolnbdc0.085 mmoltb(btc)tb(no 3 ) 3 .5h 2 odmf90106.029018.698611.36819.7210.033 mmolh 3 btc0.033 mmolzn 3 (btc) 2zncl 2dmf90909026.57226.57226.572fm-3mhonk0.033 mmolethanolh 3 btc0.033 mmolzn 4 o(ndc)zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf ethanol90909041.559418.81817.574aba20.066 mmol14ndc0.066 mmolcdtdccd(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odmf90909012.17310.4857.33pmma0.014 mmolh 2 othiophene0.040 mmoldabco0.020 mmolirmof-2zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909025.77225.77225.772fm-3m0.160 mmolo-br-bdc0.60 mmolirmof-3zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909025.74725.74725.747fm-3m0.20 mmolethanolh 2 n-bdc0.60 mmolirmof-4zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909025.84925.84925.849fm-3m0.11 mmol[c 3 h 7 o] 2 -bdc0.48 mmolirmof-5zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909012.88212.88212.882pm-3m0.13 mmol[c 5 h 11 o] 2 -bdc0.50 mmolirmof-6zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909025.84225.84225.842fm-3m0.20 mmol[c 2 h 4 ]-bdc0.60 mmolirmof-7zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909012.91412.91412.914pm-3m0.07 mmol1,4ndc0.20 mmolirmof-8zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909030.09230.09230.092fm-3m0.55 mmol2,6ndc0.42 mmolirmof-9zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909017.14723.32225.255pnnm0.05 mmolbpdc0.42 mmolirmof-10zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909034.28134.28134.281fm-3m0.02 mmolbpdc0.012 mmolirmof-11zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909024.82224.82256.734r-3m0.05 mmolhpdc0.20 mmolirmof-12zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909034.28134.28134.281fm-3m0.017 mmolhpdc0.12 mmolirmof-13zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909024.82224.82256.734r-3m0.048 mmolpdc0.31 mmolirmof-14zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909034.38134.38134.381fm-3m0.17 mmolpdc0.12 mmolirmof-15zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909021.45921.45921.459im-3m0.063 mmoltpdc0.025 mmolirmof-16zn(no 3 ) 2 .4h 2 odef90909021.4921.4921.49pm-3m0.0126 mmolnmptpdc0.05 mmoladcacetylene dicarboxylic acidndcnaphtalene dicarboxylic acidbdcbenzene dicarboxylic acidatcadamantane tetracarboxylic acidbtcbenzene tricarboxylic acidbtbbenzene tribenzoatemtbmethane tetrabenzoateatbadamantane tetrabenzoateadbadamantane dibenzoate examples of the synthesis of these materials as such can, for example, be found in: j. am. chem. soc. 123 (2001) pages 8241ff or in acc. chem. res. 31 (1998) pages 474ff, which are fully encompassed within the content of the present application. the separation of the framework materials, particularly of mof-5, from the mother liquor of the crystallization may be achieved by procedures known in the art such as solid-liquid separations, centrifugation, extraction, filtration, membrane filtration, cross-flow filtration, flocculation using flocculation adjuvants (non-ionic, cationic and anionic adjuvants) or by the addition of ph shifting additives such as salts, acids or bases, by flotation, as well as by evaporation of the mother liquor at elevated temperature and/or in vacuo and concentrating of the solid. the material obtained in this step is typically a fine powder and is not optimally suited for most practical applications, e.g. in catalysis, where shaped bodies are preferred. therefore, the powder is pressed or granulated or formed by any process known to the expert in the art, in particular any process that results in forming a powder into a shaped body. such a process is disclosed, e.g. in the u.s. application ser. no. 10/157,182. in a preferred embodiment, the metal-organic framework material catalyst used for the reaction of oxygen and/or oxygen-delivering substances with hydrogen and/or hydrogen-delivering substances contains at least one additional metal selected from the main groups and/or the subgroups of the periodic table of the elements. in a further preferred embodiment, in order to produce said catalyst, the metal-organic framework material as described above is brought in contact with a substance, preferably a powder, a solution or a suspension, containing at least one metal of the main groups or the subgroups of the periodic table of the elements. the term “bringing in contact” in the context of the present invention refers to any procedure yielding a metal-organic framework catalyst as described above, containing, at least in parts, at least one additional metal component. as far as the methods of bringing the metal-organic framework in contact with an additional metal component, any method known to the expert in the field, in particular any method known in the context of charging a porous material, can be used. in a preferred embodiment, these methods include but are not limited to: dipping, coating, spraying, impregnating, soaking, applying, precipitating, co-precipitating, kneading, powder kneading. the additional metal is selected form the group consisting of the main group or the subgroup metals of the periodic table of the elements, preferably form the group of the sub group metals, further preferred from the group of cu, ag, au, fe, co, ni, ru, rh, pd, os, ir, pt, particularly preferred from the group of pd, pt, au. mixtures of at least two of all of the aforementioned substances are included as well. for the reaction to produce hydrogen peroxide, any substance that contains or delivers oxygen and any substance that contains or delivers hydrogen can be used, so long as, ultimately, hydrogen peroxide is formed in the presence of the catalyst according to the invention. in a preferred embodiment the molecular gases oxygen and hydrogen are used. either or both gases may be mixed with other reactive gases and/or inert gases, preferably with inert gases. the invention is now further described by way of the following examples, which are, however, not meant to limit the scope of the present application. examples example 1 preparation of the metal-organic framework material 41 g of terephthalic acid are dissolved together with 193.5 g of znno 3 .4h 2 o in 5650 g of diethyl formamide in a container with a frit (hws, 10 liters). the mixture is heated to 130° c. and kept at that temperature for 210 minutes. subsequently, the mixture is cooled down and the solid formed is filtered off and washed three times with 1 liter of chloroform, respectively. the filter cake is blow dried with nitrogen. the product thusly obtained is subsequently activated in several portions under high vacuum. the structure of mof-5 is discernible in the x-ray diffraction pattern. example 2 preparation of the catalyst the preparation of the metal-organic framework material containing pd and used as a catalyst was performed as described in the following: 1.0 g of pd acetate (4.45 mmol) are dissolved in 91.5 g of diethyl formamide and 33 g of acetonitrile in a beaker. the brownish solution is filled into a four neck flask containing 5.0 g of the mof-5 from example 1. the suspension is cooked in an oil bath at 60° c. for 7 h while being stirred. subsequently the mixture is transferred into a beaker and the mother liquor is decanted off after the crystals have settled. the crystals are over-layered with chloroform and, after 12 hours, washed with chloroform until the chloroform solution hardly shows any coloring, then transferred into a flask and dried at room temperature under high vacuum (turbo molecular pump). the yield was 5.7 g. elemental analysis resulted in a pd content of 1.6% by weight next to 29.2% by weight of zn and a residual content of cl of 220 ppm. example 3 activation of the inventive catalyst 54.3 g of the catalyst prepared as described above are transferred into a glass reactor that is fed with 10% by volume of hydrogen in ar at a flow rate of 30 ml/min. in a temperature-controlled reduction (autochem ii 2920, micromeritics), the reactor is heated to 250° c. using a ramp of 5 k/min. at a temperature of 92° c., 3.67 ml stp of gas per gram of catalyst are activated in the presence of hydrogen, corresponding to approx. 1.7% by weight of pd in the catalyst that can be reduced. example 4 preparation of h2o2 using the inventive catalyst 4 g of the material from example 3 are mixed with 120 mg of graphite and pressed into tablets of 4.75 mm over 3 mm using a tabletting apparatus (korsch). 10 ml of these tablets are exposed to the following feed in a designated pressure container with a basket-like insert: 89 g/h of methanol containing 120 ppm of nabr, 8 stdl/h of hydrogen and 37.4 stdl/h of oxygen. the liquid medium is stirred at 1500 rpm. a space-time yield of 16 g/l/h with respect to the formation of hydrogen peroxide was measured by means of titration at a temperature of 40° c., a pressure of 50 bar and a running time of 91 hours.
107-897-828-724-156	US	[ "CA", "EP", "US", "AT", "WO", "DE" ]	B65D81/34,H05B6/80	2005-01-14T00:00:00	2005	[ "B65", "H05" ]	package for browning and crisping dough-based foods in a microwave oven	a construct for heating, browning, and crisping a food item in a microwave oven, comprising: a base,- and a cover, at least a portion of the cover being capable of deflecting away from the base in response to a deflecting force exerted thereto, wherein the portion of the cover being capable of deflecting away from the base comprises a microwave energy interactive material.	a construct for heating, browning, and/or crisping a food item (f) in a microwave oven, comprising: a base (305) and a cover (310) joined along at least two opposed respective edges to define a sleeve (300) having at least one open end (350), a microwave energy interactive material (105) overlying at least a portion of the base (305), characterised in that the cover (310) includes an opening (315) and a plurality of slits (325) that define resilient, deformable tabs (340) extending towards the opening (315), the tabs (340) are capable of deflecting away from the base (305) in response to a deflecting force, and the microwave energy interactive material (105) overlies at least a portion of the tabs (340). the construct of claim 1, wherein the tabs (340) are adapted to engage a dough portion (345) of a food item (f) placed in the sleeve (300), and as the dough portion (345) expands, the tabs (340) deflect away from the base (305) while remaining substantially engaged with the dough portion . the construct of claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening (315) exposes a portion of a food item (f) not desired to be browned or crisped. the construct of any of claims 1-3, wherein the microwave energy interactive material (105) overlying the tabs (340) comprises a susceptor (420). the construct of any of claims 1-4, wherein the base (305) includes a surface adapted to support a food item (f), and the microwave energy interactive material (105) overlying the base (305) overlies the surface adapted to support the food item (f). the construct of any of claims 1-4, wherein the base (305) includes a surface adapted to rest on a microwave oven, and the microwave energy interactive material (105) overlying the base (305) overlies the surface adapted to rest on a microwave oven. the construct of any of claims 1-6, wherein the microwave energy interactive material (105) overlying the base (305) comprises a susceptor (420). the construct of claim 7, wherein the susceptor (420) includes at least one aperture. the construct of claim 7, wherein the susceptor (420) includes at least one microwave energy transparent area. the construct of any of claims 7-9, further comprising a dimensionally stable substrate (115) joined to the susceptor (420) overlying the base (305), and a plastic film (110, 120) joined to the dimensionally stable substrate in a pattern that defines a plurality of substantially closed cells (130, 250) between the dimensionally stable substrate and the plastic film. the construct of claim 10, wherein the closed cells (130, 250) inflate in response to sufficient exposure to microwave energy. the construct of any of claims 1-11, wherein the base (305) comprises a dimensionally stable, planar substrate. the construct of claim 12, wherein the base (305) includes at least one venting aperture.	field of the invention the present invention relates to a construct for heating or cooking a microwavable food item. in particular, the invention relates to a construct for heating, browning and/or crisping a food item having a dough or crust in a microwave oven. background microwave ovens provide a convenient means for heating a variety of food items, including dough-based products such as pizzas and pies. however, microwave ovens tend to cook such items unevenly and are unable to achieve the desired balance of thorough heating and a browned, crisp crust. additional complications are encountered with rising dough products, as the package must promote browning and crisping, typically by maintaining surface contact with, the food, without restricting the natural expansion of the dough during the cooking process. thus, there is a need for a microwave cooking package for a dough-based food item that provides the desired degree of heating, browning, and crisping without restricting the expansion of the dough. us-a 5247149 discloses a combination of a mass produced frozen foodstuff, such as a pizza pie, formed from a layer of uncooked dough with a preselected thickness and covered with a topping layer, except for an outer ring of dough free of sauce of a preselected size extending inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the layer of dough and an appliance for transporting and reconstituting this foodstuff in a microwave oven. the appliance of this combination includes, as a first component, a tray-like receptacle formed of a rigid microwave susceptor sheet for supporting the layer of dough; and as a second component, a microwave susceptor ring having a shape generally matching the preselected size of the ring of dough and being supported directly on the ring of the dough. the first and second components are heated when subjected to microwave energy and bake the dough to form a crisp crust on the bottom surface of the dough and a browned, crisp crust on the top surface of the ring of dough. by providing the oppositely facing microwave susceptors, the ring of dough therebetween is completely and evenly baked in a short amount of time, as compared to a single susceptor under the pie. the susceptor ring, used in combination with the frozen pizza and the susceptor sheet which supports the pizza may be a self-sustaining, generally rigid, microwave susceptor with an outer shape generally matching the preselected shape of the dough, free of sauce, which extends inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the dough. the susceptor sheet may be constructed of a thin, metallized layer on a plastic film laminated to a relatively rigid paperboard. wo-a-03/066435 discloses a microwave interactive food sleeve according to the preamble of claim 1. the present invention aims at providing for a construct for heating, browning and crisping a food item with improved properties in practical use for different food items. summary this object is achieved by a construct as defined in claim 1. various sleeves for heating a food item in a microwave oven are contemplated. in one aspect, a construct according to the present invention includes features, components, or elements that provide enhanced browning and crisping of a dough-based food item without impeding expansion of the rising dough. other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying figures. brief description of the drawings the description refers to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which: fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an insulating microwave material that may be used according to various aspects of the present invention; fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative insulating microwave material that may be used according to various aspects of the present invention; fig. 3 is a perspective view of the insulating microwave material of fig. 1 ; fig. 4 . depicts the insulating microwave material of fig. 3 after exposure to microwave energy; fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of yet another insulating microwave material that may be used according to various aspects of the present invention; fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of still another insulating microwave material that may be used according to various aspects of the present invention; fig. 7 depicts an exemplary microwave cooking construct in the form of a sleeve according to various aspects of the present invention; fig. 8 is a schematic representation of the sleeve of fig. 7 in use; fig. 9 depicts another exemplary construct according to various aspects of the present invention in the form of a sleeve, where the sleeve is in an open condition; fig. 10 depicts the construct of fig. 9 using an alternative susceptor material; fig. 11 depicts an exemplary microwave cooking construct in the form of a tray; fig. 12 depicts the tray of fig. 11 in an open condition with a food item thereon; fig. 13 depicts the tray of figs. 11 and 12 in a closed condition with a food item therein; fig. 14 depicts another exemplary construct in the form of a tray having an overall square shape; fig. 15 depicts another exemplary construct with an insulating microwave material on the oven-contacting surface of the base; fig. 16 depicts another exemplary construct with an insulating microwave material on the food-contacting surface of the base; fig. 17 depicts another exemplary construct with an apertured susceptor material on the food-contacting surface of the base; and fig. 18 depicts another exemplary construct in the form of a tray for use with a thicker food item. detailed description the present invention generally is directed to a cooking package, namely a sleeve-like construct (collectively "construct") for heating or cooking a food item. as used herein, the terms "cooking" and "heating" shall be used interchangeably to refer to the application of heat to a food item to render it suitable or desirable for consumption by a human or animal. in one aspect, the present invention is directed to a one-piece, integral construct for heating or cooking a food item. the construct provides uniform heating, browning, and crisping of a dough-based food item, for example, a pizza or pastry. unlike many two-piece systems that require the user to adjust the pieces to position the microwave active heating element properly, the construct of the present invention is easier to position the food item in and use. the construct of the present invention generally includes a base having a food-supporting or food-bearing surface on which the food item is positioned, and a cover attached to the base. the cover includes a food-exposing opening defined by an inside edge and a peripheral cover portion. the opening may be circular or any other shape as needed or desired for a particular application. the cover includes a food-contacting side or interior surface that is capable of contacting at least partially the dough portion, for example, the crust of a food item. for example, where the food item is pizza, at least a portion of the interior surface of the cover contacts the portion of the dough not covered with sauce or toppings. in the case of a pastry, such as a bottom crusted fruit pie, the periphery contacts the portion of the dough not filled with fruit or other confections. the contact may be intimate, proximate, or a combination thereof. after the food item is cooked, the outermost portion or perimeter of a dough-based food item is commonly referred to as a "crust". however, the term "crust" is used herein to refer to the outermost portion or perimeter of the dough prior to, during, and after cooking. the cover includes a plurality of slits that extend outwardly from the opening and normal to the inside edge of the cover. the slits form a plurality of resilient, deformable tabs that may contact intimately a substantial portion of the typically non-uniform surface of the crust. the tabs are capable of deflecting away from the base in response to a deflecting force applied thereto. additionally, the tabs exert a downward force on the crust, thereby maintaining contact between the tabs and the crust as the dough expands and browns. notably, the tabs do not restrict expansion of the dough. additionally, moisture may be vented through the slits to aid in crisping. thus, the resulting food item is similar to that obtained by cooking the food item in a conventional oven. one or both of the integral base and cover may include one or more features that enhance the heating or cooking of the food item. in this regard, both of the base and cover are formed at least partially from one or more microwave energy interactive materials that promote browning and/or crisping of the food item during microwave heating. depending on the microwave energy interactive material selected and its positioning in the packaging, the microwave energy interactive feature may absorb microwave energy, transmit microwave energy, or reflect microwave energy, as needed or desired for a particular food item. in one aspect, the microwave energy active feature is a susceptor material. a susceptor material used in accordance with the present invention may comprise a microwave energy interactive material deposited on or supported by a substrate. the microwave energy interactive material may comprise an electroconductive or semiconductive material, for example, a metal or a metal alloy provided as a metal foil; a vacuum deposited metal or metal alloy; or a metallic ink, an organic ink, an inorganic ink, a metallic paste, an organic paste, an inorganic paste; or any combination thereof. examples of metals and metal alloys that may be suitable for use with the present invention include, but are not limited to, aluminum, chromium, copper, inconel alloys (nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy with niobium), iron, magnesium, nickel, stainless steel, tin, titanium, tungsten, and any combination thereof. while metals are inexpensive and easy to obtain in both vacuum deposited or foil forms, metals may not be suitable for every application. for example, in high vacuum deposited thickness and in foil form, metals are opaque to visible light and may not be suitable for forming a clear microwave package or component. further, the interactive properties of such vacuum deposited metals for heating often are limited to heating for narrow ranges of heat flux and temperature. such materials therefore may not be optimal for heating, browning, and crisping all food items. additionally, for field management uses, metal foils and vacuum deposited coatings can be difficult to handle and design into packages, and can lead to arcing at small defects in the structure. if desired, the microwave interactive energy material may comprise a metal oxide. examples of metal oxides that may be suitable for use with the present invention include, but are not limited to, oxides of aluminum, iron, and tin, used in conjunction with an electrically conductive material where needed. another example of a metal oxide that may be suitable for use with the present invention is indium tin oxide (ito). ito can be used as a microwave energy interactive material to provide a heating effect, a shielding effect, or a combination thereof. to form the susceptor, ito typically is sputtered onto a clear polymeric film. the sputtering process typically occurs at a lower temperature than the evaporative deposition process used for metal deposition. ito has a more uniform crystal structure and, therefore, is clear at most coating thicknesses. additionally, ito can be used for either heating or field management effects. ito also may have fewer defects than metals, thereby making thick coatings of ito more suitable for field management than thick coatings of metals, such as aluminum. use of ito in the construct of the present invention may provide additional benefits when compared with other, non-transparent microwave energy interactive materials. a clear, transparent package construction would allow the consumer to see the dough rise and brown while the food item cooks in the microwave oven. thus, the consumer can monitor the cooking process without having to interrupt the cooking cycle. in one variation of this aspect, the susceptor is formed from ito sputtered pet film that is laminated to a clear, low thermal shrink pet extruded sheet having a thickness of at least about 127 µm (0.005 inches). the term "low thermal shrink" typically is used to refer to a material that shrinks less than about 10%, for example, less than about 2% at 176,7°celcius (350°f). alternatively, the microwave energy interactive material may comprise a suitable electroconductive, semiconductive, or non-conductive artificial dielectric or ferroelectric. artificial dielectrics comprise conductive, subdivided material in a polymeric or other suitable matrix or binder, and may include flakes of an electroconductive metal, for example, aluminum. the substrate used in accordance with the present invention typically comprises an electrical insulator, for example, a polymeric film. the thickness of the film typically may be from about 8.9 µm (35 gauge) to about 254 µm (10 mil). in one aspect, the thickness of the film is from about 10.2 µm to about 20.3 µm (about 40 to about 80 gauge). in another aspect, the thickness of the film is from about 11.4 µm to about 12.7 µm (about 45 to about 50 gauge). in still another aspect, the thickness of the film is about 12.2 µm (48 gauge). examples of polymeric films that may be suitable include, but are not limited to, polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, polyimides, polysulfones, polyether ketones, cellophanes, or any combination thereof. other non-conducting substrate materials such as paper and paper laminates, metal oxides, silicates, cellulosics, or any combination thereof, also may be used. in one aspect, the polymeric film comprises polyethylene terephthalate. examples of polyethylene terephthalate films that may be suitable for use as the substrate include, but are not limited to, melinex®, commercially available from dupont teijan films (hopewell, virginia), and skyrol, commercially available from skc, inc. (covington, georgia). polyethylene terephthalate films are used in commercially available susceptors, for example, the qwik wave® focus susceptor and the micro-rite® susceptor, both available from graphic packaging international (marietta, georgia). the microwave energy interactive material may be applied to the substrate in any suitable manner, and in some instances, the microwave energy interactive material is printed on, extruded onto, sputtered onto, evaporated on, or laminated to the substrate. the microwave energy interactive material may be applied to the substrate in any pattern, and using any technique, to achieve the desired heating effect of the food item. for example, the microwave energy interactive material may be provided as a continuous or discontinuous layer or coating, circles, loops, hexagons, islands, squares, rectangles, octagons, and so forth. examples of alternative patterns and methods that may be suitable for use with the present invention are provided in u.s. patent nos. 6,765,182 ; 6,717,121 ; 6,677,563 ; 6,552,315 ; 6,455,827 ; 6,433,322 ; 6,414,290 ; 6,251,451 ; 6,204,492 ; 6,150,646 ; 6,114,679 ; 5,800,724 ; 5,759,422 ; 5,672,407 ; 5,628,921 ; 5,519,195 ; 5,424,517 ; 5,410,135 ; 5,354,973 ; 5,340,436 ; 5,266,386 ; 5,260,537 ; 5221,419 ; 5,213,902 ; 5,117,078 ; 5,039,364 ; 4,963,424 ; 4,936,935 ; . 4,890,439 ; 4,775,771 ; 4,865,921 ; and re. 34,683 . although particular examples of the microwave energy interactive material are shown and described herein, it should be understood that other patterns of microwave energy interactive material are contemplated by the present invention. the susceptor then may be laminated to a flexible, semi-rigid, or substantially rigid supporting material, for example, a paper, paperboard, or cardboard. in one aspect, the support is a paper generally having a basis weight of from about 6.8 to about 27.2 kg per 500 sheet (about 15 to about 60 lbs/ream), for example, from about 9.1 to about 18.1 kg per 500 sheet (about 20 to about 40 lbs/ ream). in one particular example, the paper has a basis weight of about 11.3 kg per 500 sheet (25 lbs/ream). in another aspect, the support is a paperboard having a basis weight of from about 27.2 to about 149.7 kg per 500 sheet (about 60 to about 330 lbs/ream), for example, from about 36.3 to about 63.5 kg per 500 sheet (about 80 to about 140 lbs/ream). the paperboard generally may have a thickness of from about 0.15 to about 0.76 mm (about 6 to about 30 mils), for example, from about 0.3 to about 0.71 mm (about 12 to about 28 mils). in one particular example, the paperboard has a thickness of about 0.3 mm (12 mils). any suitable paperboard may be used, for example, a solid bleached or solid unbleached sulfate board, such as sus® board, commercially available from graphic packaging international. if needed or desired, one or more portions of the blank may be laminated to or coated with one or more different or similar sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections. alternatively, one or both of the base and cover may be formed at least partially from one or more insulating microwave materials. as used herein, an "insulating microwave material" refers to any arrangement of layers, such as susceptor layers, polymer layers, paper layers, continuous and discontinuous adhesive layers, and patterned adhesive layers that provide an insulating effect. the insulating microwave material may include one or more susceptors, one or more expandable insulating cells, or a combination of susceptors and expandable insulating cells. by using an insulating microwave material in cooperation with a susceptor, more of the sensible heat generated by the susceptor is transferred to the surface of the food item rather than to the microwave oven environment. without the insulating material, some or all the heat generated by the susceptor may be lost via conduction to the surrounding air and other conductive media, such as the microwave oven floor or turntable. thus, more of the sensible heat generated by the susceptor is directed to the food item and browning and crisping is enhanced. furthermore, insulating microwave materials may retain moisture in the food item when cooking in the microwave oven, thereby improving the texture and flavor of the food item. examples of materials that may be suitable, alone or in combination, include, but are not limited to, are qwikwav® susceptor packaging material, qwikwave® focus® packaging material, micro-rite® packaging material, microflex® q packaging material, and quiltwave™ susceptor packaging material, each of which is commercially available from graphic packaging international, inc. examples of such materials are described in pct application no. pct/us03/03779 . if desired, multiple layers of insulating microwave materials may be used to enhance the insulating properties of the construct and, therefore, browning and crisping of the food item. where multiple layers are used, the layers may remain separate or may be joined using any suitable process or technique, for example, thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, ultrasonic bonding or welding, mechanical fastening, or any combination thereof. in one example, two sheets of an insulating microwave material are arranged so that their respective susceptor layers are facing away from each other. in another example, two sheets of an insulating microwave material are arranged so that their respective susceptor layers are facing towards each other. in still another example, multiple sheets of an insulating microwave material are arranged in a like manner and superposed. in a still further example, multiple sheets of various materials are superposed in any other configuration as needed or desired for a particular application. the multi-layer material then can be used to form, or can be used in cooperation with, a construct according to the present invention. however, while such uses are described herein, it will be understood that such multi-layer insulating materials may be used independently to heat, brown, and crisp dough-based food items. various exemplary insulating materials are depicted in figs. 1-6 . in each of the examples shown herein, it should be understood that the layer widths are not necessarily shown in perspective. in some instances, for example, the adhesive layers may be very thin with respect to other layers, but are nonetheless shown with some thickness for purposes of clearly illustrating the arrangement of layers. referring to fig. 1 , the material 100 may be a combination of several different layers. a susceptor, which typically includes a thin layer of microwave interactive material 105 on a first plastic film 110, is bonded for example, by lamination with an adhesive 112, to a dimensionally stable substrate 115, for example, paper. the substrate 115 is bonded to a second plastic film 120 using a patterned adhesive 125 or other material, such that closed cells 130 are formed in the material 100. the closed cells 130 are substantially resistant to vapor migration. optionally, an additional substrate layer 135 may be adhered by adhesive 140 or otherwise to the first plastic film 110 opposite the microwave interactive material 105, as depicted in fig. 2 . the additional substrate layer 135 may be a layer of paper or any other suitable material, and may be provided to shield the food item (not shown) from any flakes of susceptor film that craze and peel away from the substrate during heating. the insulating material 100 provides a substantially flat, multi-layered sheet 150, as shown in fig. 3 . fig. 4 depicts the exemplary insulating material 150 of fig. 3 after being exposed to microwave energy from a microwave oven (not shown). as the susceptor heats upon impingement by microwave energy, water vapor and other gases normally held in the substrate 115, for example, paper, and any air trapped in the thin space between the second plastic film 120 and the substrate 115 in the closed cells 130, expand. the expansion of water vapor and air in the closed cells 130 applies pressure on the susceptor film 110 and the substrate 115 on one side and the second plastic film 120 on the other side of the closed cells 130. each side of the material 100 forming the closed cells 130 reacts simultaneously, but uniquely, to the heating and vapor expansion. the cells 130 expand or inflate to form a quilted top surface 160 of pillows separated by channels (not shown) in the susceptor film 110 and substrate 115 lamination, which lofts above a bottom surface 165 formed by the second plastic film 120. this expansion may occur within 1 to 15 seconds in an energized microwave oven, and in some instances, may occur within 2 to 10 seconds. figs. 5 and 6 depict alternative exemplary microwave insulating material layer configurations that may be suitable for use with any of the various packages of the present invention. referring first to fig. 5 , an insulating microwave material 200 is shown with two symmetrical layer arrangements adhered together by a patterned adhesive layer. the first symmetrical layer arrangement, beginning at the top of the drawings, comprises a pet film layer 205, a metal layer 210, an adhesive layer 215, and a paper or paperboard layer 220. the metal layer 210 may comprise a metal, such as aluminum, deposited along at least a portion of the pet film layer 205. the pet film 205 and metal layer 210 together define a susceptor. the adhesive layer 215 bonds the pet film 205 and the metal layer 210 to the paperboard layer 220. the second symmetrical layer arrangement, beginning at the bottom of the drawings, also comprises a pet film layer 225, a metal layer 230, an adhesive layer 235, and a paper or paperboard layer 240. if desired, the two symmetrical arrangements may be formed by folding one layer arrangement onto itself. the layers of the second symmetrical layer arrangement are bonded together in a similar manner as the layers of the first symmetrical arrangement. a patterned adhesive layer 245 is provided between the two paper layers 220 and 240, and defines a pattern of closed cells 250 configured to expand when exposed to microwave energy. in one aspect, an insulating material 200 having two metal layers 210 and 230 according to the present invention generates more heat and greater cell loft. referring to fig. 6 , yet another insulating microwave material 200 is shown. the material 200 may include a pet film layer 205, a metal layer 210, an adhesive layer 215, and a paper layer 220. additionally, the material 200 may include a clear pet film layer 225, an adhesive 235, and a paper layer 240. the layers are adhered or affixed by a patterned adhesive 245 defining a plurality of closed expandable cells 250. it will be understood by those of skill in the art that in any of the packages contemplated hereby, the microwave insulating material may include an adhesive pattern that is selected to enhance cooking of a particular food item. for example, where the food item is a single item, for example, a pizza, the adhesive pattern may be selected to form substantially uniformly shaped expandable cells. where the food item is a plurality of small items, for example, small pastries, the adhesive pattern may be selected to form a plurality of different sized cells to allow the individual items to be variably contacted on their various surfaces. while various examples are provided herein, it will be understood that numerous patterns are contemplated hereby, and the pattern selected will depend on the heating, browning, crisping, and insulating needs of the particular food item and package. furthermore, any of the various constructs of the present invention may include one or more apertures. the number, shape, size, and positioning of such apertures may vary for a particular application depending on type of construct, the food item to be heated therein or thereon, the desired degree of browning and/or crisping, whether direct exposure to microwave energy is needed or desired to attain uniform heating of the food item, the need for regulating the change in temperature of the food item through direct heating, and whether and to what extent there is a need for further venting. the aperture may be a physical aperture or void in the material used to form the construct, or may be a non-physical "aperture". a non-physical aperture may be a portion of the construct that is microwave energy inactive by deactivation or otherwise, or one that is otherwise transparent to microwave energy. thus, for example, where a microwave energy interactive material is used to form at least a portion of the construct, the aperture may be a portion of the construct formed without a microwave energy active material or, alternatively, may be a portion of the construct formed with a microwave energy active material that has been deactivated. while both physical and non-physical apertures allow the food item to be heated directly by the microwave energy, a physical aperture also provides a venting function to allow steam or other vapors to escape from the interior of the construct. any of the various constructs of the present invention may be coated or laminated with other materials to impart other properties, such as absorbency, repellency, opacity, color, printability, stiffness, or cushioning. for example, absorbent susceptors are described in u.s. provisional application no. 60/604,637, filed august 25, 2004 , and u.s. patent application no. 11/211,858 , to middleton, et al., tided "absorbent microwave interactive packaging", filed august 25, 2005. additionally, the blank or construct may include graphics or indicia printed thereon. optionally, one or more portions or panels of the constructs described herein or contemplated hereby may be coated with varnish, clay, or other materials, either alone or in combination. the coating may then be printed over with product, advertising, and other information or images. the constructs also may be coated to protect any information printed thereon. the constructs also may be provided with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides. example constructs various aspects of the invention may be illustrated further by referring to the figures. for purposes of simplicity, like numerals may be used to describe like features. it will be understood that where a plurality of similar features are depicted, not all of such features are necessarily labeled on each figure. while various exemplary embodiments are shown and described in detail herein, it also will be understood that any of the features may be used in any combination, and that such combinations are contemplated hereby. for instance, in the examples shown herein, the construct is somewhat circular or square in shape with a somewhat circular opening, suitable, for example, for heating a pizza therein. however, it will be understood that in this and other aspects of the invention described herein or contemplated hereby, numerous shapes and configurations may be used to form the various constructs. examples of other shapes encompassed hereby include, but are not limited to, polygons, rectangles, ovals, cylinders, prisms, spheres, polyhedrons, and ellipsoids. the shape of the construct may be determined largely by the shape of the food item, and it should be understood that different packages are contemplated for different food items, for example, sandwiches, pizzas, soft pretzels, pastries, doughs, and so forth. likewise, the constructs may include gussets, pleats, or any other feature needed or desired to accommodate a particular food item and/or portion size. additionally, it will be understood that the present invention contemplates constructs for single-serving portions and for multiple-serving portions. turning to figs. 7-11 , a cooking package in the form of a sleeve 300 is provided. the sleeve 300 includes a base 305 and a cover 310 formed from a susceptor material laminated to paperboard. the cover 310 includes a generally centrally positioned opening 315 defined by an inside edge 320. a plurality of slits 325 extend from the inside edge 320 toward an outside edge 330 of the periphery 335, thereby forming a plurality of tabs 340. the slits 325 may extend any distance from the inside edge 320 toward the outside edge 330 of the peripheral portion 335 of the cover 310 as needed for a given application. for example, the slits 325 may be extended where the dough is expected to expand significantly. turning to figs. 8a-8d , as the food item f cooks and the dough 345 rises, the tabs 340 are forced by the rising dough or crust c in an upward and outward direction r1. the tabs 340 do not restrict the natural rise of the crust c. at the same time, the memory in the paperboard causes the tabs 340 to exert a force on the dough or crust c in a direction r2. by providing tabs 340 in this manner, the crust c is in substantially continuous, substantially intimate contact with the susceptor material on the tabs 340 during both cooking and browning. additionally, moisture (not shown) is allowed to vent through the slits 325, thereby enhancing crisping of the crust c. in the example shown in fig. 7 , the sleeve 300 includes an open first end 350 and an open second end 355 for sliding the food item f therein. in other aspects, the second end 355 may be sealed closed. alternatively, as shown in fig. 9 , the cooking package may be provided as an unfolded blank 400 with a base panel 405, a cover panel 410, and a flap 415. in this example, a susceptor material 420 overlies the base panel 405 and the cover panel 410. to form a sleeve (not shown), the user places the food item f (not shown) on the base 405, folds the cover 410 over the food item (not shown) so that flap 415 overlaps with the base 405, and secures the cover 410 to the base 405 using a locking means, for example, a tab and slot (not shown). as shown in fig. 10 , an insulting microwave material, such as quiltwave® focus susceptor material, may be used as needed or desired for a particular heating or cooking application. in the exemplary blank 500 of fig. 10 , the insulating microwave material 505 overlies the base panel 510 and a susceptor material 515 overlies the cover panel 520. an alternate cooking package in the form of a tray 600 , which does not form part of the invention, is provided in figs. 11-13 . the tray 600 includes a generally circular base 605 and ring-shaped, domed cover 610 formed from a susceptor material laminated to paperboard. the cover 610 is attached hingedly to the base 605 by a fold line, perforations, flexible tape 620, or any other means that permits the cover 610 to rotate hingedly toward the base 605. the cover 610 includes a generally circular opening 625 that corresponds in size to the topped or filled portion of the food item f (best seen in figs. 12 and 13 ) and through which microwaves (not shown) directly impinge on the food item f during use. the cover 610 has a domed, three-dimensional shape having a inner surface 630 contoured to accommodate the shape of the crust c (best seen in fig. 12 ), thereby allowing the susceptor material on the cover 610 to be in proximate and/or intimate contact with the crust c for enhanced browning and crisping. optionally, the cover 610 may include a plurality of slits (not shown) extending outwardly from the inside edge 635 of the cover 610 toward the peripheral portion 640 that allow additional expansion of the dough as it rises. it should be understood that while circular configurations are shown and described herein, other shaped food items and packages are contemplated by the present invention. thus, for example, a square pizza and cooking package may be provided, and such package may include a square domed shaped cover and a square base. figs. 12 and 13 depict the tray 600 during setup and use. in fig. 11 , the food item f, in this case a pizza, is placed on the base 605. the cover 610 then is brought into substantial contact with the base 605 ( fig. 13 ). if desired, a securing or locking means (not shown) may be provided to secure the cover 610 to the base 605. another exemplary construct 700 is provided in fig. 14 . the construct 700 includes similar features as described in connection with fig. 11 , except that the base 705 and cover 710 have an overall square shape. other shapes are contemplated, provided that the tray is suitably dimensioned to fit in the typical range of consumer and commercial microwave ovens and accommodate the rotation of a turntable where applicable. turning to fig. 15 , yet another exemplary tray 800 is illustrated. in this example, an insulating microwave material 805 overlies at least a portion of the bottom surface 810 of the base 815. as the cells 820 inflate during cooking, the tray 800 is elevated from the bottom of the microwave or from the turntable surface (not shown). this provides insulation and minimizes susceptor heat loss to the oven floor or turntable surface. as a result, the browning and crisping of the bottom of the food item is improved. optionally, a susceptor material or another insulating microwave material may overlie at least a portion of the opposed (food-contacting) surface of the base 810. alternatively or additionally, as shown in fig. 16 , the tray 900 may include an insulating microwave material 905, in this example, quiltwave® focus susceptor material, overlying at least a portion of the base 910 to elevate the food item (not shown) to achieve the desired degree of browning and crisping. further, in still another exemplary tray 1000 depicted in fig. 17 , one or more apertures 1005 may be provided in a susceptor material 1010 overlying the base 1015. various patterns may be provided as needed to enhance browning and crisping, as discussed above. fig. 18 depicts still another exemplary tray 1100 for a deep dish pizza or other food item (not shown) that has a greater thickness. a "deep dish" pizza typically has a crust that is from about 13 to about 16 mm in thickness near the center of the pizza and from about 26 to about 32 mm in thickness near the crust, as compared with a "thin crust" pizza, which has a crust that is from about 2 to about 5 mm in thickness near the center and from about 4 to about 7 mm in thickness near the crust. the base 1105 includes a flattened bottom portion 1110 and a wall 1115 with a flange 1120 extending therefrom. the flange 1125 is adapted to contact a corresponding flange 1130 in the domed cover 1135. a susceptor material 1140 overlies the base 1105 and the cover 1135. if needed or desired, one or more apertures (not shown) may be provided in the base 1105 to permit moisture to vent from the tray. it will be understood that the cooking package of the present invention provides numerous advantages over presently available packages. the unitary construction of the cooking package of the present invention allows a user to minimize the time required preparing the food item for cooking. it facilitates safe and convenient handling when removing hot food from the microwave oven, cutting it into portions, and serving it. furthermore, the user is provided with a crisp, browned food item, even where a rising dough product is used. although certain embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this invention. any directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are used only for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims. joinder references (e.g., joined, attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. as such, joinder references do not necessarily imply that two elements are connected directly and in fixed relation to each other. while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to specific aspects, it is to be understood that this detailed description is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. it will be recognized by those skilled in the art, that various elements discussed with reference to the various embodiments may be interchanged to create entirely new embodiments coming within the scope of the present invention. it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. the detailed description set forth herein is not intended nor is to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements of the present invention. accordingly, it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that, in view of the above detailed description of the invention, the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. many adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the above detailed description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. various aspects of the present invention may be understood further by way of the following example, which is not to be construed as limiting in any manner. example a pizza was cooked for 5 minutes in a 1100 watt panasonic model nn-s949 microwave oven. the cooked pizza was not suitably browned and crisped. the same type of pizza then was cooked for five minutes in the same microwave oven using the sleeve of fig. 7 . the crust and bottom of the pizza was suitably browned and crisp.
109-296-070-116-497	US	[ "US" ]	B21D11/14	1976-04-19T00:00:00	1976	[ "B21" ]	twisting and bending machine for elongated metallic strips	a machine for twisting and bending of elongated metallic strips which takes the form of a base upon which is mounted an elongated member of polygonal cross-section. a first holder is fixed to one end of said elongated member with a second holder being slidably mounted upon said elongated member adjacent the free end thereof. within the first holder is located a first grasping means. within the second holder is located a second grasping means. an elongated metallic strip is to be fixedly secured at each end thereof to said first grasping means and said second grasping means and to be positioned in a taut manner therebetween. a biasing means is included within said second holder with said second grasping means moving against said biasing means. a torque applying means attached to said first grasping means. upon rotational movement of said torque applying means a uniform twist is established along the length of the metallic strip. a twist eliminator structure may be connected to the machine which would prevent a twist being formed a selected distance spaced from each end of the metallic strip if such is desired.	1. a machine comprising: a base, said base including an elongated member upon which is mounted a first holder and a second holder, said second holder being movable upon said elongated member toward and away from said first holder and fixable by fixing means in a particular selected position; first grasping means connected to said first holder, said first grasping means being rotatable in respect to said first holder, said first grasping means adapted to securely connect with an elongated metallic strip; torque applying means connected to said first grasping means, said torque applying means to effect rotation of said first grasping means; said second holder including a second grasping means, said second grasping means includes a member secured against rotation in respect to said second holder but capable of a limited amount of longitudinal movement in respect thereto between a retracted position and an extended position, said member securable to the free end of said elongated metallic strip resulting in said elongated metallic strip being held in a taut manner between said first grasping means and said second grasping means; and biasing means connected to said second grasping means, said biasing means tending to maintain said member in said retracted position, said biasing means comprises a coil spring assembly, one end of said coil spring assembly connected to the free end of said member with the other end of said spring assembly abutting said second holder, the direction of the force of the spring assembly coincides with the longitudinal center axis of said elongated metallic strip. 2. the machine as defined in claim 1 wherein: said elongated member being polygonal in cross-section, said second holder having an aperture therein adapted to mate with the cross-section of said elongated member, whereby said second holder not being capable of rotation with respect to said elongated member. 3. the machine as defined in claim 1 wherein: said biasing means comprises a single coil spring wound about said member. 4. the machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said first grasping means comprises: a rod, a fastener cooperating with said rod, said rod being rotatably mounted within appropriate aperture means within said first holder, said fastening means cooperating with a slot adapted to receive an end of said metallic strip, by tightening of said fastening means said metallic strip is securely bound within said slot. 5. the machine as defined in claim 4 wherein: said biasing means comprises a single coil spring wound about said member. 6. the machine as defined in claim 1 including: twist eliminator means attached to said machine and adapted to be movable along the length of said metallic strip, whereby upon rotation of said torque applying means said twist eliminator means preventing twisting of said metallic strip along a certain length of said metallic strip. 7. the machine as defined in claim 6 wherein: said twist eliminator means includes a first eliminator slidably movable upon said elongated member and located adjacent said second holder, said eliminator being connectable through a slot with said metallic strip. 8. the machine as defined in claim 6 wherein: said twist eliminator means includes a second eliminator in the form of an attaching member attached to said first grasping means and extending longitudinally along side a portion of said metallic member, a member slidably mounted upon said attaching member, said member including a slot adapted to receive said metallic strip and to be slidable thereon.	background of the invention the field of this invention relates broadly to metal fabricating. more particularly, this invention relates to the formation of thin, flat metallic strips into a twisted or generally curvilinear configuration. the bending or twisting of a thin, elongated metallic strip into a helical shape in the past has been difficult to accomplish satisfactorily. one reason for this is that as the strip is twisted into the helical shape the strip automatically shortens in length. normally, the strip is bound between two fixed members and as the strip is shortened in shape, the metal inherently must stretch. it does not take much twisting for the stretch achieved causes failure of the strip. another reason is that in the past it has been difficult to establish an even pitch of the twist. this is due to in any quality of strength throughout the strip especially due to the stretching of the strip. this results in certain portions of the strip to twist into a closer spiral than the other portions. summary of the invention the structure of this invention is believed to be summarily described in the abstract of the disclosure and reference is to be had thereto. one object of the present invention relates to the forming of elongated metallic strips in a generally helical shape without the need for a complex or expensive equipment. a further object of this invention relates to the including within the machine of this invention additional structure to permit the forming of the metallic strip into a smoothly contoured spiral. a still further object of this invention relates to a machine which inherently always produces a smooth, even spiral wherein the length of each section of the spiral is identical with each other section of the spiral. a still further object of this invention relates to the including of means to eliminate the forming of twists adjacent the ends of the metallic rod so that the twisted length of the metallic rod may be preselected. a further object of this invention is to provide means included within the machine of this invention to apply a substantially continuous force along the longitudinal length of the metallic strip to be twisted during the entire twisting movement which results in even lengths being produced for each of the spiral sections. brief description of the drawing fig. 1 is an elevational side view of the machine of this invention; fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine of this invention taken along line 2--2 of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of fig. 2; fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of fig. 2; fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of fig. 1; fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of fig. 1; fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7--7 of fig. 1; and fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of fig. 1. detailed description of the shown embodiment referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown the machine 10 of this invention which has been fixedly secured to a planar supporting surface, such as a table 12. the machine 10 includes a base which takes the form of a first bracket 14 and a second bracket 16. the bracket 14 is secured to the table 12 by means of bolts 18. in normal practice, it will not be necessary to secure the bracket 16 to the table 12 as the bracket 16 only functions as a resting support. fixedly connected between the brackets 14 and 16 is an elongated member 20. in cross-section, the member 20 is shown to be a square, but it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that any configuration could be employed, either polygonal or round. however, a polygonal configuration is preferred for reasons which will become apparent further on in the specification. fixedly secured to one end of the rod 20 is a first holder 22. the first holder 22 is also secured to bracket 14. the first holder 22 includes an outer sleeve 24. this outer sleeve 24 is attached to supporting bracket 26 which is fixedly secured to elongated member 20. the sleeve 24 is also fixed to the bracket 14. within the sleeve 24 is rotatably mounted a rod 26. the outer end of the rod 26 is attached to a torque applying means which takes the form of a handle member 28. the inner end of the rod 26 is fixedly secured to a first grasping means which takes the form of a member 30 which has at its outer end thereof a slot 32. extending through the member 30 and connecting with the slot 32 is a fastener 34. one end of an elongated flat metallic strip 36 is to connect with the slot 32 and the fastener 34 tightened thereby fixing the member 36 to the member 30. the free end of the metallic strip 36 is located within a slot 38 formed within a member 40. a fastener 42 extends through a portion of the member 40 and connects with the slot 38. the fastener 42 is to be tightened to secure the metallic member 36 to the member 40. the member 40 is fixedly secured to a rod 44. the rod 44 is slidably mounted within a second holder 46 which takes the form of a member 48. the member 48 includes an annular chamber 50 which surrounds a portion of the rod 44. within the annular chamber 50 is located a coil spring 52. the free end of the coil spring 52 abuts a nut 54 which is threadably attached to the outer end of the rod 44. the member 48 also includes an opening 56. this opening 56 matingly cooperates with the polygonal shaped member 20 and is capable of slidable movement in respect thereto. also slidably mounted upon the member 20 is an eliminator member 58. a polygonal shaped opening 60 is formed within the member 58 and is adapted to matingly cooperate therewith in a close fitting but in a sliding fit manner. because the rod 20 is polygonal shaped, the member 58 as well as the member 48 are not capable of rotational movement with respect to the member 20. the outer end of the member 58 includes a slot 62. within the slot 62 is to be located a strip 36. the member 58 movable upon the rod 20 and is located adjacent the second holder 46. in some instances, it may be desirable to not twist a portion of the member 36, as for instance, the first few inches of the member from the end that is connected to the second holder 46. in order to accomplish this, the member 58 is placed on the strip 36 where desired and then during operation of the device of this invention there will be no twist formed on the member 36 between the member 58 and the second holder 46. a similar twist eliminator is attached to the member 34 which includes a sleeve 56 which is located about the member 30. a fastener 58 extends through the sleeve 56 and is adapted to be tightened against the member 30 thereby fixing the sleeve 56 thereto. extending from the sleeve 56 longitudinally along the length and adjacent thereto, the strip 36 is an extension 60. slidably mounted on the extension 60 is a member 62. the member 62 includes a slot 64. within the slot 64 is located the strip 36. by sliding of the member 62 any distance from the member 30 to the entire length of the extension 60, the twist will be eliminated in that area from where the member 62 is located to the end of the strip 36 that is connected to the member 30. in operation, the operator merely places the metallic strip 36 in its undeformed state, one end of which is secured to the member 30 and the other end of which is secured to the member 40. the operator then strikes the member 48 adjacent the rod 20 in an outward direction. this causes the strip 36 to become taut and actually cants the member 48 so that it slightly bites into the elongated member 20 thereby securing the member 48 with respect to the rod 20. the placement of the eliminators 58 and 62 is then instituted, if such are desired. the operator then proceeds to turn the handle 28 which causes one end of the strip 36 to be turned with respect to the other end. this results in the producing of then spiral condition along the length of the strip 36, such as depicted in figs. 1 and 2. as the spiral condition is produced in the strip 36, the strip 36 is shortened. this shortening of the strip 36 is compensated for by the rod 44 extending against the bias of the coil spring 52. because of the use of the coil spring 52 a continuous force is applied against the strip 36 which insures that each of the spiral sections produced along the strip 36 is of the same length as every other section in the strip.
109-796-094-029-292	US	[ "US" ]	B29C53/04,B29C63/04	1973-08-08T00:00:00	1973	[ "B29" ]	method and apparatus for post forming laminates	a method and apparatus for post forming laminate tops. a top substrate and its overhanging laminate are mounted on a pivotable supporting table. when the table is in a first position, the overhanging laminate is adjacent a heater of generally c-shaped cross section. the heater can be pivoted into a position embracing the overhanging portion of the laminate. the laminate is very rapidly heated to a temperature of approximately 335.degree. to 365.degree.f., preferably within a period of about from 12 to 16 seconds. the ambient heater temperature is roughly from 550.degree. to 750.degree.f. as soon as the laminate has been heated, the heater pivots out of position. the table pivots upwardly, thereby wiping the overhanging laminate past the bottom edge of a former. the former then moves forwardly and, due to a generally c-shaped cross section, firmly clamps the overhanging laminate around the periphery of the substrate. after cooling, the former is retracted and the post formed top can be removed.	1. a method for post forming laminate tops comprising: heating the overhanging portion of a sheet of laminate mounted on a substrate in a heater having an ambient temperature of approximately 550.degree. to 750.degree. f. for a period of approximately 10 to 16 seconds; removing said overhanging laminate from said heater immediately at the end of said period of time and then immediately and rapidly forming said overhanging laminate over said substrate periphery. 2. the method of claim 1 in which said forming step is conducted by wiping said overhanging laminate edge past a former to thereby wipe said overhanging laminate down over the upper edge of said substrate and then moving said former towards the substrate periphery to thereby clamp said laminate against said substrate periphery. 3. the method of claim 2 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 4. the method of claim 1 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 5. the method of claim 1 in which said forming step is followed by cooling said laminate and substrate periphery. 6. a method for post forming laminate tops comprising: heating the overhanging portion of laminate secured to a substrate to a temperature of at least approximately 335.degree. f. in a period of time of approximately 16 seconds or less; removing said heater immediately at the end of said period of time and immediately and rapidly forming said overhanging laminate over the periphery of said substrate. 7. the method of claim 6 in which said heating step is conducted by heating said overhanging laminate to a temperature of approximately 335.degree. to 365.degree. f. in a period of approximately 10 to 16 seconds. 8. the method of claim 7 in which said forming step is conducted by wiping said overhanging laminate edge past a former to thereby wipe said overhanging laminate down over the upper edge of said substrate and then moving said former towards the substrate periphery to thereby clamp said laminate against said substrate periphery. 9. the method of claim 8 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 10. the method of claim 7 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 11. a method for post forming laminate tops comprising: adhering a strip of insulating material to a substrate at a point generally adjacent the periphery of said substrate; adhering laminate to said substrate over said insulating strip such that a portion of said laminate overhangs said periphery of said substrate; heating said overhanging portion of said laminate and then forming said overhanging portion over said periphery of said substrate. 12. the method of claim 11 in which said adhering step comprises using a strip of paper as said insulating material. 13. the method of claim 12 in which said adhering step comprises using paper approximately 0.006 to 0.008 inches thick. 14. the method of claim 11 in which said heating step comprises heating said overhanging laminate portion in a heater having an ambient temperature of approximately 550.degree. to 750.degree. f. for a period of time of approximately 10 to 16 seconds. 15. the method of claim 14 in which said forming step is conducted by wiping said overhanging laminate edge past a former to thereby wipe said overhanging laminate down over the upper edge of said substrate and then moving said former towards the substrate periphery to thereby clamp said laminate against said substrate periphery. 16. the method of claim 15 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 17. the method of claim 14 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 18. the method of claim 11 in which said heating step comprises heating said overhanging laminate to a temperature of at least approximately 335.degree. f. in a period of time of approximately 10 seconds or less. 19. the method of claim 18 in which said heating step is conducted by heating said overhanging laminate to a temperature of approximately 335.degree. to 365.degree. f. in a period of approximately 10 to 16 seconds. 20. the method of claim 19 in which said forming step is conducted by wiping said overhanging laminate edge past a former to thereby wipe said overhanging laminate down over the upper edge of said substrate and then moving said former towards the substrate periphery to thereby clamp said laminate against said substrate periphery. 21. the method of claim 20 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 22. the method of claim 19 in which said heating step is conducted by employing radiant heat in a heater having a generally c-shaped cross section, said heater embracing said overhanging laminate. 23. a method for post forming laminate tops comprising: concentrating a line of heat along the surface of an overhanging portion of laminate secured to a substrate on the line on which the overhanging portion of laminate must be bent; additionally maintaining an ambient temperature in the area surrounding the overhanging laminate portion which is sufficiently high to soften the overhanging laminate portion; forming said overhanging portion of laminate over the edge of said substrate after said heating step. 24. the method of claim 23 which further includes concentrating heat on the peripheral edge of the substrate, at a point generally below the overhanging laminate portion. 25. the method of claim 24 in which the ambient temperature in the air surrounding the overhanging laminate portion is maintained at a temperature of approximately 550.degree. to 750.degree. f. 26. the method of claim 24 in which said step of maintaining a concentrated line of heat on said surface of said overhanging laminate portion is performd by placing an electric heater having a watt density of approximately 40 watts per square inch at a point approximately 7/16 of an inch above the upper surface of the overhanging laminate portion. 27. the method of claim 26 in which said step of maintaining said ambient temperature at a temperature sufficiently high to soften said overhanging laminate portion is performed by enclosing said overhanging laminate portion and placing a second heat source having a wattage density of approximately 20 watts per square inch at a point spaced approximately 15/8 of an inch rearwardly from said first source, within said enclosure, and approximately 15/16 of an inch above the overhanging laminate portion. 28. the method of claim 27 in which said step of concentrating heat on the peripheral edge of the substrate comprises placing a third electric heater having a wattage density of approximately 28 watts per square inch approximately 7/8 of an inch below the overhanging laminate on a vertical plane which extends generally between the first and second electric heating elements.	background of the invention the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for post forming laminate tops. post formed tops are made by adhering a sheet of laminate material to a top substrate, either wood or metal and forming a suitable edge thereon. the laminate may be either a thermosetting material or a thermoplastic material such as vinyl. the most commonly used laminate employs a melamine overlay on a thermolinking phenolic substrate. this is the most readily available laminate and is intended for use with both metal and wooden top substrates. the basic first step in any post forming operation is adhering the laminate to the top substrate. a portion of the laminate overhangs the periphery of the substrate and must be formed downwardly over the periphery of the substrate. in the past, the most critical problem encountered in this operation is that of the overhanging laminate cracking as it is formed over the periphery of the substrate. it has proven particularly difficult to perform this operation where the top substrate is made of metal. further, there are severe limitations on how tight a radius the laminate can be formed over. typically, prior artisans have been able to form laminates only to a 5/8 inch radius. also, it has been necessary for prior artisans to use thinner laminates in order to minimize cracking, i.e. laminates of approximately 0.030 inches. prior art methods typically teach heating only the top surface of the laminate, perhaps to avoid overheating and blistering. also, prior art methods teach heating the overhanging laminate portion relatively slowly, again apparently in order to avoid blistering of the laminate. it has been generally accepted in the industry to employ some type of heat source, radiant or contact, at approximately 350.degree. f. for a period of roughly 35 to 45 seconds. most manufacturers then relatively slowly fold the overhanging laminate over the periphery of the substrate. some attempt to do this more quickly, but their complicated mechanisms typically cannot form very rapidly. prior art forming devices themselves often create problems. this is particularly true when the laminate must not only be formed over the upper edge of the substrate, but also over its lower edge. one mechanism for achieving this uses two separate former bars and two separate drive mechanisms for them. the first former bar is used to make the first corner and a second former bar is used to make the second corner. however these mechanisms are cumbersome and have not contributed significantly to the solution of the laminate cracking problem. one prior art technique which has been devised to minimize cracking involves taping the top surface of the overhanging laminate portion prior to heating. some may also tape the bottom surface. the overhanging portion is then heated and formed. the tape is supposed to minimize laminate cracking. one very significant problem with the method, however, is that the tape must be peeled off of the exposed surface of the laminate after it has been formed. this is a costly and messy operation. accordingly, there has been a significant need for a method and apparatus for post forming laminate tops which will be capable of commercial operation with only a minimum of scrap as a result of cracked laminate surfaces. summary the present invention minimizes cracking, makes it possible to use thicker laminates, i.e. as thick as 0.050 inches, makes it possible to form the laminates on tighter radiuses, i.e. 3/8 of an inch, and is far more successful when used in forming laminates over metal top substrates. in the present invention, a method and apparatus are employed which rapidly heat the overhanging laminate portion at inordinately high temperatures and in a very short time and thereafter rapidly form the laminate around the periphery of the substrate. to effect this rapid heating, a heater is employed which is generally c-shaped in cross section and which embraces the overhanging laminate portion. thus, it applies heat to the laminate on both sides thereof. preferably, the heater includes heat sources positioned both above and below the overhanging laminate. this heater is maintained at an ambient temperature of roughly 550.degree. to 750.degree. f. and the laminate is heated in the heater for a period of only 10 to 16 seconds. the temperature of the laminate at the end of this heat cycle is roughly 335.degree. to 365.degree. f. at the end of the heating cycle, the heater is moved immediately away and a former of generally c-shaped cross section is employed to first wipe the laminate downwardly over the upper edge of the substrate and then drive the laminate back under the substrate, i.e. over the bottom edge of the substrate. the former is generally c-shaped and thereby tightly clamps the laminate against the substrate at the periphery of the substrate. preferably, the wiping action is achieved by employing a pivotally mounted table which is pivoted upwardly until the overhanging laminate is wiped downwardly by engagement with the bottom of the former. the bottom leg and back wall of the former are then driven forwardly by a separate mechanism so as to complete the forming step and clamp the overhanging laminate portion tightly against the periphery of the top substrate. this arrangement greatly simplifies the apparatus required for forming and makes it possible to form more rapidly. preferably, a cushioning material at the back wall of the former helps to absorb the shock of the former coming into engagement with the periphery of the top substrate. another aspect of this invention is particularly useful in connection with forming laminate over metal substrates. this seems to be a particularly difficult task when employing prior art methods. it has been found that the problems of employing metal substrates can be minimized by adhering an insulating strip to the top of the substrate generally adjacent the peripheral edge thereof. the laminate is adhered to the top of the substrate right over this insulating strip. preferably, a strip of very thin kraft paper is employed. this insulating strip aids the heating process by minimizing the dissipation of heat from the overhanging laminate portion through the metal substrate. the minimization of heat dissipation facilitates rapid heating of the overhanging laminate portion and helps keep that portion hotter during the actual forming step. while this aspect of the invention is particularly useful in conjunction with the method and apparatus described immediately above, it is believed that it would also be helpful when used in conjunction with other heating and forming techniques. these and other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the written specification and appended drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an end elevational view of the apparatus; fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the apparatus; fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the substrate and its overhanging laminate seated on the supporting table of the apparatus; fig. 4 is a fragmentary generally perspective end view of the apparatus with the clamp for holding the top substrate and laminate in place in its down position; fig. 5 is the same view as fig. 4 after the heater has come forward to generally embrace the overhanging portion of the laminate; fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the heater; fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view taken beneath the supporting table and showing the relationship between two control switches and the heater support arm; fig. 8 is the same fragmentary perspective view as figs. 4 and 5, except that the support table has been pivoted and the former has been driven into its clamping position; fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view below the supporting table showing the relationship of two more control switches with respect to the supporting table; fig. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the overhanging laminate is wiped downwardly by the former as the substrate supporting table is pivoted upwardly; fig. 11 is the same view as fig. 10 except that the former has been driven into clamping relationship with respect to the overhanging laminate and the top substrate; fig. 12 is a broken plan view showing the drive mechanism for the former; fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the control switches associated with the former; fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the control system for the apparatus; fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a completed top; fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment former as it is wiped past a substrate with overhanging laminate; fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the fig. 16 former in which the former is shown in its final forming postion; fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of yet another alternative embodiment former; and fig. 19 is a schematic view of a shock absorption arrangement for incorporation into the former drive mechanism. preferred embodiment the present invention comprises a method and apparatus for post forming laminate tops in which a sheet of laminate material 2 is adhered to a top substrate 1 such that a portion of laminate 2 hangs over the edge of substrate 1 as shown at 3 in fig. 3. in the preferred embodiment, the post forming apparatus comprises a table 30, for supporting a top substrate thereon, pivotally mounted to a frame 10 (fig. 1). clamp 40 mounted at the rear edge of table 30, or left edge as viewed in fig. 1, is used to clamp a top substrate and its overhanging laminate to table 30. positioned generally at the rear edge of table 30 is a heater 50 which is pivotally mounted by support 60 to frame 10. heater 50 can be pivoted from its at rest position as shown in fig. 1 forwardly until the overhanging laminate portion is embraced within heater 50 (see fig. 6). heater 50 is generally c-shaped in configuration (fig. 6) and heats the overhanging laminate portion 3 very rapidly to a temperature of approximately 335.degree. to 365.degree. f. heater 50 has an ambient temperature of approximately 550.degree. to 750.degree. f. and the overhanging laminate portion 3 is exposed to these extremely high temperatures for a period of only about 10 to 16 seconds. after the heating cycle is completed, heater 50 is pivoted outwardly again and table 30 pivots upwardly in the manner shown in fig. 8 so that the heated overhanging laminate portion is wiped past the lower edge of a former 70 (fig. 10). former 70 is generally c-shaped in cross-section and is slidably mounted on a c-frame 20 which in turn is mounted to frame 10. after table 30 has been pivoted to its full up position, former 70 is driven forwardly so that the overhanging laminate portion 3 is clamped around the edge of top substrate 1 (fig. 11). then table 30 is pivoted back downwardly so that a new cycle can be started. table 30 comprises a supporting bed 33 mounted on a generally rectangular frame 31 (figs. 1 and 2). rectangular frame 31 includes pivot brackets 38 projecting downwardly from each side thereof to facilitate pivotal mounting to frame 10 (fig. 1). rectangular frame 31 includes a cross beam 32 extending from one side to the other thereof generally midway between the front and rear thereof (fig. 2). frame 31 is formed of tubular steel or the like. bed 33 includes a front steel beam 34 and a rear steel beam 35. extending therebetween are a plurality of pairs of slide bars 36, so called because in order to position a top substrate 1 on table 30, the front edge thereof is slid along the slide bars 36. positioned just behind rear beam 35 and between each pair of slide bars 36 is a dog 37 which is pivotally mounted to its embracing slide bars 36 (fig. 3). its pivot point is selected such that it is overweighted towards the front of the table 30 such that the rearward edge 37a of dog 37 projects upwardly above the level of bed 33. because of this protrusion, dogs 37 serve to position a top substrate 1 on table 30. thus, the top substrate 1 shown in fig. 3 includes a peripheral edge portion 5 and a returning undersurface which defines a hidden edge 6 on the undersurface of substrate 1. as top substrate 1 is slid onto table 30, it slides over dogs 37, forcing them to pivot downwardly. after the peripheral portion 5 has passed over dogs 37, they again pop up behind hidden edge 6. the operator then pulls substrate 1 back towards him until hidden edge 6 catches on the protruding edges 37a of dogs 37. this positively locates top substrate 1 and its overhanging laminate portion 3 with respect to table 30. frame 10 is made of tubular steel stock or the like and includes a generally horizontal section 11 and an inclined section 12 which slopes downwardly from horizontal section 11 from approximately the midpoint of frame 10. front legs 13 support inclined portion 12 at the front of frame 10 and rear legs 14 support the rear edge of horizontal portion 11 at the rear of frame 10. suitable lateral braces 15 and suitable inclined braces 16 serve to reinforce frame 10. positioned approximately at the juncture of horizontal portion 11 and inclined portion 12 is a pivot mount 17 to which pivot bracket 38 of table 30 is pivotally mounted. a pivot cylinder 39 is mounted at one end to inclined brace 16 of frame 10 and to the other end to table 30 forwardly or to the right of pivot bracket 38 as viewed in fig. 1. activation of cylinder 39 makes it possible to pivot table 30 from its generally horizontal position as shown in fig. 1 to an inclined position as shown in fig. 8. clamp 40 at the rear edge of table 30 comprises a generally inverted t-shaped clamping bar 41 joined at its ends to the rods of cylinders 42 (figs. 1 and 4). a cylinder 42 on each side of table 30 is mounted to a cylinder mounting plate 43 which in turn is welded or otherwise secured to the sides of rectangular frame 31 of table 30. thus, the entire clamping assembly 40 is mounted to table 30 and moves up and down as table 30 pivots. flexible fluid conduits 44 are provided to cylinders 42 in order to facilitate this change in position (compare figs. 4 and 8). the activation of cylinders 42 causes clamping bar 41 to move downwardly towards table 30, thereby clamping top substrate 1 in its laminate 2 tightly against bed 33 (fig. 3). heater 50 is positioned generally in the vicinity of the rear edge of table 30 when it is in its horizontal position (fig. 1). heater 50 is mounted atop a support 60 which is pivotally mounted to a pivot arm assembly 61. pivot arm assembly 61 is in turn mounted to each rear leg 14 of frame 10. a cylinder 62 is mounted to frame 10 generally at the rear thereof with its piston joined to heater support 60. the activation of cylinder 62 causes heater 60 to move fore and aft (compare figs. 4 and 5). a bolt 64 threadably mounted on a leg 14 of frame 10 serves as an adjustable stop for limiting the forward movement of heater 50 (fig. 1). heater 50 itself is generally c-shaped in configuration (fig. 6). it has a length corresponding approximately to the length of the longest top which is to be heated therein. one example of such a heater is one approximately 79 inches long for heating tops about 70 inches long. it includes a sheet metal outer shroud 51 wrapped around a plurality of inner generally c-shaped plates 53. shroud 51 is closed at its ends by end plates 52 (figs. 6 and 1). a sheet metal reflector 54 is wrapped around the inner edges of inner plates 53 and defines the enclsore into which overhanging laminate portion 3 projects. reflector 54 is shaped to define generally a top wall 54a, generally a back wall defined by surfaces 54b, 54c and 54d, a bottom wall 54e, a bottom forwardly and upwardly sloping lip 54f, and a top downwardly and forwardly sloping lip defined by surfaces 54g and 54h. inner plates 53 are shaped such that their top forward portions overhang their bottom forward portions. thus the top lip 54a and 54h projects forwardly farther than bottom lip 54f. mounted to a forward and downwardly sloping wall 54g of reflector 54 is a top element supporting bracket 55. mounted to a bottom generally horizontal bottom wall 54 of reflector 54 is a bottom element supporting bracket 56. there are a plurality of such brackets spaced along the length of heater 50. each top bracket 55 is generally v-shaped in configuration. in the heater for heating 70 inch tops, a 3600 watt electric heating element 57 is mounted on the lower leg of brackets 55 so that it is positioned fairly closely to the overhanging laminate portion 3, approximately 7/16 of an inch above the top thereof. it has an effective heating length of about 763/4 inches long and has a wattage density of fourty watts per square inch. a second electric heating element 58 of approximately 1600 watt capacity is mounted on the upper leg of brackets 55 so that it is positioned somewhat rearwardly and upwardly from 3600 watt element 57, approximately 15/16 of an inch above the top of the laminate and approximately 15/8 inches from heating element 57. it has an effective heating length of about 751/4 inches and a wattage density of 20 watts per square inch. mounted on bottom brackets 56 is a bottom 2500 watt element 59, approximately 7/8 of an inch below the bottom of the overhanging laminate portion 3. it has an effective heating length of about 751/2 inches and a wattage density of about 28 watts per square inch. when overhanging laminate portion 3 is enshrouded within heater 50, bottom 2500 watt element 59 is positioned below the lower surface of overhanging laminate portion 3 while upper elements 57 and 58 are positioned above the upper surface of overhanging laminate portion 3. while the exact manner in which these various heating elements function is somewhat theoretical, it is thought that the primary function of upper heating element 57 is to concentrate a line of heat at the point at which the laminate must first be bent, that the primary function of upper heating element 58 is to maintain the ambient temperature within the heater 50, and that the primary function of upper heating element 58 is to maintain the ambient temperature within the heater 50, and that the primary function of bottom heating element 59 is to maintain the peripheral edge of the substrate top 1 at a relatively high temperature must prior to actual forming of the overhanging laminate portion 3 therearound. to the extent that this theory is correct, it is particularly important to maintain a fairly concentrated source of heat along the line at which the laminate 2 is first bent. thus, as heretofore explained, heating element 57 is a 3600 watt element having a wattage density of about 40 watts per square inch. mounted on the brackets 56 to the rear of heating element 59 and partially enshrouding the top thereof is a heat shield 59a. it extends generally the length of heater 50 and functions to concentrate the heat from heating element 59 forwardly and slightly downwardly onto the surface of the periphery of desk top substrate 1. this prevents the overhanging laminate portion 3 from being overheated by bottom heating element 59. mounted between top heating element 57 and top heating element 58 is a copper screen 200 which serves a function similar to shield 59a. copper screen 200 is secured directly to reflector 54 and serves to prevent heat from being concentrated on the surface of overhanging laminate portion 3 at a point generally between heating elements 57 and 58. copper screen 200 tends to conduct heat from the space between heating elements 57 and 58 to the surrounding shield 54, thereby tending to better distribute the heat within the overall heater interior. a suitable heater control, shown in block form as 107 in the schematic diagram of fig. 14, makes it possible to selectively activate any one or any combination of heater elements 57, 58 and 59. while in most cases it will be desirable to have all three elements activated, there may be specific laminates for which selective activation is more desirable. a suitable flexible power line 63 leads from heater 50 to heater control 107. a heater "on" switch 105 and a heater "off" switch 106 close or open the basic power circuit to heater control 107 (fig. 14). it will be understood that variations in the wattages indicated may be possible in different situations. different laminates may require different heater arrangements. however, it is desirable to maintain as closely as possible the wattage densities for the various heating elements which have been suggested above. for most applications, the ambient temperature within heater 50, i.e. within the enclosure defined by reflector 54, is approximately between 550.degree. and 750.degree. f. while the temperature is typically not uniform throughout the enclosure this range gives a rough approximately of the range of temperatures which exist within the enclosure. in most applications, it has been found that the best results are achieved by exposing the overhanging laminate portion 3 to these extraordinarily high temperatures for a period of only about 10 to 16 seconds. former 70 is slidably mounted at the top front of a generally c-shaped supporting frame 20 (fig. 1). c frame 20 comprises a plurality of generally c-shaped plates 21 joined by a steel back plate 24, a steel top plate 25 and front and back, steel tie bars 23 (figs. 1, 4 and 12). c plates 21 are welded at their bottom portions to the rear of frame 10. frame 20 must be generally c-shaped in configuration in order to allow room for heater 50 to move forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the rear edge of table 30. c frame 20 is supported at its rear by legs 22. former 70 itself comprises a top aluminum plate 71 joined to a bottom aluminum plate 72 by means of an intermediate back plate 73 (figs. 10 and 11). top plate 71 is fixed while back plate 72 and bottom plate 73 are joined and are movable with respect to top plate 71. top plate 71 and bottom plate 72 both project forwardly and rearwardly from back plate 73. the front portion of former 70 is thus generaly c-shaped in cross section so that the overhanging laminate portion 3 can be positively clamped around the peripheral edge 5 of top substrate 1 (fig. 11). the distance from top plate 71 and bottom plate 72 is approximately the same as the thickness of the combined substrate 1 and wrapped laminate portion 3. a strip of cushioning material 74 is adhered to the front surface of back plate 73 to provide a cushion when former 70 is driven home against the peripheral edge 5 of top substrate 1. the ends of former 70 are closed off by end plates 78. because the peripheral areas of top substrate 1 and laminate portions 2 and 3 will be hot after leaving heater 50, former 70 is provided with cooling means. coolant tubes 75 pass through top plate 71 and bottom plate 72, the top and bottom coolant lines 75 being connected at one end by a flexible coolant conduit 77. conventional coolant solutions can be used. these cool the thermoplastic adhesive used to hold laminate portion 3 to top periphery 5. former 70 is slidably mounted on several angle irons 80, (figs. 10 and 11). each angle 80 is bolted or otherwise secured to a c plate 21 (fig. 12). top plate 71 of former 70 is secured to angle 80 and is secured against movement with respect thereto. the leg of angle 80 which projects away from c plate 21 includes a slot 81 therein through which a slide bolt 76 passes (figs. 10 and 11). slide bolt 76 passes through a slot 86 in top plate 71 and is then bolted into back plate 71 of former 70. back plate 73 and bottom plate 72 of former 70 are free to slide with respect to angle 80 and top plate 71 the length of slots 81. a slotted wear plate 82 is mounted to coincide with slot 81 so that the head of bolt 76 slides on wear plate 82. the drive for former 70 is provided by a toggle arrangement. a toggle 83 is operably connected to at least two of the track angles 80 (figs. 10, 11 and 12). each toggle 83 is connected at its forward end to a front toggle mount 85 which in turn is secured to the back of back plate 73 of former 70. the rear portion of each toggle 83 is joined to a rear toggle mount 84 which in turn is joined to track angle 80. the toggles 83 are then kinked or alternatively straightened by means of a toggle bar 86 joined to each toggle 83 and connecting the toggles 83. toggle bar 86 is itself connected at one end to a cylinder 87 which reciprocates toggle bar 86 to the left and right as viewed in fig. 12. this action drives back plate 73 and bottom plate 72 of former 70 forwardly or rearwardly along track angle 80 to the extent allowed by the length of slots 81 and 81a. angles 80 are oriented on an incline which corresponds to the angle of incline of table 30 when it is pivoted to its upward position as shown in fig. 8. accordingly, the back 73 and bottom 72 of former 70 move forwardly and rearwardly in the same general plane as a top 1 would lie when mounted on table 30 with table 30 in its inclined position. as table 30 is pivoted upwardly by its pivot cylinder 39, the overhanging laminate portion 3 is pivoted upwardly until it engages the bottom leading edge of bottom plate 72 of former 70. to prevent scarring or other damage to overhanging laminate portion 3, the leading bottom edge 72a of bottom plate 72 of former 70 is rounded. as top 1 is pivoted past bottom plate 72, bottom plate 72 serves to wipe overhanging laminate portion 3 downwardly over the peripheral edge 5 of top substrate 1. fig. 10 shows this wiping process as it is beginning. the final position of overhanging laminate portion 3 after the wiping process is completed is shown in phantom in fig. 10. overhanging laminate portion 3 is in the position shown in phantom at the time top 1 is in direct alignment with the opening in former 70, as indicated in phantom in fig. 10. once top 1 is in the position shown in phantom in fig. 10, the back 73 and bottom 72 of former 70 are driven forwardly by the activation of cylinder 87 to the position shown in fig. 11. again to prevent scarring or other damage to the overhanging laminate portion 3, the leading inside edges of top plate 71 and bottom plate 72, respectively, i.e. edges 71a and 72b, are rounded. operation and control the operational cycle of the apparatus is initiated by depressing run buttons 100 (figs. 1, 2 and 14). run buttons 100 are mounted on a generally t-shaped mounting frame 101 which is mounted to c frame 20 and projects outwardly therefrom so that run buttons 100 are positioned generally above and towards the front of table 30. before the apparatus described above is put into operation, the top which is to be post formed must be prepared. a suitable piece of laminate 2 is adhered to the top surface of a top substrate 1 in a conventional manner, the thickness of adhesive being somewhat exaggerated in the cross section shown in fig. 3. in one aspect of this invention, it has been found advantageous to adhere an insulator strip 4 to top substrate 1 generally adjacent the peripheral portion 5 thereof (figs. 3 and 15). a thin strip of kraft paper having a thickness of approximately 0.008 inches is suitable. masking tape also is suitable. masking tape is approximately 0.006 inches thick. the kraft paper 4 acts as an insulator to prevent heat in the overhanging laminate portion 3 from dissipating into the metal top substrate 1. this facilitates the rapid heating of overhanging laminate portion 3. the employment of the insulator strip 4 makes it possible in many instances to post form a sheet of laminate 2 over a metal top substrate 1. this has been particularly difficult to achieve in the past and most systems form the laminate over a wooden substrate. to be sure, the method as performed with the present apparatus is sufficiently advantageous in and of itself that the employment of the insulator strip 4 is not absolutely essential in all applications. typically, the determination of whether or not it is necessary to employ insulator strip 4 depends on the type of laminate which is used. laminates, of course, vary greatly. both thermoplastics and thermosetting materials are used. vinyl is an example of a thermoplastic laminate which is often used. to be sure, forming temperatures and times would vary greatly if one were to use a thermoplastic instead of a thermoset. the conditions set forth herein assume the use of a thermoset. however, the most desirable laminate from a general use, cost and availability standpoint is one comprising a melamine overlay on an inner phenolic thermolinking substrate. naturally, even laminates within this class tend to vary in their properties. the heating elements in heaer 50 are turned on at the beginning of the day by means of heater on switch 105. heater 50 is allowed to heat up to an ambient temperature of generally between 550.degree. and 750.degree. f. the heater then remains at this temperature for the duration of a manufacturing run. to be sure, the exact temperature within heater 50 may have to be varied depending on the type of laminate material which is to be post formed. once the top has been prepared in this manner, it is slid into position on table 30. its forward peripheral edge portion 5 slides over the dogs 37, depressing their protruding portions as it does so, until the dogs 37 pop back up again with their protruding edges 37a positioned behind the hidden edge 6 of top substrate 1. the operator then pulls the top towards himself until hidden edge 6 catches on the protruding edge portions 37a of dogs 37. with the top so positioned on table 1, the operator pushes the two run buttons 100 generally at the front of the apparatus (figs. 1 and 2). referring to the schematic drawing shown in fig. 14, it can be seen that the depression of run buttons 100 activate a relay cr which closes a latch circuit through normally open contacts cr.sub.1 around run buttons 100. this also provides power to solenoid valve 42a-1 which activates clamping cylinders 42. also, contacts cr.sub.2 are closed and normally closed contacts cr.sub.3 are opened. solenoid valve 42a is a dual solenoid valve activated in one direction through 42a-1 and in the other direction through 42a-2. as clamping cylinders 42 draw clamping bar 41 downwardly onto laminate 2 and top 1, clamping bar 41 engages the control arm on a limit switch ls.sub.1 (compare figs. 1 and 4). the closing of ls.sub.1 completes a circuit to a solenoid valve 62a controlling heater cylinder 62, thereby causing cylinder 62 to bring heater 50 forwardly until support 60 hits stop 64 (fig. 5). at this point, the overhanging laminate portion 3 is embraced within the generally c-shaped heater 50 in the manner shown in fig. 6. as heater support 60 comes forwardly, a paddle 65 mounted thereon disengages the control arm on limit switch ls.sub.3, thereby allowing the same to open, and engages the control arm of a limit switch ls.sub.2 (fig. 7). referring again to fig. 14, it will be seen that the closing of normally opened limit switch ls.sub.2 completes a circuit to a time delay indicated generally as tdh. when tdh times out, it opens the normally closed contacts tdh.sub.2 in the circuit to relay cr.sub.1. the solenoid valve 42a is a dual solenoid valve and accordingly, clamping cylinders 42 remain in their clamping position so that top 1 continues to be clamped to table 30. the purpose in breaking the circuit to relay cr at this point is to cause contact cr.sub.2 in the line to solenoid 62a to open, thereby causing heat cylinder 62 to reverse and return heater 50 to the position shown in fig. 4. thus, time delay relay tdh provides the means for controlling the length of the heating cycle. as noted heretofore, time delay relay tdh is typically set for a period of approximately 10 to 16 seconds. when heater 50 moves back into the position shown in fig. 4, paddle 65 activates the control arm on limit switch ls.sub.3 (fig. 7). this recloses limit switch ls.sub.3 which had been opened when heater 50 moved forwardly, thereby completing a circuit through the normally closed contacts tdf.sub.2 and cr.sub.3 and through the normally closed limit switch ls.sub.4 to solenoid valve 39a-1. solenoid valve 39a is a dual solenoid valve whose activation in a first direction through 39a-1 causes cylinder 39 to pivot table 30 to the position shown in fig. 8. this pivoting motion takes place very quickly and wipes overhanging laminate portion 3 past the bottom edge of former 70. when the table reaches the position shown in fig. 8, it trips the control arm of a double contact limit switch ls.sub.4 shown in fig. 9 (table 30 is in its horizontal position in fig. 9 in order that limit switch ls.sub.4 can be seen more clearly). when limit switch ls.sub.4 is tripped, the circuit to solenoid 39a-1 is opened and the circuit to a solenoid valve 87a is closed. solenoid valve 87a controls the flow of fluid to cylinder 87 and thereby activates cylinder 87 to drive back 73 and bottom 72 of former 70 forwardly from the position shown in fig. 10 to the position shown in fig. 11. solenoid valve 39a being a dual valve, table 30 remains in its up position as shown in fig. 8, in spite of the fact that the circuit to 39a-1 is now open. as the bottom and back walls of former 70 are driven forwardly, toggle bar 86 also moves forwardly. this causes it to disengage the control lever from limit switch ls.sub.6 and to engage the control lever on an adjacent limit switch ls.sub.5 (fig. 13). this closes the normally open limit switch ls.sub.5 and opens the normally closed limit switch ls.sub.6. closing of the normally open limit switch ls.sub.5 completes a circuit to time delay relay tdf. when time delay relay tdf times out, it opens normally closed contacts tdf.sub.3 in the circuit to solenoid valve 87a, thereby causing a reversal of cylinder 87 and causing the bottom and back walls of former 70 to retract from their position in fig. 11 to its position in fig. 10. thus, the timer on time delay relay tdf controls the length of time which former 70 engages the peripheral edge portions 5 of top 1. this is referred to as the forming cycle. it has been found that a period of from 40 to 45 seconds is sufficient to effect cooling of the peripheral edge portions of the top to a point at which the overhanging laminate portion 3 is securely adhered thereto. as the bottom and back of former 70 retract, they disengage limit switch ls.sub.5 and again engages the control arm of limit switch ls.sub.6 (fig. 13). this again closes the normally closed limit switch ls.sub.6, thereby again closing a circuit to solenoid valve 39a-2. solenoid valve 39a being a dual acting valve, this reverses the flow of fluid to table cylinder 39, thereby causing table 30 to be pivoted back to its generally horizontal position as shown in fig. 1. the return of table 1 to its generally horizontal condition causes a control paddle 45 depending downwardly from the bottom of table 30 to engage the control arm of a limit switch ls.sub.7, thereby closing limit switch ls.sub.7 momentarily (fig. 9). the control arm of limit switch ls.sub.7 and paddle 45 are arranged in such a relationship that as table 30 goes up, it brushes by the control arm but does not effect closure of limit switch ls.sub.7. on the way back down, paddle 45 again engages the control arm from the other side, thereby effecting closure of limit switch ls.sub.7 as paddle 45 passes thereby. while the closure is only momentary, it is for a sufficient time to complete a circuit to solenoid valve 42a-2. the dual acting solenoid valve 42a then acts to reverse cylinders 42, thereby retracting clamping bar 41 of clamp 40. the post formed top 1 can now be removed and the apparatus is now in condition for another cycle. the completed top 1 includes a sheet of laminate 2 adhered to the top thereof and wrapped around the peripheral edge portion 5 thereof, with, in some cases, a strip of insulating kraft paper 4 being interposed between laminate 2 and substrate 1 generally adjacent the peripheral edge 5 of substrate 1, (fig. 15). figs. 16 through 18 disclose two alternative embodiment formers. former 270 shown in fig. 16 is pivotally mounted at 271. basically, this is the only distinction between former 270 and former 70. as with former 70, former 270 has a top plate 71 a back plate 73 and a bottom plate 72. the back plate 73 and bottom plate 72 of former 270 are driven forwardly by a toggle 83 which is anchored at 84 to an angle iron 80. as former 270 pivots downwardly, it wipes over the edge of overhanging laminate portion 3 and bends it over the peripheral edge of top substrate 1 (fig. 16). then, when top plate 71 comes into contact with the top of substrate 1 and laminate 2, back plate 73 and bottom plate 72 are driven forwardly as shown in fig. 17 so as to complete the formation of overhanging laminate portion 3 around the peripheral edge of substrate 1. then, back 73 and bottom 72 are retracted and former 270 pivots upwardly again back to its original position. fig. 18 discloses yet another alternative embodiment former 370. former 370 does include an angle iron 80, a top plate 73, a backing plate 74 and a bottom plate 72. however, only back plate 73 is driven forwardly by toggle 83. bottom plate 72 is separately articulated and is joined to a drive cylinder 380. the piston 381 of cylinder 380 is joined to a mounting bracket 382 which in turn travels over suitable rollers 383 as it is moved forwardly and rearwardly. bottom plate 72 of former 370 is joined to mounting plate 382. in this embodiment, as substrate 1 is tilted upwardly, overhanging laminate portion 3 is wiped past bottom plate 72. then, back plate 73 is driven forwardly to clamp overhanging laminate portion 3 tightly against the peripheral edge of substrate 1. once this clamping action has taken place, bottom plate 72 is driven forwardly by cylinder 380 to complete the forming operation. after forming, back plate 73 and bottom plate 72 are retracted and substrate 1 tilts downwardly again. fig. 19 discloses a shock absorption arrangement which can be used either with the first embodiment former 70, or with either of the alternative embodiment formers 270 or 370. the purpose of the shock absorption mechanism is to allow the bottom plate 72 (and back plate 73 when it is connected to bottom plate 72) to move rearwardly slightly as the top substrate 1 is wiped thereby. basically, this shock absorption mechanism comprises a shock absorption assembly 300 interposed between the rod 87a of cylinder 87 and the end of toggle bar 86. any type of shock absorption system would be satisfactory and that shown schematically in fig. 19 is suitable. the rod 87a passes through a first end plate 302 of a bracket or cage 301. the second end plate 303 of cage 301 is joined to a suitable bracket to toggle rod 86. a keeper plate or washer 304 is mounted on the end of rod 87a within cage 301. a compression spring 305 is then mounted around rod 87a, between end plate 302 of cage 301 and keeper plate 304. compression spring 305 is sufficiently stiff that it normally does not compress during the movement of the former forwardly or rearwardly as a result of movement of toggle bar 86 to the left or right. however, as top substrate 1 and its overhanging laminate 2 are wiped past the bottom plate of the former, the former can be pushed rearwardly slightly and compression spring 305 will compress in order to allow such rearward movement. conclusion the apparatus and method set forth herein make possible operations which have heretofore been unfeasible at least from a practical standpoint. where prior artisans have generally been limited in any commercial applications to forming laminate around wood substrates, the present invention in its various aspects makes possible forming laminate on metal substrates. whereas prior art methods allow one to form the laminate through a radius of only about 5/8 of an inch, the present invention in its various aspects makes possible forming laminate to a radius as small as 3/8 of an inch. whereas prior artisans have generally been limited to using laminates having a thickness of only about 0.030 inches, the present invention in its various aspects makes possible the forming of laminates having a thickness of 0.050 inches. while various of the limitations set forth above for the prior art may have been overcome in isolated instances on an isolated basis, they cannot generally be overcome to a degree sufficient to facilitate manufacturing without a substantial amount of scrap. accordingly, the present invention comprises a significant contribution of the art of post forming laminate tops. of course, it will be understood that the above is merely a preferred embodiment thereof and that various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention.
112-375-799-520-818	GB	[ "GB", "WO", "EP" ]	G06F1/00,G06F21/62,G06F21/83	2001-04-05T00:00:00	2001	[ "G06" ]	improvements in and relating to document verification	according to the present invention there is provided a data security method for a digital computer (2) comprising a peripheral input device (4), the method comprising the steps of: in a secure processor environment (14) generating an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device (4) and storing the order specific version in a memory (10). a corresponding apparatus is also disclosed.	1. a data security method for a digital computer comprising a peripheral input device, the method comprising the steps of: in a secure processor environment generating an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device and storing the order specific version in a memory. 2. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 1, in which the peripheral input device comprises any of a mouse, a keyboard, a voice input unit, camera, graphic tablet, microphone or digital pen. 3. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 1 or claim 2 , in which the secure environment comprises a secure processor. 4. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 3 , in which the secure processor is separate from a central processing unit (cpu) of the digital computer. 5. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 3, in which the secure processor comprises a secure part of the digital computer cpu. 6. a data security method for a digital computer according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in which the secure environment is external of the operating system of the digital computer. 7. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which in an application involving a cursor, the cursor is driven to a predetermined location prior to commencement of the inputs storage . 8. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which the digital computer comprises a cpu for receiving input signals and the secure processor is between the peripheral input device and the cpu, in which input signals from the peripheral input device are stored by the processor independent of the input signals reaching cpu. 9. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 8, in which the cpu is associated with an operating system and input signals from the peripheral input device are stored by the processor independent of the input signal reaching the operating system. 10. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which modified versions of the inputs are stored. 11. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 10, in which each input is modified in turn. 12. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 10, in which groups of inputs can be modified. 13. a data security method for a digital computer according to any one of claims 10 to 12, in which the modified version of the inputs comprise a digest function of the inputs. 14. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 13 , in which the result of the digest function generation is encrypted. 15. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 13 or claim 14, in which a final digest function of the completed input differs from the previous digest functions. 16. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 15, in which the digest function is encrypted using a different encryption key than the encryption of the previous digest functions . 17. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 15, in which an alternative digest function can be used. 18. a data security method for a digital computer according to any one of claims 15 to 17, in which a transmitted log of inputs comprises a final digest function indicator. 19. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which the modified version of the inputs ' comprises a concatenated hash of the inputs . 20. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 19, in which an input is modified by concatenation with prior inputs. 21. a data security method for a digital computer according to any one of claims 14 to 20, in which each input is concatenated with prior inputs. 22. a data security method for a digital computer according to any one of claims 19 to 21, in which the modified version is an encryption of concatenated groups of inputs . 23. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which the inputs from the peripheral device are stored in a memory in sequence separate from the modified inputs. 24. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which the inputs modified are those which affect the appearance of a document . 25. a data security method for a digital computer according to any preceding claim, in which the method includes the step of transmitting to another party the modified version of the inputs and an unmodified version of the inputs . 26. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 25, in which the another party carries out a verification step by generating a corresponding modified version of the unmodified version of the inputs and comparing this with the received modified version. 27. a data security method for a digital computer according to claim 25 or claim 26, in which the another party generates a message from the unmodified version of the inputs and compares the generated message with a received message. 28. an executable computer program for operating a method according to any preceding claim. 29. a digital computer comprising a secure processor environment in communication with a peripheral input device, the secure processor environment processor comprising means for generating an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device and storing the order specific version in a memory.	improvements in and relating to document verification field of the invention the present invention relates to data security methods and to digital computers comprising means for such methods. background to the invention it is known for digital documents or other message data to be digitally signed. the process of digitally signing a document involves creating a hash of the original file and encrypting the hash using a private key of a public key infrastructure encryption system. the digital signature is sent with the original document, itself usually encrypted. the encryption permits the recipient (with access to the relevant public key) to know that the file was encrypted by a person with access to the corresponding private key. the hash is a one way digest function producing a substantially unique result. the hash enables the recipient to confirm that the document accompanying the digital ' signature is the same as that signed because only the original document will generate that hash, and the recipient can repeat the hashing process. the present inventor has noted, however, that there is a flaw in the process described above. the flaw is that the document signed may not correspond to the document intended to be signed. for instance, if a virus has been placed on the computer of a user signing a document, the virus may be configured to modify the document in memory before digital signing takes place, even between the instruction to sign and the signing itself. thus, a user may digitally sign a document that differs materially from that they believe they are signing. preferred embodiments of the present invention aim to address the problem referred to above. summary of the invention according to the present invention in a first aspect, there is provided a data security method for a digital computer comprising a peripheral input device, the method comprising the steps of : in a secure processor environment generating an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device and storing the order specific version in a memory. suitably, the peripheral input device comprises any of a mouse, a keyboard, a voice input unit, camera, graphic tablet, microphone or digital pen. suitably, the secure environment comprises a secure processor. suitably, the secure processor is separate from a central processing unit (cpu) of the digital computer. alternatively, the secure processor comprises a secure part of the digital computer cpu. suitably, the secure environment is external of the operating system of the digital computer. suitably, in an application involving a cursor, the cursor is driven to a predetermined location prior to commencement of the inputs storage . suitably, the digital computer comprises a cpu for receiving input signals and the secure processor is between the peripheral input device and the cpu, in which input signals from the peripheral input device are stored by the processor independent of the input signals reaching cpu. suitably, the cpu is associated with an operating system and input signals from the peripheral input device are stored by the processor independent of the input signal reaching the operating system. suitably, modified versions of the inputs are stored. suitably, each input is modified in turn. alternatively groups of inputs can be modified. suitably, the modified version of the inputs comprise a digest function of the inputs. suitably, the result of the digest function generation is encrypted, preferably using a public key encryption. suitably, a final hash of the completed input differs from the previous hash(es) . suitably, the final hash is encrypted using a different encryption key than the encryption of the previous hash(es) . alternatively, an alternative hash can be used. suitably, a transmitted log of inputs comprises a final hash indicator. suitably, the modified version of the inputs comprises a concatenated hash of the inputs . suitably, an input is modified by concatenation with prior inputs. suitably, each input is concatenated with prior inputs . suitably, the modified version is an encryption of concatenated groups of inputs . suitably, the inputs from the peripheral device are stored in a memory in sequence separate from the modified inputs. suitably, the inputs modified are those which affect the appearance of a document. this effect may be direct, eg an input that causes an image to appear on a screen, or indirect, eg moving the cursor or pressing a caps lock key. alternatively, the method includes the step of transmitting to another party the modified version of the inputs and an unmodified version of the inputs. suitably, the another party carries out a verification step by generating a corresponding modified version of the unmodified version of the inputs and comparing this with the received modified version. suitably, the another party generates a message from the unmodified version of the inputs and compares the generated message with a received message. according to the present invention in a second aspect, there is provided an executable computer program for operating a method according to the first aspect of the present invention. according to the present invention in a third aspect, there is provided a digital computer comprising a secure processor environment in communication with a peripheral input device, the secure processor environment processor comprising means for generating an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device and storing the order specific version in a memory. the processor may be configured to operate according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention. the present invention also provides a data security method for a digital computer comprising a peripheral input device, the method comprising the steps of in a secure processor generating a hash log of inputs from the peripheral input device and generating a log of inputs from the peripheral input device. thus, using embodiments of the present invention, a user can transmit a message to a recipient confident that the user can verify that what was sent was what was intended to be sent. a user can also self-verify. brief description of the figures the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the figures that follow,- in which: figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a system according to the present invention. figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the secure processor of figure 1. figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method according to the present invention. figure 4 is a schematic functional diagram corresponding to figure 3. description of the preferred embodiments referring to figure 1 of the figures that follow there is shown, schematically, a digital computer 2, typically a personal computer, comprising a keyboard 4 (a peripheral input device), a visual display unit 6, a central processing unit (cpu) 8 and a random access memory (ram) 10. the keyboard 4 incorporates a keyboard controller 12 and a secure environment processor 14 (a secure environment) . the secure processor 14 is located between the peripheral input device keyboard controller 12 and the cpu 8 in the sense that signals pass through the secure processor 14 before reaching the cpu 8. as shown in figure 2 , the secure processor 14 comprises an on-board processing capability in secure processor cpu 16 and memory in the form of secure processor ram 18 and instructions in secure processor rom 20. one such secure processor is the ibm crypto device 4758. the processor 14 is configured to receive input signals from the keyboard 4 (via the keyboard controller 12) . the processor 14 is configured to catenate the received input signal with previously encrypted input signals, to encrypt the combination and to store the encrypted result for catenation with subsequent input signals as explained in more detail below. thus an order specific version of inputs from the peripheral input device 4 is generated by secure processor 14 and stored in memory 10. referring to figure 3 of the drawings that follow, a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described by way of a functional flow diagram. figure 4 is a functional schematic diagram to assist in explaining this embodiment of the present invention further. upon activation of the application, the cursor is driven to a predetermined location (step 100) . typically this is the "home" location of the document . this ensures that if an existing document is edited, the cursor location can always be determined. generally, all inputs begin from a predetermined start point . in step 102 a keystroke (200 in figure 4) is entered on keyboard 4 causing (step 104) a signal to be sent to keyboard controller 12 which in turn generates a keyboard controller output signal that is sent (step 106) to secure processor 14 and (step 108) to cpu 8 of the computer 2. the signal to the cpu 8 may be via secure processor 14, but need not be . the signal received by cpu 8 is acted upon, according to the relevant application in focus (step 110) . for instance, if a word processing application (such as microsoft word (trade marks) is in focus, typically a keystroke will generate an alphanumeric character to be displayed (202 in figure 4) . further the signal is stored in ram 10 (step 112) which forms a keystroke log (204 in figure 4) . keystroke log 204 is a sequential record of all keystrokes. the secure processor 14 creates a hash (a one-way function) of the input keystroke (step 114) . the hash is encrypted by the secure processor 14 (step 116) and stored (step 118) (together 206 in figure 4) this in a hash log 208 in figure 4. the hash is created as a concatenation of the current keystroke with a hash of previous keystrokes. thus if the first few keystrokes are: h e l o the secure processor 14 will create a hash of "h" ie hash (h) , and upon receipt of the signal corresponding to keystroke u e" will create a hash of λ ε" together with the previous hash ie hash(e+hash(h) ) and so on to produce a concatenated result in which the resultant hash is determined both by the inputs and their sequence. the secure processor 14 has a unique public/private key pair for encryption using public key infrastructure and a unique symmetric encryption key (eg des) . the private key is used to encrypt the hash of the keystrokes. the hash log 206 can be stored in ram 10 of computer 2 or in secure processor ram 18 or both. for convenience the hash log 206 is stored at least in the secure processor ram 18 for access for the next hash in the concatenated sequence. each subsequent input causes the creation of a hash from the previous hash. it is noted that it is not only alphanumeric inputs that are stored in keystroke log 204 and hash log 206. other inputs such as cursor movement (eg cursor arrows, home, end, page up, page down) , edit instructions (eg delete, insert, cut, paste, copy etc) . that is the keystroke log, if followed, will recreate the file being created. for instance, the input described above that appears on the screen as "hop" may in fact have been input as the follow sequence of keystrokes: go<cursorbackxbackspace>h<cursor forward>p . the appearance of this sequence in an application is illustrated in tabular form below. in the second column, the cursor location is indicated by a " \| " , a hash function is represented by a w #" for ease of reference, a cursor back keystroke is indicated by <cb>, a cursor forward by <cf> and a back space by <bs>. it must also be specified when a final hash is made. this is because for a document recipient to verify a received document, the recipient must be able to recreate the hash log from the keystroke log, and therefore must have available the encryption key used by secure processor 14. the same encryption key cannot be used to digitally sign the entire hash because there would be no security in relation to the key and therefore no verification of source . one way to do this is for the secure processor 14 to use two key pairs for signing: one for signing the keystrokes, and one for signing the final hash - in this case the publication key pair. the final hash (fh) must therefore contain a flag to identify it as the fh in order for secure processor 14 to identify that the publication public key needs to be used to verify the fh. alternatively, use of an additional hash to hash the fh of the document (e.g. #7) can be used. the fh will also be hashed with a specific value (e.g. the word "published", etc) . when verifying a document secure processor 14 will identify the fh from its "final hash flag" and then has the fh with the published value. this must ensure that the purpose of each hash within the document (whether used to hash a keystroke, the end of a document session, or the fh) is apparent to secure processor 14. again, this is achieved through the use of flags to identify the specific purpose of a hash. when a file (usually a document) is transmitted as a digital file, it is accompanied by the hash log 206 and the keystroke log 204. both are digitally signed by the sender. to verify the file a recipient uses the sender's final hash public key to decrypt the hash log 206 and the keystroke log 204. the keystroke log 204 is hashed by the recipient in a concatenated sequence, keystroke by keystroke, as described above and this hash result compared with hash log 204. if the two match, the first stage of verification is accomplished. the second stage of verification executes (or mimics the execution) of the keystroke log in the application and compares the end result with the transmitted file. if the two match, the second stage of verification is accomplished and the document as a whole is verified. that is, it is verified that the document sent matches the keystroke log, and the keystroke log is verified as corresponding to the sender's intended document . as an alternative using less bandwidth, the file (document) need not be transmitted at all. it can be recreated from keystroke log 204 once that has been verified by a comparison with hash log 206 as described above. the advantage of transmitting the file is that it leaves it open to the recipient whether they will check the verification. by hashing and encryption each keystroke in a concatenated function, in effect both the keystrokes and their sequence of input are digitally signed. in an alternative version of the present invention, keystrokes can be hashed prior to being concatenated. this may be easier in some embodiments. in an alternative embodiment groups of keystrokes can be hashed. that is several keystrokes can be stored in secure processor 14 and hashed and signed in a group of eg 5 keystrokes. so long as the pattern of keystroke signing is known to the recipient (and it can be sent to them with the file document) a variety of keystroke signing patterns may be used. the grouping of keystrokes in secure processor 14 need not slow their passage to cpu 8. so long as the keystroke group is signed before it is available to another application outside secure processor 14 there is no risk of an attack succeeding. this is order specific in the sense of groups of inputs from the peripheral input device. although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in relation to a keyboard, it can be implemented using other peripheral input devices such as a mouse, a voice input etc. embodiments of the present invention may receive input signals from more than one input device eg a keyboard and a mouse . in a simplified embodiment of the present invention the public key encryption need not be used. that is the hash log is a concatenated hash of the keystrokes and is not separately encrypted. in this case the hash function is regarded as encrypting the keystrokes. the reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. all of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) , and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) , may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. the invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment (s) . the invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) , or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.
112-952-557-665-499	US	[ "JP", "US", "WO", "BR", "MX", "CA", "AU", "EP", "CN", "AT" ]	C11D7/12,C11D3/00,C11D3/02,C11D3/04,C11D3/10,C11D7/06,C11D7/10,C11D7/26,C11D17/00,C11D3/12,C11D3/395,C09D9/00,C11D3/06	2003-07-02T00:00:00	2003	[ "C11", "C09" ]	warewashing composition for use in automatic dishwashing machines, and methods for manufacturing and using	a warewashing detergent composition is provided according to the invention. the warewashing detergent composition includes a cleaning agent, an alkaline source, and a corrosion inhibitor. the cleaning agent comprises a detersive amount of a surfactant. the alkaline source is provided in an amount effective to provide a use solution having a ph of at least about 8. the corrosion inhibitor includes a source of aluminum ion and a source of zinc ion. methods for using and manufacturing a warewashing detergent composition are provided.	1 - 37 . (canceled) 38 . a warewashing detergent composition comprising: (a) a cleaning agent comprising about 0.5 wt. % to about 20 wt. % surfactant based on the weight of the detergent composition; (b) an alkaline source in an amount effective to provide a use solution having a ph of at least about 8 and obtained by diluting the warewashing detergent composition with water; (c) a corrosion inhibitor in an amount sufficient for reducing corrosion and/or etching of glass, the corrosion inhibitor comprising: (i) a source of aluminum ion; and (ii) a source of zinc ion, wherein the amount of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion is sufficient to provide a weight ratio of aluminum ion to zinc ion of about 6:1 to about 1:20; and (d) a hardening agent and wherein the composition is provided as a solid as a result of extrusion or casting. 39 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the solid is provided as a block having a size of at least about 5 grams. 40 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the solid is provided as a block having a size of at least about 50 grams. 41 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the solid is provided as a pellet having a size of at least about 5 grams. 42 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the composition further comprises peroxygen or active oxygen source bleaching agent. 43 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , further comprising encapsulated chlorine source bleaching agent. 44 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the amount of source of aluminum ion and the amount of source of zinc ion is sufficient to provide a weight ratio of aluminum ion to zinc ion of about 2:1 to about 1:15. 45 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the detergent composition comprises about 0.5 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of the corrosion inhibitor. 46 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the surfactant comprises at least one of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, or a zwitterionic surfactant. 47 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of a metal carbonate, an alkali metal hydroxide, or a mixture thereof. 48 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium sesquicarbonate, or mixtures thereof. 49 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or mixtures thereof. 50 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , the source of aluminum ion comprises at least one of sodium aluminate, aluminum bromide, aluminum chlorate, aluminum chloride, aluminum iodide, aluminum nitrate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum acetate, aluminum formate, aluminum tartrate, aluminum lactate, aluminum oleate, aluminum bromate, aluminum borate, aluminum potassium sulfate, aluminum zinc sulfate, aluminum phosphate, or mixtures thereof. 51 . a warewashing detergent composition according to claim 38 , wherein the source of zinc ion comprises at least one of zinc chloride, zinc sulfate, zinc nitrate, zinc iodide, zinc thiocyanate, zinc fluorosilicate, zinc dichromate, zinc chlorate, sodium zincate, zinc gluconate, zinc acetate, zinc benzoate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, zinc formate, zinc bromate, zinc bromide, zinc fluoride, zinc fluorosilicate, zinc salicylate, or mixtures thereof. 52 . a method for using a warewashing detergent composition, the method comprising: (a) diluting a warewashing detergent composition provided as a solid as a result of extrusion or casting with water at a dilution ratio of water to warewashing detergent composition of at least about 20:1, wherein the warewashing detergent composition comprises: (i) a cleaning agent comprising about 0.5 wt. % to about 20 wt. % surfactant based on the weight of the detergent composition; (ii) an alkaline source in an amount effective to provide a use solution having a ph of at least about 8; (iii) a corrosion inhibitor in an amount sufficient for reducing corrosion and/or etching of glass, the corrosion inhibitor comprising a source of aluminum ion and a source of zinc ion sufficient to provide a weight ratio of aluminum ion to zinc ion of about 6:1 to about 1:20; (iv) a hardening agent; and (b) washing ware with the use solution in an automatic dishwashing machine. 53 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the amount of source of aluminum ion and the amount of source of zinc ion is sufficient to provide a weight ratio of aluminum ion to zinc ion of about 2:1 to about 1:15. 54 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the detergent composition comprises about 0.5 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of the corrosion inhibitor. 55 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the surfactant comprises at least one of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, or a zwitterionic surfactant. 56 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of a metal carbonate, an alkali metal hydroxide, or a mixture thereof. 57 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium sesquicarbonate, or mixtures thereof. 58 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the alkaline source comprises at least one of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or mixtures thereof. 59 . a process according to claim 52 , the source of aluminum ion comprises at least one of sodium aluminate, aluminum bromide, aluminum chlorate, aluminum chloride, aluminum iodide, aluminum nitrate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum acetate, aluminum formate, aluminum tartrate, aluminum lactate, aluminum oleate, aluminum bromate, aluminum borate, aluminum potassium sulfate, aluminum zinc sulfate, aluminum phosphate, or mixtures thereof. 60 . a process according to claim 52 , wherein the source of zinc ion comprises at least one of zinc chloride, zinc sulfate, zinc nitrate, zinc iodide, zinc thiocyanate, zinc fluorosilicate, zinc dichromate, zinc chlorate, sodium zincate, zinc gluconate, zinc acetate, zinc benzoate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, zinc formate, zinc bromate, zinc bromide, zinc fluoride, zinc fluosilicate, zinc salicylate, or mixtures thereof.	field of the invention the invention relates to warewashing compositions for use in automatic dishwashing machines, methods for manufacturing warewashing compositions for use in automatic dishwashing machines, and methods for using warewashing compositions in automatic dishwashing machines. the automatic dishwashing machines can be commercial or domestic dishwashing machines. the warewashing composition includes a corrosion inhibitor to reduce corrosion and/or etching of glass. background of the invention glassware that is repetitively washed in automatic dishwashing machines has a tendency to develop a surface cloudiness that is irreversible. the cloudiness often manifests itself as an iridescent film that displays rainbow hues in light reflected from the glass surface. the glass becomes progressively more opaque with repeated washings. this cloudiness is believed to be a type of etching or corrosion of the glass. this same type of corrosion is seen on other articles including china, porcelain, and ceramics. corrosion of glass in automatic dishwashers is a well known o phenomenon. a paper by d. joubert and h. van daele entitled “etching of glassware in mechanical dishwashing” in soap and chemical specialties, march, 1971, pp. 62, 64, and 67, discusses the influence of various detergent components, particularly those of an alkaline nature. this subject is also discussed in a paper entitled “the present position of investigations into the behavior of glass during mechanical dishwashing” presented by th. altenschoepfer in april, 1971, at a symposium in charleroi, belgium, on “the effect of detergents on glassware in domestic dishwashers.” see, also, another paper delivered at the same symposium by p. mayaux entitled “mechanism of glass attack by chemical agents.” it is believed that the glassware corrosion problem actually relates to two separate phenomena; the first is corrosion due to the leaching out of minerals from the glass composition itself together with hydrolysis of the silicate network, and the second is deposition and redeposition of silicate material onto the glass. it is a combination of the two that can result in the cloudy appearance of glassware that has been washed repeatedly in automatic dishwashers. this cloudiness often manifests itself in the early stages as an iridescent film that becomes progressively more opaque with repeated washings. corrosion inhibitors have been added to automatic dishwashing compositions to reduce the etching or corrosion found on glass. for example, see u.s. pat. no. 2,447,297 to wegst et al.; u.s. pat. no. 2,514,304 to bacon et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,443,270 to baird et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,933,101 to cilley et al.; u.s. pat. no. 4,908,148 to caravajal et al.; u.s. pat. no., 4,390,441 to beavan. zinc has been disclosed for use in preventing glass corrosion. for example, see u.s. pat. no. 4,917,812 to cilley; u.s. pat. no. 3,677,820 to rutkowski; u.s. pat. no. 3,255,117 to knapp; u.s. pat. no. 3,350,318 to green; u.s. pat. no. 2,575,576 to bacon et al.; u.s. pat. no. 3,755,180 to austin; and u.s. pat. no. 3,966,627 to gray. automatic dishwashing detergent compositions incorporating aluminum salts have been disclosed for reducing glass corrosion. see international publication no. wo 96/36687; u.s. pat. no. 3,701,736 to austin et al.; u.s. pat. no. 5,624,892 to angevaare et al.; and u.s. pat. no. 5,624,892 to angevaare et al.; and u.s. pat. no. 5,598,506 to angevaare et al. summary of the invention a warewashing detergent composition is provided according to the invention. the warewashing detergent composition includes a cleaning agent, an alkaline source, and a corrosion inhibitor. the cleaning agent comprises a detersive amount of a surfactant. the alkaline source is provided in an amount effective to provide a use solution having a ph of at least about 8. the corrosion inhibitor includes a source of aluminum ion and a source of zinc ion. the warewashing detergent composition can be provided in the form of a concentrate or in the form of a use solution. a warewashing detergent composition can be provided according to the invention that includes a cleaning agent comprising a detersive amount of a surfactant, an alkaline source in an amount effective to provide the warewashing detergent composition with a ph of at least about 8, and between about 6 ppm and about 300 ppm of a corrosion inhibitor for reducing corrosion and/or etching of glass, wherein the corrosion inhibitor comprises an aluminum ion and a zinc ion at a weight ratio of the aluminum to the zinc ion of between about 6:1 and about 1:20. a method for using a warewashing detergent composition is provided according to the invention. the method includes diluting the warewashing detergent composition with water at a ratio of water to the warewashing detergent composition of at least about 20:1 to provide a use solution, and washing articles with the use solution in an automatic dishwashing machine. a method for manufacturing or formulating a warewashing detergent composition is provided according to the invention. the method includes a step of providing an amount of corrosion inhibitor in a warewashing detergent composition concentrate sufficient to provide a level of corrosion inhibitor in a use solution corresponding to the following formula: in the formula, the alkalinity refers to the alkalinity in ppm of a use solution, the builder refers to the amount of builder in ppm in the use solution, the hardness refers to the amount of hardness in grains per gallon in the use solution, and the food soil refers to the expected amount of food soil in grams per gallon in the use solution. the use solution can be provided as a result of diluting the warewashing detergent concentrate with water at a ratio of water to the warewashing detergent concentrate of at least about 20:1. the warewashing detergent composition additionally includes a cleaning agent and an alkaline source. the method can additionally include a step of solidifying the warewashing detergent concentrate to provide a solid. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a graph displaying a guide for selecting corrosion inhibitor concentration in a use solution as a function of water hardness, food soil, alkalinity, and builder levels. fig. 2 is a graph showing silicon concentration in four warewashing compositions at 48 hours and 96 hours according to example 9. fig. 3 is a graph showing calcium concentration in four warewashing compositions at 48 hours and 96 hours according to example 9. detailed description of the invention the invention provides a warewashing composition for protecting articles such as glassware from corrosion in an automatic dishwashing or warewashing machine during automatic dishwashing or warewashing. glassware corrosion and/or etching can be detected as a cloudiness on the glass surface. the cloudiness can appear as an iridescent film that displays rainbow hues in light reflected from the glass surface. the warewashing composition can be referred to as a cleaning composition and can be available for cleaning in environments other than inside an automatic dishwashing or warewashing machine. it should be understood that the term “warewashing” refers to and is meant to include both warewashing and dishwashing. the warewashing composition includes a corrosion inhibitor that includes an effective amount of a source of aluminum ion and an effective amount of a source of zinc ion to provide a use solution exhibiting resistance to glass corrosion and/or etching. the effective amount of a source of aluminum ion and the effective amount of a source of zinc ion can be characterized as amounts sufficient to provide a use solution exhibiting reduced glass corrosion and etching compared with a composition that is identical except that it contains only one of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion at a concentration equal to the combination of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion. it is expected that combining aluminum ion and zinc ion in a use solution will provide improved reduction of glass corrosion and/or etching compared with an otherwise identical use solution except containing only one of the aluminum ion and zinc ion at a concentration equivalent to the concentration of the combined amounts of aluminum ion and zinc ion. the combination of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion can be characterized as a synergistic combination when the improvement in corrosion and/or etching resistance is greater than the expected cumulative effect of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion. the warewashing composition that contacts the articles to be washed in an automatic dishwashing process can be referred to as the use solution. the use solution can be provided at a solids concentration that provides a desired level of detersive properties. the solids concentration refers to the concentration of the non-water components in the use solution. the warewashing composition prior to dilution to provide the use solution can be referred to as the warewashing composition concentrate or more simply as the concentrate. the concentrate can be provided in various forms including as a liquid and as a solid. it is expected that the warewashing composition will be used by diluting the concentrate with water at the situs or location of use to provide the use solution. in most cases when using the warewashing composition in an automatic dishwashing or warewashing machine, it is expected that that situs or location of use will be inside the automatic dishwashing or warewashing machine. the use solution should have a solids content that is sufficient to provide the desired level of cleaning while avoiding wasting the warewashing composition by using too much. in general, it is expected that the use solution will have a solids content of at least about 0.05 wt. %, and can have a solids content of between about 0.05 wt. % and about 0.75 wt. %. the use solution can be prepared from the concentrate by diluting with water at a dilution ratio that provides convenient use of the concentrate and provides the formation of a use solution having desired detersive properties. it is expected that the concentrate can be diluted at a ratio of water to concentrate of at least about 20:1, and can be at between about 20:1 and about 200: 1, to provide a use solution having desired detersive properties. the warewashing composition can be provided in the form of a solid. exemplary solid dishwashing compositions are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,410,495 to lentsch et al., u.s. pat. no. 6,369,021 to man et al., u.s. pat. no. 6,258,765 to wei et al, u.s. pat. no. 6,177,392 to lentsch et al., u.s. pat. no. 6,164,296 to lentsch et al., u.s. pat. no. 6,156,715 to lentsch et al., and u.s. pat. no. 6,150,624 to lentsch et al. the compositions of each of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. the compositions of each of these patents can be modified to provide a warewashing composition that includes an effective amount of a source of aluminum ion and an effective amount of a source of zinc ion to provide a warewashing use solution exhibiting reduced glass corrosion. corrosion inhibitor the corrosion inhibitor is included in the warewashing composition in an amount sufficient to provide a use solution that exhibits a rate of corrosion and/or etching of glass that is less than the rate of corrosion and/or etching of glass for an otherwise identical use solution except for the absence of the corrosion inhibitor. the corrosion inhibitor refers to the combination of a source of aluminum ion and a source of zinc ion. the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion provide aluminum ion and zinc ion, respectively, when the warewashing composition is provided in the form of a use solution. anything that provides an aluminum ion in a use solution can be referred to as a source of aluminum ion, and anything that provides a zinc ion when provided in a use solution can be referred to as a source of zinc ion. it is not necessary for the source of aluminum ion and/or the source of zinc ion to react to form the aluminum ion and/or the zinc ion. it should be understood that aluminum ion can be considered a source of aluminum ion, and zinc ion can be considered a source of zinc ion. the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion can be provided as organic salts, inorganic salts, and mixtures thereof. exemplary sources of aluminum ion include aluminum salts such as sodium aluminate, aluminum bromide, aluminum chlorate, aluminum chloride, aluminum iodide, aluminum nitrate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum acetate, aluminum formate, aluminum tartrate, aluminum lactate, aluminum oleate, aluminum bromate, aluminum borate, aluminum potassium sulfate, aluminum zinc sulfate and aluminum phosphate. exemplary sources of zinc ion include zinc salts such as zinc chloride, zinc sulfate, zinc nitrate, zinc iodide, zinc thiocyanate, zinc fluorosilicate, zinc dichromate, zinc chlorate, sodium zincate, zinc gluconate, zinc acetate, zinc benzoate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, zinc formate, zinc bromate, zinc bromide, zinc fluoride, zinc fluosilicate, and zinc salicylate. the applicants discovered that by controlling the ratio of the aluminum ion to the zinc ion in the use solution, it is possible to provide reduced corrosion and/or etching of glassware and ceramics compared with the use of either component alone. that is, the combination of the aluminum ion and the zinc ion can provide a synergy in the reduction of corrosion and/or etching. the ratio of the source of aluminum ion to the source of zinc ion can be controlled to provide a synergistic effect. in general, the weight ratio of aluminum ion to zinc ion in the use solution can be between at least about 6:1, can be less than about 1:20, and can be between about 2:1 and about 1:15. the corrosion inhibitor can be provided in the use solution in an amount effective to reduce corrosion and/or etching of glass. it is expected that the use solution will include at least about 6 ppm of the corrosion inhibitor to provide desired corrosion inhibition properties. the amount of the corrosion inhibitor is calculated based upon the combined amount of the source of aluminum ion and the source of zinc ion. it is expected that larger amounts of corrosion inhibitor can be used in the use solution without deleterious effects. it is expected that at a certain point, the additive effect of increased corrosion and/or etching resistance with increasing corrosion inhibitor concentration will be lost, and additional corrosion inhibitor will simply increase the cost of using the cleaning composition. the use solution can include between about 6 ppm and about 300 ppm of the corrosion inhibitor, and between about 20 ppm and about 200 ppm of the corrosion inhibitor. in the case of the concentrate that is intended to be diluted to a use solution, it is expected that the corrosion inhibitor will be provided at a concentration of between about 0.5 wt. % and about 25 wt. %, and between about 1 wt. % and about 20 wt. %. alkaline sources the warewashing composition according to the invention may include an effective amount of one or more alkaline sources to enhance cleaning of a substrate and improve soil removal performance of the composition. in general, an effective amount of one or more alkaline sources should be considered as an amount that provides a use solution having a ph of at least about 8. when the use solution has a ph of between about 8 and about 10, it can be considered mildly alkaline, and when the ph is greater than about 12, the use solution can be considered caustic. in general, it is desirable to provide the use solution as a mildly alkaline cleaning composition because it is considered to be more safe than the caustic based use solutions. the warewashing composition can include a metal carbonate and/or an alkali metal hydroxide. exemplary metal carbonates that can be used include, for example, sodium or potassium carbonate, bicarbonate, sesquicarbonate, mixtures thereof. exemplary alkali metal hydroxides that can be used include, for example, sodium or potassium hydroxide. an alkali metal hydroxide may be added to the composition in the form of solid beads, dissolved in an aqueous solution, or a combination thereof. alkali metal hydroxides are commercially available as a solid in the form of prilled solids or beads having a mix of particle sizes ranging from about 12-100 u.s. mesh, or as an aqueous solution, as for example, as a 50 wt. % and a 73 wt. % solution. the warewashing composition can include a sufficient amount of the alkaline source to provide the use solution with a ph of at least about 8. in general, it is expected that the concentrate will include the alkaline source in an amount of at least about 5 wt. %, at least about 10 wt. %, or at least about 15 wt. %. in order to provide sufficient room for other components in the concentrate, the alkaline source can be provided in the concentrate in an amount of less than about 60 wt. %. cleaning agent the warewashing composition can include at least one cleaning agent comprising a surfactant or surfactant system. a variety of surfactants can be used in a warewashing composition, such as anionic, nonionic, cationic, and zwitterionic surfactants. it should be understood that surfactants are an optional component of the warewashing composition and can be excluded from the concentrate. the warewashing composition, when provided as a concentrate, can include between about 0.5 wt. % and about 20 wt. % of the cleaning agent and between about 1.5 wt. % and about 15 wt. % of the cleaning agent. additional exemplary ranges of surfactant in a concentrate include about 0.5 wt. % to about 5 wt. %, and about 1 wt. % to about 3 wt. %. exemplary surfactants that can be used are commercially available from a number of sources. for a discussion of surfactants, see kirk-othmer, encyclopedia of chemical technology, third edition, volume 8, pages 900-912. when the warewashing composition includes a cleaning agent, the cleaning agent can be provided in an amount effective to provide a desired level of cleaning. anionic surfactants useful in the warewashing composition includes, for example, carboxylates such as alkylcarboxylates (carboxylic acid salts) and polyalkoxycarboxylates, alcohol ethoxylate carboxylates, nonylphenol ethoxylate carboxylates, and the like; sulfonates such as alkylsulfonates, alkylbenzenesulfonates, alkylarylsulfonates, sulfonated fatty acid esters, and the like; sulfates such as sulfated alcohols, sulfated alcohol ethoxylates, sulfated alkylphenols, alkylsulfates, sulfosuccinates, alkylether sulfates, and the like; and phosphate esters such as alkylphosphate esters, and the like. exemplary anionic surfactants include sodium alkylarylsulfonate, alpha-olefinsulfonate, and fatty alcohol sulfates. nonionic surfactants useful in the warewashing composition include, for example, those having a polyalkylene oxide polymer as a portion of the surfactant molecule. such nonionic surfactants include, for example, chlorine-, benzyl-, methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and other like alkyl-capped polyethylene glycol ethers of fatty alcohols; polyalkylene oxide free nonionics such as alkyl polyglycosides; sorbitan and sucrose esters and their ethoxylates; alkoxylated ethylene diamine; alcohol alkoxylates such as alcohol ethoxylate propoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, alcohol propoxylate ethoxylate propoxylates, alcohol ethoxylate butoxylates, and the like; nonylphenol ethoxylate, polyoxyethylene glycol ethers and the like; carboxylic acid esters such as glycerol esters, polyoxyethylene esters, ethoxylated and glycol esters of fatty acids, and the like; carboxylic amides such as diethanolamine condensates, monoalkanolamine condensates, polyoxyethylene fatty acid amides, and the like; and polyalkylene oxide block copolymers including an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer such as those commercially available under the trademark pluronic® (basf-wyandotte), and the like; and other like nonionic compounds. silicone surfactants such as the abil® b8852 can also be used. cationic surfactants that can be used in the warewashing composition include amines such as primary, secondary and tertiary monoamines with c 18 alkyl or alkenyl chains, ethoxylated alkylamines, alkoxylates of ethylenediamine, imidazoles such as a 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazoline, a 2-alkyl- 1 -(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazoline, and the like; and quaternary ammonium salts, as for example, alkylquatemary ammonium chloride surfactants such as n-alkyl(c 12 -c 18 )dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride, n-tetradecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride monohydrate, a naphthylene-substituted quaternary ammonium chloride such as dimethyl-1-naphthylmethylammonium chloride, and the like. the cationic surfactant can be used to provide sanitizing properties. zwitterionic surfactants that can be used in the warewashing composition include betaines, imidazolines, and propinates. because the warewashing composition is intended to be used in an automatic dishwashing or warewashing machine, the surfactants selected, if any surfactant is used, can be those that provide an acceptable level of foaming when used inside a dishwashing or warewashing machine. it should be understood that warewashing compositions for use in automatic dishwashing or warewashing machines are generally considered to be low-foaming compositions. other additives the warewashing composition can include other additives, including conventional additives such as chelating/sequestering agents, bleaching agents, detergent builders or fillers, hardening agents or solubility modifiers, defoamers, anti-redeposition agents, threshold agents, aesthetic enhancing agents (i.e., dye, perfume), and the like. adjuvants and other additive ingredients will vary according to the type of composition being manufactured. it should be understood that these additives are optional and need not be included in the cleaning composition. when they are included, they can be included in an amount that provides for the effectiveness of the particular type of component. the warewashing composition can include chelating/sequestering agents such as an aminocarboxylic acid, a condensed phosphate, a phosphonate, a polyacrylate, and the like. in general, a chelating agent is a molecule capable of coordinating (i.e., binding) the metal ions commonly found in natural water to prevent the metal ions from interfering with the action of the other detersive ingredients of a cleaning composition. in general, chelating/sequestering agents can generally be referred to as a type of builder. the chelating/sequestering agent may also function as a threshold agent when included in an effective amount. the concentrate can include about 0.1 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, about 5 wt. % to about 60 wt. %, about 5 wt. % to about 50 wt. %, and about 10 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of a chelating/sequestering agent. exemplary aminocarboxylic acids include, for example, n-hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid (nta), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta), n-hydroxyethyl-ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (hedta), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (dtpa), and the like. examples of condensed phosphates include sodium and potassium orthophosphate, sodium and potassium pyrophosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, and the like. a condensed phosphate may also assist, to a limited extent, in solidification of the composition by fixing the free water present in the composition as water of hydration. the composition may include a phosphonate such as 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid ch 3 c(oh)[po(oh) 2 ] 2 (hedp); amino tri(methylenephosphonic acid) n[ch 2 po(oh) 2 ] 3 ; aminotri(methylenephosphonate), sodium salt 2-hydroxyethyliminobis(methylenephosphonic acid) hoch 2 ch 2 n[ch 2 po(oh) 2 ] 2 ; diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonic acid) (ho) 2 poch 2 n[ch 2 ch 2 n[ch 2 po(oh) 2 ] 2 ] 2 ; diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonate), sodium salt c 9 h( 28-x )n 3 na x o 15 p 5 (x=7); hexamethylenediamine(tetramethylenephosphonate), potassium salt c 10 h( 28-x) n 2 k x o 12 p 4 (x=6); bis(hexamethylene)triamine(pentamethylenephosphonic acid) (ho 2 )poch 2 n[(ch 2 ) 6 n[ch 2 po(oh) 2 ] 2 ] 2 ; and phosphorus acid h 3 po 3 . exemplary phosphonates are hedp, atmp and dtpmp. a neutralized or alkaline phosphonate, or a combination of the phosphonate with an alkali source prior to being added into the mixture such that there is little or no heat or gas generated by a neutralization reaction when the phosphonate is added is preferred. the phosphonate can comprise a potassium salt of an organo phosphonic acid (a potassium phosphonate). the potassium salt of the phosphonic acid material can be formed by neutralizing the phosphonic acid with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution during the manufacture of the solid detergent. the phosphonic acid sequestering agent can be combined with a potassium hydroxide solution at appropriate proportions to provide a stoichiometric amount of potassium hydroxide to neutralize the phosphonic acid. a potassium hydroxide having a concentration of from about 1 to about 50 wt % can be used. the phosphonic acid can be dissolved or suspended in an aqueous medium and the potassium hydroxide can then be added to the phosphonic acid for neutralization purposes. water conditioning polymers can be used as a form of builder. exemplary water conditioning polymers include polycarboxylates. exemplary polycarboxylates that can be used as builders and/or water conditioning polymers include those having pendant carboxylate (—co 2 − ) groups and include, for example, polyacrylic acid, maleic/olefin copolymer, acrylic/maleic copolymer, polymethacrylic acid, acrylic acid-methacrylic acid copolymers, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, hydrolyzed polymethacrylamide, hydrolyzed polyamide-methacrylamide copolymers, hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile, hydrolyzed polymethacrylonitrile, hydrolyzed acrylonitrile-methacrylonitrile copolymers, and the like. for a further discussion of chelating agents/sequestrants, see kirk-othmer, encyclopedia of chemical technology, third edition, volume 5, pages 339-366 and volume 23, pages 319-320, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. the concentrate can include the water conditioning polymer in an amount of between about 0.1 wt. % and about 5 wt. %, and between about 0.2 wt. % and about 2 wt. %. bleaching agents for use in a cleaning compositions for lightening or whitening a substrate, include bleaching compounds capable of liberating an active halogen species, such as cl 2 , br 2 , —ocl − and/or —obr − , under conditions typically encountered during the cleansing process. suitable bleaching agents for use in the present cleaning compositions include, for example, chlorine-containing compounds such as a chlorine, a hypochlorite, chloramine. exemplary halogen-releasing compounds include the alkali metal dichloroisocyanurates, chlorinated trisodium phosphate, the alkali metal hypochlorites, monochloramine and dichloramine, and the like. encapsulated chlorine sources may also be used to enhance the stability of the chlorine source in the composition (see, for example, u.s. pat. nos. 4,618,914 and 4,830,773, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein). a bleaching agent may also be a peroxygen or active oxygen source such as hydrogen peroxide, perborates, sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, phosphate peroxyhydrates, potassium permonosulfate, and sodium perborate mono and tetrahydrate, with and without activators such as tetraacetylethylene diamine, and the like. the composition can include an effective amount of a bleaching agent. when the concentrate includes a bleaching agent, it can be included in an amount of about 0.1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, about 3 wt. % to about 8 wt. %, and about 3 wt. % to about 6 wt. %. the composition can include an effective amount of detergent fillers, which does not perform as a cleaning agent per se, but cooperates with the cleaning agent to enhance the overall cleaning capacity of the composition. examples of detergent fillers suitable for use in the present cleaning compositions include sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, starch, sugars, cl-clo alkylene glycols such as propylene glycol, and the like. when the concentrate includes a detergent filler, it can be included an amount of about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. % and between about 3 wt. % to about 15 wt. %. a defoaming agent for reducing the stability of foam may also be included in the composition to reduce foaming. when the concentrate includes a defoaming agent, the defoaming agent can be provided in an amount of between about 0.01 wt. % and about 3 wt. %. examples of defoaming agents that can be used in the composition includes ethylene oxide/propylene block copolymers such as those available under the name pluranic n-3, silicone compounds such as silica dispersed in polydimethylsiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, and functionalized polydimethylsiloxane such as those available under the name abil b9952, fatty amides, hydrocarbon waxes, fatty acids, fatty esters, fatty alcohols, fatty acid soaps, ethoxylates, mineral oils, polyethylene glycol esters, alkyl phosphate esters such as monostearyl phosphate, and the like. a discussion of defoaming agents may be found, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 3,048,548 to martin et al., u.s. pat. no. 3,334,147 to brunelle et al., and u.s. pat. no. 3,442,242 to rue et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. the composition can include an anti-redeposition agent for facilitating sustained suspension of soils in a cleaning solution and preventing the removed soils from being redeposited onto the substrate being cleaned. examples of suitable anti-redeposition agents include fatty acid amides, fluorocarbon surfactants, complex phosphate esters, styrene maleic anhydride copolymers, and cellulosic derivatives such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and the like. when the concentrate includes an anti-redeposition agent, the anti-redeposition agent can be included in an amount of between about 0.5 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, and between about 1 wt. % and about 5 wt. %. various dyes, odorants including perfumes, and other aesthetic enhancing agents can be included in the composition. dyes may be included to alter the appearance of the composition, as for example, direct blue 86 (miles), fastusol blue (mobay chemical corp.), acid orange 7 (american cyanamid), basic violet 10 (sandoz), acid yellow 23 (gaf), acid yellow 17 (sigma chemical), sap green (keystone analine and chemical), metanil yellow (keystone analine and chemical), acid blue 9 (hilton davis), sandolan blue/acid blue 182 (sandoz), hisol fast red (capitol color and chemical), fluorescein (capitol color and chemical), acid green 25 (ciba-geigy), and the like. fragrances or perfumes that may be included in the compositions include, for example, terpenoids such as citronellol, aldehydes such as amyl cinnamaldehyde, a jasmine such as c1s-jasmine or jasmal, vanillin, and the like. the components used to form the concentrate can include an aqueous medium such as water as an aid in processing. it is expected that the aqueous medium will help provide the components with a desired viscosity for processing. in addition, it is expected that the aqueous medium may help in the solidification process when is desired to form the concentrate as a solid. when the concentrate is provided as a solid, it can be provided in the form of a block or pellet. it is expected that blocks will have a size of at least about 5 grams, and can include a size of greater than about 50 grams. it is expected that the concentrate will include water in an amount of between about 1 wt. % and about 50 wt. %, and between about 2 wt. % and about 40 wt. %. when the components that are processed to form the concentrate are processed into a block, it is expected that the components can be processed by extrusion techniques or casting techniques. in general, when the components are processed by extrusion techniques, it is believed that the composition can include a relatively smaller amount of water as an aid for processing compared with the casting techniques. in general, when preparing the solid by extrusion, it is expected that the composition can contain between about 2 wt. % and about 10 wt. % water. when preparing the solid by casting, it is expected that the amount of water can be provided in an amount of between about 20 wt. % and about 40 wt. %. formulating the warewashing composition the warewashing detergent composition can be formulated to handle the expected corrosion and/or etching in a given environment. that is, the concentration of the corrosion inhibitors can be adjusted depending upon several factors at the situs of use including, for example, water hardness, food soil concentration, alkalinity, and builder concentration. it is expected that the concentration of each of these can have an effect on glass corrosion and/or etching. in machine warewashing applications, a food soil concentration of about 25 grams per gallon or more is considered high, a concentration of about 15 to about 24 grams per gallon is considered medium, and a concentration of about 14 grams per gallon or less is considered low. water hardness exhibiting 15 grains per gallon or more is considered high, about 6 to about 14 grains per gallon is considered medium, and about 5 grains per gallon or less is considered low. in a use solution, an alkalinity of about 300 ppm or higher is considered high, an alkalinity of about 200 ppm to about 300 ppm is considered medium, and an alkalinity of about 200 ppm or less is considered low. in a use solution, a builder concentration of about 300 ppm or more is considered high, a builder concentration of about 150 ppm to about 300 ppm is considered medium, and a builder concentration of 150 ppm or less is considered low. based upon the expected conditions of use, the warewashing detergent composition can be formulated to provide the desired level of corrosion and/or etching resistance. based upon the knowledge of water hardness, food soil concentration, alkalinity, and builder concentration expected at the situs of use, the detergent composition can be formulated with a sufficient amount of corrosion inhibitor by reference to fig. 1 . in fig. 1 , the charted values represent the concentration of corrosion inhibitor provided in the use solution. when formulating or manufacturing the detergent composition, the amount of corrosion inhibitor can be provided based upon the expected levels of water hardness, food soil concentration, alkalinity, and builder concentration at the situs of use. the amount of corrosion inhibitor in the use solution to provide the desired level of corrosion and/or etching resistance can be provided based upon the following formula: based on the desired minimum concentration of the corrosion inhibitor in the use solution, the amount of the corrosion inhibitor in the concentrate can be calculated knowing the solids content of the use solution and the concentrate can be formulated to provide at least the desired level of corrosion protection. forming the solid concentrate the components can be mixed and extruded or cast to form a solid such as pellets or blocks. heat can be applied from an external source to facilitate processing of the mixture. a mixing system provides for continuous mixing of the ingredients at high shear to form a substantially homogeneous liquid or semi-solid mixture in which the ingredients are distributed throughout its mass. the mixing system includes means for mixing the ingredients to provide shear effective for maintaining the mixture at a flowable consistency, with a viscosity during processing of about 1,000-1,000,000 cp, preferably about 50,000-200,000 cp. the mixing system can be a continuous flow mixer or a single or twin screw extruder apparatus. the mixture can be processed at a temperature to maintain the physical and chemical stability of the ingredients, such as at ambient temperatures of about 20-80° c., and about 25-55° c. although limited external heat may be applied to the mixture, the temperature achieved by the mixture may become elevated during processing due to friction, variances in ambient conditions, and/or by an exothermic reaction between ingredients. optionally, the temperature of the mixture may be increased, for example, at the inlets or outlets of the mixing system. an ingredient may be in the form of a liquid or a solid such as a dry particulate, and may be added to the mixture separately or as part of a premix with another ingredient, as for example, the cleaning agent, the aqueous medium, and additional ingredients such as a second cleaning agent, a detergent adjuvant or other additive, a secondary hardening agent, and the like. one or more premixes may be added to the mixture. the ingredients are mixed to form a substantially homogeneous consistency wherein the ingredients are distributed substantially evenly throughout the mass. the mixture can be discharged from the mixing system through a die or other shaping means. the profiled extrudate can be divided into useful sizes with a controlled mass. the extruded solid can be packaged in film. the temperature of the mixture when discharged from the mixing system can be sufficiently low to enable the mixture to be cast or extruded directly into a packaging system without first cooling the mixture. the time between extrusion discharge and packaging can be adjusted to allow the hardening of the detergent block for better handling during further processing and packaging. the mixture at the point of discharge can be about 20-90° c., and about 25-55° c. the composition can be allowed to harden to a solid form that may range from a low density, sponge-like, malleable, caulky consistency to a high density, fused solid, concrete-like block. optionally, heating and cooling devices may be mounted adjacent to mixing apparatus to apply or remove heat in order to obtain a desired temperature profile in the mixer. for example, an external source of heat may be applied to one or more barrel sections of the mixer, such as the ingredient inlet section, the final outlet section, and the like, to increase fluidity of the mixture during processing. preferably, the temperature of the mixture during processing, including at the discharge port, is maintained preferably at about 20-90° c. when processing of the ingredients is completed, the mixture may be discharged from the mixer through a discharge die. the composition eventually hardens due to the chemical reaction of the ingredients forming the e-form hydrate binder. the solidification process may last from a few minutes to about six hours, depending, for example, on the size of the cast or extruded composition, the ingredients of the composition, the temperature of the composition, and other like factors. preferably, the cast or extruded composition “sets up” or begins to hardens to a solid form within about 1 minute to about 3 hours, preferably about 1 minute to about 2 hours, preferably about 1 minute to about 20 minutes. the packaging receptacle or container may be rigid or flexible, and composed of any material suitable for containing the compositions produced according to the invention, as for example glass, metal, plastic film or sheet, cardboard, cardboard composites, paper, and the like. advantageously, since the composition is processed at or near ambient temperatures, the temperature of the processed mixture is low enough so that the mixture may be cast or extruded directly into the container or other packaging system without structurally damaging the material. as a result, a wider variety of materials may be used to manufacture the container than those used for compositions that processed and dispensed under molten conditions. preferred packaging used to contain the compositions is manufactured from a flexible, easy opening film material. the cleaning composition made according to the present invention is dispensed from a spray-type dispenser such as that disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 4,826,661, 4,690,305, 4,687,121, 4,426,362 and in u.s. pat. nos. re 32,763 and 32,818, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. briefly, a spray-type dispenser functions by impinging a water spray upon an exposed surface of the solid composition to dissolve a portion of the composition, and then immediately directing the concentrate solution comprising the composition out of the dispenser to a storage reservoir or directly to a point of use. when used, the product can be removed from the package (e.g.) film and is inserted into the dispenser. the spray of water can be made by a nozzle in a shape that conforms to the solid detergent shape. the dispenser enclosure can also closely fit the detergent shape in a dispensing system that prevents the introduction and dispensing of an incorrect detergent. while the invention is described in the context of a warewashing composition for washing articles in an automatic dishwashing machine, it should be understood that the warewashing composition can be used for washing non-ware items. that is, the warewashing composition can be referred to as a cleaning composition and can be used to clean various items and, in particular, items that may suffer from corrosion and/or etching. because the warewashing composition can be used in an automatic dishwashing machine, there are certain components that can be excluded from the warewashing composition because their presence would be detrimental in an automatic dishwashing machine. the above specification provides a basis for understanding the broad meets and bounds of the invention. the following examples and test data provide an understanding of certain specific embodiments of the invention. the examples are not meant to limit the scope of the invention that has been set forth in the foregoing description. variations within the concepts of the invention are apparent to those skilled in the art. examples the following examples were conducted to compare the etching of glassware from libbey glass based on several warewashing compositions. the glassware obtained was unused and fresh out of the box. one glass was used per test. the containers used to hold the sample were quartz plastic containers without paper liners in the lid. the following procedure was followed. 1. place gloves on before washing the glasses to prevent skin oils from contacting the glassware.2. the glassware is scrubbed thoroughly with neutral ph liquid dish detergent (a pot and pan detergent available under the name “express” from ecolab inc.) to remove dirt and oil and allowed to air dry.3. rinse all plastic containers with distilled water to remove any dust and allow to air dry.4. detergent solutions are prepared.5. place one glass in each plastic container and pour a solution into the plastic container ensuring that the glass is completely covered. put the lid on the container and label with the solution name.6. 20 ml of each solution is poured into 1 oz. plastic bottles and labeled.7. place the plastic containers in an agitated water bath. control the temperature of the water bath to 160° f.8. a water dispensing mechanism is set up to replenish the water bath throughout the duration of the test.9. collect 20 ml samples of the solution every 48 hours and place in the 1 oz. plastic bottles.10. upon completion of the test, samples were analyzed for calcium and silicon content. to measure glass corrosion and demonstrate the protective effect of the corrosion inhibitor, the rates at which components were removed from the glassware exposed to the detergent solutions are measured. over a period of days, the change in concentration of elemental silicon and elemental calcium in the detergent solution samples was analytically measured. common soda-lime glass includes oxides of silicon, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and aluminum. since it is well known that detergent builders can form complexes with calcium, the presence of calcium in the test solutions was measured to determine whether the detergent builders were accelerating the removal of calcium from the glass surface, thereby contributing to the corrosion process. the glass specimens were submerged in the detergents solutions at elevated temperatures. polyethylene bottles were used to contain the solutions, so the only source of the elements of interest was the glass specimens. example 1 table 1 reports the inhibition effect of sodium aluminate and zinc chloride in a sodium carbonate-based detergent solution. the composition of base composition 1 is reported in table 2. table 1effect of zinc and aluminum inhibitors,sodium carbonate-based detergent compositionsiliconconcentrationdetergent solutionexposureproductnaohashbuilderznaltime (hrs)productconc.(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)watertemp.° f.2448base2.2646.7832.924distilled1602.143.91composition 1base2.2646.7832.916.5distilled1612.885.12composition 1base2.2646.7832.9128.3distilled1620.841.08composition 1base2.2646.7832.92416.5distilled163<0.050.67composition 1 table 2base composition 1component% by wt.soft water6.5alcohol ethoxylate2.5eo, po block polymer1.4phosphate ester0.2sodium aminotriemethylenephosphonate5.9sodium carbonate51sodium tripolyphosphate30sodium hydroxide2nonionic surfactant0.5 without the corrosion inhibitor present, the concentration of silica and calcium in solution increases over time as the materials are removed from the glass surface. with the corrosion inhibitor present, the concentration of silica and calcium still increases, but at a dramatically lower rate. the testing showed that the presences of both sodium aluminate and zinc chloride in the detergent solution reduced the rate of silica and calcium removed from the glass. the combination of sodium aluminate and zinc chloride reduced the corrosion rate more than an equal concentration of either one alone. example 2 the corrosion inhibition effect of sodium aluminate and zinc chloride in a caustic detergent solution is reported in table 3. the composition of base composition 2 used to form the detergent solution is reported in table 4. table 3protective effect of glass corrosion inhibitors in a caustic detergent compositionsilicon concentration (ppm)calcium concentration (ppm)producttestexposure time (hrs)exposure time (hrs)conc.znaltemp7212072120product(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)water° f.24 hrs.48 hrs.hrs.96 hrs.hrs.24 hrs.48 hrs.hrs.96 hrs.hrs.base120000distilled1604471831031459121527composition 2base1200128distilled160247101122composition 2 table 4base composition 2component% by wt.water17.000nonionic surfactant1.000polycarboxylic acid2.000sodium hydroxide34.000sodium carbonate17.000dye0.003sodium tripolyphosphate29.00 example 3 the effect of water hardness and caustic-based detergent composition on glass corrosion is reported in table 5. the water hardness is reported in units of gpg (grains per gallon) wherein one grain is equivalent to 17.1 ppm of water hardness as expressed in calcium carbonate. the composition of base composition 3 is reported in table 6. table 5effect of water hardness and caustic-based detergent compositionproductwatertestsilicon concentration (ppm)conc.znalhardnesstemp.exposure time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)(gpg)° f.24 hrs.48 hrs.72 hrs.96 hrs.120 hrs.base1200001716012344781composition 3base1200000160447183103145composition 3 table 6base composition 3component% by wt.sodium carbonate41.100sodium sulfate14.385nonionic surfactant0.215alcohol ethoxylate surfactant2.500sodium polyacrylate0.300sodium silicate 2.00sio 2 /na 2 o6.000sodium tripoly phosphate30.500sodium perborate monohydrate5.000 example 4 the effect of food soil and caustic-based detergent composition on glass corrosion is reported in table 7. the food soil provided was beef stew soil at 2 wt. % in the test solution. the composition of base composition 4 is reported in table 8. table 7effect of food soil, caustic-based detergentsiliconcalciumconcentrationconcentration(ppm)(ppm)productwatertestexposureexposureconc.inhibitorznalhardnesstemp.time (hrs)time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)(gpg)° f.48 hrs.96 hrs.48 hrs.96 hrs.base composition 41200000city160234778with food soilbase composition 41200000city1604094919without food soil table 8base composition 4component% by wt.water24.000nonionic surfactant1.000polycarboxylic acid2.000sodium hydroxide43.000sodium chloride10.000sodium nitrilotriacetate20.00 example 5 the corrosion inhibition effect of corrosion inhibitors in sodium carbonate-based detergent composition is reported in table 9. table 9effect of glass corrosion inhibitors, sodium carbonate-based detergent compositionsilicon concentration (ppm)calcium concentration (ppm)producttestexposure time (hrs)exposure time (hrs)conc.znaltemp7212072120product(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)water° f.24 hrs.48 hrs.hrs.96 hrs.hrs.24 hrs.48 hrs.hrs.96 hrs.hrs.base1200distilled16027395171681013composition 3base1200128distilled16002320011composition 3 example 6 the effect of food soil and sodium carbonate-based detergent composition on glass corrosion is reported in table 10. the food soil is an oatmeal soil at 2 wt. % in the test solution. table 10effect of food soil, sodium carbonate-based detergent compositionsiliconcalciumconcentrationconcentration(ppm)(ppm)producttestexposureexposureconc.znalwatertemp.time (hrs)time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)type° f.48 hrs.96 hrs.48 hrs.96 hrs.base composition 3120011soft16071646without food soilbase composition 3120011soft16041000with food soil example 7 the effect of water hardness and sodium carbonate-based detergent composition is reported in table 11. table 11effect of water hardness, sodium carbonate-based detergent compositionsiliconcalciumconcentrationconcentration(ppm)(ppm)producttestexposureexposureconc.znalwatertemp.time (hrs)time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)type° f.48 hrs.96 hrs.48 hrs.96 hrs.base43004128soft16081335composition 3base43004128hard1600000composition 3base43004128city1602313composition 3 example 8 the corrosion inhibiting effect of corrosion inhibitors and non-phosphate, nta-based detergent composition is reported in table 12. table 12effect of glass corrosion inhibitors,non-phosphate, nta-based detergent compositionsiliconcalciumproducttestconcentration (ppm)concentration (ppm)conc.znalwatertemp.exposure time (hrs)exposure time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)type° f.96 hrs.96 hrs.base1200distilled1609217composition 4base1200128distilled160224composition 4 example 9 the effect of the amount of corrosion inhibitor in the concentrate is reported in table 13. the data from table 13 is graphically represented in figs. 2 and 3 . table 13effect of corrosion inhibitorsiliconcalciumconcentrationconcentration(ppm)(ppm)producttestexposureexposureconc.znalwatertemp.time (hrs)time (hrs)(ppm)(ppm)(ppm)type° f.48 hrs.96 hrs.48 hrs.96 hrs.base120023soft16010131.62.5composition 1base120016soft160152836composition 1base12002.314.00soft160112614composition 1base120021.001.60soft160360.51composition 1
116-510-789-884-663	AU	[ "US", "AU" ]	H04N19/86,H04N19/60,H04N7/00	2013-01-04T00:00:00	2013	[ "H04" ]	method, apparatus and system for de-blocking video data	a method of de-blocking video data is disclosed. the video data encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format is received. the video data is encoded in a quad-tree. a plurality of transform units is generated for one of the colour channels, each of the transform units including at least one transform. a distance from an edge of one of the transform units to a boundary of a transform of the transform unit is determined. an edge flag for the transform unit is determined, the edge flag indicating the determined distance. de-blocking is applied to the transform units of the video data according to the determined edge flag.	1 . a method of de-blocking video data, the method comprising: receiving the video data having colour channels in a 4:2:2 format; determining a size of the transform unit containing data of a plurality of chroma sample arrays for a single chroma channel of the colour channels, the data of the plurality of chroma sample arrays being provided using a plurality of chroma square transforms; determining a chroma boundary in the transform unit for the single chroma channel according to a size of the plurality of chroma square transforms defined by the determined size of the transform unit; and applying de-blocking to the determined chroma boundary in the transform units of the video data. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the size of the transform unit is determined based on a hierarchical level of a transform unit. 3 . the method according to claim 1 , further comprising: applying a square inverse transform for data each of the plurality of chroma sample arrays to produce chroma samples; wherein the de-blocking is applied to the chroma samples in the video data. 4 . an apparatus for de-blocking video data, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving the video data having colour channels in a 4:2:2 format; means for determining a size of the transform unit containing data of a plurality of chroma sample arrays for a single chroma channel of the colour channels, the data of the plurality of chroma sample arrays being provided using a plurality of chroma square transforms; means for determining a chroma boundary in the transform unit for the single chroma channel according to a size of the plurality of chroma square transforms defined by the determined size of the transform unit; and means for applying de-blocking to the determined chroma boundary in the transform units of the video data. 5 . the apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the size of the transform unit is determined based on a hierarchical level of a transform unit. 6 . the apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising: means for applying a square inverse transform for data each of the plurality of chroma sample arrays to produce chroma samples; wherein the de-blocking is applied to the chroma samples in the video data. 7 . a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program for de-blocking video data, the program comprising: code for receiving the video data having colour channels in a 4:2:2 format; code for determining a size of the transform unit containing data of a plurality of chroma sample arrays for a single chroma channel of the colour channels, the data of the plurality of chroma sample arrays being provided using a plurality of chroma square transforms; code for determining a chroma boundary in the transform unit for the single chroma channel according to a size of the plurality of chroma square transforms defined by the determined size of the transform unit; and code for applying de-blocking to the determined chroma boundary in the transform units of the video data. 8 . the non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7 , wherein the size of the transform unit is determined based on a hierarchical level of a transform unit. 9 . the non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7 , further comprising: code for applying a square inverse transform for data each of the plurality of chroma sample arrays to produce chroma samples; wherein the de-blocking is applied to the chroma samples in the video data.	reference to related patent application(s) this application is a continuation, and claims the benefit, of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/145,249, presently pending and filed on dec. 31, 2013, and claims the benefit of, and priority to, australian patent application no. 2013200051, filed jan. 4, 2013, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. technical field the present invention relates generally to digital video signal processing and, in particular, to a method, apparatus and system for de-blocking a video frame of video data. the present invention also relates to a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for de-blocking a video frame of video data. background many applications for video coding currently exist, including applications for transmission and storage of video data. many video coding standards have also been developed and others are currently in development. recent developments in video coding standardisation have led to the formation of a group called the “joint collaborative team on video coding” (jct-vc). the joint collaborative team on video coding (jct-vc) includes members of study group 16, question 6 (sg16/q6) of the telecommunication standardisation sector (itu-t) of the international telecommunication union (itu), known as the video coding experts group (vceg), and members of the international organisations for standardisation/international electrotechnical commission joint technical committee 1/subcommittee 29/working group 11 (iso/iec jtc1/sc29/wg11), also known as the moving picture experts group (mpeg). the joint collaborative team on video coding (jct-vc) has the goal of producing a new video coding standard to significantly outperform a presently existing video coding standard, known as “h.264/mpeg-4 avc”. the h.264/mpeg-4 avc standard is itself a large improvement on previous video coding standards, such as mpeg-4 and itu-t h.263. the new video coding standard under development has been named “high efficiency video coding (hevc)”. the joint collaborative team on video coding jct-vc is also considering implementation challenges arising from technology proposed for high efficiency video coding (hevc) that create difficulties when scaling implementations of the standard to operate at high resolutions in real-time or high frame rates. video data is represented in one of several ‘chroma formats’, which specify the sample aspect ratio between a luma and multiple chroma channels of the video data. the aspect ratio implies a fixed relationship between collocated block sizes for luma and chroma for each chroma format. the fixed relationships also affect the available transform sizes used for the luma channel and chroma channels of a collocated block. when video data is represented using a “4:2:2” chroma format, a non-square relationship exists between the luma samples and the chroma samples. a consequence of this is that for a square block of luma samples, the collocated block of chroma samples will be rectangular in shape. square transforms are normally used for the luma channel and desirably, square transforms are also used for the chroma channels. transform boundaries may introduce visible artefacts into compressed video data, reducing the perceived quality of the frame. these artefacts tend to be visible along transform block boundaries, especially at low quality levels (i.e. at higher compression ratio or low bit-rates). one approach to removing, or minimising, the perceived impact of these artefacts is to use a ‘de-blocking filter’ to smooth discontinuities introduced at the transform boundaries. summary it is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements. according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of de-blocking video data, the method comprising: receiving the video data encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format, the video data being encoded in a quad-tree; generating a plurality of transform units for one of the colour channels, each of the transform units including at least one transform; determining a distance from an edge of one of the transform units to a boundary of a transform of the transform unit; determining an edge flag for the transform unit, the edge flag indicating the determined distance; and applying de-blocking to the transform units of the video data according to the determined edge flag. according to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for de-blocking video data, the system comprising: a memory for storing data and a computer program; a processor coupled to the memory for executing said computer program, said computer program comprising instructions for: receiving the video data encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format, the video data being encoded in a quad-tree;generating a plurality of transform units for one of the colour channels, each of the transform units including at least one transform;determining a distance from an edge of one of the transform units to a boundary of a transform of the transform unit;determining an edge flag for the transform unit, the edge flag indicating the determined distance; andapplying de-blocking to the transform units of the video data according to the determined edge flag. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for de-blocking video data, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving the video data encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format, the video data being encoded in a quad-tree; means for generating a plurality of transform units for one of the colour channels, each of the transform units including at least one transform; means for determining a distance from an edge of one of the transform units to a boundary of a transform of the transform unit; means for determining an edge flag for the transform unit, the edge flag indicating the determined distance; and means for applying de-blocking to the transform units of the video data according to the determined edge flag. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising a computer program for de-blocking video data, the program comprising: code for receiving the video data encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format, the video data being encoded in a quad-tree; code for generating a plurality of transform units for one of the colour channels, each of the transform units including at least one transform; code for determining a distance from an edge of one of the transform units to a boundary of a transform of the transform unit; code for determining an edge flag for the transform unit, the edge flag indicating the determined distance; and code for applying de-blocking to the transform units of the video data according to the determined edge flag. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method of de-blocking video data, the method comprising: traversing a quad-tree hierarchy defined by one or more split coding unit flags or split transform flags; determining a size of a transform in a chroma colour of the traversed quad-tree hierarchy; determining an edge flag array location relative to a current location based on the determined size of the transform in the chroma colour channel; storing an edge flag value at the determined edge flag array location, the edge flag value signalling that only a chroma edge is deblocked; and applying de-blocking to only the chroma edge according to the edge flag value. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an apparatus for de-blocking video data, the apparatus comprising: means for traversing a quad-tree hierarchy defined by one or more split coding unit flags or split transform flags; means for determining a size of a transform in a chroma colour of the traversed quad-tree hierarchy; means for determining an edge flag array location relative to a current location based on the determined size of the transform in the chroma colour channel; means for storing an edge flag value at the determined edge flag array location, the edge flag value signalling that only a chroma edge is deblocked; and means for applying de-blocking to only the chroma edge according to the edge flag value. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a system for de-blocking video data, the system comprising: a memory for storing data and a computer program; a processor coupled to the memory for executing the computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for: traversing a quad-tree hierarchy defined by one or more split coding unit flags or split transform flags;determining a size of a transform in a chroma colour of the traversed quad-tree hierarchy;determining an edge flag array location relative to a current location based on the determined size of the transform in the chroma colour channel; storing an edge flag value at the determined edge flag array location, the edge flag value signalling that only a chroma edge is deblocked; and applying de-blocking to only the chroma edge according to the edge flag value. according to still another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for de-blocking video data, the program comprising: code for traversing a quad-tree hierarchy defined by one or more split coding unit flags or split transform flags; code for determining a size of a transform in a chroma colour of the traversed quad-tree hierarchy; code for determining an edge flag array location relative to a current location based on the determined size of the transform in the chroma colour channel; code for storing an edge flag value at the determined edge flag array location, the edge flag value signalling that only a chroma edge is deblocked; and code for applying de-blocking to only the chroma edge according to the edge flag value. other aspects are also disclosed. brief description of the drawings at least one embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings and appendices, in which: fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a video encoding and decoding system; figs. 2a and 2b form a schematic block diagram of a general purpose computer system upon which one or both of the video encoding and decoding system of fig. 1 may be practiced; fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing functional modules of a video encoder; fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing functional modules of a video decoder; figs. 5a and 5b schematically illustrate chroma formats for representing frame data; fig. 6 schematically illustrates a subdivision of a coding tree unit (ctb) into multiple coding units (cus), prediction units (pus) and transform units (tus); fig. 7a schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for luma samples on a luma sample grid; fig. 7b schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for chroma samples on a chroma sample grid when a 4:2:0 chroma format is in use; fig. 7c schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for chroma samples on a chroma sample grid when a 4:2:2 chroma format is in use; figs. 8a and 8b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree (rqt) containing a 32×32 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder of fig. 3 and the video decoder of fig. 4 configured for a 4:2:2 chroma format; figs. 9a and 9b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree containing a 16×16 transform unit (tu) and an 8×8 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder of fig. 3 and the video decoder of fig. 4 configured for a 4:2:2 chroma format; fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing a method of de-blocking data samples in a video frame, applied in the video encoder of fig. 3 and in the video decoder of fig. 4 ; fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing a method of determining edge flags, applied in the video encoder of fig. 3 and in the video decoder of fig. 4 ; figs. 12a and 12b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree (rqt) containing a 32×32 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder of fig. 3 and the video decoder of fig. 4 configured for a 4:2:2 chroma format according to an further arrangement; appendix a shows an example of a de-blocking filter implementation; appendix b shows a further example of a de-blocking filter implementation; and appendix c shows a further example of de-blocking filter implementation. detailed description including best mode where reference is made in any one or more of the accompanying drawings to steps and/or features, which have the same reference numerals, those steps and/or features have for the purposes of this description the same function(s) or operation(s), unless the contrary intention appears. fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing function modules of a video encoding and decoding system 100 . the system 100 may utilise techniques for residual quad-tree transform selection that result in an improved selection of available transform logic for colour channels. the colour channels may include either chroma channel for all chroma formats supported by the system 100 . the system 100 includes a source device 110 and a destination device 130 . a communication channel 120 is used to communicate encoded video information from the source device 110 to the destination device 130 . in some arrangements, the source device 110 and destination device 130 may comprise respective mobile telephone hand-sets, in which case the communication channel 120 is a wireless channel. in other arrangements, the source device 110 and destination device 130 may comprise video conferencing equipment, in which case the communication channel 120 is typically a wired channel, such as an internet connection. moreover, the source device 110 and the destination device 130 may comprise any of a wide range of devices, including devices supporting over the air television broadcasts, cable television applications, internet video applications and applications where encoded video is captured on some storage medium or a file server. as shown in fig. 1 , the source device 110 includes a video source 112 , a video encoder 114 and a transmitter 116 . the video source 112 typically comprises a source of captured video frame data, such as an imaging sensor, a previously captured video sequence stored on a non-transitory recording medium, or a video feed from a remote imaging sensor. examples of source devices 110 that may include an imaging sensor as the video source 112 include smart-phones, video camcorders and network video cameras. the video encoder 114 converts the captured frame data from the video source 112 into encoded video data and will be described further with reference to fig. 3 . the encoded video data is typically transmitted by the transmitter 116 over the communication channel 120 as encoded video data (or “encoded video information”). it is also possible for the encoded video data to be stored in some storage device, such as a “flash” memory or a hard disk drive, until later being transmitted over the communication channel 120 . the destination device 130 includes a receiver 132 , a video decoder 134 and a display device 136 . the receiver 132 receives encoded video data from the communication channel 120 and passes received video data to the video decoder 134 . the video decoder 134 then outputs decoded frame data to the display device 136 . examples of the display device 136 include a cathode ray tube, a liquid crystal display, such as in smart-phones, tablet computers, computer monitors or in stand-alone television sets. it is also possible for the functionality of each of the source device 110 and the destination device 130 to be embodied in a single device. notwithstanding the example devices mentioned above, each of the source device 110 and destination device 130 may be configured within a general purpose computing system, typically through a combination of hardware and software components. fig. 2a illustrates such a computer system 200 , which includes: a computer module 201 ; input devices such as a keyboard 202 , a mouse pointer device 203 , a scanner 226 , a camera 227 , which may be configured as the video source 112 , and a microphone 280 ; and output devices including a printer 215 , a display device 214 , which may be configured as the display device 136 , and loudspeakers 217 . an external modulator-demodulator (modem) transceiver device 216 may be used by the computer module 201 for communicating to and from a communications network 220 via a connection 221 . the communications network 220 , which may represent the communication channel 120 , may be a wide-area network (wan), such as the internet, a cellular telecommunications network, or a private wan. where the connection 221 is a telephone line, the modem 216 may be a traditional “dial-up” modem. alternatively, where the connection 221 is a high capacity (e.g., cable) connection, the modem 216 may be a broadband modem. a wireless modem may also be used for wireless connection to the communications network 220 . the transceiver device 216 may provide the functionality of the transmitter 116 and the receiver 132 and the communication channel 120 may be embodied in the connection 221 . the computer module 201 typically includes at least one processor unit 205 , and a memory unit 206 . for example, the memory unit 206 may have semiconductor random access memory (ram) and semiconductor read only memory (rom). the computer module 201 also includes an number of input/output (i/o) interfaces including: an audio-video interface 207 that couples to the video display 214 , loudspeakers 217 and microphone 280 ; an i/o interface 213 that couples to the keyboard 202 , mouse 203 , scanner 226 , camera 227 and optionally a joystick or other human interface device (not illustrated); and an interface 208 for the external modem 216 and printer 215 . in some implementations, the modem 216 may be incorporated within the computer module 201 , for example within the interface 208 . the computer module 201 also has a local network interface 211 , which permits coupling of the computer system 200 via a connection 223 to a local-area communications network 222 , known as a local area network (lan). as illustrated in fig. 2a , the local communications network 222 may also couple to the wide network 220 via a connection 224 , which would typically include a so-called “firewall” device or device of similar functionality. the local network interface 211 may comprise an ethernet™ circuit card, a bluetooth™ wireless arrangement or an ieee 802.11 wireless arrangement; however, numerous other types of interfaces may be practiced for the interface 211 . the local network interface 211 may also provide the functionality of the transmitter 116 and the receiver 132 and communication channel 120 may also be embodied in the local communications network 222 . the i/o interfaces 208 and 213 may afford either or both of serial and parallel connectivity, the former typically being implemented according to the universal serial bus (usb) standards and having corresponding usb connectors (not illustrated). storage devices 209 are provided and typically include a hard disk drive (hdd) 210 . other storage devices such as a floppy disk drive and a magnetic tape drive (not illustrated) may also be used. an optical disk drive 212 is typically provided to act as a non-volatile source of data. portable memory devices, such optical disks (e.g. cd-rom, dvd, blu-ray disc™) usb-ram, portable, external hard drives, and floppy disks, for example, may be used as appropriate sources of data to the computer system 200 . typically, any of the hdd 210 , optical drive 212 , networks 220 and 222 may also be configured to operate as the video source 112 , or as a destination for decoded video data to be stored for reproduction via the display 214 . the components 205 to 213 of the computer module 201 typically communicate via an interconnected bus 204 and in a manner that results in a conventional mode of operation of the computer system 200 known to those in the relevant art. for example, the processor 205 is coupled to the system bus 204 using a connection 218 . likewise, the memory 206 and optical disk drive 212 are coupled to the system bus 204 by connections 219 . examples of computers on which the described arrangements can be practised include ibm-pc's and compatibles, sun sparcstations, apple mac™ or alike computer systems. where appropriate or desired, the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 , as well as methods described below, may be implemented using the computer system 200 wherein the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the processes of figs. 10 and 11 , to be described, may be implemented as one or more software application programs 233 executable within the computer system 200 . in particular, the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the steps of the described methods are effected by instructions 231 (see fig. 2b ) in the software 233 that are carried out within the computer system 200 . the software instructions 231 may be formed as one or more code modules, each for performing one or more particular tasks. the software may also be divided into two separate parts, in which a first part and the corresponding code modules performs the described methods and a second part and the corresponding code modules manage a user interface between the first part and the user. the software may be stored in a computer readable medium, including the storage devices described below, for example. the software is loaded into the computer system 200 from the computer readable medium, and then executed by the computer system 200 . a computer readable medium having such software or computer program recorded on the computer readable medium is a computer program product. the use of the computer program product in the computer system 200 preferably effects an advantageous apparatus for implementing the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the described methods. the software 233 is typically stored in the hdd 210 or the memory 206 . the software is loaded into the computer system 200 from a computer readable medium, and executed by the computer system 200 . thus, for example, the software 233 may be stored on an optically readable disk storage medium (e.g., cd-rom) 225 that is read by the optical disk drive 212 . in some instances, the application programs 233 may be supplied to the user encoded on one or more cd-roms 225 and read via the corresponding drive 212 , or alternatively may be read by the user from the networks 220 or 222 . still further, the software can also be loaded into the computer system 200 from other computer readable media. computer readable storage media refers to any non-transitory tangible storage medium that provides recorded instructions and/or data to the computer system 200 for execution and/or processing. examples of such storage media include floppy disks, magnetic tape, cd-rom, dvd, blu-ray disc, a hard disk drive, a rom or integrated circuit, usb memory, a magneto-optical disk, or a computer readable card such as a pcmcia card and the like, whether or not such devices are internal or external of the computer module 201 . examples of transitory or non-tangible computer readable transmission media that may also participate in the provision of the software, application programs, instructions and/or video data or encoded video data to the computer module 401 include radio or infra-red transmission channels as well as a network connection to another computer or networked device, and the internet or intranets including e-mail transmissions and information recorded on websites and the like. the second part of the application programs 233 and the corresponding code modules mentioned above may be executed to implement one or more graphical user interfaces (guis) to be rendered or otherwise represented upon the display 214 . through manipulation of typically the keyboard 202 and the mouse 203 , a user of the computer system 200 and the application may manipulate the interface in a functionally adaptable manner to provide controlling commands and/or input to the applications associated with the gui(s). other forms of functionally adaptable user interfaces may also be implemented, such as an audio interface utilizing speech prompts output via the loudspeakers 217 and user voice commands input via the microphone 280 . fig. 2b is a detailed schematic block diagram of the processor 205 and a “memory” 234 . the memory 234 represents a logical aggregation of all the memory modules (including the hdd 209 and semiconductor memory 206 ) that can be accessed by the computer module 201 in fig. 2a . when the computer module 201 is initially powered up, a power-on self-test (post) program 250 executes. the post program 250 is typically stored in a rom 249 of the semiconductor memory 206 of fig. 2a . a hardware device such as the rom 249 storing software is sometimes referred to as firmware. the post program 250 examines hardware within the computer module 201 to ensure proper functioning and typically checks the processor 205 , the memory 234 ( 209 , 206 ), and a basic input-output systems software (bios) module 251 , also typically stored in the rom 249 , for correct operation. once the post program 250 has run successfully, the bios 251 activates the hard disk drive 210 of fig. 2a . activation of the hard disk drive 210 causes a bootstrap loader program 252 that is resident on the hard disk drive 210 to execute via the processor 205 . this loads an operating system 253 into the ram memory 206 , upon which the operating system 253 commences operation. the operating system 253 is a system level application, executable by the processor 205 , to fulfil various high level functions, including processor management, memory management, device management, storage management, software application interface, and generic user interface. the operating system 253 manages the memory 234 ( 209 , 206 ) to ensure that each process or application running on the computer module 201 has sufficient memory in which to execute without colliding with memory allocated to another process. furthermore, the different types of memory available in the computer system 200 of fig. 2a must be used properly so that each process can run effectively. accordingly, the aggregated memory 234 is not intended to illustrate how particular segments of memory are allocated (unless otherwise stated), but rather to provide a general view of the memory accessible by the computer system 200 and how such is used. as shown in fig. 2b , the processor 205 includes a number of functional modules including a control unit 239 , an arithmetic logic unit (alu) 240 , and a local or internal memory 248 , sometimes called a cache memory. the cache memory 248 typically includes a number of storage registers 244 - 246 in a register section. one or more internal busses 241 functionally interconnect these functional modules. the processor 205 typically also has one or more interfaces 242 for communicating with external devices via the system bus 204 , using a connection 218 . the memory 234 is coupled to the bus 204 using a connection 219 . the application program 233 includes a sequence of instructions 231 that may include conditional branch and loop instructions. the program 233 may also include data 232 which is used in execution of the program 233 . the instructions 231 and the data 232 are stored in memory locations 228 , 229 , 230 and 235 , 236 , 237 , respectively. depending upon the relative size of the instructions 231 and the memory locations 228 - 230 , a particular instruction may be stored in a single memory location as depicted by the instruction shown in the memory location 230 . alternately, an instruction may be segmented into a number of parts each of which is stored in a separate memory location, as depicted by the instruction segments shown in the memory locations 228 and 229 . in general, the processor 205 is given a set of instructions which are executed therein. the processor 205 waits for a subsequent input, to which the processor 205 reacts to by executing another set of instructions. each input may be provided from one or more of a number of sources, including data generated by one or more of the input devices 202 , 203 , data received from an external source across one of the networks 220 , 202 , data retrieved from one of the storage devices 206 , 209 or data retrieved from a storage medium 225 inserted into the corresponding reader 212 , all depicted in fig. 2a . the execution of a set of the instructions may in some cases result in output of data. execution may also involve storing data or variables to the memory 234 . the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the described methods may use input variables 254 , which are stored in the memory 234 in corresponding memory locations 255 , 256 , 257 . the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the described methods produce output variables 261 , which are stored in the memory 234 in corresponding memory locations 262 , 263 , 264 . intermediate variables 258 may be stored in memory locations 259 , 260 , 266 and 267 . referring to the processor 205 of fig. 2b , the registers 244 , 245 , 246 , the arithmetic logic unit (alu) 240 , and the control unit 239 work together to perform sequences of micro-operations needed to perform “fetch, decode, and execute” cycles for every instruction in the instruction set making up the program 233 . each fetch, decode, and execute cycle comprises: (a) a fetch operation, which fetches or reads an instruction 231 from a memory location 228 , 229 , 230 ; (b) a decode operation in which the control unit 239 determines which instruction has been fetched; and (c) an execute operation in which the control unit 239 and/or the alu 240 execute the instruction. thereafter, a further fetch, decode, and execute cycle for the next instruction may be executed. similarly, a store cycle may be performed by which the control unit 239 stores or writes a value to a memory location 232 . each step or sub-process in the processes of figs. 10 to 13 to be described is associated with one or more segments of the program 233 and is typically performed by the register section 244 , 245 , 247 , the alu 240 , and the control unit 239 in the processor 205 working together to perform the fetch, decode, and execute cycles for every instruction in the instruction set for the noted segments of the program 233 . fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing functional modules of the video encoder 114 . fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing functional modules of the video decoder 134 . the video encoder 114 and video decoder 134 may be implemented using a general-purpose computer system 200 , as shown in figs. 2a and 2b , where the various functional modules may be implemented by dedicated hardware within the computer system 200 , by software executable within the computer system 200 such as one or more software code modules of the software application program 233 resident on the hard disk drive 205 and being controlled in its execution by the processor 205 , or alternatively by a combination of dedicated hardware and software executable within the computer system 200 . the video encoder 114 , the video decoder 134 and the described methods may alternatively be implemented in dedicated hardware, such as one or more integrated circuits performing the functions or sub functions of the described methods. such dedicated hardware may include graphic processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits (asics), field programmable gate arrays (fpgas) or one or more microprocessors and associated memories. in particular the video encoder 114 comprises modules 320 - 346 and the video decoder 134 comprises modules 420 - 434 which may each be implemented as one or more software code modules of the software application program 233 . although the video encoder 114 of fig. 3 is an example of a high efficiency video coding (hevc) video encoding pipeline, other video codecs may also be used to perform the processing stages described herein. the video encoder 114 receives captured frame data, such as a series of frames, each frame including one or more colour channels. each frame comprises one sample grid per colour channel. colour information is represented using a ‘colour space’, such as recommendation itu-r bt.709 (‘yuv’), although other colour spaces are also possible. when a colour space, such as the yuv colour space, is used, the colour channels include a luma colour channel (‘y’) and two chroma colour channels (‘u’ and ‘v’). moreover, differing amounts of information may be included in the sample grid of each colour channel of the captured frame data, depending on the sampling of the image or through application of filtering to resample the captured frame data. several possible sampling methods, known as ‘chroma formats’ exist, some of which will be described with reference to figs. 5a and 5b . the video encoder 114 divides each frame of the captured frame data, such as frame data 310 , into regions generally referred to as ‘coding tree blocks’ (ctbs). each coding tree block (ctb) includes a hierarchical quad-tree subdivision of a portion of the frame into a collection of ‘coding units’ (cus). the coding tree block (ctb) generally occupies an area of 64×64 luma samples, although other sizes are possible, such as 16×16 or 32×32. in some cases even larger sizes for the coding tree block (ctb), such as 128×128 luma samples, may be used. the coding tree block (ctb) may be sub-divided via a split into four equal sized regions to create a new hierarchy level. splitting may be applied recursively, resulting in a quad-tree hierarchy. as the coding tree block (ctb) side dimensions are always powers of two and the quad-tree splitting always results in a halving of the width and height, the region side dimensions are also always powers of two. when no further split of a region is performed, a ‘coding unit’ (cu) is said to exist within the region. when no split is performed at the top level (or typically the “highest level”) of the coding tree block, the region occupying the entire coding tree block contains one coding unit (cu) that is generally referred to as a ‘largest coding unit’ (lcu). a minimum size also exists for each coding unit (cu), such as the area occupied by 8×8 luma samples, although other minimum sizes are also possible. coding units of the minimum size are generally referred to as ‘smallest coding units’ (scus). as a result of the quad-tree hierarchy, the entirety of the coding tree block (ctb) is occupied by one or more coding units (cus). the video encoder 114 produces one or more arrays of data samples, generally referred to as ‘prediction units’ (pus) for each coding unit (cu). various arrangements of prediction units (pus) in each coding unit (cu) are possible, with a requirement that the prediction units (pus) do not overlap and that the entirety of the coding unit (cu) is occupied by the one or more prediction units (pus). such a requirement ensures that the prediction units (pus) cover the entire frame area. the video encoder 114 operates by outputting, from a multiplexer module 340 , a prediction unit (pu) 382 . a difference module 344 outputs the difference between the prediction unit (pu) 382 and a corresponding 2d array of data samples, in the spatial domain, from a coding unit (cu) of the coding tree block (ctb) of the frame data 310 , the difference being known as a ‘residual sample array’ 360 . the residual sample array 360 may be transformed into the frequency domain in a transform module 320 . the residual sample array 360 from the difference module 344 is received by the transform module 320 , which converts (or ‘encodes’) the residual sample array 360 from a spatial representation to a frequency domain representation by applying a ‘forward transform’. the transform module 320 creates transform coefficients. the transform coefficients are configured as the residual transform array 362 for each transform in a transform unit (tu) in a hierarchical sub-division of the coding unit (cu). the coding unit (cu) is sub-divided into one or more transform units (tus). the sub-divided coding unit (cu) may be referred to as a ‘residual quad-tree’ or a ‘residual quad-tree (rqt)’. the sub-division of the residual data of the coding unit (cu) into a residual quad-tree (rqt) is performed under control of a transform control module 346 . the transform control module 346 may test the bit-rate required in the encoded bitstream 312 for various possible arrangements of transform units (tus) in the residual quad-tree of a present coding unit (cu) according to a ‘rate-distortion criterion’. the rate-distortion criterion is a measure of the acceptable trade-off between the bit-rate of the encoded bitstream 312 , or a local region thereof, and the distortion, or difference between frames present in the frame buffer 332 and the captured frame data. in some arrangements, the rate-distortion criterion considers only the rate and distortion for luma and thus the encoding decision is made based only on characteristics of the luma channel. generally, the residual quad-tree (rqt) is shared between luma and chroma, and the amount of chroma information is relatively small compared to luma, so considering luma only in the rate-distortion criterion is appropriate. in arrangements where decisions specific to chroma only need to be made, the rate-distortion criterion may be expanded to consider chroma bit costs and rate costs, or alternatively, a rule or ‘heuristic’ may be introduced in order to make a reasonable decision from chroma, based on the rate-distortion criterion decisions for luma. the transform control module 346 may thus select an arrangement of transform units (tus) as the residual quad-tree. the selected arrangement is configured for encoding the residual sample array 360 of the present coding unit (cu) from a set of possible transform units (tus). the configuration of the residual quad-tree (rqt) of the coding unit (cu) is specified by a set of split transform flags 386 . the residual quad-tree (rqt) will be further discussed below, with reference to figs. 5a and 5b . the set of possible transform units (tus) for a residual quad-tree is dependent on the available transform sizes and coding unit (cu) size. in one arrangement, the residual quad-tree results in a lower bit-rate in the encoded bitstream 312 , thus achieving higher compression efficiency. a larger sized transform unit (tu) results in use of larger transforms for both luma and chroma. generally, larger transforms provide a more compact representation of a residual sample array with sample data (or ‘residual energy’) spread across the residual sample array. smaller transform units (tus) provide a more compact representation of a residual sample array with residual energy localised to specific regions of the residual sample array. thus, the many possible configurations of the residual quad-tree provides a useful means for achieving high coding efficiency of the residual sample array 360 in the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development. for the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development, conversion of the residual sample array 360 to the frequency domain representation is implemented using a modified discrete cosine transform (dct), in which a dct is modified to be implemented using shifts and additions. various sizes of the residual sample array 360 and the transform coefficients 362 are possible, in accordance with supported transform sizes. in the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development, transforms are performed on 2d arrays of data samples having sizes, such as 32×32, 16×16, 8×8 and 4×4. thus, a predetermined set of transform sizes are available to the video encoder 114 . moreover, the set of transform sizes may differ between the luma channel and the chroma channels. two-dimensional transforms are generally configured to be ‘separable’, enabling implementation as a first set of 1d transforms operating on the 2d array of data samples in one direction (e.g. on rows). the first set of 1d transforms is followed by a second set of 1d transform operating on the 2d array of data samples output from the first set of 1d transforms in the other direction (e.g. on columns). transforms having the same width and height are generally referred to as ‘square transforms’. additional transforms, having differing widths and heights may also be used and are generally referred to as ‘non-square transforms’. in some arrangements, the row and column one-dimensional transforms may be combined into specific hardware or software modules, such as a 4×4 transform module or an 8×8 transform module. transforms having larger dimensions require larger amounts of circuitry to implement, even though such larger dimensioned transforms may be infrequently used. accordingly, the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development defines a maximum transform size of 32×32 luma samples. the integrated nature of the transform implementation defined for the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development also introduces a preference to reduce the number of non-square transform sizes supported. such non-square transform sizes typically require either entirely new hardware to be implemented for each non-square transform size or require additional selection logic to enable reconfiguration of various 1d transform logic into a particular non-square transform size. additionally, such non-square transform sizes may also increase the complexity of software implementations by introducing additional methods to perform transform and inverse transform operations for each supported non-square transform size, and increasing complexity to implement the necessary buffer management functionality of the additional transform sizes. transforms may be applied to both the luma and chroma channels. differences between the handling of luma and chroma channels with regard to transform units (tus) exist and will be discussed below with reference to figs. 5a and 5b . each residual quad-tree occupies one coding unit (cu) and is defined as a quad-tree decomposition of the coding unit (cu) into a hierarchy including one transform unit (tu) at each leaf node of the residual quad-tree hierarchy, with each transform unit (tu) able to make use of specific transforms of the supported transform sizes. similarly to the coding tree block (ctb), it is necessary for the entirety of the coding unit (cu) to be occupied by one or more transform units (tus). at each level of the residual quad-tree hierarchy a ‘coded block flag value’ signals possible presence of a transform in each colour channel, either at the present hierarchy level (when no further splits are present), or to signal that lower hierarchy levels may contain at least one transform among the resulting transform units (tus). when the coded block flag value is zero, all residual coefficients at the present or lower hierarchy levels are known to be zero and thus no transform is required to be performed for the corresponding colour channel of any transform units (tu) of the residual quad-tree (either at the present hierarchical level or at lower hierarchical levels). when the coded block flag value is one, if the present region is not further sub-divided then the region contains a transform which requires at least one non-zero residual coefficient. if the present region is further sub-divided, a coded block flag value of one indicates that each resulting sub-divided region may include non-zero residual coefficients. in this manner, for each colour channel, zero or more transforms may cover a portion of the area of the coding unit (cu) varying from none up to the entirety of the coding unit (cu). separate coded block flag values exist for each colour channel. each coded block flag value is not required to be encoded, as cases exist where there is only one possible coded block flag value. the transform coefficients 362 are input to the scale and quantise module 322 where data sample values thereof are scaled and quantised, according to a determined quantisation parameter 384 , to produce a residual data array 364 . the scale and quantisation results in a loss of precision, dependent on the value of the determined quantisation parameter 384 . a higher value of the determined quantisation parameter 384 results in greater information being lost from the residual data. the lost information increases the compression achieved by the video encoder 114 at the expense of reducing the visual quality of output from the video decoder 134 . the determined quantisation parameter 384 may be adapted during encoding of each frame of the frame data 310 . alternatively, the determined quantisation parameter 384 may be fixed for a portion of the frame data 310 . in one arrangement, the determined quantisation parameter 384 may be fixed for an entire frame of frame data 310 . other adaptations of the determined quantisation parameter 384 are also possible, such as quantising different residual coefficients with separate values. the residual data array 364 and determined quantisation parameter 384 are taken as input to an inverse scaling module 326 . the inverse scaling module 326 reverses the scaling performed by the scale and quantise module 322 to produce rescaled data arrays 366 , which are rescaled versions of the residual data array 364 . the residual data array 364 , the determined quantisation parameter 384 and the split transform flags 386 are also taken as input to an entropy encoder module 324 . the entropy encoder module 324 encodes the values of the residual data array 364 in an encoded bitstream 312 (or ‘video bitstream’). due to the loss of precision resulting from the scale and quantise module 322 , the rescaled data arrays 366 are not identical to the original values in the array 363 . the rescaled data arrays 366 from the inverse scaling module 326 are then output to an inverse transform module 328 . the inverse transform module 328 performs an inverse transform from the frequency domain to the spatial domain to produce a spatial-domain representation 368 of the rescaled transform coefficient arrays 366 . the spatial-domain representation 368 is substantially identical to a spatial domain representation that is produced at the video decoder 134 . the spatial-domain representation 368 is then input to a summation module 342 . a motion estimation module 338 produces motion vectors 374 by comparing the frame data 310 with previous frame data from one or more sets of frames stored in a frame buffer module 332 , generally configured within the memory 206 . the sets of frames are known as ‘reference picture lists’. the motion vectors 374 are then input to a motion compensation module 334 which produces an inter-predicted prediction unit (pu) 376 by filtering data samples stored in the frame buffer module 332 , taking into account a spatial offset derived from the motion vectors 374 . not illustrated in fig. 3 , the motion vectors 374 are also passed as syntax elements to the entropy encoder module 324 for encoding in the encoded bitstream 312 . the intra-frame prediction module 336 produces an intra-predicted prediction unit (pu) 378 using samples 370 obtained from the summation module 342 , which sums the prediction unit (pu) 382 from the multiplexer module 340 and the spatial domain output of the multiplexer 369 . the intra-frame prediction module 336 also produces an intra-prediction mode 380 which is sent to the entropy encoder 324 for encoding into the encoded bitstream 312 . prediction units (pus) may be generated using either an intra-prediction or an inter-prediction method. intra-prediction methods make use of data samples adjacent to the prediction unit (pu) that have previously been decoded (typically above and to the left of the prediction unit) in order to generate reference data samples within the prediction unit (pu). various directions of intra-prediction are possible, referred to as the ‘intra-prediction mode’. inter-prediction methods make use of a motion vector to refer to a block from a selected reference frame. the motion estimation module 338 and motion compensation module 334 operate on motion vectors 374 , having a precision of one eighth (⅛) of a luma sample, enabling precise modelling of motion between frames in the frame data 310 . the decision on which of the intra-prediction or the inter-prediction method to use is made according to a rate-distortion trade-off between desired bit-rate of the resulting encoded bitstream 312 and the amount of image quality distortion introduced by either the intra-prediction or inter-prediction method. if intra-prediction is used, one intra-prediction mode is selected from the set of possible intra-prediction modes, also according to a rate-distortion trade-off. the multiplexer module 340 selects either the intra-predicted reference samples 378 from the intra-frame prediction module 336 , or the inter-predicted prediction unit (pu) 376 from the motion compensation block 334 , depending on the decision made by a rate distortion algorithm. the summation module 342 produces a sum 370 that is input to a de-blocking filter module 330 . the de-blocking filter module 330 performs filtering along block boundaries, producing de-blocked samples 372 that are written to the frame buffer module 332 configured within the memory 206 . the frame buffer module 332 is a buffer with sufficient capacity to hold data from one or more past frames for future reference as part of a reference picture list. for the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development, the encoded bitstream 312 produced by the entropy encoder 324 is delineated into network abstraction layer (nal) units. generally, each slice of a frame is contained in one nal unit. the entropy encoder 324 encodes the residual array 364 , the intra-prediction mode 380 , the motion vectors and other parameters, collectively referred to as ‘syntax elements’, into the encoded bitstream 312 by performing a context adaptive binary arithmetic coding (cabac) algorithm. syntax elements are grouped together into ‘syntax structures’. the groupings may contain recursion to describe hierarchical structures. in addition to ordinal values, such as an intra-prediction mode or integer values, such as a motion vector, syntax elements also include flags, such as to indicate a quad-tree split. although the video decoder 134 of fig. 4 is described with reference to a high efficiency video coding (hevc) video decoding pipeline, other video codecs may also employ the processing stages of modules 420 - 434 . the encoded video information may also be read from memory 206 , the hard disk drive 210 , a cd-rom, a blu-ray™ disk or other computer readable storage medium. alternatively the encoded video information may be received from an external source, such as a server connected to the communications network 220 or a radio-frequency receiver. as seen in fig. 4 , received video data, such as the encoded bitstream 312 , is input to the video decoder 134 . the encoded bitstream 312 may be read from memory 206 , the hard disk drive 210 , a cd-rom, a blu-ray™ disk or other computer readable storage medium. alternatively the encoded bitstream 312 may be received from an external source such as a server connected to the communications network 220 or a radio-frequency receiver. the encoded bitstream 312 contains encoded syntax elements representing the captured frame data to be decoded. the encoded bitstream 312 is input to an entropy decoder module 420 which extracts the syntax elements from the encoded bitstream 312 and passes the values of the syntax elements to other blocks in the video decoder 134 . the entropy decoder module 420 applies the context adaptive binary arithmetic coding (cabac) algorithm to decode syntax elements from the encoded bitstream 312 . the decoded syntax elements are used to reconstruct parameters within the video decoder 134 . parameters include zero or more residual data array 450 , motion vectors 452 , a prediction mode 454 and split transform flags 468 . the residual data array 450 is passed to an inverse scale module 421 , the motion vectors 452 are passed to a motion compensation module 434 , and the prediction mode 454 is passed to an intra-frame prediction module 426 and to a multiplexer 428 . the inverse scale module 421 performs inverse scaling on the residual data to create reconstructed data 455 in the form of transform coefficients. the inverse scale module 421 outputs the reconstructed data 455 to an inverse transform module 422 . the inverse transform module 422 applies an ‘inverse transform’ to convert (or ‘decode’) the reconstructed data 455 (i.e., the transform coefficients) from a frequency domain representation to a spatial domain representation, outputting a residual sample array 456 via a multiplexer module 423 . the inverse transform module 422 performs the same operation as the inverse transform module 328 . the inverse transform module 422 is configured to perform transforms in accordance with the residual quad-tree specified by the split transform flags 468 . the transforms performed by the inverse transform module 422 are selected from a predetermined set of transform sizes required to decode an encoded bitstream 312 that is compliant with the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development. the motion compensation module 434 uses the motion vectors 452 from the entropy decoder module 420 , combined with reference frame data 460 from a frame buffer block 432 , configured within the memory 206 , to produce an inter-predicted prediction unit (pu) 462 for a prediction unit (pu), being a prediction of output decoded frame data. when the prediction mode 454 indicates that the current prediction unit was coded using intra-prediction, the intra-frame prediction module 426 produces an intra-predicted prediction unit (pu) 464 for the prediction unit (pu) using data samples spatially neighbouring the prediction unit (pu) and a prediction direction also supplied by the prediction mode 454 . the spatially neighbouring data samples are obtained from a sum 458 , output from a summation module 424 . the multiplexer module 428 selects the intra-predicted prediction unit (pu) 464 or the inter-predicted prediction unit (pu) 462 for a prediction unit (pu) 466 , depending on the current prediction mode 454 . the prediction unit (pu) 466 , which is output from the multiplexer module 428 , is added to the residual sample array 456 from the inverse scale and transform module 422 by the summation module 424 to produce sum 458 . the sum 458 is then input to each of a de-blocking filter module 430 and the intra-frame prediction module 426 . the de-blocking filter module 430 performs filtering along data block boundaries, such as transform unit (tu) boundaries, to smooth visible artefacts. the output of the de-blocking filter module 430 is written to the frame buffer module 432 configured within the memory 206 . the frame buffer module 432 provides sufficient storage to hold one or more decoded frames for future reference. decoded frames 412 are also output from the frame buffer module 432 to a display device, such as the display device 136 (e.g., in the form of the display device 214 ). fig. 5a shows a sample grid of a frame portion 500 encoded using a 4:2:0 chroma format. fig. 5b shows a frame portion 510 encoded using a 4:2:2 chroma format. the chroma format is specified as a configuration parameter to the video encoder 114 and the video encoder 114 encodes a ‘chroma_format_idc’ syntax element into the encoded bitstream 312 that specifies the chroma format. the video decoder 134 decodes the ‘chroma_format_idc’ syntax element from the encoded bitstream 312 to determine the chroma format in use. for example, when a 4:2:0 chroma format is in use, the value of chroma_format_idc is one (1), when a 4:2:2 chroma format is in use, the value of chroma_format_idc is two (2) and when a 4:4:4 chroma format is in use, the value of chroma_format_idc is three (3). in figs. 5a and 5b , luma sample locations, such as a luma sample location 501 , are illustrated using ‘x’ symbols, and chroma sample locations, such as a chroma sample location 502 , are illustrated using ‘0’ symbols. by sampling the frame portion 500 at the points indicated, a sample grid is obtained for each colour channel when a 4:2:0 chroma format is applied. at each luma sample location x, the luma channel (‘y’) is sampled, and at each chroma sample location o, both the chroma channels (‘u’ and ‘v’) are sampled. as shown in fig. 5a , for each chroma sample location, a 2×2 arrangement of luma sample locations exists. by sampling the luma samples at the luma sample locations and chroma samples at the chroma sample locations indicated in the frame portion 510 , a sample grid is obtained for each colour channel when a 4:2:2 chroma format is applied. the same allocation of data samples to colour channels is made for the frame portion 510 as for the frame portion 500 . in contrast to the frame portion 500 , twice as many chroma sample locations exist in frame portion 510 . in frame portion 510 the chroma sample locations are collocated with every second luma sample location. accordingly, in fig. 5b , for each chroma sample location, an arrangement of 2×1 luma sample locations exists. various allowable dimensions of transform units were described above in units of luma samples. the region covered by a transform applied for the luma channel will thus have the same dimensions as the transform unit dimensions. as the transform units also encode chroma channels, the applied transform for each chroma channel will have dimensions adapted according to the particular chroma format in use. for example, when a 4:2:0 chroma format is in use, a 16×16 transform unit (tu) will use a 16×16 transform for the luma channel, and an 8×8 transform for each chroma channel. when a 4×4 transform is used for the luma channel there is no corresponding 2×2 transform available (i.e., when the 4:2:0 chroma format is applied) or 4×2 transform available (i.e., when the 4:2:2 chroma format is applied) that could be used for the chroma channels. in such an arrangement, a 4×4 transform for each chroma channel may cover the region occupied by multiple luma transforms. when a 4:4:4 chroma format is in use, described arrangements may use the same transform size for the luma channel and each chroma channel. when a 4:2:2 chroma format is in use, the chroma region of a given transform unit (tu) is rectangular, having the same height as the luma region but half the width, due to the 2×1 sample aspect ratio for each chroma sample. as such, the chroma region always has a 1×2 aspect ratio and possible sizes include 4×8, 8×16 and 16×32, although other sizes are also possible. arrangements that only support square transforms may divide the rectangular chroma region into two equally-sized square regions and may use a square transform each of the resulting regions. the division of a rectangular chroma region, having a 1×2 aspect ratio, into two equally-sized square regions may be referred to as a ‘vertical split’ or an ‘inferred split’. this split may be considered a ‘vertical split’ because the rectangular chroma region is vertically split into two halves, resulting in two square regions. this split may also be considered an ‘inferred split’ because no signalling is required in the encoded bitstream 312 to signal that the split occurs. note that a ‘vertical split’ results in additional horizontal boundaries between the resulting square regions. the particular transform sizes used in the luma channel and in each chroma channel is dependent on the coding unit (cu) size, the residual quad-tree (rqt) and the chroma format in use. although a 4:4:4 chroma format may result in use of a 32×32 transform for each chroma channel, the transform size is not used in the 4:2:2 chroma format or the 4:2:0 chroma format, where the maximum possible transform size is limited to 16×16, due to the overall maximum size limit of 32×32. although the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are described independently of differences between the luma and chroma channels, the differing sample grids resulting from the chroma formats necessitates the need for differences in the video encoder 114 and video decoder 134 . in one arrangement, the video encoder 114 and video decoder 134 may have separate ‘processing paths’ for the luma channel and for the chroma channels. an arrangement where the video encoder 114 and video decoder 134 have separate ‘processing paths’ may thus decouple processing of luma samples and chroma samples. as the encoded bitstream 312 is a single bitstream for both the luma and chroma channels, the entropy encoder 324 and the entropy decoder 420 are not decoupled. additionally, a single frame buffer, such as the frame buffers 332 / 432 hold luma and chroma samples and are thus not decoupled. for arrangements where the video encoder 114 and video decoder 134 have separate ‘processing paths’, the modules 322 - 330 and 334 - 340 and the modules 422 - 430 and 434 may have luma and chroma processing decoupled, resulting in a ‘luma processing path’ and a ‘chroma processing path’. arrangements supporting the 4:4:4 chroma format require 32×32 transform logic in the chroma processing path and such transform logic is not used in either 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 chroma formats. arrangements supporting the 4:2:2 chroma format and the 4:4:4 chroma format therefore have transform logic present in the chroma processing path that was only used for the 4:4:4 chroma format, even though benefit may be achieved by using the transform logic for the 4:2:2 chroma format. the ‘residual quad-tree’ (rqt) defines a hierarchy that begins at a ‘root node’, covering a region containing one or more transform units (tus) at each ‘leaf node’ of the hierarchy. at non-leaf nodes the region is divided into four equally-sized ‘sub-regions’, in a split known as a ‘quad-tree split’. each transform unit (tu) has an associated size (or ‘transform size’), generally described as the dimensions of the region containing the transform unit (tu) on the luma sample grid, although the region may also be described as dimensions on the chroma sample grid. the size is dependent on the coding unit (cu) size and the transform depth. transform units (tus) with a transform depth of zero have a size equal to the size of the corresponding coding unit (cu). each increment of the transform depth results in a halving of the dimensions (i.e the side width and height) of transform units (tus) present in the residual quad-tree at the given transform depth. as the frame includes a luma channel and chroma channels, the coding unit (cu) occupies a region on both the luma sample grid and the chroma sample grid and thus each transform unit (tu) includes information describing both the luma samples on the luma sample grid and the chroma samples on the chroma sample grid. the nature of the information for each transform unit (tu) is dependent on the processing stage of the video encoder 114 or the video decoder 134 . at the input to the transform module 320 and the output of the inverse scale and transform module 422 , the residual sample array 360 and 456 , respectively, contain information for each transform unit (tu) in the spatial domain. the residual sample arrays 360 and 456 may be further divided into a ‘chroma residual sample array’ and a ‘luma residual sample array’, due to differences in processing between the luma channel and the chroma channels. at the output of the scale and quantise module 322 and the input of the inverse scale and transform module 422 , the residual data array 364 and 450 respectively contain information for each transform unit (tu) in the frequency domain. the residual data arrays 364 and 450 may be further divided into a ‘chroma residual data array’ and a ‘luma residual data array’, due to differences in processing between the luma channel and the chroma channels. fig. 6 schematically illustrates a subdivision of a coding tree block (ctb) 602 into multiple coding units (cus), prediction units (pus) and transform units (tus). a quad-tree hierarchy describes the division of a coding tree block (ctb), such as the coding tree block (ctb) 602 , into one or more coding units (cus). the quad-tree hierarchy is defined by one or more ‘split coding unit flags’ (or ‘split_cu_flag’ syntax elements) present in the encoded bitstream 312 . in fig. 6 , the coding tree block (ctb) 602 is divided into four equally-sized square regions, each of which is not further sub-divided. consequently, the coding tree block (ctb) 602 contains four coding units (cus), such as coding unit (cu) 604 . each coding unit (cu) includes one or more prediction units (pus) and one or more transform units (tus). the decomposition of a coding unit (cu) into one or more prediction units (pus) is referred to as a ‘partitioning’ and is generally specified by a ‘partition mode’ (or ‘part_mode’ syntax element) present in the encoded bitstream 312 . the partition mode may specify that a single prediction unit (pu) occupy the entire coding unit (cu), or that multiple non-overlapping prediction units (pus) occupy the entire coding unit (cu). for example, as seen in fig. 6 , the coding unit (cu) 604 includes a partitioning 606 that divides the area of the coding unit (cu) 604 into two rectangular prediction units (pus), such as prediction unit (pu) 608 . each inter-predicted prediction unit (pus) has a motion vector and each intra-predicted prediction unit (pu) has a direction. consequently, visual discontinuities are possible at the boundary between adjacent prediction units (pus) due to different motion vector(s), direction(s) or combination of different motion vector(s) and direction(s). for a given partitioning, one or more resulting prediction units (pus) are either all intra-predicted or all inter-predicted, but not a combination of intra-prediction and inter-prediction. the decomposition of a coding unit (cu) into one or more transform units (tus) is a quad-tree decomposition that is referred to as a ‘residual quad-tree’ (rqt). a residual quad-tree (rqt) is generally specified by one or more ‘split transform flags’ (or ‘split_transform_flag’ syntax elements) present in the encoded bitstream 312 . for example, the coding unit (cu) 604 includes a residual quad-tree (rqt) 610 that divides the area of the coding unit (cu) 604 into four equal-sized regions. each of the four equal-sized regions is not further sub-divided, resulting in four transform units (tus), such as transform unit (tu) 612 . each transform unit (tu) includes transforms for the luma channel and for each chroma channel. when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:0 chroma format, the transform boundary (or ‘edge’) for the luma channel and for each chroma channel are aligned to the transform unit (tu) boundary. in contrast, when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format and square transforms are used for each chroma channel, additional transform boundaries are present for each chroma channel. the additional transform boundaries will be described in more detail below with reference to figs. 8 and 9 . at the boundary of a transform, discontinuities may be visible. the discontinuities reduce the perceived quality of decoded frames 412 compared to the frame data 310 . the quantisation parameter applied by the scale and quantise block 322 and the inverse scale module 421 may vary between transform units (tus). accordingly, spatially neighbouring transforms may have different quantisation parameters applied. generally, larger quantisation parameters and differences in the quantisation parameter applied to adjacent transforms result in poorer visual quality, due to increased transform block edge artefacts. fig. 7a schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for luma samples on a luma sample grid. fig. 7b schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for chroma samples on a chroma sample grid when a 4:2:0 chroma format is in use. fig. 7c schematically illustrates de-blocking boundaries for chroma samples on a chroma sample grid when a 4:2:2 chroma format is in use. fig. 7a shows a luma sample grid portion 700 that contains luma samples, such as luma sample 702 . the luma sample 702 is illustrated with an ‘x’, in accordance with the notation of figs. 5a and 5b . as the smallest transform unit (tu) size is 4×4 and the smallest prediction unit (pu) size is also 4×4, the smallest possible granularity for edge artefacts correspond to the edges on a 4×4 grid on the luma sample grid portion 700 . in practice, the 4×4 block sizes are used in regions of high detail, where edge artefacts are less apparent due to relatively high frequency content contained in the regions of high detail. to reduce complexity, a de-blocking filter is therefore applied on the edges of an 8×8 grid. the 8×8 grid is illustrated in fig. 7a using thick lines. the 8×8 grid includes vertical edges (e.g., 707 ) and horizontal edges (e.g., 708 ). each edge has two sides (i.e., a side to the left and a side to the right for a vertical edge and a side above and a side below for a horizontal edge). an edge may be co-incident with a boundary between transform units (tus) or prediction units (pus), in which case filtering is applied by the de-blocking filter modules 330 and 430 each using the de-blocking filter. the application and/or strength of the filtering applied at each side of an edge may be separately configurable. as the smallest transform unit (tu) and prediction unit (pu) size is 4×4, the filtering strength and applicability is generally determined to a granularity of four edge samples, even though the de-blocking filter is applied at the 8×8 grid. an 8-sample edge between two adjacent 8×8 blocks of luma samples is divided into two four-sample edges for the purpose of determining de-blocking filter strength. for any given edge, the two samples of each side of the edge are used as input to the de-blocking filter. for example, as seen in fig. 7a , samples 704 include each sample located up to two samples above and two samples below a four sample horizontal edge 709 . further, samples 706 include each sample located up to two samples to the left and to the right of a four sample vertical edge 711 . fig. 7b shows a chroma sample grid portion 710 for a chroma channel when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:0 chroma format. the chroma sample grid portion 710 contains chroma samples, such as chroma sample 712 . the chroma sample 712 is illustrated with a ‘o’ in accordance with the notation of fig. 5a . compared to the luma sample grid portion 700 , each chroma sample of the chroma sample grid portion 710 occupies a 2×2 area of luma samples. for chroma sample grid portion 710 , the de-blocking filter may still be applied on an 8×8 sample grid. on the chroma sample grid portion 710 the application of the de-blocking filter results in de-blocking along edges represented by the thick lines (e.g., edges 715 , 716 ) as illustrated in fig. 7b . an 8×8 sample grid on the chroma sample grid portion 710 corresponds to a 16×16 sample grid on the luma sample grid portion 700 . as with the luma sample grid portion 700 , the edge strength and applicability for the chroma sample grid is determined down to a granularity of four edge samples (e.g. due to the smallest transform size of 4×4). fig. 7c illustrates a chroma sample grid portion 720 for a chroma channel when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. the chroma sample grid portion 720 contains chroma samples, such as chroma sample 722 . the chroma sample 722 is illustrated with a ‘o’ in accordance with the notation of fig. 5b . compared to the luma sample grid portion 700 , each chroma sample of the chroma sample grid portion 720 occupies a 2×1 area of luma samples. for chroma sample grid portion 720 , the de-blocking filter may still be applied on an 8×8 sample grid. on the chroma sample grid portion 720 , the application of the de-blocking filter results in de-blocking along edges represented by the thick lines (e.g., edges 725 , 726 ) as illustrated in fig. 7c . an 8×8 sample grid on the chroma sample grid portion 720 corresponds to an 8×16 sample grid on the luma sample grid portion 700 . as with the luma sample grid portion 700 , the edge strength and applicability for the chroma sample grid is determined down to a granularity of four edge samples (e.g. due to the smallest transform size of 4×4). figs. 8a and 8b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree containing a 32×32 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. as seen in fig. 8a , a 32×32 transform unit (tu) results in a 32×32 transform 802 on a luma sample grid 800 . as seen in fig. 8b , the 32×32 transform unit (tu) results in two 16×16 transforms present, such as a 16×16 transform 812 , on a chroma sample grid portion 810 . also shown in figs. 8a and 8b are possible values for the edge flag array for each horizontal edge (e.g. edge flags 805 and 807 ). for clarity, not all edge flag values are shown. in fig. 8a , each 8 sample horizontal edge on the luma sample grid 800 requires one edge flag value to be present in the edge flag array. in fig. 8b , a subset of the edge flags in the edge flag array are accessed, due to the reduced resolution of the chroma sample grid 810 compared to the luma sample grid 800 . in fig. 8a , edges along the 8×8 de-blocking grid, such as edges 804 and 806 , are possible edges on which de-blocking may occur. in fig. 8a , the thick lines (co-incident with the boundary of the 32×32 transform unit (tu) which is also the boundary of the 32×32 transform 802 ) represent edges for which de-blocking does occur and thin lines represent edges for which de-blocking does not occur. for example, as the edge flag 807 has a value of zero the de-blocking filter is not applied at an edge 804 (thin line). however, as the edge flag 805 has a non-zero value (three or ‘3’ in this case), the de-blocking filter is applied at an edge 806 (thick line). in fig. 8b , edges along the 8×8 de-blocking grid, such as edges 814 , 816 and 818 , are possible edges on which de-blocking may occur. in fig. 8b , the edges with thick lines (i.e., co-incident with the boundary of the 32×32 transform unit (tu) as signalled with the edge flag 805 ), such as an edge 816 , represent edges for which de-blocking does occur. the edges with thick lines in fig. 8b are co-incident with the edges with thick lines in fig. 8a . as with fig. 8a , edges with thin lines in fig. 8b , such as the edge 814 are edges for which de-blocking does not occur. edges with thick dotted lines, such as the edge 818 , represent additional transform boundaries present only in each chroma channel and may be referred to as ‘vertical split edges’. the additional transform boundaries result from using two square transforms instead of one rectangular transform for each chroma channel when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. by considering only the transform unit (tu) boundaries in determining which edges require de-blocking for both the luma channel and the chroma channels, such as the edges 806 and 816 , are found. the additional transform boundaries result in edges that require de-blocking only for chroma, such as the edge 818 . the edge flag 805 has a value of three (‘3’) signalling that an additional chroma edge 818 should also be de-blocked. the value of three indicates that the edge 818 is located a distance 813 below the edge 816 . the distance 813 is 16 samples and corresponds to the side dimension of the 16×16 transform 812 . figs. 9a and 9b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree (rqt) containing a 16×16 transform unit (tu) and an 8×8 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. as with figs. 8a and 8b , each transform unit (tu) 901 includes one square transform for the luma channel and two square transforms for each chroma channel. for example, the 16×16 transform unit (tu) results in a 16×16 transform 901 on luma sample grid 900 as seen in fig. 9a . further, as seen in fig. 9b , the 16×16 transform unit (tu) results in two 8×8 transforms 902 and 903 on chroma sample grid 910 . an edge flag 906 having a value of two (‘2’) results in de-blocking the 8 sample horizontal edge above the 8×8 transform 902 on the chroma sample grid 910 and an 8 sample section of the horizontal edge above the 16×16 transform 901 on the luma sample grid 900 . the edge flag 906 having a value of two (‘2’) also results in de-blocking the 8 sample horizontal edge above the 8×8 transform 903 on the chroma sample grid 910 (i.e. an edge 912 ). an edge flag 907 having a value of zero (‘0’) results in not de-blocking the 8 sample horizontal edge lying within the 16×16 transform 901 on the luma sample grid 900 . a distance 913 represents the distance from the upper edge of the transform unit (tu) (i.e. the upper edge of the 16×16 transform 901 ) to the boundary resulting from the vertical split (i.e. the edge 912 ). the distance 913 corresponds to the side dimension size of the 8×8 square transform 902 (i.e. the value eight or ‘8’). also, the 8×8 transform unit (tu) results in an 8×8 transform 904 on the luma sample grid and two 4×4 transforms 905 and 906 on the chroma sample grid. as with figs. 8a and 8b , in the example of figs. 9a and 9b , thin lines represent edges on the 8×8 de-blocking grid for which de-blocking is not applied, thick edges represent edges on the 8×8 de-blocking grid for which de-blocking is applied and thick dotted edges represent edges on the 8×8 de-blocking grid for which de-blocking is applied for chroma only. for example, the edge 912 is required due to the two 8×8 transform used for each chroma channel of the 16×16 transform unit (tu) and is another example of a ‘vertical split edge’. note that for the 8×8 transform unit (tu), the edge between the two 4×4 transforms for each chroma channel does not lie on the 8×8 de-blocking grid and thus is not de-blocked. in arrangements where de-blocking on edges down to a 4×4 granularity is possible, edges may be de-blocked. fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing a method 1000 of de-blocking video data samples in a video frame. the method 1000 may be implemented as part of the video encoder 114 and the video decoder, which could, for example, be implemented as hardware or software. the method 1000 will be described by way of example where the method 1000 is implemented as one or more code modules of the software application 233 resident within the hard disk drive 210 and being controlled in its execution by the processor 205 . the method 1000 may be separately invoked to perform de-blocking along horizontal edges and vertical edges. the method 1000 will be described by way of example where horizontal edges are de-blocked, as horizontal edges are relevant for a square transform implementation of the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. in one arrangement, an entire frame of data samples may be de-blocked at once. in another arrangement, a portion of a frame of data samples may be de-blocked. for example, one coding tree block (ctb) may be de-blocked at a time with no difference to a resulting de-blocked frame of data samples. the method 1000 begins at a receive video data step 1002 , where the processor 205 is used for receiving video data samples of the video frame. the video data may be stored within the memory 206 . the video data is configured for encoding colour channels in a 4:2:2 format where the video data is encoded in a quad-tree. in one arrangement, when the method 1000 is being executed by the video encoder 114 , at the receive video data step 1002 , frame data 310 is generally received from the video source 112 . the video encoder 114 generally decomposes the frame data 310 into coding tree blocks (ctbs) and further decomposes each coding tree block (ctb) into one or more coding units (cus) and residual quad-trees (rqts). when the method 1000 is being executed by the video decoder 134 , at the receive video data step 1002 , the encoded bitstream 312 is generally received from the receiver 132 . the video decoder 134 generally determines (or ‘recovers’ or ‘reconstructs’) the residual quad-tree (rqt) of each coding unit (cu) of each coding tree block (ctb) of each frame. the residual quad-tree (rqt) is determined using the entropy decoder 420 to decode syntax elements from the encoded bitstream 312 . following step 1002 , the method 1000 continues at an initialise edge flags step 1004 , where an array of edge flags (i.e., edge flag array) is initialised under execution of the processor 205 . each of the edge flags in the edge flag array may be used for indicating which edges are to be de-blocked for the luma channel and the chroma channel. the edge flag array is configured to have sufficient capacity to independently signal de-blocking of each edge on the 8×8 de-blocking grid on a luma sample grid (e.g., 800 ). arrangements that de-block the samples within each coding tree block (ctb) separately (e.g. sequentially) only require sufficient capacity within the edge flag array to independently signal de-blocking of each edge on the 8×8 de-blocking grid on a portion of the luma sample grid (e.g. 800 ) corresponding to one coding tree block (ctb). as such, the location of a particular edge flag within the edge flag array determines which edge in the coding tree block (ctb) or video frame is to be de-blocked. a subset of edges on 8×8 deblocking grid on the luma sample grid are co-incident with edges on the 8×8 deblocking grid on the chroma sample grid (e.g., 810 ). a corresponding subset of flags in the edge flag array exists, in which each flag is used for indicating de-blocking for a corresponding chroma edge (in addition to the corresponding luma edge). step 1004 results in all edges being marked as not for de-blocking. following step 1004 , the method 1000 proceeds to a determine transform edge boundaries step 1006 , where the array of edge flags is updated according to the structure of each residual quad-tree (rqt). a method 1100 of determining edge flags, as executed at step 1006 , will be discussed further below with reference to fig. 11 . as described below, transform unit (tu) boundaries are determined in the method 1100 . edges lying on the top boundary and the left boundary of the video frame are not required to be de-blocked. therefore, the top row of coding tree blocks (ctbs) in a video frame will not have the edge flags set for edges along the top of each coding tree block (ctb) in this row of coding tree blocks (ctbs). further, the left column of coding tree blocks (ctbs) in a video frame will not have the edge flags set for edges along the left of each coding tree block (ctb) in this column of coding tree blocks (ctbs). arrangements that perform de-blocking on each coding tree block (ctb) may use flags (such as a ‘filterleftedge’ flag and a ‘filtertopedge’ flag) to determine if a present coding tree block (ctb) belongs to the leftmost column of coding tree blocks (ctbs) or the topmost row of coding tree blocks (ctbs). the method 1000 proceeds from step 1006 to a determine prediction edge boundaries step 1008 , where the array of edge flags is updated, under execution of the processor 205 , according to the partition mode associated with each coding unit (cu). following step 1008 , the method 1000 proceeds to a determine filter boundary strengths step 1010 , where the processor 205 is used to determine the strength of the de-blocking filter to apply at each edge for which de-blocking is going to be applied. a boundary strength array holds boundary strength information for the de-blocking filter down to a granularity of every four samples along the 8×8 de-blocking grid (e.g., the grid 800 ). an enumeration of values for each boundary strength value is as follows: 0: do not de-block this edge. 1: de-block luma and chroma edge because either side includes a transform with at least one non-zero coefficient. 2: de-block luma and chroma edge because either side of the edge belongs to an intra-predicted prediction unit (pu). 3: de-block chroma edge only. at step 1010 each boundary strength value in the boundary strength array is determined using values from the edge flag array and information about the type of block on each side of each edge. arrangements generally iterate over all possible edge flags in the edge flag array and for each edge flag, determine a corresponding boundary strength value, which is stored in the boundary strength array. the method 1000 proceeds from step 1010 to an apply de-blocking filter step 1012 , where the processor 205 is used for applying de-blocking to the transform units of the video data samples of the video frame received at step 1002 . the de-blocking is applied by applying the de-blocking filtering to each edge within the frame or coding tree block (ctb) in accordance with the boundary strength array or determined edge flags of the edge flag array. each edge is filtered according to the determined filter boundary strength, available from the boundary strength array. in some arrangements, the edge flag array information may be included within the boundary strength array, in which case the de-blocker module 330 and 430 only needs to reference the boundary strength array. in arrangements where the edge flag array information is included within the boundary strength array, an enumeration of the boundary strength value such as the enumeration described with reference to the step 1010 of fig. 10 may be used. further, in arrangements where the edge flag array information is included within the boundary strength array, de-blocking is only performed for edges on the luma sample grid when the boundary strength value for an edge is equal to one or two. further, in arrangements where the edge flag array information is included within the boundary strength array, de-blocking is only performed for edges on the chroma sample grid when the boundary strength value for an edge is greater than zero. generally, de-blocking for each chroma channel is only applied when either side of the chroma edge belongs to an intra-predicted prediction unit (pu). both transforms resulting from a vertical split are contained within the same coding unit (cu) and all prediction units (pus) in the partitioning of the coding unit (cu) have the same prediction type. therefore, the additional edge for chroma is generally only de-blocked when intra-prediction is in use (which will be the case on both sides of the chroma edge). in one arrangement, an edge flag value that specifies that the present edge is a vertical split edge may be used, where de-blocking is only applied on the chroma edge. such a vertical split edge is for the chroma channel. in other arrangements, an edge flag value specifying the usual co-incident luma and chroma edge may also specify a vertical split edge, located a specific distance away from a present edge. the specific distance may correspond to the transform size used in the vertical split. as the present edge is generally an edge along the top of a transform unit (tu) within the residual quad-tree (rqt), the ‘distance’ is relative to the location of this edge in the video frame or the coding tree block (ctb). thus, the distance may also be considered as a ‘spatial offset’ or an ‘offset’. as the distance may correspond to the square transform side-dimension size (or ‘transform size), the distance may be represented by values indicative of the transform size (such as a log 2 of the transform size, also known as ‘log 2trafosize’). the method 1100 of determining edge flags, as executed at step 1006 , will now be described with reference to fig. 11 . the method 1100 may be implemented as part of the video encoder 114 and in the video decoder 134 , which could, for example, be implemented as hardware or software. the method 1100 will be described by way of example where the method 1100 is implemented as one or more code modules of the software application 233 resident within the hard disk drive 210 and being controlled in its execution by the processor 205 . the method 1100 determines edge flags resulting from transform unit (tu) boundaries and includes edges resulting from the vertical split. the method 1100 is applied to the residual quad-tree (rqt) of each coding unit (cu) in the video frame received at step 1002 . a ‘transform depth’ variable indicates the hierarchy level within each residual quad-tree (rqt). the transform depth variable is set to zero for the root node of each residual quad-tree (rqt). as several sizes of coding units (cus) may be used, a region corresponding to the root node of each residual quad-tree (rqt) may have several sizes. thus, to determine the size of a given transform unit (tu), the transform depth variable and the size of the region corresponding to the root node of the residual quad-tree (rqt) root node may be considered. the method 1100 may be invoked for determining horizontal edges and for determining vertical edges. the method 1100 recursively traverses the residual quad-tree hierarchy and as such, the method 1100 may be invoked in order to determine the edges of lower nodes within the residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy. the method 1100 will be further described in relation to the traversing of the residual quad-tree and the horizontal edge determination, as the horizontal edge case is affected by the vertical split. the method 1100 begins at a determine split transform flag value step 1102 , where a split transform flag value is determined under execution of the processor 205 . the split transform flag value specifies, for a given node in the residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy, whether further quad-tree split operations are performed. when the method 1100 is executed by the video encoder 114 , the split transform flag value is generally determined using a rate-distortion criterion. the bit-rate cost of coding additional smaller transform units (tus) for the split transform case is compared with the bit-rate cost of coding a single transform unit (tu) at the present node within the residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy. the determined split transform flag value is generally encoded in the encoded bitstream 312 by the entropy encoder 324 . when the method 1100 is executed by the video decoder 134 , the split transform flag value is generally determined by using the entropy decoder 420 to decode one split transform flag syntax element from the encoded bitstream 312 . following step 1102 , the method 1100 proceeds to a test split transform flag value step 1104 . at step 1104 , the determined split transform flag value is tested to determine if the present node within the residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy is further sub-divided into four sub-nodes. if the split transform flag is determined to have a value of one at step 1104 (i.e., true), then the present node is sub-divided and control passes to a recurse quad-tree hierarchy step 1106 . otherwise, the present node is not sub-divided and control passes to a determine transform unit (tu) boundary step 1108 . at the recurse quad-tree hierarchy step 1106 , the processor 205 is used to perform a quad-tree split within the residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy by invoking the method 1100 four times, with the transform depth variable incremented by one. the steps 1102 to 1106 thus result in a traversal of a residual quad-tree (rqt) hierarchy for generating a plurality of transform units (tus) for one of the luma or chroma colour channels based on the traversed quad-tree. as described above, each transform unit determined in step 1106 including at least one transform. once the step 1106 completes, the method 1100 terminates. at the determine transform unit (tu) boundary step 1108 , the edges to be de-blocked are determined by iterating over the edges of the present transform unit (tu) boundary. for the horizontal edge case, the upper edge of the transform unit (tu) is determined. the upper edge requires de-blocking to be applied in both luma and chroma cases. when the transform unit (tu) size is 4×4, the upper edge may not be de-blocked as the edge may not lie on the 8×8 de-blocking grid. following step 1108 , the method 1100 proceeds to a determine chroma boundary distance step 1110 , where the distance to the chroma edge resulting from the vertical split is determined under execution of the processor 205 . the determined distance is referred to as the chroma boundary distance. the chroma boundary distance corresponds to the size of the square transforms used for each chroma channel for the transform unit (tu). the chroma boundary distance represents a distance from an edge of the transform unit (tu) to a boundary of one of the square transforms of the transform unit (tu). the chroma boundary distance is generally determined based on a ‘transform size’ variable, which is dependent on the size of the region corresponding to the root node of the residual quad-tree (rqt) (i.e. the size of the coding unit (cu) containing the residual quad-tree (rqt)) and the transform depth. the chroma boundary distance is generally relative to the upper edge of the transform unit (tu). as such, the chroma boundary distance is relative to a level in a hierarchy of the transform unit (tu). as chroma de-blocking is generally only applicable when the collocated prediction unit (pu) uses intra-prediction, step 1110 is generally only applicable in this case. one possible ‘transform size’ variable is named ‘log 2trafosize’. the log 2trafosize variable is enumerated as follows: 32×32 transform: log 2trafosize=5 16×16 transform: log 2trafosize=4 8×8 transform: log 2trafosize=3 4×4 transform: log 2trafosize=2 the log 2trafosize variable generally describes the size of the transform for the luma channel. arrangements using a vertical split will generally have a chroma transform having half the width and height of the luma transform size. arrangements using a vertical split will thus have an effective ‘log 2trafosize’ variable value for chroma equal to the log 2trafosize value decremented by one. the method 1100 proceeds from step 1110 to a determine edge flag value step 1112 , where the processor 205 is used for determining edge flag values for the transform unit (tu) (i.e., one of the transform units (tus) generated at step 1106 ). the edge flag values are used to hold the determined boundary information in the edge flag array for the transform unit (tu). each edge flag value of an edge flag may be used for indicating the chroma boundary distance determined in step 1110 for the transform unit (tu). in one arrangement, the transform unit (tu) boundary and the distance to the chroma boundary for the vertical split may be encoded into a single edge flag value. one enumeration for the edge flag value is as follows: 0: do not de-block 1: de-block luma and chroma edge 2: de-block luma and chroma edge, also de-block chroma edge 8 samples away 3: de-block luma and chroma edge, also de-block chroma edge 16 samples away 4: de-block luma and chroma edge, also de-block chroma edge 32 samples away in arrangements where the transform unit (tu) boundary and the distance to the chroma boundary for the vertical split is encoded into a single edge flag value, the edge flag values greater than one (‘1’) are only used when the video encoder 114 or the video decoder 134 is configured to use the 4:2:2 chroma format and generally when the collocated prediction unit (pu) uses intra-prediction. the edge flag value of four (‘4’) is only possible when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 support use of a 32×32 transform in each chroma channel. further, the additional chroma edge resulting from the vertical split will be 32 chroma samples away from the top transform unit (tu) boundary. therefore, an edge flag value of four (‘4’) is required for arrangements where the transform unit (tu) boundary and the distance to the chroma boundary for the vertical split is encoded into a single edge flag value. not all arrangements support a 32×32 transform for each chroma channel. arrangements not supporting a 32×32 transform for each chroma channel do not require support for an edge flag value for four (‘4’). arrangements not supporting a 32×32 transform for each chroma channel only have four possible values for the edge flag value, and therefore only require two bits of storage for each edge flag value. other enumerations for the edge flag value are also possible. appendix a shows possible ‘working draft’ text describing the operation for one arrangement, generally applicable to draft text for the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development, such as the draft text in the contribution ‘jctvc-k1003_v13’. as transform sizes increase in powers of two, the chroma boundary ‘distance’ may be expressed as powers of two. furthermore, the direction of the additional chroma edge is generally below the luma and chroma edge for horizontal de-blocking. each edge flag may be used to control the performing of de-blocking on a chroma edge, located separately to the location implied by the position of the edge flag within the edge flag array. for transform units (tus) that lie along the top edge of the video frame and for each chroma channel, the transform boundary due to the vertical split should be de-blocked, whereas the top boundary of the transform unit (tu) should not be de-blocked arrangements may perform an additional masking aspect in the apply de-blocking filter step 1012 for edges along the top of each coding tree block (ctb) or frame, such that the edge flag value is masked with the ‘filteredgeflag’ to prevent de-blocking along the top ledge of the frame, where de-blocking may be undesired, whilst retaining de-blocking of the chroma edge at the vertical split boundary. alternatively, arrangements may not perform de-blocking of the vertical split boundary for transform units (tus) having a top edge along the top edge of the video frame. in an alternative arrangement, the method 1100 may determine an edge flag value specifying the chroma boundary for the vertical split, to be stored at location(s) in the edge flag array corresponding to the chroma edge flag array. in such an alternative arrangement, a possible enumeration for the edge flag value is as follows: 0: do not de-block 1: de-block luma and chroma edge 2: de-block chroma edge in an arrangement where the method 1100 determines an edge flag value specifying the chroma boundary for the vertical split, edge flags assigned with the ‘de-block chroma edge’ flag are stored at locations relative to the location corresponding to the upper boundary of the transform unit (tu) and offset by the determined distance (or spatial offset). as the ‘de-block chroma edge’ flags are located below the upper boundary of the transform unit (tu), the location of the ‘de-block chroma edge’ flags are determined as being below (i.e. in a downward direction from) the locations of the corresponding flags for the upper boundary of the transform unit (tu) and the transform size for the chroma channel. the location of the ‘de-block chroma edge’ is based on the determined size of the transform in the chroma colour channel. for example, if the transform unit (tu) size is 16×16, each chroma channel will have two 8×8 chroma transforms, where one chroma edge exists along the boundary of the two 8×8 chroma transforms. the chroma edge existing along the boundary of the two 8×8 chroma transforms is de-blocked in the chroma channel only, as the luma transform does not have a boundary along the chroma edge. the chroma edge is spaced eight (8) chroma samples from the top of the transform unit (tu) boundary (i.e. the upper boundary of the upper or first chroma transform). the edge flag value of two (‘2’) is only used when the video encoder 114 or the video decoder 134 is configured to use the 4:2:2 chroma format. appendix b shows possible ‘working draft’ text describing the operation for one arrangement, generally applicable to draft text for the high efficiency video coding (hevc) standard under development, such as the draft text in the contribution ‘jctvc-k1003_v13’. following step 1112 , the method 1100 proceeds to an assign edge flags step 1114 , where the determined edge flag value is assigned to the edge flag array. the method 1100 then terminates following step 1114 . figs. 12a and 12b schematically illustrate de-blocking boundaries present for a 32×32 residual quad-tree containing a 32×32 transform unit (tu) for the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. as seen in fig. 12a , a 32×32 transform unit (tu) results in a 32×32 transform 1202 on a luma sample grid 1200 . as seen in fig. 12b , the 32×32 transform unit (tu) results in two 16×16 transforms present, such as a 16×16 transform 1212 , on a chroma sample grid portion 1210 . also shown in figs. 12a and 12b are possible values for the edge flag array for each horizontal edge (e.g. edge flags 1205 and 1207 ). for clarity, not all edge flag values are shown. in fig. 12a , each 8 sample horizontal edge on the luma sample grid 1200 requires one edge flag value to be present in the edge flag array. in fig. 12b , a subset of the edge flags in the edge flag array are accessed, due to the reduced resolution of the chroma sample grid 1210 compared to the luma sample grid 1200 . in fig. 12a , edges along the 8×8 de-blocking grid, such as edges 1204 and 1206 , are possible edges on which de-blocking may occur. in fig. 12a , the thick lines (co-incident with the boundary of the 32×32 transform unit (tu) which is also the boundary of the 32×32 transform 1202 ) represent edges for which de-blocking does occur and thin lines represent edges for which de-blocking does not occur. for example, as the edge flag 1209 has a value of zero the de-blocking filter is not applied at an edge located within the 32×32 transform 1202 (shown using a thin line). however, as the edge flag 1205 has a non-zero value (one or ‘1’ in this case), the de-blocking filter is applied at an edge 1206 (thick line) located on the luma sample grid 1200 . in fig. 12b , edges along the 8×8 de-blocking grid, such as edges 1214 , 1216 and 1218 , are examples of possible edges on which de-blocking may occur. an edge flag 1207 has a value of two (‘2’) indicating that de-blocking does not occur for the corresponding edge 1204 on the luma sample grid 1200 . in fig. 12b , the edges with thick lines (i.e., co-incident with the boundary of the 32×32 transform unit (tu) as signalled with the edge flag 1205 ), such as an edge 1216 , represent edges for which de-blocking does occur. the edges with thick lines in fig. 12b are co-incident with the edges with thick lines in fig. 12a . as with fig. 12a , edges with thin lines in fig. 12b , such as the edge 1214 are edges for which de-blocking does not occur. edges with thick dotted lines, such as the edge 1218 , represent additional transform boundaries present only in each chroma channel and may be referred to as ‘vertical split edges’. the additional transform boundaries result from using two square transforms instead of one rectangular transform for each chroma channel when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured for the 4:2:2 chroma format. by considering only the transform unit (tu) boundaries in determining which edges require de-blocking for both the luma channel and the chroma channels, such as the edges 1206 and 1216 , are found. the additional transform boundaries result in edges that require de-blocking only for chroma, such as the edge 1218 . the edge flag 1205 has a value of one (‘1’) signalling that the chroma edge 1216 on the chroma sample grid 1210 should be de-blocked. the edge flag 1207 has a value of one (‘1’) signalling that the chroma edge 1218 on the chroma sample grid 1210 should be de-blocked. the chroma edge 1218 is due to the boundary between the two 16×16 transforms (e.g. 1212 ) resulting from the vertical split. the relative location of the edge flag 1207 relative to the edge flag 1205 in the edge flag array is due to the side dimension size of the 16×16 transform 1212 . in some arrangements, a square transform (e.g. a 32×32 transform) may be split into multiple smaller square transforms. for example, when the video encoder 114 and the video decoder 134 are configured to use the 4:4:4 chroma format, chroma regions for each transform unit of the size 32×32 are possible. in some arrangements, the 32×32 chroma region may be split into four 16×16 chroma regions (arranged ‘2×2’ spatially) and may apply a 16×16 transform for each of the four 16×16 chroma regions. such arrangements will introduce a ‘vertical split’ boundary, corresponding to the vertical split in the square transform implementation for the 4:2:2 chroma format. further, a ‘horizontal split’ boundary will also be introduced. the horizontal split boundary results from boundaries introduced between the two columns of 16×16 transforms resulting from the split. both the horizontal split and the vertical split are considered as ‘inferred splits’, as the horizontal split and the vertical split are not signalled in the encoded bitstream 312 . this is in contrast to the quad-tree splits in the residual quad-tree (rqt), each of which is signalled using a ‘transform_split_flag’ encoded in the encoded bitstream 312 . the methods 1000 and 1100 , although described with reference to horizontal de-blocking, may also be applied to vertical deblocking. arrangements that apply the methods 1000 and 1100 to vertical deblocking thus result in de-blocking the horizontal split boundary. the arrangements described thus enable the de-blocking module 330 and 430 to perform de-blocking filtering of edges located along the boundary between square transforms resulting from a vertical split of a rectangular chroma region into two square chroma regions. the described arrangements may provide improved visual quality, due to the suppression of transform boundary artefacts in the decoded video frames 412 . the described arrangements result in the application of the de-blocking filter to additional edges and thus an increase is complexity may occur. however, in a case where a frame is decomposed into many small transform units (tus) resulting in application of the de-blocking filter along all edges on the 8×8 de-blocking grid (for luma and chroma), no additional edges are required to be de-blocked. no additional edges are required to be de-blocked, since the additional edges resulting from the vertical split do not lie on the 8×8 de-blocking grid. as complexity of the deblocking filter in such a case is not affected, hardware implementations are not required to introduce additional circuitry to support de-blocking along the additional transform boundaries resulting from the vertical split. industrial applicability the arrangements described are applicable to the computer and data processing industries and particularly for the digital signal processing for the encoding a decoding of signals such as video signals. the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive. in the context of this specification, the word “comprising” means “including principally but not necessarily solely” or “having” or “including”, and not “consisting only of”. variations of the word “comprising”, such as “comprise” and “comprises” have correspondingly varied meanings. appendix a implementation of the deblocking filter 8.7.2.1 derivation process of transform block boundary inputs of this process are: a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a luma location (xb0, yb0) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma block relative to the top-left sample of the current luma coding block,a variable log 2trafosize specifying the size of the current block,a variable trafodepth,a variable filteredgeflag,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered. output of this process is:a two-dimensional (ns)×(ns) array edgeflags. depending on split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth], the following applies:if split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 1, the following ordered steps apply:1. the variables xb1 and yb1 are derived as follows. the variable xb1 is set equal to xb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1).the variable yb1 is set equal to yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1).2. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb0, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.3. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb1, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.4. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb0, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.5. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb1, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.otherwise (split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 0), the following applies: if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, the value of edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 is derived as follows. if xb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to 1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), the value of edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 is derived as follows. if yb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise, when chromaarraytype is equal to 2, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to log 2trafosize−2 and when chromaarraytype is not equal to 2, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to 1. 8.7.2.3 derivation process of boundary filtering strength inputs of this process are: a luma picture sample array recpicture l ,a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered,a two-dimensional array of size (ns)×(ns), edgeflags. output of this process is:a two-dimensional array of size (ns)×(ns), bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. the boundary filtering strength array bs for the current coding unit is derived as follows. the variables xd i , yd j , xn and yn are derived as follows.if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, xd i is set equal to (i<<3), yd j is set equal to (j<<2), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1 and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), xd i is set equal to (i<<2), yd j is set equal to (j<<3), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1 and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1. for xd i with i=0 . . . xn, the following applies. for yd j with j=0 . . . yn, the following applies. if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is greater than 0, the sample values are derived as follows. if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, sample p 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i −1][yc+yd j ] and q 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc+yd j ].otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), sample p 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc yd j −1] and q 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc+yd j ].depending on p 0 and q 0 , the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is derived as follows. if the sample p 0 or q 0 is in the luma coding block of a coding unit coded with intra prediction mode, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 2.if the sample p 0 or q 0 is in the luma coding block of a coding unit coded with intra prediction mode and edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is greater than 1, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j +(1<<(edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ]+1))] is set equal to 3.otherwise, if the block edge is also a transform block edge and the sample p 0 or q 0 is in a luma transform block which contains one or more non-zero transform coefficient levels, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 1.otherwise, the following applies. if one or more of the following conditions are true, the variable bs[ xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 1. for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 different reference pictures or a different number of motion vectors are used than for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 .note 1—the determination of whether the reference pictures used for the two luma prediction blocks are the same or different is based only on which pictures are referenced, without regard to whether a prediction is formed using an index into reference picture list 0 or an index into reference picture list 1, and also without regard to whether the index position within a reference picture list is different.note 2—the number of motion vectors that are used for the prediction of a luma prediction block with lop left luma sample covering (xb, yb), is equal to predflagl0[xb, yb]+predflagl1[xb, yb].one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the motion vectors used is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.two motion vectors and two different reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and two motion vectors for the same two reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the two motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks for the same reference picture is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples,two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and all of the following conditions are true:the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction bocks is greater than or equal to 4 in quarter luma samples or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples,the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.otherwise (none of the conditions above is true), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0.otherwise (edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 0), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0. 8.7.2.4.2 horizontal edge filtering process inputs of this process are: picture sample arrays recpicture l , recpicture cb and recpicture cr .a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,an array bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. outputs of this process are:the modified picture sample arrays recpicture l , recpicture cb and recpicture cr . the filtering process for edges in the luma coding block of the current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps: 1. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3). 2. for yd m set equal to m<<3, m=0 . . . nd−1, the following applies. for xd k set equal to k<<2, k=0 . . . nd2−1, the following applies. when bs[xd k ][yd m ] is greater than 0 and less than 3, the following ordered steps apply. a. the decision process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.3 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xc, yc), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, and the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k ][yd m ] as inputs, the decisions de, dep, deq, and the variables β, t c as outputs.b. the filtering process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.4 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xc, yc), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the decisions dep, dep, deq, and the variables β, t c as inputs and the modified luma picture sample array recpicture l as output. the filtering process for edges in the chroma coding blocks of current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps: 1. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3). 2. for yd m set equal to m<<2, m=0 . . . nd−1, the following applies. for xd k set equal to k<<2, k=0 . . . nd2−1, the following applies. when bs[xd k 2][yd m 2] is greater than 1 and ((yd m >>3)<<3) is equal to yd m , the following ordered steps apply. a. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cb , the location of the chroma coding block (xc/2, yc/2), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k 2][yd m 2], and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cb_qp_offset as inputs and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cb as output.b. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cr , the location of the chroma coding block (xc/2, yc/2), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k 2][yd m 2], and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cr_qp_offset as inputs and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cr as output. end appendix a appendix b alternative implementation of the deblocking filter 8.7.2.1 derivation process of transform block boundary inputs of this process are: a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a luma location (xb0, yb0) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma block relative to the top-left sample of the current luma coding block,a variable log 2trafosize specifying the size of the current block,a variable trafodepth,a variable filteredgeflag,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered. output of this process is:a two-dimensional (ns)×(ns) array edgeflags. depending on split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth], the following applies:if split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 1, the following ordered steps apply:6. the variables xb1 and yb1 are derived as follows. the variable xb1 is set equal to xb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1).the variable yb1 is set equal to yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1).7. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb0, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.8. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb1, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.9. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb0, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.10. the deriviation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xc, yc), the luma location (xb1, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth1 set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag and the variable edgetype as inputs and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.otherwise (split_transform_flag[xc+xb0][yc+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 0), the following applies: if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, the value of edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 is derived as follows. if xb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to 1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), the value of edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] and edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1)] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 are derived as follows. if yb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to 1. if chromaarraytype is equal to 2, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1)] is set equal to 2. 8.7.2.3 derivation process of boundary filtering strength inputs of this process are: a luma picture sample array recpicture l ,a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered,a two-dimensional array of size (ns)×(ns), edgeflags. output of this process is:a two-dimensional array of size (ns)×(ns), bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. the boundary filtering strength array bs for the current coding unit is derived as follows. the variables xd i , yd j , xn and yn are derived as follows.if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, xd i is set equal to (i<<3), yd j is set equal to (j<<2), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1 and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), xd i is set equal to (i<<2), yd j is set equal to (j<<3), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1 and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1. for xd i with i=0 . . . xn, the following applies. for yd j with j=0 . . . yn, the following applies. if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is greater than 0, the sample values are derived as follows. if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, sample p 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i −1][yc+yd j ] and q 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc+yd j ].otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), sample p 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc+yd j −1] and q 0 =recpicture l [xc+xd i ][yc+yd j ].depending on p 0 and q 0 , the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is derived as follows. if the sample p 0 or q 0 is in the luma coding block of a coding unit coded with intra prediction mode, the following applies. if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 1, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 2.otherwise (edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 2), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 3.otherwise, if the block edge is also a transform block edge and the sample p 0 or q 0 is in a luma transform block which contains one or more non-zero transform coefficient levels, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 1.otherwise, the following applies. if one or more of the following conditions are true, the variable bs[ xd i ][ yd j ] is set equal to 1. for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 different reference pictures or a different number of motion vectors are used than for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 .note 1—the determination of whether the reference pictures used for the two luma prediction blocks are the same or different is based only on which pictures are referenced, without regard to whether a prediction is formed using an index into reference picture list 0 or an index into reference picture list 1, and also without regard to whether the index position within a reference picture list is different.note 2—the number of motion vectors that are used for the prediction of a luma prediction block with lop left luma sample covering (xb, yb), is equal to predflagl0[xb, yb]+predflagl1[xb, yb].one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the motion vectors used is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.two motion vectors and two different reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and two motion vectors for the same two reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the two motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks for the same reference picture is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples,two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 and all of the following conditions are true:the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction bocks is greater than or equal to 4 in quarter luma samples or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples,the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.otherwise (none of the conditions above is true), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0.otherwise (edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 0), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0. 8.7.2.4.2 horizontal edge filtering process inputs of this process are: picture sample arrays recpicture l , recpicture cb and recpicture cr .a luma location (xc, yc) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,an array bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. outputs of this process are:the modified picture sample arrays recpicture l , recpicture cb and recpicture cr . the filtering process for edges in the luma coding block of the current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps:3. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3).4. for yd m set equal to m<<3, m=0 . . . nd−1, the following applies. for xd k set equal to k<<2, k=0 . . . nd2−1, the following applies. when bs[xd k ][yd m ] is greater than 0 and less than 3, the following ordered steps apply. c. the decision process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.3 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xc, yc), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, and the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k ][yd m ] as inputs, the decisions de, dep, deq, and the variables β, t c as outputs.d. the filtering process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.4 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xc, yc), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the decisions dep, dep, deq, and the variables β, t c as inputs and the modified luma picture sample array recpicture l as output. the filtering process for edges in the chroma coding blocks of current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps:3. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3).4. for yd m set equal to m<<2, m=0 . . . nd−1, the following applies. for xd k set equal to k<<2, k=0 . . . nd2−1, the following applies. when bs[xd k 2][yd m 2] is greater than 1 and ((yd m >>3)<<3) is equal to yd m , the following ordered steps apply.c. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cb , the location of the chroma coding block (xc/2, yc/2), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k 2][yd m 2], and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cb_qp_offset as inputs and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cb as output.d. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.4.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cr , the location of the chroma coding block (xc/2, yc/2), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k 2 yd m 2], and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cr_qp_offset as inputs and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cr as output. end appendix b appendix c alternative implementation of the deblocking filter 8.7.2.2 derivation process of transform block boundary inputs to this process are: a luma location (xcb, ycb) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a luma location (xb0, yb0) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma block relative to the top-left sample of the current luma coding block,a variable log 2trafosize specifying the size of the current block,a variable trafodepth,a variable filteredgeflag,a two-dimensional (ncbs)×(ncbs) array edgeflags,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered.output of this process is the modified two-dimensional (ncbs)×(ncbs) array edgeflags. depending on the value of split_transform_flag[xcb+xb0][ycb+yb0][trafodepth], the following applies: if split_transform_flag[xcb+xb0][ycb+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 1, the following ordered steps apply:11. the variables xb1 and yb1 are derived as follows: the variable xb1 is set equal to xb0+(1<<(log 2trafosize−1)).the variable yb1 is set equal to yb0+(1<<(log 2trafosize−1)).12. the derivation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xcb, ycb), the luma location (xb0, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag, the array edgeflags, and the variable edgetype as inputs, and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.13. the derivation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xcb, ycb), the luma location (xb1, yb0), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag, the array edgeflags, and the variable edgetype as inputs, and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.14. the derivation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xcb, ycb), the luma location (xb0, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag, the array edgeflags, and the variable edgetype as inputs, and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.15. the derivation process of transform block boundary as specified in this subclause is invoked with the luma location (xcb, ycb), the luma location (xb1, yb1), the variable log 2trafosize set equal to log 2trafosize−1, the variable trafodepth set equal to trafodepth+1, the variable filteredgeflag, the array edgeflags, and the variable edgetype as inputs, and the output is the modified version of array edgeflags.otherwise (split_transform_flag[xcb+xb0][ycb+yb0][trafodepth] is equal to 0), the following applies: if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, the value of edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 is derived as follows: if xb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise, edgeflags[xb0][yb0+k] is set equal to 1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), the value of edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] and edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1)] for k=0 . . . (1<<log 2trafosize)−1 are derived as follows: if yb0 is equal to 0, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to filteredgeflag.otherwise, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0] is set equal to 1.if chromaarraytype is equal to 2, edgeflags[xb0+k][yb0+((1<<log 2trafosize)>>1)] is set equal to 2. 8.7.2.4 derivation process of boundary filtering strength inputs to this process are: a luma picture sample array recpicture l ,a luma location (xcb, ycb) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,a variable edgetype specifying whether a vertical (edge_ver) or a horizontal (edge_hor) edge is filtered,a two-dimensional (ncbs)×(ncbs) array edgeflags.output of this process is a two-dimensional (ncbs)×(ncbs) array bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. the variables xd i , yd j , xn, and yn are derived as follows: if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, xd i is set equal to (i<<3), yd j is set equal to (j<<2), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1, and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1.otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), xd i is set equal to (i<<2), yd j is set equal to (j<<3), xn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−2))−1, and yn is set equal to (1<<(log 2cbsize−3))−1. for xd i with i=0 . . . xn and yd j with j=0 . . . yn, the following applies:if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 0, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0.otherwise (edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is greater than 0), the following applies: the sample values p 0 and q 0 are derived as follows: if edgetype is equal to edge_ver, p 0 is set equal to recpicture l [xcb+xd i −1][ycb+yd j ] and q 0 is set equal to recpicture l [xcb+xd i ][ycb+yd j ].otherwise (edgetype is equal to edge_hor), p 0 is set equal to recpicture l [xcb+xd i ][ycb+yd j −1] and q 0 is set equal to recpicture l [xcb+xd i ][ycb+yd j ].the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is derived as follows:if the sample p 0 or q 0 is in the luma coding block of a coding unit coded with intra prediction mode, the following applies. if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 1, bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 2.otherwise (edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 2), the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 3.otherwise, if the block edge is also a transform block edge and the sample p 0 or q 0 is in a luma transform block which contains one or more non-zero transform coefficient levels, bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 1.otherwise, if edgeflags[xd i ][yd j ] is equal to 1 and one or more of the following conditions are true, bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 1: for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 different reference pictures or a different number of motion vectors are used than for the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 .note 1—the determination of whether the reference pictures used for the two luma prediction blocks are the same or different is based only on which pictures are referenced, without regard to whether a prediction is formed using an index into reference picture list 0 or an index into reference picture list 1, and also without regard to whether the index position within a reference picture list is different.note 2—the number of motion vectors that are used for the prediction of a luma prediction block with top-left luma sample covering (xpb, ypb), is equal to predflagl0[xpb][ypb]+predflagl1[xpb][ypb].one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and one motion vector is used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 , and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the motion vectors used is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.two motion vectors and two different reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 , two motion vectors for the same two reference pictures are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 , and the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the two motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks for the same reference picture is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 , two motion vectors for the same reference picture are used to predict the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 , and both of the following conditions are true:the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks is greater than or equal to 4 in quarter luma samples, or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vectors used in the prediction of the two luma prediction blocks is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples, or the absolute difference between the horizontal or vertical component of the list 1 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample p 0 and list 0 motion vector used in the prediction of the luma prediction block containing the sample q 0 is greater than or equal to 4 in units of quarter luma samples.otherwise, the variable bs[xd i ][yd j ] is set equal to 0. 8.7.2.5.2 horizontal edge filtering process inputs to this process are: the picture sample array recpicture l , and when chromaarraytype is not equal to 0, the arrays recpicture cb , and recpicture cr ,a luma location (xcb, ycb) specifying the top-left sample of the current luma coding block relative to the top-left luma sample of the current picture,a variable log 2cbsize specifying the size of the current luma coding block,an array bs specifying the boundary filtering strength. outputs of this process are the modified picture sample array recpicture l , and when chromaarraytype is not equal to 0, the arrays recpicture cb , and recpicture cr . the filtering process for edges in the luma coding block of the current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps: 5. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3).6. for yd m equal to m<<3 with m=0 . . . nd−1, and xd k equal to k<<2 with k=0 . . . nd2−1, the following applies: when bs[xd k ][yd m ] is greater than 0 and less than 3, the following ordered steps apply: e. the decision process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.5.3 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xcb, ycb), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, and the boundary filtering strength bs[xd k ][yd m ] as inputs, and the decisions de, dep, and deq, and the variables β and t c as outputs.f. the filtering process for luma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.5.4 is invoked with the luma picture sample array recpicture l , the location of the luma coding block (xcb, ycb), the luma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, the decisions dep, dep, and deq, and the variables β and t c as inputs, and the modified luma picture sample array recpicture l as output. when chromaarraytype is not equal to 0, the following applies. the filtering process for edges in the chroma coding blocks of current coding unit consists of the following ordered steps:5. the variable nd is set equal to 1<<(log 2cbsize−3).7. the variable edgespacing is set equal to 8/subheightc.6. the variable edgesections is set equal to nd(2/subwidthc).7. for yd m equal to medgespacing with m=0 . . . nd−1 and xd k equal to k<<2 with k=0 . . . edgesections−1, the following applies: when bs[xd k subwidthc yd m *subheightc] is equal to 2 and (((ycb/subheightc+yd m )>>3)<<3) is equal to ycb/subheightc+yd m , the following ordered steps apply:a. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.5.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cb , the location of the chroma coding block (xcb/subwidthc, ycb/subheightc), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cb_qp_offset as inputs, and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cb , as output. the filtering process for chroma block edges as specified in subclause 8.7.2.5.5 is invoked with the chroma picture sample array recpicture cr , the location of the chroma coding block (xcb/subwidthc, ycb/subheightc), the chroma location of the block (xd k , yd m ), a variable edgetype set equal to edge_hor, and a variable cqppicoffset set equal to pps_cr_qp_offset as inputs, and the modified chroma picture sample array recpicture cr as output.
117-334-552-149-237	DE	[ "EP", "US", "ES", "DE" ]	F25D23/12,F25D3/00,F25D23/02,F25C5/00,F25D23/00,F25D23/06	2007-07-26T00:00:00	2007	[ "F25" ]	refrigeration and/or freezer device	the present invention relates to a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit having at least one door as well as having at least one output unit which is arranged in the door and by means of which goods, in particular ice and/or water can be output, with the output unit or a component for the reception of the output unit having a first section which is connectable to or in communication with a first design of a door and having a second section which is connectable to or in communication with a second design of a door.	a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit having a door (30, 32) as well as having an output unit which is arranged in the door (30, 32) and by means of which goods, in particular ice and/or water, can be output, wherein the output unit or a component (10) for the reception of the output unit has a first section (14) which is connectable to or in communication with a first design of a door (32) and has a second section (16) which is connectable to or in communication with a second design of a door (30), the first section (14) and the second section (16) are formed by contact regions in the form of surfaces, which extend parallel or substantially parallel to the door (30, 32), and the first section (14) and the second section (16) are arranged offset with respect to one another in the depth direction of the door (30, 32), characterized in that one of the contact regions is planar and one of the contact regions is curved, and the output unit or the component (10) has a step (72) in its periphery by means of which the different contact regions are formed. a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the output unit or the component (10) has more than two sections (14, 16) which are each connectable to or in communication with more than two designs of a door (30, 32). a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with either of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the output unit or the component (10) has a housing or a frame (70); and in that the first section and the second section are arranged at the housing or at the frame (70). a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the output unit or the component (10) is foamed into the door (30, 32). a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that securing means (40, 50) are provided by means of which the output unit or the component (10) can be fixed to the door (30, 32). a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a balancing part is provided by means of which different door thicknesses can be balanced. a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the output unit or the component (10) has a reception space into which the goods are output. a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with claim 7, characterized in that the output unit has a frame (70) enclosing the output space and forming the front side of the output unit. a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the output unit has an asymmetrical structure.	background of the invention the invention relates to a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit having at least one door as well as having at least one output unit which is arranged in the door and by means of which goods, in particular ice and/or water can be output. such output units serve to provide the user of the unit with, for example, ice cubes, crushed ice cubes, water, etc., without said user having to open the door of the unit for this purpose. the output unit must be made such that it is matched to the door design such as e.g. to the door thickness, the door shape, etc., which has the result that different door designs require the use of correspondingly differently made output units. summary of the invention it is therefore the underlying object of the present invention to further develop a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit of the initially named kind such that different door designs can be used with a small effort. this object is solved by a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit having the features herein. provision is accordingly made for the output unit or a component for the reception of an output unit to have a first section which is connectable to or in communication with a first design of a door and to have a second section which is connectable to or in communication with a second design of a door. such an embodiment of a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit makes it possible for only one design of the output unit or of the component for the reception of the output unit to have to be manufactured and used for different designs of the door. it is, for example, conceivable to design the output unit or the component such that a planar door (hard-line door) and also a curved door (swing-design door) can be installed. the named component can, for example, be a part which is foamed in the door and into which the output unit is inserted. provision can furthermore be made for the output unit or the component to have two or more than two sections which are each connectable to or in communication with two or more than two designs of a door. in this case, the output unit is not only usable for two different designs of the door, but optionally also for more than two different designs of the door. the output unit or the component can have a housing or a frame, with the first section and the second section being arranged at the housing or at the frame. it is, for example, conceivable for the named component to be formed by such a housing or by such a frame and for the first section and the second section and, optionally, further sections for the fastening of different designs of doors to be arranged at the component. provision is preferably made for the output unit or the component to be foamed into the door. it is thus conceivable, for example, for a foamed-in part to be provided which forms the receiver for the output unit. the named sections which, in the inserted state of the foamed-in part or of the output unit, are in communication with the sections of the door which surround the cut-out in which the foamed-in part is arranged can be provided at this foamed-in part. provision is made in a further embodiment of the door for the first section and the second section in particular to be formed by areas which extend parallel or essentially parallel to the plane formed by the door. the case is equally covered by the invention that at least one of the contact regions is made planar and at least one of the contact regions is made curved. in this way, the output unit or the component, which can as stated be made as a foamed-in part for example, can be made such that it can be used both for planar doors and for curved doors. the first and the second sections can be arranged offset with respect to one another in the depth direction of the door. it is, for example, conceivable for the output unit or the named component to have a step in their marginal regions by which different support surfaces or support regions are formed. provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention for the output unit or the component to have securing means by means of which the output unit or the component can be fixed to the door. these securing means can, for example, be realized by projections which project from the output unit or the component and secure the door. these securing means can, for example, extend parallel to the plane of the door. it is also conceivable for the securing means to bound a groove or a gap between a contact surface and the securing means into which groove or gap the edge of the door bounding the cut-out of the door is inserted. provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention for different door thicknesses of pieces of furniture to be able to be balanced by a balancing part. the balancing unit or the component can have a frame which encloses the output space and forms the front side of the output unit. this frame is, for example, placed on such that it covers the region at which the door covers the output unit or the component in an adjacent manner such that this region is no longer visible in the installed stage of the frame or of the strip. to optimize the content of the output space, provision can be made for the output unit or the insulation boss to have an asymmetrical structure. brief description of the drawings further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. there are shown: fig. 1 : a perspective representation of a component for the reception of an output unit having different reception regions for the installation of different door designs with a first door variant; fig. 2 : the arrangement in accordance with fig. 1 with a second door variant; fig. 3 : an arrangement in accordance with fig. 2 with an installed output unit in a side view. description of the preferred embodiments fig. 1 shows the component 10 for the reception of an output unit in a perspective representation. the component 10 is a foamed-in part and is formed by a housing part open to the front. the foamed-in part 10 is foamed into the door and forms the reception for the output unit or for components of the output unit such as the mechanism as well as the electronics for the output of ice or water or the like. the foamed-in part 10 has a cut-out 12 in its upper rear region through which ice or water or the like enter into the output space. for this purpose, a funnel-like component 20 is provided which is upwardly open and into which ice, water, etc. are introduced in the closed state of the door. the lower opening of the component 20 opens into the output space of the foamed-in part 10 . as can furthermore be seen from fig. 1 , the foamed-in part 10 has a step-shaped marginal region, with the step-shaped marginal region being made such that two webs or surfaces 14 , 16 exist which form contact surfaces for different designs of doors. the contact surface of the web 16 is set back with respect to the contact 14 as can be seen from fig. 1 . both the web 16 and the surface 14 extend vertically. in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 , the door 30 contacts the door web 16 in its marginal region bounding the cut-out. in this case, the door 30 is made as a so-called hard-line door, that is, as a planar door. the plane of the web 14 as well as the surface 16 are disposed in or parallel to the door plane. if the foamed-in part 10 should, however, be used for a curved door, as is shown in fig. 2 , this door 32 does not contact the web 16 , but rather the surface 14 which is offset to the front with respect to the web 16 . the door 32 is made in curved form and accordingly contacts the likewise curved surface 14 . as can thus be seen from figs. 1 and 2 , in accordance with the invention, one and the same foamed-in part 10 can be used for different types of doors 30 , 32 . this variability does not necessarily have to be restricted to the shape of the door, but can, for example, also relate to the thickness of the door, etc. for example, any door thickness of a piece of furniture (e.g. overlay/framed) can be balanced or covered by latching on a balancing part. as can furthermore be seen from fig. 1 , securing means are provided in the form of projections 40 which have an edge which is spaced apart from the web 16 such that a spacing remains between the securing means 40 and the web 16 into which the door 30 is inserted in its region bounding the cut-out. the securing means 40 are made as elevated portions which extend over the plane which connects the web 16 to the surface 14 . this plane can, for example, be made horizontal. securing means 50 o are also provided for the state shown in fig. 2 , and indeed in the form of projections which extend substantially parallel to the plane of the door and which bound a space or a gap between the surface 14 and the securing means 50 . fig. 3 shows the arrangement in accordance with fig. 2 with a complete output unit inserted into the foamed-in part 10 . as can be seen from fig. 3 , the output unit has a display and/or an operating element by means of which the operator can control the output unit. the output unit in accordance with fig. 3 has a frame 70 which is placed onto the foamed-in part 10 from the front such that the transition between the foamed-in part 10 and the door 32 is no longer visible, but is rather covered by the frame 70 . the step or the web 16 already visible from figs. 1 and 2 for the contact of the planar door in accordance with fig. 1 can be seen with the reference numeral 72 . a check valve is marked by the reference numeral 80 which is arranged in the output line for the dispensing of water. the present invention thus has the advantage that the complete output unit can preferably be used identically in all installation situations. different demands can thus be dealt with in different manners, irrespective of whether a minimal front frame structure or a stronger hard-line trim is desired. to optimize the content, the insulation boss shown in figs. 1 , 2 , and 3 with the reference numeral 90 can be made asymmetrically. as can be seen from the figures, the part 20 by means of which ice, water and the like moves from a corresponding output into the inner space of the output unit extends through the insulation boss.
118-524-602-885-720	JP	[ "EP", "US", "CN", "WO" ]	C04B35/44,C04B35/505,C04B35/626,C04B35/63,C04B35/634,C04B35/638,C04B35/645,C09K11/08,C09K11/77,C09K11/80,H01S3/16,C04B35/50,C01F17/34	2018-03-30T00:00:00	2018	[ "C04", "C09", "H01", "C01" ]	polycrystalline yag sintered body and production method therefor	a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding a yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value (a, b, c) is 150 mm or less, a minimum value (a, b, c) is more than 20 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm (excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element) is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. moreover, a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding a yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value (a, b, c) is more than 150 mm and 300 mm or less, a minimum value (a, b, c) is more than 5 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm (excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element) is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a large and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body and its production method.	1. a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding the polycrystalline yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value (a, b, c) is 150 mm or less, a minimum value (a, b, c) is more than 20 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm, excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element, is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. 2. a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding the polycrystalline yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value (a, b, c) is more than 150 mm and 300 mm or less, a minimum value (a, b, c) is more than 20 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm, excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element, is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. 3. a method of producing a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein a mixed powder containing a y 2 o 3 powder and an al 2 o 3 powder is molded to prepare a compact having a relative density of 60% or higher, the compact is sintered at 1600 to 1900° c. while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less in a warming step and a holding step, and, after sintering, a cooling rate is set to be 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c. to produce a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding a yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value (a, b, c) is more than 150 mm and 300 mm or less, a minimum value (a, b, c) is more than 5 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm, excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element, is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. 4. the method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to claim 3 , wherein the sintered body after cooling is subject to hip treatment under conditions of 1600 to 1800° c. and 100 to 200 mpa. 5. the method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to claim 4 , wherein, after hip treatment, annealing treatment is performed under conditions of in an atmosphere and at 1300 to 1500° c. 6. a method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to claim 1 , wherein a mixed powder containing a y 2 o 3 powder and an al 2 o 3 powder is molded to prepare a compact having a relative density of 60% or higher, the compact is sintered at 1600 to 1900° c. while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less in a warming step and a holding step, and, after sintering, a cooling rate is set to be 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c. 7. the method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to claim 6 , wherein the sintered body after cooling is subject to hip treatment under conditions of 1600 to 1800° c. and 100 to 200 mpa. 8. the method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to claim 7 , wherein, after hip treatment, annealing treatment is performed under conditions of in an atmosphere and at 1300 to 1500° c.	background the present invention relates to a polycrystalline yag (yttrium-aluminum-garnet) sintered body and its production method. yag (yttrium-aluminum-garnet) is a crystal of a garnet structure formed from a complex oxide of yttrium and aluminum (y 3 al 5 o 12 ). conventionally, it is known that the substituted element becomes the emission center and yields strong fluorescence by 1) forming the y element configuring yag into a substitutional solid solution by adding an element from ce (atomic number 57) to yb (atomic number 70) among rare earth elements, or 2) forming the al element configuring yag into a substitutional solid solution by adding an element from ti (atomic number 22) to ni (atomic number 28) among transition metals, and this has been used to create a phosphor, a laser medium and the like. moreover, since yag with no additive element added thereto is likewise transparent in a visible light range and hard (hardness of 8.5), it can also be used as a window material that can be applied in harsh environments (plasma, etc.). such yag ceramics have been from before used by embedding an easy-to-prepare powder shape into resin, or by growing monocrystal. however, while powder can be easily prepared, the light emission is easily scattered, and the luminous efficiency is not high. meanwhile, while a monocrystal has less scattering and high luminous efficiency, because a monocrystal is grown from oxide melts at a high temperature near 2000° c., it is necessary to use extremely expensive iridium which has oxidation resistance at a high temperature, and, unless the growth rate is also set to be extremely slow at roughly 1 mm/hr, numerous defects will arise and deteriorate the transmittance, and also deteriorate the strength of the crystals themselves. moreover, the grown monocrystal contains numerous microcracks, and there is a problem in that unexpected cracks would arise upon processing a monocrystal into a desired shape. in recent years, it is now possible to produce polycrystalline yag, in which pores (voids) existing at the grain boundary have been suppressed to the extent possible, according to the same molding/sintering method that is used for preparing general ceramics, and it is now known that this polycrystalline yag exhibits superior transmission characteristics, albeit being slightly inferior to those of monocrystal. moreover, because polycrystalline yag is prepared via powder sintering as with ceramics, there is no segregation phenomenon of additive elements that is observed in the melt growth of monocrystal (phenomenon where a gradient is observed in the additive element concentration in the grown ingot), and the solubility limit of the additive element is also higher in comparison to the case of monocrystal growth. thus, it is possible to prepare a bright phosphor or a laser medium with higher emission intensity of a level capable of negating the transmission characteristics that are inferior to monocrystal. as inventions related to a polycrystalline yag sintered body, there are, for instance, patent documents 1 and 2. since a laser is able to create a high light quantity density, it is possible to locally apply an extremely strong electromagnetic field to a substance, and numerous researches applying a laser are being conducted in recent years. for example, these applications include following; cutting metal and the like (laser processing), applying to a light source for ultrafine lithography via forming a plasma by irradiating droplets of molten tin or the like with a laser and consequently generating extreme ultraviolet radiation, and efficiently conducting heavy particles acceleration with a laser to help for cancer treatment irradiating an affected part with the accelerated heavy particles. the laser used in these fields is referred to as a high-power laser and this is a laser having particularly strong optical intensity among various lasers. glass or the like added neodymium or ytterbium has previously been used as a laser medium for a high-power laser because the production of large products is relatively easy. however, because glass or the like added neodymium or the like has weak mechanical strength and inferior thermal conductivity, there was a problem in that, once oscillated, it takes several hours to cool, and continuous use was difficult. with respect to this point, since foregoing yag has high mechanical strength and favorable thermal conductivity, it is particularly suitable as a laser medium for use in a high-power laser. moreover, as the laser medium is larger, it is possible to build a higher output laser, and, since enlargement is also easy as yag is prepared via powder sintering, it could be said that polycrystalline yag (sintered body), which exhibits qualities that are comparable to a monocrystal, is the optimal laser medium. meanwhile, while it has been more than 20 years since polycrystalline yag capable of laser oscillation was first created in 1995, the maximum size was previously only around φ100 mm. citation list patent documents [patent document 1] japanese patent no. 4237707 [patent document 2] japanese patent no. 5019380 summary an object of the present invention is to provide a large and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body and its production method. an embodiment of the present invention is a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding a yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value of a, b, c is 150 mm or less, a minimum value of a, b, c is 20 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm (excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element) is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. moreover, an embodiment of the present invention is a polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding a yag sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value of a, b, c is 150 mm or more and 300 mm or less, a minimum value of a, b, c is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm (excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element) is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. moreover, an embodiment of the present invention is a method of producing the foregoing polycrystalline yag sintered body, wherein a mixed powder containing a y 2 o 3 powder and an al 2 o 3 powder is molded to prepare a compact having a relative density of 60% or higher, the compact is sintered at 1600 to 1900° c. while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less in a warming step and a holding step, and, after sintering, a cooling rate is set to be 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c. according to the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to stably produce a large and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the scattered light measuring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description in recent years, research for applying a laser to the processing of materials is being advanced, and a laser with a higher output is in demand. conventionally, yag ceramics added nd or yb have been used as the laser medium, and if it is possible to produce larger yag ceramics that were unavailable conventionally, more exciting light can be emitted and, therefore, a high-output laser can be prepared. since polycrystalline yag is prepared via powder sintering, under normal circumstances, it can be produced into an arbitrary shape. nevertheless, as the sintered body is enlarged, sintering nonuniformity will remain at the center part thereof, and as a whole will be an opaque sintered body. for example, conventionally, when one side (or diameter) of the sintered body reaches 100 mm, the other side (or thickness) will only be roughly 10 mm, and 20 mm was the limit. moreover, when one side (or diameter) of the sintered body becomes greater than 150 mm, it becomes extremely difficult to create a sintered body in which the other side (or thickness) is larger than 5 mm. as a result of intense study regarding the sintering process of a large-size yag sintered body, the present inventors discovered that, because sintering begins from the outer periphery, residual holes (sintering nonuniformity) tend to remain at the center part thereof, and this became more notable as the sintered body is enlarged. meanwhile, the present inventors discovered that, rather than preparing a powder having a yag composition in advance and sintering the powder to produce polycrystalline yag as described in patent document 1, creating a compact from a powder obtained by mixing the individual raw materials of y 2 o 3 , al 2 o 3 and the like and performing reactive sintering of creating polycrystalline yag while heating the compact and causing the compact to react, is more advantageous in terms of enlarging the sintered body. based on this kind of discovery, the yag sintered body according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding the sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value of a, b, c is 150 mm or less, and a minimum value of a, b, c is more than 20 mm and 40 mm or less, or, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid surrounding the sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value of a, b, c is more than 150 mm more and 300 mm or less, and a minimum value of a, b, c is more than 5 mm and 40 mm or less, and an optical loss coefficient when light of a wavelength of 300 to 1500 nm (excluding wavelengths which result in absorption of light by an additive element) is transmitted therethrough is 0.002 cm −1 or less. if the optical loss coefficient is 0.002 cm −1 or less, it could be said that the transmission characteristics are superior, and it will be possible to produce a bright phosphor or a laser medium with higher emission intensity. it could be said that this kind of large-sized and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body was previously unavailable, and is novel. the foregoing yag sintered body is prepared based on the powder sintering method, is polycrystalline, and has crystals of a garnet structure formed from a complex oxide of yttrium and aluminum (y 3 al 5 o 12 ). the y element configuring the foregoing yag may be formed into a substitutional solid solution by adding an element from ce (atomic number 57) to yb (atomic number 70) among rare earth elements, or the al element configuring the foregoing yag may be formed into a substitutional solid solution by adding an element from ti (atomic number 22) to ni (atomic number 28) among transition metals. in this disclosure, these elements are referred to as “additive elements”. the substituted element will become the emission center and yield strong fluorescence. of course, the yag sintered body according to an embodiment of the present invention may also be yag itself without any additive element added thereto. with the yag sintered body according to an embodiment of the present invention, when dimensions of a smallest rectangular solid (virtual) surrounding the sintered body are a mm×b mm×c mm, a maximum value of a, b, c; that is, the largest value of a, b, c, is 150 mm or less, and a minimum value of a, b, c; that is, the smallest value of a, b, c, is more than 20 mm and 40 mm or less, and more preferably 30 mm or more. otherwise, a maximum value of a, b, c; that is, the largest value of a, b, c, is more than 150 mm and 300 mm or less, and a minimum value of a, b, c; that is, the smallest value of a, b, c, is more than 5 mm and 40 mm or less, and more preferably 10 mm or more. in this application, a sintered body of these dimensions is referred to as a “large-size” or “enlarged” sintered body. moreover, while the dimensions of the foregoing sintered body are the dimensions after sintering (immediately after sintering is completed), those with smaller dimensions as a result of being cut shall fall within the scope of the present invention so as long as they do not deviate from the subject matter of this invention. moreover, the shape of the sintered body is not limited to a disk shape, and may also be a rectangular solid. a conventionally known polycrystalline yag laser medium has a diameter of roughly 100 mm and a thickness of roughly 10 mm, but when this is enlarged, because the sintered body is formed from multiple raw materials (components) and they each have different physical properties, it was difficult to perform uniform sintering reaction. furthermore, since high transparency is demanded across the entire in-plane for use in a laser medium, it was extremely difficult to enlarge the yag sintered body in comparison to other uses. however, the present invention is able to realize a yag sintered body, which has a considerably larger size in comparison to convention yag sintered bodies, for the first time based on the method described later, and also achieved a low optical loss coefficient. furthermore, as a result of using this kind of large-size laser medium, it is possible to construct a high-output laser. the optical loss coefficient in an embodiment of the present invention is the optical loss coefficient in cases where light of a wavelength, which will not result in absorption of light by an additive element, is transmitted. for example, when no additive element is introduced, the optical loss coefficient in a wavelength range of 300 to 1500 nm is measured. moreover, for instance, when nd is added, because light is absorbed at a wavelength of 300 to 1000 nm, the optical loss coefficient is measured at a wavelength excluding the foregoing wavelength; for instance, the optical loss coefficient is measured at a wavelength of 1064 nm. when the sintered body becomes opaque due to sintering nonuniformity or other reasons, because the optical loss coefficient will deteriorate across the entire measurement wavelength range (300 to 1500 nm), there will be no particular problem even when the optical loss coefficient of the wavelength range, which will result in the absorption of light by an additive element, is excluded as described above. the absorption wavelength of light by an additive element can be confirmed in advance, for instance, by preparing a yag monocrystal introduced an additive element and measuring the absorption of such a yag monocrystal. the optical loss coefficient is measured as follows in the embodiment of the present invention. fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the scattered light measuring system. light from a light source 1 (halogen lamp) passes through a spectrometer 2 , and is emitted as monochromatic light of a specific wavelength that was selected. this light is converted into parallel light with two lenses 3 , 4 , and caused to enter an integrating sphere 6 . a photodetector (photomultiplier) 9 is placed at the position where the light passes through the integrating sphere 6 to observe the intensity of the transmitted light. a signal 14 thereof is input to a lock-in amplifier 10 . meanwhile, a separate photodetector (photomultiplier) 8 is placed, via a baffle plate 7 , at a position that forms a 90-degree angle with the advancing direction of the transmitted light within the integrating sphere. the photodetector 8 measures the intensity of the scattered light. meanwhile, the baffle plate 7 is inserted for eliminating any variance in strength resulting from the directional dependence of the scattered light to be measured due to the direct entry of the scattered light. a signal 13 from the photodetector 8 is also input to the lock-in amplifier 10 . a chopper 5 is placed between the lenses 3 , 4 to turn on/off the light at a constant frequency (frequency f), and a signal 12 thereof is also input as a reference signal to the lock-in amplifier 10 . consequently, a measurement signal is input in a state of being modulated at the frequency f, and a desired signal strength, after the modulator is eliminated by the lock-in amplifier 10 , is obtained. generally speaking, the natural world contains a noise component referred to as a 1/f fluctuation, and the noise increases as the frequency f decreases, and the noise decreases as the frequency f increases. adopted is a configuration of reducing the influence of noise from the outside world as a result of performing measurement at a large frequency f based on modulation with the chopper, and thereby enabling more accurate measurement. while a sample 11 to be measured is placed at the center of the integrating sphere, before such placement, the transmitted light intensity i(t)0 and the background scattered light intensity i(s)0 are foremost measured without placing the sample. next, multiple samples having a different cylindrical thickness and in which the entire surface thereof has been polished (thickness ln (n=1, 2, . . . )) are placed at a center 11 of the integrating sphere so that the transmitted light becomes perpendicular to the cylindrical bottom face, and the transmitted light intensity i(t)n and the scattered light intensity i(s)n are measured. subsequently, the surface scattering coefficients r(t), r(s) and the optical loss coefficients a(t), a(s) are obtained by performing fitting treatment with the least squares method based on the following formulas. furthermore, the larger value of the obtained a(t), a(s) is adopted as the optical loss coefficient value. the method of producing the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to an embodiment of the present invention is now explained. (raw material powder) a y 2 o 3 powder and an al 2 o 3 powder are prepared as raw materials. moreover, as needed, an oxide powder (for instance, a nd 2 o 3 powder) containing the foregoing additive element is prepared. these raw material powders preferably have an average grain size of 0.3 to 10 μm. while the purity of the raw material powders is preferably 4n or higher, when the additive ratio of the additive element is small, the purity may be lowered according to the additive amount of the additive element. for example, when nd is substituted for y at 1%, even if 1% of impurities is contained in the nd 2 o 3 raw material powder, when y 2 o 3 and al 2 o 3 are combined, the impurity content of nd 2 o 3 will be 0.01% of the entire content, and this will correspond to a purity level of 4n. moreover, as sintering agents, powders of oxides containing ca, mg, si, zr, la (cao, mgo, sio 2 , zro 2 , la 2 o 3 ), fluoride (caf 2 , etc.), carbonate (caco 3 ), and complex oxide (mgal 2 o 4 , etc.) are prepared. (mixing) the foregoing y 2 o 3 powder and al 2 o 3 powder, and, as needed, an oxide powder containing an additive element and a sintering agent, are placed in a mixer/pulverizer such as a ball mill, and subject to wet mixing for 4 to 20 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media. here, it is preferable to add a moderate amount of dispersing agent to suppress mixing nonuniformity caused by the aggregation of the raw material powders. the mixing time may be determined within the foregoing range according to the grain size of the raw material powders to be used, ratio of the solvent and media relative to the raw materials, and media diameter. after mixing, a sintering agent in a liquiform state may also be added to the slurry removed from the mixer/pulverizer. for example, metal salt dissolved in water (ca(c 3 h 5 o 3 ) 2 or cacl 2 , lactic calcium aqueous solution) may be added. furthermore, polyvinyl alcohol, an acrylic adhesive agent, basic aluminum chloride (al 2 (oh) n cl 6-n ) m (0<n<6, m≤10), or lactic alumina may be added as a binder so as to attain 0.005 to 0.01 wt % relative to the amount of powder contained in the slurry. (granulation and molding) next, the slurry after mixing is dried, and thereafter forced through a sieve, or spray dried, to prepare a granulated powder. the sintering agent may also be added at this point. for example, an organic metallic compound (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ), or metal salt dissolved in water (ca(c 3 h 5 o 3 ) 2 or cacl 2 , lactic calcium aqueous solution), may be added. furthermore, polyvinyl alcohol, an acrylic adhesive agent, basic aluminum chloride (al 2 (oh) n cl 6-n ) m (0<n<6, m≤10), or lactic alumina may be added as a binder so as to attain 0.005 to 0.01 wt % relative to the amount of powder. the resulting product is placed in a mold (for instance, φ150 mm×40 mm), subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 150 to 200 mpa. upon preparing a compact, the foregoing polyvinyl alcohol or acrylic adhesive agent may be used as a binder, but there are cases where the organic constituents thereof run short during sintering, and those parts become gaps and deteriorate the sinterability. meanwhile, by gelling basic aluminum chloride or lactic alumina during the drying process, it can bind with the surrounding powder, and, after sintering, remain as alumina components and reduce the gaps, and by using only basic aluminum chloride or lactic aluminum, or upon mixing it with polyvinyl alcohol or an acrylic adhesive agent, it is possible to considerably contribute to improving the relative density at the point before the sintering process described later, and improve the sinterability. (preliminary heating) next, the compact is heated in the atmosphere at 100 to 300° c. for 4 to 6 hours to eliminate moisture, thereafter heated at 800 to 1000° c. for 1 to 3 hours to eliminate organic constituents contained in the sintering agent or binder, and the relative density of the compact is caused to be 60% or higher. as described above, while heating is performed for eliminating unnecessary components, if heating is rapidly performed at a high temperature (heating at 800 to 1000° c.), there are cases where the compact becomes cracked due to the sudden expansion of moisture. thus, heating is preferably performed in two steps as described above. it is important to cause the relative density of the compact before sintering to be 60% or higher. (sintering and hip) when sintering the compact, it is desirable to maintain the degree of vacuum at 1×10 −2 pa or less in the warming step and holding step. the biggest factor of decreasing the degree of vacuum in the warming step and holding step is considered to be residual moisture. y 2 o 3 used as the main raw material of polycrystalline yag has absorbency, and al 2 o 3 , while not at the same level as y 2 o 3 , also has absorbency. the cause is considered to be the absorption of moisture in the air during the preparation of the compact or while loading the compact in the heating device. particularly, in the case of a large-size compact, moisture is not absorbed evenly at all points, and there are differences locally. this will lead to the heating nonuniformity during reactive sintering, and, as a result, cause warping and an opaque area due to the density nonuniformity or thermal strain after sintering. accordingly, it is important to adjust the degree of vacuum in the foregoing manner to perform uniform sintering. specifically, after loading the compact in a vacuum heating furnace, the compact is heated at 200 to 300° c. for roughly half a day while operating a rotary pump. several hours later, the degree of vacuum deteriorated suddenly, and, while there were cases of exceeding 100 pa, the degree of vacuum eventually settled down at 1 pa or less. after heat treatment at 200 to 300° c., the compact is cooled to normal temperature, and sintered after confirming that the degree of vacuum is not deteriorating. the sintering is performed at 1700 to 1900° c. for 10 to 20 hours. here, when sintering is performed in an atmosphere containing nitrogen, nitrogen will remain in the sintered body and cause the deterioration in density and, therefore, it is preferable to perform sintering in a vacuum, reducing atmosphere, or nitrogen free oxygen atmosphere. moreover, when heating is performed at a high temperature of 1700 to 1900° c., the cooling rate is fast after the heater is turned off, and the cooling rate is particularly fast at a part that is near the lateral face of the furnace, and, when the compact is enlarged, the heat distribution will increase within the sintered body, and the sintered body will become cracked due to the thermal strain that is generated within the sintered body. accordingly, the cooling rate during the temperature-fall is preferably maintained at 100° c. or less/hour up to 1100° c. subsequently, the sintered body is subject to hip (hot isostatic pressing) in an inert atmosphere such as an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1600 to 1800° c., 1 to 4 hours, and 100 to 200 mpa. (annealing) subsequently, the thus obtained sintered body is heated in the atmosphere at 1300 to 1500° c. for 5 to 15 hours. it is thereby possible to alleviate the internal stress remaining in the sintered body after hip, and, when vacuum heating is performed, because there will be oxygen deficiency, it is possible to supplement the insufficient oxygen. it is thereby possible to obtain a large and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body. examples the present invention is now explained in detail with reference to the examples and comparative examples. note that these examples are merely illustrative, and the present invention shall in no way be limited thereby. in other words, various modifications and other embodiments are covered by the present invention, and the present invention is limited only by the scope of its claims. example 1 a y 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm, an al 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 0.4 μm, and, as an additive element, a nd 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm were weighed in a predetermined amount, placed in a mixer/pulverizer, and subject to wet mixing for 5 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media to obtain a slurry. lactic alumina was added as a binder to the slurry and mixed, dried, and thereafter spray-dried to obtain a granulated powder having an average grain size of 25 μm. a sintering agent (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ) was additionally added thereto and mixed. next, the granulated powder was placed in a mold (φ210 mm×60 mm) and subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 176 mpa. next, the resulting compact was heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 100° c. for 5 hours, and then heated at 900° c. for 2 hours. at this point, the relative density had reached 60%. next, the compact was heated in a vacuum heating furnace at 200° c. for roughly half a day, while performing vacuum drawing, thereafter calcined at 1750° c. for 20 hours while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less, and thereafter cooled at a cooling rate of 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c., and subsequently cooled slowly. next, the compact was subject to hip in an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1750° c., 147 mpa, and 4 hours, and heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 1300° c. for 10 hours to prepare a polycrystalline yag sintered body having a size of φ150 mm×40 mm. with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered body, as a result of selecting 10 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient was 0.002 cm −1 or less in each point at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. example 2 a y 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm, an al 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 0.4 μm, and, as an additive element, a nd 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm were weighed in a predetermined amount, placed in a mixer/pulverizer, and subject to wet mixing for 5 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media to obtain a slurry. lactic alumina was added as a binder to the slurry and mixed, dried, and thereafter spray-dried to obtain a granulated powder having an average grain size of 25 μm. a sintering agent (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ) was additionally added thereto and mixed. next, the granulated powder was placed in a mold (φ280 mm×40 mm) and subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 176 mpa. next, the resulting compact was heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 100° c. for 5 hours, and then heated at 900° c. for 2 hours. at this point, the relative density had reached 60%. next, the compact was heated in a vacuum heating furnace at 200° c. for roughly half a day, while performing vacuum drawing, thereafter calcined at 1750° c. for 20 hours while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less, and thereafter cooled at a cooling rate of 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c., and subsequently cooled slowly. next, the compact was subject to hip in an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1750° c., 147 mpa, and 4 hours, and heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 1300° c. for 10 hours to prepare a polycrystalline yag sintered body having a size of φ200 mm×20 mm. with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered body, as a result of selecting 10 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient was 0.002 cm −1 or less in each point at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. example 3 a y 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm, an al 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 0.4 μm, and, as an additive element, a nd 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm were weighed in a predetermined amount, placed in a mixer/pulverizer, and subject to wet mixing for 5 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media to obtain a slurry. lactic alumina was added as a binder to the slurry and mixed, dried, and thereafter spray-dried to obtain a granulated powder having an average grain size of 25 μm. a sintering agent (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ) was additionally added thereto and mixed. next, the granulated powder was placed in a mold (φ400 mm×40 mm) and subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 176 mpa. next, the resulting compact was heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 100° c. for 5 hours, and then heated at 900° c. for 2 hours. at this point, the relative density had reached 60%. next, the compact was heated in a vacuum heating furnace at 200° c. for roughly half a day, while performing vacuum drawing, thereafter calcined at 1750° c. for 20 hours while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less, and thereafter cooled at a cooling rate of 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c., and subsequently cooled slowly. next, the compact was subject to hip in an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1750° c., 147 mpa, and 4 hours, and heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 1300° c. for 10 hours to prepare a polycrystalline yag sintered body having a size of φ300 mm×20 mm. with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered body, as a result of selecting 15 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient was 0.002 cm −1 or less in each point at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. comparative example 1 a (y 1-x nd x ) 3 al 5 o 3 (x=0.01) powder having an average grain size of 1 μm synthesized based on the coprecipitation method was weighed in a predetermined amount, placed in a mixer/pulverizer, and subject to wet mixing for 5 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media to obtain a slurry. a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution was added as a binder to the slurry and mixed, dried, and thereafter spray-dried to obtain a granulated powder having an average grain size of 20 μm. a sintering agent (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ) was additionally added thereto and mixed. next, the granulated powder was placed in molds (φ210 mm×40 mm, φ210 mm×50 mm) and subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 176 mpa. next, the resulting compacts were heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 100° c. for 5 hours, and then heated at 900° c. for 2 hours. at this point, the relative density was 60% or higher in both compacts. next, the compacts were calcined in a vacuum heating furnace at 1800° c. for 10 hours, and thereafter subject to hip in an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1750° c., 147 mpa, and 4 hours. the compacts were thereafter heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 1300° c. for 10 hours to prepare polycrystalline yag sintered bodies having a size of φ150 mm×20 mm and φ150 mm×30 mm, respectively. with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered bodies, as a result of selecting 10 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient of the polycrystalline yag sintered body having the size of φ150 mm×20 mm exceeded 0.002 cm −1 , and the optical loss coefficient of the polycrystalline yag sintered body having the size of φ150 mm×30 mm was 0.05 cm −1 at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. comparative example 2 a y 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm, an al 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 0.4 μm, and, as an additive element, a nd 2 o 3 powder having an average grain size of 5 μm were weighed in a predetermined amount, placed in a mixer/pulverizer, and subject to wet mixing for 5 hours with a ball mill which uses water as a solvent and alumina as a media to obtain a slurry. a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution was added as a binder to the slurry and mixed, dried, and thereafter spray-dried to obtain a granulated powder having an average grain size of 25 μm. a sintering agent (si(oc 2 h 5 ) 4 ) was additionally added thereto and mixed. note that a binder containing basic aluminum chloride or lactic alumina was not added to the foregoing slurry. next, the granulated powder was placed in molds (φ210 mm×40 mm, φ210 mm×50 mm) and subject to cold press, and thereafter subject to cip molding at 176 mpa. next, the resulting compacts were heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 100° c. for 5 hours, and then heated at 900° c. for 2 hours. at this point, the relative density was roughly 57% in both compacts. next, the compacts were heated in a vacuum heating furnace at 200° c. for roughly half a day, while performing vacuum drawing, thereafter calcined in a vacuum heating furnace at 1750° c. for 20 hours while maintaining a degree of vacuum of 1×10 −2 pa or less, and thereafter cooled at a cooling rate of 100° c./hour or less up to 1100° c., and subsequently cooled slowly. next, the compacts were subject to hip in an ar atmosphere under the conditions of 1750° c., 147 mpa, and 4 hours, and heated in an air atmosphere furnace at 1300° c. for 10 hours to prepare polycrystalline yag sintered bodies having a size of φ150 mm×20 mm and φ150 mm×30 mm, respectively. with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered bodies, as a result of selecting 10 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient of the polycrystalline yag sintered body having the size of φ150 mm×20 mm was 0.01 cm −1 , and the optical loss coefficient of the polycrystalline yag sintered body having the size of φ150 mm×30 mm was 0.1 cm −1 at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. comparative example 3 a compact (φ210 mm×60 mm) was sintered according to the same method as example 1, and, after sintering, the compact was cooled at a cooling rate of 100° c./hour or less up to 1400° c., and subsequently cooled slowly. the sintered body removed from the mold had cracks. when the sintered body was subsequently subject to hip treatment and atmospheric heat treatment in the same manner as example 1, while there were cracks, it was possible to obtain a transparent yag sintered body. moreover, with regard to the thus obtained polycrystalline yag sintered body, as a result of selecting 10 random in-plane points and measuring the optical loss coefficient of each point, the optical loss coefficient was 0.002 cm −1 or less in each point at a wavelength of 1064 nm where there is no absorption of light by nd. comparative example 4 a compact (φ210 mm×60 mm) was sintered according to the same method as example 1, and the compact was directly calcined at 1700 to 1900° c. for 10 hours without being subject to heat treatment in a vacuum heating furnace at 200 to 300° c. for roughly half a day. during the warming process, the degree of vacuum deteriorated to several pa, and the degree of vacuum settled at 1×10 −2 pa or less around the time of reaching 1700° c. after calcination, the sintered body removed from the mold was visibly warped, and the height difference when the sintered body was placed on a parallel face was 5 mm. when the sintered body was subsequently subject to hip treatment and atmospheric heat treatment in the same manner as example 1, a yag sintered body with visible opaque nonuniformity was obtained. in particular, points where the warping was notable tended to also be opaque. furthermore, because light could not be transmitted through the opaque parts, the light scattering coefficient could not be measured. according to the present invention, a large and transparent polycrystalline yag sintered body can be produced stably. the polycrystalline yag sintered body according to the present invention is effective for use in a phosphor or a laser medium when an additive element is added thereto, and is effective for use as a window material that can be applied in harsh environments (plasma, etc.) when an additive element is not added thereto. reference signs list 1 light source (halogen lamp)2 spectrometer3 lens4 lens5 chopper6 integrator7 baffle plate8 photodetector (photomultiplier)9 photodetector (photomultiplier)10 lock-in amplifier11 sample12 signal13 signal14 signal
118-570-327-591-193	US	[ "US" ]	A61L2/20	1993-07-21T00:00:00	1993	[ "A61" ]	dental handpiece sterilizer	a dental handpiece sterilizer includes a sterilization chamber with an internal manifold system having outlet connectors into which dental handpieces can be plugged. a sterilant vapor introduced to the manifold flows through the dental handpieces coupled to the manifold and into the interior of the chamber so that it contacts the exterior surfaces of the handpieces before exiting the sterilant chamber.	1. a dental handpiece sterilizer comprising: a sealed sterilization chamber having an interior and an access door in sealable communication with said interior; an inlet fitting extending through a wall of said sterilization chamber; and coupler means fixed inside said sterilization chamber and connected to said inlet fitting, said coupler means including a rigid outlet connector, said outlet connector being structured and arranged for releasably coupling to a plurality of dental handpieces, said coupler means further including fluid pathways between said inlet fitting and said connecter and through said connector to the interior of each connected dental handpiece; sterilant supply means constructed and arranged to introduce vaporized sterilant to said inlet fitting; whereby sterilant introduced to said inlet fitting flows through said coupler means, through each dental handpiece coupled to said coupler means and throughout said interior of said sealed sterilization chamber, thereby to contact substantially the entire outer surface of each dental handpiece within said sterilization chamber; and valve controlled vacuum means opening into said chamber. 2. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein said means for supplying sterilant to said inlet fitting comprises: a liquid sterilant supply reservoir; a heated, temperature-controlled sterilant shot chamber in interruptable fluid flow communication with said reservoir, said shot chamber being operable to vaporize liquid sterilant; first conduit means interconnecting said reservoir and said shot chamber, operable to convey liquid sterilant from said reservoir to said shot chamber; first valve means operable to control flow of liquid sterilant from said reservoir to said shot chamber through said first conduit means; second conduit means interconnecting said shot chamber and said inlet fitting; and second valve means operable to control flow of vaporized sterilant from said sterilant shot chamber to said sealed sterilization chamber through said second conduit means. 3. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 2, further comprising: third conduit means opening into said sealed sterilization chamber for connection to a source of vacuum; and third valve means controlling flow through said third conduit means. 4. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 3, wherein said coupler means includes: a manifold having a first fluid pathway, connector means including a second fluid pathway connecting said first fluid pathway to said inlet fitting inside said sterilization chamber, and a plurality of connector lines, each having a proximal end, a distal end and an internal distribution channel, the proximal end of each said connector line being connected to said manifold in fluid flow communication with said first fluid pathway; and said outlet connector being connected in fluid flow communication with said distal end of each respective said connector line. 5. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein: said connector means is operatively adapted to said inlet fitting to facilitate their detachable coupling. 6. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 5, further including: a pressure equalization conduit interconnecting an inside top of said sterilant shot chamber and an inside top of said sterilant supply reservoir; and a pressure equalization valve in said pressure equalization conduit. 7. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein: said outlet connector has a plurality of delivery passages structured to register selected said delivery passages with corresponding internal passages of a dental handpiece; and an adapter, having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being structurally interfaced with said outlet connector, said distal end being structurally interfaced with a said dental handpiece, and said adapter being structured and arranged to block fluid flow through one of said delivery passages which is not currently in registration with a said internal passage. 8. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein said coupler means includes: a manifold having a first fluid pathway, connector means including a second fluid pathway connecting said first fluid pathway to said inlet fitting inside said sterilization chamber, and a plurality of connector lines, each having a proximal end, a distal end and an internal distribution channel, the proximal end of each said connector line being connected to said manifold in fluid flow communication with said first fluid pathway; and said outlet connector being connected in fluid flow communication with said distal end of each respective said connector line. 9. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 8, including: said outlet connector has a plurality of delivery passages structured to register selected said delivery passages with corresponding internal passages of a dental handpiece; and an adapter, having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being structurally interfaced with said outlet connector, said distal end being structurally interfaced with a said dental handpiece, and said adapter being structured and arranged to block fluid flow through one of said delivery passages which is not in registration with a said internal passage. 10. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 9, further including: sterilant supply means constructed and arranged to introduce chemical sterilant to said inlet fitting; whereby chemical sterilant introduced to said inlet fitting flows through said coupler means, through each of at least one dental handpiece coupled to said coupler means and throughout said interior of said sterilization chamber, thereby to contact substantially the entire outer surface of each dental handpiece within said sterilization chamber. 11. a dental handpiece sterilizer according to claim 10, including a sterilizer outlet operable to discharge sterilant from said interior at a selected rate.	background of the invention 1. field the present invention relates to the sterilization of dental handpieces and particularly to sterilization apparatus that provides for the sterilization of both the inside and outside surfaces of dental handpieces. 2. state of the art the need to sterilize dental equipment, particularly dental handpieces, between uses has long been recognized. an urgency to provide more effective sterilization procedures has developed with the increasing awareness of the communicable disease hazards confronting dentists and their patients. these hazards include hepatitis, which is extremely difficult to treat, and aids, for which there is presently no effective cure. the aids epidemic has made dentists very aware that they, and their patients, may be exposed to the hiv virus through contact with blood and other body fluids. one of the shortcomings of sterilization processes and apparatus conventionally used in the dental field is that the sterilant often fails to penetrate into the openings and passageways of dental handpieces. dental handpieces may have a single internal passage or they may have a plurality of such passages. they are generally constructed to receive plug-in utility lines. these lines are coupled to the passages during use of a handpiece, and decoupled from the lines and the handpiece following use. when a handpiece is turned off, a slight vacuum is characteristically created at its tip. this suction tends to pull contaminant fluids, such as saliva and/or blood, into the internal passages of the handpiece. the separated handpiece is then subjected to a sterilization procedure, usually in a hermetically sealed chamber. chemical vapors are presently the sterilants of choice, because they provide a less corrosive environment than steam, but these vapors cannot effect adequate sterilization unless brought into intimate contact with the contaminating organisms under attack. penetration is essential to achieve this contact, but no suitable system for providing such contact of chemical vapors to the internal surfaces of dental handpieces has been available. u.s. pat. no. 4,752,444 discloses a method for sterilizing a dental handpiece. according to that patent, a pneumatic pump is used to force a liquid sterilant through the interior of the handpiece. next, a supply of water is pumped through the handpiece to flush away any sterilant residue. then a supply of oil is passed through the handpiece to lubricate its mechanical components, suck as a turbine assembly or bearings. at the same time the liquid sterilant is passed through the dental handpiece, the exterior of the handpiece is soaked in a bath of sterilant. u.s. pat. no. 4,410,492, discloses a method which comprises the circulation of a sterilant gas through a contaminated medical device to sterilize exposed surfaces. the sterilant gas remains within the lumen of the device for an effective period of time, and thereafter is removed by purging with sterile air or other inert gas. the apparatus disclosed includes a chamber having an access door through which materials to be sterilized are introduced and removed, a pump, and control valves. in practicing the methods, a contaminated object, such as an endoscope, is placed in the chamber and is coupled to a discharge outlet. a pump is connected to the discharge outlet, outside the chamber. the chamber is sealed. atmosphere is pumped from the chamber. the chamber is heated. a sterilant gas (ethylene oxide vapor) is circulated and recirculated, using the pump and valves, through and around the object for a time sufficient to effect sterilization. the sterilant is pulled through an opening at one end of the object, through the object and out an opening in an end of the object at the coupling to the chamber. the sterilant gas is removed, and sterile air or other gas is admitted, circulated around and through the object and out of the chamber through the pump and control valves. u.s. pat. no. 4,810,469 discloses a method for sterilizing an artificial organ with high pressure steam in an autoclave. sterilized high pressure liquid, maintained at a temperature sufficient for sterilization, is passed through the artificial organ to raise its inner temperature to approximately a sterilization temperature. the organ is simultaneously heated externally to a sterilizing temperature, and is maintained at that temperature for the time required to sterilize the organ. a low temperature sterilant is then passed through and around the organ to cool it. none of the sterilization systems currently available fill the need for apparatus that can be conveniently used in a dental office to sterilize equipment that is needed on a repeat basis throughout a working day. particularly, there remains a need for a system that can quickly, easily and effectively sterilize the dental handpieces used by dentists with successive patients. ideally, such a system should be suitable for the delivery of chemical vapor sterilant. summary of the invention to accommodate the needs of dental operatories, there is provided an apparatus system that includes a sterilization chamber, a source of chemical vapor sterilant, and a source of purge fluid. the purge fluid of choice is currently filtered or sterilized air. a source of vacuum is used to help move the sterilant, and to remove air from the chamber, thereby effectively increasing the concentration of the sterilant. a manifold is connected to an inlet of the sterilization chamber through which the chemical vapor sterilant and purge fluid are directed. socket couplings, spaced on the manifold, receive plugged-in dental handpieces such that chemical vapor sterilant and purge fluid entering the sterilization chamber are passed through the coupled handpieces to sterilize and cleanse the interior surfaces of such handpieces. the sterilant and purge fluid pass in turn through the inlet to the chamber, through the manifold and through coupled dental handpieces in the sterilization chamber. sterilant introduced to the inlet forces fluids from the internal passages of any handpieces connected to the manifold, and comes into direct contact with the interior surfaces of those passages. upon exiting the handpieces, the sterilant is circulated around the handpieces to sterilize and cleanse their exterior surfaces. a dental handpiece sterilizer of this invention will generally include a sealed sterilization chamber having an interior and an access door in sealable communication with the interior. an inlet fitting may extend through a wall of the chamber. suitable coupler means may be positioned inside the sterilization chamber and connected to the inlet fitting. the coupler means will typically include at least one, usually a plurality of, outlet connectors. these connectors will ordinarily be structured and arranged for releasably coupling, as by plug-in connection, to a dental handpiece. the coupler means provides fluid pathways between the inlet and the connecters. sterilant supply means is constructed and arranged to introduce fluid sterilant to the inlet fitting. in this way, chemical sterilant introduced to the inlet fitting flows in turn through the coupler means, through each dental handpiece coupled to the coupler means and throughout the interior of the sterilization chamber, thereby to contact substantially the entire outer surface of each dental handpiece within the chamber. a sterilizer outlet may be provided to control the rate of discharge of sterilant from the chamber. the impact on the pressure and phase relationships of the system, as predicted by the laws of thermodynamics, may be taken into consideration in conventional fashion. control of the rates of introduction and discharge into and out of the system can be based upon sensor measurements of temperature and pressure levels in the chamber. a pressure equalization conduit may interconnect the interior of the sterilant shot chamber and the interior of the sterilant supply reservoir, most desirably at the upper portions of each device. the preferred sterilants are vaporized liquid chemical formulations. a typical means for supplying liquid chemical sterilant to the inlet fitting includes a liquid sterilant supply reservoir and a heated, temperature-controlled sterilant shot chamber in interruptable fluid flow communication with the reservoir. the shot chamber is operable to vaporize liquid sterilant. in a typical arrangement, first conduit means interconnects the reservoir and the shot chamber. this means, which may simply be a tube or hose, is in any event operable to convey liquid sterilant from the reservoir to the shot chamber. a first valve is connected in the system to control flow of liquid sterilant from the reservoir to the shot chamber through the first conduit. a second conduit is arranged to interconnect the shot chamber and the inlet fitting. a second valve is connected to control flow of vaporized sterilant from the sterilant shot chamber to the sterilization chamber through the second conduit. a third conduit may connect the interior of the sterilization chamber to a source of vacuum. in that event, a third valve may be connected to control flow through the third conduit. the third conduit may be associated with the primary sterilizer outlet or a secondary discharge outlet. a manifold system may be included in the coupling means to distribute sterilant to one or more outlet connectors. the manifold will typically include a first primary fluid pathway. structure associated with or integral with the manifold provides a second fluid pathway connecting the first fluid pathway to the inlet fitting inside the sterilization chamber. that structure is cooperatively adapted to the inlet fitting to facilitate their detachable coupling at the manifold. a plurality of connector lines, each having a proximal end, a distal end and an internal distribution channel, are also typical components of the manifold distribution system. the proximal end of each connector line may be connected to the manifold in fluid flow communication with the first fluid pathway. an outlet connector is carried by and connected in fluid flow communication with the distal end of each respective connector line. the outlet connectors couple, ideally in plug-in association, with dental handpieces. an outlet connector is ordinarily provided with a plurality of delivery passages. the connector is usually structured to register selected of those delivery passages with corresponding internal passages of a dental handpiece. these internal passages are conventionally arranged in a prescribed pattern. the most common patterns accommodate either two or three passages. an adapter having a proximal end and a distal end may be used to adapt a connector having a greater number, e.g. three, of distribution passages to a dental instrument having a smaller number of internal passages. the proximal end of the adapter is interfaced with the outlet connector, while the distal end is structurally interfaced with a the dental handpiece. the adapter itself is structured and arranged to block fluid flow through the delivery passage(s) which is (are) not in registration with an internal passage of the handpiece. it is within contemplation to similarly adapt from a smaller number of distribution passages up to a larger number of internal handpiece passages. brief description of the drawings in the drawings: fig. 1 is a schematic representation of the dental handpiece sterilization system of the invention; and fig. 2 is an enlarged, exploded side elevation view of dental handpieces in association with components of the system of this invention. description of the illustrated embodiment a dental handpiece sterilization system 10 of the invention includes a sterilization chamber, shown generally at 12. a bottom 14 of a sterilant supply reservoir 16 is connected by a conduit 18, through a first valve 20, to the bottom 22 of a heated sterilant shot chamber 24. a top 26 of the shot chamber 24 is connected by a conduit 28 through a pressure equalization valve 30 to a top 32 of the sterilant supply reservoir 16. a conduit 34 connects the bottom of the shot chamber 24 with an inlet fitting 36 that extends through a rear wall 40 of the sterilization chamber 12. a conduit 42 connects a control valve 44 in the line 34 with a source of purge fluid (not shown). the purge fluid may be filtered air, sterilized air or other gas. it may be either separately provided or taken from any source of such purge fluid available in the dental operatory. in typical practice, filtered air is relied upon to purge any residual chemical vapors remaining following the sterilization phase. a manifold 50 includes a central t-fitting 54 having a central projection 56. the central projection 56 forms a plug connector adapted to the inlet fitting 36, inside the sterilization chamber 12. a plurality of connector lines 58, here shown as six, five being visible, each have a first end 60 connected into the main line 52. each line 58 has a connector 62 on a second end 64. four of the lines 58 include a lateral extension 66 which assures adequate spacing of the connectors 62. the connectors 62 may provide for either two- or three-hole communication as required to accommodate different handpiece designs. one or more of the connectors 62 may be dedicated for use with two-hole communication. likewise, one or more of the connectors 62 may be dedicated for use with three-hole communication. alternatively, the connectors may all be three-hole connectors and adapters may be used to plug one hole and to connect the others to the common two-hole handpieces. such an adapter is shown at 70, in fig. 2. adapter 70 has a block housing 72 with a blind bore 74 in one end to fit over the line 76 of the three-hole connector 62 that is to be blocked off by the adapter. the other two lines 78 and 80 of the connector 62 extend into bores 82 and 84, respectively, through the housing. the bores 82 and 84 extend through the housing 72 to short conduits 86 and 88 that are adapted to fit into the inlets of common two-hole handpieces. another adapter 90 has a block housing 92 with two bores 94 and 96 arranged to receive the two conduits 98 and 100 from a two-hole connector. a third bore 102 extends through the block housing 92 so that the bores 94, 96, and 102, respectively, terminate in short conduits 104, 106, and 108 that are adapted to fit into the inlets of the common three-hole handpieces. whether two-hole or three-hole handpieces, the handpieces, which are shown at 110 removed from the connectors 62, are coupled to the connectors 62 for sterilization purposes. handpieces 110 may be coupled to connectors 62 before the manifold 50 is placed in the sterilization chamber 12 and central projection 56 is plugged into inlet fitting 36. alternatively, the manifold 50 may be placed in the sterilization chamber 12, with the central projection plugged into the inlet 36 before handpieces 110 are coupled to connectors 62. it will be apparent that the manifold 50 may also be permanently connected to the inlet fitting 36. a vacuum conduit 112 has one end 114 connected into the sterilization chamber 12 and an opposite end 116 connected to a source of vacuum (not shown). a valve 118 is provided in the conduit 112. the source of vacuum may be the house vacuum source common in virtually all dental operatories. in operation, the valve 118 is opened to create a vacuum, typically between about 1 to about 5 psia, in the chamber 12. liquid chemical sterilant is placed in the sterilant supply reservoir 16. under control of the valve 20, the liquid sterilant is allowed to flow from the reservoir 16, by gravity, into the heated, temperature-controlled sterilant shot chamber 24. the sterilant is heated in chamber 24 to produce a heated sterilant mixture in a vapor phase, at a pressure above atmospheric. vaporized sterilant from the chamber 24 flows through conduit 34, under control of valve 44, and through the inlet fitting 36. the sterilant then flows through the central projection 56, into the main line 52 of the manifold 50, through the connector lines 58, connectors 62, adapters 70 and/or 90, if used, and through handpieces 110 coupled to the connectors 62. the vaporized sterilant flows from the shot chamber 24 because of the increased pressure developed in the shot chamber during heating and vaporization of the sterilant and the reduced pressure created in the sterilization chamber 12 upon opening of the valve 118. after passing through the manifold 50 and any handpieces 110 coupled to connectors 62, the vaporized sterilant fills the sterilization chamber 12 and is allowed to remain in contact for a prescribed period of time with the exterior surfaces of the coupled handpieces before flowing out of the sterilization chamber through line 112. after the handpieces 110 have been sterilized inside and out by exposure to the vaporized sterilant for a required time period, valve 44 is operated to cut off flow from the shot chamber 24 to the sterilization chamber 12. thereafter, valve 44 is operated to connect the purge fluid conduit 42 to the inlet fitting 36 and the manifold 50. the purge fluid (typically air) flows through the manifold and the handpieces 110 coupled to connectors 62, into the sterilization chamber 12, through and around the handpieces 110 and out the conduit 112. a replaceable filter (not shown) may be positioned in the conduit 94 during the purge phase. the present invention provides sterilization apparatus particularly suited for the easy, thorough sterilization of dental handpieces. the apparatus of the invention is adaptable for use with other dental operatory equipment, can be made to be compact, and will accommodate simultaneous inside and exterior sterilization of a number of dental handpieces. while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein described, variations are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as important to the invention.
119-461-811-113-971	JP	[ "US", "DE", "TW", "CN", "JP", "WO" ]	G06F1/16,G05B23/02,G05B19/418,G06F1/18	2015-01-16T00:00:00	2015	[ "G06", "G05" ]	cradle and terminal device control method	a cradle includes a connector being connectable to a connector of a manipulation device, a terminal holding part holding the manipulation device, an attachment detection unit detecting that the manipulation device is attached to the terminal holding part, a release detection unit detecting a release instruction to release manipulation acceptance prohibition of the manipulation device. the cradle further includes an operation control unit making, when the attachment detection unit detects the attachment of the manipulation device, the manipulation device prohibit manipulation acceptance in response to establishment of connection between the connectors, and when the release detection unit detects the release instruction, making the manipulation device release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance such that the operation control unit accepts manipulation information for controlling an automated system from the manipulation device, and a manipulation instruction unit notifying the automated system of the manipulation information accepted by the operation control unit.	1. a cradle used with a terminal device by being connected to the terminal device via a connector provided in the terminal device and being connected to an external automated system to communicate with each other, the cradle comprising: a connector connectable to the connector provided in the terminal device; a terminal holding part to hold the terminal device; an attachment detector to detect that the terminal device is attached to the terminal holding part; a release detector to detect a release instruction to release manipulation acceptance prohibition of the terminal device; an operation controller programmed to, when the attachment detector detects the attachment of the terminal device, make the terminal device prohibit manipulation acceptance in response to establishment of connection between the connector of the cradle and the connector provided in the terminal device, and when the release detector detects the release instruction while the terminal device is still attached, make the terminal device release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance while the terminal device is attached; and accept, from the terminal device, control information for controlling the external automated system, the control information being entered via manipulation of the terminal device while the terminal device is attached; and a manipulation instructor to transmit to the automated system the control information accepted by the operation controller. 2. the cradle according to claim 1 , further comprising an emergency stop detector to detect an emergency stop instruction of the automated system, wherein when the emergency stop detector detects the emergency stop instruction, the operation controller transmits control information for stopping an operation of the automated system to the manipulation instructor irrespective of whether or not the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance is released by the terminal device, and the manipulation instructor transmits to the automated system the control information for stopping the operation of the automated system. 3. the cradle according to claim 1 , wherein the cradle is connected to the automated system via a connector of the automated system. 4. the cradle according to claim 1 , wherein the cradle is connected to the automated system by wireless communication. 5. the cradle according to claim 1 , further comprising an enabling switch enabling a user to input the release instruction, wherein the release detector detects the release instruction input via the enabling switch. 6. a cradle used with a terminal device by being connected to the terminal device via a connector provided in the terminal device, the cradle comprising a connector connectable to the connector provided in the terminal device; a terminal holding part to hold the terminal device; an attachment detector to detect that the terminal device is attached to the terminal holding part; a release detector to detect a release instruction to release manipulation acceptance prohibition of the terminal device; an operation controller to make, when the attachment detector detects the attachment of the terminal device, the terminal device prohibit manipulation acceptance in response to establishment of connection between the connector of the cradle and the connector provided in the terminal device, and when the release detector detects the release instruction, make the terminal device release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance such that the operation controller accepts manipulation information for controlling an automated system from the terminal device; a manipulation instructor to notify the automated system of the manipulation information accepted by the operation controller; and a grip for holding the cradle, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the grip is a square 50 mm on a side. 7. the cradle according to claim 6 , wherein a length of the grip is set such that the terminal device is fixed to the cradle at a position where, when the grip of the cradle to which the terminal device is attached is gripped such that the terminal device is horizontally positioned, the center of gravity of the terminal device is aligned in a vertical direction with a center of a palm of an operator who grips the grip. 8. a terminal device control method using a cradle used with the terminal device by being connected to the terminal device via a connector in the terminal device, the cradle having a connector connectable to the connector provided in the terminal device and being connected to an external automated system to communicate with each other, the terminal device control method comprising the steps of: detecting that the terminal device is attached to the cradle; detecting a release instruction to release manipulation prohibition of the terminal device; by an operation controller, when the attachment of the terminal device is detected by the attachment detection unit, making the terminal device prohibit manipulation acceptance in response to establishment of connection between the connector of the cradle and the connector provided in the terminal device, and when the release instruction is detected while the terminal device is still attached, making the terminal device release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance while the terminal device is attached; and accepting, from the terminal device, control information for controlling the external automated system, the control information being entered via manipulation of the terminal device while the terminal device is attached; and by the cradle, transmitting to the automated system the control information. 9. the terminal device control method according to claim 8 , wherein the release instruction is input via an enabling switch provided on the cradle.	technical field the invention relates to a cradle to which a terminal device such as a tablet computer that monitors and controls a system is attached, and a terminal device control method using the cradle. background art it is known that, in a recent communication system using industrial equipment, monitoring and controlling of the system are performed not by a dedicated manipulation panel but by a terminal device such as a tablet computer. in addition, there is known a communication system for improving operability using a tablet computer that realizes an intuitive manipulation. for example, patent literature 1 discloses a technique related to the monitoring and controlling of a system using a tablet computer is disclosed. in this technique, equipment conditions of a machine tool transferred from a communication interface (i/f) via a cpu are displayed on a display of the tablet computer as a control panel screen, and the content of control circuit data of a plc transferred from the communication i/f via the cpu is displayed on the display thereof as a monitoring screen. in addition, for example, patent literature 2 discloses a technique for an industrial equipment control system that allows a tablet computer to access data accumulated in a server via a wireless communication signal transmitter, and transmit an operation command to each of a plurality of programmable controllers. further, there is known a technique for performing a manipulation of a tablet computer by using a dedicated hardware manipulation system. for example, in patent literature 3, it is disclosed that a cradle as an accommodation unit is provided, and electronic equipment is accommodated in the cradle. furthermore, for example, patent literature 4 discloses a technique regarding information processing equipment that includes information processing equipment main body and detachable slave equipment having a network i/f and the like. additionally, for example, patent literature 5 discloses a technique of a cradle detachably provided to a portable device. citation list patent literature patent literature 1: japanese patent application laid-open no. 2002-99310 patent literature 2: japanese patent application laid-open no. 2013-105301 patent literature 3: japanese patent application laid-open no. 2014-106848 patent literature 4: japanese patent application laid-open no. h7-20991 (1995-20991) patent literature 5: japanese patent application laid-open no. 2014-36875 summary of invention technical problem in industrial sites, high reliability in communication is required. in this regard, the technique disclosed in each of patent literature 1 and 2 has a problem that, though the operability is improved by using the tablet computer, reliability in wireless communication is decreased due to the architectural structure of the production site and effects of various devices. in addition, in the tablet computer, since a manipulation on a touch panel is used, a problem arises in that a careless manipulation may be performed or a malfunction may occur. further, in the industrial sites, a problem arises in that it is difficult for an operator to hold the tablet computer with an oily hand or a gloved hand so that a dedicated hardware manipulation system is required. in this regard, each of patent literatures 3 to 5 discloses a technique in which a cradle is attached to electronic equipment. patent literature 5 discloses that the cradle is made easier to hold, and that the cradle is used as a dedicated hardware manipulation system. however, in these techniques, the possibility of occurrence of a malfunction by a careless manipulation on a touch panel is not concerned enough. the invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cradle that is attached to a terminal device and is capable of performing communication with high reliability and preventing a careless manipulation and a malfunction, and a terminal device control method in which the cradle is used. solution to problem a cradle according to the invention is a cradle used with a terminal device by being connected to the terminal device via a connector provided in the terminal device, and the cradle includes: a connector being connectable to the connector provided in the terminal device; a terminal holding part for holding the terminal device; an attachment detection unit for detecting that the terminal device is attached to the terminal holding part; a release detection unit for detecting a release instruction to release manipulation acceptance prohibition of the terminal device; an operation control unit for making, when the attachment detection unit detects the attachment of the terminal device, the terminal device prohibit manipulation acceptance in response to establishment of connection between the connector of the cradle and the connector provided in the terminal device, and when the release detection unit detects the release instruction, making the terminal device release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance such that the operation control unit accepts manipulation information for controlling an automated system from the terminal device; and a manipulation instruction unit for notifying the automated system of the manipulation information accepted by the operation control unit. advantageous effects of invention according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cradle capable of performing communication with high reliability and preventing a careless manipulation and a malfunction, and a terminal device control method that uses the cradle. brief description of drawings fig. 1 is a view for explaining an outline of a system control by a tablet computer (terminal device) attached to a cradle according to an embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 2 is a view showing an outer appearance of the tablet computer according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 3 is a view showing an outer appearance of the cradle according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 4 is a view for explaining a cable arrangement that does not hinder a manipulation display; fig. 5 is a view showing a state in which the tablet computer is attached to the cradle, and the cradle is held by an operator; fig. 6 is a view for explaining the length of a grip of the cradle; figs. 7(a) to 7(c) are views for explaining a space for accommodating a connection cable; fig. 8 is a view showing an example of an electrical configuration when the tablet computer and the cradle are connected via usb connectors, and the cradle and an automated system are connected via connectors in the embodiment 1; fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the cradle according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the cradle in the case where an emergency stop instruction of the automated system by the operator is issued in the embodiment 1; fig. 11 is a view for explaining an outline of the system control by the tablet computer (terminal device) attached to the cradle according to an embodiment 2 of the present invention; and fig. 12 is a view showing an example of an electrical configuration when the tablet computer and the cradle are connected via usb connectors, and the cradle and an automated system are wirelessly connected by a wireless communication system having high reliability in the embodiment 2. description of embodiments in the following, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. embodiment 1 fig. 1 is a view for explaining an outline of system control by a tablet computer 2 (terminal device) attached to a cradle 1 according to an embodiment 1 of the present invention. the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 according to the embodiment 1 and, as shown in fig. 1 , the cradle 1 is used by being connected between the tablet computer 2 and an automated system 3 such as an nc, equipment, or a robot. in the embodiment 1, the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 , and is used as a terminal device of a numerical control (nc) for controlling an electric discharge machine, a laser beam machine, a machining center, a lathe, or the like. in addition, the tablet computer 2 may also be used as a terminal device of an automated manufacturing facility or an automated building management system. further, the tablet computer 2 can also be used as a terminal device that teaches a robot motions. note that, a commercially available device can be used as the tablet computer 2 . an operator controls the automated system 3 by manipulating the tablet computer 2 via the cradle 1 . in the embodiment 1, the cradle 1 and the tablet computer 2 are connected by wired connection, and the cradle 1 and various machines of the automated system 3 are connected by wired connection. thus, by connecting the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 by the wired connection, it is possible to secure communication reliability. fig. 2 is a view showing an outer appearance of the tablet computer 2 according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention. a commercially available tablet computer can be used as the tablet computer 2 . the tablet computer 2 may include a speaker 202 a and a microphone 202 b (here, the speaker 202 a and the microphone 202 b are referred to as an input/output unit 202 ). in the tablet computer 2 , a plurality of applications for controlling the automated system 3 is mounted. a display unit 201 of the tablet computer 2 is a touch panel display that is used for display of various information items such as icons of applications, and various manipulations such as selection and execution of applications. note that a usb connector 203 is provided in the lower part of the tablet computer 2 . tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 are electrically and physically coupled to each other by connecting a usb connector 121 (the detail thereof will be described later) provided at the tip of a connection cable 12 of the cradle 1 to the usb connector 203 . fig. 3 is a view showing an outer appearance of the cradle 1 according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention. the cradle 1 has a housing 100 that is formed by, e.g., plastic molding. the housing 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the direction (z-axis direction) connecting the front and the rear thereof is the longitudinal direction, and the entire housing 100 has a size that allows an adult to hold the housing 100 by his/her single hand. as an example, the housing 100 has a size about the same as the length or width of a human palm. the housing 100 of the cradle 1 is provided with an emergency stop switch 101 , a grip 102 , and an enabling switch 103 . in addition, the cradle 1 is provided with a terminal holding part 104 that includes aback surface supporting part 104 a that supports the tablet computer 2 from its back surface side, an upper bottom fixing part 104 b that fixes the upper bottom of the tablet computer 2 from its upper side, and a lower bottom supporting part 104 c that supports the lower bottom of the tablet computer 2 from its lower side. the tip of the terminal holding part 104 , i.e., the lower bottom supporting part 104 c is provided so as to protrude beyond the lower tip of the housing 100 . in addition, the lower bottom supporting part 104 c is provided with a hole 105 through which the connection cable 12 for connection to the tablet computer 2 is passed when the tablet computer 2 is attached (a state in which the cradle 1 and the tablet computer 2 are connected to each other will be described later with reference to fig. 5 ). the emergency stop switch 101 is provided for stopping a machine of the automated system 3 being a control target. the grip 102 is provided for an operator to hold the cradle 1 . the enabling switch 103 is provided for permitting a manipulation of the tablet computer 2 when the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 . the operator can perform a manipulation of the tablet computer 2 by pressing the enabling switch 103 . in addition, as shown in fig. 4 , the cradle 1 is provided with a connector 131 , a connection cable 13 is connected to the connector 131 , and the other end of the connection cable 13 is connected to the automated system 3 . the connector 131 for the connection cable 13 that connects the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is provided at the end of the cradle 1 closer to the operator, i.e., at the lower tip of the housing 100 . due to such a configuration, the center of gravity is positioned near the side of the operator, and a stable manipulation is allowed without applying an additional load to the operator. in addition, in a case where the cradle 1 is temporarily placed or installed on a stand or a wall, it is possible to prevent the connection cable 13 from overlapping the manipulation display. fig. 5 is a view showing a state in which the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 , and the cradle 1 is held by the operator. the back surface of the tablet computer 2 is held by the terminal supporting part 104 such that it is supported by the back surface supporting part 104 a , the upper bottom thereof is fixed by the upper bottom fixing part 104 b , the lower bottom thereof is supported by the lower bottom supporting part 104 c , and the operator can see the display unit 201 . as shown in fig. 5 , the connection cable 12 provided in the cradle 1 is passed through the hole 105 of the lower bottom supporting part 104 c , the usb connector 121 provided at the tip of the connection cable 12 is connected to the usb connector 203 (see fig. 2 ) provided in the lower part of the tablet computer 2 , and the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 are thereby coupled to each other electrically and physically. note that the connection cable 12 has a connector at the end of the side opposite to the side on which the usb connector 121 is provided, and is electrically coupled to the cradle 1 via the connector. the electric power of the cradle 1 is supplied from a machine of the automated system 3 to which the cradle 1 is connected via a connector 303 (that will be described later with reference to fig. 8 ) of the machine, the connection cable 13 , and the connector 131 of the cradle 1 . the electric power is also supplied to the tablet computer 2 from the cradle 1 via the usb connector 121 (that will be described later with reference to fig. 8 ) and the usb connector 203 . the housing 100 of the cradle 1 may be provided with a power button (not shown). in such a case, when the power button is turned on by the operator, the power is supplied via an ac adaptor that is not shown, and a power supply state is established. the cross-sectional shape of the grip 102 is assumed to be a square of 50 mm×50 mm basically. the grip 102 with this shape fits a hand of the operator, is easy to hold, and the operator can tightly hold the grip 102 . however, as long as the shape fits the hand of the operator and the shape allows the operator to easily hold the grip 102 , the shape of the grip 102 is not limited to the shape described above. the length of the grip 102 is determined as follows: the tablet computer 2 is fixed to the cradle 1 such that, when the grip 102 of the cradle 1 to which the tablet computer 2 is attached is gripped in a state where the tablet computer 2 is held horizontally, the center of gravity of the tablet computer 2 is aligned in the vertical direction with the center of the palm of the operator who grips the grip 102 (see fig. 6 ). note that the center of the palm of the operator who grips the grip 102 may be any position in the vicinity of the center. with this, even when the operator holds the cradle 1 to which the tablet computer 2 is attached for a long period of time, the hand of the operator doesn't get tired. in addition, by fixing the tablet computer 2 to the cradle 1 such that the center of gravity of the tablet computer 2 is aligned in the vertical direction with the vicinity of the palm of the operator, it is possible to reduce the burden of weight by the tablet computer 2 that is felt by the operator. note that, although not shown in the drawing, the grip 102 may also be provided with a hand belt such that the tablet computer 2 attached to the cradle 1 does not fall even when the operator does not keep gripping the grip 102 . in addition, a space 14 for accommodating the connection cable 12 is provided in the cradle 1 such that the connection cable 12 of the cradle 1 for coupling the cradle 1 to the tablet computer 2 does not hinder the manipulation of the tablet computer 2 (see figs. 7(a) and 7(c) ). note that, in figs. 7(a) to 7(c) , though a lid of the space 14 is provided on the left side surface of the cradle 1 , and the lid is opened and closed from below (see fig. 7(b) ), the space 14 for accommodating the connection cable 12 in the cradle 1 may be any configuration and is not limited to the configuration shown in figs. 7a to 7c . in the following, the internal structure and function of each of the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 will be described with reference to fig. 8 . fig. 8 is a view showing an example of an electrical configuration when the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 are connected via the usb connectors 203 and 121 , and the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 are connected via the connectors 131 and 303 in the embodiment 1. the tablet computer 2 includes the usb connector 203 , the display unit 201 , the input/output unit 202 , a manipulation unit 204 , a power reception unit 205 , a control unit 206 , and a manipulation application 207 . the display unit 201 is a touch panel display that performs display of various information items and with which the operator performs various manipulations and settings. the input/output unit 202 outputs sounds such as reproduced music and telephone conversation voice in accordance with the execution of an application mounted on the tablet computer 2 . in addition, the operator can issue a manipulation instruction by voice from the input/output unit 202 . note that, herein, it is assumed that the tablet computer 2 includes the input/output unit 202 , but the tablet computer 2 may not include the input/output unit 202 . the manipulation unit 204 accepts the manipulation input by the operator from the display unit 201 or the input/output unit 202 . the manipulation information accepted by the manipulation unit 204 is transmitted to the control unit 206 , and is transmitted from the control unit 206 to the cradle 1 via the usb connector 203 . the power reception unit 205 receives power supply from the cradle 1 via the usb connector 203 . the control unit 206 controls the tablet computer 2 . for example, the control unit 206 transmits the manipulation information accepted by the manipulation unit 204 to the cradle 1 via the usb connector 203 , and controls the operation of the manipulation application 207 mounted on the tablet computer 2 . the manipulation application 207 has a function to operate the tablet computer 2 . the cradle 1 includes the usb connector 121 , the connector 131 , the enabling switch 103 , an attachment detection unit 106 , a release detection unit 107 , an operation control unit 108 , a manipulation instruction unit 109 , an emergency stop detection unit 110 , a power reception unit 111 , and the emergency stop switch 101 . the cradle 1 is electrically connected to a machine of the automated system 3 that is controlled by the tablet computer 2 via the connectors 131 and 303 . the power reception unit 111 receives the power supply from the machine of the automated system 3 to which the cradle 1 is connected via the connector 303 of the machine of the automated system 3 , the connection cable 13 (see fig. 3 ), and the connector 131 . the power supplied to the power reception unit 111 is also supplied to the tablet computer 2 via the usb connector 121 and the usb connector 203 . the enabling switch 103 is provided for permitting the manipulation of the tablet computer 2 when the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 . the attachment detection unit 106 detects the attachment of the tablet computer 2 to the terminal holding part 104 (see fig. 3 ). for example, a sensor is provided in the terminal holding part 104 , and the attachment detection unit 106 determines that the tablet computer 2 is attached to the terminal holding part 104 in accordance with the detection of the tablet computer 2 by the sensor. in addition, the attachment detection unit 106 can also detect detachment of the tablet computer 2 from the terminal holding part 104 . for example, a sensor is provided in the terminal holding part 104 , and the attachment detection unit 106 determines that the tablet computer 2 is detached from the terminal holding part 104 in accordance with the detection that the sensor does not detect the tablet computer 2 . when the attachment detection unit 106 detects that the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 , the operation control unit 108 transmits a manipulation restriction instruction signal, which makes the display unit 201 prohibit acceptance of a manipulation by the operator, to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 in response to the establishment of the connection to the tablet computer 2 resulting from the connection between the usb connector 121 and the usb connector 203 to thereby make the control unit 206 prohibit a touch panel manipulation. at this point, the operation control unit 108 may transmit the manipulation restriction instruction signal that makes the display unit 201 display a message indicating that the manipulation is prohibited to the control unit 206 . similarly, the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction instruction signal that makes the input/output unit 202 prohibit the manipulation acceptance to the control unit 206 . at this point, the operation control unit 108 may transmit an instruction signal that makes the input/output unit 202 output a sound indicating that the manipulation is prohibited to the control unit 206 . the control unit 206 performs control corresponding to the manipulation restriction instruction signal received from the operation control unit 108 . when the operation control unit 108 receives a release acceptance signal from the release detection unit 107 , the operation control unit 108 transmits a manipulation restriction release signal that makes the display unit 201 release the prohibition of the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 to thereby make the control unit 206 release the prohibition of the touch panel manipulation. that is, the touch panel manipulation by the operator is permitted. at this point, the operation control unit 108 may transmit the manipulation restriction release signal that makes the display unit 201 display a message indicating that the manipulation prohibition is released to the control unit 206 . similarly, the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction release signal that makes the input/output unit 202 release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance to the control unit 206 . at this point, the operation control unit 108 may transmit the manipulation restriction release signal that makes the input/output unit 202 output a sound indicating that the manipulation prohibition is released to the control unit 206 . the control unit 206 performs control corresponding to the manipulation restriction release signal received from the operation control unit 108 . the operation control unit 108 accepts the manipulation information from the manipulation unit 204 of the tablet computer 2 in which the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance has been released via the control unit 206 and the usb connectors 203 and 121 . in addition, it is possible to design the operation control unit 108 as follows: when the operation control unit 108 receives an emergency stop notification from the emergency stop detection unit 110 , the operation control unit 108 makes the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 display a message indicating that the machine of the automated system 3 is in the emergency stop on the display unit 201 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 . further, the operation control unit 108 may be designed such that it makes the control unit 206 output a sound indicating that the machine of the automated system 3 is in the emergency stop by the input/output unit 202 . the release detection unit 107 detects a release instruction of the manipulation prohibition of the tablet computer 2 which is issued in accordance with the pressing of the enabling switch 103 by the operator. subsequently, the release detection unit 107 transmits a release instruction signal to the operation control unit 108 . the manipulation instruction unit 109 receives the manipulation information accepted by the operation control unit 108 from the manipulation unit 204 of the tablet computer 2 via the control unit 206 and the usb connectors 203 and 121 , and notifies a control unit 301 of the machine of the automated system 3 of the manipulation information via the connector 131 and the connector 303 of the automated system 3 . the control unit 301 of the machine of the automated system 3 performs control of various applications 302 in accordance with the manipulation information obtained by the notification. note that the manipulation application 207 is pre-installed in the tablet computer 2 . the manipulation application 207 communicates manipulation information with the various applications 302 of the automated system 3 , and allows the manipulation of the automated system 3 from the tablet computer 2 . the manipulation information includes on/off of the automated system 3 , adjustment of each of parameters, switching of operation modes, or the like. the emergency stop detection unit 110 detects the issue of the emergency stop instruction that stops the machine of the automated system 3 in accordance with the pressing of the emergency stop switch 101 by the operator. when the emergency stop detection unit 110 detects the instruction, the emergency stop detection unit 110 notifies the operation control unit 108 that the emergency stop instruction, which instructs the machine of the automated system 3 to forcibly stop, is issued. fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the cradle 1 according to the embodiment 1 of the present invention. the power reception unit 111 starts the reception of the power from the automated system 3 via the connector 303 of the machine of the automated system 3 and the connector 131 (step st 901 ). when the power supply to the power reception unit 111 is started and the power of the cradle 1 is turned on, initialization is performed and the power is supplied to the cradle 1 from the machine of the automated system 3 . note that the initialization is an initial setting process at power-on of the cradle 1 , and is the process that makes the cradle 1 usable. the power reception unit 111 determines whether or not a connection flag to the automated system 3 is on (step st 902 ). the cradle 1 and the machine of the automated system 3 to be controlled by the operator are electrically coupled to each other by being connected with the connection cable 13 . when the connector 303 of the machine of the automated system 3 and the connector 131 of the cradle 1 are connected and the power is supplied to the cradle 1 , the connection flag to the automated system 3 internally held by the cradle 1 is turned on. thus, in step st 902 , the power reception unit 111 determines whether or not the automated system 3 and the cradle 1 are electrically coupled to each other and the power is supplied by determining whether or not the connection flag to the automated system 3 is turned on. in the case where it is determined that the connection flag to the automated system 3 is not on in step st 902 (in the case of “no” in step st 902 ), the process in step st 902 is repeated. that is, the power reception unit 111 waits until the connector 303 of the machine of the automated system 3 and the connector 131 of the cradle 1 are connected and electrically coupled so that the power is supplied to the cradle 1 . in the case where it is determined that the connection flag to the automated system 3 is on in step st 902 (in the case of “yes” in step st 902 ), the attachment detection unit 106 detects whether or not the tablet computer 2 is attached to the terminal holding part 104 (step st 903 ). specifically, for example, a sensor is provided in the terminal holding part 104 , and the attachment detection unit 106 determines that the tablet computer 2 is attached to the terminal holding part 104 in accordance with the detection of the tablet computer 2 by the sensor. in the case where the tablet computer 2 is not attached to the terminal holding part 104 in step st 903 (in the case of “no” in step st 903 ), the process in step st 903 is repeated. that is, the attachment detection unit 106 waits until the tablet computer 2 is attached to the terminal holding part 104 . in the case where the tablet computer 2 is attached to the terminal holding part 104 in step st 903 (in the case of “yes” in step st 903 ), the power reception unit 111 starts the power supply to the power reception unit 205 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connector 121 and the usb connector 203 of the tablet computer 2 (step st 904 ). when the power supply to the power reception unit 205 is started and the power of the tablet computer 2 is turned on, the initialization of and the power supply to the tablet computer 2 from the cradle 1 are subsequently performed. the power reception unit 111 determines whether or not the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 is on (step st 905 ). the cradle 1 and the tablet computer 2 are electrically and physically coupled to each other by being connected with the connection cable 12 , and the power is supplied to the tablet computer 2 . when the usb connector 203 of the tablet computer 2 and the usb connector 121 of the cradle 1 are connected, the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 internally held by the cradle 1 is turned on, and the power supply to the tablet computer 2 is started. accordingly, in step st 905 , the power reception unit 111 determines whether or not the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 are electrically coupled to each other and the power is supplied to the tablet computer 2 by determining whether or not the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 is on. in the case where it is determined that the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 is not on in step st 905 (in the case of “no” in step st 905 ), the process in step st 905 is repeated. that is, the power reception unit 111 waits until the usb connector 203 of the tablet computer 2 and the usb connector 121 of the cradle 1 are connected and electrically coupled, and the power is supplied to the tablet computer 2 . in the case where it is determined that the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 is on in step st 905 (in the case of “yes” in step st 905 ), the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction instruction signal that makes the display unit 201 restrict the touch panel manipulation, i.e., prohibit the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 (step st 906 ). the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 receives the manipulation restriction instruction signal, and performs the control of the screen that prohibits the acceptance of the manipulation on the display unit 201 by the operator. note that, at this point, in the case where the tablet computer 2 has the input/output unit 202 , the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction instruction signal that makes the input/output unit 202 prohibit voice input or the like to the control unit 206 . in addition, at this point, the operation control unit 108 may be designed to make the control unit 206 display a message indicating that the manipulation is prohibited on the display unit 201 , and also make the control unit 206 output a sound indicating that the manipulation is prohibited from the input/output unit 202 . the release detection unit 107 detects whether or not the release instruction of the prohibition of the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator is issued (step st 907 ). the enabling switch 103 is provided for the permission of the manipulation of the tablet computer 2 . namely, the operator can release the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance in the tablet computer 2 by pressing the enabling switch 103 . in step st 907 , the release detection unit 107 detects whether or not the enabling switch 103 is pressed to thereby determine whether or not the release instruction of the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance is issued. in the case where it is determined that the release instruction of the prohibition of the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator is not issued in step st 907 (in the case of “no” in step st 907 ), the process in step st 907 is repeated. that is, the release detection unit 107 waits until the release instruction of the prohibition of the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator is issued. note that, during the waiting period, the touch panel manipulation of the display unit 201 of the tablet computer 2 is kept to be restricted. that is, the manipulation acceptance of the tablet computer 2 is kept to be prohibited. in the case where it is determined that the release instruction of the prohibition of the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator is issued in step st 907 (in the case of “yes” in step st 907 ), the release detection unit 107 notifies the operation control unit 108 of the detection of the release instruction of the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance (step st 908 ). specifically, for example, a manipulation restriction flag is held inside the cradle 1 , and the manipulation restriction flag is turned on when the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction instruction signal to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 (step st 906 ). in the case where the release detection unit 107 detects the pressing of the enabling switch by the operator (step st 907 ), the release detection unit 107 notifies the operation control unit 108 of the detection of the release instruction of the prohibition of the manipulation acceptance by turning off the manipulation restriction flag (step st 908 ). when the manipulation restriction flag is turned off in step st 908 , the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction release signal that makes the display unit 201 release the restriction of the touch panel manipulation, i.e., permit the acceptance of the manipulation by the operator to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 (step st 909 ). the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 receives the manipulation restriction release signal, and performs the control of the screen that permits the acceptance of the manipulation on the display unit 201 by the operator. with this, the manipulation of the tablet computer 2 is allowed, and it becomes possible for the operator to perform the manipulation for controlling the automated system 3 from the display unit of the tablet computer 2 . note that, in the case where the tablet computer 2 has the input/output unit 202 and the manipulation restriction instruction signal for making the input/output unit 202 prohibit the voice input or the like was also transmitted, the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction release signal to the control unit 206 for controlling also the input/output unit 202 . with this, it becomes possible for the operator to perform the manipulation for controlling the automated system 3 also from the input/output unit 202 of the tablet computer 2 . in addition, at this point, the operation control unit 108 may be designed to make the control unit 206 perform control of the display unit 201 to display a message indicating that the prohibition of the manipulation is released, and also make the control unit 206 perform control of the input/output unit 202 to output a sound indicating that the prohibition of the manipulation is released. the operation control unit 108 determines whether or not the operation control unit 108 has received the manipulation information from the manipulation unit 204 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 and the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 (step st 910 ). when the manipulation of the tablet computer 2 by the operator is allowed as the result of step st 909 , the operator performs the manipulation for controlling the automated system 3 using the tablet computer 2 . when the manipulation for controlling the automated system 3 by the operator is input from the display unit 201 of the tablet computer 2 or the input/output unit 202 thereof, the manipulation unit 204 of the tablet computer 2 accepts the manipulation. subsequently, the manipulation unit 204 notifies the operation control unit 108 of the cradle 1 of the manipulation information which indicates the accepted manipulation via the control unit 206 . in step st 910 , the operation control unit 108 determines whether or not the operation control unit 108 has received the manipulation information, i.e., the control of the automated system 3 is performed by manipulating the tablet computer 2 by the operator. in the case where the operation control unit 108 has not received the manipulation information in step st 910 (in the case of “no” in step st 910 ), the process in step st 910 is repeated. that is, the operation control unit 108 waits until the tablet computer 2 is manipulated by the operator and the operation control unit 108 is notified of the manipulation information from the manipulation unit 204 . in the case where the operation control unit 108 has received the manipulation information in step st 910 (in the case of “yes” in step st 910 ), the operation control unit 108 notifies the manipulation instruction unit 109 of the received manipulation information, and the manipulation instruction unit 109 notifies the control unit 301 of the machine of the automated system 3 of the manipulation information via the connectors 131 and 303 (step st 911 ). in the machine of the automated system 3 , the control unit 301 performs control on the various applications 302 in accordance with the manipulation information. with this, it becomes possible to perform the control of the automated system 3 corresponding to the manipulation input to the tablet computer 2 by the operator. the power reception unit 111 determines whether or not the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 or the connection flag to the automated system 3 is tuned off (step st 912 ). in the case where the connection flag to the tablet computer 2 or the connection flag to the automated system 3 is turned off in step st 912 (in the case of “yes” in step st 912 ), i.e., in the case where the connection between the cradle 1 and the tablet computer 2 or the connection between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is disconnected, an operation stop process is performed (step st 913 ). specifically, the power reception unit 111 stops the power supply to the cradle 1 . in addition, the operation control unit 108 may be designed as follows: in the case where the connection between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is disconnected in the state in which the cradle 1 and the tablet computer 2 are connected, in response to the power supply stop, the operation control unit 108 makes the display unit 201 of the tablet computer 2 perform control of displaying information which indicates the disconnection of the connection to the automated system 3 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 . in the case where the tablet computer 2 has the input/output unit 202 , the operation control unit 108 may make the input/output unit 202 perform control of outputting the sound indicating that the connection to the automated system 3 is disconnected. note that, herein, it is determined whether or not the connection flag between the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 is turned on (step st 905 ) after the attachment of the tablet computer 2 to the cradle 1 is detected (step t 903 ), but the invention is not limited thereto, and it may be detected whether or not the tablet computer 2 is attached to the cradle 1 after it is determined whether or not the connection flag between the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 is turned on. in addition, it is possible for the operator to stop the operation of the automated system 3 at any time by pressing the emergency stop switch 101 of the cradle 1 without requiring the pressing of the enabling switch 103 . fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the cradle 1 in the case where the emergency stop instruction of the automated system 3 is issued based on the operator's manipulation in the embodiment 1. the emergency stop detection unit 110 of the cradle 1 detects whether or not the emergency stop switch 101 is pressed by the operator (step st 1001 ). that is, the emergency stop detection unit 110 detects whether or not the emergency stop instruction of the operation of the automated system 3 is issued based on the operator's manipulation. in the case where the emergency stop detection unit 110 does not detect the pressing of the emergency stop switch 101 in step st 1001 (in the case of “no” in step st 1001 ), the emergency stop detection unit 110 repeats the process in step st 1001 , and waits for the emergency stop instruction. in the case where the emergency stop detection unit 110 detects the pressing of the emergency stop switch 101 in step st 1001 (in the case of “yes” in step st 1001 ), the emergency stop detection unit 110 notifies the operation control unit 108 of the detection of the emergency stop instruction. specifically, for example, the cradle 1 holds an emergency stop flag internally and, when the emergency stop detection unit 110 detects the pressing of the emergency stop switch 101 , the emergency stop detection unit 110 notifies the operation control unit 108 of the detection of the emergency stop instruction by turning on the emergency stop flag (step st 1002 ). when the emergency stop flag is turned on in step st 1002 , the operation control unit 108 detects turning on of the emergency stop flag, and transmits the manipulation information that instructs the manipulation instruction unit 109 to emergently stop the automated system 3 . the manipulation instruction unit 109 notifies the control unit 301 of the machine of the automated system 3 of the manipulation information that issues the instruction to emergently stop the operation via the connectors 131 and 303 (step st 1003 ). in addition, the operation control unit 108 transmits the manipulation restriction instruction signal to the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 via the usb connectors 121 and 203 (step st 1004 ). with this, the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 controls the display unit 201 to prohibit the manipulation by the tablet computer 2 . in addition, at this point, the operation control unit 108 may be designed to make the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 perform control of displaying a message indicating that the automated system 3 is forcibly stopped on the display unit 201 , and also make the control unit 206 of the tablet computer 2 perform control of outputting a sound indicating that the automated system 3 is forcibly stopped from the input/output unit 202 in the case where the tablet computer 2 has the input/output unit 202 . note that, when the manipulation restriction instruction signal is transmitted, the operation control unit 108 turns on the manipulation restriction flag that is held internally by the cradle 1 . note that, herein, in the case where the emergency stop instruction is issued, the manipulation on the tablet computer 2 is prohibited, and the tablet computer 2 is controlled to display the information or output the sound indicating the emergency stop of the automated system 3 (step st 1004 ), but any of the above processes may not be performed. as described above, since the emergency stop switch 101 is provided in the cradle 1 and the manipulation of the emergency stop does not require the pressing of the enabling switch 103 , it is possible to quickly stop the machine of the automated system 3 even when an unexpected situation occurs. the emergency stop flag is turned on in step st 1002 . this flag is set to be turned off after the automated system 3 is emergently stopped, e.g., in the initialization when the operation is resumed. thus, according to the embodiment 1, it is possible to improve communication reliability, prevent a situation in which the automated system 3 does not operate even when the manipulation is performed, and prevent a decrease in productivity. in addition, the touch panel manipulation of the terminal device (tablet computer 2 ) is available only when the enabling switch 103 is pressed and the manipulation restriction release is accepted, and hence it is possible to accept only an intentional manipulation and eliminate a careless manipulation, malfunction, or the like. further, even in the case where the operator drops the terminal device by mistake or an unexpected trouble happens to the operator so that it becomes impossible to use the terminal device suddenly, a careless input can be prevented and it is possible to eliminate the malfunction. the grip shape of the cradle 1 is formed to fit the operator's hand, and hence it is possible for the operator to easily handle the cradle 1 . in addition, since the manipulation of the emergency stop does not require the pressing of the enabling switch 103 , it is possible to quickly stop the machine of the automated system 3 even when an unexpected situation occurs. embodiment 2 in the embodiment 1, the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 are connected by wire. in the following, an embodiment 2 in which the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 are wirelessly connected will be described. fig. 11 is a view for explaining an outline of the system control by the tablet computer 2 (terminal device) attached to the cradle 1 according to the embodiment 2 of the present invention. the system control is different from that explained with reference to fig. 1 in the embodiment 1 only in that the connection between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is wireless connection by a wireless communication system having high reliability. note that, by connecting the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 using the wireless connection by the wireless communication system having high reliability, it is possible to provide a communication environment having reliability higher than that of the wireless connection between a commercially available tablet computer and the automated system 3 . the other characteristics are the same as those of the control system explained with reference to fig. 1 , and hence the redundant description thereof will be omitted. the outer appearance of the tablet computer 2 according to the embodiment 2 is the same as that explained with reference to fig. 2 in the embodiment 1, and hence the redundant description thereof will be omitted. the outer appearance of the cradle 1 according to the embodiment 2 is different from that explained with reference to fig. 3 in the embodiment 1 only in that the cradle 1 does not have the connection cable 13 , and hence the depiction and the redundant description thereof will be omitted. fig. 12 is a view showing an example of the electrical configuration when the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 are connected via the use connectors 121 and 203 and the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 are wirelessly connected by the wireless communication system having high reliability in the embodiment 2. the electrical configuration of each of the tablet computer 2 and the cradle 1 is the same as that explained with reference to fig. 8 in the embodiment 1, and hence the redundant description thereof will be omitted. as shown in fig. 12 , the embodiment 2 is different from the embodiment 1 in that a rechargeable battery 113 that is accommodated in the cradle 1 so as to be replaceable is provided, and the power reception unit 111 receives power supply from the battery 113 . in addition, the embodiment 2 is different from the embodiment 1 in that the communication between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is performed not via the connectors 131 and 303 but via communication units 112 and 304 . the communication unit 112 of the cradle 1 establishes wireless communication between the communication unit 112 and the communication unit 304 of the automated system 3 , and performs the wireless communication. note that a high-reliability wireless connection method is assumed to be used in the wireless communication between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 in the embodiment 2, and the high-reliability wireless connection method is realized by using a technique such as a specified low power radio communication whose radio wave reliability is higher than that of the wireless lan, has low power consumption, and has small radio interference. thus, by adopting the wireless communication system having high reliability, it is possible to improve communication reliability. in addition, in the embodiment 2, as described above, the battery 113 is provided in the cradle 1 , and the tablet computer 2 also receives the power supply from the battery 113 , and hence the long use of the tablet computer 2 is allowed, and the possibility of occurrence of an unexpected shutdown or the like is decreased. from this point of view as well, it is possible to improve the communication reliability. the operation of the cradle 1 in the embodiment 2 is different from that in the embodiment 1 only in that the communication between the cradle 1 and the automated system 3 is performed via the communication units 112 and 304 and it is determined whether or not the connection therebetween is established in accordance with whether or not the wireless communication using the communication units 112 and 304 is established, and the other operations are the same as those explained with reference to figs. 9 and 10 in the embodiment 1, and hence the redundant description thereof will be omitted. thus, according to the embodiment 2, similarly to the embodiment 1, it is possible to improve the communication reliability, prevent the situation in which the automated system 3 does not operate even when the manipulation is performed, and prevent the decrease in productivity. in addition, since the touch panel manipulation of the terminal device (tablet computer 2 ) is available only when the release of the manipulation restriction is accepted in accordance with the pressing of the enabling switch 103 , it is possible to accept only the intentional manipulation and eliminate a careless manipulation and a malfunction. in addition, even in the case where the operator drops the terminal device by mistake or an unexpected trouble happens to the operator so that it becomes impossible to use the terminal device suddenly, a careless input can be prevented and it is possible to eliminate the malfunction. further, the grip shape of the cradle 1 is formed to fit the operator's hand, and hence it is possible for the operator to easily handle the cradle 1 . in addition, since the manipulation of the emergency stop does not require the pressing of the enabling switch 103 , it is possible to quickly stop the machine of the automated system 3 even when an unexpected situation occurs. it is possible to freely combine the embodiments, modify any components of the embodiments, or omit any components in the embodiments within the scope of the invention of the present application. the individual units used in the control of the cradle 1 in each of the embodiments 1 and 2 are executed as program processing based on software by the cpu. note that, in the embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention, the cradle 1 has the configurations shown in figs. 8 and 12 , respectively, and the cradle 1 can achieve the effects described above by including the usb connector 121 , the terminal holding part 104 , the attachment detection unit 106 , the release detection unit 107 , the operation control unit 108 , and the manipulation instruction unit 109 . industrial applicability the cradle according to the invention is configured so as to be capable of performing the communication having high reliability and preventing the careless manipulation and the malfunction, and hence it is possible to apply the present invention to the cradle to which the terminal device such as the tablet computer that monitors and controls a system is attached. reference signs list 1 : cradle2 : tablet computer3 : automated system12 , 13 : connection cable100 : housing101 : emergency stop switch102 : grip103 : enabling switch104 : terminal holding part105 : hole106 : attachment detection unit107 : release detection unit108 : operation control unit109 : manipulation instruction unit110 : emergency stop detection unit111 , 205 : power reception unit112 , 304 : communication unit113 : battery121 , 203 : usb connector131 , 303 : connector201 : display unit202 : input/output unit204 : manipulation unit206 , 301 : control unit207 : manipulation application302 : various applications

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.