The invention provides a process for the production of a high grade amorphous silica having a purity of at least 90% active silica of the formula SiO.sub.2.nH.sub.2 O, comprising the steps of:. a. comminuting and wet classification of porcellanite rock to form granules having an average diameter of 200 microns to 8 mm; PA1 b. combining the resulting granules with NaOH at a temperature of up to 100.degree. C. to form a product containing sodium silicates; PA1 c. separating a liquid containing the sodium silicates from solid waste; PA1 d. adding CO.sub.2 to the liquid product to form SiO.sub.2.nH.sub.2 O and Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 ; PA1 e. washing the resulting product to effect a separation of the precipitated SiO.sub.2.nH.sub.2 O from the soluble Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 ; and PA1 f. recovering SiO.sub.2.nH.sub.2 O of a purity of at least 90%.

Porcellanite is a natural mineral raw material found in the earth in scarce quantities. It occurs in the coastal regions of different countries but also in rare dispersions in semi-closed basins such as Israel.
The porcellanite rock contains as basic and useful component, the so-called opal-CT, having the formula SiO.sub.2.nH.sub.2 O wherein n is between 0.1 and 0.3, which is a crystalline polymorf of SiO.sub.2 including H.sub.2 O in its network.
There were identified some special properties of this mineral matter which favorably differentiates it from quartz-sand with similar chemical composition (SiO.sub.2). First of all, this opaliform silica is highly reactive and thus can be easily dissolved in alkaline hydroxides (by hydrothermal process at low temperature and overpressure). In addition, this opaliform mineral is a cryptocrystalline form of silica (cristobalite or tridymite) with microscopic pores, large pore volumes and surface area, attributes which provide significant adsorptive capacity and related properties to this rare form cf silica.
A prevailing prerequisite of rendering profitable this useful mineral substance is the need to obtain the same in relatively high purity.
Exploration samples of the Israeli porcellanite occurrence indicate contents of opal (active silica) in the range of 20-65%. Accompanying mineral impurities are: limestone-calcite (CaCO.sub.3) amounting to 25-60%, flint (SiO.sub.2) and about 4-15%, and clays, limonitic iron oxides, quartz-sand, and other impurities as subordinate components (3-4%).
There are many potential uses, both direct and indirect, for opaliform active silica, however, all of them require a product purity of at least 85% and some require a purity of at least 90 or even 95%.
Thus some of the direct utilizations of opaliform active silica include:
a. Silica bricks (for open-hearth furnaces). PA1 b. Specialty glasses (for optical purposes). PA1 c. Laboratory glassware. PA1 d. Silica fibers (in precision instruments). PA1 e. Pyrogenic or fumed silica. PA1 f. Filler and reinforcing material (in rubber, paints, etc.). PA1 g. Sodium silica (water glass). PA1 a. Silica gel (catalyst, adsorbent filtering material, dehydrating agent). PA1 b. Detergent (in detergents and soap industry). PA1 c. Adhesive (adhesion to glass, wood, metal and paper). PA1 d. Binder (forming bricks or moulded objects). PA1 e. Zeolites and insoluble silicates (various uses). PA1 f. Oil recovery (enhancing oil flow in porous substances). PA1 a. Silica gels (96-99%) below this content have unsatisfactory surface area. PA1 b. Precipitated silica (95%) to achieve a minimum surface area of 40-45 m.sup.2 /g. PA1 c. Pyrogenic silica (97-99%.9%) to enable the manufacture of pyrogenic silica. PA1 d. Silica bricks (light weight aggregates) (92-95%) to obtain bulk density of 0.7-0.9 g/cm.sup.3. PA1 e. Oil recovery (88-95%) to ensure an oil absorption capacity of 1-3 g/g. PA1 f. Detergents (86-92%) to avoid deleterious effect of impurities (mainly CacO.sub.3).
Some of the e.g, indirect utilizations of sodium silicate include:
It is to be noted, however, that the projected prerequisite content of "active silica" for various applications are as follows:

Process for the preparation of amorphous silica


The present invention provides a method, system, and program product for the deployment and use of an intelligent sensor network. More particularly, the method, system, and program product of the present invention enable the deployment and use of fused sensors in an arbitrary area or volume. In a first aspect, the invention provides a method for employing a multi-sensor network, the method comprising the steps of employing a first sensor, employing a plurality of additional sensors, a position of each additional sensor within the network being relative in at least two dimensions to only one of the first sensor and an adjacent sensor nearer the first sensor, and employing a routing algorithm for determining a routing path for data in the network.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to the field of data communications and more specifically to a method, system, and program product for the deployment and use of fused sensors in an arbitrary area or volume.
2. Related Art
It has long been recognized that data acquisition and environmental monitoring are improved by the use of multiple sensor devices linked through a network or system. Various parametric and non-parametric multi-sensor data fusion algorithms have been proposed for combining data from multiple sensor devices in such a network or system. See, e.g., Ma, "Parametric and non-parametric approaches for multi-sensor data fusion," Ph.D. Thesis, University of Michigan (2001), which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The ability to deploy and use a wide variety of sensor devices over an arbitrary area or in an arbitrary volume offers great advantages in various applications, and particularly in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. For example, Bevington et al. describe distributed sensor networks useful for battlefield surveillance and target tracking and that are capable of adaptation and self-organization. See Bevington et al., "Target Tracking for Heterogeneous Smart Sensor Networks," in Battlespace Digitization and Network-Centric Warfare, Proceedings of SPIE v.4396 (2001), which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Other uses for multi-sensor systems may include, for example, the location and tracking of individuals or vehicles, security systems, wireless telecommunications and data transfer systems, and environmental monitoring applications.
However, it is often a lack of robustness or adaptability of the networks or systems within which these sensors operate that prevents realization of the full potential of multi-sensor data fusion technologies. Many such networks or systems are fixed or static. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0064260 to Padmanabhan et al., which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, teaches a static sensor network for the detection of biological and chemical agents. Others require information to be routed through a fixed central point. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0073406 to Benjamin et al., which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, teaches a mobile, dynamic network of vehicle-mounted sensors that communicate via a centralized communications controller. In such a network, the failure of the centralized data routing point or any sensor along the path to that point may render some or all of the network inoperable. This inoperability may result not only in the inability of the network to fuse the data provided by multiple sensors, but may also isolate individual sensors with respect to each other. In military applications, such isolation of network components can have disastrous consequences.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a solution that employs a wide variety of sensors over an arbitrary area or volume, permits the rapid transmission and acquisition of data, and is dynamically reconfigurable.

International Business Machines Corporation


A fuel injection device including a valve body having an injection hole-formed part having a plurality of injection holes on the leading end side of the valve body. An injection hole comprises a crossing angle, θ1, between a central axis of the injection hole-formed part and an injection hole axis, and another injection hole comprises a crossing angle, θ2, between the central axis and another injection hole axis. θ2 is larger than θ1. The injection holes are formed such that a distance between the central axis and an inlet surface center of the injection hole is longer than a distance between the central axis and another inlet surface center of the another injection hole. A straight line beyond an outlet surface in the injection hole axis does not intersect with another straight line beyond another outlet surface in the another injection hole axis.

As a background art in the present technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-54676 (PTL 1). In PTL 1, a method of properly stratifying the inside of a combustion chamber and improving ignition performance by converging a spray to a vicinity of a plurality of fuel spray spark plugs and forming vapor, in which fuel is atomized, around an electrode of the spark plugs is disclosed.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-1660 (PTL 2), "a fuel injection valve (10) including: a plurality of injection holes (112; 212) configured to inject fuel into a combustion chamber (22) of an internal-combustion engine (1), wherein each of the plurality of injection holes includes a guide region (114; 144; 174; 214) that lets fuel pass through and determines an amount of injected fuel and an injection direction and a diffusion region (116; 146; 176; 216) that changes the fuel passing through the guide region into a spray, and in at least one of the plurality of injection holes, a central axis (118b; 148b; 178b; 218b) of the diffusion region is in parallel with a central axis (118a; 148a; 178 a; 218a) of the guide region and is eccentrically formed on a side far from a central axis (120; 150; 180; 220) of the fuel injection valve compared to the central axis of the guide region (claim 1)" is disclosed.


A method using polyelectrolyte self-assembly for preparing multi-layered organic molecular materials having individual layers which exhibit ultrafast electron and/or energy transfer in a controlled direction occurring over the entire structure. Using a high molecular weight, water-soluble, anionic form of poly-phenylene vinylene, self-assembled films can be formed which show high photoluminescence quantum efficiency (QE). The highest emission QE is achieved using poly(propylene-imine) (PPI) dendrimers as cationic binders. Self-quenching of the luminescence is observed as the solid polymer film thickness is increased and can be reversed by inserting additional spacer layers of transparent polyelectrolytes between each active conjugated layer, such that the QE grows with thickness. A red shift of the luminescence is also observed as additional PPV layers are added. This effect persists as self-quenching is eliminated. Charge transfer superlattices can be formed by additionally incorporating C60 acceptor layers.

Photoinduced charge and energy transfer in biological molecules form the basis for photosynthesis and vision. The initial absorption and electron transfer steps take place on femtosecond (fs, (10−15 s) to picosecond (10−12 s) timescales, and the active molecules are usually linear chain or cyclic ring systems with extended networks of π-orbitals, leading to electron delocalization along the entire molecule, strong optical absorptions, and facile electron transport even for large molecules. The prototypical molecules in photosynthesis are metal-substituted porphyrin compounds, and conjugated polyenes. The reactions which have been most heavily studied involve intermolecular electron or energy transfer between electron-donating and electron-accepting moieties. More generally, strongly allowed optical transitions in π-conjugated organic molecules typically involve substantial redistributions of the π-electron density in the excited-state. These intramolecular charge-transfer (CT) transitions play a dominant role in determining the strength of second- and third-order nonlinear optical effects (NLO).
Materials in which the optical properties (e.g. absorption coefficient, and index of refraction) may be dynamically altered by exposure to light have a wide variety of applications in nonlinear optics. Such applications include devices to control or alter properties of pulsed laser beams (modulators, optical switches) as well as signal and image processors using dynamic holograms. It is well-established that in solid-state blends of molecular materials consisting of light absorbers and electron acceptors, the separation of charge following photoexcitation (photoinduced CT) can lead to such changes in the optical properties (see e.g., D. McBranch, Curr. Opin. Solid-State and Mater. Sci., 3, 203 (1998)). Desirable NLO effects from photoinduced CT arise from several sources: (1) creation of new optical transitions from the excited-states of the donor and acceptor species, with associated changes in absorptivity and refractive index; (2) stabilization of the excited-state lifetime, offering additional control over the NLO response time; and (3) creation of space-charge fields which drive secondary NLO effects due to other NLO chromophores.
The creation of strong, excited-state absorption transitions with metastable lifetimes has led to large enhancements of reverse saturable-absorption nonlinearities for optical limiting of high-fluence pulses. Optical limiting performance enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude was reported for conjugated polymer/C60 blended films (see, e.g., D. McBranch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,442).
The index of refraction changes associated with the creation of new CT transitions in polymer/C60 blends were measured for steady-state laser excitation (see, e.g., K. Lee et al., Phys. Rev. B54, 10525 (1996)). Recently, ultrafast holography in these charge-transfer polymers taking advantage of both photoinduced changes in optical constants and a tunable ps response time has been demonstrated (see, e.g., E. Maniloff et al., Opt. Comm. 141, 243 (1997).
Electric-field induced, long-range charge separation in photorefractive polymers in conjunction with an ordered network of NLO chromophores, have been found to produce dynamic refractive index gratings by reorientation of dipoles with large dipole moment (field-induced birefringence) and by direct modulation of the refractive index for chromophores with high second-order molecular nonlinearity (Pockels effect). The incorporation of conjugated dye donors, C60 acceptors, hole transport agents, and optimized NLO chromophores in transparent polymer hosts, has led to polymeric photorefractive materials with diffraction efficiencies approaching unity, and response times of a few seconds (see, e.g., S. R. Marder et al, Nature 388, 845 (1997)). These polymers have been applied to optical data storage, optical correlation and pattern recognition, and self-pumped phase conjugation (see, e.g., D. McBranch, Curr. Opin. Solid-State and Mater. Sci., 3, 203 (1998)).
Dynamic holographic materials offer promise for optical processing of information with potentially high information density. However, simply comparing the maximum diffraction efficiency or the response time for different materials does not allow an adequate comparison of their relative merits, since rapid data processing requires having both a large response and a rapid recording rate. Maniloff et al. have proposed as a figure-of-merit the temporal diffraction efficiency (TDE), defined as η/τ, where η is the diffraction efficiency and τ is the time constant governing the holographic buildup (see, e.g., E. Maniloff et al., Opt. Comm. 141, 243 (1997). As an example, photorefractive polymers have large efficiencies (approaching unity), but because they respond on times≧1 s, they have TDE values≦1 s−1, for light intensities of approximately one W/cm2. Holographic materials based on photo-isomerization possess TDE values in the range of 10−1–10−6 s−1, with recording intensities of 10–50 mW/cm2. Ultrafast CT holographic materials, by contrast, show diffraction efficiencies of 2% (pump fluence 300 μJ/cm2, or average intensity 300 mW/cm2) with response times of less than 1 ps, for TDE values 10–12 orders of magnitude larger than previously reported dynamic holographic materials (see, e.g., E. Maniloff et al., Opt. Comm. 141, 243 (1997)).
The challenge of preparing macroscopic solid-state materials which utilize molecular photoinduced-charge transfer and nonlinear optical moieties has been addressed in several ways. Simply combining materials which have the desired individual characteristics has proved successful in the initial demonstrations of many NLO effects identified hereinabove. For optical limiting and holographic effects using excited-state CT transitions, disordered blended materials are sufficient. However, the observation of bulk photorefractive effects requires that the individual NLO chromophores be oriented with respect to each other. Orientation stability ranging from hours to months has been achieved in initially disordered materials by electric-field poling in host polymers which are cross-linkable, or which have elevated glass-transition temperatures Tg, in order to lock the chromophores into a metastable ordered state (see, e.g., S. R. Marder et al., Nature 388, 845 (1997)). Marder et al. have also demonstrated that dynamic reorientation could be achieved using an applied field for polymers having Tg below room temperature.
An alternative strategy for constructing solid-state materials with molecular CT and NLO components is by molecular self-assembly. Using this technique, macroscopic solids have been designed and constructed molecular layer-by-layer. Several routes to solid-state self-assembly of dipolar NLO chromophores have been investigated using covalent bonding (see, e.g., H. E. Katz et al, Science 254, 1485 (1991)). Although materials having high thermal and chemical stability have been generated using these procedures, it has proven difficult to make multilayers having arbitrary thickness. Additionally, materials, which incorporate photoinduced CT effects, have not yet been produced.
Ionic self-assembly of alternating layers of positively and negatively-charged polyelectrolytes has proven to be a versatile and simple technique for rapidly constructing multilayered organic thin films having arbitrary thickness. The surface quality and layer thickness can be extremely repeatable from layer-to-layer, and a technique for making solids for a large number of systems has been demonstrated, including transparent ionic polymers (see, e.g., G. Decher et al., Thin Solid Films 210, 831 (1992)), as well as various optically- and electrically-active species, such as phthalocyanines and porphyrins (see, e.g., T. M. Cooper et al, Langmuir 11, 2713 (1991)), conjugated polymers for thin-film, light-emitting diodes (see, e.g., J. C. Foo et al., J. Appl. Phys. 79, 7501 (1996)), and polymers with NLO chromophores as side chains (see, e.g., X. Wang et al., Macromolecular Rapid Comm. 18, 451 (1997), Y. Lvov et al., Thin Solid Film 300, 107 (1997), and K. M. Lenahan et al., Adv. Mater. 10, 853 (1998). In the latter work, it was observed that spontaneous ordering of the NLO chromophores occurs at the ionic interface, and that a high degree of net orientation is maintained for several layers. However, materials which incorporate photoinduced CT effects have not yet been produced by either covalent or ionic self-assembly methods.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the preparation of layered supramolecular materials having individual molecular layers in which charge transfer in a controlled direction occurs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the preparation of materials having a preferred direction for charge transfer over the entire structure which produces enhanced nonlinear optical effects such as photoinduced changes in the refractive index.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for the preparation of layered supramolecular materials having individual molecular layers in which energy transfer in a controlled direction occurs.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Photoinduced charge-transfer materials for nonlinear optical applications


A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for tires in order to salvage used tire casings of tires and recap them with a better mechanical and chemical bond involving the use of hot water to accelerate the cure rate and uncured tire compound placed on the tire casing subjected subsequently to heat and pressure.

Despite the ongoing efforts in modern society to recycle, the efforts towards recycling tires has curiously remained a difficult problem to solve. This problems persists today because the technology for manufacturing new tires--radial tire technology--has virtually made obsolete the technology for recapping tires. As a result, the industry for recapping tires has all but vanished in recent years. In its place, huge mountains of spent tires are being stockpiled at dump sites where they constitute a waste of space, an ongoing eye sore and danger should they be ignited. Reports occur of mountains of spent tires having caught fire. These fires often burn unchecked until all of the stockpiled tires have been consumed, an event that can takes months, if not years. During the uncontrolled burning, the atmosphere is polluted and the ground contaminated by rivers of molten petroleum products released from the burning tires. Damages are incalculable.
Once, recapping tire casings was a thriving, established industry. The industry still survives today, if only for applications directed substantially toward industrial and commercial vehicle tires. Even so, the industry still suffers from a wide variety of problems. The most prevalent problem is the dislodgment of the annular band defining the recap from the spent tire casing. The primary reason that the recap band becomes disassociated from the tire casing is poor adhesion. High vehicular speeds create extreme heat which causes separation along the interface between the tire casing and recap band. Variances in the recap band shape exacerbate this problem. This separation contributes to the frequent failure of recapped tires. This failure has been the principal reason most retail consumers are biased against retreads. Yet, economics still support the retread business for commercial and industrial tires (because of the high cost of these tires). Thus, tire sales to commercial fleet companies still remain commonplace.
Until the advent of the radial tire, the predominate method for recapping spent tire casings was the hot capping method. With this method, a spent tire casing (also called a carcass or tire carcass) was prepared, and then a recap band of uncured rubber was introduced along the outside periphery of the tire casing. The tire casing was stretched and under high temperature and pressure, typically 160 psi and 305.degree. F.; the band of uncured rubber was adhered, as it cured, to the tire casing creating a sturdy and robust retread by creating a fairly strong bond between the new and the old rubber. However, with radial tires, traditional methods for recapping could not be used. Although the new radial tire technology provided a much stronger tire initially, when the radial tire wore out, the prospects for retread were dismal. The known hot capping technology could not be used for radial tires. The primary difficulty with retreading of radial tires is that a radial tire cannot be stretched. The radial cords imbedded in the tire rubber prevent the stretching of the tire casing--a necessary and integral procedure for the manufacturing of retreads using the prior hot capping method.
Because of the inability to stretch the spent radial tire casings under high temperature and pressure, alternative procedures were developed without stretching, using lower temperatures and pressures. The alternative procedures were inferior. The alternative procedures provided for application of the uncured rubber to the spent radial tire at much lower temperatures and pressures. Typically, heated, highly pressurized air, or gas, was used to provide both the heat and pressure needed for the process. Curing times were longer, which substantially lengthened manufacturing time. Moreover, without high temperatures and pressures, the strength of the recap rubber was compromised resulting in an inability to obtain the stronger recap band of previous retreads. As a consequence, the life of the retread tire was shortened, and its economic value diminished. Further, because of the use of highly pressurized air, safety risks to manufacturing process operators were substantial. When the pressurized air system failed during the manufacturing process, the instantaneous pneumatic expansion--a violent explosion--could, and did, cause severe injury and death.
Cold capping of retread tires was developed as an alternative to the hot capping method. With cold capping, the recap band was precured prior to attaching it to the tire casing. Typically, the recap band was cured at the desirable higher temperatures and pressures as a flat piece of rubber. The precured recap band was later attached with adhesive to the perimeter of the tire casing. Although the precured recap band had the superior qualities of the hot cap recap band manufactured using high pressure and temperature, because precured rubber has a "memory" of the shape in which it was originally cured, the precured flat recap band tried to return to its original shape after it was adhered to the tire casing. That is, with cold capping, the memory of the precured flat recap band resists the curved shape of the tire casing perimeter, fighting the adhesive which attaches it to the tire casing. Because the memory of the recap band opposed the adhesive, the life of the adhesive was diminished. Yet curing the recap band in a curved shape to match the tire casing perimeter is so costly as to make it an unattractive and commercially undesirable alternative to the precured flat recap band. The aesthetic of the retread manufactured by the cold capping process also diminished it's commercial success with the retail consumer as the cold cap retread was considered unattractive.
With the radial tire causing the retread manufactured by the hot capping process to be of substantially diminished quality, and the retread manufactured by the cold capping process to also be undesirable, the retread business has sharply fallen off in recent years. It is only in the commercial and industrial vehicle market, where new tire costs is substantially higher, that the retread business has managed to survive. The retail consumer tires of today are just not retread--instead spent tires are retired to the unsightly, and ever expanding, stockpiles of local waste sites.
The following documents further reflect the state of the art of which applicant is aware and have been included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is stipulated, however, that none of the prior art teach singly nor render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention as set forth hereinafter and as especially claimed.
______________________________________ INVENTOR ISSUE DATE U.S. PAT. NO. ______________________________________ Fetter October 31, 1933 1,932,692 Freeman December 29, 1936 2,066,265 Leguillon, et al. October 2, 1951 2,569,935 Ostling November 22, 1955 2,724,425 White May 14, 1957 2,791,805 White May 27, 1958 2,835,921 Barefoot October 14, 1958 2,855,629 Pfeiffer February 6, 1962 3,020,190 Keefe October 4, 1966 3,276,930 Ireland, et al. November 6, 1973 3,770,858 Fredericks, et al. February 19, 1974 3,793,420 Barefoot June 11, 1974 3,816,217 MacMillan November 12, 1974 3,847,631 Barefoot December 10, 1974 3,853,666 Foegelle July 13, 1976 3,969,179 Batchelor, et al. March 21, 1978 4,080,230 Baatz May 23, 1978 4,090,901 Cole, et al. June 27, 1978 4,097,565 Logan August 23, 1983 4,400,342 Mattson May 1, 1984 4,446,093 Mattson, et al. December 25, 1984 4,490,325 Fike, et al. March 11, 1986 4,575,438 Greenwood, et al. August 5, 1986 4,604,256 Greenwood, et al. December 29, 1987 4,715,577 Mattson March 28, 1989 4,816,198 Seiberling July 25, 1989 4,851,063 Majerus August 15, 1989 4,857,122 Lindsay, et al. October 8, 1991 5,055,148 Trethowan July 7, 1992 5,127,811 Lindsay, et al. September 29, 1992 5,151,148 ______________________________________
The patent to Baatz teaches the use of a recapping method for tires using a flat precured recap band. The tire to be recapped is placed within an envelope with the precured recap band thereabout. A hose runs from inside the envelope to outside the tank in which the tire is placed. Hot water is pumped into the airtight tank. The rising air and water pressure force the air out of the envelope and press the envelope firmly against the recapped tire to hold the recap band securely in place.
The two patents to Lindsay, et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,055,148 and 5,151,148) teach the use of a method and system for retreading spent tires with precured treads utilizing time and temperature in conjunction with an envelope pressure system. A precured rubber tread is applied to a tire casing having a cushion gum disposed therebetween. An envelope system is placed over the tread/tire casing and this assembly is placed within a pressure chamber. Heat and fluid pressure are then supplied to the chamber. Fluid pressure is then supplied to the chamber after both a predetermined length of time and after a predetermined temperature of the chamber has been reached.
The patent to Seiberling teaches the use of a radiation cure of tire plies. In a continuous operation, steam or hot water is led into the mold through a pipe and provides sufficient pressure within the tire to force it against the mold to groove the tread and form any desired identification and indicia marks desired on the tire surface. The tire is cured at usual temperatures, and steam or hot water is used in the usual manner, but without an air bag or bladder.
The patent to Foegelle teaches the use of a curing apparatus which may be used for vulcanizing a pre-cured tread onto a suitably prepared tire casing. The apparatus provides a mold defining a chamber in which the tire casing and adhesively attached pre-cured tread are placed and includes means for establishing pressurized fluid, such as steam or air, within the interior of the tire casing and pressurized fluid, such as steam, in the annular space between the casing and the inside peripheral surface of the chamber.
The patent to Trethowan teaches the use of a bladderless tire mold press for tires, including lower and upper platens and a mechanism for moving the platens relatively toward one another from an open position to a closed molding position. Each of the platens further includes a mechanism for molding tire beads. Note column 4, from line 26. The curing medium may be steam or hot water. The effect of this is to expand the green tire so as to properly engage with the various molds surrounding it.
The patent to Majerus teaches the use of a process for injection molding tire treads. Note the discussion of operation starting at column 4, line 16 through column 5, line 17, which utilizes a first low pressure on the interior of the tire casing to position the tire casing until the injection of tread material is complete and then uses a second higher pressure for curing.
The remaining citations not specifically discussed diverge even further from the focal point of patentable novelty as set forth hereinbelow.


A method and system of automatically generating source code for configuring a programmable microcontroller. The method involves displaying virtual blocks in a computerized design system where the virtual blocks correspond to programmable circuit blocks in a microcontroller chip. The user selects a user module that defines a particular function to be performed on the microcontroller. The user assigns the virtual blocks to the user module. The design system then automatically generates source code for configuring the programmable blocks to perform the desired function. The source code can then be assembled, linked and loaded into the microcontroller's memory system. When executed on the microcontroller, the executable code will then set registers within the blocks to implement the function. Source code is automatically generated for: (1) realizing the user module in a hardware resource; and also (2) to configure the user module to behave in a prescribed manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of programming and configuring programmable electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to using a design system for (i) displaying choices for user-selected functions; (2) displaying choices for where and how to implement the selected function; and (3) automatically generating computer code, that when executed, will configure the electronic device to perform the selected function.
2. Related Art
A microcontroller is an integrated circuit device ("chip") composed of functional units or "blocks," input/output pins, internal busses and programmable interconnections among these components. Many of these configurable components can be programmed to perform a specific function or connect to another specific sub-system by loading a particular bit pattern into a particular register in the actual chip. Recently, a microcontroller having programmable analog and digital blocks has been introduced.
In addition, a microcontroller also has a central processing unit ("CPU") and a memory system for storing data and instructions. The CPU and the memory system can interact with a programmable block, e.g., a configurable component, by reading and writing registers associated with that component. The configurable blocks are therefore programmed by setting their configuration registers with certain values. Thus, by writing a program for the CPU, a user can specify the function the configurable component will perform as well as the connections among configurable components. The user can also write programs that interact with the configurable components once those components have been initialized. The programs also do this by reading and writing registers associated with the configurable components.
Configuring and programming a microcontroller requires specifying and setting an enormous number of bits. It is common for engineers who need to configure and program a microcontroller to develop and use software for that purpose such as design tools, databases, assemblers, compilers, linkers, and debuggers. However, conventional microcontroller programming and configuring requires that the engineer incorporate the literal binary codes and addresses associated with the configurable components into the microcontroller source code.
This conventional technique therefore requires many manual steps and is error-prone and tedious. In other words, if a designer wants to program a configurable block to implement a circuit, then the designer manually determines the configuration registers of the hardware resource. The circuit designer then manually develops code to program those registers in such a way to realize the circuit (e.g., an amplifier). The designer then has to manually write code to operate the circuit in the desired fashion, e.g., give the amplifier a specific gain, etc. When dealing with physical addresses of configuration registers and the specific configuration data needed to program them, the data and information are often expressed as a series of numbers in decimal and/or hexadecimal and/or binary formats. Unfortunately, these numbers and number formats are very complex and hard to read and remember. Any small error in syntax, or a typographical error, or a transposition error can be fatal for the overall program. Manual programming and mapping leads to such errors.

System providing automatic source code generation for personalization and parameterization of user modules


A secondary battery module has a plurality of unit batteries adjacently spaced apart from each other. A barrier rib is disposed between adjacent unit batteries, the barrier rib having a plurality of protrusions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly, to a secondary battery module having a plurality of unit batteries and a barrier rib for the secondary battery module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unlike a primary battery, the secondary battery may be recharged. Lower power batteries are used for various portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers, and camcorders. Bulk size batteries are used as the power source for motor drive, such as in hybrid electric vehicles.
Depending on the external shape, secondary batteries may be classified into different types, for example, square and cylindrical batteries. When they are used for motor drive of the machines requiring a high power source such as the hybrid electric vehicles, the secondary batteries may form a secondary battery module of high power.
The secondary battery module is formed by serially connecting several secondary batteries (hereinafter "unit battery"), and each of the unit batteries includes an electrode assembly in which a separator is interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The electrode assembly is inserted inside a container, and a cap assembly is assembled with the container to seal the container. The cap assembly includes terminals disposed extending from the inside to the outside of the container and are electrically connected to a positive electrode and a negative electrode, respectively.
In addition, if the unit batteries are square type batteries, the unit batteries are arranged to alternate positive and negative terminals of one unit battery projected from the upper portion of the cap assembly with the positive and negative terminals of an adjacent unit battery. Adaptors of the electric conductor are typically mounted on threaded negative and positive terminals such that they are electrically connected with each other to form the battery module.
Since the battery module connects several to tens of unit batteries to form one battery module, there is a need to efficiently emit heat generated from each unit battery. In particular, when the unit battery is used as bulk size secondary batteries for motor drive such as in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, motor scooters, and vacuum cleaners, the heat emission is of significant importance.
If the heat emission does not occur properly, the temperature of the battery module may excessively increase due to the heat generated from each unit battery, and accordingly, not only the battery module but also the machines with the battery module, can malfunction.
Accordingly, when forming the battery module, a barrier rib is disposed between unit batteries, and the space between unit batteries formed by the barrier rib is used not only for cooling unit batteries but also for preventing distortion due to heat expansion of the unit batteries.
To perform such functions, the barrier rib needs sufficient strength and structure for efficient heat emission.
However, barrier ribs in the conventional secondary battery module do not satisfy the above two conditions simultaneously so there is difficulty in forming secondary battery modules of the quality which consumers expect.
That is, if the barrier ribs ensure the sufficient strength, its manufacturing cost is increased and there is restriction in designing a passage of cooling air. Alternatively, if the barrier ribs are formed having high cooling efficiency, they tend to exhibit structural weakness.

Secondary battery module having protrusions on a barrier rib


A side frame comprises a center pillar which includes a reinforcement provided on an outward side in a vehicle width direction and an inner panel provided on an inward side in the vehicle width direction. The reinforcement comprises upper-and-lower hinge attachment sections for attaching rear-door hinges and first-and-second recessed beads for promoting bending of the center pillar in a vehicle side collision. The hinge attachment sections are provided to be spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction. The first recessed bead is provided at a higher level than the lower hinge attachment section. The second recessed bead is provided at a lower level than the lower hinge attachment section and configured to be bent before the first recessed bead in the vehicle side collision.

The present invention relates to a side vehicle-body structure of a vehicle which comprises a center pillar including a reinforcement provided on an outward side, in a vehicle width direction, of a vehicle body and an inner panel provided on an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the vehicle body.
There is a case where when a side-collision load is applied to a vehicle, such as an automotive vehicle, a central part, in a vertical direction, of a center pillar is bent the most, so that the center pillar is greatly deformed into a cabin. Herein, it is required that this bending deformation of the center pillar into the cabin is suppressed in order to protect an occupant of the vehicle. However, there is a limit in improving the rigidity of the center pillar. Herein, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-88596 (its counterpart US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0095567 A1) discloses a technology that a fragile section is intentionally formed at the reinforcement of the center pillar, wherein the fragile section has the lower (weaker) rigidity than the other section. In the technology disclosed in the above-described patent document, the fragile section which is a recessed groove is formed at around a position which is located at a higher level than a lower hinge attachment section provided at the center pillar.
The above-described hinge attachment section of the center pillar becomes an input point of the side-collision load to the reinforcement in a vehicle side collision. Therefore, when the load is inputted to the lower hinge attachment section of the center pillar in the vehicle side collision, the above-described fragile section becomes a bending causing point. That is, it is intended that an upper part of the center pillar is suppressed from being bent (deformed) greatly into the cabin by positively bending around a lower part of the center pillar in the vehicle side collision.
Herein, the vehicle has been required to improve the rigidity of the center pillar. However, if this rigidity improvement of the center pillar has been progressed, there is a concern that even if the above-described fragile section, such as the recessed groove, is formed at the reinforcement, this fragile section may not become the bending causing point in the vehicle side collision. In this case, there occurs a problem that a portion of the center pillar around the central part, in a vertical direction, of the center pillar becomes the bending causing point, so that the occupant protection may not be attained properly.


A floor covering main body comprising an intermediate channeled surface. A plurality of non-contiguous but adjacent lugs extends upwardly from the intermediate channeled surface. A substantially planar composite upper surface is disposed above the intermediate surface and is defined by the top surfaces of the lugs. The intermediate channeled surface carries or channels liquid away from the upper walking surface. A plurality of floor covering main bodies can be aligned to form a flooring system. In another configuration, some or all of the lugs may be contiguous.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to a floor covering having a liquid channeling means disposed below a walking surface, and more particularly to a floor covering having an upwardly oriented liquid channeling surface and a walking surface disposed thereabove and defined by a plurality of lugs extending upwardly from the liquid channeling surface.
2. Description of Related Art
Floor coverings that collect or direct liquids of various types are known in the prior art. These floor coverings are utilized in many environments such as garages and factories.
For example, in the garage environment it is common to have melting snow, mud, and lubricants find their way to the garage floor. Besides creating an untidy environment, elements such as these may accelerate the deterioration of the floor. Even worse, they may increase the potential for slip and fall accidents. The floor covering designs of the prior art have tried to address these issues, but have not done an adequate job. Specifically, the designs of the prior art may contain or channel liquids, but none provide a walking surface that adequately separates someone from the liquid. Even more, none provide adequate liquid channeling away from the walking surface. Therefore, there exists a need for a new and improved floor covering which can channel liquid away from the walking surface and still allow for relatively easy cleaning.


The present invention is directed to an adjustable trailer hitch that provides a suspended connection between a tow vehicle and an attached trailer. The hitch includes a support member that is adapted to be attached to a tow vehicle and a frame having first and second pivots for pivotally support a hitch plate, which is operative to connect to a trailer (e.g., engage a trailer pin). A first air spring has a first end fixedly connected to the support member and a second end fixedly connected to the frame. The air spring permits relative movement between the support member and the frame as well as transmitting towing forces therebetween. The air spring provides a pliable connection that at least partially mechanically isolates the trailer and the vehicle from each other. Instead of acting as a single unit, the vehicle and the trailer act at least partially independently of each other.

Trailers can be connected to tow vehicles by any of a variety of hitches, ranging from simple ball hitches and receiver hitches to heavy-duty gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches. The selection of hitch for any particular application depends on a number of factors, including the type of vehicle, the dimensions and weight of the trailer, and the anticipated load (including the weight, dimensions, and type of load). Hitches are available for virtually any motor vehicle on the market today: ball type hitches and receiver hitches are more commonly used with passenger vehicles and light trucks (automobiles, pick-up trucks, and sport-utility vehicles) for light-duty hauling. Gooseneck and fifth wheel type hitches are typically used with heavy-duty pickup trucks and tractor-trailers for hauling heavier loads.
While in motion, all vehicles and all trailers tend to bounce or sway to some degree; the extent of such bouncing or swaying motion depends on the vehicle's speed and road conditions. When a trailer is attached to a tow vehicle by a standard lock-down or solid connection hitch, the trailer cannot move independently of the vehicle. As a result, any bouncing, swaying, and vibration of the trailer is transferred directly to the vehicle through the hitch, leading at best to an uncomfortable ride for the driver and passengers. Movement of the trailer relative to the vehicle may result in the application of forces to the vehicle in one or all of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction and/or about a longitudinal axis (e.g., a torque/moment) defined by the direction of travel of the vehicle and trailer. The safety of the driver and passengers is compromised whenever the forces exerted by the relative movement of the trailer makes it more difficult to control the vehicle, for example, if the driver encounters high bumps, dips, railroad tracks, elevation changes, expansion joints, and situations that require emergency braking (which can cause jack-knifing) or other avoidance maneuvers. As the trailer bobs, bounces, and weaves, the rear end of the vehicle can sometimes be lifted off the road; the front end of the vehicle may also be lifted in turn and pushed from side to side, creating extremely dangerous conditions.
Several attempts to alleviate the problems associated with solid connection hitches have been proposed. For instance, a number of fifth wheel hitches have been designed that include a frame having one end pivotally connected to the tow vehicle and a second end supported by one or more air bags. Typically, the fifth wheel or hitch plate is supported by the frame and is disposed between the pivotally connected end and the air bag supported end. Such arrangements allows for limited relative movement (e.g., vertical movement) between a vehicle and a fifth wheel trailer connected to the fifth wheel. However, such arrangements typically permit no side-to-side movement (horizontal movement) or torsional movement between the vehicle and the fifth wheel trailer.

Vehicle hitch with multi-directional damping


A compact torque limiting clutch provides spring cup bolt assemblies for interengaging a pressure plate and input flange on opposite sides of a friction flange of an output hub. The spring cup assemblies include bolts employed for securing the clutch elements together, such bolts being restricted from rotating during the assembly process by engagement with noncircular apertures passing through the retainer plate. The torque limiting clutch is of a pancake design, contained between axially displaced planar surfaces defined by an input flange on one side and a pressure plate on the other. In another embodiment of the invention, a keeper plate is coaxially secured to an output hub, with a friction disc fixedly secured therebetween. An input drive flange is rotatably mounted on the keeper plate. A separator disc extends the full diameter of the clutch assembly and has cup-shaped shields extending therefrom, serving as seals and heat dissipating members. Torque pins pass through a pressure plate which is urged toward the input hub by a plurality of spring cup bolt assemblies, the torque pins serving as indicators of clutch wear.

The use of torque limiting clutches to couple drive and driven members is well known. In industries requiring such torque limiting clutches, it is well known that the same are designed or selected for specific applications. Each torque limiting clutch typically has a characteristic break-away torque. By employing a torque limiting clutch with a break-away torque which is lower than that at which damage can be done to the drive or driven members, the torque limiting clutch serves to protect the system in which it is employed.
Previously, it has been known to use spring bolts, spring pins and/or spring cups in torque limiting clutches as a force generating means. Such spring bolt assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,426, such spring pin assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,472, and the spring cup assemblies of a similar nature are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,083. It is now readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that such spring bolt assemblies, spring pin assemblies, and spring cup assemblies provide for ease of assembly of torque limiting clutches. They further significantly preclude tampering with the torque setting of the clutch, and provide substantially consistent characteristic break-away torque over the useful life of the clutch.
Despite the compact nature of the spring cups, spring pins, and spring bolts, torque limiting clutches are necessarily of substantial physical size, particularly length. This size results from the necessary inclusion of input and output coupling members, a pressure plate, spring or other force members, and the requisite number of friction elements. The physical size constraints placed on many systems otherwise requiring torque protection often preclude the implementation of torque limiting clutches therein.
It is well known in the art that the size of many torque limiting clutches is often dictated by the assembly techniques employed in their manufacturer, such assembly requiring access areas to nuts, bolts, and the like during the assembly process. When such nuts and bolts are interior to the torque limiting clutch, access openings and clearances must be provided within the clutch to accommodate the assembly process. These areas and openings necessarily aggravate the size considerations given in the design of such torque limiters.
It is further known that the size of a torque limiting clutch is greatly impacted by the nature of the input and output hubs employed for the coupling of drive and driven members thereto. In many known torque limiting clutches, the axial size of the clutch, measured axially from one extreme to the other, has been found to be excessive.
Prior torque limiting clutches have generally failed to provide adequate heat dissipation in a compact unit, and have generally been ineffective in shielding the interior of the clutch from the environment. Such shielding is required to prevent contamination of the friction surfaces, and thereby provides for more accurate torque characteristics.
Additionally, the known prior art has generally not provided for the use of wear indicators to advise the operator when the friction material has been spent.
There is a need in the art for a compact torque limiting clutch of minimal axial dimensions and in which its assembly is easily achieved without the need of access to the internal structure of the assembly. There is a further need for such a torque limiting clutch which achieves effective heat dissipation and protection from the environment while assuring coaxial alignment of the input and output members. There is also the need for such a torque limiting clutch that employs a torque pin as a wear indicator.


A vented non-metallic cap for equipment pedestals having high heat generating components is disclosed. The cap is constructed of a plastic base and a plastic top cover with a stainless steel insect screen between these elements. The base includes a central opening to allow the interior of a covered pedestal to vent heated air generated by newer equipment, and yet the appearance of the vented cap is similar to existing metal pedestal top covers, but has far superior thermal performance.

The present invention relates to a pedestal cap and more particularly to a vented non-metallic cap for a pedestal containing high heat generating components.
Equipment pedestals such as those used for telecommunications, cable television and the like are well known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,041 (co-pending application, Ser. No. 09/366,982) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,353. The data transmission equipment enclosed in such pedestals generate heat, however, usually this does not create any undue problem because the pedestal is able to radiate and/or conduct the heat to the ambient environment thereby preventing damage to the electronic equipment within the pedestal. However, with new high speed data, video electronics and optical devices, the amount of heat generated has grown and has become a problem. Such equipment may generate heat upwards of 23 watts. It is required that ambient air temperature around optical devices not exceed 65xc2x0 C. while those devices are operating. Furthermore, this critical temperature is to be achieved using only passive thermal management techniques; actively powered cooling devices may not be specified.
The difficulties arising due to increased heat generation have been overcome by the present invention. What is described here is a vented cap for an outdoor equipment pedestal having an appearance and size similar to existing pedestal top covers and comprising a base having an open center portion and a peripheral vent, a screen mounted to and supported by the base, an impact cover mounted to the base above the screen, and a fastener for connecting the base and the cover.
There are a number of advantages, features and objects achieved with the present invention which are believed not to be available in any earlier related device. For example, one advantage is that the present invention provides a vented pedestal cap having superior thermal performance characteristics compared to existing pedestal top covers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vented pedestal cap which allows good passive interior ventilation. A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a vented cap that fits existing pedestals from a size standpoint and also has a similar appearance so as not to detract from the pedestal""s aesthetics. Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a vented pedestal cap having good impact resistant qualities. Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a vented pedestal cap which is made of several parts that are easily, quickly and inexpensively made and assembled. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vented pedestal cap which is strong, chemical resistant, flame retardant and highly weatherable. An additional aim of the present invention is to provide an insect screen as part of the cap so as to shield the interior of the pedestal from environmental contaminants.
A more complete understanding of the present invention and other objects, advantages, features, aspects and aims thereof will be gained from a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiment read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing provided herein.


Provided is a coating composition capable of forming a coating film which exhibits excellent durability and is suitable for repair. It is a coating composition containing a resin component and a pigment, in which a linear expansion coefficient at a temperature equal to or less than a glass transition temperature of a nonvolatile component is 3.2×10−5/K or less.

Coated articles are required to be repaired as the coating film degrades. In particular, structures (buildings and nonbuilding structures) which are built/constructed outdoors are exposed to sunlight, rain, and wind and repeatedly undergo repair work since the degradation of coating film thereof quickly proceeds.
For example, steel structures such as bridges are in an environment of being exposed to wind and rain and thus being likely to rust, and thus coating methods thereof are investigated from the viewpoint of anticorrosion property.
In addition, JP 2005-334759 A (Patent Document 1) proposes a method for repair-coating an existing coating film (also referred to as old coating film) by which it is possible to repair-coat the existing coating film so that shrinkage, cracking, peeling off and the like are not caused without removing the existing coating film and to coat it with thick film type coating materials and finish coating materials. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, attention is paid to the elongation percentage of the repair coating film solely in order to follow the expansion and contraction of the old coating film occurring at the time of repair.

Coating composition, coating film, and coating method


A method and machine-readable medium are described for a flexible tape constructed of a material suitable to convey electronic devices through an entire manufacturing process without removing the electronic packages from the tape. According to one embodiment, part receiving areas are located within the tape. Each part receiving area is suitable to hold an electronic device. A retention channel encompasses each part receiving area. The retention channel extends substantially an entire length along each edge of each part receiving area. The retention channel comprises an upper tab and a lower tab wherein the upper tab is flush with an upper surface of the flexible tape and extends into the part receiving area and the lower tab extends below a lower surface of the flexible tape and into the part receiving area.

In order to facilitate high quantity manufacturing of electronic parts, various means of handling the devices during manufacturing have been developed. Typically, a rigid, flat metal or plastic matrix tray is used to transport devices through or between various processes needed to assemble and test the electronic devices. In use, the tray containing electronic parts will be fed into a manufacturing process. However, the parts usually must be removed from the tray by handling equipment in order to be processed. Additionally, these trays are processed one at a time within the manufacturing process. Since the tray holds a relatively small number of parts, only small batches of parts may be processed from one tray. Therefore, while such trays are convenient for storing and shipping electronic parts, they are cumbersome and relatively inefficient.
An alternative medium for handling electronic parts in a manufacturing process is a continuous tape. Such a tape will contain a number of electronic parts retained within the tape by various means. The tape will be wound onto a reel from which it will be fed into the manufacturing or handling equipment. However, such tapes have several drawbacks. First, the materials typically used to make the tape are not able to withstand high temperatures. Therefore, the tape is not suitable for conveying parts through processes that require high heat such as an epoxy curing process. Second, the tapes must release the parts under a relatively light pressure to avoid damaging the parts. Therefore, flexing of the tape should be limited since excessive flexing of the tape containing rigid or semi-rigid parts may cause the tape to release the parts. Finally, while the tapes typically provide easy access to the top and bottom of mounted parts, they provide little protection to the edges of these parts, as they move through the manufacturing process. Specifically, parts such as integrated circuits having a number of pins extending from the bottom of the part may be damaged during handling.

Electronic device carrier and manufacture tape


Contaminants are removed from a semiconductor material by heating the semiconductor material to temperature within the range of a minimum temperature where a halogen compound will decompose to halogen atoms without the use of ultraviolet irradiation and react with contaminants present on the semiconductor material and a maximum temperature of 800.degree. C., wherein less than or equal to approximately 50 Angstroms of oxide is formed on the semiconductor material. The ambient in which the semiconductor material is heated is an ambient comprised of a nonreactive gas and a halogen compound for at least a time sufficient to remove a substantial amount of contaminants from the semiconductor material.

This invention relates, in general, to a method of removing contaminants, including, but not limited to, a method of cleaning contaminants from a semiconductor material.
Many methods are used to remove contaminants from a semiconductor material. In the past, one method involved exposing a semiconductor material to an anhydrous cleaning gas mixture containing one part by volume of nitric oxide and one part by volume of hydrogen chloride with a carrier gas of at least four parts molecular nitrogen at a temperature range of 850.degree. to 1100.degree. C. for a period of less than 10 minutes.
Another cleaning method entails exposing a semiconductor material to a temperature of 900.degree. to 1300.degree. C. in an ambient which includes hydrogen chloride and about 0.5 to 1% oxygen by volume to grow a protective silicon dioxide film on the surface of the semiconductor material to a thickness of not more than about 150 Angstroms for a period of 20 to 30 minutes.
Although these processes may remove some contaminants, it is desirable to improve the efficiency of contaminant removal so that a substantial amount of contaminants are removed, because contamination problems can be detrimental to the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Contamination can result in poor reliability and poor electrical performance. In particular, contaminants can cause the formation of gate oxide layers which have low rupture voltages and electrical junctions with high leakage, as well as other failures.


A liquid crystal display panel driving device includes a first signal level detection unit for detecting a level of an input image signal, a memory unit for delaying the input image signal by an arbitrary constant time period, a second signal level detection unit for detecting a level of a signal output from the memory unit, and a corrected-image-signal calculation unit for correcting the input image signal based on an output from the first signal level detection unit, an output from the second signal level detection unit, and the arbitrary constant time period, and for outputting the resultant image signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving device and method for improving the display characteristics of a liquid crystal display panel.
The invention also relates to a response-speed improving circuit in a liquid crystal display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional devices for improving the display characteristics of a liquid crystal display panel aim at improvement in the response speed of a liquid crystal, such as ones described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 3-96993 (1991) and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,084.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 3-96993 (1991) describes the following problems in conventional liquid crystal display devices. That is, xe2x80x9cit is known that in liquid crystal display devices, a change in the orientation of liquid-crystal molecules for a change in the electric field delays due to the viscosity of the liquid crytal used in the device, resulting in large rise time and fall time, i.e., inferior transient response characteristics. When displaying a still image by a liquid crystal display device, such inferior transient response characteristics of liquid crystals cause no problem. However, when displaying a moving image by a liquid crystal display device, appearance of afterimage in a displayed image thereby to degrade the quality of the reproduced image is a problem.xe2x80x9d
In order to reduce the occurrence of such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 3-96993 (1991) discloses the following afterimage cancelling circuit for a liquid-crystal display device.
In the afterimage cancelling circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 3-96993 (1991), a difference signal, representing the difference between image signals to be displayed on a liquid crystal display device and image signals separated by one-frame period or one-field period, is generated. When the value of the difference signal is larger than a predetermined value, the difference signal is added to an input image signal in order to prevent appearance of afterimage in an image displayed on the liquid crystal display device. When the value of the difference signal is smaller than the predetermined value, the difference signal is treated as noise, and an input image signal is output without adding the difference signal, otherwise the difference signal is subtracted from the input image signal in order to output an image signal having reduced noise.
The afterimage cancelling circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 3-96993 (1991) will now be described with reference to FIG. 9.
In the afterimage cancelling circuit shown in FIG. 9, an image signal input to an input terminal 901 is supplied to subtracters 902 and 904 as a signal to be subjected to subtraction, as well as to an adder 907.
An output signal from a coefficient circuit 905 is supplied to the subtracter 902 as a subtraction signal. An output signal from the subtracter 902 is stored in a memory 903. For example, the memory 903 comprises a FIFO (first-in first-out) memory, or two memories configured so as to alternately perform writing and reading for every one-field period (or one-frame period), so that an image signal which precedes the current image signal for a one-field (or a one-frame) by the one-field period (or one-frame period) is read from the memory 903 and is supplied to the subtracter 904 as a subtraction signal.
The subtracter 904 uses the current image signal supplied from the input terminal 901 as a signal to be subjected to subtraction, and supplies a difference signal obtained by subtracting an image signal which precedes the current image signal for a one-field period (or a one-frame period) by the one-field period (or the one-frame period) read from the memory 903 from the current image signal to coefficient circuits 905 and 906.
The coefficient circuit 905 multiplies the difference signal output from the subtracter 904, for example, by a coefficient smaller than 1, and supplies the subtracter 902 with the resultant signal as a subtraction signal.
That is, according to the operation of a loop of the subtracter 902xe2x86x92the memory 903xe2x86x92the subtracter 904xe2x86x92the coefficient circuit 905xe2x86x92the subtracter 902, a difference signal representing the difference between image signals separated by a one-frame period or a one-field period (a motion detection signal) is output from the subtracter 904.
The difference signal output from the subtracter 904 is supplied to the coefficient circuit 906.
When the value of the difference signal supplied from the subtracter 904 to the coefficient circuit 906 is within a range of 0xcx9c+a or 0xcx9cxe2x88x92a, i.e., smaller than a predetermined value |a|, an output signal obtained by multiplying the input signal by a coefficient having a polarity inverse to the polarity of the input signal is output to the adder 907, which outputs an image signal obtained by subtracting the difference signal from the input image signal to an output terminal 908. In the output signal in this state, noise is reduced in the image signal.
When the value of the difference signal supplied from the subtracter 904 to the coefficient circuit 906 is outside the range of 0xcx9c+a or 0xcx9cxe2x88x92a, i.e., larger than the predetermined value |a|, an output signal obtained by multiplying the input signal by a coefficient having the same polarity as the polarity of the input signal is output to the adder 907, which outputs an image signal obtained by adding the difference signal to the input image signal to the output terminal 908. The output signal in this state can cancel afterimage in an image displayed on the liquid crystal display device.
However, studies done by the inventor of the present invention have revealed that the afterimage cancelling circuit described above has problems. That is, for example, when applying a signal voltage of +5 V to an image signal for a frame and then applying a signal voltage of +15 V to an image signal for the next frame, the difference between the applied signal voltages is 10 V. On the other hand, when applying a signal voltage of +10 V to an image signal for a frame and then applying a signal voltage of +20 V for an image signal for the next frame, the difference between the applied signal voltages is also 10 V. However, when correction is performed by using the same difference signal for the two cases, optimum correction is not always obtained. This is because a liquid crystal behaves differently depending on the value of the level of the signal applied thereto. That is, even if the same difference signal is applied, optimum correction is not obtained unless the value of the level of the signal applied to the liquid crystal is considered. This fact is not taken into consideration in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 96993 (1991).
For example, in display devices using twisted nematic liquid crystals, vertically aligned liquid crystals and PDLC""s (polymer dispersed liquid crystals), the response speed greatly differs depending on the absolute values of the level of the signal for the preceding frame and the level of the signal for the current frame.
Although the response speed from 0% to 100% of the maximum luminance level is sufficiently high, the response speed from 0% to 10% of the maximum luminance level is very low.
As described above, since the response speed greatly differs depending on the values of the level of the signal for the preceding frame and the level of the signal for the current frame, an optimum response speed cannot be obtained according to the conventional correction method that does not depend on the signal level.
For example, if adjustment is performed so as to be adapted to a signal level having a high response speed, sufficient improvement is not obtained for a signal level having a low response speed. On the other hand, if adjustment is performed so as to be adapted to a signal level having a low response speed, an image having prominent noise is, in some cases, obtained because of excessive correction.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems.
According to one aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving device including first signal level detection means for detecting a signal level of an input image signal, memory means for delaying the input image signal by an arbitrary constant time period, second signal level detection means for detecting a level of a signal output from the memory means, and corrected-image-signal calculation means for correcting the input image signal based on an output from the first signal level detection means, an output from the second signal level detection means, and the arbitrary constant time period, and for outputting the resultant image signal.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving device including first encoding means for encoding a level of an input image signal, memory means for delaying the input image signal by an arbitrary constant time period, second encoding means for encoding a level of a signal output from the memory means, corrected-image-signal calculation means for obtaining a correction value based on outputs from the first and second encoding means, and addition-subtraction means for adding/subtracting the corrected value to/from the input image signal.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves the aboved-described object relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving device including first encoding means for encoding a level of an input image signal, second encoding means for encoding the level of the input image signal, memory means for delaying an output from the second encoding means by an arbitrary constant time period, corrected-image-signal calculation means for obtaining a correction value based on an output from the first encoding means and an output from the memory means, and addition-subtraction means for adding/subtracting the correction value to/from the input image signal.
According to yet another aspect, the present invention which achieves the aboved-described object relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving device including encoding means for encoding a level of an input image signal, memory means for delaying an output from the encoding means by an arbitrary constant time period, corrected-image-signal calculation means for obtaining a correction value based on an output from the encoding means and an output from the memory means, and addition-subtraction means for adding/subtracting the correction value to/from the input image signal.
In one embodiment, the corrected-image-signal calculation means corrects the input image signal so as to maintain a linear relationship between the difference between the output from the first signal level detection means and the output from the second signal level detection means and a step level of a display luminance of a liquid crystal display panel, based, in depedence upon a value of a step response output in a relationship between a driving voltage and the display luminance of the liquid crystal display panel after the arbitrary constant time period, on levels before and after the step.
In another embodiment, the corrected-image-signal calculation means comprises a look-up table.
In still another embodiment, the arbitrary constant time period is a time period until the input image signal again drives the same pixel of the liquid crystal display panel.
According to yet a further aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a liquid crystal display panel driving method including the step of driving a liquid crystal display device by an image signal corrected so as to maintain a linear relationship between a step level of the image signal and a step level of a display luminance of the liquid crystal display panel, based, in depedence upon a value of a step response output in a relationship between a driving voltage and the display luminance of the liquid crystal display panel after an arbitrary constant time period, on levels before and after the step.
In one embodiment, when the level of the current image signal is low, finer correction is performed than when the level is high.
In another embodiment, the arbitrary constant time period is a time period until the input image signal again drives the same pixel of the liquid crystal panel.
According to the present invention, by correcting the driving signal for the liquid crystal display panel to an optimum value in accordance with the level of the current input image signal and the level of the past input image signal driving the same pixel, the display characteristics of the liquid crystal display panel can be improved.
It is thereby possible to display an image having a smaller afterimage even when displaying a moving image. Hence, it is possible to use even a liquid crystal display panel having a low response speed for use in displaying a moving image.
The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Liquid crystal display panel driving device and method


The present invention is a method for ensuring client access to paired and unpaired response messages. In the method, the server detects one or more unpaired message which are stored in a data structure on the server. The data structure may be created when the server is started or automatically when the first unpaired message is identified. The method then uses a communications protocol between the client and server which allows the client to request one or more of the stored unpaired messages. The present invention uses a request module configured to receive a client request and prepare the client request for a response generator. The response generator receives the client request from the request module and generates an appropriate response. Next, an unpaired message module analyzes the response message generated by the response generator and distinguishes a paired message from an unpaired message. Then, the unpaired message module stores paired messages in an unpaired response data structure. Finally, a response module communicates paired and unpaired messages to the client.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to client-server application network communications. More specifically, the invention relates to managing client-server communications such that a client has access to all messages from a server.
2. Relevant Technology
Programmed computers are increasing modem day society's ability to do more work in less time and at less expense. The programs which execute on these computers cover a vast range of subjects and industries. These programs vary in their amount of utilization of computer hardware resources. In the end, it is the output of the computer such as, a report, a display, a printed document, and the like which provides the utility found in programmed computers.
Programs for computers may be a single program executing on one computer or a plurality of program modules distributed across a plurality of individual computers. Division of a single program into modules may be done for several reasons such as to protect ownership of a particular module, to save computer resources, or to broadly increase user access to specific program modules.
Division of a single program into program modules requires there be some form of communication rules or relationships between the program modules and hardware to transmit the communications. The relationships available are varied and often model the relationships amongst human beings. Examples of models include peer to peer, master/slave, and client/server. In each model, one program module takes on one role and a second program takes on the other role.
The hardware needed to transmit inter-program module communications is standard computer networking hardware which utilizes standard network protocols, e.g., ISO/OSI, IPX, SNA, OTMA, APPC, TCP/IP, to pass messages from one program module to the other. In addition, each computer on the network needs a network card capable of communicating across the network medium. The network medium may be Ethernet, token-ring, twisted pair, infrared, radio waves, other wireless mediums and the like. The network may be a local area network LAN, wide area network WAN, or global network such as the Internet.
Inter-program module messages contain two kinds of data, control data and message data. Depending on the network protocol, there may be one or more layers of control data. The control data instructs the network hardware how and where to transmit the message. The message data is the information the sending computer intended to transmit. Some protocols, such as Open Transaction Manager Access ("OTMA"), provide a portion of the control data which either program module may use to identify messages.
Of the models for inter-program module relationships, the client/server model is most prevalent. Client-Server programs are common in most every aspect of government, business, and commerce today. The development of the Internet has magnified the importance, growth and the reliance on the client/server model.
A client/server program consists of a client program module, referred to hereinafter as a client, assuming the role of a client. The client communicates with a server program module, referred to hereinafter as a server, assuming the role of a server. A client, as in real life, requests certain services of the server. A server, again as in real life such as a butler, performs the services requested by the client. In a client/server model, generally the server executes on one computer while the client executes on a remote computer which is connected to the server by a network. While this is not necessary, executing the client and the server on the same computer limits the advantages gained by doing otherwise. In order for most advantages of a client/server model to be gained, the time required for a server to meet the client request must be short. A client request which monopolizes the server and its resources moves from a client/server model to a master/slave model.
The client/server model has distinct advantages. First, a single server may service multiple clients almost simultaneously. Second, the server may act as a central repository for data files, database records, web pages, email data, and the like. Additionally, the server may execute on a computer which has many more computing resources such as disk space, memory, and computing speed than the computer on which the client executes. Centralizing the computing resources allows the server to execute complex or time consuming calculations on a client's behalf. A single client may not need the extra computing resources at any given time but may need the resources at a later point during a given time interval. Thus, centralizing the resources and allowing multiple clients access to them by way of a server maximizes the use of these resources.
An example of a server which provides primarily database records to clients is a database management system. An example of a database management system is the Information Management System (IMSTM) available from IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y. The IMS system is used to serve records from a vast number of databases in operation today. The IMS system[s] allows access by clients to one or more databases in order for users to retrieve and modify the data maintained on the database. The majority of client access involves transactional operations.
A client/server model offers advantages in the design and programming of clients as well. In the design of the client and the server the software engineer may decide how much functionality to place in the client versus the server. Generally, functionality which maximizes computing resources is placed in the server. This functionality is often database records and their management or complex computing algorithms. This leaves primarily output and server request functionality for the client. Output functionality includes displays, reports or other human intelligible computer outputs. Clients with little more than output functionality are called thin clients. Thin clients require less computing resources on the remote computer. This allows the thin client to execute on a smaller, more compact computing device such as a Palm Pilot® or internet enabled mobile phone. A thin client also allows the client to be generalized such that the client may execute as a plug-in within a client driver program, such as Netscape® or Microsoft Internet Explorer®. Using thin clients also allows the program designer to protect proprietary algorithms on the server while still providing the service to the clients.
As mentioned above, the client/server model is most effective with transactional operations of short duration. In transactional operations, the client requests a service such as the data in a database representing a person's bank account balance. The transaction is complete when the server responds to the client with a response message containing the balance amount.
One premise gencrally relied on when using network protocols is that for each client request made of the server there will be a corresponding response sent to die client. Even if the response to the client is that the server oxperienced an error or could not service the request, the client expects at least some response message. Similarly the server anticipates that the client expects aresponse and makes arrangements to provide one. A protocol for use with the present invention, Open Transaction Manager Access ('OTMA'), also relies on this premise. Response messages are stored in a data structure until the server is capable of sending them. Suitable data structures include, queues, linked lists, and the like.
During normal operation, the premise of expected response messages functions without any problems. Clients make requests using request messages and the server responds using response messages. A completed transaction is a request and its corresponding response message. A request and its corresponding response message comprise as a set of paired messages. The server response message is the pair for the client request message.
Unfortunately, operations between computers on a network are not completely free from communication interruptions. Interruptions may take various forms. The client may make a request and be taken off the network, or off-line, by the user of the client computer before the server could deliver the response to complete the transaction. Alternatively, the client may request a server perform a service and send the result to a second client which is not currently on-line.
Conventional servers ignore interruption scenarios. The server continues to store response messages in the queue and continues servicing other clients. Messages which have become undeliverable because of an interruption are called unpaired messages. The module in the server responsible for delivering the server responses continues to send out responses to clients currently connected to the server. A client is connected when it has indicated a desire to communicate with the server and the server has accepted to perform services for the client.
When communication has been prematurely interrupted, unpaired messages may accumulate in the server's message response queue. Once the same client re-connects to the server, the client may send the same request as prior to the interruption or send a completely different request. However, messages sent from the server to the client are sent on a first in, first out (FIFO) basis. That is the first message to be stored in the queue will be sent before subsequent messages stored in the queue. Therefore, the server sends, in response to the client's most recent request, the unpaired response message created in response to the last request prior to the interruption.
Because server response messages are sent on a FIFO basis client1 may request a service and ask that the response be sent to client2. At about the same time, client2 has made a completely different request. The request from client1 is quickly processed and a response to be delivered to client2 is placed in the queue. Then, client2's response is ready. Conventional server message delivery modules do not distinguish between paired and unpaired messages. The message for client2 from client2 is an unpaired message which the conventional delivery module simply sends to client2. Because this response is not the pair for the request client1 made, an error condition in client2 may result.
Some clients may have logic to enable the client to recover from an interruption and identify the unpaired response message sent by the server and work through the problem accordingly. However, most clients do not have such logic. These clients are expecting a response to their most recent request and instead are receiving an unpaired message. This mis-match, or disconnect in communication may lead to the client experiencing an error state or outputting erroneous data.
Solutions to the response message mismatch generally involve developing clients which have logic to manage unpaired messages. This logic increases the size of the client executable meaning the clients will require more computing resources. The computing resources required lowers the probability that the advantages of thin clients, mentioned above, can be recognized. Also, placing this logic in the client may require separate logic to handle unpaired messages from each server a client may interact with.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a method to manage unpaired messages such that unpaired messages may be utilized by the clients even after a communications mismatch. It would be a further advancement to provide a system and method to manage unpaired messages in a single central server location rather than in each remote client. It would be a further advancement to provide unpaired message management without increasing the size of the clients. It would be yet another advancement in the art to provide unpaired message management by using existing server functionality rather than consuming additional client computer resources. It would be yet another advancement in the art to provide a method for managing unpaired messages such that the method may be initiated by a client's request. It would be yet another advancement in the art to provide a method for managing unpaired messages to recognize the existence of unpaired messages and automatically manage these messages for later delivery to the client. It would be yet another advancement in the art to provide a method for managing unpaired messages such that the client may request one or more unpaired message be sent to the client. Such an invention is disclosed and claimed herein.

Method for ensuring client access to messages from a server


The present invention relates to a novel process for decomposing siloxane bond-containing compound by an alkali decomposer characterized in that one or more selected from a group consisting of secondary and tertiary aliphatic alcohols are used as a decomposition facilitator, and if desired, the decomposition product is further sonicated and treated with a triorganylhalosilane.

Silixane bond-containing compounds include polyorganosiloxanes, such as for example, silicone resin, silicone rubber, etc. A good deal of the siloxane bond-containing compound is conventionally discarded in the form of waste matters due to the combination failure during processing step, scraps formed in finishing step, or useless materials from a variety of industrial areas. Such a discarded silicone resin or silicone rubber can hardly be re-used because it's reclamation is almost impossible. Furthermore, since there have not developed as yet any effective cleavage methods for the discarded silicone resin and rubber, they are usually left untreated. Accordingly, processing factories have great difficulties to treat the wastes.
Chemical cleavage methods for siloxane bond-containing compound include decompositions by heat, acid, or alkali. Among those methods, a process for producing alkali metal trimethylsilanolate by heating hexamethyldisiloxane in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide or alkoxide, as depicted in the following reaction scheme 1, can be exemplified as a related one to the process according to the present invention (see, J. F. Hyde et al, J Am. chem. Soc., 75, 5615, 1953; W. S. Tatlock and E. G. Rochow, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 72, 528, 1950).
Reaction Scheme 1 EQU (CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si!.sub.2 O+ROM.revreaction.(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiOM+(CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiOR
in which
R represents hydrogen atom or alkyl, and PA1 M represents Na, K or Li. PA1 R' represents methyl or ethyl.
In addition, as depicted in the following reaction scheme 2, a process wherein potassium or sodium siloxanediolate is produced through the cleavage of cyclodiorganylsiloxane or straight polydiorganylsiloxane having a high molecular weight by potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide in the presence of a primary alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, etc. is disclosed in T. Takiguchi and M. Skural, Kogyo Kagaku Zassi, 63, 1476, 1960; W. Noll, Chemie und Technologie der Silicone, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1968; A. Stock and C. Somieski, Ber., 52, 595, 1919; J. F. Hyde, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 75, 2166, 1953; and K. A. Andrianov and M. A. Sipyagina, Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Neorg. Mat., 4, 2016, 1968. ##STR1## in which M represents Na or K, and
In the alkali-decomposition method as mentioned above, however, it is difficult to control the reaction since a primary alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, etc. is used as a decomposition facilitator. Also, according to this method, silica combined as a filler may not efficiently be recovered; the cleavage yield is low; and the molecular weight of the decomposition product is high.
It is described in the above alkali-decomposition method that secondary or tertiary alcohols can be used during the cleavage in addition to primary alcohols. However, since it is also described therein that "Secondary alcohols react with siloxanes in the presence of KOH or ROK more slowly than do primary alcohols, while tertiary alcohols are completely unreactive", the technical concept of the existing alkali-decomposition method is quite different from that of the present invention.

Process for decomposing siloxane bond-containing compound

Samwoo Villa #501, 48-30, Jangchoong-dong 1-ga


A new class of polyarylene co-polymers include repeating units comprising one or more arylene units having the general formula (--Ar--/--Y--).sub.n, where Y is a divalent group chosen from nil, --Z--, --Z--Ph--, and --Ph--Z--Ph--, where Z is a divalent group chosen from the group consisting of --O--, --S--, --NR--, --O(CO)--, --O(CO.sub.2)--,--(CO)NH(CO)--, --NR(CO)--, phthalimide, pyromellitimide, --CO--, --SO--, --SO.sub.2 --, --P(O)R--, --CH.sub.2 --, --CF.sub.2 --, and --CRR'--; Ph is phenylene (ortho, meta or para); and n is greater than 4. The co-polymers are useful as molding resins, and composite matrix resins, and where Ar is heteroarylene as ion exchange resins.

Polyarylenes are of interest because the basic arylene unit has excellent thermal and chemical stability. Polymers containing only phenylene units have been described. One method for their preparation is the oxidative coupling of aromatic compounds, such as benzene, as disclosed in P. Kovacic, et al., Chem. Rev., 1987, 87, 357-379. This method involves a chemical oxidant such as cupric chloride and a Lewis acid catalyst, and in general results in insoluble polyphenylenes of uncertain structure. It is thought that polyphenylenes prepared by oxidation of benzene are branched and low in molecular weight.
Polyphenylenes of better defined composition have been reported by J. K. Stille, Die Makromolekulare Chemie, 1972, 154, 49-61. Stille found that the unsubstituted parent polyphenylene was insoluble in all solvents and did not melt. Phenyl substituted polyphenylenes, prepared by Diels-Alder cycloaddition of rather elaborate, and therefore costly, monomers, were soluble in organic solvents and could be processed into films. These phenylene substituted polyphenylenes appeared to have both para and meta catenation in the main chain, although the ratios of para and meta could only be inferred from the study of model compounds.
Substituted polyphenylenes have been disclosed by M. L. Marrocco, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,457. Marrocco, et al., disclose rigid-rod (i.e. predominately 1,4 or para linked) polyphenylenes made soluble by the attachment of organic side groups. The side groups are chosen for a positive interaction with solvent, but are electrically neutral (uncharged) groups.
The chemical and physical properties, including thermal stability, glass transition temperature (T.sub.g), and dielectric constant (K), of substituted polyphenylenes depends on the solubilizing groups and the structure of the polymer backbone. It would be desirable to find polyphenylenes having lower K and higher T.sub.g, while maintaining good solubility and processability. It would also be desirable to provide polyphenylene compositions having well defined structures and high purity that may be produced from relatively low cost starting materials.