In preferred embodiments, a cryptographic device in which two key sets are stored: a normal key set (typically unique to the device) and a test key set (typically used by each of a relatively large number of devices). The device uses the normal key set in a normal operating mode and uses the test key set in at least one test mode which can be a built-in self test mode. Alternatively, the device stores test data (e.g., an intermediate result of an authentication exchange) in addition to or instead of the test key set. In other embodiments, the invention is a cryptographic device including a cache memory which caches a portion of a key set for performing an authentication exchange and/or at least one authentication value generated during an authentication exchange. Other embodiments of the invention are systems including devices that embody the invention and methods that can be performed by systems or devices that embody the invention.

Various serial links for transmitting encrypted or non-encrypted data are well known. One conventional serial link, used primarily in consumer electronics (e.g., for high-speed transmission of video data from a set-top box to a television set) or for high-speed transmission of video data from a host processor (e.g., a personal computer) to a monitor, is known as a transition minimized differential signaling interface ("TMDS" link). The characteristics of a TMDS link include the following:
1. video data are encoded and then transmitted as encoded words (each 8-bit word of digital video data is converted to an encoded 10-bit word before transmission);                a. the encoding determines a set of "in-band" words and a set of "out-of-band" words (the encoder can generate only "in-band" words in response to video data, although it can generate "out-of-band" words in response to control or sync signals. Each in-band word is an encoded word resulting from encoding of one input video data word. All words transmitted over the link that are not in-band words are "out-of-band" words);        b. the encoding of video data is performed such that the in-band words are transition minimized (a sequence of in-band words has a reduced or minimized number of transitions);        c. the encoding of video data is performed such that the in-band words are DC balanced (the encoding prevents each transmitted voltage waveform that is employed to transmit a sequence of in-band words from deviating by more than a predetermined threshold value from a reference potential. Specifically, the tenth bit of each "in-band" word indicates whether eight of the other nine bits thereof have been inverted during the encoding process to correct for an imbalance between running counts of ones and zeroes in the stream of previously encoded data bits);
2. the encoded video data and a video clock signal are transmitted as differential signals (the video clock and encoded video data are transmitted as differential signals over conductor pairs);
3. three conductor pairs are employed to transmit the encoded video, and a fourth conductor pair is employed to transmit the video clock signal; and
4. signal transmission occurs in one direction, from a transmitter (typically associated with a desktop or portable computer, or other host) to a receiver (typically an element of a monitor or other display device).
A use of the TMDS serial link is the "Digital Visual Interface" interface ("DVI" link) adopted by the Digital Display Working Group. It will be described with reference to FIG. 1. A DVI link can be implemented to include two TMDS links (which share a common conductor pair for transmitting a video clock signal) or one TMDS link, as well as additional control lines between the transmitter and receiver. The DVI link of FIG. 1 includes transmitter 1, receiver 3, and the following conductors between the transmitter and receiver: four conductor pairs (Channel 0, Channel 1, and Channel 2 for video data, and Channel C for a video clock signal), Display Data Channel ("DDC") lines for bidirectional communication between the transmitter and a monitor associated with the receiver in accordance with the conventional Display Data Channel standard (the Video Electronics Standard Association's "Display Data Channel Standard," Version 2, Rev. 0, dated Apr. 9, 1996), a Hot Plug Detect (HPD) line (on which the monitor transmits a signal that enables a processor associated with the transmitter to identify the monitor's presence), Analog lines (for transmitting analog video to the receiver), and Power lines (for providing DC power to the receiver and a monitor associated with the receiver). The Display Data Channel standard specifies a protocol for bidirectional communication between a transmitter and a monitor associated with a receiver, including transmission by the monitor of an Extended Display Identification ("EDID") message that specifies various characteristics of the monitor, and transmission by the transmitter of control signals for the monitor. Transmitter 1 includes three identical encoder/serializer units (units 2, 4, and 6) and additional circuitry (not shown). Receiver 3 includes three identical recovery/decoder units (units 8, 10, and 12) and inter-channel alignment circuitry 14 connected as shown, and additional circuitry (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 1, circuit 2 encodes the data to be transmitted over Channel 0, and serializes the encoded bits. Similarly, circuit 4 encodes the data to be transmitted over Channel 1 (and serializes the encoded bits), and circuit 6 encodes the data to be transmitted over Channel 2 (and serializes the encoded bits). Each of circuits 2, 4, and 6 responds to a control signal (an active high binary control signal referred to as a "data enable" or "DE" signal) by selectively encoding either digital video words (in response to DE having a high value) or a control or synchronization signal pair (in response to DE having a low value). Each of encoders 2, 4, and 6 receives a different pair of control or synchronization signals: encoder 2 receives horizontal and vertical synchronization signals (HSYNC and VSYNC); encoder 4 receives control bits CTL0 and CTL1; and encoder 6 receives control bits CTL2 and CTL3. Thus, each of encoders 2, 4, and 6 generates in-band words indicative of video data (in response to DE having a high value), encoder 2 generates out-of-band words indicative of the values of HSYNC and VSYNC (in response to DE having a low value), encoder 4 generates out-of-band words indicative of the values of CTL0 and CTL1 (in response to DE having a low value), and encoder 6 generates out-of-band words indicative of the values of CTL2 and CTL3 (in response to DE having a low value). In response to DE having a low value, each of encoders 4 and 6 generates one of four specific out-of-band words indicative of the values 00, 01, 10, or 11, respectively, of control bits CTL0 and CTL1 (or CTL2 and CTL3).
It has been proposed to use the cryptographic protocol known as the "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection" ("HDCP") protocol to encrypt digital video to be transmitted over a DVI link and to decrypt the data at the DVI receiver. The HDCP protocol is described in the document "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection System," Revision 1.0, dated February 17, 2000, by Intel Corporation, and the document "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection System Revision 1.0 Erratum," dated Mar. 19, 2001, by Intel Corporation. The full text of both of these documents is incorporated herein by reference.
Another serial link is the proposed "High Definition Multimedia Interface" interface ("HDMI" link) being developed Silicon Image, Inc., Matsushita Electric, Royal Philips Electronics, Sony Corporation, Thomson Multimedia, Toshiba Corporation, and Hitachi.
A DVI (or HDMI-compliant) transmitter implementing the HDCP protocol asserts a stream of pseudo-randomly generated 24-bit words, known as cout[23:0], during each active period (i.e. when DE is high). In a DVI-compliant system, each active period is an active video period. In an HDMI-compliant system, each active period is a period in which video, audio, or other data are transmitted. Each 24-bit word of the cout data is "Exclusive Ored" (in logic circuitry in the transmitter) with a 24-bit word of RGB video data input to the transmitter, in order to encrypt the video data. The encrypted data are then encoded (according to the TMDS standard) for transmission. The same sequence of cout words is also generated in the receiver. After the encoded and encrypted data received at the receiver undergo TMDS decoding, the cout data are processed together with the decoded video in logic circuitry in order to decrypt the decoded data and recover the original input video data.
Before the transmitter begins to transmit HDCP encrypted, encoded video data, the transmitter and receiver communicate bidirectionally with each other to execute an authentication protocol (to verify that the receiver is authorized to receive protected content, and to establish shared secret values for use in encryption of input data and decryption of transmitted encrypted data). More specifically, each of the transmitter and the receiver is preprogrammed (e.g., at the factory) with a 40-bit word known as a key selection vector, and an array of forty 56-bit private keys. To initiate the first part of an authentication exchange between the transmitter and receiver, the transmitter asserts its key selection vector (known as "AKSV"), and a pseudo-randomly generated session value ("An") to the receiver. In response, the receiver sends its key selection vector (known as "BKSV") and a repeater bit (indicating whether the receiver is a repeater) to the transmitter, and the receiver also implements a predetermined algorithm using "AKSV" and the receiver's array of forty private keys to calculate a secret value ("Km"). In response to the value "BKSV" from the receiver, the transmitter implements the same algorithm using the value "BKSV" and the transmitter's array of forty private keys to calculate the same secret value ("Km") as does the receiver.
Each of the transmitter and the receiver then uses the shared value "Km," the session value "An," and the repeater bit to calculate a shared secret value (the session key "Ks"), a value ("R0") for use in determining whether the authentication is successful, and a value ("M0") for use during a second part of the authentication exchange. The second part of the authentication exchange is performed only if the repeater bit indicates that the receiver is a repeater, to determine whether the status of one or more downstream devices coupled to the repeater requires revocation of the receiver's authentication.
After the first part of the authentication exchange, and (if the second part of the authentication exchange is performed) if the receiver's key selection vector is not revoked as a result of the second part of the authentication exchange, each of the transmitter and the receiver generates a 56-bit frame key Ki (for initiating the encryption or decrypting a frame of video data), an initialization value Mi, and a value Ri used for link integrity verification. The Ki, Mi, and Ri values are generated in response to a control signal (identified as "ctl3" in FIG. 2), which is received at the appropriate circuitry in the transmitter, and is also sent by the transmitter to the receiver, during each vertical blanking period, when DE is low. As shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 2, the control signal "ctl3" is a single high-going pulse. In response to the Ki, Mi, and Ri values, each of the transmitter and receiver generates a sequence of pseudo-randomly generated 24-bit words cout[23:0]. Each 24-bit word of the cout data generated by the transmitter is "Exclusive Ored" (in logic circuitry in the transmitter) with a 24-bit word of a frame of video data (to encrypt the video data). Each 24-bit word of the cout data generated by the receiver is "Exclusive Ored" (in logic circuitry in the receiver) with a 24-bit word of the first received frame of encrypted video data (to decrypt this encrypted video data). The 24-bit words cout[23:0] generated by the transmitter are content encryption keys (for encrypting a line of input video data), and the 24-bit words cout[23:0] generated by the receiver are content decryption keys (for decrypting a received and decoded line of encrypted video data).
During each horizontal blanking interval (in response to each falling edge of the data enable signal DE) following assertion of the control signal ctl3, the transmitter performs a rekeying operation and the receiver performs the same rekeying operation to change (in a predetermined manner) the cout data words to be asserted during the next active video period. This continues until the next vertical blanking period, when the control signal ctl3 is again asserted to cause each of the transmitter and the receiver to calculate a new set of Ki and Mi values (with the index "i" being incremented in response to each assertion of the control signal ctl3). The Ri value is updated once every 128 frames. Actual encryption of input video data or decryption of received, decoded video data (or encryption of input video, audio, or other data, or decryption of received, decoded video, audio, or other data, in the case of an HDMI-compliant system) is performed, using the cout data words generated in response to the latest set of Ks, Ki and Mi values, only when DE is high (not during vertical or horizontal blanking intervals).
Each of the transmitter and receiver includes an HDCP cipher circuit (sometimes referred to herein as an "HDCP cipher") of the type shown in FIG. 3. The HDCP cipher includes linear feedback shift register (LFSR) module 80, block module 81 coupled to the output of LFSR module 80, and output module 82 coupled to an output of block module 81. LFSR module 80 is employed to re-key block module 81 in response to each assertion of an enable signal (the signal "ReKey" shown in FIG. 3), using the session key (Ks) and the current frame key (Ki). Block module 81 generates (and provides to module 80) the key Ks at the start of a session and generates (and applies to module 80) a new value of key Ki at the start of each frame of video data (in response to a rising edge of the control signal "ctl3," which occurs in the first vertical blanking interval of a frame). The signal "ReKey" is asserted to the FIG. 3 circuit at each falling edge of the DE signal (i.e., at the start of each vertical and each horizontal blanking interval), and at the end of a brief initialization period (during which module 81 generates an updated value of the frame key Ki) after each rising edge of signal "ctl3."
Module 80 consists of four linear feedback shift registers (having different lengths) and combining circuitry coupled to the shift registers and configured to assert a single output bit per clock interval to block module 81 during each of a fixed number of clock cycles (e.g., 56 cycles) commencing on each assertion of the signal "ReKey" when DE is low (i.e., in the horizontal blanking interval of each line of video data). This output bit stream is employed by block module 81 to re-key itself just prior to the start of transmission or reception of each line of video data.
Block module 81 comprises two halves, "Round Function K" and "Round Function B," as shown in FIG. 4. Round Function K includes 28-bit registers Kx, Ky, and Kz, seven S-Boxes (each a 4 input bit by 4 output bit S-Box including a look-up table) collectively labeled "S-Box K" in FIG. 4, and linear transformation unit K, connected as shown. Round Function B includes 28-bit registers Bx, By, and Bz, seven S-Boxes (each a 4 input bit by 4 output bit S-Box including a look-up table) collectively labeled "S-Box B" in FIG. 4, and linear transformation unit B, connected as shown. Round Function K and Round Function B are similar in design, but Round Function K performs one round of a block cipher per clock cycle to assert a different pair of 28-bit round keys (Ky and Kz) each clock cycle in response to the output of LFSR module 80, and Round Function B performs one round of a block cipher per clock cycle, in response to each 28-bit round key Ky from Round Function K and the output of LFSR module 80, to assert a different pair of 28-bit round keys (By and Bz) each clock cycle. The transmitter generates value An at the start of the authentication protocol and the receiver responds to it during the authentication procedure. The value An is used to randomize the session key. Block module 81 operates in response to the authentication value (An), and the initialization value (Mi) which is updated by output module 82 at the start of each frame (at each rising edge of the control signal "ctl3").
Each of linear transformation units K and B outputs 56 bits per clock cycle. These output bits are the combined outputs of eight diffusion networks in each transformation unit. Each diffusion network of linear transformation unit K produces seven output bits in response to seven of the current output bits of registers Ky and Kz. Each of four of the diffusion networks of linear transformation unit B produces seven output bits in response to seven of the current output bits of registers By, Bz, and Ky, and each of the four other diffusion networks of linear transformation unit B produces seven output bits in response to seven of the current output bits of registers By and Bz.
In Round Function K, one bit of register Ky takes its input from the bit stream asserted by module 80 when the ReKey signal is asserted. In Round Function B, one bit of register By takes its input from the bit stream asserted by module 80 when the ReKey signal is asserted.
Output module 82 performs a compression operation on the 28-bit keys (By, Bz, Ky and Kz) asserted to it (a total of 112 bits) by module 81 during each clock cycle, to generate one 24-bit block of pseudo-random bits cout[23:0] per clock cycle. Each of the 24 output bits of module 82 consists of the exclusive OR ("XOR") of nine terms as follows: (B0*K0)+(B1*K1)+(B2*K2)+(B3*K3)+(B4*K4)+(B5*K5)+(B6*K6)+(B7)+(K7), where "*" denotes a logical AND operation and "+" denotes a logical XOR operation.
In the transmitter, logic circuitry 83 (shown in FIG. 3) receives each 24-bit word of cout data and each input 24-bit RGB video data word, and performs a bitwise XOR operation thereon in order to encrypt the video data, thereby generating a word of the "data_encrypted" data indicated in FIG. 3. Typically, the encrypted data subsequently undergoes TMDS encoding before it is transmitted to a receiver. In the receiver, logic circuitry 83 (shown in FIG. 3) receives each 24-bit block of cout data and each recovered 24-bit RGB video data word (after the recovered data has undergone TMDS decoding), and performs a bitwise XOR operation thereon in order to decrypt the recovered video data.
Throughout the specification the expression "TMDS-like link" will be used to denote a serial link capable of transmitting encoded data (e.g., encoded digital video data) and a clock for the encoded data, from a transmitter to a receiver, and also capable of transmitting (bidirectionally or unidirectionally) one or more additional signals (e.g., encoded digital audio data or other encoded data) between the transmitter and receiver, that is or includes either a TMDS link or a link having some but not all of the characteristics of a TMDS link. Examples of TMDS-like links include links that differ from TMDS links only by encoding data as N-bit code words (where N 10, and thus are not 10-bit TMDS code words) and links that differ from TMDS links only by transmitting encoded video over more than three or less than three conductor pairs. Some TMDS-like links encode input video data (and other data) to be transmitted into encoded words comprising more bits than the incoming data using a coding algorithm other than the specific algorithm used in a TMDS link, and transmit the encoded video data as in-band characters and the other encoded data as out-of-band characters (HDMI-compliant systems encode audio data for transmission according to an encoding scheme that differs from the encoding scheme employed for video data). The characters need not be classified as in-band or out-of-band characters based according to whether they satisfy transition minimization and DC balance criteria. Rather, other classification criteria could be used. An example of an encoding algorithm, other than that used in a TMDS link but which could be used in a TMDS-like link, is IBM 8b10b coding. The classification (between in-band and out-of-band characters) need not be based on just a high or low number of transitions. For example, the number of transitions of each of the in-band and out-of-band characters could (in some embodiments) be in a single range (e.g., a middle range defined by a minimum and a maximum number of transitions).
The expression "cryptographic device" is used herein to denote a device that includes a cipher engine, where the cipher engine is configured to use at least one key to encrypt content or to decrypt encrypted content. Typical cryptographic devices that embody the invention are transmitters and receivers. The term "transmitter" is used herein in a broad sense to denote any unit capable of transmitting data over a link and optionally also encoding and/or encrypting the data to be transmitted. The term "receiver" is used herein in a broad sense to denote any unit capable of receiving data that has been transmitted over a link (and optionally also decoding and/or decrypting the received data). Unless otherwise specified, a link can but need not be a TMDS-like link or other serial link. The term transmitter can denote a transceiver that performs the functions of a receiver as well as the functions of a transmitter.
The expression "content key" is used herein to denote data (sometimes referred to herein as a "content encryption" key) that can be used by a cryptographic device to encrypt content (e.g., video, audio, or other content), or to denote data (sometimes referred to herein as a "content decryption" key) that can be used by a cryptographic device to decrypt encrypted content.
The term "key" is used herein to denote a content key, or data that can be used by a cryptographic device to generate or otherwise obtain (in accordance with a content protection protocol) a content key. The expressions "key" and "key data" are used interchangeably herein. The term "key set" denotes one key or more than one key.
The term "stream" of data, as used herein, denotes that all the data are of the same type and are transmitted with the same clock frequency. The term "channel," as used herein, refers to that portion of a link that is employed to transmit data (e.g., a particular conductor or conductor pair between the transmitter and receiver over which the data are transmitted, and specific circuitry within the transmitter and/or receiver used for transmitting and/or recovery of the data) and to the technique employed to transmit the data over the link.
Until the present invention, cryptographic devices that implement the conventional HDCP protocol (and other cryptographic devices that use "unique" key sets, in the sense that each device uses a key set that is used by no other device, or only by a small number of devices) have been difficult to test. The results of successfully testing each such device (e.g., by encrypting or decrypting known data using the device's key set and/or performing an authentication exchange with the device) will vary from device to device. Also, cryptographic devices that use unique key sets are often implemented as integrated circuits in which the key sets are stored in non-volatile memory (which adds greatly to the cost of manufacturing the devices). Another difficulty in testing an integrated circuit implementation of a cryptographic device (of the type that uses a unique key set) arises because some (or some aspects) of the device's internal states must be kept confidential to avoid releasing cryptographically sensitive information. This limits visibility and thus testability.
Also until the present invention, authentication exchanges between cryptographic devices that implement the conventional HDCP protocol (and other cryptographic devices that use unique key sets) had been time-consuming or had required expensive random access memory (RAM) to store a key set. In a typical integrated circuit implementation of such a cryptographic device, a key set (e.g., a key selection vector to be sent to another device during an authentication exchange, and a private key array to be employed with a key selection vector received from another device to calculate a secret value "Km") is stored in non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., EEPROM or flash memory). During each authentication exchange, the stored key set must be read from the non-volatile memory and stored in RAM within the chip, or the key set read from the non-volatile memory must be employed to perform the necessary calculations on the fly (without storing the key set in RAM). When the key set read from the non-volatile memory was stored in RAM, a large RAM had typically been required which added significantly to the cost and complexity of the device. When the key set read from non-volatile memory was used to perform the calculations on the fly, a read cycle (which is typically very slow) had to be performed every time an authentication was performed (to read the key set from the non-volatile memory). One of the most time-consuming steps of the latter type of conventionally implemented authentication exchange had been the step of reading the required key set from non-volatile semiconductor memory.
It has been proposed to implement a cryptographic device to reduce the time required for HDCP authentication exchanges by reading the required key set from non-volatile semiconductor memory just once (e.g., when the device performs its first authentication exchange) and caching the key set in RAM. Subsequent authentication exchanges employ the cached key set instead of retrieving the key set from non-volatile memory. However, such a technique has the disadvantage of allocating a significant amount of RAM for use only as a key set cache memory, thus reducing the amount of RAM available for other purposes or requiring use of RAM having significantly larger capacity than would otherwise be needed.
The present invention (to be described below) greatly reduces or eliminates the above-noted limitations and disadvantages of the designs and methods of operating conventional cryptographic devices.
The term "HDCP protocol" is used herein in a broad sense to denote both the conventional HDCP protocol and modified HDCP protocols that closely resemble the conventional HDCP protocol but differ therefrom in one or more respects. Some but not all embodiments of the invention implement an HDCP protocol. The conventional HDCP protocol encrypts (or decrypts) data during active video periods but not during blanking intervals between active video periods. An example of a modified HDCP protocol is a content protection protocol that differs from the conventional HDCP protocol only to the extent needed to accomplish decryption of data transmitted between active video periods (as well as decryption of video data transmitted during active video periods) or to accomplish encryption of data to be transmitted between active video periods (as well as encryption of video data to be transmitted during active video periods).

Cryptographic device with stored key data and method for using stored key data to perform an authentication exchange or self test


A computer side plate which can be quickly assembled or disassembled is provided with inverted hooks and hook seats on the side plate of computer, which are locked on a movable plate at a top end of computer casing and on a bottom edge of computer casing, respectively. When the side plate is to be removed, a push knob on a rack at an inner side of a back panel of computer is pressed, and then a push block of a board lump inside the push knob can drive a push rod inward to carry the moveable plate to be displaced, thereby enabling hook holes on the movable plate to be released from the inverted hooks of side plate, such that the side plate can be easily and quickly disassembled.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer side plate and more particularly to a computer side plate which can be assembled or disassembled without using any tool, thereby being operated very quickly and easily.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional computer side plate is fixed at a side of computer with screws, which requires a tool such as a screw driver to disassemble or assemble when installing or removing the side plate, thereby wasting a man power and time.

Computer side plate which can be quickly assembled or disassembled


A projection-type video-image-displaying device efficiently displays an image by reducing the loss of light in the device. The device is provided with a light source radiating white light, a rod lens, a rotary color filter, a DMD, illumination optical elements, a projection lens and a control device. The rod lens collects light from the light source and emits the light. The rotary color filter selectively transmits, from the white light, light of a specific color. The DMD modulates incident light in accordance with an image signal, and the illumination optical elements form illumination light for projection onto the DMD. The projection lens projects an image formed using the DMD. The control device synchronizes the rotary color filter with the image displayed by the DMD. The DMD is disposed in a substantially conjugate relationship with the light-emitting surface on the rotary color filter.

A projection-type video-image-displaying device which collects white light from a light source and forms a light-emitting surface, disposes a rotary color filter in the vicinity of the light-emitting surface, collects emitted light from the color filter and makes the light incident on one light modulation element, and projects an image formed by the light modulation element onto a screen by a projection lens, is already known by Patent Literature 1 described later. That is, since the same color image with high resolution as that of a three-plate type is obtained by one liquid crystal panel, it is unnecessary to provide fine color filters on pixels on each panel. Thereby, a yield of the liquid crystal panel can be improved and costs of the device can be reduced. Further, a control device which controls the rotation of the rotary color filter to be synchronized with an image display by the liquid crystal panel switches to an off state a state of the image display of the liquid crystal panel set by being divided into a plurality of lots in a rotation direction of the filter in synchronization with a passage of a boundary between respective color filters of the filter. Thereby, the control device prevents a color mixture from generating a state in which a collected-light spot (light-emitting surface) lies across adjacent color filters.


In a gear system and a rotary transducer provided with the gear system, the gear system includes a first part, a convex toothed wheel, a supporting body, relative to which the first part and the convex toothed wheel are rotationally mounted, and engaging elements which mesh with the toothed wheel according to the rotational position of the first part. The engaging elements carry out a movement with a radial directional component relative to the toothed wheel. A force with a tangential directional component is applied to the toothed wheel, the force being the result of the interaction between the engaging elements and the supporting body.

Besides angular position measuring units, which make possible an angular position measurement at a rotatable shaft in incrementable measuring steps, so-called absolute angular position measuring instruments, also referred to as rotary encoders, are conventional. These allow an absolute angle determination within a single shaft rotation. Furthermore, if the number of performed shaft rotations must be detected as well, so-called multiturn rotary encoders may be utilized. With such multi-turn rotary encoders, the absolute angular position is determined within one shaft rotation, i.e., between 0° and 360°, via a code disk connected to the shaft, which is scanned with the aid of a suitable scanning unit. In this context, a photoelectric principle may be used, but one may also use, for example, a magnetic scanning system. To obtain the required information regarding the number of shaft rotations carried out, a reduction gear may be provided, by which, given a rotating shaft, the one or more additional partial disks or encoder disks is/are set into a rotary motion at a low number of revolutions per unit time. These code disks may be designed as magnetized disks, which each have at least one north-pole sector and one south-pole sector. The rotational position of these additional code disks may be recorded with the aid of suitable scanning units, e.g., Hall sensors, in a conventional manner. Due to the predefined speed reduction of the rotary motion of the additional code disks, it is possible to record the number of effected revolutions of the shaft. Thus, the absolute position of the driven shaft may also be measured over a plurality of rotations.
A correspondingly configured multiturn rotary encoder is described, for example, German Published Patent Application No. 198 20 014 of the Assignee hereof.
The reduction gearing required in such multiturn transducers have to be largely free of play, in order to ensure a precise recording of the shaft rotations. Consequently, great mechanical requirements come about for the gear system of a multiturn transducer.
In European Published Patent Application No. 0 201 730 a gear system is described in which teeth or so-called pins revolve with the driven shaft. The revolving teeth transmit the angular momentum introduced by the drive shaft. In this context, the teeth arranged over the entire circumference of the drive shaft engage between so-called needles. This method of construction may be unfavorable, to the extent that, on the one hand, a great many movable teeth must be provided, and, on the other hand, a comparatively large space is required.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,247, a gear system type of construction is provided in which, because of a cam, a deformation of a toothed wheel is caused, so that in certain regions of the toothed wheel, engagement with an internal geared wheel takes place. For use as a reduction gear system in rotary transducers, this design may have the disadvantage that a comparatively large space is required.
There is believed to be a constant demand for rotary transducers having smaller structural dimensions. Since the electronic components of rotary transducers are being miniaturized more and more, it may be necessary that the space taken up by the mechanical components of these units be reduced too, in order to satisfy these demands with respect to size.

Gear system and rotary transducer equipped with this gear system


This disclosure provides an integrated transformer and a power converter, the integrated transformer includes: a magnetic core, including an upper cover, a lower cover, a first winding column and a second winding column; a printed wiring board, disposed between the upper cover and the lower cover, and including a first through hole corresponding to the first winding column and a second through hole corresponding to the second winding column; and a first winding, a second winding, a third winding and a fourth winding; the first winding and the third winding are wound on the first winding column and the second winding column respectively, the second winding and the fourth winding are provided at positions corresponding to the first through hole and the second through hole on the printed wiring board, and magnetic flux directions within the first winding column and the second winding column are opposite.

Transformer is a device which is used to increase or decrease the output voltage, or is only used to insulate the input voltage and the output voltage in the circuit. Conventional transformers usually include a magnetic core, a bobbin, a coil, and a tape. Transformers of this structure are bulky, complicated to make, and poor in consistency. Moreover, the distance from the secondary coil of the transformer to the secondary-side power devices cannot be made very small, so an alternating-current (AC) loss is large, and it is difficult to meet the requirement of high frequency and high efficiency.
Another type of transformer adopts a planar transformer structure in which both the primary and the secondary coils are disposed on a printed wiring board (PWB). Transformers of this structure are small in size and easy to make. However, when the number of coil turns is large or the current flowing through the coil is large, the number of the PWB layers increases significantly, resulting in complicated design and high costs. Besides, when insulating strength is high, this planar transformer structure can hardly meet the design requirement on the insulation withstand voltage between the primary and secondary sides of 5 KVac or higher.
In view of the above, it is difficult to increase the insulation withstand voltage and the power efficiency while reduce the overall volume of above two types of transformers. However, as the requirement on the volume, withstand voltage level, and efficiency of power converters become higher and higher in medical, industrial and other technical fields, it is more and more important to optimize structure and performance of the transformer which serves as an important component of the power converters.

Integrated transformer and power converter


A method and system are disclosed for verifying the flow rate of gas through a mass flow controller, such as a mass flow controller used with a tool for semiconductor or solar cell fabrication. To verify the mass flow rate measured by the mass flow controller, gas passing through the mass flow controller is also passed through a mass flow meter. The measured flow rate through the mass flow controller is compared to the measured flow rate through the mass flow meter and any difference between the two measured flow rates is determined. Depending upon the magnitude of any difference, the flow of gas to the mass flow controller may be altered.

In semiconductor fabrication, a substrate or wafer is subjected to a number of processes in order to deposit or remove a layer from the wafer. Many of these processes involve the introduction of gases into a reaction chamber containing the wafer. These gases can include, for example, reactive gases introduced to deposit a layer on the substrate. In addition, inert gases can also be introduced to purge reactive gases from the chamber between reactive steps. Systems for introducing gases generally include gas sources (such as gas tanks, bubblers, other liquid and/or solid vaporization devices) connected via piping ultimately to the reaction chamber. Mass flow controllers and valves are adjusted in order to select the type and amount of the desired source gas(es) to introduce into the reaction chamber. Each mass flow controller ("MFC") is normally calibrated to measure the flow rate of a particular type of process gas at a particular, flow rate or range of flow rates.
Semiconductor manufacturers have a continuing need to improve process accuracy and repeatability, both on a single tool, and across all tools in a fabrication operation running the same process. Deviations are caused by many factors, but a prime cause of deviation is the accuracy and repeatability of process gas flows controlled by MFCs. Any deviation from the idealized perfect flow for a particular process (caused by an inaccurate MFC, for example) can cause loss of yield and increased costs, and can affect the quality of the finished semiconductor. An MFC whose actual flow rate deviates from its intended flow rate (this deviation is sometimes referred to as "drift") must be recalibrated or replaced, which leads to tool down time, decreased output and increased costs.
Some digitally controlled MFCs have accuracy levels reportedly in the range of +/−1% of the desired flow rate when the MFC is new. Devices such as MFVs (mass flow verifiers) or MFMs (mass flow meters) can be used to monitor and verify that the amount of gas entering a tool as measured by an MFC is the actual amount entering the tool, i.e., they verify the MFCs accuracy. MFVs generally have an accuracy of +/−1% and can be used to monitor and verify whether the amount the gas flow rate measured by an MFC has deviated from the actual gas flow through the MFC. However, MFV use is very time consuming, taking up to several days to perform a complete verification. Such a verification is typically performed quarterly, thus not always detecting MFC deviations early enough to avoid the afore-mentioned problems with drift.
MFMs can also be used to monitor MFC drift and can detect drift much faster. MFCs and MFMs, however, are configured for a particular gas type and a particular flow rate range. It is impractical to include a duplicately configured MFM for each gas type and flow rate range for which each MFC is configured.
There also has not been a way to improve the accuracy of many tools in a process fabrication using these validation tools, but only the tool within which the MFM or MFV resides.
A method to verify the actual gas flow through an MFC and reduce process deviation caused by MFC variability, whether for a single tool or from tool to tool within a semiconductor fabrication facility, is highly desired.

Systems and methods for mass flow controller verification


Novel transparent stiff gel candles comprising a hydrocarbon oil, one or more hydrogenated triblock copolymer of a thermoplastic rubber. This invention is related to candles in the form of firm gels, and more particularly to stiff heterophase, thermally reversible mineral oil gels, preferably white oil gels. The candles of the invention contain block copolymers and blends thereof, the copolymers being preferably derived from styrene-rubber block units. The candles are naturally transparent and uncolored. The gelatinous elastomer composite exhibits a novel combination of properties including unexpectedly low processing temperature, high elongation and tensile strength and excellent shape retention after extreme deformation under high velocity impact and stress conditions.

This invention is related to candles in the form of firm gels, and more particularly to stiff heterophase, thermally reversible mineral oil gels, preferably white oil gels. The candles of the invention contain block copolymers and blends thereof, the copolymers being preferably derived from styrene-rubber block units. The candles are naturally transparent and uncolored. Optionally, the candles may be colored with one or more colors, and may contain embedded and/or ornamental features, as well as fragrances and functional additives.
Candles made of conventional waxes are well known. A major decorative drawback to such a candle is that the use of waxes necessitates that the candle be opaque, thus limiting the ornamental capacity of the candles with respect to embedded decorative features.
Clear oil jar candles are also known in the art. However, prior to the present invention, these candles have been in liquid form only. These clear liquid candles while permitting a type of embedded ornamental feature, do not permit the shaping of, for example, a pillar candle. The liquid candles are known to accumulate dust and other particulate matter from the air, thereby requiring that the oil be periodically discarded for aesthetic reasons. Additionally, liquid oil candles may spill and damage furnishings and the like. As yet another drawback, the user must assemble liquid candles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,355 discloses a polyethylene block copolymer gelling agent, which may be used as a base for a decorative molded candle. The candle, however, is not transparent, and thus is of limited decorative value.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,694 discloses a transparent gel candle comprising hydrocarbon oil, and one or more triblock, radial block or multiblock copolymer of a thermoplastic rubber. The triblock. however, is made from Kiaton 1650 copolymer comprises a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene structure.
The present invention overcomes the problems in the prior art by providing stiff gel candles that are transparent. Thus, the candles of the invention permit the decorative shaping advantages of conventional wax candles as well as the embedded ornamental advantages of liquid oil candles. The candle of the present invention therefore provides an improved substitute for the conventional wax pillar or jar candle and for liquid oil jar candles.
The present invention involves a new use for oil containing block copolymer gels as the hydrocarbon source of a candle. There is a need in the art for candles with improved aesthetic properties. Stiff transparent candles, into which decorative features have been added, are particularly desired. Accordingly, in this invention, advantageous combinations of block copolymers and oils are provided which produce heterophase thermally reversible mineral oil gels, and which have desirable properties for application as a clear, stiff gel candle.
It is accordingly one object of this invention to provide heterophase, thermally reversible still gel compositions that have advantageous properties when used as a candle, preferably a clear candle.
A further object of the invention is to provide stiff hydrocarbon oil gel compositions formed from certain triblock copolymers, which have advantageous properties when used as a candle. The copolymers are preferably based on thermoplastic rubbers such as styrene-rubber block copolymers.
The gel candles of this invention comprise a Kuraray""s SEPTON-4033 thermoplastic rubber. The SEPTON-4033 rubber molecule is hydrogenated styrene block polymer with 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene and 1,3-butadiene. has polystyrene end blocks and an elastomeric midblock and the following properties:
Physical form: powder
Tensile strength: 39.2 Mpa
Styrene content: 30 wt %
Solution viscosity 50xc2x120 mPaxc2x7S (10 wt %)
Specific gravity: 0.92
Elongation: 570%
Compounding temperature: 25-37xc2x0 C., 160-230xc2x0 C., or 135-185xc2x0 C.
Hardness: 76 JIS A
Further, the gel candles of U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,694 is made from Kraton 1650 triblock copolymer. The Kraton 1650 copolymer comprises a styrene-ethylene-butylen-styrene structure, and the following properties:
Physical form: powder
Tensile strength: 500 Psi
Styrene content: 29 wt %
Solution viscosity 8000 cps (25 wt %)
Specific gravity: 0.91
Compounding temperature: 50xcx9c150xc2x0 C.
Hardness: 75 Shore A hardness
It is apparent SEPTON-4033 copolymer and Kraton 1650 copolymer are different in respect of the molecular structure and property, etc. The nature and property of gel candles of this invention and of gel candles disclosed in the ""694 patent are different.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceed.
In satisfaction of the foregoing objects and advantages, there is provided by the present invention a transparent or colored candle comprising:
(A) a hydrocarbon oil, and;
(B) a hydrogenated styrene block polymer with 2-methly-1,3-butadiene and 1,3-butadiene;
(C) a wick
the candle further optionally comprising a stabilizer, anti-oxidizino agent, colorant, fragrance,and/or functional additive, and the like.
It has been discovered according to the present invention that by controlling the degree of physical crosslinking exhibited in block copolymers, heterophase thermally reversible mineral oil gels can be formed which have desirable properties for use as candles. In particular, it has been found that such gels provide for stiff, transparent candles.
Under the invention, the gel consistency of the candle is controlled by varying the amount, ratio and type of certain polymers, preferably polystyrene-rubber-polystyrene triblock copolymer, to provide gels which have desirable rheological properties and thus provide for a novel firm candle. Accordingly, the present invention provides a candle that is intrinsically transparent, yet may be colored through the use of one or more colorant, if desired.
Product formation is achieved from block copolymers which form three-dimentional networks or gels through physical crosslinks. Crosslinking in these block copolymers occurs due to the formation of sub-microscopic particles of a particular block, referred to as domains. Crosslinking of the insoluble domains can be obtained by factors affecting the crosslink density of the networks including length of insoluble block domains, length of soluble block domains, and the number of crosslinkable sites.
The composition of the present candles utilizes a mixture of polymers in combination with a hydrocarbon oil. Preferably the hydrocarbon oil is white oil. Other oil, including but not limited to refined, aromatic-free paraffinic and naphthenic oils, solvents, synthetic liquid hydrogenated or unhydrogenated oilgomers of, for example, polybutene, polypropylene, polydecane, and polyterpene, are also useful in the candle of the invention.
Also preferably, the candle of the present invention comprises a wick and a gel which comprises about 83-85 weight percent white oil, and about 15-17 weight percent triblick copolymer of hydrogenated styrene block polymer with 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene and 1,3-butadiene, and said candle optionally containing one or more additives selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant, stabilizer, fragrance, colorant, and flame retardant.
Commercially available thermoplastic rubber type polymers which are especially useful in forming the compositions of the present invention are sold under the trademark SEPTON and manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, the grade of the polymer is designated as SEPTON-4033. The SEPTON rubber is a special thermoplastic rubber which exhibits rubber-like properties over a wide range of temperatures. High strength, low viscosity, high elongation and thermoplastic behavior at elevated temperatures or in solution, are characteristics of SEPTON rubber.
SEPTON-4033 are hydrogenated styrene block copolymer materials. They are available as a hydrogenated poly-isoprene/butadiene (SEEPS) polymer. Each of these polymers has its own set of unique properties.
The versatility of SEPTON-4033 polymers originates from the unique molecular structure. Each molecule of SEPTON-4033 polymer consists of block segments of styrene monomer units and hydrogenated conjugated diene monomer units. The polystyrene block acts as a crosslinking point at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of polystyrene. The rubber block acts as an origin of rubber-like properties, hydrogenation thereof provides excellent heat resistance and weatherability. The triblock structure of the SEPTON-4033 rubber molecule has poly-styrene end blocks and an elastomeric midblock.
Prior to processing, the polystyrene end blocks are associated in rigid domains. In the presence of heat and shear such as during processing, the polystyrene domains soften and permit flow. After cooling, the polystyrene domains reform and harden, locking the rubber network in place. This physical phenomenon provides SEPTON-4033 rubber with its high tensile strength. The rubber midlock provides SEPTON-4033 rubber its elasticity. Since SEPTON rubber is thermoplastic, it is recyclable.
A preferred composition of the invention will contain 15.9% of the polymer blend and about 84.1 percent of the suitable hydrocarbon oil, preferably the white oil. The preferred polymer is a triblock polymer, in particular SEPTON-4033 rubber.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the composition comprises a SEPTON triblock copolymer as described herein in combination with an oil, particularly natural or synthetic oils which are known as having a smooth homogeneous consistency.
The candle is formed by blending the polymers and oil and heating the mixture to 25-37, 160-230, or 135-185 degree Celsius depending on composition of the mixture to dissolve the copolymer or copolymer blend in the oil. Mixing maybe carried out in any conventional manner, and is preferred, particularly when colorants, fragrances, etc, are added. On cooling, a stiff, clear gel forms. Preferably, a wick is added while the composition is in melted form. Alternatively, a formed gel can be heated, the wick added, and the gel allowed to reform on cooling.


In a piezoelectric oscillator a non-inverted output terminal (3) of an ECL circuit (10) is grounded via a capacitor (C3) and is connected to a non-inverting input terminal (5) of the ECL circuit (10) via a series connection of capacitors (C4) and (C5). The non-inverting input (5) is connected via a resistor R1 to an inverting input terminal (4) of the ECL circuit (10) and is grounded via a capacitor (C2). The connection point of the series connection of the capacitors (C4) and (C5) is grounded via a crystal oscillator (X'tal) and a frequency control capacitor (C1). The output from the ECL circuit (10) is provided at its inverted output terminal 2.

With the recent progress in portable telephony, there is a growing demand for small but stable crystal oscillators. In particular, stable high-frequency oscillation and low power dissipation are greatly to be desired. FIG. 6 shows a conventional ECL (Emitter Coupled Logic) oscillation circuit. This ECL oscillation circuit is made up of: the ECL circuit 20 having non-inverting and inverting input terminals 21 and 22 and non-inverted and inverted output terminals 24 and 23; a frequency control capacitor C11; a crystal oscillator X'tal; a resistor R11; a capacitor C12; and pull-up resistors R12 and R13.
The ECL circuit 20 has its non-inverted output terminal 24 and non-inverting input terminal 21 interconnected via a series connection of the frequency control capacitor C11 and the crystal oscillator X'tal. The non-inverting input terminal 21 is connected via the resistor R11 to the inverting input terminal 22, which is grounded via the capacitor C12. The non-inverted and inverted output terminals 24 and 23 are connected to their power supplies via the pull-up resistors R12 and R13, respectively. The illustrated circuit is configured to provide its output via the non-inveted output terminal 24.
The conventional ECL oscillation circuit of FIG. 6 oscillates with the series connection of the frequency control capacitor C11 and the crystal oscillator X'tal inserted between the non-inverted output terminal 24 and the non-inverting input terminal 21 of the ECL circuit 20. In this instance, the delay between the non-inverted output terminal 24 and non-inverting input terminal 21 serves as an effective inductor, which combines with the capacitance of the series connection of the frequency control capacitor C11 and the crystal oscillator X'tal, thereby causing oscillation.
In the conventional circuit of FIG. 6, the delay between the non-inverted output terminal 24 and non-inverting input terminal 21 of the ECL circuit 20 serves as an effective inductor for oscillation. But the delay time between the non-inverted output terminal 24 and the non-inverting input terminal 21 is likely to vary greatly from one ECL circuit to another even if they are mass-produced with single design. Hence, the oscillation conditions may sometimes become inadequate according to the particular ECL circuit used, resulting in impaired stability of oscillation.

Emitter coupled logic oscillator circuit


This invention is directed to a pressure sensitive positioning adhesive for absorbent articles which can be used without release paper. The positioning adhesive has non-tacky irregularly shaped particles on its surface thereby rendering the adhesive non-tacky. Upon the application of pressure during use, i.e., when attaching the napkin to the undergarment, the particles are rearranged, exposing adhesive to the undergarment, thereby facilitating attachment of the napkin to the undergarment.

Disposable absorbent articles conventionally have a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on their garment facing surfaces to enable the user's of these articles to secure the article into their undergarment. The pressure sensitive adhesive sticks to various substrates upon contact with the application of a small amount of pressure and thereby prevents the article from shifting during the time the article is in use. A release paper is often used to protect the adhesive before the application of the napkin to the wearer's undergarment.
For disposable absorbent articles, cost and convenience are important factors for both the consumer and the manufacturer. The use of a silicone treated release paper to cover adhesive surfaces on disposable absorbent articles contributes significantly to the cost of the article. In addition, when the article is used by a consumer, the release paper is no longer needed and must be discarded, which creates environmental problems as well as an inconvenience to the consumer.
Currently, there are some sanitary napkin articles that do not use a release paper. However, the adhesive surfaces of these napkins are protected by wrapping the napkin in polymeric film which has also been treated with a silicone release coating. The silicone treated polymeric film is releasably adhered to the adhesive surface to protect it from contamination and to prevent the napkins from adhering to surfaces prior to their intended use. Since these polymeric film materials are also treated with a silicone release coating there are no significant cost savings compared to the use of release paper and the environmental and convenience factors are still present.

Adhesive attachment system with a non-tacky surface for sanitary napkins


The specification describes sputtering processes for the deposition of silicon dioxide films doped with high levels of oxides or other materials to alter the optical and/or electrical characteristics of the films. Sol gel methods are used to prepare composite sputtering targets of ultra fine mixtures of materials so the composition of the sputtered films replicate the composition of the target.

Silicon dioxide thin films are ubiquitous in semiconductor technology and have been since its inception. There is an immense background of experience and technology in processes for depositing SiO.sub.2 thin films, and for their application. The uses have been primarily for dielectric layers for semiconductor passivation, for defining localized impurity regions in semiconductor processing, and for interlevel dielectrics. In optical device technology SiO.sub.2 is a principal waveguide material, and is used in combination with other optical materials, both passive and active. These films have been deposited by evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, and sputtering.
Modifying electrical properties of SiO.sub.2 using various dopants is a technique widely used in semiconductor technology. By implanting SiO.sub.2 layers with n- or p-type dopants, the surface characteristics of silicon beneath the SiO.sub.2 layers can be altered. Relatively small doses of dopants, well within the capability of conventional ion implantation methods, are useful in producing these electrical effects.
Applications in optical device technology have been proposed for doped oxide films to alter e.g. electronic conductivity, ionic mobility, refractive index, but the doping levels to achieve useful results in some of these applications are high, and some of the desired dopant species, e.g. oxides, are unconventional in the context of standard ion implantation methods. Moreover, some optical applications require high compositional uniformity in the doped material, a result not typically obtained using the methods commonly used for semiconductor processing.
Doped SiO.sub.2 films can have altered ionic mobility with a wide range of activation energies. In particular, lower voltage drift can be achieved if ionic mobility is suppressed (i.e. In or P doping). In contrast, V.sub.2 O.sub.5 doped SiO.sub.2 films have a very high ionic mobility making these films suitable as solid electrolytes.
Electronic conductivity can be increased by several orders of magnitude when SiO.sub.2 thin films are lightly doped with In, Al, Ti, etc. with only minor changes of the dielectric constant and the index of refraction. Consequently, the electrical properties of high silica dielectric materials can be tailored to a specific application. A well controlled variation in the index of refraction is also possible and may be used for waveguide applications. Multivalent elements may be electrochromic when doped into silica. They can be used as lightvalves, or for display applications.
Many compositions of interest for optical device applications are not stable in the glass form. Therefore, a popular approach for preparing such films is to sputter the composite film from a target composed of tiles of the individual component materials. The fractional area of the individual targets are adjusted using the respective sputtering yields to result in the film composition desired. Unfortunately, the sputtering yields of different materials shows remarkably different dependence on the deposition parameters (such as rate, pressure, plasma potential, reactive gases, etc.). Therefore it is difficult to optimize deposition conditions to control film properties such as stress, hermeticity, moisture resistance, grain size, etc. as well as reduce particle formation and process cost, and still produce the desired composition.
An approach that is designed to overcome some of these deficiencies is to co-sputter the films from individual targets of component materials using separate sputtering controls for each target. This method is complex and expensive. The physical arrangement of the targets adds further complications due to the variations in distance and angle between the individual targets and the substrate, resulting in shadowing effects when surface mobility is limited and deposition rates vary significantly (as is common with doped silica films).
Theoretically, the best approach is to sputter from a composite target, Which is composed of fine particles of materials having the different compositions. Each material may be vitreous or crystalline and have one or several glassy or crystalline phases. If the particles are sufficiently small, and if the sputtering process is allowed a transition period to a steady state sputtering condition, the composition of the composite target is reproduced in the sputtered film. Due to the rapid formation of the film it remains in the vitreous state.
However, while this sputtering process would appear to be highly attractive for commercial manufacture, sputtering targets with mixed compositions of interest are not available with the requisite compositional uniformity and particle size. This is especially the case with highly doped silica targets. To date, conventional methods for target preparation, typically ceramic or glass forming methods, cannot produce targets with high silica content and sufficiently small particle size to allow replication of the target composition in the sputtered films. Attempts to overcome the particle size limitation by using powder targets have been tried. However, powder sputtering targets are difficult to cool, which makes them suitable only for low rate deposition, and can only be used in apparatus in which the sputtering direction is vertically upward.
In summary, while sputtering from a composite target would appear to be the best process for preparing doped silica films, the lack of suitable targets makes this process solution commercially unattractive.

Deposition of highly doped silicon dioxide films


The present invention relates to a solid phosphoric acid catalyst and a process for conversion of hydrocarbons using a solid phosphoric acid catalyst. The solid phosphoric acid catalyst comprises silicon orthophosphate, and has a silicon orthophosphate to silicon pyrophosphate ratio of at least about 5:1. The total pore volume of the solid phosphoric acid catalyst is at least about 0.17 cm3 per gram of catalyst, of which at least about 0.15 cm3 per gram is contributed by pores with diameter of at least about 10,000 Å.

This invention relates to a solid phosphoric acid (SPA) catalyst comprising silicon orthophosphate and optionally silicon pyrophosphate. The catalyst is characterized by a pore volume of at least about 0.17 cm3 g−1, of which at least about 0.15 cm3 g−1 is due to macropores with diameters greater than about 10,000 Å. The integrated XRD reflectance intensity ratio of silicon orthophosphate to silicon pyrophosphate, if the latter is present, is at least about 5:1 and preferably at least about 8:1.
Solid phosphoric acid catalysts are commonly used in hydrocarbon conversion processes that require a strongly acidic catalyst. Examples of hydrocarbon conversion processes in which solid phosphoric acid catalysts have been used include, without limitation, the oligomerization of light olefins to a mixture of heavier olefins and paraffins ("polymer gasoline" or "polygas") and the alkylation of benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons with olefins to produce alkyl aromatic products such as cumene and ethylbenzene.
The basic recipe for solid phosphoric acid catalysts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,993,513, which discloses a catalyst prepared from 89% aq. phosphoric acid and kieselguhr. A mixture of these two ingredients is calcined and ground down to the desired particle size; the "structure" of the catalyst may be improved by adding an organic binder such as starch or gelatin before calcining. Various improvements on this process have been developed over the years. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,350 teaches a process in which phosphoric acid of 84.8% P2O5 content is added to diatomaceous earth in an approximately 4:1 ratio. The resulting mixture is extruded, cut into manageable pieces, dried, and calcined.
In very general terms, SPA catalysts comprise a phosphorus source and a silicon source. The phosphorus source, which typically contributes from about 60% to about 80% of the catalyst by weight, is generally some sort of "phosphoric acid." The phosphoric acids are oxyacids of phosphorus in the +5 oxidation state, and have the generic formula Hn+2PnO3n+1. The first three acids in this series are: orthophosphoric acid H3PO4, pyrophosphoric acid H4P2O7, and triphosphoric acid H5P3O10. A given sample of "phosphoric acid" will be a mixture of members of the Hn+2PnO3n+1 series and water. The mixture is characterized by the total phosphorus content, which is given as a percentage relative to pure orthophosphoric acid, H3PO4. As the other acids in the series Hn+2PnO3n+1 have a higher phosphorus content (by weight) than orthophosphoric acid, it is not unusual to find phosphoric acids with concentration greater than 100%. Typically, a phosphoric acid of concentration between about 100% and about 120% is used to prepare SPA catalysts.
The silicon source is a siliceous or SiO2-containing material such as kieselguhr, diatomaceous earth, infusorial earth, kaolin, fullers earth, artificially prepared porous silica, or mixtures thereof. Kieselguhr is the most preferred silicon source. However, the terms infusorial earth, kieselguhr, and diatomaceous earth, are often used and referred to interchangeably and on an equivalent basis in general in reference to SPA catalysts.
It is known in the art that the ratio of crystalline phases, i.e. silicon orthophosphate Si3(PO4)4 and silicon pyrophosphate Si2P2O7, in the finished catalyst affects performance. It is also known that the effectiveness of a catalyst is related to the porosity of solid phosphoric acid catalysts. The ratio of crystalline phases may be controlled indirectly by adjusting conditions in the catalyst preparation process, such as the ratio of phosphoric acid to kieselguhr and the calcination temperature. Similarly, the conditions used for the catalyst preparation can affect the finished catalyst porosity.
The term "porosity" as applied to SPA catalysts encompasses both the total pore volume and the distribution of pores of various sizes. The pore size distribution is often described relative to pore volume. That is, a certain percentage of the pore volume is due to, or is contributed by, pores in a certain diameter range: for example, one might say that 80% of the total pore volume is due to pores with diameters >1000 Å. U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,801 teaches a spherical catalyst (not an extrudate) prepared using non-hydrated P2O5 and having between about 0.200 and about 0.400 cm3 g−1 of pore volume contributed by pores with diameter >350 Å and between about 0.07 and about 0.20 cm3 g−1 of pore volume contributed by pores with diameter >9000 Å. U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,086 teaches a solid phosphoric acid catalyst with a total pore volume of 0.28 cm3 g−1 or less, with no more than 25% of the pore volume contributed by pores with diameter >10,000 Å. It is stated in the '086 patent that pores with diameters above 10,000 Å should not contribute a large percentage of the total pore volume, as these large pores are detrimental to the physical strength and longevity of the catalyst. European Patent EP 570,070 B1 teaches a solid phosphoric acid catalyst having an integrated XRD reflectance intensity ratio of silicon orthophosphate to silicon pyrophosphate which is less than about 4:1, and having at least 30% of its total pore volume contributed by pores with diameter >10,000 Å.
In order for the SPA catalysts to function in hydrocarbon conversion processes, the catalysts must have efficient mass transfer and resistance to deactivation, as well as high activity. Toward this end, it would be beneficial to have a SPA catalyst that has an effective ratio of silicon orthophosphate to silicon pyrophosphate, and a pore structure having a sufficient volume of large macropores, with diameters above about 10,000 Å, and preferably above about 50,000 Å.

Solid phosphoric acid with controlled porosity


A rider support assembly for a bicycle, motorcycle or other multi-wheeled vehicle that utilizes a harness to suspend the rider from a support frame that is attached to a ball-type mounting structure. The support harness includes straps or a sling that is secured to the rider's torso and/or legs. A base section of the support frame includes a connecting structure (e.g., a socket) that is movably connects to and supported by the mounting structure such that the support frame can be pivoted in any direction by the rider during operation. A flexible spine extends upward along the rider's back and is secured to the rider's upper body by the support harness. An optional mounting structure pivots relative to the vehicle to facilitate a relatively stiff spine that supports the rider when sitting upright or leaning back.

Two-wheeled vehicles (e.g., bicycles and motorcycles; collectively referred to herein as cycles) have always utilized a seat for the rider to sit on during operation. Typical seats include a relatively narrow front portion (horn) and a relatively wide rear section. Such seats are straddled and sat upon by a rider such that the wider rear section supports the rider's buttocks, and the horn extends between the rider's legs under his/her crotch.
One problem associated with traditional cycle seats is the discomfort caused by pressure applied by the seat's horn on the rider's crotch. Depending on the orientation of the rider, the amount of pressure applied to the rider's crotch region can become significant, causing discomfort and, in extreme cases for male riders, can result in testicular damage and sterility.
Another comfort related problem associated with conventional cycle seating arrangements is that, in cases where the rider is expected to maintain a forward-leaning posture, pressure on the rider's lower back can cause significant pain and discomfort.
Yet another problem associated with bicycles having traditional straddled bicycle seats is that the maximum pressing force that can be applied to the pedals is limited to the rider's weight. That is, when pressing downward on a bicycle's pedal, the maximum pressing force a rider is able to apply to the pedal is generated by standing on the pedal.
What is needed is a seating-like rider support for two-wheeled vehicles that overcomes the problems associated with traditional cycle seats.

Rider support assembly for multi-wheeled vehicle


An internal combustion engine including a pressure sensing system. A first (80) and a second (82) absolute pressure sensor are located in a main sensor housing (60) mounted near an intake manifold (20). The first pressure sensor (80) measures the pressure in an EGR passage (68) between an EGR valve (30) and an orifice (76), and the second pressure sensor 82 measures the pressure in the intake manifold (20) downstream of the throttle valve (46). A fuel sensor housing (54) is mounted to the fuel rail (50) and includes a third absolute pressure sensor (84) that measures the pressure in the fuel rail (50). The signals from three sensors are then used by a powertrain control module (42) to control the exhaust gas recirculation and returnless fuel systems.

A typical internal combustion engine used in a vehicle includes some type of sensing assembly for measuring manifold absolute pressure (MAP) in order to determine the amount of pressure in an intake manifold, which is used by an engine computer to control some of the parameters of engine operation.
Also, in today's vehicles, during certain engine operating conditions, their is a desire to recirculate a portion of the exhaust gasses from the engine back into the intake manifold to mix with the incoming air. The amount of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is determined by an EGR valve, which is controlled by the engine computer. In order for the engine computer to determine if any change in flow of EGR gasses is needed it must have an input as to the current flow of EGR gasses. This is typically accomplished by locating an orifice in an EGR tube just downstream of the location where the EGR tube separates from the main exhaust stream, with taps into the EGR tube on either side of the orifice. The two taps are then connected to hoses leading to a relative pressure sensor that compares the upstream and downstream pressures to obtain the pressure difference. This value is then fed to the engine computer, and when combined with the MAP allows the engine computer to compute a delta pressure feedback exhaust (DPFE) signal, which is, in turn, used to determine the amount of EGR flow.
Several drawbacks to this technique of EGR sensing exist. One drawback is that there are two sets of taps and hoses needed to obtain the pressure value, in addition to an entirely separate sensor assembly for reading the MAP pressure. Further, with the location of the orifice, and corresponding taps and hoses, being close to the main exhaust stream, the sensor assembly is exposed to a great deal of heat from the exhaust gasses, and so relatively expensive materials must be employed to withstand this heat and operate adequately during the life of the vehicle. Also, the sensor assembly can be affected by the pressure pulses in the exhaust stream.
An additional sensing system that is coming into wide use in vehicles today is an electronic returnless fuel system. In order to operate this system effectively, a sensor assembly must be employed at some point in the fuel system to monitor the fuel pressure. Typically, this fuel pressure sensor system involves a differential pressure sensor employed with taps and hoses extending from both the fuel rail and the intake manifold in order to obtain a value as to the difference in pressure between the two. With this arrangement, hot fuel is contained within one of the pressure hoses, which is generally not desirable, and further, a rather more complex differential pressure sensor is employed to obtain the needed pressure measurement.
Thus, there are several separate sensing assemblies in vehicles, all directed toward controlling some portion of the total intake of gasses and fuel into the engine, each of which adds to the cost and complexity of the overall engine assembly. Consequently, a desire exists to have an inexpensive and reliable sensing system for accurately monitoring the intake of gasses and fuel into the internal combustion engine.

Pressure sensing system for an internal combustion engine


A method for continuously preparing graphene powder directly dispersed in an organic system, including: mixing an aqueous graphene oxide dispersion, an emulsifier and an oil-soluble monomer followed by pH adjustment and dispersing to obtain a pre-emulsified dispersion; subjecting the pre-emulsified dispersion to an emulsion polymerization reaction in the presence of an initiator; introducing a reducing agent to reduce graphene oxide; and subjecting the reaction mixture after emulsion polymerization to spray drying to obtain the graphene powder. Equipment used in the preparation method is also provided herein.

Graphene is an emerging material featuring a single-layer two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure made of densely ordered carbon atoms through sp2 hybrid connection. Graphene is considered as one of the most promising materials in material engineering, micro-nano fabrication, energy, biomedicine, and drug delivery because of its excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. However, graphene is prone to agglomeration due to the large specific surface area of its sheets and the intermolecular force between its layers, which limits its functional application.
At present, industrialized graphene is usually stored and used with water as the dispersion medium. However, in some cases, graphene needs to be dispersed in an organic system, such as organic solvent, resin, rubber, and organic coating, which requires modification to graphene. At present, graphene modification mainly includes covalent and non-covalent approaches. Regarding the covalent modification method, the oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of graphene can be covalently bound with a modifier with good bonding strength. However, related modification technologies usually involve expensive experimental instruments, complex sample preparing processes and excessive consumption of reagents. The non-covalent modification relies on intermolecular interactions such as Van der Waals force and cation-π interaction to bond graphene with the modifier, but these interactions are weak and will be easily replaced by solvent molecules, which may result in the secondary agglomeration of non-covalently modified graphene particles, leading to poor dispersion effect and dispersion stability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a simple and efficient system and process to prepare modified graphene with good dispersibility and dispersion stability to adapt to various organic systems.

Equipment and method for continuously preparing graphene powder directly dispersed in organic system

SHANXI ZHONGBEI NEW MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A method and an apparatus for determining primary and secondary escape probabilities for a large photon-counting detector without pile-up. A model for the detector with no pile-up is formulated and used for spectrum correction in a computed tomography scanner. The method includes computing primary K-escape and secondary K-escape probabilities occurring at a certain depth within the photon-counting detector. Further, a no pile-up model for the photon-counting detector is formulated by determining a response function, based on the computed primary and secondary K-escape probabilities and geometry of the photon-counting detector. The method includes obtaining a measured CT scan of an object and further performs spectrum correction by determining the incident input spectrum based on the response function and the measured spectrum of the large photon-counting detector.

When high energy photons impinge on a detector, the inner shell electrons from atoms of the detector are ejected from the atom as "photoelectrons." This phenomenon leaves the atom in an excited state with a vacancy (hole) in the inner electron shell. Outer shell electrons then fall into the created holes, thereby emitting photons with energy equal to the energy difference between the two states. Since each element has a unique set of energy levels, each element emits a pattern of X-rays characteristic of the element, termed "characteristic X-rays." The intensity of the X-rays increases with the concentration of the corresponding element.
In many materials such as Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) or Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) or the like, the characteristic X-rays primarily involve K-shell (closest shell to the nucleus of an atom) electrons. If the characteristic X-rays escape from the detector, the detector signal is incorrect and the loss of energy incurred manifests itself as errors in the output spectrum of the detectors. Thus, the measured spectral signal can be distorted and may cause artifacts in the reconstructed image.
The phenomenon of characteristic X-ray escape from the semiconductor detectors and the corresponding spectrum correction can be modeled using a Monte Carlo simulation. However, Monte Carlo simulations rely on random sampling in order to obtain numerical results in a heuristic manner, and thus tend to be computationally intensive. Accordingly, accurate image reconstruction can be achieved in real time by analytically modelling the characteristic X-ray escape phenomenon and correcting the measured output spectrum.

Characteristic X-ray escape correction in photon-counting detectors


Methods for screening for compounds which potentiate the activity of antibacterial agents against bacteria resistant to the antibacterial agent alone, pharmaceutical compositions including such potentiators, and methods of treating bacterial infections using a combination of a potentiator and a potentiated antibacterial agent, which are useful for overcoming the resistance of a bacterial strain for an antibacterial agent.

During the past 30 years a large number of antimicrobial agents of a number of different structural classes have been developed and used in treating bacterial infections. Important among these structural classes are the .beta.-lactams, glycopeptides, macrolides, quinolones, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. Of these, the .beta.-lactams include a large number of agents, and their mechanism of action has been studied in considerable depth.
.beta.-lactam antibacterial agents are generally effective antibacterial agents of relatively low toxicity (Donowitz and Mandell, 318 N. Engl. J. Med. 419-26 (1988)). .beta.-lactam agents contain the .beta.-lactam ring structure, and include e.g., penicillins, cephalosporins, carbacephems, carbapenems, penems, and monobactams. The .beta.-lactam agents kill bacteria by binding to specific target proteins in the cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria. When bound to the target proteins, the .beta.-lactam agents prevent biosynthesis of bacterial cell walls. These target proteins can be identified by their ability to covalently bind an isotopically-labeled .beta.-lactam, such as penicillin, and are termed penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). The enzymatic functions of higher molecular weight PBPs are essential in the cross-linking of peptidoglycan in the bacterial cell wall. The antibacterial effects of the .beta.-lactam antibacterial agents arise from their ability to act as substrate analogs of the acyl-D-alanyl-D-alanine component of peptidoglycan. By acting as substrate analogs, the .beta.-lactam agents bind to and inhibit the enzymatic activity of high molecular weight PBPs, resulting in the inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis. (Bryan and Godfrey, .beta.-lactam Antibodies: Mode of Action and Bacterial Resistance, Ch. 16 in Antibacterial Agents in Laboratory Medicine, 3rd Ed., Lorian ed. at 599-663 (1991)). The inhibition of synthesis of the rigid peptidoglycan layer usually causes the death of the bacteria because the rigid peptidoglycan layer is needed to maintain the integrity of the inner cytoplasmic membrane of the bacteria under conditions of low osmolarity. Thus, without a properly synthesized peptidoglycan layer, bacteria can swell and burst or, in cases where the PBPs are partially inhibited, the cells can exhibit filamentous growth leading to fragmentation.
Because of this ability to inhibit bacterial peptidoglycan synthesis, .beta.-lactam antibacterial agents have been highly effective and widely used to treat bacterial infections; however, mutant strains of bacteria which are resistant to the .beta.-lactam agents are encountered with increasing frequency. In particular, many strains of Staphylococcus aureus are developing increasing resistance to available antibacterial agents (the so-called methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)); such resistance is also present in strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE).
There are three major mechanisms of bacterial resistance to .beta.-lactam agents. In many cases the resistance is due to the presence of a .beta.-lactamase which inactivates .beta.-lactam drugs by cleaving the .beta.-lactam ring. In addition, in gram-negative bacteria, resistance can be attained by a reduced cell permeability to .beta.-lactam agents. A third mode of .beta.-lactam resistance is alteration of the target of antibiotic action by structural modification or acquisition of a PBP which has a reduced binding affinity for the antibacterial agent. Although some of the organisms exhibiting this mode of resistance do not normally also produce a .beta.-lactamase, the MRSA often possess both resistance mechanisms.
Methicillin is a .beta.-lactamase stable .beta.-lactam antibacterial agent often used for the treatment of infections arising from .beta.-lactamase-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus. However, the incidence of MRSA infections has become a serious problem (Chambers, Clin. Microb. Rev. 1:173-186 (1988); Neu, H., Science 257:1064-1073 (1992); De Lencastre et al., J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 33:7-24 (1994)). In fact, the current average incidence of MRSA in some large hospitals in the United States increased from 8% in 1986 to 40% in 1992.
Methicillin resistance is generally thought to be mediated by the resistance factor PBP2a, a 78-kDa PBP which has reduced affinity for .beta.-lactams, including methicillin. It is postulated that PBP2a compensates for the other inhibited PBPs in the presence of .beta.-lactam drugs, allowing continued peptidoglycan synthesis in the presence of .beta.-lactams (De Lencastre et al., supra, 1994).
In addition to the resistance factor PBP2a, there are several accessory factors involved in the expression of methicillin resistance in S. aureus. Included in this category are the fem gene products (Berger-Bachi and Kohler, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 20: 305-309 (1983); Hartman and Tomasz, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 29(1): 85-92 (1986); Kornblum et al., Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. 5: 714-718 (1986); Murakami et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 31: 1307-1311 (1987)), and the chr* gene product (Ryffel et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38: 724-728 (1994); see also Lencaster & Tomosz, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:2590-2598 (1994)). Insertional inactivation of these genes in PBP2a-producing MRSA strains results in greater susceptibility to methicillin. The fem factors appear to be involved in the synthesis of peptidoglycan (Henze, et al., J. Bacteriol. 175(6): 1612-1620 (1993); De Jonge, et al., J. Bacteriol. 175(9): 2779-2782 (1993); Gustafson, et al., J. Bacteriol. 176(5): 1460-1467 (1994)).
Furthermore, MRSA have demonstrated the ability to rapidly develop resistance as new antibacterial agents become available. In the mid 1980s, new fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents were developed, including ciprofloxacin, but the initial effectiveness of these compounds against staphylococci was short-lived. A study by the Centers for Disease Control showed that ciprofloxacin resistance of MRSA increased from less than 5% to greater than 80% within 1 year. (Neu, supra).
There are now MRSA strains which are susceptible to only a single class of clinically available antibacterial agents, the glycopeptides. Thus, there is a need for the development of new, efficient anti-MRSA treatments before resistance to glycopeptide antibacterial agents emerges in multi-resistant MRSA strains.
A mechanism for ampicillin resistance, similar to the mecA/PBP2a-mediated methicillin resistance in MRSA, has been observed in Enterococcus faecium. Such resistant strains produce a PBP (PBP5) which, like PBP2a in staphylococci, has low affinity for .beta.-lactams, and which is thought to carry on peptidoglycan synthesis when other PBPs have been inhibited by .beta.-lactams (Williamson et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 131:1933-1940, 1985, Fontana et al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 38:1980-1983, 1994).
As with the .beta.-lactams, glycopeptides such as vancomycin and teicoplanin have been used for many years to treat a variety of Gram-positive bacterial infections. Until 1986 there were no reports of acquired resistance to these antibacterial agents. At that time, two research groups discovered high-level resistance in clinically important Enterococci (Leclercq et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 319:157-161 (1988); Uttley et al., Epidemiol. Infect. 103:173-181 (1989)). The resistance factors were carried on plasmids transmissible to other Gram-positive bacteria. Transmission of the resistance mechanism to Staphylococci is possible (and likely in the future) though no clinical isolates of S. aureus have yet been confirmed. However, resistance to glycopeptides in the Enterococci is now very common, and isolates of Enterococci exist which are virtually untreatable, either with glycopeptides or with other antibacterial agents.
The mechanism of antibacterial activity of glycopeptides in susceptible bacteria differs from the mechanisms of most other antibiotics; rather than being enzyme inhibitors, the glycopeptides bind to a critical precursor in the cell wall synthesis process, masking the precursor and blocking subsequent steps in the process. Specifically, the glycopeptide binds to two terminal alanine residues in a peptidoglycan pentapeptide.
The mechanism of glycopeptide resistance in Enterococci is then due to the production of an alternative precursor for the cell wall synthesis process. In the most common example, the two terminal alanines of the pentapeptide are replaced by an alanine and a lactate moiety. Existing glycopeptides do not bind effectively to that altered peptide, resulting in resistance to the antibiotics.
The genetic basis of resistance to glycopeptides has been determined (Arthur & Courvalin, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 37:1563-1571 (1993)). In the clinically most important enterococci, E. faecium and E. faecalis, two principal phenotypes are observed (VanA, VanB). Both mechanisms lead to vancomycin resistance, but teicoplanin may still be effective against VanB isolates. The clinically less important enterococci, E. gallinarum and E. casseliflavus exhibit a third resistance phenotype (VanC), which is constitutively expressed (rather than being inducible) and is presumed to be chromosomally carried (rather than being located on a transmissible extragenic element).
The above material is not admitted to be prior art to the pending claims but is provided only to aid the understanding of the reader.


An apparatus and method uses a central firing chamber, a plurality of pipes extending outwardly and slightly downwardly from the central firing chamber, means for actuating an explosive charge within the central firing chamber, a deployable net, and a plurality of net-anchoring weights attached to the perimeter of the net, each weight being releasably retained within a pipe until the explosive charge is detonated thereby deploying a net downwardly to live-capture an animal situated below the apparatus.

The presence of large, wild foraging animals in urban or suburban areas is a common problem. As such animals become more used to the idea of living in close proximity to man and his encroachments, large animals such as deer frequently wander into areas where there is the perceived need to destroy the animals or relocate them. Many suburban areas today engage the services of sharpshooters to partially accomplish this task. This activity is essentially a waiting game for the marksman who must patiently wait his next target, and a moderately dangerous one at that. Being the animal loving creatures that people are, relocation is favored over destruction of these wayward animals. Live catching such large animals is not, however, an easy task. Though courageous enough to enter man's domain, the animals are not so unwary as to be careful of anything that is out of place. In the experience of this inventor, any type of live catch device that could be employed of necessity is required to be configured such that it does not stand out in the animal's sensory field. It must also be able to quickly deploy the catch mechanism without allowing the animal to flee before in can be caught. It must be able to be deployed from a distance so as not to require the user to be in close proximity to the device and elude detection by the animal. It must also be easily usable, and it must be reusable.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a live catch device that is configured and used in such a fashion that it does not stand out in the animal's sensory field, visual or otherwise, and is not easily detected by the animal. It is also desirable to have a live catch device that can be quickly deployed without allowing the animal to flee before in can be caught. It is also desirable to have such a live catch device that can be deployed from a distance so as not to require the user to be in close proximity to the device and to the animal to be caught. Perhaps most importantly is the need to configure such a device that is easily usable, and that is reusable in the same or other locations.

Method and apparatus for deploying an animal restraining net